Reading Snapshots:Spiritual Toddlers

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We haven’t had a Reading Snapshot in a while. This one comes from the youngest Sammy at Gracepoint Berkeley church, who happens to be reading one of my favorite Christian books.

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Sammy intently reflecting on the purpose of life: to see God in the face of Jesus Christ.

We Would See Jesus is a Christian classic, and in my opinion, a MUST READ. (It is written by the same authors of The Calvary Road — another must read.) It is a simple yet profound book that has ministered to me at different points throughout the years. So many times we lose sight of Jesus even in the midst of our service of Him. This book simplifies and clarifies what we muddle when we stray from focusing on seeing Jesus alone.

It is currently available at our book fair, and a great choice to read over winter break if you’ve never read it. Or even if you’ve read it before! I read it every few years, and like all good books, I’ve found that it speaks to me in new ways. And if notice in the picture above, the book is rather short, if that motivates you. But don’t be fooled by how short it is; it packs a spiritual punch!

Have you read We Would See Jesus?  Which part is your favorite? I love the chapter about Jesus as the Way.

2016 Winter Reading Challenge: Say No to Mental Hibernation!

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It’s winter, but instead of curling up on the couch with tea or hot cocoa to watch hours and hours of shows and movies, enter the Bibliopolis U Winter Reading Challenge at Gracepoint Berkeley church! It’s open to anyone in Element youth group all the way up to the least young of us. 🙂

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What do I need to do?

  1. Start READING a Christian book. You can buy your books online or at the Book Fair at church this Sunday or throughout the week. Or borrow from a friend or one of your staff. Or listen to an audiobook!
  2. LOG your reading.  Submit your information on the OFFICIAL READING CHALLENGE FORM. Then add your 2-3 sentence (or more) comment about what you appreciated most about the book. You can find links to the books on the Winter Reading Challenge 2016 page. You can also find a red link to it at the top of the home page.
  3. Once you read 5 books, you’ll WIN a $20 gift certificate to the GP Bookstore!*

Happy reading! Will you be participating? What book are you going to be reading first?

*Yes, if you read 10 books, you’ll win $40…and so on.

Wisdom From the Wemmicks

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As the holidays draw near, people have been sending me emails asking about book recommendations for this relative, or that aged friend or coworker. So I hope that a series of posts on good books will be helpful for those of you at our churches in Gracepoint Ministries and beyond!

For those of you looking for good children’s books, I highly recommend any of Max Lucado’s Wemmicks books. I confess I’ve had a couple of them in the library for awhile, but didn’t read them until recently. And I was pleasantly surprised and ministered to by the books for their deep truths about our source of worth that comes from our relationship with God our Father and Creator.

I’ve been reading and rereading the books with different groups during our Bibliopolis reading time, and have been making adults who walk by read them as well!

In fact, here is a short testimonial from Alexandria Shen from Gracepoint Berkeley church, who read four of them in succession on a study break. 🙂

I just read four of these books and cried! They are moving and delightful reads reminding us of God’s love. You’ll likely find yourself identifying deeply with Punch and the Wemmicks (read the books if you don’t know what a Wemmick is).  If I had kids, I would definitely read these to them. For now, I think I might just read them with my life group!

As you can see, the Wemmicks books are great for children of any age! So they will make great gifts for children or the adults who will read them aloud for them.

My personal favorite out of the six is Best of All. Which one of the Wemmicks books do you like the best?