God Outwitted Me: The Stories of My Life by Maxie Dunnam (Seedbed). Hopefully you’ve already read one of Dunnam’s many books or heard him preach. God Outwitted Me is his spiritual memoir about the events that molded and strengthened him to be the prized and beloved Christian leader and communicator that we have come to depend upon within The United Methodist Church.

God & Gangsters: 21 Tales from Gangland by Chris Ahrens. In this self-published book, Ahrens interviews nearly two dozen “shot callers, armed robbers, dealers, made men, violent racists, and murderers” who testify to discovering new life with Jesus Christ. As he writes, “Something or, rather, Someone had moved them, and because of that they chose to bow to the Throne rather than die in the Chair.” (More info: Godngangsters@gmail.com).

Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music: Larry Norman and the Perils of Christian Rock by Greg Alan Thornbury (Convergent). This is a captivating biography about one of the most intriguing, controversial, and thought-provoking Christian singer/songwriters.  Norman  was a complicated musical pioneer with a prophetic edge who had an enormous influence on both musicians who were anchored in their faith and those who weren’t really sure what they believed.

The Spiritual Gifts Handbook: Using Your Gifts to Build the Kingdom by Randy Clark and Mary Healy (Chosen). This is an exceedingly helpful book about the spiritual gifts spoken of in the New Testament. Erasing misconceptions, Clark (Protestant) and Healy (Catholic) provide an insightful exploration of the gifts given by the Holy Spirit to be used by Christians.

Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed By the Words of God by Eugene Peterson (Waterbrook). The life of congruence urges us to live in sync with what we believe – to practice what we preach and to stretch ourselves between what is written in the Scriptures and how we live that out. Those familiar with Peterson’s poetic preaching will thoroughly benefit from this volume.

The 19 Questions To Kindle a Wesleyan Spirit by Carolyn Moore (Abingdon). Like Moore’s preaching, her writing is powerful, relatable, convicting, and energized by the flames of Pentecost. She leads readers through Wesley’s historic questions for ordination with both frankness and grace. For lay and clergy alike, the questions probe and challenge.