Summer Reading — 2023
Summer is upon us, and that means (hopefully) extra time for reading. A few members of RCL’s staff team wanted to share recommendations for books we’ve especially enjoyed and think are important for your spiritual formation.
Below you’ll find the recommendations, as well as a description from the staff member on why they’re recommending these books.
Happy reading!
My recommendations:
Overcoming Apathy: Gospel Hope for Those Who Struggle to Care by Uche Anizor. For a few years now I’ve thought that apathy is one of the great modern obstacles to spiritual formation. This short and highly readable book will help you better understand the reality and danger of apathy, as well as ways the gospel provides resources to fight against apathy.
The Secret Place of Thunder: Trading Our Need to Be Noticed for a Hidden Life with Christ by John Starke. For anyone exhausted by the pressure to always perform, this book invites you into deep rest as you cultivate your hidden life with God. The chapters ‘Fruitful Dormancy’ and ‘Abiding over Optimizing’ were especially helpful to me.
Is Easter Unbelievable? Four Questions Everyone Should Ask About the Resurrection Story by Rebecca McLaughlin. The resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of Christian faith. This short and highly readable book will build up your confidence in Jesus’ resurrection whilst also equipping you to be better prepared to talk with friends and family about the resurrection.
Maryane Mwaniki’s recommendations:
‘Off the back of RCL’s most recent family conversation on the topic of “Waiting for Children,” here are a few additional resources on that topic specifically, and on suffering more generally. The following books provide personal stories, biblical wisdom, and compassion on the journey of waiting for children.’
Walking Through Infertility: Biblical, Theological, and Moral Counsel for Those Who Are Struggling by Matthew Arbo.
Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life When Death Visits the Womb by Jessalyn Hutto.
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller.
Edward Smith’s recommendations:
The Good God: Enjoying Father, Son and Spirit by Michael Reeves. ‘The Good God delves into the essential but sometimes confusing doctrine of the Trinity. Before reading this book, I knew that God being triune (Father, Son, Spirit) was important because pastors would speak of its significance, but I didn’t know why or what Christians meant by speaking of God as triune. This book is faith building, genuinely enjoyable, and offers a brief look at the beauty of our triune God.’
The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms by Gordon Wenham. ‘Throughout this past year, I have been completing some theological studies, and, during this course, we were given a number of books and excerpts to read. Often (I must confess) I skim-read them. One week, we were assigned a single chapter from The Psalter Reclaimed, and I enjoyed it so much that I read the rest of the book! Wenham is an amazing Old Testament scholar, and in this book he helps us see the importance of utilising the Psalms in our spiritual life, and offers some helpful pointers on how to do so.’
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. ‘In this book, Foster explores various areas of our spiritual life and suggests ways in which we can deliberately develop our spiritual formation. Our daily walk with Jesus involves practices, as we explored in our RCL Rule of Life booklet. For a deeper and equally practical look at the disciplines we covered and more, Celebration of Discipline comes highly recommended.’
