My favorite book of the Bible has shifted over the years, but for the last few, I would have to call Paul’s letters to the Corinthians my favorite, and specifically, his second letter. But if I were to be limited to only one book for the rest of my life, that’s probably not the one I would select. That spot would have to go to the book of Psalms.

Psalms really has it all: encouragement and hope. Passages that exhort and teach, and others that correct and rebuke as needed. There are passages that even express some of the darker areas of the psalmist’s heart, and reflect my own as well at times. And there are passages that point to Jesus, such as Psalm 22 or 40 or 8, for example.

But Jesus is evident in more than just a handful of the Messianic Psalms. He is, in fact, to be seen in every single one of the Psalms. That’s the premise of Christ in the Psalms, by Patrick Henry Reardon. To my surprise, he sees evidence of Jesus even in passages I have never thought to associate with Christ, and does so in a very encouraging fashion.

Written as a mixture of commentary and devotional, Reardon’s book takes the reader on a fascinating journey through each of the 150 psalms in the Bible, and points out how each one reflects and reveals Jesus to us. Each “chapter” is merely a page and a half, and is, therefore, very quick and easy to read. The intention, of course, is to read it in conjunction with the Psalm in question, and reflect on what we can see of Jesus in each passage. In that way, it can easily be used as a devotional resource to guide us through the book of Psalms.

But it’s also a commentary, providing details about each passage, and instructing us to see it rightly. Many are connected to the psalms before or after it, or to parallel psalms later in the book. In this way, it’s an information and educational tool as well.

Reardon follows the numbering of the Septuagint, or Greek, text of the Old Testament. Because of this, beginning with Psalm 9, the numbers are lower by one from the more traditional Hebrew numbering that most English Bibles follow. However, this numbering is provided in parentheses to help avoid confusion as much as possible.

Christ in the Psalms was a book required for one of my classes at Lincoln Seminary, and one that I found to be very enlightening as I read it. It will be a resource I turn to again and again as I continue to read through the Psalms in the future.

If all I had access to for the rest of my life was the book of Psalms, I think it would be sufficient. Thankfully, I don’t have to make that choice for real. But at the same time, I find myself turning more and more to these 150 chapters for inspiration and comfort.

If you’d like to purchase Christ in the Psalms, you can find it on Amazon.com.

Perhaps that is because I’m getting older. Or perhaps it has been sparked by some classes I have taken that focus on leadership from a self-awareness and spiritual formation perspective. Either way, I have been pursuing this more and more, and have spent much time in several good books that have helped.

One of those books is A Soul’s House, by J. K. Jones. Jones labels this book as “A Primer for Spiritual Formation,” and it is that, but even more, it is a “conversation” with another book on spiritual formation that has had a profound impact on Jones’ life. Evelyn Underhill wrote The House of the Soul, and this provides the basis for Jones’ discussion.

While I have not read Underhill’s book (it’s on my list), I found that Jones quotes her extensively and helps his readers gain some perspective into Underhill’s insights and his own responses and perspective. I find that very helpful.

Both authors use the analogy of a house in describing the spiritual life, and the illustration is fitting. In his “conversation,” Jones digs into the reality of the soul’s need for attention, just as a house needs care and upkeep. Different parts of the house require different approaches. For example, a reading room in a house can be compared to the need to read in order to deepen both the mind and the soul, and it matters what is read.

In short, Jones highlights the importance of maintaining balance between the body and the soul. Too often, we focus on the body and neglect the soul, but attention must be given to both. The soul cannot function well if time and care are not taken to nourish it. As a primer, this short book provides a good start to that nourishment.

Filled with wisdom and insight, A Soul’s House also contains numerous stories and anecdotes from Jones’ personal life and spiritual walk, making this book easy to read and just as easy to relate to. Having sat in classes with J.K. Jones as the professor, I find his writing to sound just like he does in the classroom setting. And the wisdom and encouragement taken away from this book are helpful as I seek to care for my own soul’s house.

If you’d like to purchase A Soul’s House, you can find it on Amazon.com.

