I’ve been a book-lover since before I could read.  My parents would read to me every night from classics like The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Lord of the Rings.  Mom and Dad took turns reading to me, and I loved Mom’s voices for the characters and Dad’s steady drawl, scaring away any monsters under my bed.

Reading is something we forget when we get lost in the busyness of schedules, planning, events, and everything that makes up an adult life and career.  I’d like to propose, however, that we dive into ten books that can make our lives and our ministries more fulfilled and meaningful.

10 Books for Your 2015 Reading List

  1. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
  2. Penguins and Golden Calves: Icons and Idols in Antarctica by Madeleine L’Engle
  3. The Collected Sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer compiled by Isabel Best
  4. Loves Does by Bob Goff
  5. Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
  6. No Greater Love by Mother Teresa
  7. The Fourth Dimension by Dr. David Cho
  8. The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun
  9. The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
  10. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle

 

These books are not overtly related to campus ministry or intensely scholastic and educational.  However, these books expanded my capacity to love, to see people in new ways, and to minister to people where they are.  These men and women have encouraged me to be more, do more, and see ministry is new and modern ways.

David Cho introduces radical new methods of pursuing God through prayer, while Brother Yun describes the role of the church in community alongside the role and significance of miracles in the modern-day church.  Madeleine L’Engle writes theology that soars (with other greats like C.S. Lewis) above so much of modern Christian writings.

Get To It!

These books have the power to change the way you view ministry, and the way you view your own relationship with God.  Read them, scratch all over them with highlighters and pens, and look for God in their pages.  I pray that you both enjoy and learn from them.

Read on, friends.

0116266Callie Hyde is an honors student at Baylor University.  She writes for a blog called Sincerely, Callie (www.sincerelycallie.com) and is part of Baylor Spiritual Life’s Freshman Retreat, a small group leader at Highland Baptist Church, a Green’s Scholar, and co-creator of Open Book, a group for Baylor freshmen that encourages fellowship and faith with other Christians seeking mentorship and friendship.