Summer’s coming! And with summer just around the corner, that can only mean one thing – summer reading! Wait. What were you thinking? If you’re looking for something to read while you set out for a little rest and relaxation, here are a few books I’ve read in the past year and enjoyed the most:

1. Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman – If I could only recommend one book, this would be the one. Randy Newman (not the actor!) has a long history of evangelism and, in this book, he goes back to the basics. How did Jesus do evangelism? More often than not, Jesus responded to questions with questions rather than straight answers. How might our spiritual conversations be different if we followed that example? If you’ve ever wondered how to have more fruitful conversations about the gospel (and I hope you have!), this is an outstanding place to start.

2. Toughest People to Love by Chuck DeGroat – We all know people who take a lot of work to love. You don’t have to name names, but someone came to mind, didn’t they? Chuck DeGroat is a Christian counselor and pastor and he wrote this book to help us love them better. While this book is primarily directed to leaders, it’s not exclusive to them. I think the insights are useful to anyone. How does the mess in my own heart affect the way I interact with messy people? Are there more effective ways to understand and respond to specific difficulties? DeGroat tackles all of this in order to help make love just a little bit easier.

3. The Seminarian by Patrick Barr – I’m fascinated by all things Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of us know that Doctor King was actually the Reverend Doctor King, but few of us know much about how he got into the ministry. His seminary years have often been overshadowed in research by his work as a pastor and Civil Rights activist. This book explores King’s years as a seminary student, including interviews with King’s classmates. Barr portrays King less like a stoic symbol carved in stone and more like a young man I would have really liked to get to know. The book offers a really personal look at those three years in King’s life: his pranks around campus, having his faith challenged at a liberal seminary, staying up late to debate and argue with his mentor, falling in love with a white woman during Jim Crow, and more. This book might not appeal to everyone, but I devoured it.

Are you reading anything good? If so, I’d love to hear about it. I’m always on the lookout for good books.