Brother Lawrence was a 17th-century French Carmelite monk who is best known for his spiritual writings and his practice of living in constant awareness of God’s presence. A simple man, Brother Lawrence served most of his life in the kitchen of a monastery near Paris. What set him apart was his unwavering commitment to practicing the presence of God in his daily life. He believed that anyone could experience a deep and constant communion with God, not just through formal prayers and rituals, but in the midst of ordinary, everyday tasks. Brother Lawrence’s simple and practical approach to spirituality resonated with many, and a friend compiled his teachings and his letters into a small book after his death, called The Practice Of The Presence Of God.

This book is quick and easy to read, although you should take it slow. It may be simple, but is also incredibly profound, and filled with insights and wisdom on how to cultivate a continuous awareness of God’s presence in every aspect of life. I first read this little book in 2000, but recently pulled it out to read it again. There are a few things that stood out to me.

Brother Lawrence emphasizes the importance of simplicity in my relationship with God. He reminds me that I don’t need complex or wordy prayers in order to connect with God; all I need is a sincere and humble heart that is genuinely seeking the Father. Because he can be found in every moment of my life. He is waiting in every task I face, whether I am setting aside time for prayer specifically, or in the midst of doing daily chores. This is a solid reminder that I can make every action a form of worship, and I can maintain a constant conversation with God throughout my day.

Brother Lawrence also emphasizes my need for trust and surrender. I can turn all my anxieties and worries over to Christ. And even in my most difficult of moments, I can find an opportunity to draw closer to God. In every single moment of my day, I can practice God’s presence, turning my thoughts, my attention, and my affection toward the Father.

This book, so simple, and yet so deep and profound, is an encouragement to stay connected to Christ in everything I do. I highly recommend that you read The Practice Of The Presence Of God. Read it slowly. Take the time to really dwell upon what he writes. And see how it might deepen your spiritual connection with God.

If you’d like to purchase The Practice Of The Presence Of God, you can find it on Amazon.com.

I am currently working towards a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry in Strategic Leadership. So far, my classes have introduced me to reading material that would probably have come to my attention eventually. But there has been a book or two that I doubt I would have found if not for a professor recommending it or a class requiring it. That is the case with The Mission of God, by Christopher J. H. Wright.

The Bible is a narrative, telling the story of humanity and our relationship with God. In that overarching narrative, there are several threads that run through the pages of Scripture: sin and redemption, our need for a Savior in Jesus Christ, God’s glory, and judgment, just to name a few. And another is the theme of “mission.” What Wright proposes, however, is not simply that the Bible contains a basis for mission, but that there is a missional basis for the Bible. That seems a minor issue of semantics, but the difference is enormous, and holds some significant implications for humanity, and our role as Christians, partnering with God in his plan of redemption.

Often, we view the Old Testament as God’s plan for the Hebrew people, and the New Testament expands that to include Gentiles. In Wright’s estimation, that plan for all of mankind has been there all along, in both Testaments, and that he desires to use us in accomplishing that plan.

In order to understand this, we need to shift our perspective a bit. We need to read the Bible with a missional hermeneutic, and see how God has been working throughout history to draw people to himself. As Wright describes it, “mission is not just one of a list of things that the Bible happens to talk about, only a bit more urgently than some. The mission is, in that much-abused phrase, ‘what it’s all about’” (p. 22).

If that’s the case, we need to understand just what God’s mission is, and what role we are to play. And we need to jump in wholeheartedly, joining God in his plan to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

So far, I’m only a couple of hundred pages in, but what I have learned to this point has been very enlightening and encouraging. I’m excited to continue my way through this book, and gain a deeper understanding of God’s mission, and how I can participate.

If you’d like to purchase The Mission Of God, you can find it on Amazon.com. I suggest you add this book to your reading list, and see how God might impact your life through it.

Since then, I have found several other authors whose leadership material has encouraged my life and ministry, and has helped me grow. One such resource is Lead, by Paul David Tripp. This is a book that was required for one of my classes in Ozark Christian College’s graduate studies program. But as I read it for class, I realized that it would be an incredible tool and resource for ministry in a variety of ways.

