On the bookshelf: Summer Reading 2026

Written by Erika Castiglione

It’s that time of year when I like to remind everyone that we have a Waypoint “library”

(two bookcases located to the left of the back entrance, between the prayer room and

the restrooms). We are always adding to our collection that ranges from practical

theology to poetry, and we encourage you to make use of this resource. Here are a few

books you might want to check out as you consider what to read the last few weeks of

summer:

The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God by

Seth Lewis

Psalm 19 tells us that, “the heavens proclaim the glory of God…day after they pour forth

speech, night after night they reveal knowledge.” With this premise in mind, Lewis

combines observations about the complexity of nature with truths from the Bible as he

walks the reader through interpreting the beauty and wonder of the world around us.

Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and Overcoming Love by

Katherine and Jay Wolf

Katherine and Jay Wolf seemed like they had the perfect life, but all of that changed

when Katherine experienced a massive stroke that left her severely disabled. Through

God’s faithfulness to them, and their growing faithfulness in God, they were able to

navigate recovery and start a ministry that exists “to create spaces of belonging and

belovedness for families affected by disabilities to experience the hope of Christ within

inter-ability communities.”

What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience by Tish Harrison Warren

Warren draws from ancient stories and practices from the “desert mothers and fathers”

as she tells what she learned in her own season of spiritual dryness and exhaustion.

She aims to offer hope to those who are experiencing burnout and disillusion, guiding

us to lives of “resilience, renewal, and flourishing.”

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

I’ve mentioned this one before, but if you’re looking for a novel that is both engaging

and uplifting, I recommend this story of a stranger who transforms a community with his

creative acts of generosity.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

This book came up several times in Waypoint’s recent podcast, “Why Study Theology?”

If you haven’t read this Christian classic on apologetics, it might be time to give it a try.

Juneteenth Celebration

Written by Evelyn Thompson

On June 20, 2026, I had the privilege of attending the Juneteenth Celebration at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  This event was produced by Dr. Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther King’s niece. With the help of many notable officials, entertainers, and guests, it was a time to reflect on the pain of the past, the progress of today, and the promise of tomorrow. 

January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved African Americans.  However, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and read the General Order No. 3 finally notifying the estimated 250,000 enslaved people in Texas that they were free.  There are a lot of theories, but it remains a mystery that two and a half years passed before this information reached them.  However, rather than being centered purely on trauma, the Juneteenth holiday has served as an opportunity to gather, celebrate resilience, uplift businesses, and share family traditions.

One of the biggest takeaways from the night was the emphasis on unity.  The audience was non-partisan, the event was not political, and there was an undeniable sense of oneness.  There was also a shared love and respect for our country. It is here that despite our differences, missteps, and imperfections, we recognize the USA is our homeland; and countless numbers of people have given their lives for this nation. Having grown up in the segregated south, I started school in 1956. This was two years after school segregation was outlawed, but the first year Louisville integrated their schools. At the time I did not realize the significance. As a young child, I was aware that we were not allowed to shop, eat, drink out of public water fountains, or live in certain places. I vividly recall going to restaurants and being refused service and riding the back of the bus. If we did go to movies, we had to enter a different entrance and go up to another level. It was not until I was older that I came to understand why, and with that recognition I can say today, that although we still have work to do, we have come a long way and, that is why celebrating unity is so important.

The event was filled with lots of joyful singing of stirring songs that included the singing of the National Anthem; the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”; and “America the Beautiful.”  Renowned guest soloist and Grammy nominee Wintley Phipps’ performance of “Amazing Grace” brought tears to the eyes of many. The moving video “TAPS” gave tribute to African American Military who are serving and have served their country with pride.  Special recognition was given to Colin Powell. 

A special treat was the rendition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech, I Have A Dream by the 12- and 9-year-old Jaden and Josiah Penn. I remember watching Dr. King’s speech in real time.  For as moving and eloquent as it was, who could have known that speech would continue to resound and be as relevant today as it was then. We all applauded Jaden and Josiah’s eloquence and bravery in fulfilling such a monumental task.

