I used to be so intimidated by C.S. Lewis, not his Chronicles of Narnia, of course, but the Space trilogy and anything more, let’s say, academic. But a few years ago I read, A Grief Observed, and last year I picked up The Problem of Pain for about the 10th time (never finishing it before) and it finally worked for me. Somehow I waded through and saw the gems hidden inside. Reflections on the Psalms was the same.

A.J. Swoboda is one of my favorite modern theologians. Every time I pick up one of his books, I’m both challenged and inspired. He hasn’t missed yet, and A Teachable Spirit was no exception.

This was a worthwhile read. It had been sitting on my shelf for the last 10 years (since graduate school where it was on a “further reading” list for a theology course).

This book is all about apprenticeship and formation in the Way of Jesus. The author makes a claim that I agree with: all of us are being formed and if we aren’t intentional about what those influences are, we may be shaped in ways we never desired.

A slim volume of encouragement, Take What You Need, combines some of the concepts in Kolber’s other works (Try Softer and Strong Like Water) into a short, poetic, and reflective read.

Jeff opens this book up by explaining that storytelling in other cultures is less linear and interconnected than Westerners like to imagine. What follows is a memoir of his experience at Princeton Theological Seminary, particularly with The Farminary Project where theology and farming meet.