Nevertheless, I am still working with some churches and want to share some great stuff I've been reading and using. Here goes!
The Benefits of Brokenness. A dear friend and colleague of mine turned me on to this author's website quite a while ago. I really value his reflections and often uses resources with my marketplace clients as well. He has a great understanding of holistic, healthy, humble leadership. I especially liked his references to "leadership with a limp" in this post.Centering Prayer with Cynthia Borgeault. I listen to podcasts like it's my job. Seriously, I probably listen to at least three a day. I can be brushing my teeth, exercising, or making dinner, and I will be listening to a podcast. This one comes from one of my favorites and I will confess that I might like it just because the hosts are British and I'm a sucker for accents. But this particular interview has stayed with me for quite a while.
Embracing a Post-Christian America. When I am not listening to podcasts I can often be thinking about what it means to work with younger generations. If you know me at all you know that I have spent my entire career working with young people directly, first as a youth pastor and then as a college instructor. I really feel like the American church is missing the boat with this generation and it breaks my heart. This particular blog is one that I follow to help stir the pot in terms of my thinking. He wrote an intriguing book a few years ago titled The New Copernicans. I think it does a good job of exploring the mindset of younger adults and cultural trends globally.
What am I reading? Like my podcasts, I tend to work on more than one book at a time. Here is what is cooking:
- The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann. A stunning classic written 40 years ago that has aged very well. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it is still quite prophetic.
- When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions by Sue Monk Kidd. Not the most profound book I've ever read, but really thoughtful and tender-hearted. I'm using it in my devotional reading in the mornings. I like it.
- The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois. I took a challenge from the theologian and sociologist Soong Chan Rah at a conference a few years ago to be intentional about reading from non-white writers and theologians. This is all part of that journey. I can't wait to get started on this one.
Thanks for reading. Send me your thoughts, feedback and questions at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me.