#1 Draft Picks

You may have thought this was going to be a blog for the NFL Mock Draft and you would be wrong. It's not a bad idea, it's just not the right idea. There's a different kind of "pick" we're talking about here. Let me start with a question:

Have you ever wondered what books, writers, thinkers, or resources shaped the people on a church staff?

There is a whole world of content out there, and it can feel overwhelming to know where to begin. Sometimes it helps to have a good recommendation from the people you love and trust (assuming you love and trust the people at your church).

Asking our staff and pastors to submit just 1 resource that shaped their faith is a pretty tall order given the fact that so many of us love our books. We naturally want to define the terms of the challenge a bit more. What category? What genre? What topic? What era?

We become very indecisive, but it's only because we're thinking about how to best serve you as you continue to grow and mature in your faith. Ok, confession: we're also sort of nervous that you'll pigeon-hole us by our one book we choose. SO MANY resources have shaped us and continue to transform our thinking as we, too grow and mature in our faith.

Without further adieu, I give you the 2020 #1 Draft Picks (from some of our staff and pastors) in no particular order:

Veronique: I’d say Mark Batterson’s All In really did it for me. It challenged and totally changed my perspective. He talks about Who’s Following Who in chapter 2 and, frankly, called me out when he said “I wanted Jesus to follow ME, to serve MY purposes, to do MY will.” He talks about those who bought in, but hadn’t sold out for Jesus.

John: The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen. Instead of seeing brokenness as something that disqualifies me, this book taught me it is something Christ can heal and use to empower others who are broken like I am. Christ can redeem your mess and make it your ministry. The content of the LifeJourney Transform Course was significantly influenced by this book. Plus, it's only 100 pages long!

Abby: My pick is Emotional Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. There was an Abby before this book and an Abby after. Since I was young, I have felt things very deeply. I didn't realize until after spending some time with Scazzero, how through the work of processing your emotions you start to see how powerfully the Holy Spirit is at work in those vulnerable parts of you, setting you free, drawing you closer, and inviting you into deeper intimacy with Him. It can be a challenging read but it's full of "ooooooh" and "aha" moments that I guarantee will change how you encounter Jesus. 

Sarah: Decision Making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen. I’m no longer paralyzed with fear when making decisions.

Ron: Boundaries by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend. 
this book really helped me in dealing with people how to set appropriate boundaries both for their sake and mine. It has helped me a lot in dealing with people, especially ones who really do have overwhelming needs. 

Nathan: Black, Red, and White by Ted Dekker. The most beautiful and surprising parallel reimagining of the entire story of God and humanity. It rekindled my love for God and his story of salvation.

Kate: Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I read this when I first became a Christian and what stuck with me was how we can so very easily get distracted by things of this world. The idea that sin and evil aren't always egregious acts. It helped me to grow more faithful in my daily choices in how to use my life more intentionally.

Jared: Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. I read this book before deciding to go to seminary. It's about eschatology or as many call it, "End Times." I was frustrated by the fear-inducing messages that came from this topic. Wright, a New Testament scholar, provides a well thought out overarching narrative of God's plan for redemption. If you know that there's hope for our future, you can live with hope in the present and partner in the rescue plan just like Jesus did all throughout his ministry. 

Daniel: My pick is Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy Of God In Missions by John Piper. Up until I read this book I knew little about Christian authors. This book forever changed how I see global and local missions, and even more, it refined my understanding and appreciation of Christ's place in missions, in the Church, and in my life. Reading through this book was the first time I ever read or heard the phrase "white-hot passion". Over 20 years later and I still remembered how I "encountered Jesus" in a new way through it. I felt the "white-hot passion" to know God and know his word. And, thus began my desire and journey to teach God's words, as I would preach my very first sermon just a few months later.

Rich: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. It is life changing.  It's only fiction to those who don't have eyes to see.

Tori: Mine is How God Became King by N.T. Wright. This helped change the way I read the Gospels and the impact of Jesus' life for all of us by putting everything into the context of the world in which his life happened. It was the first place that helped me really understand the idea of the Kingdom of God being "already, but not yet" - that we as Christians are living a kingdom life in the world.

Sue: My pick would be Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby.  This book gave me an understanding that God is at work around us and calls us to participate in that work. Also, God used that book and the story of how Abraham obeyed God by going into an unknown territory, to inspire my faith to follow God into an unknown territory - Adoption!

Bettina (Not pictured): People of the Second Chance by Mike Foster - there's so much in there it's hard to pick out just one good thing, but it overall just drives home the reminders that God uses people who have made mistakes, who have wrongly judged, and who act first and think later. And that just bc i have been one way for so long, I don't have to just accept my fate. If God is calling me to something better and more than, He will give me the power and ability and opportunity to move forward into it.

Time to start growing!

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