Intuitive Leadership: Embracing a Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor & Chaos

by Tim Keel

I started this book months ago, it was recommended by my brother who read it as part of his Doctor of Ministry studies.  For whatever reason I never got too far into the book, it kept getting set aside as other things took higher priority.  Then a few weeks ago I was able to really dig into this book, and I am very grateful that I did.  It is fill with great insights into what leadership means, and indeed what church means, in the 21st century.  A call to creativity and intuition, and allowing ministry to be shaped by one's context rather than by programs and structures developed elsewhere (in place or time).


Tim Keel leads a church that is part of the "Emerging Church" movement. They have sought to be intentional in shaping their community of faith in an honest and creative manner that does not neglect the past, but is not bound to it.  One of the best things about Keel's book is that he resists the temptation to create a program based on what happens at Jacob's Well (his church in Kansas City, Missouri) that can be transplanted into other churches.  That would defeat the whole premise of his book which is to encourage leaders to respond to their own environments with creativity and intuition (which he says is an important way God's Spirit leads us).

My copy of this book is filled with highlighted passages, and I'm sure I will return to this volume time and again to remind myself of the wisdom and insights Tim Keel has shared, and to reaffirm my commitment to use the gifts of creativity and intuition in my role as a church leader.

Embracing Grace: A Gospel for All of Us

by Scot McKnight

In this book McKnight uses the concept of Eikon (a Greek word meaning "image" which Scot uses to mean "image of God") to explore the question "What is the Gospel, this good news that God has sent to us?"  McKnight provides a balance to the evangelical over-emphasis on a God of judgment with this picture of grace and good news.  Scot has a nice way of explaining theological ideas in terms that an average person can understand, and his examples from life are relevant and in some cases touching.  I particularly enjoyed the chapters titled "Diminished by Exclusion" and "Enlivened by Embrace" - a message the church needs to take seriously today.

Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, A Vision of Hope

by Timothy Joyce

A comprehensive overview of Celtic Christianity, from its beginning in the early 5th century to its transformation in the second millennium.  An introduction to the uniqueness of the early Celtic Church, with its holistic approach to faith and life. I learned much more than I might have expected in this book - especially the history of how the early form of Celtic Christianity was transformed over the centuries into the very rigid and traditional Irish Catholic Church.  I appreciated Joyce's way of approaching this material as a theologian and historian, a poet and a sociologist.  Once I started the book it was actually hard to put down, not so much because there was a fast moving plot, put simply because I was gaining so much insight and understanding throughout the whole work.  I found the book to be inspiring as well, at the end I felt both hopeful, and committed to be more intentional about weaving more of Celtic Christianity into my own experience and ministry.

Testing Scripture: A Scientist Explores the Bible

by John Polkinghorne

The more I read of John Polkinghorne's work, the more I admire his way of thinking and writing.  In this book Polkinghorne applies what he calls his 'bottom-up thinker' approach developed as a scientist to examining the development and content of scripture.  I particularly enjoyed the early chapters where Polkinghorne explains his understanding of the development of religious thinking and divine revelation.  He writes "I believe that the nature of divine revelation is not the mysterious transmission of infallible propositions which are to be accepted without question, but the record of persons and events through which the divine will and nature have been most transparently made known."  Here Polkinghorne articulately states an understanding of inspiration that I have come to understand.  That is just one example of many such gems in this little volume.  Highly recommended.

Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination

by Brian J. Walsh

I was introduced to Bruce Cockburn back in 1980 and have been an big fan ever since. In seminary I wrote a paper analyzing the Christian themes in Cockburn's lyrics (to that stage), thus I was curious about what Walsh would do in this book.  What I discovered didn't disappoint, Walsh has written an in-depth look at the Christian themes present in Cockburn's body of work.  I appreciated Walsh's way of weaving images (like dance, light, darkness) together with interpretations of Cockburn's lyrics, creating new insights into Cockburn's songs.  I particularly enjoyed his elaboration on one of my all time favourite Cockburn song's "A Life Story" (which is one of Cockburn's shortest songs lyrically speaking).  I would recommend this book to any fan of Bruce Cockburn's music, or even to non-fans, there is much to ponder in this work.

Dialogue With a Skeptic

by Thomas Howard

Perhaps when it was written (1974) this seemed a witty and creative attempt to explain Christianity, however current skeptics don't sound much like the one voice in this book.  There were parts I thought still had merit, but much of it seemed dated, but not because of cultural references, rather because of the tone of the writing.

Earthy Mysticism: Spirituality for Unspiritual People

by Tex Sample

This book turned out to be quite different than I expected.  Instead of theological ideas being batted around in a theoretical context this book was a collection of personal stories from the life of Tex Sample, all with some kind of spiritual point. The stories were powerful, funny, touching and always memorable. A delightful read in so many ways.