Tripp’s book covers twelve principles that he has pulled out of Scripture and found to be necessary for leadership in the church. This is a direct response to the growing crisis of leaders leaving ministry in increasing numbers over the past few years. While there may be a variety of reasons for this, one of the problems Tripp sees is that leaders in the church have lost sight of what it means to lead from a biblical perspective. So many of the resources out there — as excellent as they are — approach leadership from a corporate perspective. But a corporate leadership style doesn’t always fit into a church setting. In fact, a case could be made for the fact that such a leadership approach rarely fits a church scenario.

And as a result, church leaders are leaving the church. What Tripp does is take a look at some deeper insights and values, some biblical principles of leadership, and shows how they were meant to be implemented into leading the body of Christ in a way that impacts the Kingdom of God in lasting ways.

Tripp explores twelve principles in Lead, including such important aspects as character, balance, service, and presence. These are just a sample of the twelve principles, and all of them are critically important. I found myself reflecting as I read a chapter, “Yes! This is what is needed!” And then I started the next chapter, only to find myself repeating that sentiment again and again.

I found this resource to be a significant reminder of the need for the gospel in leadership. As leaders, we are responsible for those God has entrusted to our care. The first and foremost aspect of this kind of leadership is to care for their souls. Because of this, leadership in the church carries eternal significance and lasting impact. It cannot be undertaken lightly. And, as Tripp discusses in this book, the only proper foundation for such leadership must come from God’s Word. The leadership principles that the Bible contains are what provide the spiritual nourishment for the church, and the enduring support for leaders to be able to carry out the task of leading.

I found Lead to be a very encouraging and helpful tool as a leader. It will likely be a resource I pass on to the other leaders in our ministry so that we can all benefit from its encouraging and helpful principles, as we seek to lead in our localized context.

If you are in church leadership of any variety, I highly recommend this book as a resource to help you lead as effectively as possible. I was encouraged by it, and I know you will be as well. You can purchase it on Amazon.

Going back to school has been a challenge, for sure. But it has also been a blessing in many different ways. One such blessing is the books I have been exposed to, some that are required for a course, and others that have come through the recommendation of a class or a professor.

Terry Linhart’s book, The Self-Aware Leader, is a required book for a class I am in this semester, called Self-Awareness and the Christian Leader. While it is a relatively quick and easy book to read, and flows smoothly, it’s best to slow down and take it in very deliberately. This book has the potential to be a foundational resource for making sure I stay grounded as a leader.

Often, we go through life somewhat oblivious to certain aspects of our personal or spiritual life; some are more unaware than others. But we all have blind spots, and if we want to grow as a leader — or even as a Christian — we need to identify these trouble areas, and take steps to eliminate them or improve in spite of them.

Linhart covers a wide spectrum of potential trouble areas. From conflict to pressures, from sin and temptation to emotional and relational problems, he addresses many of the areas that people — especially leaders, and especially church leaders — can struggle with. And when you are moving in the right direction… you find joy. Linhart says, “I am convinced that at the intersection of maturity, Christ-centeredness, and contentedness, we find joy. Its presence or absence is telling. When we are joyful, we have no anxiety, fear, need for control, and anger. When there is joy, there is freedom and confidence. … When joy is present, maturity and spiritual depth are right behind” (p. 105).

I found The Self-Aware Leader to be extremely helpful as a leader, but even more, as a Christian. This is a resource I will return to for encouragement and help again and again.

The Self-Aware Leader is a resource you may find helpful whether you are in a leadership position or, not, or whether that might be in a church setting or in any other vocational situation. I strongly encourage you to read this helpful resource, and put its principles into practice. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll grow. You can purchase it on Amazon. And once you’ve read it, check out Terry Linhart’s website filled with additional tools and resources to help implement these practices into your life.

And when I look at all that has changed in that time, one of the biggest things I notice is the generational differences that stand out. I am right in the middle of the Gen X generation. My kids are in what many call Gen Z. In between the two are the Millennials. And frankly, there are some pretty big differences between all three of those groups, and even more when you add in the Boomer generation that was before me.

Now throw all of that mix into the church. How do you accomplish the mission we were called to when so many different groups of people see life so differently? That’s the focus of Faith For Exiles, by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock. This book takes a look at how we can continue to help people follow Jesus from generation to generation.

