September 3, 2024
Learning To Be Vulnerable
This blog looks at just a few things I’ve learned in my journey of learning to be more vulnerable and maybe you’ll be encouraged by it in your own journey.
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Adam Johnson
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January 7, 2025
Our Favorite Books of 2024
If you're searching for another good read to add to your list, look no further. The Crosspoint staff team has compiled a list of their favorite books that were read this past year. Read on to find a brief description and links to purchase the books for yourself!
Each year our church staff shares some of our favorite books from this past year.
We do so from the deep conviction that learning is at the heart of following Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus involves a life-long journey of learning. We are learning from Jesus, how to be like Jesus, by doing life with Jesus in community with others.
Faithfully following Jesus involves a calibration of both curiosity and conviction. Curiosity because we are never done learning and growing. Conviction because humility does not forbid confidence in the substance of our belief.
Disciples of Jesus are both humble and hungry. Hungry because we want to learn and understand more. Humble because we are aware that we have much more to learn.
We believe that reading is an important spiritual practice for followers of Jesus.
Reading helps us stay curious and informs our conviction. It helps us stay hungry and keeps us humble. Reading deeply and widely exposes us to new ideas and insights, challenges existing assumptions and convictions, prompts self-reflection and examination, and invites us to live more faithfully in the world.
We offer our list of favorite books from 2024 to foster and fuel your learning and growth. Note that not all of the books listed below were published in 2024. These are just books we read this past year.
Also note that just because we recommend a book does NOT mean that we agree with or endorse everything in the book. Please do not get tripped up here.
We believe that considering different perspectives, even from those that we may not agree with, can help clarify our own beliefs, values, and practices. Moreover, in an age of increased polarization marked by group think and confirmation bias, reading broadly can help us break out of our echo chambers, lead to more nuanced understanding, and promote a maturity that does not dogmatically demand conformity.
So prayerfully read through this list and select a book or two to tackle this year!
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Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. by John Mark Comer
Submitted by Mac McCarthy
We are living in a cultural moment where many claim to be Christians without actually following Jesus. While 63% of Americans self-identify as Christians, according to a recent Barna study, only about 4% are actually living as disciples of Jesus. This is the unfortunate result of separating belief in Jesus from discipleship to Jesus.
In this incredibly accessible book, John Mark Comer does an amazing job capturing what it means to be an apprentice of Jesus by doing life with Jesus, becoming more like Jesus, and doing what Jesus did. If you’re looking to grow in your discipleship to Jesus, this book is at the top of my list of recommendations.
“To follow Jesus is to become his apprentice. It’s to organize your life around three driving goals:
- Be with Jesus.
- Become like him.
- Do as he did.
"Apprenticeship to Jesus—that is, following Jesus—is a whole-life process of being with Jesus for the purpose of becoming like him and carrying on his work in the world.”
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Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley
Submitted by Katie Ignatowski
Every family has their rhythms. There are the daily rhythms of getting up and getting everyone off to school or work in the morning. There are the weekly rhythms of sporting events or grocery shopping after church. And there are yearly rhythms of celebrating birthdays and holidays. These rhythms might have developed with a great deal of thought and intentionality or they might have developed out of a sense of automaticity.
In Habits of the Household, Justin Whitmel Early provides insightful and practical ways to create intentional rhythms into family life that help us shape the hearts and minds of our children. He shows us how tending to the spiritual formation of our children requires not just doctrine but practice, and he provides real-life examples of how to cultivate practices for mealtimes, bedtimes, moments of discipline, screentime, family devotions, and more. This book gave me a renewed excitement for how I want to structure our time as a family to focus on what’s most important.
“One of the most significant things about any household is what is considered to be normal. Moments aggregate, and they become memories and tradition. Our routines become who we are, become the story and culture of our families.”
