– by Rev. Jeff Gannon
People will frequently ask me what I am currently reading. I love to read even though I have a limited time to do so. Generally speaking, people have lost their love of reading. I wish we could reclaim it. I am highly influenced by those who engage in one hour of spiritual reading a day as a means of shaping the soul. I am so thankful our Christmas gifts to the children and youth of Planeview included a book for each child.
Randomly listed….the books I am currently reading. I so enjoy reading several books within the same time span. Perhaps I have A.D.D. and get bored too easily. 🙂
Magazines first….
Sojourners….Faith in Action for Social Justice. This magazine reminds me the Christian faith is personal yet never private.
Plough …. A quarterly magazine which features stories, ideas, and culture to inspire everyday faith and action. Plough is published by the Bruderhof community which is a branch of the Amish movement. Bruderhof.com for more information.
The Christian Century – Thinking Critically. Living Faithfully – represents mainline Christianity.
Christianity Today – represents the evangelical tradition of Christianity.
Harvard Business Review – they have amazing articles on leadership development.
Success Magazine – a great resource for sermon illustrations about people who largely learn the lesson of having the success ladder leaning against the wrong wall.
The Bible Today – one of my favorite resources because it is written by Roman Catholic Bible Scholars. 6 editions each year explore a major theme of Sacred Scripture with several articles to illustrate different perspectives. Perhaps the main reason this resource is so helpful is the review of every new scholarly work for the Old and New Testaments. I am able to keep up with the latest scholarship through this publication.
Books…..(again…in random order)
Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley….Breaking free from the four emotions that control you.
The Joy of the Gospel by Pope Francis….an amazingly brilliant work.
I Told Me So by Gregg A. Ten Elshof…..self-deception and the Christian life. This resource will rock your world in healthy and helpful ways.
Five Marks of a Methodist by Steve Harper….the fruit of a living faith. Steve Harper is passionate about reclaiming the Wesleyan tradition in ways which bring life and wholeness.
Happy is the New Healthy by Romanelli….Wendy Ward gave me this book because she knows the author and has spent time at his retreats His subtitle is 31 ways to relax, let go, and enjoy life now! I have found this book to be exactly what it says. A profound resource for learning to lean into the present moment and enjoy what is truly at hand.
Small Victories by Anne Lamott. Her subtitle is spotting improbable moments of grace. I so enjoy the writings of Anne Lamott. Perhaps it is her willingness to be vulnerable which creates for such deep connection between herself and her readers. At the end of each book she has written, I am reminded grace is always sufficient and never fails to be amazing.
The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos C. Markides. The subtitle is a search for Orthodox Spirituality. I am highly influenced by what the Orthodox tradition calls aestheticism. That simply means, engaging deeply in the spiritual life in order to experience what the Wesleyan tradition calls sanctification and the Orthodox tradition calls theosis. Orthodox spirituality is rich in thought and practice because it is devoid of legalism and solely focused on the soul and God being completely united as one.
On my Kindle….
Jesus….a Pilgrimage by James Martin, S.J. Fr. Martin, a Jesuit, has written quite a book on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This book is more like a tome; however, the Jesuits are expected to be prolific and it is as if we are reliving the trip to Israel.
Many more which I will talk about next time….
Happy Reading!