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Refreshing Reading
Photo credits: Serenity by Adriane Dizon
The summer is often a great time for me to get away, relax and catch up on some reading, and this year was no exception. I've just returned from a really great break with the family, during which I was able to refresh my mind with some good books.
They covered a range of topics and genres, but these, in no particular order, were my top four:
1) Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation by James K.A. Smith
This is a super book on how the world around us shapes our lives unwittingly, in a way that makes us less than disciples. It argues that though our minds might be fed with information, our hearts are shaped by desire. The author uses an enlightening illustration of shopping centres to demonstrate this, explaining that these are not ‘neutral spaces’ but deliberately shape our hearts, enticing us away from desiring Kingdom values and towards far more ‘this worldly’ ones. “We are what we love,” Smith argues, and are not primarily “brains on sticks, receptacles for information”. The implication of this for the process of making – and becoming – disciples is the understanding that we don’t acquire new habits or ways of living though information; our lives are changed when our hearts are captivated.
The book is intelligent and at times demanding – which in itself tells you that Smith’s philosophy is not anti-intellectual; engaging hearts does not imply bypassing minds. Overall I found this an insightful book, which gives a very different take on what it means to be Salt and Light.
A podcast of James speaking on the themes of the book is available to download free from the Redeemer Presbyterian Church website.
2) Rage Against God by Peter Hitchens
Brought up in a culturally-Anglican home, brothers Christopher and Peter Hitchens rejected Christianity, and the ‘English-gentleman culture’ that accompanied it, in their teens. Christopher is now one of the world’s best-known ‘angry atheists’, while Peter came back to Christ in his thirties and is a worthy opponent of those who seek to attack religion and people of faith. Rage Against God tells the story of his own raging, then examines the raging of Western culture which he now seeks to counter and to combat. With his customary clarity and wit, he explains why he is convinced that strong societies can only be built on Christian values, and why he believes that everyone needs God. A fascinating read.
3) Rumours of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson
“Does God still do great things today? Is it possible to really experience Him?” Jon Tyson leads Trinity Grace Church in New York, and has planted five more churches in that city in the last five years or so, and he and I are becoming good friends. Along with fellow Australian Darren Whitehead, himself a Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek, he has written a book packed with stories seeking to answer the above questions (taken from the back-cover text). In the introduction, they explain: “We believe God is writing an epic, global, redemptive story that every single one of us has been invited into.” The book is ideal for those seeking more evidence for the faith we possess.
4) Mental Toughness in Sports by Jim Loehr
England cricket coach Andy Flower and captain Andy Strauss recently took their team to the Number One spot in the world. How did they do it? Some clues may be found in this book, which they both read and credit with at least part of their inspiration. Its basic message is that a player plays his best when he is totally focused on the moment, is enjoying himself (having ‘fun’) and is playing instinctively. This instinctive playing results in a much higher level of performance than over analysis or being in a negative state.
Such insights are of course applicable not only to the world of sports, but to many other spheres of life; whether you want to be a better player, preacher or parent, managing your mental and emotional state will be key to your success. The processes Loehr describes reminded me of what Paul tells us in the New Testament about the importance of renewing your mind. An absorbing read for any sports person with lots of wider application.
About the author
David leads ChristChurch London & the work of Newfrontiers in the UK. He is passionate about building churches that engage effectively with the surrounding culture and equipping Christians to have a positive influence in shaping society. He is the author of Planting Churches, Changing Communities.
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