Growing in Grace: Resources, Autumn 2023, Vol. 5
Quarterly mini-book reviews for Christian leaders
Reading is always in season!
Christian Leadership
Cynt Marshall, You Have Been Chosen: Thriving Through the Unexpected (Ballantine Books, 2022).
Cynt Marshall, former executive at AT&T and current CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, started out writing a book about her stage III cancer and how God used illness for blessing. But instead, she goes further and includes her powerful life story. She moves from her childhood in the San Francisco projects through the events and choices that resulted in her transforming AT&T into one of the top-100 places (USA) to work. God’s guidance shines through Marshall’s eventful life.
Education
Julie Lowe, Safeguards: Shielding our Homes and Equipping Our Kids (New Growth Press, 2022).
Parents often wonder how to protect their children without spreading fear or resentment. Julie Lowe, parent and experienced counselor, offers practical and research-based advice, along with many applicable examples. Her book focuses on several different security issues within the diverse venues that impact younger children up to teenagers. She uncovers myths as she provides helpful suggestions.
Understanding the Times
Esau McCaulley, How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South (Convergent Books, 2023).
McCaulley is a Wheaton College professor and the author of the acclaimed Reading the Bible While Black (IVP Academic, 2020). In this book he gives his life story, one that combines reality and hope. This excellent autobiography is hard to put down!
Discipleship
Justin Whitmel Earley, Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship (Zondervan, 2023).
Earley’s first two books focused on habits, whether in an individual’s life or as part of a community. This time he addresses what he calls his favorite theme: friendship within Christian community. Research teaches that loneliness is deadly. Earley provides practical ideas and lots of illustrations about how to develop as a true friend.
