10 Christian Books for Your Summer 2020 Reading List

No matter what is going on in the world, people are always looking for book recommendations. Not a day goes by where someone on our social media feeds isn’t asking, “What’s a good book to read?” We asked a handful of our Woodside Staff Members their top book recommendations to add to your summer reading list! These books cover an array of topics, and our hope is they’ll encourage you in your walk with God.

We’ve given a brief description of each and linked them for you. Be sure to comment on your favorites as you read them this summer!

1️⃣ The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

“Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” Too often, we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil. Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.

To purchase, click here.

*Fun Fact about this book, the entire Woodside Staff read this book together in April.

2️⃣ Resisting Gossip by Matthew Mitchell

Gossip. It’s on Facebook, on the television, in the break room, and even in our churches. With gossip being so prevalent in our culture, it can be hard to resist listening to and sharing stories about other people’s business. But what does God say about gossip? And is it possible to follow his instructions? In Resisting Gossip, Pastor Matt Mitchell not only outlines the scriptural warnings against gossip but also demonstrates how the truth of the gospel can deliver believers from this temptation.

To purchase, click here.

3️⃣ Confessions by Augustine

The son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine, spent his early years torn between conflicting faiths and world views. His Confessions, written when he was in his forties, recount how, slowly and painfully, he came to turn away from his youthful ideas and licentious lifestyle, to become a staunch advocate of Christianity and one of its most influential thinkers instead. A remarkably honest and revealing spiritual autobiography, the Confessions also address fundamental issues of Christian doctrine, and many of the prayers and meditations it includes are still an integral part of the practice of Christianity today.

To purchase, click here.

4️⃣ The Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan

Using the Israelites’ story in Exodus 14 as an example, Robert Morgan offers ten sound strategies for moving from fear to faith. Just as Moses and the Israelites found themselves caught between “the devil and the deep Red Sea,” so are we sometimes overwhelmed by life’s problems. The Red Sea Rules reveal that even during seemingly impossible situations, God promises to make a way for us. His loving guidance will protect us through danger, illness, marital strife, financial problems, or whatever challenges Satan places in our path.

To purchase, click here.

5️⃣ One Blood by John M. Perkins

The racial reconciliation of our churches and nation won’t be done with big campaigns or through mass media. It will come one loving, sacrificial relationship at a time. The gospel and all that it encompasses has always traveled best relationally. We have much to learn from each other, and each has unique poverties that can only be filled by one another. The way forward is to become “wounded healers” who bandage each other up as we discover what the family of God looks like. Real relationships, sacrificial love between actual people, is the way forward. Nothing less will do.

To purchase, click here.

6️⃣ Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

Christianity is the most widespread global belief system and promises to remain so well into the future. But for many educated westerners, biblical Christianity is a dangerous idea―challenging some of their deepest beliefs. Channeling state-of-the-art research, personal stories, and careful biblical study, Confronting Christianity explores 12 questions that keep many of us from considering faith in Christ. Look more closely, McLaughlin argues, and the reality of suffering, the complexity of sexuality, the desire for diversity, the success of science, and other seeming roadblocks to faith become signposts. Jesus becomes not a relic from the ancient world, but our modern world’s best hope

To purchase, click here.

7️⃣ You & Me Forever by Francis & Lisa Chan

Marriage is great, but it’s not forever. It’s until death do us part. Then come eternal rewards or regrets depending on how we spent our lives. Francis Chan joins together with his wife Lisa to address the question many couples wonder at the altar: “How do I have a healthy marriage?” Setting aside typical topics on marriage, Francis and Lisa dive into Scripture to understand what it means to have a relationship that satisfies the deepest parts of our souls. Jesus was right. We have it all backwards. The way to have a great marriage is by not focusing on marriage. Whether you are single, dating, or married, You and Me Forever will help you discover the adventure that you were made for and learn how to thrive in it.

To purchase, click here.

*100% of the net profits from You and Me Forever will go towards providing food, shelter, and rehabilitation for thousands of orphaned children and exploited women in partnership with global charities — through Francis Chan’s Ministry.

8️⃣ Stop Calling Me Beautiful by Phylicia Masonheimer

“You’re a beautiful daughter of the Most High King.” And it’s true. But it’s not the whole truth. The beauty of being God’s daughter has a backstory. If you’re tired of hearing the watered-down Christian teaching and hungry for a deeper spiritual life, one that gives real answers to your hardest questions, this book is for you. You will learn how to pursue the truths of who God is and who you are in relationship to Him. How to study Scripture, and how your view of God determines how you face life’s challenges, and how legalism, shallow theology, and false teaching keep you from living boldly as a woman of the Word. Jesus doesn’t offer a powerless salvation. He makes your brokenness part of His whole redemption story if you allow Him to.

To purchase, click here.

9️⃣ Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons

As a society, we are in the throes of a collective panic attack. Anxiety and loneliness are on the rise, with 77% of our population experiencing physical symptoms of stress regularly. We feel pressure chasing careers, security, and keeping up. We worry about health, politics, and many other complexities we can’t control. Eventually, we find our minds spinning, trying to cope or manage a low hum of anxiety, unlike ever before. But it doesn’t have to stay this way. By taking time to rest, restore, connect, and create, you will discover how to experience God’s peace and joy for your life.

To purchase, click here.

🔟 Multiethnic Conversations by Mark DeYmaz & Oneya Fennell Okuwobi

This powerful resource is a proven catalyst to help transform the minds, attitudes, and actions of people in your local church, and lead them to enthusiastically embrace one another in the midst of cultural change. Structured around eight weeks of daily readings and thought-provoking questions, this attractive and accessible workbook is a Christ-centered, biblically accurate guide that facilitates authentic personal exploration and small group discussion of race, class, and culture. As the centerpiece tool of the Mosaix Global Network, this book brings diverse people together beyond the distinctions of this world that so often and otherwise divide. It all begins with conversation.

To purchase, click here.