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Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World by Jennie Allen
Submitted by Brittany Knuteson
With technology at our fingertips and busyness at an all time high, being intentional with friendships can be a low priority. However, God calls us to be in community with one another in order to lead intentional and fulfilled lives. Science confirms that meaningful connections with others have a powerful impact on our well being. We are meant to live known and loved. We are not meant to live alone. But, you have to want it and be all in.
In Find Your People, best-selling Christian author Jennie Allen gives practical steps to find authentic and genuine friendships. She points to historic and scientific observations, biblical truths, and her own vulnerable stories to name five paths to connection. Additionally, she provides great advice on how to invest in and keep those friendships close once you have them.
If you’re in a season of loneliness or longing, grab this easy read and take an intentional step toward finding your people.
“Jesus’s people were all wrong–except that they were willing. And they were wanting. And they were all in.”
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The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery by David Benner
Submitted by Pattie Burns
Much of Christian teaching focuses on us knowing about God but often neglects a deep knowing of ourselves. Too much psychological ‘navel gazing’ as I’ve heard some say. Yet, God created each of us to show up in this world, to reflect him in a distinct and unique way. How do we do that unless we know ourselves well?
Benner puts a significant emphasis on coming to know your authentic self before God in two primary ways. First, he presses us to imagine ourselves before God, fully loved and fully known. To imagine being truly seen by God.
“What makes this encounter possible is looking at God looking at us. As we see how deeply loved we are by God – in our depths, complexity, totality and sinfulness – we dare to allow God more complete access to the dark parts of our soul that most need transformation. And God precedes us on this journey, waiting to meet us in the depths of our self.”
Second, he challenges how we show up in the world. God does not create cookie-cutter people. He does an excellent job pulling the concepts of Christian vocation and calling down out of the clouds making it easier for us to wrap our heads around by rooting it in our real lives.
“Without deemphasizing the value of the Bible in knowing my calling, I have come to understand an even more basic place in which God’s will for me has been communicated. That is in the givens of my being. My temperament, my personality, my abilities, and my interests and passions all say something about who I was called to be, not simply who I am. If I really believe that I was created by God and invited to find my place in his kingdom, I have to take seriously what God had already revealed about who I am.”
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Giving is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and Joy by Randy Alcorn
Submitted by Mac McCarthy
Growing in generosity is essential to growing as a disciple of Jesus. And yet, living generously requires living counter-culturally. We live in a society that has bought into the myth of more — the lie that happiness can be acquired by accumulation. In this book, Randy not only seeks to set us free from the grip of materialism and greed, but to enter into the joy and freedom found in generosity.
Packed with biblical insights and inspiring stories, this book reminds us that following Jesus involves a journey toward generosity that aligns with God’s heart and reflects God’s love to a world in need. If you want to experience a more trusting relationship with God and deeper purpose in life, Giving is the Good Life will be a valuable guide.
“Too often we assume that God has increased our income to increase our standard of living, when His stated purpose is to increase our standard of giving.”
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Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context by David P. Gushee & Glen H. Stassen
Submitted by Mac McCarthy
While this is more of an academic book, Kingdom Ethics is a vital read for the church in today’s political climate. The most recent election further elucidates that we are living in a culture deeply divided along partisan lines. What’s more is that many Christians have pledged their ultimate allegiance to their political party of choice and forsaken the teachings of Jesus.
What’s needed is a return to Jesus and a firm commitment to embracing his way of life by living out his teachings, which are inherently political in nature and impactful when done in community. From justice and peacemaking to truth-telling and caring for the vulnerable, this book invites us to align our values with God’s kingdom.
If you’re looking to navigate today’s world faithfully as a follower of Jesus, this book will inspire and equip you for the journey. And, if you really want to go for it, read Kingdom Ethics alongside Just Politics by Ronald Sider.
“Christian ethics must be centered on Jesus and the Kingdom of God, focusing on his teachings in the Sermon on the Mount as the foundation for moral life.”
