5 Books That Changed My Life

I love to read.

I love to curl up with a good book and will stay up late into the night if I find a real page-turner.

Over the years I have read more books than I can count.

Five of those books changed or impacted my life in significant ways.

Those books are:

1. Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

This book was handed to me when I was 15 years old. I had talked to one of the Deacons in my church and told him of the call I felt to missions. He gave me this book and I devoured it in a little over a day. I read this book every year for the next 12 years!  I learned so much...the biggest lesson being what Hudson Taylor's secret was. That secret changed my life and set me on the course to where I am today.

2. The Pursuit of God

In 1994, while attending a YWAM DTS in Lindale, TX, I chose this classic for a book report for school.  I had never heard of A.W. Tozer but was intrigued by the title.What I discovered in these pages challenged me in a way I had never been challenged before. This old school Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor wrote a book that rocked me to my core. All these years later I am still pursuing God and this book played a part in that decision.

3. What's So Amazing About Grace

I received this book as a gift while living on the mission field in Croatia back in the late 90's. As I read this book I was greatly disturbed. In fact I tossed the book aside and counted it as rubbish. I could not agree with Yancey's conclusions. I vehemently disagreed in some places. Then in a bored moment I went back to the book and got a little further before tossing it aside. No clue why I did not just toss the book out but on the 3rd read I finished the book and wrestled with its themes. I now count it as one of my all time favorites and have seen, received and attempted to show grace in ways I never did before thanks to this book!

4. Classic Christianity

I came across this simple little book shortly after the Yancey one mentioned above. I was frustrated and then intrigued by it's simple message of Identity in Christ. I read it with excitement, prayed through its pages and have recommended it to many over the years. I can only say that the Biblical truth found in the pages of this book can change your life!

5. Spiritual Rhythms

I picked up this book while in the midst of a spiritual low point. Talk about timely. What Mark Buchanan wrote in this book was nothing short of life altering. I never looked at my faith through the lens of seasons before and yet it resonated with me so completely that it formed the underpinning of many of my sermons over the next year. I soon discovered spring time again and still refer to this book when talking to others in the winter of their faith.

So there you have it. Five books that changed my life. If you have never read these titles I mentioned you should grab them, set aside some time and dive in!

Have you been significantly impacted by a book you've read? Feel free to share.

Your Church is Too Safe - A Book Review

Mark Buchanan has released his newest book, Your Church is Too Safe, and I been truly challenged. 

When a books introduction leaves an impact, you know you are in for something fresh.  Mark's introduction had me stopping, setting the book down and considering the implications.

Your Church is Too Safe is not for the faint of heart.  'These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.' -- Acts 17:6  With that Scripture in mind, Mark takes the reader on a journey through the book of Acts with a side helping of Jonah.  He speaks from a place of boredom.  Boredom with church as it currently exists today.  I can honestly say he is not alone.

I like this quote from his book:

What happened? When did we start making it our priority to be safe instead of dangerous, nice instead of holy, cautious instead of bold, self-absorbed instead of counting everything loss in order to be found in Christ?

We get Mark Buchanan at his best here as he shares his heart and discusses many aspects of church life.  He talks about belief vs conviction, grace and truth and challenges the reader to be bold in their faith.

Anyone who reads this book will not be able to comfortably sit on their backside anymore.

I was especially challenged by the talks on grace and truth.  Mark's stories about his own churches experiences in this area were insightful and thought provoking.

If you want to be ruined for the ordinary, this is a book for you!

5 Questions With Mark Buchanan

Welcome to 5 Questions With.....

Today's Guest is Mark Buchanan.

I first discovered Mark's books after a recommendation from a colleague, Pastor Stanley Groothof. I have since had the pleasure of reading and being blessed by a few of Mark's books.

Mark Buchanan is a pastor (New Life Community Baptist Church), award-winning author, and father of three who lives with his wife, Cheryl, on the West Coast of Canada. Educated at the University of British Columbia and Regent College, his work has been published in numerous periodicals. He is the author of six books. You can see the complete list here. In addition you can read Mark's blog on his website.

And now without further delay, on to the questions:

Hello Mark,

1. Of the books you have written thus far, which would be your personal favorite?

Ooh, hard to say. It's a bit like asking which of my 3 children I love the most. As with children, so with books: you love them all the same, and all differently. Each book occupies a place close to my heart - both with affection and disappointment. All surpass in some way what I set out to do, and all is some way fall short.

The book, though, that most changed me is Things Unseen. Until writing that, I never thought about the difference the reality of heaven should make in our earthly existence. A year-long steeping in heavenly-mindedness altered the way I see everything. It gave me a depth and breadth of perspective that frames virtually all my earthly experience. Heavenly-mindedness, far from making us of no earthly good, is about the only thing that makes us of any earthly good.

