Staff Reviews: 5 Books to Help You On Your Journey
December 31, 2030 - March 14, 2040
Staff Reviews: 5 Books to Help You On Your Journey
Staff Reviews: 5 Books to Help You On Your Journey
Here at Marine Reach, we love to learn more about Jesus and what it means to follow Him. One of the ways we do that is by reading books…not just the Bible. Living in community means you can always go to someone for some book tips. In a community as diverse as ours, one person will give a tip for a moving novel, another will recommend an inspiring missionary biography, another a book on how to live faithfully as a follower of Jesus and yet another will give you an obscure tip about a nerdy book that will help you understand the Bible better (if you would like to get a better grip on the full story of the Bible, come join us and do our Discipleship Bible School!).
So, in this article, we will give you some book recommendations from some of our lovely staff members. There are 5 books reviewed here on pretty diverse subjects, but all able to equip you to follow Jesus more faithfully. We hope that these books will bless you and help you in your walk with Jesus.
Book #1: A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationship
Author: Paul E. Miller
Staff Comment: “This book taught me so much about the unconditional love of God.”
Page count: 176
Review: “This book is an expository study of the book of Ruth that will transform your understanding of its impact in the biblical story as well as how it relates to us in our everyday lives. It’s filled with real-life stories and examples of how God’s unrelenting love can look in practical terms. The book is so gripping!”
Links: Amazon, Bookdepository
Book #2: The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others
Author: Scot McKnight
Staff Comment: “Really brings the commandment of Jesus to ‘love God and neighbor’ to life.”
Page count: 296
Review: “This helped to reflect on Jesus’ command to love God with my all, and neighbor as self. In this book, the author looks at Jesus’s first-century setting. Some of the characters in the New Testament are looked at through the lens of living out the greatest commandment. It is written with the knowledge of a New Testament scholar but with plenty of pastoral sensitivity, and keeping it to a level that is easy to follow as it is written for the church. It changed much of how I viewed not just the characters in the bible or what Jesus meant with the greatest commandment, but how I viewed and lived out my own following of Jesus. A great resource! It is also the unofficial first book in an unofficial series of books by the author.”
Links: Amazon, Bookdepository
Book #3: Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul
Author: John & Stasi Eldredge
Staff Comment: “This book has helped in transforming the way I see myself as a woman of God.”
Page count: 256
Review: “This book has truly unraveled what it means to be a woman created by a loving, perfect Father. It has started me on a healing journey into deep, old wounds that have impacted me to this day. I am seeing Jesus use this book to transform the way I see myself as a woman of God and those around me through this greater understanding of our purpose. This book is full of personal stories and testimonies that stick with you and assure you- you are not alone on this journey.”
Links: Amazon, Booksdepository
Book #4: Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction
Author: Caleb Kaltenbach
Staff Comment: “Jesus opened up my perspective on how to love others without sacrificing conviction.”
Page count: 224
Review: “Reading this book really convicted me and made me realize some hard truths in my life. The author has had experiences with the LGBT community and the church, and therefore laid out both perspectives in such an honest way. It brought me to understanding and repentance through learning more about God’s love.”
Links: Amazon, Booksdepository
Book #5: Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul
Author: J. P. Moreland
Staff Comment: “If you’re a thinker and love Jesus, read this book.”
Page count: 305
Review: “Growing up I struggled to believe that God was for me. Asking hard questions was not discouraged by my parents but it was frowned upon in the churches I grew up in largely. Eventually, Jesus got hold of me but then I struggled whether I belonged in the church and how. Being told to keep quiet at times, the struggle is still real. However, this book helped me to see that Jesus was the smartest person to ever live and that thinking done in the way of Jesus is a good thing. This book is gold not just for the person that thinks deeply but for anyone in any kind of church. The book also has a book recommendation list for all kinds of subjects, from politics to biblical worldview and from business to education, which is worth the price of the book alone.”
Links: Amazon, Booksdepository
Against The Tide
Next to these book tips we also would like to offer this tip: Against the Tide is a book about the origins of Marine Reach. Written by our very own David Cowie, who together with his wife Linda, both are also part of our base leadership team.
