I hope you are taking some time this summer to slow down and enjoy a good read. Sometimes I get asked which books are traveling with me, so I thought I’d share a few on my summer reading list:

1) The Nickel Boys, by Colton Whitehead

The story of two boys — one idealistic about the world, one very cynical — who meet in a reform school in Florida in the Jim Crow South. Based on true events that have only recently come to light, this is a powerful story about the endurance of the human spirit in the face of the worst kinds of evil.

2) Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, by Peter Scazzero

At the heart of Christian discipleship is a process of relearning — putting off the old self and putting on the new self. This process is neither easy nor quick, and it requires courage to identify self-defeating patterns and behaviors we’ve all inherited from our families and our culture. All growth is spiritual growth and the goal is the transformation of your whole heart.

3) The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, by Walter Isaacson

The story of one of the world’s greatest living scientists and the life-science revolution happening today with the human gene. CRISPR, a tool that can now edit DNA, is bringing about major advances in medicine while also raising deep moral questions about the future of the human race. Today’s cutting-edge science written for the non-scientist by one our great biographers.

4) Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible has to Say, by Preston Sprinkle

Gender identity is one of the most emotional and confusing topics in the culture today. It is also one of the most important to understand and address with compassion and Biblical knowledge. Preston Sprinkle (president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender) has thought and written more on this subject than perhaps anyone in the church today.

5) Broken Signpost: How Christianity Makes Sense of the World, by N.T. Wright

A follow-up to his classic, Simply Christian, Wright uses the Gospel of John to uncover seven themes that point beyond themselves to the deeper meaning of life — to the meaning of the world. These signposts, though each broken in our experience, help us relate the Gospel to the world in which we live and serve.

I hope you’re having a great summer. Happy reading, and see you soon at Browncroft!