The Grand Paradox by Ken Wytsma
Ken Wytsma is a pastor based out of Bend, Oregon. He is a leader of leaders and he has had a huge impact on my life. Ken is particularly inspiring because he makes his family and church a top priority while simultaneously writing books, founding the Justice Conference and serving as the President of the Kilns College. The man is humble, genuine, thoughtful and hard-working. (I've never even met him in person but through the power of 21st century media I feel like I know him pretty well. I've even heard people describe him as the Bear Grylls of Oregon - which is also a huge compliment in my opinion).
I attended the Justice Conference in Bend in 2011 and heard Ken speak there. I was inspired in large part by this conference to found the Center for Immigrant Assistance. I suspect there are thousands of us who have come away from this conference determined to do something meaningful. We were all challenged to look carefully at what our skills are and then take specific steps to do what we can to help others.
I eagerly read Ken's Pursuing Justice and it's one of my all-time favorite books. A key reason it's impacted me so much is that Ken draws upon a wide range of sources, perspectives and authors to make his points. He lays out the deeply biblical foundation for justice while also providing insights from philosophy, history, and the daily grind of real life.
And now Ken has released his second book which I recently finished: "The Grand Paradox." Once again, Ken delivers meaningful insights about God and human life in a refreshingly genuine way. He digs deep with honest questions in search of authentic answers. It turns out that truth itself and faith cannot be easily packaged or laid out in a formula with multiple steps to follow. We should be grateful for this because it shows us God is greater and more mysterious than we could have imagined.