We hope you enjoyed some or all of our book tips. We will be sharing more of our book tips in the future. If you know any specific subjects you would like a book tip for let us know.
If you are interested in growing in your relationship with Jesus while having a community to encourage you, then come and join us for a Discipleship Training School. If you don’t love reading, but listening to someone talk is more your thing, we also have a blog post with our podcast tips.
“Through prayer and passion stream, I was able to see how prayer could be a place of so much intimacy with God. Finding my secret place with Him allowed me to fall in love again with His beauty and goodness. At the same time, God revealed to me the secrets of His heart- how He saw me and how He saw the world. It’s such a privilege to know that there’s a big God up there who trust us and partners with us to bring the kingdom of heaven down on to earth through our prayers!!! And never once did He let me down.”
Jesse Chua, 22, Singapore
“The Justice Movement stream really opened my eyes to what justice looks like through the eyes of God. Justice is more than making wrong right, it’s walking in mercy and humility. Justice is bringing light and life to orphans, widows, immigrants, and hope to anyone who is oppressed.”
Naomi Wilson, 18, AB, Canada
“Medical Compassion DTS was a truly an incredible experience. Working in health centres, hospitals and pop-up clinics grew my interest in medicine and allowed me to practically show the love of God. For me, the most transformational aspect of my Med-Com DTS was the focus on compassion and its importance in achieving true holistic healing. This is an experience like no other!”
Matthew Bassett, 18, Orewa, NZ
“Since being here at Marine Reach, my hunger for God has continued to grow more and more. In the Kingdom Come stream, our heart is to see the world changed by the message of His love and the demonstration of His power. It’s such a privilege to be apart of a group of people so on fire for Jesus!”
Joseph Pope, 25, Virginia, USA
“Being apart of Wild Heart has really helped me find out what it means to be wild for God. It has helped me break out of shells I didn’t even I know had. The stream transformed my way of thinking when it comes to being a disciple of Christ, teaching me to take action in faith. It has given me many things I will be able to take home and apply in my daily life, crazy awesome!”
Deylan Santy, 19, Idaho, USA
“Before coming to DTS I had a fixed view on what it meant to be a follower of God. Being on the Wild Heart Stream completely demolished every box I put God in and taught me to have reverence for the Lord. I learned that God doesn’t want a slave, he wants a best friend, a daughter and a relationship.”
Jessica Bryant, 19, England
“The Medical Compassion DTS magnified my love for those in need. It stressed the importance of the power of prayer and how I can go to God in all the medical and daily situations in my life and the lives of those I minister to.”
Noah Armbruster, 20, Michigan, USA
“We had been married for 5 years when we came to Marine Reach. As a married couple, we learned a lot about each other and ourselves and gained a lot for our marriage. What we enjoyed most during the GO PAC stream times was the mix between the depth we dove into God’s Word, getting to know His plan for us better, and the times thinking and learning about the interesting Pacific cultures. We think it is so important to get to know new cultures. At the base, there are many different cultures, but you really want to get to know the one culture where you live and where you’re going on outreach. We experienced that when spiritual basics are understood with the heart and not only with the mind, that is what brings change into your daily life, and that is what you can carry home after DTS.“
Tobias & Annika Dietrich, 26 & 26, Germany
“Being a part of the Justice Movement Stream has really challenged the way I see and define justice. It has made me more passionate and aware of the help this broken world needs, and what I can do to bring a stop to the injustice. I can now confidently say that I am able to take on the world, seeking justice and mercy for people in need.”
Chelsea Logan, 19, Newcastle, Australia
“Did you know that according to WHO more than half the world does not have access to healthcare? After seeing those statistics first hand, while in the mission field, I was heartbroken, but I was not without hope. God used my SPHC team and me to meet the needs of many individuals both physically and spiritually, and He opened my eyes to the possibility of a career in healthcare. I now attend the University of Missouri and I am pursuing a degree in Public Health. I hope to one day work for the WHO and take on the challenge of reaching those without healthcare with God’s healing hands.”
Caroline Wilson, 21, Colorado, USA