A new feature for the REACH Community Church website provides a recommended (by our pastors) reading list . Check it out under the Pastoral Staff section!
The pastors for REACH Community Church are avid readers and their interests go beyond “just” biblical studies. Each of them have found inspiration in a wide variety of writings; on diverse topics; in surprising sources. They have shared these readings for your edification and to help you discover your own path to spirituality.
- The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley
Available on Audible and Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Gospel-Truth-Never-Church-ebook/dp/B002LHVDLU#
Publisher Summary: For those who are weary of Christian cliché and compromise crowding out what was supposed to be good news, The Naked Gospel offers the fresh take on the story of Jesus you’ve been waiting for. - The Gospel in 10 Words by Paul Ellis
Available on Audible and Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Ten-Words-Paul-Ellis-ebook/dp/B00999B71O
Publisher Summary: At a time when many are hearing mixed messages about the love of God, The Gospel in Ten Words is a welcome reminder of the good news revealed by Jesus.It is an invitation to return to the unmixed and liberating gospel of the apostles. - The Gospel in Twenty Questions by Paul Ellis
Available on Audible and Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Twenty-Questions-Paul-Ellis-ebook/dp/B00GZBY6OY/
Publisher Summary: The Gospel in Twenty Questions is a book of good questions: What is God like?What does he want from me?Should we do everything Jesus said? How does God deal with me when I sin? How do we reconcile contradictory scriptures?Does God make us sick to teach us things?What is the unforgiveable sin?What are heavenly rewards?Once saved, always saved?And many more!The questions in this book will take you places.They will cause you to dance on the uplands of your Father’s favor.Best of all, they will lead you to a deeper relationship with Jesus, who is the greatest Answer of all! - Grace, the Forbidden Gospel by Andre van der Merwe
Available on Audible and Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-forbidden-Gospel-Jesus-Religion-ebook/dp/B00OM728TI
Publisher Summary: If you’ve never been exposed to hearing the gospel preached by Paul the Apostle in its pure, undiluted form, this book might offend and possibly even anger you. The Gospel of Grace has been outlawed and frowned upon by most organized religious institutions. Take courage though, there is a generation of believers rising up in the earth whose eyes are opening to the truth of the Gospel of Grace – a wave of people that has grown fed up with the way that church is done: Either good news is preached with some guilt and manipulation mixed in, or church services take the form of well orchestrated shows. Many believers’ entire lives are reduced to nothing more than a sin management program: running the endless treadmill of trying to please God by doing more for Him or trying to sin less. If you have been raised with religion, then understanding the Gospel of Grace may involve unlearning most of what you have learnt through the years. It may initially feel as though the carpet is being plucked from under your feet, but as the perfume of God’s love rises and the truth of the Word begins to set you free, you will find yourself unable to resist our Father’s romantic advances, drawing you into Himself for a deeper experience of who He is. - The Grace Awakening by Charles R.Swindoll
Available on Audible and Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Awakening-Believing-Thing-Another-ebook/dp/B007V96SXG/
Publisher Summary: In The Grace Awakening author and trusted pastor Chuck Swindoll calls you (and all Christians) to wake up and reject living in a legalistic, performance-oriented bondage.He says, “Bound and shackled by legalists’ lists of do’s and don’ts, intimidated and immobilized by others’ demands and expectations, far too many in God’s family merely exist in the tight radius of bondage, dictated by those who have appointed themselves our judge and jury.” But, the God of the universe has given you, and every other Christian, the amazing, revolutionary gift of grace and freedom. This freedom and grace sets Christianity apart from every other “religion” on the face of the earth. - The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Available on Audible and Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590525027/
Publisher Summary: Brennan Manning’s now-classic meditation on grace and what it takes to access it—simple honesty—has changed thousands of lives.Now with a Ragamuffin’s thirty-day spiritual journey guide, it will change yours, too. - Just Trust by David H Sheil
Available in the REACH Thrift Store, or on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Trust-David-Sheil/dp/1105613844
“The Simplicity of True Faith” as delivered in anecdotes by David H.Sheil. A collection of thoughts and stories which came to Dave’s mind over the past several years while facilitating, ministering and teaching not only as a Pastor but as a Volunteer Chaplain, ministering “The Alpha Series” by John Glenn, and “Boundaries” by Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud. We feel you’ll enjoy the writing style and ease of a simple message through these stories. - Liturgies of the Wild by Martin Shaw
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Liturgies-Wild-Myths-That-Make/dp/0593716566
Publisher Summary: In Liturgies of the Wild, acclaimed mythographer, storyteller and Christian thinker Martin Shaw argues that we live in a myth-impoverished age and that such poverty has left us vulnerable to stories that may not wish us well.Drawing on the “ancient technologies” of myths and initiatory rites, Shaw provides a road to wholeness, maturity and connection.He teaches us to read a myth the way it wants to be read; provides vivid retellings of tales powerful enough to carry you through life’s travails; and shows you how to gather and reshape your own thrown-away stories.Most vividly, he shares how these ancient technologies led him—unexpectedly—to Christ, “the True Myth,” by way of a thirty-year journey and a 101-night vigil in a Dartmoor forest. - The Tears of Things by Richard Rohr
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tears-Things-Prophetic-Wisdom-Outrage/dp/0593735811
Publisher Summary: Drawing on a century of biblical scholarship and written in the warm, pastoral voice that has endeared Rohr to millions, The Tears of Things breathes new life into ancient wisdom.It paves a path of enlightenment for anyone seeking a compassionate way of living in a hurting world. - The Devine Dance by Richard Rohr
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07119VVV9
Publisher Summary: Although the word trinity isn’t found in the New Testament – it wasn’t until the third century that it was coined – the idea of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was present in Jesus’ life and teachings.In this book, internationally recognized teacher Richard Rohr circles around this paradoxical idea – and circling around is an apt metaphor: Early Christians applied the Greek verb for dance to the mystery of the Trinity, saying whatever is going on in God is a flow – it’s like a dance. - Breathing Underwater by Richard Rohr
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Breathing-Under-Water-Spirituality-Twelve/dp/B0GN5Y462G