I love a good book. I’m always reading — novels, poems, short stories, theology books, histories, biographies, leadership/business books and more. Here are two new books that I’ve finished this month, and had to tell you about:
The Relational Soul: Moving From False Self To Deep Connection by Rich Plass and Jim Cofield. Rich and Jim have been a huge blessing to Sojourn pastors and staff over the last several years. These pastors/counselors write “Be it chronic or acute, slight or significant, loneliness is proof of our relational design. At the core of our being is this truth—we are designed for and defined by our relationships. We were born with a relentless longing to participate in the lives of others. Fundamentally, we are relational souls.”
The authors explain how our early-life relational experiences and patterns of attachment leave a lasting impact on our lifelong relationships. Then they demonstrate how God redeems, reclaims and restructures our souls by helping us shed our reactive “False Self” (what the apostle Paul called “the flesh,” and put on our receptive “True Self.” Through a cultivation of four spiritual disciplines and our participation in the love of the Father, Son and Spirit, we transform our self-awareness and our connection with other people.
This is an eye-opening book. As I read it, I was struck by several observations about my own personality and past experiences that I need to deal with, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Get his book!
A Movable Feast: Worship For The Other Six Days by Terry Timm. Terry is a pastor in Pittsburgh, whom Kristen and I got to know at two Refuge SSI retreats for worship leaders and church creatives. He has a deep love for God and the church. In A Movable Feast, Terry urges us to move past a concept of worship as “Sunday Only,” into an awareness that, for the Christian, all of life is worship.
He doesn’t downplay the awesome privilege of gathered worship, but he shows how true worship extends beyond our church buildings, into our daily activities. Further, his scriptural insights, personal stories and historical study-pieces work together to show how our worship is connected to God’s redemptive purposes in the world. It’s accessible and witty, without resorting to fluff. I’d especially recommend it to anyone who thinks of “the worship” as “the music set on Sunday.”