Summer Reading Ideas

Summer is often a little more laid back and the pace of life seems to slow for many of us. It is often a great time to catch up on reading some good books you have been meaning to get to.

If you are looking for some book ideas, here in no particular order are a few that I have found to be exceptionally good. 

Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller’s best known work and one of my favorites of his, this is a funny, quirky look at God and life as he traces his own spiritual journey.

The Life You’ve Always Wanted - John Ortberg writes about spiritual practices that will help you connect with God. One of my favorite books of all time, it has been especially formative for me.

The Case for Christ - A classic by Lee Strobel, a former atheist and investigative reporter who sets out to prove Christianity is fake and ends up finding enough evidence to make a compelling case for believing Jesus is who he said he was.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - Laura Hillenbrand, tells the story of Louis Zamperini, Olympic athlete and World War II bombardier. Extremely compelling, this can be a challenging read when it graphically details the abuse he suffered as a prisoner of war in Japan. A true story of perseverance and hope, it is hard to put down and highly recommended.

I have copies of each of these for any who would like to borrow one. What’s on your reading list this summer?

(Cross-posted from June newsletter at First Presbyterian Pine City.)

Ministry in a Changing World

First Presbyterian Pine City members and friends will be hearing a lot more over the next year about Ministry In A Changing World - an exciting initiative from our Presbytery that we will be taking part in. Its purpose is to assist churches in developing a focused vision and specific strategic steps to accomplish our mission. Our church will go through an individual assessment, visioning, and implementation process with the assistance of a trained coach and alongside three other churches in our Cohort group. 

In addition to those attending the Cohort retreats, we will be inviting all members and friends of FPPC to become a part of the process of looking at how God has equipped us uniquely as a church and charting the course for our future. Watch for more news and information about how you can be involved and be praying for our leadership as we continually seek God’s leading for our church.

(reprint from May newsletter - First Presbyterian Pine City)