The premise of the book is pretty simple: In my generation, and even more so in the generation of my parents, church was a pretty significant force in most parts of our culture. But that has changed. More and more, these younger generations seem to be more aptly described as exiles.

The concept of exile is a common theme throughout the Bible. The nation of Israel found themselves in exile in Egypt, and then later in Assyria and in Babylon. They had to learn to live in a foreign land, learn to maintain their faith in a foreign culture, and learn how to manage to pass that on to the next generations, who were more deeply rooted in foreign thinking. As Christians, Peter calls us exiles as well.

Today could be compared to a digital Babylon, and Millennials and Gen Z’ers live right in the middle of it. To continue to do church like we’ve always done it is increasingly ineffective, and unless we find new ways to engage discipleship in younger generations, we may see many of those people walking away from Jesus.

So how do we help the church adjust to such new thinking… exile thinking? How do we help new generations of believers grasp a hold of Jesus and follow him? How do we help these newer generations thrive in their faith and discipleship?

Based on more than fifteen years of research by the Barna Group, Faith For Exiles is revealing and timely. We would do well to pay attention to what is ahead for the church, and watch how Jesus continues to sustain and grow his church, even though it my be completely different from anything we’ve ever experienced.

Faith For Exiles may be the most important book you read this year. But don’t just read it, look for ways to engage with it, and with people of a generation different than yours, and watch how you grow together as disciples. Pick up a copy on Amazon and read it. You’ll be challenged, to be sure. But you’ll be encouraged too.

I originally heard about this book through a podcast I listen to regularly, the Every Thought Podcast, from a few of the professors at Ozark Christian College. I was intrigued, so I added the book to my Amazon wish list for reading material and didn’t think too much more about it. But episode after episode of the podcast continued to refer to this book, so I purchased it and started in on it.

This is one of those books that not only makes an impact now, but the implications will last for a long time to come. In this short book, Conyers, who was a professor of theology at Baylor University, address the loss of transcendence that our culture has experienced. And that loss has impacted us in far deeper ways than we might realize.

Written in the early 1990s, this book feels incredibly relevant for the second and third decade of the 21st century. We’ve lost our sense of the divine, our sense of heaven… transcendence. Because of that, our views of the value of life and the meaning of death have shifted. We’ve taken on a much more shallow view of both. Because we no longer live with heaven in mind, our culture has dipped further into moral decay.

This is evident in the way we view community, in the way science has taken the lead in our understanding of the nature of all things, and in the way that religion has faded to the level of a discarded crutch that we once needed. (Although we’re still very much “religious.” Our religion has just shifted from being about God to being about us.)

Our way of thinking has shifted, maybe more deeply than anyone has realized, and we are going to have to regain our focus on what’s beyond this mortal existence, or we run the risk of losing more and more of our humanity. It’s time to refocus our sights upon eternity, and reclaim the hope that we can have because of what God has done on our behalf.

I highly recommend that you read Eclipse of Heaven. But be warned; it will challenge they way you look at life and the way you react to everything around you. If you’re willing to see how this cultural shift has impacted us, and to strive to reclaim the hope that we need, get this book and read it carefully. You can find it on Amazon.

I have been a longtime fan of John Maxwell for this area of my growth. He recently launched an online resource called LILO: Lead In, Lead Out. This is kind of like the Netflix for leaders; it is filled with short videos and resources that you can take a few moments here and there to learn something and improve your abilities. I subscribed, and have been extremely satisfied with the content.

In one recent video I watched, Maxwell referenced his book, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. I was immediately interested, since this is a book I had not yet read by Maxwell. So I ordered it, and started digging into it last weekend. The premise is simple: if you want to grow as a leader, you need to learn to ask good questions, questions that will help you learn, questions that will help you connect with others, questions that will challenge you to grow, and questions that will help you develop better ideas.

I have long said that I know I’m not smart enough to have all the good ideas, and I need to surround myself with other who can help me grow, and stimulate my thinking in ways that I don’t normally. Questions are a great way to capitalize on that. Asking questions is critical to growing, but you also have to know how to ask good questions.

I am convinced that this will be a book that helps take my leadership to a new level, and will help me expand my thinking as I strive to grow. If you are in a leadership position, you should check it out as well. You can pick up a copy for yourself on Amazon.