At Pastors' School, three books emerged in my conversation with clergy present.
Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results
by Tom Berlin and Lovett Weems
This work was in the center of our sessions and table discussions. It is a must-read for us as we seek to be faithful and fruitful in ministry. The prophetic word --"Ministry with no fruit is no ministry at all" -- is undergirded by strong and continual Biblical undergirding. Fruitfulness is a continuing Biblical image, from the creation account through the New Testament.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival,
Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
This is an amazing story of one man's life as an athlete of Olympic fame, a prisoner of war in the Pacific, and... but that would give the story away. As one of you said to me in a sidebar conversation, "I did not see that end coming!" This is a true story, written by the author of Seabiscuit, herself living with physical incapacity, that inspires and moves us to praise the amazing work of God in human hearts.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
One reviewer wrote simply, "50 years from now, when people asked what happened after Katrina, they will remember the Zeitoun family." In this heart-breaking and heart-strengthening work, we follow the experience of Zeitoun, a Syrian-American whose painting and contracting firm is well established and embraced in New Orleans. His family evacuates while he remains, living in a tent on the flat part of his roof and becoming an angel of mercy in his aluminum canoe until armed officers arrest him and he goes missing. In this remarkable account, the water of Katrina and fears following 9-11 converge. The result is no rant, just a story of one family told wonderfully well. . |
