Ouachita Stories

We're over a month into summer vacation. While many of our students are busy with internships, working at camps, or selling fireworks on the side of the road, we hope you have some time for reading.  Here are 5 books to consider:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand ($12 paperback /$7 Kindle). This is the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who joins the military during World War II. Zamperini faces many challenges after being shot down over the Pacific ocean, and Hillenbrand tells the story with dramatic ability and attention to historical context. A good 4th of July weekend book.



I Am a Church Member by Thom Rainer ($9 hardback / $$8 Kindle). In this very short book, which you can probably read in an afternoon, Rainer talks about the attitudes that are central to healthy church membership. It's a great book for college students, who are often making a decision about joining a church for the first time on their own.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (multiple editions around $9). A classic work on temptation and spiritual conflict, in which Lewis creates a world where a senior demon writes advice to his nephew on how best to wreck the life of young man.

Praying for Strangers by River Jordan ($13 paperback / $11 Kindle). In a devotional style with short chapters, Jordan chronicles her resolution to pray for a stranger every day.



The Pastor's Kid by Barnabas Piper ($9 paperback or Kindle). The son of John Piper deals with many of the issues that PKs face (like being described as "the son of John Piper") through personal experience and discussions with other PKs. A good book for students who are pastor's kids or those who are planning to go into ministry themselves. You can read a recent interview with Piper (the younger) about the book here.

Tell us on Twitter (@obucm) what you're reading this summer.