Pastoral Reading Reflections

This is a space for our pastoral staff to reflect on what they are reading. These are not reviews, recommendations, or summaries, but short reflections on books they've read.

The Tech-Wise Family, by Andy Crouch

By Brian Gault | May 28, 2019

Summer is upon us. At our house, kids are suddenly at home instead of at school, which consequently involves setting more boundaries around screens. Andy Crouch thinks deeply and writes…

The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones

By Zack Owens | May 20, 2019

When I first began teaching children in a summer camp setting, I began accumulating resources (curricula, books, bibles, etc). So when our first child was born, I had an arsenal…

Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge

By Brian Gault | May 14, 2019

This is a book about men—specifically about the heart of men. It is a powerful book that has spoken to countless readers. It also requires discernment. We might compare the…

Galatians for You, by Tim Keller

By Brian Gault | April 24, 2019

I’m a big Tim Keller fan. My favorite Keller titles include: The Meaning of Marriage, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, Prodigal God, and Counterfeit Gods. Using logic and…

Safe People, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

By Brian Gault | April 17, 2019

God created us to be in relationship, and relationships can be hurtful and/or healing. Healthy relationships are essential for us to flourish. But what are healthy relationships, and how do…

United by Faith, by DeYoung, Emerson, Yancey, and Kim

By Brian Gault | April 9, 2019

United by Faith answers Divided by Faith—intentionally so; it’s framed as a companion volume. The problem? Divided by Faith discusses evangelical religion and the problem of race. As Martin Luther…

Lament for a Son, by Nicholas Wolterstorff

By Brian Gault | April 2, 2019

Eric was twenty-five years old when he died. He was climbing in the mountains. He slipped and fell. Nicholas Wolterstorff, Eric’s father, gives voice to his grief. It is raw.…

The Hole in Our Holiness, by Kevin DeYoung

By Brian Gault | March 26, 2019

Kevin DeYoung has a knack for breaking complex theological topics into crisp categories. He uses humor, analogy, and imagination. In The Hole in Our Holiness, DeYoung says we might view…

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

By Brian Gault | March 19, 2019

The American Dream is that anyone, if they work hard enough, is able to make it to the top. Everyone has equal opportunity, and it’s up to them to make…

The Songs of Jesus, by Tim Keller with Kathy Keller

By Brian Gault | March 7, 2019

In the Psalms, the heart of the believer encounters the heart of God. John Calvin says the Psalms are an “anatomy of the soul.” You see gratitude and grief, confidence…

Show them Jesus, by Jack Klumpenhower

By Zack Owens | March 4, 2019

Jack Klumpenhower, a journalist by training and trade, was a gifted Sunday School teacher. But something was missing in the way he approached discipleship and spiritual formation with children and…

The Color of Compromise, by Jemar Tisby

By Elbert McGowan | February 27, 2019

Would you rather tinker or follow a pattern? There are two types of Lego users. Some want to follow a pattern to recreate the exact image on the Lego box.…

Free at Last? by Carl Ellis

By Brian Gault | February 18, 2019

Carl Ellis (a friend of Redeemer, along with his wife Karen) has written a survey and analysis of the African American experience as it intersects with God’s word and Christianity,…

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

By Brian Gault | February 13, 2019

It’s hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see the world from their perspective. You don’t know what you don’t know. We often cram the details of someone…

Just Do Something, by Kevin DeYoung

By Brian Gault | January 14, 2019

“What is God’s will for my life?” We’d love to have a clear answer on whom we should marry, which job we should take, where we should go to church,…