Jimbo's Jots

Periodically, I share what I am currently reading. Some of it is ministry related. Some is related to counseling. So, briefly, here is what’s on the shelf (or in my case, the corner of the desk).

• The Anxious Teen: Ministry with stressed and fearful students (Brock Morgan with Hallie Scott, MFT). Brock Morgan has been a youth pastor for many years. Hallie Scott is a therapist and adjunct instructor at Azusa Pacific University. The book is about Morgan’s struggles with his own anxiety as he became a youth pastor in several megachurch settings. In an open and honest reflection, he communicates early about his struggle to continue to plow ahead. Because of this, it began to take its toll on his family and his ministry. Hallie Scott concludes the chapters by talking about Brock Morgan as she would if he was one of her clients. She explores Morgan’s story and gives insight to the reader about how to live with being a person with anxiety.
• Permission to Mourn: A new way to do grief (Tom Zuba). Tom Zuba knows about dealing with death. Even from an early age, (6 years old) he had a baby brother die. He married and they had 3 children. His daughter, the first born, died at 18 months old. Nine years later, his wife passed away from a rare sickness. Zuba was now a widower and parent of two boys, ages 3 and 7. Five years after his wife died, his now 13 year old son, passed away due to a brain tumor. So, Zuba writes from a very real perspective. However, his book is not a “how to” or “these are the steps”. The author uses poetic imagery to help the reader explore the “dance” between life and death.
• Rewriting Love Stories: Brief marital therapy (Patricia O’Hanlon Hudson and William Hudson O’Hanlon). Yes, you read the author names correctly. They do have an interesting story of when they married, they took each other’s names as their middle name. As the title of the book suggests, these two therapists have put into practice tools that will help a couple rewrite their story. I did reference the book several weeks ago in a previous post.
• What on Earth Am I Here For? (Rick Warren). This is Warren’s updated version of The Purpose Driven Life. I’m teaching our teen class on this material as it relates to our mission statement.

Here are a few books I have on the ready as I work with clients:

• Scary Close (Donald Miller)
• Five Love Languages (Dr. Gary Chapman)
• Seven Desires (Mark and Debbie Laaser)

There you go! Oh and by the way, for fun, I have my daily Bible reading through YouVersion Bible app. And I try to read a bit of a book for fun on my Kindle app – probably ready to open that back up very soon.

Be blessed in your reading!! Be a blessing to others on the way!