Prayer

• Be a lover of God, seeking to live in the love of Christ above all else
• • Simply Christian by NT Wright
  • Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
  • Knowing God by JI Packer
  • Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin's Path to God by Brennan Manning
  • Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard Foster
  • Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
  • Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
  • The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
  • The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer
  • The Reason for God by Tim Keller (Advanced)

• Befriend silence.
• • Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life by Henri Nouwen
  • New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
  • Thoughts In Solitude by Thomas Merton
  • The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen
  • Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
  • Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton

• Allow Holy Scripture to shape and form Christ in me.
• • How to Read the Bible for All its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
  • The Last Word by NT Wright
  • Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson
  • Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals by William Webb (Advanced)
  • Abusing Scripture by Manfred Brauch (Advanced)

• To integrate contemplative practices and rhythms
  (e.g. Daily Office, Sabbath-keeping) to slow down my life.
• • Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero
  • Begin the Journey with the Daily Office by Pete Scazzero
  • A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God - by Norman Shawchuck (Editor), Rueben P. Job (Editor)
  • Tradition of the Ancients by Martha Ford
  • Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster
  • Sabbath-Keeping by Lynne Baab
  • The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle
  • Sabbath:Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives – by Wayne Mueller
  • John Cassian: The Conferences (Ancient Christian Writers) (Advanced)
  • Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings from the Northumbria Community – Harper, San Francisco

Rest

• Value my own dignity as a human being made in God's image through self-respect and self-care.
• • Surrender to Love by David Benner
  • The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery - by David Benner
  • Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
  • Not the Way it's Supposed to Be: A Breviary on Sin by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. (Advanced)

• Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.
• • The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford
  • The Life You've Always Wanted By John Ortberg

• Remember God’s history of faithfulness with each new challenge.
• • Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster
  • The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life by Dan Allender
  • Surprised by Hope by NT Wright (Advanced)
  • The Source by James Michner (Novel)
  • Whose Religion is Christianity by Lamin Sanneh
  • The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzales
  • Water from a Deep Well by Gerald Sittser
  • Longing for God by Foster and Beebe

Relationships

• Love my neighbor as I love myself giving first priority to my spouse and children as my first neighbors, or embracing my singleness while bonding with others and bearing fruit for God.
• • The Thrill of the Chaste by Dawn Eden (for Single Women, in particular)
  • The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason
  • Twelve Hours to a Great Marriage by Markman and Stanley
  • Celebration of Sex by Douglas Roseneau
  • The Mystery of Children by Mike Mason
  • Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman
  • Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

• Walk in community while respecting each person’s uniqueness.
• • Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  • No Man is an Island by Thomas Merton
  • From Brokenness to Community by Jean Vanier
  • Sacred Companions by David Benner
  • Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  • A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer

• Apply emotionally healthy practices in order to love well.
• • The Emotionally Healthy Church by Pete Scazzero
  • The Ascent of a Leader by Thrall, McNicol, McElrath
  • The Making of a Leader by Robert Clinton
  • Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times by Peter Steinke
  • A Grace Disguised by Gerald Sittser
  • Changes that Heal by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  • The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God by Dan B Allender Ph.D. and Tremper Longman
  • Extraordinary Relationships by Roberta M. Gilbert

• Listen more than I speak.
• • Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patton, Heen, and Fisher
  • The Lost Art of Listening by Michael Nichols

• Live in truth, asking the hard questions.
• • Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
  • I Quit by Geri Scazzero (to be released in 2010)
  • Glittering Images by Susan Howatch
  • The Dark Side of Leadership by Sam Rima
  • The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson
  • Under the Unpredictable Plant by Eugene Peterson
  • The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover (Novel)
  • People of the Lie by Scott Peck

• Bridge racial, cultural, economic and gender barriers for Christ.
• • Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf
  • Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf
  • More than Equals by Perkins and Rice
  • Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church by Mark Demayz
  • The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah
  • Gender & Grace by Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen
  • Malcolm X by Alex Haley
  • Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Work/Activity

• Savor the sacred in all I do -- at work, rest or play.
• • Doing God's Business by R. Paul Stevens
  • The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity and Caring by Parker Palmer
  • Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
  • The Call by Os Guinness

• Remember the poor and marginalized.
• • With Justice for All by John Perkins
  • Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron Sider

• Share my gifts, talents and resources, in and beyond our community.
• • The Will of God as a Way of Life by Gerald Sittser
  • In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen
  • The Total Money Makeover by David Ramsey

• Emotional Health
• Contemplative Spirituality
• Racism/Bridge Builder Test
• Sermon Tools
• Recommended Websites
• Pete's Reading Picks