And my book Spiritual Rhythm has special meaning for me, simply because it's so intensely personal.

2. In your most recent book, Spiritual Rhythm, you talked about spiritual seasons. Can you explain that a bit more?

The seed of the book was a personal crisis. I was grieving the death of a close friend and colleague. During that time I began to realize that my habitual way of measuring spiritual maturity was deeply skewed. My default was to gauge maturity by busyness (though I would have used words like passion, commitment, vitality, focus, etc..). The more you do, I thought, the more you love Jesus. But when I went through my long stretch of sorrow, I was devoid of passion, focus, vitality, and all that. So I had to either admit failure, or rethink my whole model of spiritual formation.

And then there it was, hidden in plain sight: Jesus and Co. measure spiritual maturity, not by how busy we are, but by the fruit we bear. And fruit implies seasons. I have, in my yard, 6 fruit trees. They only bear (harvestable) fruit in one season, but they take all four to produce it. That was the ping! moment. As in the natural, so in the spiritual: we need all the seasons, including winter, to grow fruit.

So the first part of Spiritual Rhythm explores the seasons of our heart. And the second part explores the rhythms for living through and stewarding each season well.

3. How have you grown/what new things have you discovered about spiritual disciplines since writing Your God Is Too Safe?

I’ve discovered that, like any good exercise regimen, you heighten its effectiveness by varying its tasks. I have learned not to read the Bible the same way year-in and year-out. I vary my practice now – I go from, say, an intense season of memorization, to, say, a leisurely season of reading the Bible like a novel, to, say, a focused season of exploring one idea biblically – grace, or stewardship, or repentance. And so on. And this with all the disciplines – I find ways to change them up. This keeps them fresh and actually catalyzes growth, at least for me.

I’ve also discovered how easy it is to fall into legalism with spiritual disciplines – the Pharisee lays in ambush down every path of spiritual formation. I keep having to remind myself not to make the discipline the goal; the goal is a richer life in Christ. When I forget that, I can quickly become prideful when I’m disciplined, shame-filled when I’m not, and judgmental toward whoever is more disciplined (“fanatics”) or less disciplined (“lazybones”) than I am. I have to keep steady vigilance over myself to not fall into this trap.

One last thing. I find helpful the ancient wisdom of developing a rule of life – a concept I was oblivious to when I wrote YGiTS – as long as the first 2 insights/cautions are applied.

4. Which spiritual discipline do you think the church currently needs to (re)emphasize?

I still think we need to take seriously Sabbath-keeping. The modern church is so cranky and weary and novelty-hounding, which are symptoms of endless busyness. The flip side of this is also true: we are rapidly losing the ability to work hard, in season and out. We don’t know how to put our hand to the plow and not look back. There is little perseverance in us, which I also think is a symptom of Sabbath-neglect. Since we rarely deeply renew ourselves in God’s presence, we quickly weary in doing his work. So I’d love to see churches really resting deeply and then working hard, back and forth.

Can I add another? Tithing. I am shocked at many Christian’s lack of discipline in financial stewardship. It is epidemic. It is at crisis proportions.

5. What can you tell us about your new book for 2012, Your Church is Too Safe?

I wanted to write something on the Church’s mission and identity – or, more exactly, the church’s mission as it arises from its identity – that was theologically substantial and hands-on pragmatic. I think I’ve captured that here.

The book is provocative. It’s a theology of risk-taking. It’s a call to arms. It’s manifesto of living dangerously. It’s a deep exploration about how most of our churches are too safe – too comfortable – for those who already are in them, and too unsafe for those who most need them. And it’s a plea that we change that.

I lay a biblical groundwork for missional living, issue a call to it, and offer a practical guide for pursuing it. Mostly, I do this by retelling biblical stories intermingled with contemporary ones. Why was Jonah so angry about God’s compassion for Nineveh, and how might something similar be going on in the western church? How did Abraham resist and then learn to “be a blessing” to all nations, and what does that teach us now? Who are today’s Samaritans? Why is biblical hospitality more about receiving kindness from others than extending it to them, and why is that harder for most of us?

All in all, Your Church is Too Safe is a plea for the church to live in such a way that, like Paul in Thessalonica, we turn the world upside down.

Thanks again Mark. I also want to thank you for writing books that have spoken to me personally and encouraged and challenged me.

So welcome. Thanks for asking.

Ok, there you go. I would encourage you to pick up any of Mark Buchanan's books. My personal favorite right now is Spiritual Rhythm.

To see past 5 Questions guests see 5 questions page under the tab above.