Margaret Feinberg is a spiritual hero to many. Her perspectives are fresh, her passion for the Kingdom is obvious, and her ability to communicate both is making a real difference. You may have heard her at the Catalyst or Thrive Conference. Or you may have heard her when she was speaking on a college campus or in some local church. Or for you, maybe you’ve been reading her writings. No matter where or how you’ve connected with Margaret or her teachings, I’m certain you got a good dose of substance as well as humor.
Since Margaret is a great writer I was intrigued to hear about her connection with books. I was excited and blindsided (in a positive way) by a few of her answers.
Rick: Margaret, it’s obvious that you are “book driven,” that is, books have driven you into the deep places you take us to when you teach and write. I’d like to ask you some questions about books that have influenced your life and writing.
What book other than the Bible has had the greatest influence on your life? Why do you think this particular book resonates with you so deeply?
Margaret: One of the books that I try to read every year is Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald. The book challenges me to recalibrate my life—particularly my spiritual life—every time I read it and I’m grateful.
Rick: What book would you suggest every small group pastor read? What aspects of that book should she/he pay close attention to?
Margaret: See question one. Insert smiley face. I think Ordering Your Private World is such a great book because as leaders if we can find proper order in our own lives then we can lead out of that and help others along the way.
Rick: Which of your own books seems to have had the greatest influence on your life? What is it about the writing of this book that hit so close to home?
Margaret: The research behind Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey changed the way I read the Bible forever. Understanding the agrarian world better brought new insight into familiar passages and made sense of those which I had merely brushed by before. Watching a shepherd scoop up a newborn lamb into her arms and declare, “Once I have them, I have them forever” transformed the way I see the Lord as my shepherd. I’m forever grateful for that journey.
Rick: When you’re writing, other than the Bible, what reference book/books to you reach for the most?
Margaret: I have stacks and stacks of books that sit nearby when I’m writing including copies of articles from magazines like Fast Company, Inc. Real Simple, and Popular Mechanics. I keep writing books nearby, too, like a ridiculously fabulous book called, I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like which certifies my nerdhood. Volumes from the NIV Application Commentary, NICOT, and Interpretations migrate from my bookshelves to my stacks and back dozens of times throughout the year. I turn to writers like Abraham Heschel, Wendell Barry, A.W. Tozer, Kenneth Bailey, N.T. Wright, and Snoop Dog to challenge my thinking and for inspiration.
Rick: If you could recommend one book to church leaders of all types, what book would you suggest they read? Why did you choose that particular book?
Margaret: I recently picked up a copy of The Pastor by Eugene Peterson and while reading I felt like the Holy Spirit was grabbing me by the shoulders, looking me in the eye, and saying “Remember who you are!”. The book is a passionate call to pastor the people of God—something so simple yet easily squeezed to the sidelines in our production-driven, consumer culture.
