Reggie Smith is senior pastor of Roosevelt Park Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich. We asked him what books, music, and video have been making an impression on him lately.
What are you reading right now?
I’m reading Gerardo Marti’s Worship across the Racial Divide (Oxford University Press). This is good book for me to read given my church and neighborhood context at this present moment. Also, I’m finishing up Kathleen Garces-Foley’s Crossing the Ethnic Divide: The Multiethnic Church on a Mission (Oxford University Press). This book parallels some of the joys and pains of becoming a growing and healthy multiethnic church.
What books are on your office bookshelf? Any all-time favorites?
Eugene Peterson's The Pastor memoir (HarperOne; see earlier Banner review); Jim Collins’s How the Mighty Fall; and Ellen T. Charry’s God and the Art of Happiness (Eerdmans). All of these books hit my sweet spot in terms of challenging my thinking and deepening my spirit in the Lord. My all-time favorite to reread is Richard Mouw’s Distorted Truth (Fuller Seminary Press). Mouw has a gracious way of engaging our culture as it really is.
What music are you enjoying?
I’m enjoying the old-time gospel of the late Albertina Walker and the salty blues of Magic Sam.
And if you could only have three albums, what would they be?
The Greatest Hits of Marvin Gaye, David Benoit, and the Rev. James Cleveland.
What websites do you use the most?
I'm a news junkie. I try to read at least 10 to 12 news websites such as MSNBC, CNN, ABC, and BBC. In addition, I watch the latest YouTube videos to keep up with things that go viral.
What TV shows and movies do you like?
I don’t watch much regular TV such as reality shows, dramas, or comedies. I prefer sports, news, and an occasional documentary.
Are there any movies or shows that have particularly informed your ministry?
I love watching movies directed by Clint Eastwood. I watch his movies repeatedly because there are spiritual themes running through them. Eastwood tells the truth with humanity and simplicity.