Did someone say that "you are what you read"? or is it "you are what you think"?. There was a time a couple of years ago when a minister asked me what I was reading at the time and my mind went blank. It might have been because I hadn't been reading anything significant at the time. It probably reflected the spiritual state that I was in at the time. I had been stagnate as a Christian for a few years, not moving forward, not growing.
Fortunately, God helped me through that time and my passion for reading, learning and growing as been rekindled. I have 5-6 books on my desk now which reading.
But the 3 books that have had the greatest impact over the last year are these:-
1. Telling the Gospel Through Story - Evangelism that keeps hearers wanting more (Christine Dillon)
2. Unreached - growing churches in working class and deprived areas (Tim Chester)
3. Discipleshift - Five steps that help your church to make disciples who make disciples (Jim Putman & Bobby Harrington)
"Telling the Gospel Through Story" continues the journey God has been taking me through in relation to Bible Storying. The way I do evangelism and teach the Bible has been completely transformed by this journey which started 5-6 years ago. God brought the author, Christine Dillon to visit us at a crucial time when I'd gone off the storying track for a while.
"Unreached" was highly recommended by Ray Galea in a talk I was listening too. It exposed my middle class and how it had affected my efforts at ministry to the working class and deprived areas.
"Discipleshift" I came across as I was following an email thread on Bible Storying. Jim Putman's church was given as an example of where a discipleship approach to church was implemented successfully with great effect. Robert Coleman who wrote, "Masterclass of Evangelism" which is a key book for our centre, contributed to this book too.
You won't regret buying and being transformed by these books.
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