Books

This page contains the resources that I have found useful in my personal and professional life. Admittedly, it is an eclectic list. It contains everything from quotes and books that I like to podcasts, videos, and slideshows.

If you don’t want to scroll through the entire list, you can click on one of the links below and filter the resources by specific category.

I will update this list as I discover new resources. If you have a resource you think I should add, please email me.

Eclipse Of Heaven by A. J. Conyers (South Bend, IN: St. Augustine Press, 1992)

Every now and then I run across a book that has a tremendous impact on my life. Many of the books make an impact, but there is the occasional book that just really hits hard. Eclipse of Heaven by A. J. Conyers is one of those books.

I originally heard about this book through a podcast I listen to regularly, the Every Thought Podcast, from a few of the professors at Ozark Christian College. I was intrigued, so I added the book to my Amazon wish list for reading material and didn’t think too much more about it. But episode after episode of the podcast continued to refer to this book, so I purchased it and started in on it.

This is one of those books that not only makes an impact now, but the implications will last for a long time to come. In this short book, Conyers, who was a professor of theology at Baylor University, address the loss of transcendence that our culture has experienced. And that loss has impacted us in far deeper ways than we might realize.

Written in the early 1990s, this book feels incredibly relevant for the second and third decade of the 21st century. We’ve lost our sense of the divine, our sense of heaven… transcendence. Because of that, our views of the value of life and the meaning of death have shifted. We’ve taken on a much more shallow view of both. Because we no longer live with heaven in mind, our culture has dipped further into moral decay.

This is evident in the way we view community, in the way science has taken the lead in our understanding of the nature of all things, and in the way that religion has faded to the level of a discarded crutch that we once needed. (Although we’re still very much “religious.” Our religion has just shifted from being about God to being about us.)

Our way of thinking has shifted, maybe more deeply than anyone has realized, and we are going to have to regain our focus on what’s beyond this mortal existence, or we run the risk of losing more and more of our humanity. It’s time to refocus our sights upon eternity, and reclaim the hope that we can have because of what God has done on our behalf.

I highly recommend that you read Eclipse of Heaven. But be warned; it will challenge they way you look at life and the way you react to everything around you. If you’re willing to see how this cultural shift has impacted us, and to strive to reclaim the hope that we need, get this book and read it carefully. You can find it on Amazon.

Good Leaders Ask Great Questions by John C. Maxwell (New York, NY: Center Street, 2014)

I am always looking for ways to increase my leadership capabilities. I serve in a position of leadership within my church, and have discovered over the years that this is a critical area of my growth that I must intentionally focus on, or it just won’t happen. Because of that, I strive to read several good resources each year, take in a conference or workshop, or find an online event or resource that I can utilize to help me grow as a leader.

I have been a longtime fan of John Maxwell for this area of my growth. He recently launched an online resource called LILO: Lead In, Lead Out. This is kind of like the Netflix for leaders; it is filled with short videos and resources that you can take a few moments here and there to learn something and improve your abilities. I subscribed, and have been extremely satisfied with the content.

In one recent video I watched, Maxwell referenced his book, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. I was immediately interested, since this is a book I had not yet read by Maxwell. So I ordered it, and started digging into it last weekend. The premise is simple: if you want to grow as a leader, you need to learn to ask good questions, questions that will help you learn, questions that will help you connect with others, questions that will challenge you to grow, and questions that will help you develop better ideas.

I have long said that I know I’m not smart enough to have all the good ideas, and I need to surround myself with other who can help me grow, and stimulate my thinking in ways that I don’t normally. Questions are a great way to capitalize on that. Asking questions is critical to growing, but you also have to know how to ask good questions.

I am convinced that this will be a book that helps take my leadership to a new level, and will help me expand my thinking as I strive to grow. If you are in a leadership position, you should check it out as well. You can pick up a copy for yourself on Amazon.

The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004)

I am continually on the search for great books. And when I hear of something that is potentially a quality resource, I’m usually quick to grab a copy and read it. Over the years, I have built an extensive library of such volumes, and utilize them frequently, and recommend them to others.

Not long ago, I was listening to some older episodes of one of my favorite podcasts, Every Thought Captive — which is the creation of three current professors at my alma mater, Ozark Christian College, in Joplin, Missouri. In one episode, they made a passing comment about a book that a couple of them have used as a textbook in their classes, remarking that it was the best resource they had found on this particular topic. Of course, I was immediately intrigued.

So I went to Amazon and found myself a copy of The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus. And I have not been disappointed. This book lays out the logical and historical evidences for the resurrection accounts given to us in the New Testament, and they do so in a clear and concise manner that is easy to read and comprehend. They also don’t get caught up in “side issues,” such as the reliability of Scripture and others. These are important topics, and certainly play a part in the discussion, but are topics that can pull the attention away from the discussion at hand. Authors Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona avoid that as much as possible.

The book approaches the evidence from a couple of different directions, from both the proponents point of view, as well as the perspective of the skeptic, answering his questions and opposing theories. Both are equally well crafted and provide excellent information for Christians to use, adding strength to their testimony of Jesus to others.

I find The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus to be both refreshingly new, and timelessly solid. It’s an incredible addition to my library. I highly recommend this book for just about any Christian who wants to become better at sharing their faith in Jesus and the power of his resurrection.

If you are interested in picking up a copy, you can find it on Amazon.

The Art Of Parenting by Dennis and Barbara Rainey (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2018)

One of the hardest things I have ever experienced in my life is being a parent. Parenting is hard! Don’t misunderstand… It’s good. But it’s difficult.

We thought it was tough when the kids were little. Then we had teenage girls. That was tougher. And then we had a teenage boy. That has been toughest of all so far. And we still have four more kids yet to go through these stages. Parenting is hard!

A friend of mine shared a verse with me a few years ago that shed some light on this for me. He told me to read Galatians 6:9, which says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

This was not written with parenting as the specific context, but it definitely applies. Don’t grow weary… Parenting is hard! We will reap a harvest… Parenting is good! It might be difficult at times, but if we hold on and keep on going, we will see some results.

Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to see past the immediate circumstances of hard to the future reality of good. Have you ever been there? That’s why Dennis and Barbara Rainey have written The Art Of Parenting. Because it does get difficult. And it does have dark moments. But it also has great moments, and if we do not give up, we just might one day see the harvest that God can bring about in the lives of our kids.

Our family is large. We have adult children. We have teens. And we have younger children as well. Parenting in all these various seasons of life for our kids seems chaotic at best, and downright crazy at times. So I’m excited to dig into The Art Of Parenting. Having read other books by the Rainey’s, I know it will be a great help to my parenting life.

If you are a parent, I suggest you read it as well. You can purchase it on Amazon.

The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher

The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher (New York: Sentinel , 2017)

I think most people would agree that our culture has gone crazy. So many things have happened in the past few months that are hard to get our minds around. It is tough to comprehend just where we are headed.

As crazy as it seems though, it’s not unexpected to those who have been paying attention to the trends our culture has been picking up over the past few years, and even for recent decades. Western culture seems to have been in a steady decline for a while, and recent events have shown that the pace is picking up.

That sounds a warning bell for western Christianity. And the warning comes in the form of a recent book by Rod Dreher, The Benedict Option. This was released in 2017, before all of the most recent craziness hit our world. But in the midst of bakers being sued for refusing to make cakes, and florists being vilified for not providing services to certain elements of society, Dreher opens our eyes to a world that is increasingly antagonistic to Christianity. So much so that it may be too late to change the direction we’re headed.

Is there a solution? Dreher thinks so. And he finds it in the most unlikely of places: the Benedictine solution from centuries ago. St. Benedict of Nursia was a sixth-century monk who, fearful of the direction his culture was headed, set about to do something about it. He created a community that was able to hold on to their faith in a word that was crumbling around them, and to do so with a longevity that still impacts our world today.

Today, we may need to do something very similar. Dreher is not calling us to escapism, leaving the world behind; because to do so would be to forsake the Great Commission. What he does urge is for the church to stop placing our hope in political leaders and the temporary reprieve that they may bring, and place our hope in something greater. He calls the church to focus on strengthening the local church body, to create new avenues of education, to develop disciplines that will carry us through crisis after crisis in this world, with our hope centered firmly on Jesus.

After all, he’s the only thing that will provide what the church needs to survive until he returns to claim his bride. Until then, we must continue to be ready.

I highly recommend you read The Benedict Option. You can purchase it on Amazon.

American Primitive

American Primitive by Mary Oliver (New York: Back Bay Books, 1983)

Most of what I read is geared around continually educating myself, primarily in the areas of spiritual growth. However, I occasionally read some fictional material, and have a few favorites. Another genre that I like to read often surprises many of my friends. I like to read poetry.

Several months ago, I purchased a book of the poetic works of Mary Oliver, called American Primitive. I promptly put it on my shelf and forgot all about it. But this week, I pulled it out and have spent some time reading through some of the selections offered. Her work is simple yet elegant, easy to read yet containing depths of meaning that strike you when you least expect it.

Oliver is a contemporary author, and has been publishing her work since the 1960s. Many of the poems in this volume are simple. But they speak right into the human heart will bless you as you read them. Containing an element of mystery, you might have to stop and consider what you read for a while,and allow it to sink in fully. But when you do, it will bring some relaxation to your soul.

I highly recommend you read some of her works. You can get a copy of American Primitive on Amazon.

The Truth About Cancer by Ty Bollinger (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc., 2016)

Cancer is everywhere it seems. A hundred years ago, the odds of experiencing cancer were somewhere around 1 in 80. Today, it’s more like 1 out of 3 will experience it. Why has it increased so drastically? And why aren’t the treatments that are being given to people working as much as we might expect them to?

Ty Bollinger thinks that we are approaching the matter in the wrong way. Big Pharma, using petroleum/chemical based pharmaceuticals, may not be the best way to treat cancer, and may be, in fact, harming us more than we realize.

For centuries, more natural remedies have been utilized to treat illness and disease. But over the last century, we’ve largely abandoned those methods. Is that abandonment justified? And if not, then what can we do to “relearn” some of those helpful approaches to treatment?

Those are some of the questions that Bollinger explores in The Truth About Cancer. And with so many people in my life who have experienced this disease, and died from it, I’m interested in what he has to say about it.

If you are interested in reading The Truth About Cancer, by Ty Bollinger, you can pick up a copy on Amazon.