“The American church doesn’t need more strategy. We need more of the Spirit.” —Dr. Beth Backes

The New Testament Apostles preached the Word, but they also saw the wonders of God. In our lives today, do we give space in our lives for God to move and fill us with wonder? Join in this conversation with Dr. Beth Backes about 19th-century evangelist Maria Woodworth Etter’s A Diary of Signs and Wonders and the ways in which we can experience the mind-blowing wonder and power of the Spirit despite weakness and personal suffering.

Resources Mentioned:

A Diary of Signs and Wonders by Maria Woodworth-Etter

Joni Eareckson Tada

Heidi Baker—Iris Global

The Table Church on IG and FB.

Follow Dr. Beth Backes on FB or @bethlehem1 on Instagram.

Your Pastor Reads Books. is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber at [email protected].

YPRB host Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. Find out more about coaching, pastoral direction and her creative projects, go to www.heatherweber.org. And, subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com.

*YPRB may receive a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!

“Be careful what you water for it shall surely grow.” –Brandon Walden

Some people might get nervous about a local church pastor serving in a dual role as the town librarian. But not the people in Brooklyn, IA (population 1500). In this episode, pastor Josh Gerard talks about his unique opportunity to plan children’s storytime hours, summer reading programs, and community theater productions for people in his community. Brandon Walden’s Seeds and Trees, a children’s book, inspires our conversation about the power of words to sow seeds of love or shame into other people’s lives.

Resources Mentioned:

The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories by Caroline Keene

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden

Josh Gerard is a reluctant social media user. Follow his ministry at newbeginningsbrooklyn.com.

Your Pastor Reads Books. is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber at [email protected].

YPRB host Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. Find out more about coaching, pastoral direction, and her creative projects, go to www.heatherweber.org. And, subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com.

True spirituality frees us to live joyfully in the present. It requires, however, going back in order to go forward. -Pete Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

Some people get well into mid-life without ever taking the time to assess how childhood and family-of-origin wounds have affected them. If we don’t stop and unpack our baggage, we risk harming relationships with family, friends, and those we may lead. Listen here or on your favorite podcast platform for a conversation with Pastor Anna Thoreson about unearthing the imago Dei (image of God) in ourselves and in others.

Resources Mentioned:

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero

Educated by Tara Westover

Spiritual Rhythms for the Enneagram: A Handbook for Harmony and Transformation

*Follow Anna’s writing at www.agreatuntethering.com.

Your Pastor Reads Books. is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the podcast, become a free or paid subscriber!

YPRB host Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. To find out more about establishing a coaching relationship with Heather, go to www.heatherweber.org. And, subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com.

*YPRB may receive a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!

There are plenty of people out there that will humble you, but Scripture says, “humble yourself."  —Rod Loy

In today’s world, we are driven to produce and achieve, putting more and more stock in our accomplishments. But accomplishment without a true sense of our own intrinsic value can leave us empty and competitive in our attitude toward others. Join in this conversation with pastor Rod Loy about our true significance in the Kingdom.

Resources Mentioned:

Project Rescue

The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories by Caroline Keen

The Search for Significance by Robert McGee

Follow Rod Loy’s ministry at https://firstnlr.com.

Your Pastor Reads Books is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

YPRB host Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. To find out more about establishing a coaching relationship with Heather, go to www.heatherweber.org. And, subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com.

Intentional engagement with theology can fill us with wonder at the nature and character of God—especially when we conceive that the God who spoke to people in the Scriptures is the same God who comes to us and speaks today. I hope you enjoy this important conversation with Rev. Dr. Joseph Lear.

Resources Mentioned:Ezekiel (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible) by Robert Jensen

Systematic Theology: Volume 1: The Triune God (Systematic Theology (Oxford Hardcover))The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr

Thanks for listening to Your Pastor Reads Books! Subscribe for free (pay only if you want to), and never miss an episode!

Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. Find out more about her coaching and other creative projects at www.heatherweber.org. Subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com.

*YPRB may receive a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!

In this episode, I talk with Joshua Tilley, pastor of The River Community Church in Iowa City, IA, about the nature of genuine authenticity that holds up across cultures, as well as pastoral burnout and the need to manage our energy as much as, or more than, we manage our time.

