The Barnabas Center Book Club
Winter Book Club :
Honest Advent by Scott Erickson
November 30th - January 1st
In a world that's difficult to make sense of, and a season that's so often overtaken by consumerism, here you'll find heart-stirring illustrations and thought-provoking meditations designed to show you the raw, powerfully sacred story of Christmas in a new light.
Has the joy of the holiday season become painfully dissonant with the hard edges of life? Do you feel weary from the way Christmas has become a polished, predictable brand? You aren't alone. For too many of us, Christmas has lost its wonder. What if we stopped treating the Christmas story as something that happened a long time ago and started believing that it's a story that's still happening today?
From celebrated artist and storyteller Scott Erickson comes Honest Advent, 25 days of illustrations and meditations that will help you rekindle the wonder of this season. Honest Advent creates a space for you to encounter the Incarnate Christ in unexpected places: like a pregnancy announcement in an era of political unrest and empirical bloodshed, the morning sickness of a Middle Eastern teenager, and the shocking biology of birth that goes far beyond the sanitized brand of Christmas as we know it today.
Within the pages of Honest Advent, Erickson teaches us the valuable lessons he's learned about:
Through powerful benedictions, prayers, and questions for honest reflection, you'll discover how the wonder of God-with-Us is still happening today: in your unexpected change of plans, your unaccomplished dreams, your overcrowded lodging, and your humble stories of new beginnings.
Has the joy of the holiday season become painfully dissonant with the hard edges of life? Do you feel weary from the way Christmas has become a polished, predictable brand? You aren't alone. For too many of us, Christmas has lost its wonder. What if we stopped treating the Christmas story as something that happened a long time ago and started believing that it's a story that's still happening today?
From celebrated artist and storyteller Scott Erickson comes Honest Advent, 25 days of illustrations and meditations that will help you rekindle the wonder of this season. Honest Advent creates a space for you to encounter the Incarnate Christ in unexpected places: like a pregnancy announcement in an era of political unrest and empirical bloodshed, the morning sickness of a Middle Eastern teenager, and the shocking biology of birth that goes far beyond the sanitized brand of Christmas as we know it today.
Within the pages of Honest Advent, Erickson teaches us the valuable lessons he's learned about:
- Finding hope and light in the darkest winters
- What it means to embrace the unexpected
- How God uses everyday vulnerability to help us understand ourselves and our faith better
Through powerful benedictions, prayers, and questions for honest reflection, you'll discover how the wonder of God-with-Us is still happening today: in your unexpected change of plans, your unaccomplished dreams, your overcrowded lodging, and your humble stories of new beginnings.
Previous Book Club Books:
Spring 2025
In Setting Parents Free, Cox emphasizes that perfection is not the goal of parenting. Instead, he advocates for being a "good enough" parent—acknowledging that mistakes will happen but that these moments can be opportunities for growth and connection. The book is structured around seven key questions that many parents grapple with
Summer 2025
Winning the War with your Mind: Change your Thinking,
Craig Groeschel explores how our thoughts shape our lives and how many of us are trapped in destructive patterns due to lies we've come to believe. Drawing from Scripture, psychology, and personal experience, he explains that real, lasting change happens when we learn to identify those lies, replace them with truth, and rewire our brains to align with God’s Word.
The link to purchase the book can be found at: Winning the War with Your Mind
Craig Groeschel explores how our thoughts shape our lives and how many of us are trapped in destructive patterns due to lies we've come to believe. Drawing from Scripture, psychology, and personal experience, he explains that real, lasting change happens when we learn to identify those lies, replace them with truth, and rewire our brains to align with God’s Word.
The link to purchase the book can be found at: Winning the War with Your Mind
Fall 2025
The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins
Aren't we all drained by trying to manage everyone else's feelings and behavior? The Let Them Theory offers a simple fix: let them.
The link to purchase the book can be found at: The Let Them Theory
Aren't we all drained by trying to manage everyone else's feelings and behavior? The Let Them Theory offers a simple fix: let them.
The link to purchase the book can be found at: The Let Them Theory
Dr. Cox combines research, personal anecdotes, humor, and biblical wisdom to offer insights into these areas, aiming to equip parents with the tools they need to nurture their children's emotional and spiritual well-being.
Click to Purchase
Click to Purchase
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is a heartwarming literary novel that follows the journey of Theo, an 86-year-old Portuguese man who arrives in the Southern town of Golden. The narrative delves into themes of generosity, purpose, and the transformative power of human connection. Theo's journey is not just about returning portraits but about touching lives and reminding others of the beauty in everyday acts of kindness.
The link to purchase this book can be found at: Theo of Golden
The link to purchase this book can be found at: Theo of Golden
Team Favorites or Recommendations
Our team of therapists is always reading — whether it’s for fun, to stay current on emerging trends (because yes, it always comes up in therapy!), or to deepen our research and knowledge.
By nature, we’re observers and lifelong learners. We each have our favorite books — the ones that have shaped us personally or professionally — along with others we simply know are worth recommending.
Haley Webster
LPC- Associate
Supervised by Jill Gilbert, LPC-S, LMFT-S (License #18910)
Supervised by Jill Gilbert, LPC-S, LMFT-S (License #18910)
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr is a thought-provoking spiritual guide that explores how life’s setbacks and challenges — especially those encountered in the second half of life — can lead to deeper wisdom, inner freedom, and true spiritual growth.
Haley says: This book gave me such clarity on life. I have so many underlined parts or notes in the margin that I could never loan my copy out.
Click to Purchase
Haley says: This book gave me such clarity on life. I have so many underlined parts or notes in the margin that I could never loan my copy out.
Click to Purchase
Leslie Peacock
LPC, Director of Counseling
The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins
Aren't we all drained by trying to manage everyone else's feelings and behavior? The Let Them Theory offers a simple fix: let them.
