Beach Bag Books

Most readers hear "beach read" and they think of a cushy, easy read where they can basically turn off their brain. 

While I am all about fun books and escaping every now and then with a good story, I also love books that make an impression on me for life. 

A book can be like chisel, hammering away at hardened edges and revealing more of the character God wants out of us.  Here are a couple of those:

This book by Mark Batterson had me highlighting on almost every page - a good sign!  This little book was refreshing and awakening, like a splash of water in my face on these sweltering summer days.  He writes:

 "When it comes to the will of God, we tend to focus on what and where.  But what you are doing or where you are going are secondary issues.  God's primary concern is who you're becoming."

Another little book (I read it in an evening) that challenged my in a huge way was In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen.  I borrowed it from a friend, but I still remember a few of the points that hit me between the eyes.

The author shared how Christ overcame the temptation to be Relevant, to be Popular, and to be Powerful during his 40 days in the desert.   

Nouwen reminds me that these are always our temptations when we are put in places of Christian leadership.  I know I fight these all the time as I work with teenagers.  Christ fought these temptations with the Word, and I must do the same.  There is no other way.

I have to leave you with a great story!  Wonder, ah, Wonder.

This book is meant for kids, but I. Love. It.  It's one of the only books I've read in a long time (for middle schoolers) that features a healthy, happy marriage.  Hooray! 

But the heart of the book is about a boy with facial deformities, trying to fit in for the first time in a regular school.  I eagerly recommend it to my students and they have loved it, too.

What have you read this summer?