Welcome to the ISI Mentor Resources page! Below you'll find links to many different resources that address a variety of topics.
If you have suggestions for resources not included below, please email Dan.
ISI TRAINING MATERIALS:
Iron Mentor Training session videos (including Trauma-Informed Care)
BOOKS:
Many of the following books are owned by members of the Transformation Ministries Staff. If you'd like to borrow one, please email Dan.
Theirs is the Kingdom (Robert Lupton) - Timely, informative reflections on the relationship between poverty and Christianity, the responsibilities of the haves and have-nots, and the lessons Christians can learn from the poor.
Toxic Charity (Robert Lupton) - Veteran urban activist Robert Lupton reveals the shockingly toxic effects that modern charity has upon the very people meant to benefit from it. Toxic Charity provides proven new models for charitable groups who want to help—not sabotage—those whom they desire to serve.
When Helping Hurts (Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert) - Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty (Ruby Payne) - When viewed through an economic lens, poverty can be defined as an absence of resources. Since 1995, Framework's basic premise is that the middle-class understandings of those who work with children and adults in poverty are often ill-suited for connecting with and helping people build up resources and rise out of poverty.
Tattoos on the Heart (Gregory Boyle) - For twenty years, Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart,he distills his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith.
America’s Original Sin (Jim Wallis) - America's problem with race has deep roots, with the country's foundation tied to the near extermination of one race of people and the enslavement of another. Racism is truly our nation's original sin.
Reconciliation Blues (Edward Gilbreath) - What is the state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches today? Are we truly united? In Reconciliation Blues journalist Edward Gilbreath gives an insightful, honest picture of both the history and the present state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches.
Unashamed (Lecrae) - Two-time Grammy winning rap artist, Lecrae, learned this lesson through more than his share of adversity—childhood abuse, drugs and alcoholism, a stint in rehab, an abortion, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates) - In a series of essays, written as a letter to his son, Coates confronts the notion of race in America and how it has shaped American history, many times at the cost of black bodies and lives.
Disunity in Christ (Christena Cleveland) - With a personal touch and the trained eye of a social psychologist, Cleveland brings to bear the latest studies and research on the unseen dynamics at work that tend to separate us from others. Learn why Christians who have a heart for unity have such a hard time actually uniting. The author provides real insight for ministry leaders who have attempted to build bridges across boundaries.
The Color of Compromise (Jemar Tisby) - Equal parts painful and inspirational, Tisby details how the American church has helped create and maintain racist ideas and practices. You will be guided in thinking through concrete solutions for improved race relations and a racially inclusive church.
Church Forsaken (Jonathon Brooks) - Brooks challenges local churches to rediscover that loving our neighbors means loving our neighborhoods. Unpacking the themes of Jeremiah 29, he shows how Christians can be fully present in local communities, building homes and planting gardens for the common good. His holistic vision and practical work offers good news for forgotten people and places.
Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson) - A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.
White Fragility (Robin DiAngelo) - Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine).
MOVIES:
White Like Me - Tim Wise explores how racial identity and whiteness influence the lives of white Americans, by examining how they have impacted his own life. Wise examines what it means to be white in a nation created for the benefit of those who are “white like him,” and how privilege seeps into every institutional arrangement, from education to employment to the justice system.
Waiting for Superman - From the Academy Award-winning Director of An Inconvenient Truth comes the groundbreaking feature film that provides an engaging and inspiring look at public education in the United States.
Selma - From the Oscar-winning producers of 12 Years a Slave and acclaimed director Ava DuVernay comes the true story of courage and hope that changed the world forever.
I am Not Your Negro - Director Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House. It is a journey into black history that connects the Civil Rights movement to #BlackLivesMatter. It questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond.
13th - In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.
The Mask You Live In - The Mask You Live In follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America's narrow definition of masculinity.
When they See Us - Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story.
Harriet - Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, Harriet tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes.
The Hate U Give - A teen witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend by a trigger-happy cop and must decide whether to testify or not.
VIDEOS:
The Absence of Work and the Presence of Violence: Joel Hamernick, director of Sunshine Gospel Ministries in Chicago. Joel shares his experience in Woodlawn Chicago, the causes of violence in Chicago, and what he is doing to change things.
Spotlight Part 1: Part 1 of a conversation with Sho Baraka & Propaganda where they dive deep into the topics of compassion, unity, ethics, race, faith, and the church.
PODCASTS:
We All Need Each Other - A monthly video & audio podcast from Transformation Ministries
The Liturgists, Black and White: Racism in America - A conversation about race, racism and white supremacy in America.
Scene On Radio - Seeing White Series
MUSIC:
Lecrae: All Things Work Together
Propaganda: Crooked
Sho Baraka: The Narrative, Pianos & Politics
Travis Greene: The Breaker, The Hill
WEBSITES:
Streetlights Urban Bible - Audio, video and curriculum tools to communicate the transforming Word of God.
The Witness - A black Christian collective that engages issues of religion, race, justice, and culture from a biblical perspective.