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Now I Become Myself: How Deep Grace Heals Our Shame and Restores Our True Self by Ken Shigematsu
Submitted by Cameron Lucas
I’m not great at self-awareness. My tendency is to keep moving forward and find something to distract myself with. I know God wants to meet me in my stuff, but I don’t always know how to access what’s happening underneath the surface. In this book Ken Shigematsu gives some really practical direction on how to meet God in your junk and experience his healing grace. I especially appreciated that each chapter had prayer exercises and some reflection questions to help me wrestle with what God was trying to get my attention about.
“Sharing our experiences of shame, pain, or grief can help us reframe our story. When we see it in a new light, we can even begin to view it as something redemptive and beautiful in the larger tapestry of our lives.”
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The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers by Henri Nouwen
Submitted by Cameron Lucas
I heard this book referenced a few times in the Practicing Solitude class I led earlier this year. Every time it was quoted I would quickly jot the name of the book down. After this happened 3 or 4 times I decided I needed to pick it up! Once I started this small book I couldn’t put it down and finished it in just a few days.
Nouwen draws on the wisdom of the fourth and fifth century Desert Fathers and Mothers, and his own experience. He gives a really compelling yet practical vision for connecting with God in prayer that goes beyond the mind and instead connects our hearts to God. He also shows us how connecting with God on this deep heart level in solitude and silence can help us grow in our capacity to love and show compassion to those around us. The Way of the Heart was inspiring, practical, and helped me connect with God on a deeper level.
“The prayer of the heart is a prayer that does not allow us to limit our relationship with God to interesting words or pious emotions. By its very nature such prayer transforms our whole being into Christ precisely because it opens the eyes of our soul to the truth of ourselves as well as to the truth of God.”
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Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren
Submitted by Brittany Knuteson
I was a stay-at-home Mom for 11 years, and goodness did my days feel ordinary. Feeding kids, doing laundry, cleaning up messes, rinse and repeat for the next day. Rarely did I even think to look for God in those mundane moments, but He was there.
In Liturgy of the Ordinary, author Tish Warren breaks down several common daily practices and draws deeper, Godly meaning to them. Some of the most impactful chapters for me were Brushing Teeth: Standing, Kneeling, Bowing and Living in a Body, Checking Email: Blessing and Sending, Calling a Friend: Congregation and Community, and Sleeping: Sabbath, Rest, and the Work of God. If you’re in a season where daily life can feel less than fulfilling, grab this book (or listen to it on audiobooks so you can keep moving). God will speak to you from these pages and show you how He deeply cares about even the simplest details of your life.
“At the end of every day, we lie in our beds. Even the most ordinary of days has shaped us– imperceptibly but truly. By a grace we do not control, we yield to sleep. We rest. Our muscles release. Our jaw slacks. We are exposed and weak. We drift out of consciousness. Yet we are still held fast. Our Guard and Guide has called us “beloved”, and gives his beloved sleep.”
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The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky
Submitted by Pattie Burns
Of the many topics to fall under the umbrella of deconstruction and re-examination in recent years - this group of authors/researchers has served the church well by honing in on sex and marriage. They surveyed 20,000 women and rigorously evaluated commonly used Christian sex/marriage resources. “What if the way Christians talk about sex actually makes it worse?” is the premise they operate out of and it seems to be true for many.
Even if you don’t think this book applies to you, it most certainly applies to others in your life. And, while it is targeted toward a Christian audience, I find that the issues they are speaking to can be seen in our broader culture(books, movies etc.). It is an important book with a hopeful and healing message.
What I found most helpful were their discussions of:
- Hurtful aspects of purity culture that many of us were brought up in
- The very distinct gap between men’s and women’s experiences during sex and what this is rooted in
- Trusted resources that actually contain some unhelpful messaging
“It’s important as a culture that we confront the damage we have done - even if by accident - so we can walk forward toward the abundant life Jesus wants for us.”
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