The Return

Review: Today’s Moment of Truth: Devotions to Deepen Your Faith in Christ Lee Strobel and Mike Mittelberg Zondervan 2016 Strobel and Mittleberg have written a devotional different from most I’ve seen.   That in itself is welcome news to some of us.   They don’t tell you what to think, but help you to think.    Each day starts with a short Scripture verse or passage followed by some discussion related to that verse that illustrates an application in a person’s life.   That’s pretty standard form for devotional writing, but let me show you how this is different.   The devotional reading, I have before me at the moment carries the title Is it wrong to be right? (168).   The verse comes from John 8, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”   Have you discovered where he’s going with it yet?   The first paragraph opens with this.   “You Christians act like you’re right and everyone else is wrong.” (168)....

Review: The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Earth Anne Graham Lotz Zondervan 2016 One of the endorsements of this book said, “This work will call you out of the doldrums of lackluster faith and beckon you to renewed passion for an age-old spiritual discipline that still has wonder-working power” (Priscilla Shirer).   Absolutely, it will.   I applaud the author and the publisher for the courage to produce this work in this day and time.   Does that mean I agree with every word?   Not necessarily, but there isn’t much room to wiggle either.      This book is a call to prayer---individually and as the Church---with a view toward revival of the sort we have only read about lately.   The author sounds like one of the prophets of old as she calls to her people back to their roots.   I suspect for many that pick up this book they will find it much too challenging to finish.   Anne Graham Lotz (AGL) does no...

Review: Subversive Jesus: An Adventure in Justice, Mercy, & Faithfulness in a Broken World Craig Greenfield Zondervan 2016   Isn’t it amazing how some of the smallest things can trigger changes in a life?   Happenstance of a beggar in a ratty T-shirt at the door of a tourist attraction in an Asian capital isn’t news or unusual, but just read this book and see what his presence did for one college kid.   That’s the beginning of Greenfield’s journey or adventure borrowing from the title of his book.   Well, mostly the beginning.   There was stuff before that episode that helped add to the effect.    I ordered this book after stumbling onto his web site (Take a look around it to see what he’s up to the last 20+ years.).   Greenfield has told his story in a way that is not only engaging, but convicting.   I am glad to see this sort of story being told more frequently.   I didn’t like some of the truth he laid out about...