Influences

The following are a few of the many books that the Spirit has used to challenge, shape, and fine-tune my understanding of God, myself, all of creation, and the kingdom of God:

Apologetics

• Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
• C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, and The Weight of Glory
• Lesslie Newbigin’s The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society
• Rebeccas McLaughlin’s Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion

Bible

• Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
• John Goldingay’s An Introduction to the Old Testament: Exploring Texts, Approaches & Issues
• N. T. Wright’s Surprised By Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues

Biblical Theology

• Edmund P. Clowney’s The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament
• John Walton’s The Lost World Series
• N. T. Wright’s Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Church

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together
• Trillia J. Newbell’s United: Captured By God’s Vision for Diversity

Creation Care, Culture, and Ethics

• Gregory A. Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church
• Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin’s Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence
• Julie Clawson’s Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Everyday Choices
• Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler’s Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement
• Dominique DuBois Gilliard’s Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice That Restores
• David P. Gushee and Glen H. Stassen’s Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context
• Richard B. Hays’ The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics
• Nancy R. Pearcy’s Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions About Life and Sexuality
• Sandra L. Richter’s Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters
• Preston Sprinkle’s Non-Violence: The Revolutionary Way of Jesus and People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue
• Jamar Tisby’s The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism

Discipleship

• Ruth Haley Barton’s Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God
• Shane Claiborne’s Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
• John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
• Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society
• John Piper’s Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
• Pete Scazerro’s Emotional Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature
• Tish Harrison Warren’s Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life
• Dallas Willard’s Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ and The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

Gospel

• Timothy Keller’s Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
• N. T. Wright’s Simply Good News: Why the Gospel is News and What Makes It Good

Ministry & Mission

• Lewis Allen’s The Preacher’s Catechism
• Beth Allison Barr’s The Making of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
• Rosaria Butterfield’s The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically. Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World
• Winn Collier’s A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message
• Timothy Keller’s Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City
• David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock’s Faith For Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon
• Eric and Eugene Peterson’s Letters to a Young Pastor: Timothy Conversations Between Father and Son
• Eugene Peterson’s The Pastor: A Memoir
• John Piper’s Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God In Missions
• Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students
• Stephen T. Um and Justin Buzzard’s Why Cities Matter: To God, the Culture, and the Church

Relationships

• John Mark Comer’s Loveology: God. Love. Marriage. Sex. And the Never-Ending Story of Male and Female.
• Phil and Diane Comer’s Raising Passionate Jesus Followers: The Power of Intentional Parenting
• Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

Vocation

• John Mark Comer’s Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human.
• Timothy Keller’s Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work

Reference & Commentary Series

• Baker Exegetical Commentaries on the New Testament (Baker Academic)
• Baker Exegetical Commentaries on the Old Testament (Baker Academic)
• The IVP Bible Background Commentary Set (IVP Academic)
• The IVP Bible Dictionary Series (IVP Academic)
• The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Eerdmans)
• The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Eerdmans)
• The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan)
• Pillar New Testament Commentary Series (Eerdmans)
• The Story of God Bible Commentary Series (Zondervan Academic)
• Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (IVP Academic)
• Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (IVP Academic)