July Pastor's Pick: Forgotten God by Francis Chan

This month's Pastor's Pick is a study of the Holy Spirit. Francis Chan, the author, is a fascinating preacher and servant of God. His book Crazy Love was a hugely popular book and impacted many lives. Many of our members discussed this book with me and its impact in their lives.

Forgotten God is written in a very accessible style. He looks to give us a better understanding of hw God creates intimacy and works in our lives through the action and persence of the Holy Spirit. Too often churches such as baptist churces are afraid to talk about the Holy Spirit because we do not want to be considered too charismatic. Heaven forbid someone think we speak in tongues. And yet the word charismatic simply means power. The Bible clearly tells us the Holy Spirit is our source of power.

Part of my goal in presenting the Pastor's Pick each month is to encourage reading a variety of books. We have already been through books on parenting, the Gospel, how to grow in the Lord, and a theologically challenging book by Ravi Zacharias. This month I really wanted a book that focuses exclusively on the person of God - not just how to grow or help you kids grow. We do need to learn the disciplines of growing. But we also need to focus on the purpose of our growth. We are rowing to become more like God Himself. Therefore, we must look at Him and His person specifically. Here is a book from which we can learn more about the person of God through the Holy Spirit.

It is fun to select these books but a chore. I have perused a number of them and several on my "future" list. Just to name a few: Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman; The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler; biographies of Josh Hamilton and Deitrich Bonheoffer (how's that for variety?); Already Gone by Ken Hamm; Subversive Kingdom by Ed Stetzer. 

These are just a few I have been reviewing. Let me know if you have a recent selection you might suggest. I have already included one book - May's selection - by request from a church member. That was a good move because it was a powerful book.