Category Archives: Videos & Books I Recommend

…from the creator of VeggieTales comes a brand new series of really fun teaching videos that take your kids through the Bible. The What’s in the Bible? DVDs are fast-paced and humorous “shows” about books of the Bible featuring “muppet … Continue reading →

I’ve scattered quite a few “recommended reads” through the posts in this blog. Many of my “church related” recommended reads are being footnoted in the “Advice to Church Staff” thread at For example, I’ve just posted about 7 books and … Continue reading →

The Last Lecture, by Randy Paush. Hyperion Books. http://www.thelastlecture.com/ This book has received a lot of press and definitely lives up to the hype. I’ve read it and had my older daughters read it. Youth groups and adult classes should read … Continue reading →

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith; by Rob Bell. (zondervan) This is a personal book, a discussion of what it means to be a Christian in the 21st Century. It’s authored by one of the most interesting young and upcoming preachers in the country, Rob Bell, … Continue reading →

Jesus Freaks is a book of devotions for teens. Somebody at my church gave a copy to my two older daughters and they actually read it!  I think it was a confirmation gift. Dad, of course, was very interested in … Continue reading →

This post has two book recommendations: Unfreezing Moves, and Moving Off the Map: A Field Guide to Changing your Congregation. Both should be on your reading list if your a leader in your church. I’ve put links to them at … Continue reading →

I’m attracted to books that have fresh points of view, -that try to lift the veil on history and human behavior.  The Tipping Point and 1491 were both NY Times bestsellers that examine something we THINK we know, then bring in … Continue reading →

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explodes the Hidden Side of Everything -by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner This 2005 bestseller isn’t about economics. It’s about exploding assumptions and conventional wisdom using some economic principles and investigative techniques.  Frankly, it will … Continue reading →

Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who’s Who by Frederick Buechner This is an amazing and wonderful book. Buechner humorously and poignantly goes A to Z through Bible characters -famous and infamous, well-known and unknown, and describes them in such as way … Continue reading →

Telling the Truth: the Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairytale, by Frederick Buechner. Go ahead, let this titled PROVOKE you. But it’s not what you think. It’s MUCH BETTER than that! This is the first Buechner book I ever read and … Continue reading →

Wishful Thinking: A theological ABC, by Frederick Buechner Drool Warning: I love Buechner. When I was in seminary and interviewing for my first pastor job the pastor interviewing me asked me what I was reading in seminary, and I admitted I … Continue reading →