The love that Jesus calls his followers to is a holistic spirituality, encompassing the emotions (heart), character (soul), intellect (mind), and physicality (strength). (Read Mark 12:28-31)
Today I decided to share 4 book recommendations for those of you looking for some stimulating summer reading. Each of these books have deepened my own love for God, but in very different ways.
HEART
The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We Only Dreamed of
By John Eldredge
Eldredge is a fantastic writer and story-teller, but also a man of deep spiritual pursuit. If you read this book, I can guarantee your heart will be refreshed, challenged, and stirred to pay attention to your deepest desires. God doesn’t want to kill our deep desires, he wants to redeem them. I can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you are feeling spiritually dry, emotionally numb, or longing to fall back in love with God.
SOUL
True Spirituality by Francis Shaeffer
This is just one of many classic books by Francis Shaeffer, who is considered one of the most powerful voices in the latter half of the twentieth century to church and culture. Shaeffer said this should of been his first book. After a major crisis of faith, Shaeffer wrote this book with a new confidence in what the Bible teaches and how followers of Jesus can truly live differently.
MIND
Wisdom and Wonder by Abraham Kuyper
This book is written at a fairly high intellectual level, so keep your dictionary close at hand and get ready to read certain paragraphs two or three times before they make sense. However, don’t let Kuyper’s depth keep you from embracing this powerful work that builds a theology specifically for Science and Art. If you are interested and/or gifted in these two particular areas, you need to read this book.
Strength
Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff
This book is made of many small chapters in which the author Bob Goff shares his own stories of a life of following Jesus in practically engaging with others. Goff has been instrumental in the spiritual life of author Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz), and this book will inspire you to love God by loving other people with all your strength.
The Dark Knight Rises, one of the biggest movies of the year, opens today in the US. Since I live in New Zealand, however, where we’re 16 hours ahead, I already saw the movie!
). Everybody has an imaginary “bucket” and “ladle.” When you say something encouraging or positive to another person, you fill their bucket. Most of us realize this, but we fail to notice that filling another person’s bucket also fills our own bucket.
