My latest list of recommended reads features ten books published in 2019.
- (5.0) Trust First: A True Story About the Power of Giving People Second Chances by Bruce Deel (Optimism Press, 2019)
- (5.0) Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times by Scott Pelley (Hanover Square Press, 2019)
- (4.5) Embracing God’s Future without Forgetting the Past: A Conversation about Loss, Grief, and Nostalgia in Congregational Life by Michael K. Girlinghouse (Fortress Press, 2019)
- (4.5) Beyond Performance 2.0: A Proven Approach to Leading Large-Scale Change by Scott Keller and Bill Schaninger (Wiley, 2019)
- (4.5) Our Non-Christian Nation: How Atheists, Satanists, Pagans, and Others Are Demanding Their Rightful Place in Public Life by Jay Wexler (Redwood Press, 2019)
- (4.0) Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven’t Tried Yet by Meggan Watterson (Hay House, 2019)
- (4.0) God’s Favorites: Judaism, Christianity, and the Myth of Divine Chosenness by Michael Coogen (Beacon Press, 2019)
- (4.0) Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff (W. W. Norton & Company, 2019)
- (3.5) The Winding Path of Transformation: Finding Yourself Between Glory and Humility by Jeff Tacklind (IVP Academic, 2019)
- (3.5) The Church of Us vs. Them: Freedom from a Faith That Feeds on Making Enemies by David E. Fitch (Brazos Press, 2019)
So What?
Bruce Deel, a pastor who had served several congregations in associate pastoral roles, turned a temporary assignment to minister in an impoverished community on the westside of Atlanta into a lifelong calling. Deel walked away from the security of his prior experiences and relocated to the area he sought to serve. He founded an organization called City of Refuge that has always emphasized the importance of trust, especially for those society often deems untrustworthy. Today, they provide a broad range of services under one roof to help people move from crisis to thriving. Additionally, City of Refuge has added affiliates in more than ten cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, and Dallas.T
Scott Pelley, a former 60 Minutes correspondent and CBS News anchor, traveled the world reporting many of the events that shaped our nation in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Truth Worth Telling offers a behind the scenes look at many of these events while seeking to answer the question, “Don’t ask the meaning of life. Life is asking, what’s the meaning of you?” Answers appear in diverse chapters, including those covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and the 2016 presidential election. Expect to learn new information about events you thought you knew well, and to be reminded about the importance of a free press and the fundamental role of journalism in democracy.