Words that have shaped us

It's no secret that I like to read. I always have, so it's not surprising to me that books have been a tool that God has used to shape my heart and to inform and guide our journey. Of course the only book that really has the power to is His Word, but there have certainly been some specific books along the journey that have challenged my beliefs, stretched my faith, convicted me, and taught me.

So I thought I should share with y'all some of the voices (in book-form) that we have listened to, and been changed by (especially in the way we do our lives and missions, and in what we believe about race and poverty).

In particular, we began this foray into missions, and particularly inner-city missions, nearly seven years ago on our first wedding anniversary (while on a cruise). We read the book The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (by Shane Claiborne). His words echoed the questions we had already been posing in our own hearts and lives. What if we really believed the Gospel? Shouldn't our lives look differently? We searched and asked and decided that we DO actually believe the Gospel, and now our lives actually DO look dramatically different than they used to, and than most Christians' lives look.

My favorite book that I've read (maybe ever, but particularly as related to our lives and inner-city ministry) is Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle. I just feel like Father G (as I like to call him) has such a beautiful heart for the folks he ministers to and lives life with. The ideas he builds on reflect a kinship with those around him, rather than a "savior-complex," which really appeals to me and feels like a reflection of our Father's heart.

And some books that have shaped, in more practical and specific ways, how we look at our neighborhoods and how we do ministry: