Christless Christianity by Michael Horton

Horton is always thought provoking. This book is no exception. Horton argues that much of what we read in popular Christian books (such as Osteen and Schuller) and see on TV (such as Osteen and Schuller) is "feel good" Christianity, a sort of moral therapeutic deism. The salvific work of Christ is missing.
Horton is also critical of the "emerging" and "missional" concepts. He declares, "The church has a very narrow commission. It is not called to be an alternative neighborhood, circle of friends, political action committee, social club, or public service agency; it is called to deliver Christ so clearly and fully that believers are prepared to be salt and light in the worldly stations to which God has called them." (Pg. 228) At the same time, Horton does acknowledge that, "...the Emergent church movement has reminded us that there is a serious call to discipleship in the New Testament." (Pg. 234)
Horton is Reformed and therefor emphasizes creeds and community spirituality (as opposed to private spirituality).
Even though I am thoroughly Reformed, I did not agree with everything Horton advances. I think he makes an unreformed distinction between the sacred and the secular (pg. 207). I was disturbed that he used a Barna report published in 1996 to "prove" that the church growth (or seeker-driven) movement (with emphasis on its missional aspect) shows no growth in professed conversions. (Pg. 227, footnote 44.) Not only is that data 13 years old, the term "missional" did not become prominent in church growth circles until the 1998 publishing of Missional Church, ed. by Darrell Gruder (Eerdmans Pub.).
Nonetheless, Horton is good for stimulating thought and lively discussion.

For These Tough Times by Max Lucado

Tragedy happens. We experience loss. We begin to wonder where God is in all of this.
Lucado reminds us that God’s thoughts are very unlike our thoughts. “We aren’t even in the same neighborhood.” God’s goals for our lives are not those of physical comfort but are of eternal consequence. God lives in a different dimension yet He bends down to be a part of our lives.
Just as small children do not understand the decisions and actions of their parents (say, to withhold a high sugar treat), so we do not understand the ways of God. Our small minds cannot comprehend how God’s actions are truly acts of love.
Lucado reminds the reader that God is for us (Rom. 8:31). He sent His Son to die for us. Should we fret over lesser things?
We are reminded that God’s goodness prevails, even in the midst of something evil. “Satan is still a servant of God…He is pressed into service to do God’s will in the world…” God used Satan to refine us, to wake us up, to provide an opportunity to encourage others, to learn to forgive, and to dwell in the silence where we can hear God. Lucado assures us that when we cry out to God He will answer.
Lucado is a wordsmith. Using examples from Scripture, he provides encouragement and strength for tough times. This is not a theological treatise as to why God does what He does. You won’t find any deep answers to persistent question of why bad things happen to people. This short (80 page) book will, however, provide encouragement to keep believing that God loves us, is for us, and will bring good out of evil.

The Truth About You by Marcus Buckingham

Marcus Buckingham, a successful speaker and author, has crafted a mini seminar on finding our strengths. The 22 minute DVD that comes in this toolkit is captivating. While Buckingham inspires us with his words, we view the story of a young man who is good at one discipline yet is highly motivated to move to another discipline. This visual story highlights a myth Buckingham points out: our strengths are not what we are good at and our weaknesses are not what we are bad at. Our strengths are what energize us and our weaknesses are what drain us (whether we are good at the particular tasks or not). Unlike those who may have told us that to advance we have work on our weaknesses, Buckingham encourages us to play to our strengths. Our strengths are what will energize us, make us feel fulfilled, and advance us in our work. A successful team is one where each player plays in his strong position.
Buckingham has a plan where we pay attention for a week to those activities that we look forward to doing and energize us, as well as recognizing those activities that drain us. A “rememo” pad is included in the toolkit to help with these observations. Evaluating the notes we’ve made during the week will help us determine our strengths and be able to write three clear strength statements.
Buckingham emphasizes that each of us has strengths, no one else has exactly the same strengths we do, we will be the most creative and resilient when we play to our strengths and everyone will win when we do so. He reminds us to start the day thinking of our strengths and how we can contribute to them today.
Buckingham also reminds us of the risks involved. Supervisors may not understand when we describe our strengths and weaknesses. (Buckingham’s advice goes against some commonly accepted career strategies.) The money may not be there right away. Working in our strengths, however, will make us better at our job and will lead to advancement in the long run.
This toolkit is great for those entering the career market or for those making a change in careers. Buckingham estimates that eight out of ten people are not working in their strengths in their career. Going through this toolkit will help each of us to find fulfilling and energizing career paths. This is not a book to merely read (although we’ll read it through several times). This is a toolkit with which to work over time, developing our strengths into a fulfilling life of work.
Take the challenge. Find out the truth about you, who you really are.

Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd

This is the second in the Lexi Stuart series. In the first one, Let Them Eat Cake, Lexi gets a job at a French bakery in Seattle. In this book, Lexi is in France going to pastry school and working in the French bakeries,origins of the Seattle one. There is a bit of romance, much of Lexi relying on God and a great deal to learn about French pastry. While eating all of those delicious creations, how do they not get fat? A fun read.

Less than Dead by Tim Downs

This is the latest in the "Bugman" series. Nick is asked by the FBI to look into recent graves found on top of older graves in rural Virginia. The land in which the graves were discovered is owned by a popular senator soon to be running for president. The recently buried skeletons show evidence of murder and Nick sets out to find the murderer. He engages the help of a "witch," a young woman recluse who trains cadaver dogs. The plot thickens as another murder ensues and the less than perfect heritage of the senator and his wife is exposed. There is no overt Christianity in this book although there is a Bible reference to the witch of Endor at the beginning of the book. Downs is back to his engaging style of portraying Nick and the other quirky characters.

Quitting Church by Julia Duin

Duin was a newspaper reporter for years and is now the religion editor of The Washington Times. She is one of the thousands of Christians who has not abandoned her Christian faith, but has abandoned the church. Duin sensed for some time that there was something not right about the church. Scores of Christians are leaving the brick and mortar church and developing a subculture of authentic faith.
Some say church has nothing to do with their actual lives (p. 33). John Eldredge, who took a year off from church, called church a "numbing" experience (p. 170). The church is not bringing people into a genuine encounter with God, Eldredge says. He claims, "It's mature Christians who have opted out of the church" (p. 170). Eldredge has found his spiritual needs met in a home church.
The truly reflective and intelligent Christians are finding the church irrelevant. Singles and women are marginalized in the church organization and structure.
Rather than being just another church bashing book, Duin is truly concerned about the state of today's church. While she does not give and real answers to the problems, I think every pastor should read this book to know how those people who used to sit in the pews of his church really feel.

Why the Universe is the Way it is by Hugh Ross

Ross is an astrophysicist, old earth creationist, and is passionate about proclaiming that our universe is one with purpose. In his latest book, he looks at the vastness of the universe, its age, its physical properties, and shows why all of these factors point to a universe created by God with purpose for man. Ross agrees with the scientific data regarding the age of the earth (and the universe) so he does not irritate other scientists (much to the dismay, I am sure, of young earth creationists) with his message.
Ross gives some thoughts as to how God relates to His created universe. God's interaction with our universe may be likened to another dimension (of infinite dimension) intersecting our space-time continuum.
The second half of Ross's book is a look at the Bible and what it has to say about our universe. His thoughts on heaven based on physical laws compared with biblical descriptions is fascinating. Which laws will still exist (such as time - there will still be cause and effect relationships) and which will not (like the Second Law of Thermodynamics).
Ross has a great deal of insight regarding how the latest in scientific discoveries add evidence to the idea of mankind living in a God created and God purposed universe. This book would be a good choice to loan to a scientifically oriented friend to then begin a discussion about the existence and character of God.

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. He and his wife founded the church in 1989 and it now has nearly 6,000 attending with five services. The subtitle of this book is Belief in an Age of Skepticism. The is the best book on Christian apologetics I have read (and having owned a Christian bookstore for over 30 years, I have read many). Keller takes a fresh approach to doubt. The doubter of Christianity must defend how he knows his own belief to be true. One cannot ask more of Christianity than one asks of his or her own beliefs. This is a great book to suggest your doubting friend read. Of course, you would be willing to read a book by Hitchens, Dawkins, or another atheist, right? This is how the conversation begins.