A truly eclectic group as we get towards the end of my 2017 reading summary.
2017 Reading List: 25 Books I Enjoyed This Year, Part 4
2017 Reading List: 25 Books I Enjoyed This Year, Part 3
Hillbilly's, old pastors, the mystery of God's will and same sex attraction all on one list.
2017 Reading List: 25 Books I Enjoyed This Year, Part 2
Part 2 of the list features everything from Japanese fiction to American pragmatism, making a stop past English Catholicism on the way. There is also a pastor with gay parents and a conservative view of marriage.
2017 Reading List: 25 Books I Enjoyed This Year, Part 1
By God's grace it has been a fruitful year of reading, and I have learned a great deal again, especially in terms of how I ought to read more going forward. So, here are the first 5 of 25 books that I enjoyed this year, with very short reviews to whet your appetite. My simple hope is to encourage you to read more and to enjoy your reading more. They appear in the order that I read them.
Different Church: LINC Church (Salt Rock, KZN)
Sometimes it feels like those of us in the Reformed camp have lost a lot of our joy, which actually makes no sense if you really believe the doctrines of grace. But, perhaps in an effort to combat one-inch deep, smiley, God always just gives you everything you want, prosperity silliness, we have - at times - become (or at least appeared to become) joyless, cynical, pessimistic grumps. The guys at LINC shook that out of me.
Different Church: The Crowded House (Sheffield, England)
The English have a bit of a reputation for being a slightly chilly bunch when it comes to relational warmth, and churches like this one can fight that cultural norm and point to the gospel while doing it.
Lester Family Update
It's a funny thing, place. It is true that you take yourself with you wherever you go, but it is also true that where you go isn't where you are from. Here isn't there, and here has been very good to us. I am sure there will be too.
When the Church Acts Like the Church, There is Just Nothing Like It In This World
The church is messed up. We don't need to get defensive about that. It is made up of messed up people, and it is led and shepherded by messed up people. But when she acts like she is supposed to act, there is nothing like it in the world.
My Life as a Suburban Church Planter
Yesterday, I had the rare privilege of sharing some thoughts with my brothers and sister at the Acts 29 Global Gathering in Nashville, TN. It has been a remarkable time together and I love this family more than ever. I was tasked to speak for fifteen minutes on things I have learned as church planter... Continue Reading →
