Two book recommendations this week. Both are great and should be on your reading list.
John Townsend writes beautiful and thoughtful books about faith, psychology, and well being. His latest, The Entitlement Cure, came to my attention when The Gathering asked me to sign my book next to Townsend. Um, just a little intimidation there! I agreed of course, but I thought I better read The Entitlement Cure in advance. And I’m really glad I did.
In some ways we all suffer from entitlement. Or at least those of us in the Western/developed world. For some it’s a real problem and this book addresses ways it can be resisted. Townsend is frank, honest, and direct in ways that push us toward being honest with ourselves. But I never felt guilty or beat up in the process. This is a great book for parents trying to raise children in an affluent world, but it is equally valuable if you have a co-worker or family member with entitlement issues. Best of all it will get each of us to take a hard look at ourselves.
The second book I want to recommend is Andy Crouch’s Strong and the Weak. The core message of the book is that two seemingly opposite impulses draw us away from an abundant life: safety or power. In fact we need both to really thrive. Crouch goes through multiple examples of this yin/yang balance we need to be whole people. I love the Biblical strength of the book and how he defines abundance as allowing God to shine through us.
Both books are well worth reading. Highly recommended.
