Summer Reading Suggestions

Written by Erika Castiglione

Every few months or so I like to highlight a few books from our Waypoint “library.” If you come into the church from the back parking lot and turn left, you’ll see a couple of bookshelves with a clipboard to keep up with what is checked out. Periodically, the staff will add to our collection with books that have been helpful or encouraging to us, and I always enjoy sharing those recommendations with you. I hope you’ll consider checking at least one of these out!

Loving Your Adult Children: The Heartache of Parenting and the Hope of the Gospel by Gaye Clark

Instead of offering advice on how to “fix” your adult children, Clark reminds readers that we are image-bearers of God first and parents second. She encourages us to tend to our own hearts, embodying and modeling the fruit of the Spirit so that we might be able to love our children well as we journey together. I was inspired and challenged by her message!

How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South by Esau McCaulley

This beautiful and thought-provoking memoir was one of my favorite reads of 2023. When McCaulley, an associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and New York Times columnist, is asked to deliver the eulogy at his estranged father’s funeral, he ponders his childhood growing up in poverty in Huntsville, Alabama, his experiences as a black man in predominately white spaces, and how it has all shaped his faith. 

Fix Your Eyes: How Our Study of God Shapes Our Worship of Him by Amy Gannett

Gannett believes theology (knowledge of God) should always lead to doxology (worship of God). She clearly explains eight core doctrines of the faith and gives helpful advice on how to respond to these truths about God. This is a wonderful guide for those interesting in learning more about theology and how it affects our spiritual lives. 

The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World by Brett McCracken

Drawing on the idea of the food pyramid, McCracken suggests a healthy guide for consuming information. He flips what is often our default intake method by making the Bible our foundation and placing social media in the smallest section at the top. This would be a great book to read and discuss with a friend!