The Books That Shaped My Thinking in 2025
Keeping a record is not about accumulating more, but about digesting and sorting through. Only when we attempt to rearticulate the insights of others do they truly become nourishment for our own thinking.
Discipleship and Spirituality
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Divine Dance
We need to go beyond dogma and statements to show and tell in more holistic, contextual and embodied ways. As the apostles declared and displayed Christ through prayer and worship (Acts 4:24; 16:25; Philippians 2:5-10), so can we find unique expressions that are embedded and empowered in our own cultures and tongues.
Crossing Cultures: Missio Dei and Missionary Formation
The God of mission has a church, a people he shapes and sends in collaboration with missio dei. God himself accomplishes missionary formation through a series of shaping events that unfold over a lifetime.
The Last Mile
As the old Chinese saying goes: "The final mile counts for half the journey. Without it, the previous ninety-nine are wasted" (č”ē¾éč·Æč åä¹å). Fully engaging with the Bible, transforming life, resembles a long and arduous road.
A Sacred Space
What is your inner geography and how is the Spirit of God moving in your life? Spiritual companionship may provide a way forward for transformation from the inside out, leading to a lifegiving path upon which all of us are invited to walk.
Loneliness in the World, Unity in Solitude
While preaching the good news of Jesus, his resurrection, grace, and peace, these pastors nevertheless receive criticism and doubt in returnā¦Chinese Christian pastors in America whom we have met all have stories of doubts, despair, frustration, loneliness, and sometimes even betrayal or danger.
What Forms Our Narratives (and Our Hearts)
Rather than skirting uncomfortable China conversations, leaning into the narratives by which evangelicals seek to make sense of China and its church can uncover the biases and cultural assumptions standing in the way of a more authentic understanding of what it means to be citizens of Godās kingdom.
Challenges to Spiritual Maturity in a Connected World
Secularization affects the church everywhere and China is no exception. This conversation with an experienced pastor from East China points out that the connectedness of our current age contributes to the challenges of secularization and often hampers spiritual growth.
Training Disciples in China
I believe that the present-day pastor needs to demonstrate that he is a disciple of Christ by living a real life in a real way, and making sure other people can see that lifestyle, providing an example that believers can refer to, imitate, and follow.
Discipleship from Karma to Atonement
What is needed for effective discipleship among Tibetan Buddhist background believers?
Rhythms of Spiritual Praxis as Discipleship from Karma to Atonement among Believers from a Tibetan Buddhist Background
Anyone who has spent significant time attempting to share the truths of the gospel among Tibetan Buddhist peoples can attest to it being a difficult process. It is said that in 1892 Hudson Taylor said, āTo make converts in Tibet is similar to going into a cave and trying to rob a lioness of her cubs.ā Even after over 100 years this statement still largely describes the situation well.
This thesis specifically looks at the causes of apostasy and the potential role of rhythmic Christian spiritual practices for deeper and transformational discipleship.
Bamboo in Mist
For those seeking a better understanding of Chinese spirituality, this book provides a collection of insightful snapshots.