Resources Mentioned:

A Short Guide to Authenticity* and Authentic Prayer by Joshua TilleyThe Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim LoehrThe Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas WillardAt Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof

Thanks for reading Your Pastor Reads Books! Subscribe for free, and never miss an episode.

Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. Find out more about her coaching and other creative projects at www.heatherweber.org. Subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com. She is the author of Dear Boy:, An Epistolary Memoir. *YPRB may receive a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!

With less biblical literacy and connection to the church, sufferers are untethered to the language, narrative, and practices that can anchor us in understanding, encouragement, and hope.”

-K.J. Ramsey

Have you ever had faith for healing but didn’t see it happen? Unanswered prayers can sometimes unmoor us. Today’s guest, Marissa Price, is an ordained minister with an MA in Theology & Culture. She introduces us to K.J. Ramsey’s book This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers, and talks about how to think about God when we’re dealing with chronic disappointment.

Show Notes:The Chronicles of Narnia* by C.S. Lewis

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers by K.J. Ramsey

Your Pastor Reads Books is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. Find out more about her coaching and other creative projects at www.heatherweber.org. Subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com. She is the author of Dear Boy:,An Epistolary Memoir.

*YPRB receives a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!

In this episode of Your Pastor Reads Books, I talk with fellow reader and Iowa City pastor, Jason Blackley. I first met Jason when I was planting CityChurch in downtown Iowa City. He and his co-pastor at Grace Downtown were extremely welcoming to me as a fellow minister sharing the message about Christ on and near the campus of the University of Iowa. I hope you enjoy our conversation, which took us to such topics as deconstruction, listening to the Spirit, and of course, the book he picked for the show: Monica West’s novel, Revival Season.

P.S. Reader, I ordered this book as soon as our conversation was over. I hope you do, too!

Thanks for reading Your Pastor Reads Books! Subscribe for free and never miss an episode.

Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. Find out more about her coaching and other creative projects at www.heatherweber.org. Subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com. She is the author of Dear Boy:, An Epistolary Memoir.

YPRB receives a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!

Worship pastor Melanie Rasanen (Faith Assembly of God in Elk Run Heights, IA) joins the show today to talk about Ruth Haley Barton’s book Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Presence.* Melanie shares some book recs for kids, and we talk about what so many are experiencing these days—what Barton calls the state of being “dangerously tired.” What’s the truth about ourselves and our limits? What do we do when we are desperate for peace and need to stop the hustle? Tune in when you have a slow moment!

(P.S. When an author's words resonate with us deeply, it sometimes feels as if those words become our own! This happened to Pastor Melanie at around minute 33 in the podcast. However, she wanted to make sure credit went to Barton for first writing the words Melanie now says to her own children: “Mommy will be a better mommy if she has some alone time with God.”)

Show Notes:Christy Miller series by Robin Jones GunnRamona series by Beverly ClearyFrom the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. KonigsburgSolitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Presence by Ruth Haley BartonSnuggle Up Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman and Tina MacnaughtonEmbracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again by Ruth Haley Barton“All Those Books You’ve Bought but Haven’t Read? There’s a Word for That,” by Linda Huang (“anti-library”)

Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. Find out more about her coaching and other creative projects at www.heatherweber.org. Subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com.

Thanks for reading Your Pastor Reads Books! Subscribe for free, and never miss an episode.

*YPRB receives a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!

“The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.”

-Bryan Stevenson

Today’s guest is Cassie Ferren, church planter and a lead pastor at Midtown KC Church in Kansas City, MO. Cassie brings pastoral insights about engaging others in the work of justice and talks to us about the way Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy* has impacted her life and the way she pastors. The conversation will draw you into the practicalities of serving the poor, oppressed, and marginalized, as well as shift your thinking about the hands-on work of proximity and pursuing justice. I hope you join us for this important conversation!

Resources Mentioned:Micro-Church Movement: Tampa Underground & KC Underground

The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield

Equal Justice InitiativeJust Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Care PortalThe Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

Thanks for listening to Your Pastor Reads Books! Subscribe for free (pay only if you want to), and never miss an episode!

Heather Weber is a book-obsessed pastor, author, and holistic life and leadership coach. She is the author of Dear Boy,: An Epistolary Memoir. Find out more about her coaching and other creative projects at www.heatherweber.org. Subscribe to her Dear Exiles newsletter at heatherweber.substack.com.

*YPRB may receive a tiny commission on purchases made through the links on this page, which helps support the podcast!