distinctly askew

I’m reading two brilliant books this summer, both encouraging and challenging me.

The first is “The Road Trip that Changed the World” by Mark Sayers. Sayers is a church leader from Australia who writes really well on culture, young adult worldviews and God. I enjoyed his first 2 books a lot, but this is by far the best. He takes Jack Kerouac’s famous “On the Road” as a starting point for a deep exploration and critique of culture. Mark paints a powerful picture of the gospel of Jesus as good news to those burnt out by the search for meaning and transcendence. Like every good book, there are bits I’m not so sure of, but I have been deeply challenged by Sayers’ deconstruction of culture and the way he points to Jesus. I thoroughly recommend it!

The second book is a litlle different. It is “Letters from a Modern Mystic” by Frank Laubach. Laubach was a Christian missionary and literacy worker who spent much of his life in the Phillipines. The book is made up of his letters, written while he was living on a isolated island in the 1930s. During that time he was conducting what he describes as experiments in experiencing God; ways of developing constant prayer and connection. The little book is a fascinating account of one persons discovery of unexpected joy as he is obedient to God’s call. Again, highly recommended.

What are you reading this summer?