There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God.  Packer’s book tells us who this God really in all of His attributes including not just His love and mercy but His wrath and judgement.  A false view of God leads to a false worship and false discipleship.  Today’s followers of Jesus need more need to know the God of Scripture and it is this God to which Knowing God points us.

Peterson has become a global phenomena because of willingness to speak truth to a culture hungering for truth but feeding on the lies of the modern culture.  He begins his presentations by saying, “The world is suffering and malevolence but you are still responsible”.  He makes a compelling case that meaning and purpose follow and depend upon assuming responsibility for yourself and the world around you.  The responsible person is no longer a victim.

Before God is love He is holy.  “Holy, holy, holy” says both Isaiah and the Apostle John.  His love is first a holy love. The Scriptures tell us that "without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14 NIV).  Tozer’s book is a wonderful primer for those seeking to know the true God and His holiness.

This book chronicles how the combat experiences of WW I shaped the theology and writing of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. “War is hell” is not quite accurate: “War reveals hell”.  Lewis and Tolkien both made a conscious decision to tell the truth of what had been revealed to them in the War through story rather than historical narrative.  We would not have The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia is it were not for the trenches of WW I.

Brooks shares with us his journey from the first mountain to second; from a life lived mainly for self to a life lived mainly for others.  It is also his journey from Judaism to following Jesus. The candor and vulnerability of his failures and struggles will be an encouragement to others whose are struggling on their journey towards faith.

The word eucharist means “giving thanks” and in this book Ann tells the story of her discovery of what it means to give thanks even for what she calls "the hard eucharistos”.  A friend once told me that “Ingratitude is the mother of all sin”.  If he is right then gratitude is the first step to be taken on the journey of becoming a disciple of the One who gave thanks even though He knew the suffering that was coming.

The combat experiences of WW I shaped Lewis’s worldview and ultimately his theology and writing.  The Chronicles reflect how he came to understand the world in which we live, a world caught in the midst of this cosmic conflict between good and evil. He chose to share the truth of his understanding through story rather than historical narrative. Written for children The Chronicles are a must read for anyone wanting to understand the reality of this cosmic conflict between good and evil and the Narnia that is to come.

Set in a business rather than religious context this book speaks to the leadership principles of a 450+ year old “company” known as the Jesuits. Those principals include self-awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism. Four principals that were lived and exercised before technology, the Internet and social media. These are time tested principles that leaders today would be well advised to understand and embrace.

Matt has his Ph.D. from the Univesity of Chicago but makes his living rebuilding and repairing motorcycles out of his shop in Richmond, VA.  The challenge of getting his Ph.D. was never able to supplant the fulfillment and joy of working with his hands to fix something that was broken or would not work.  This book wonderfully gives meaning and value to that part of the work force normally thought of as “blue collar”. 

One of the most compressive books available on spiritual formation. Spiritual formation or, better said, discipleship is serious business and the casual follower of Jesus will find this book to be tough sledding.  This book is a life changer but only for those are willing to get serious about following Jesus and willing to pay the price demanded to become like Him.