I’ve got an awesome slate of books to read this month. I’ve got a couple of books to wrap up my coaching certification, some more technical art/design things, some devotional reading and church history. Here’s to hoping I can clear off the whole list.

May Reading

Falling Upward – Richard Rohr
This was an assigned text for my coaching certification. While I had read bits and pieces of Rohr before, I had never really dug into his writing or theology. This book is about differentiating the 1st and 2nd half of life, and I really enjoyed it. For someone who has read and is pretty comfortable with Catholic writing, I enjoyed the concepts he talked about as he speaks towards the fullness of life that Jesus invites us into.

Sand Country Almanac by Aldo Leopold
In the last few years as I have started hunting more and more I found a new part of the outdoor culture that is as                         focused on conservation as it is hunting. Leopold, and this book, is really the philosophical beginning point. I had heard             it mentioned so many times I felt it was the time to read it. Leopold was a conservationist and wrote this in the 1940’s. It             is his reflections upon the changing landscape of his property and how things had shaped and shifted over the years.

Holy Love: A Biblical Theology for Human Sexuality by Steve Harper 
The United Methodist Church (the denomination I serve in) is currently embattled over the issue of human sexuality. Steve Harper comes out of the theological tradition I was trained in, but has a very different viewpoint. This was an interesting read as he deploys a more conservative approach to Biblical interpretation to show how he came to a progressive viewpoint.

The Lord of the Ring: In Search of Count von Zinzendorf
This past year I have been reading as much as I can about the 24/7 prayer movement. Much of it traces its roots back to the Moravian prayer movement at Hernhutt. It is also a crucial part of John Wesley and the history of Methodism. I found this great biography from the 24/7 crew. If you are into history and such, you need to give it a try.