What We're Reading

The Age of Paradox by Charles Handy

"Charles Handy is a UK professor and consultant in manner of Peter Drucker. Though a business book, curiously, I found The Age of Paradox most helpful in understanding my walk with Christ. Handy exposes the challenges of managing paradoxical concepts. “Lose your life to gain it” is a Christian paradox that reading this brought to mind. In an application that has been most helpful in my work at First Fruit, the book gives a wonderful explanation of “S” curves and their role in understanding and managing change."

Rob Martin

The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun and Paul Hathaway

"This personal testimony of Brother Yun inspired me as I read of his extreme courage and God’s miraculous intervention in the face of pure evil. Brother Yun was simply trying to follow his Master as he was led into and through impossible situations in prison for his faith. God used this humble servant and his family to begin an underground evangelism explosion in China, which continues today. This is a profound story of God’s amazing grace coupled with an unshakable faith, which serves to both inspire and challenge the reader."

Joanne Whitman

Serving With Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore

"In the past several years I have heard much deliberation regarding the relevancy and effectiveness of cross-cultural missions especially regarding short term trips. The reason I liked this book is that Livermore identifies the weaknesses in the way we think about and engage in short-term missions without negating the validity of this mission strategy. He encourages cross-cultural ministry to be done intelligently and pragmatically, and he offers valuable insight in serving with sensitivity."

Lori Drexler

God Is at Work: Transforming People and Nations Through Business by Ken Eldred

"For those working at the intersection of business and Christian ministry, Ken Eldred’s book provides an excellent overview of the emerging “business as missions” movement – its objectives and approaches. The book provides fascinating cases of companies who are attempting to achieve economic, spiritual and social impact – including a number of examples from Mr. Eldred’s own professional experience."

Paul Park

To Change China: Western Advisors in China by Jonathan D. Spence

"As anyone who has done work in China can attest, the vast nation of 1.3 billion people can be simultaneously captivating and mystifying. Jonathan Spence’s book illustrates that many a Western advisor over the last three hundred years have come away similarly confounded by the alluring yet enigmatic country. Mr. Spence, a professor of history at Yale, writes these biographical accounts in fascinating, first-person detail, serving as a humbling tale for those who are hoping to see change in China."

Paul Park