When the words don’t come easily to me, I dive deep into the words of others. I’m six books into my summer challenge of reading ten books this summer, and I haven’t even gone on vacation yet. Here’s what I’m loving right now:

• Soul Keeping, by John Ortberg. Yes, just, yes. We must remove hurry from our lives in order to bring life to our souls. For so long I’ve viewed the soul as a spiritual thing, not overtly biblical. Ortberg reminds me that loving the Lord with my whole soul is the part of the Greatest Commandment. My roommate is already calling this a “must read,” after borrowing it off my shelf.
• The Finishers, by Roger Hershey and … This book was given to me two years ago when I graduated from college. Many friends received it too, but when I’ve asked them if they’ve read it, they hadn’t picked it up either. Truly, one of my favorite reads this year. It has forced me to wrestle with calling and mission in a challenging yet affirming way.
• The Next Culture War, by David Brooks. While he admits to being to the left of social conservatives on all issues, he does a great job validating the need for social conservatives in today’s culture to provide stability and definition. Today’s society is radically different from sixty years ago, and instead of fighting to take culture back there, we, as social conservatives, many of whom call ourselves Christians, must find a better way to engage and serve our communities. Public shaming and loud debate is less productive that building relationships on a local level, and providing our Biblical opinions where appropriate. I would challenge Brooks though, because this is already happening, it is just overshadowed by social media commentary.
• Famous, by Sarah Bessey. Oh boy, this was a great one! Sarah Bessey may be in my top five favorite authors. Her book, her blog, her Facebook statuses and Instagram posts. I love her writing. This piece addressed several conversations I have had with friends in the past few months about fame and ambition. She says, “the line between “making Jesus famous” and “making ourselves famous for Jesus” is whisper thin.” It is indeed. The word fame can easily be substituted for successful, respected, and known. This blog reminds of the glory in the ordinary,and in the midst of office days, cleaning my apartment and meal prep, I need to be reminded of that. God isn’t impressed by fame, He is honored by obedience.

I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading!