10 New Books You Need to Read this August + September

Y'all, it has been too long. Life really has hit fast forward for a bit. I'm hoping to jump on here within the next few weeks and explain what I've been up to and why I've been so MIA around here. Until then, I'll be sipping on some home-brewed iced coffee and scrolling through the upcoming sections of Amazon to see what catches my eye.You see, this is something I love to do. I love reading, but I really love shopping for books almost as much. I am the person that seeks out the funky bookstore on travels. If it's got a local coffee shop in it or next door, I'm especially sold. It's completely serendipitous to find those two next to each other. It's a match made in heaven really.Grab a coffee of your own and peruse some books with me!

Coming in August 2018 + Ready for Preorder

August 7 - Survival Guide for the Soul: How to Flourish Spiritually in a World that Pressures Us to Achieve by Ken Shigematsu

God has really been using some ancient spiritual practices to do big things in my relationship with Him over the past nine months or so. This survival guide for the soul weaves in several different spiritual practices to help deepen your relationship with God. I really like how Ken delves into several different worlds including both church history and neuroscience to bring a fresh perspective on these ancient practices.

August 7 – How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to All of Your Life by Darryl Dash

The first thing that I noticed about this book centered around having a deeper spiritual life is that you aren't expected to be perfect. It's not a lofty guide that tells you where you should be, but rather small actionable steps with a plan on how to get you to live a more gospel-focused life. If you're looking to grow spiritually, but not really sure where to start, make sure you pick up this book!

August 14 – Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words are Vanishing and How We Can Revive Them by Jonathan Merritt

First off, my investigative heart loves the fact that this book was written by a journalist. Taking a look from the Bible Belt to NYC, Merritt unveils that the language we are using about faith doesn't always connect with those around us. As he dives further into these cultures and what words we should be using, he discovers a way to get past those initial tricky conversations.

August 14 - Imperfect Courage: Living a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared by Jessica Honnegar

There's something about Jessica's story that draws one in and invites you to stay awhile. I have always loved hearing how she started Noonday Collection. Imperfect Courage is that story. Bringing together compassion, collaboration and cheering on one another, this is a don't miss story about how we can each step out of where we are and live courageously.

August 21 – Hope in the Dark: Believing God is Good When Life is Not by Craig GroeschelWrestling with doubt. Questioning if God cares. Both of those are sentiments I know all too well. In Craig Groeschel's new book, he explores pain - including his own - to see where God is and where hope is found in those circumstances.

Coming in September 2018 + Ready for Preorder

September 1 - Letters to the Church by Francis Chan

This is the book that I've been wanting Francis Chan to write for years, especially as I read Paul's different letters to the church. Francis Chan has such a way with words so here is what he says about his own book: “We’ve strayed so far from what God calls Church. We all know it. We know that what we’re experiencing is radically different from the Church in Scripture. For decades, church leaders like myself have lost sight of the inherent mystery of the Church. We have trained people sitting in the pews to become addicted to lesser things. It’s time for that to change.” I'll definitely be getting this one soon!

September 4 - The Minority Experience: Navigating Emotional and Organizational Realities by Adrain Pei

I think we all need to seek out stories that look different than ours. We need to understand each other, even if we don't always agree. The Minority Experience seeks to do just that as it brings an awareness as to how things in organizations currently work and how that has been influenced from the past. No matter what organization you belong to, this book can help you understand the reality of being a minority.

September 11 – Faith in the Shadows: Finding Christ in the Midst of Doubt by Austin Fischer

Can you just read these first two sentences with me? "People don't abandon faith because they have doubts. People abandon faith because they think they're not allowed to have doubts. Too often, our honest questions about faith are met with cold confidence and easy answers." Y'all... there's so much yes in this. Tackling a variety of topics, Austin attempts to address the doubt on each topic, but he really addresses the world of doubt as Christians know it causing us to think differently about it.

September 18 - The Life-Giving Leader: Learning to Lead from Your Truest Self by Tyler Reagin

While Tyler Reagin may not be a name you know off the top of your head, you've probably come in contact with his leadership in some way. He imparts the tools and wisdom he has learned along his own leadership journey in this book as well as gives readers a road map of how to live a lifestyle and style of leadership that is more true to their identity.

September 18 - Awakening Pure Worship: Cultivating a Closer Relationship With God by Jeff Deyo

The description of this book blows my mind away. Seriously, click here and go read it. There's some good and tough questions there that will challenge our faith and our perceptions of worship and how we have diminished it so much than what it could be.