Books
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Different authors and their works that have shaped Solidarity
Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, Shane Claiborne. Claiborne writes Irresistible Revolution as a re-imagination of what the church could look like. He lives in a community known as the Simple Way and as a community they engage their low income neighborhood in Chicago.
Jesus for President, Shane Claiborne
Claiborne said that this is a “project to provoke the Christian political imagination.” The book engages the deep social and political questions of our time and at the same time invites the church into the “peculiar imagination of Jesus.” Claiborne’s vision for the book is to teach people how to vote not once every four years, but to vote every day of their lives by challenging the reader to pledge their lives to something greater than a political party or a political mindset. He asks his reader to instead set their allegiance to the ways of God’s Kingdom. Jesus for President is a very challenging and though provoking book that will have you drilling deeper into the root of why you choose to do the things you do.
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time, Greg Mortenson and David Relin.
An avid mountaineer, Greg Mortenson attempted to climb K2 in 1993. After a failed attempt, Mortenson found himself beaten and battered to the point of absolute exhaustion. A Balti Islamic tribe in the mountains of Pakistan takes Mortenson in and nurses him back to health. In response to their hospitality and care, Greg promises to return and build a school. In the span of a decade one school turns into fifty-five schools through out the deepest, most fundamental Islamic areas. It’s is Mortenson’s passion for the people that allows him to build schools that not only educate the children, but empowers the women of these villages. Despite America bombing the post 9-11 Afghanistan mountainous range, Greg is still accepted amongst the Islamic people. This story is an amazing representation of community development within a hostile area.
Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell
Velvet Elvis is about rethinking one’s view on faith and doctrine. As Christians continue to grow in their faith and relationship with God, their doctrine will continue to change. There will be an awakening to deeper truths, and the Church needs to be open to these. Bell asks his reader to begin to question and test things for ourselves, as those questions will begin to lead the reader closer to the intimacy of God.
Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer, Richard Rohr.
Richard Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation Prayer in Albuquerque. This book is marketed as a book that will help us pray better and see life differently. Rohr tends to stress the importance of becoming aware of the life give God that is everywhere. The book suggests practical ways to become more aware as well as life practices that help us to encounter God in transformational ways.
Celebration of Disciplines, Richard J. Foster
The back cover reads, “Praise by many as the most important contemporary book on Christian spirituality…” It is an introduction into spiritual disciplines. Foster simply articulates the power and peace that comes from disciplines of past generations that have helped connect communities to God. This book brings individuals back to the joy of just being with God.
Politics of Jesus, Yoder
Yoder takes a look at Luke’s gospel and draws out characteristics of Jesus pacifism which is exemplified by His life and death. Yoder states that “the cross of Christ is the model of Christian social efficacy.” He goes on to topics of non-violence, radical subordination, and the power of making one’s self less and others more.
A challenging read, Yoder will stretch one’s view of Jesus, politics, and his/her own role within humanity.
Now, Discover Your Strengths
This book is designed to enhance people’s strengths and limit their weaknesses. There is a free on line test that comes with the book. There are 34 different personality themes that draw out the individual’s strengths and allowing them to live out of the person they were designed to be.
The Gift of Being Yourself, David Benner
“Much is said in Christian circles about knowing God. But Christians throughout the ages have agreed that there cannot be deep knowledge of God without deep knowledge of the self. Discerning your true self is inextricably related to discerning God’s purposes for you. Paradoxically, the more you become like Christ, the more you become authentically yourself.
In this profound exploration of Christian identity, psychologist and spiritual director David G. Benner illuminates the spirituality of self-discovery. He exposes the false selves that you may hide behind and calls you to discover the true self that emerges from your uniqueness in Christ. Freeing you from illusions about yourself, Benner shows that self-understanding leads to the fulfillment of your God-given destiny and vocation.”
Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller
Donald Miller describes his first book like this, “Sting has this song where he says that he is alone on an island and puts a message in a bottle and throws it into the ocean, only to wake the next morning and have a hundred million bottles washed upon his shore. He sings “I guess I’m not alone at being alone,” and I think that sums up how I feel about Blue Like Jazz. It feels like I thought I was alone but woke up one morning to discover nothing could be further from the truth. And people have been incredibly kind.”
“In Donald Miller’s early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God. (Amazon Product Description)
Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Strength to Love, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World, Henri J. M. Nouwen
The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, Henry J. M. Nouwen
The Way of the Heart, Henry J. M. Nouwen
The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Your Hidden Life With God, Dallas Willard
The Way of the Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way, translated by Helen Bacovcin
Serving With Eyes Wide Open, David A. Livermore