One of my favorite parts of this celebration was Dr. Ben Carson’s tribute to the accomplishments of many African Americans in many capacities. His modesty would not allow him to name himself as a pediatric neurosurgeon who led the first successful separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head in 1987. And further at the age of 33, he became the youngest chief of pediatric surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the United States. I would encourage everyone who hasn’t, to read Gifted Hands, the autobiography of this brilliant man who grew up in dire circumstances but overcame insurmountable obstacles to become one of the most respected men in the medical profession.

I keep reflecting on the fact that for two and a half years, approximately 250,000 slaves did not know they were free, simply because no one told them. It has made me think deeply about the hundreds of thousands of people alive today who do not know that Jesus Christ died to set them free over 2,000 years ago because nobody has told them.I challenge you to be intentional in sharing the true freedom that only can be found in Jesus. It also reminds me of the many Christians who continue to live in bondage to their sins and their past.  When those slaves were set free, their lives changed immediately. Their circumstances likely didn’t for a while, but they were still free.  It is like salvation. When we accept the Lord into our lives, we are no longer in bondage. It is a daily walk to know Him, be like Him, and follow Him wherever He leads. I encourage you to seek to let someone know that they are free and no longer in bondage. To quote the words of Dr. Martin Luther King…”Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God Almighty we are free at last!”

God Teach Us to Serve - A Prayer for Fathers

This prayer was written and read by Keith Richards for Father's Day 2026

God as a new Father, I didn’t know what being a father meant. Your scriptures are clear about what Father means; you sent your Son to serve and not to be served. You, Heavenly Father, value servantship in your children because you are a servant. God, the lesson of servantship has been impressed on my heart through fatherhood. I also see my failures as a servant. When I expect my children to serve me, or when I want to serve myself instead of my children. I believe I should be treated differently because of all that I have done for these children who take me for granted.

Lord God, thank you for teaching us to be servants when our Children are young. When our children wake us up at 5 am because they can’t get something they need to make it through the night. We are forced to serve. You are teaching us, strengthening our servant muscles so we do not walk away when we can choose not to serve. 

Father, we pray now for the fathers among us.

We ask that you strengthen those who are weary so they may continue to serve. The father who rose early and came home late this week, renew his strength to keep serving. The father learning to lead and to love at the same time, give him wisdom. For those who labor alongside their wives in the exhausting, sacred work of raising young children, may they find in you endurance that does not run dry.

We lift up especially those fathers walking through a child's difficult diagnosis carrying fears they don't yet have words for. Lord, be near to them, and give us the grace to serve these families, to carry what they cannot carry alone. Heal their children, we pray, and bring real joy into those relationships.

And we pray for the fathers whose children have walked away from you. Give them the heart of the Father in the parable, who saw his son while he was still far off, and ran. May they keep serving in love even when it is not returned staying present, patient, and faithful. Bring people into their children's lives who will speak truth, and make us those people whenever you allow it. As you served us while we were still wandering, teach us to serve our children while they wander still. Bring them home, Lord. Bring them home.

Father, we ask you now to meet those for whom the word "father" carries pain rather than comfort.

For those whose fathers abandoned, neglected, or wounded them we hold before you your promise: when my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in. You are the Father who does not leave. You are the Father who does not wound. And by your Spirit the Spirit of adoption you invite even the most fatherless among us to cry out, Abba. Father. Heal what earthly fathers broke. Be, for each one carrying that grief today, the Father they never had because that is exactly who you are.

And stir in us, your church, the courage to serve in those dark places. We pray for those who might open their homes to a fatherless child, even for a season. We know the grief that comes when that season ends and we pray that grief would not overwhelm us, but shape us more into the likeness of our Father and his Son, who have served us this way time after time. Do not let the fear of loss keep us from entering in. You are the light that can change a life in days, in weeks, in months. So send us into the darkness, knowing that you go before us, and that no act of faithful service, however brief, is ever wasted in your hands.

We close with your promise that you will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and children to their fathers. Do that work, Lord. Do it in our homes. Do it in our church. Do it in us.

We ask all of this as your children, through your Son who came to serve, and by your Spirit.

Amen.