WordHurdle

Gary L. Thomas: The Beautiful Fight: Surrendering to the Transforming Presence of God Every Day of Your Life
WOW! I would recommend this book for a small group, Sunday School class, or even an entire church. It it as core study of what the God-empowered life is really all about, calling Christians to not be the people who are against things in a moralistic way but more the people who are about things in a Spirit-led life. Great stuff with some solid source materials. (*****)

Joseph R. Myers: The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups
This book espouses a view of church, community, and intimacy that many are missing. When I'm in conversations about small groups and community and the struggles many churches have, this book keeps popping up in the conversation. It has some rough spots that you have to get through because it can be slightly tedious in analysis and modeling, but it's a solid read. (*****)

Brennan Manning: The Ragamuffin Gospel
A MUST READ. No, seriously, I truly believe every follower of Jesus should read this book. No other book captures it like Brennan Manning does in this book. If you haven't read it, buy it now. (*****)

Neil Strauss: Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life
I really enjoyed this book. I heard Neil Strauss on the radio talking about this book, and I decided I had to find a copy. It's a short course on everything you should consider if you want to be prepared for the apocalypse, the world as we know it to end, or the zombies to attack. It's great stuff with short, readable chapters that you give resources to go dig deeper if you want. High on my list of books for guys to read. (****)

Donald Miller: Blue Like Jazz
I haven't read this in a few years, but it captures the challenges of the modern evangelical. It's honest, authentic and worth the time. (****)

Robert Jeffress: Clutter-Free Christianity: What God Really Desires for You
I read this after receiving it from the publisher. It's not bad. It's a challenge to get beyond legalism and into the character of God. It challenges you to move beyond to-do lists for God and realize He just wants you. (***)

Chantel Hobbs: Never Say Diet: Make Five Decisions and Break the Fat Habit for Good
This book challenged me and inspired me to finally get serious about losing my gut. It's very practical, and I'm glad I read it. (***)

Mark Driscoll: Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods (Re:Lit: Vintage Jesus)
Haven't read this yet but have a copy on my pile

David Allen: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
I find it humorous how hard a time I've had finishing this book. It's a serious chore, but it's got great information. I'm finally about 3/4 of the way through and I just need to finish it.

Larry Osborne: Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe
I got this book from the publisher, and its title and table of contents intrigue me. I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Tim Keel: Intuitive Leadership: Embracing a Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor, and Chaos (emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith)
I like Tim Keel. He's a good guy, and if God hadn't sent us on a detour, Tim would have likely ended up my pastor. But God had other plans. I want to read this book simply because it's so Tim, and I feel I have much I could learn from him.

Marshall Goldsmith: What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
It's in my pile, thanks to @darrenpatrick

Dave Tomlinson: The Post-Evangelical
I've never made it through this book, and I must. The concepts its lays out are challenging and very true to life, even in my own life. It captures a demographic shift in the evangelical church that must be acknowledged and dealt with openly.

Mark Batterson: Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity
Goes back to the basics, pursuing an understanding of what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Batterson correlates the "primal" concepts of compassion, wonder, curiosity and energy and studies, in a practical way, what it means to pursue God at your most basic level. (****)