Summer Reading

The mere utterance of 'summer reading' has elicited eye rolls and heavy sighs in our home in recent years. I can't really blame them. Who wants to engage The Scarlet Letter when the fifth season of "Gossip Girl" has just been released? Besides, with the advent of Snapchat and Vine technologies, who has time to let a plot line unfold? Extended time for reading is a quaint idea, akin to eight track tapes and tail fins.

Yet this summer -- more than any in recent memory -- has allowed me time (most of it on the way to and from Kenya) to engage some wonderful works.  Perhaps the most important book I've read in recent years is Eboo Patel's Sacred Ground. If someone wants to make an important investment in our world, get in touch with me about bringing him to Charlotte. His work with young people through his Interfaith Youth Corp is the most hopeful  way forward for our world, and especially for our nation. We'll study the book at Covenant in the fall, but I encourage all readers to pick up a copy now and enjoy.

I also branched out a bit this summer and enjoyed some surprising works. The first surprise was The Untethered Soul, an explicitly Buddhist book about centering our hearts and minds. At times the concepts are a elusive to my western mind, but for any who over-invest in people and causes, who ruminate and obsess over  children, and suffer other inward challenges, it offers sage advice.

Years ago I swore off the whole genre of church leadership books, but like a lover with boundary issues, I took up two books on organizational and church leadership that were so compelling they kept me up at night. First was Blue Ocean, a book on how to transcend the typical turf wars of competing entities. They principles within apply to churches, educational institutions, and businesses. I plan to study it with some staff members in the fall. The most surprising book I read -- one which is almost embarrassing to admit I've devoured -- is Andy Stanley's Deep and Wide. If you haven't read it, don't laugh. He's a thinker, analyst, communicator, and motivator. Dismiss his ideas to your own peril (I'm talking to you, my Presbyterian minister and elder friends).

Finally, I substantiated my reading by finally taking on William Placher's Essentials of Christian Theology. I've meant to read this compendium for years and am sorry to have waited. Many of my classmates have entries, and I commend it to those who long for substantial Christian theology. I especially like LeAnne Van Dyke's entry and remember fondly her contributions during theology class over twenty five years ago.

I'll offer an update a few weeks from now but hope to tackle a few other works. Feel free to suggest your favorites.