Leslie says: I recommend the audio version because this was way more fun (and challenging) to have Mel tell you honestly and directly to stop trying to control people—it's like someone throwing cold water in your face, but afterwards you felt so much better, more alive, and wide awake!
Click To Purchase
Aren't we all drained by trying to manage everyone else's feelings and behavior? The Let Them Theory offers a simple fix: let them.
Leslie says: I recommend the audio version because this was way more fun (and challenging) to have Mel tell you honestly and directly to stop trying to control people—it's like someone throwing cold water in your face, but afterwards you felt so much better, more alive, and wide awake!
Click To Purchase
Caroline McKee
LPC
Be You, by Peter Reynolds, is a joyful reminder of the ways that every child is unique and special, from the beloved creator of The Dot, Happy Dreamer, and New York Times bestseller, The Word Collector. Here, Reynolds reminds readers to "be your own work of art." To be patient, persistent, and true. Because there is one, and only one, YOU.
Caroline says: I love this book for kids, teens, and really people of all ages as it shares a variety of encouraging phrases about being yourself as you engage in the world!
Click to Purchase
Caroline says: I love this book for kids, teens, and really people of all ages as it shares a variety of encouraging phrases about being yourself as you engage in the world!
Click to Purchase
Lauren Walls
LPC- Associate
Supervised by Dr. Kirsti Reese, LPC (License #76443)
Supervised by Dr. Kirsti Reese, LPC (License #76443)
In Strong Like Water, author and trauma therapist Aundi Kolber offers a framework for true flourishing. If we spend our lives trying to be "the strong one," we become exhausted, burned out, and disconnected from our truest God-given selves. What if it were different? Could there be a different way to be strong?
Lauren says: I like Strong Like Water by Aundi Kolber because it helped me understand that strength doesn't always mean pushing through—it can also mean allowing space to feel, heal, and move with compassion.
Click to Purchase
Lauren says: I like Strong Like Water by Aundi Kolber because it helped me understand that strength doesn't always mean pushing through—it can also mean allowing space to feel, heal, and move with compassion.
Click to Purchase
Sloane Fredricks
Counseling Intern
Supervised by Caroline Mckee, LPC (License #80486 ) and Dr. Nici McFarland (License #78941)
Supervised by Caroline Mckee, LPC (License #80486 ) and Dr. Nici McFarland (License #78941)
Set against realistic backdrops of town and country, the powerful drama of the pilgrim's trials and temptations follows him in his harrowing journey to the Celestial City.
An enormously influential 17th-century classic, universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language, The Pilgrim's Progress remains one of the most widely read books in the English language.
Sloane says: I love this book because it is a beautiful allegory for our faith walk in life. It’s full of comforting and relatable metaphors that make me feel seen in things I struggle with in my life and faith. It’s a wonderful reminder of how God is with us in every step of our lives and equips us for all parts. (There is even a kid version)
Click to Purchase
An enormously influential 17th-century classic, universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language, The Pilgrim's Progress remains one of the most widely read books in the English language.
Sloane says: I love this book because it is a beautiful allegory for our faith walk in life. It’s full of comforting and relatable metaphors that make me feel seen in things I struggle with in my life and faith. It’s a wonderful reminder of how God is with us in every step of our lives and equips us for all parts. (There is even a kid version)
Click to Purchase
Catherine Taylor
Graduate Counseling Intern
Supervised by Caroline McKee, LPC (#80486) and Dr. Crystal Brashear, LPC (# 75709)
Supervised by Caroline McKee, LPC (#80486) and Dr. Crystal Brashear, LPC (# 75709)
I love this book because it's full of simple yet profound moments of everyday delight. As a collection of stories, each chapter of the book can be read individually, out of order, or sequentially.
This book is a fun, engaging, light-hearted read that simultaneously allowed me to see the presence of God even in the most mundane, nonspiritual moments of my life, helping me remember the truth that He is always there and always working. I love Shauna's perspective on celebration and delight as a spiritual discipline and believe they are spiritual disciplines we often overlook. This book will touch your heart, challenge you, and help you celebrate the beauty of life even in the midst of the not-so-beautiful parts.
Click to Purchase
This book is a fun, engaging, light-hearted read that simultaneously allowed me to see the presence of God even in the most mundane, nonspiritual moments of my life, helping me remember the truth that He is always there and always working. I love Shauna's perspective on celebration and delight as a spiritual discipline and believe they are spiritual disciplines we often overlook. This book will touch your heart, challenge you, and help you celebrate the beauty of life even in the midst of the not-so-beautiful parts.
Click to Purchase
Jeff Penner
Counseling Intern
Jeff is under the supervision of Amanda Brown, LCPC-S (#2741) and Leslie Peacock, LPC (#76747)
Jeff is under the supervision of Amanda Brown, LCPC-S (#2741) and Leslie Peacock, LPC (#76747)
Much is said in Christian circles about knowing God. But what if there is also value in knowing yourself? Christians throughout the ages have agreed that there cannot be deep knowledge of God without deep knowledge of the self. Discerning your true self is inextricably related to discerning God's purposes for you. Paradoxically, the more you become like Christ, the more you become authentically yourself.
Jeff says: This book gets at the core of how difficult can be to accept God's love for us and to accept ourselves. Benner expands masterfully on what John Calvin said that to truly know God, we must also know ourselves. If you've ever wanted to more fully embrace who you are in Christ and more fully accept yourself, read this book!
Click to Purchase
Jeff says: This book gets at the core of how difficult can be to accept God's love for us and to accept ourselves. Benner expands masterfully on what John Calvin said that to truly know God, we must also know ourselves. If you've ever wanted to more fully embrace who you are in Christ and more fully accept yourself, read this book!
Click to Purchase