The Return

Insightful, Illuminating and readable are the words that I think best describe this book. Jethani has focused on five tiny words---under, over, from, for, and with---to illustrate the different ways most of us relate to God. Brilliant idea, I think. The writing is clear, thoughtful, and even touching from time to time. He does not leaving you hanging with no recommendations for change and does go on in an appendix to give the reader a few ideas that he found helpful. Nothing new there; we know what needs to happen, but a reminder certainly isn’t out of order. You will find yourself identifying people you know, stages that you may have gone through, or even find yourself in the midst of now. This book explains one of the major reasons for burn-out and disillusionment among Christians. I liked the inclusion of Loyola’s examen and the brief explanation of that practice. Made much more sense and is doable in Jethani’s version. There is also a study guide for private or gro...

DeYoung and Gilbert have authored a thoughtful look at the mission of the church. The first task they undertook was to sort through the different ideas and definitions of mission. They do arrive at what seems a reasonable definition, which means I generally agree with it. Much of the book is devoted to developing their theme that mission and ministries can be distinctly different, even to the place of losing sight of one another altogether. Another point they make later is that the church, a Christian, and a bunch of Christians do not necessarily have the same focus, mission, or ministry. That is a very important point and I think needs to revisited and expanded. The confusion that these authors see about the mission of the church is based in that area, I think. But, as well written as this book is, the crowning glory for it is the epilogue, a fictitious conversation between a young church starter and a mature pastor. If for no other reason than this epilogue, this bo...

Review: Upside: Surprising Good News about the State of Our World. Bradley R.E. Wright, PhD Bethany House Publishers 2011 What a nice change of pace! Looking at the upside of major trends like finances, education, crime, marriage, environment and other big topics that are in constant conversation lately it seems. His approach to the material could not have been handled any better from a layman’s point of view. Wright’s area of expertise is sociology and he teaches at the university level. A textbook this is not. And I for one am very glad. So, when you flip through the book, don’t let the graphs scare you. His explanations are user friendly. The graphs are self explanatory and make nice summations of the discussion. I was surprised by some of the results of his work, in that they did show positive trends. I was just sure what I had seen and heard elsewhere was more the case. Worldwide educational levels were one such area. The trend is upward. And that is the key ...

In the author’s words, “I attempt to tell an honest story about faith, purpose, and love.” I think he has succeeded in his attempt. I found this book to be engaging and honest. This is not a how to fast manual. It is not hype about how wonderful the experience was for him. It is his story and he puts it all out there about the struggles he encountered during those 40 days. It is a road to discovery for him and most of the discoveries were painful. So why continue? Because he knows that he is growing personally and in his relationships through the process. His diary style approach to the 40 days is interspersed with flashbacks that reveal some of his historical markers and how they generally are centered on a meal. Food and the table gatherings figure largely for the author and make the fasting more difficult for him in some ways. The struggles he chronicles here touched some of my own, too. What he learned and wrote helped me see some issues in a different light. One e...

Alister McGrath has put words to my questions about what he calls the “New Atheism.” McGrath sees New Atheism as a form of anti-theism, “…an intense anger against religion, which is held to poison everything.” (16). Ah, now we are on the same page with McGrath. Throughout this book he examines the work of the leading proponents of the New Atheism and one by one is able to show the inconsistencies of their arguments. The best thing is even though some of the points he makes have to do with the proper formation of logical arguments he writes so that those of us who are not schooled in that area can still understand him. That is why I like this book so much. It is clear and yet leaves very little unsaid. It isn’t long either and can be read in an afternoon, and McGrath has engaged several of the New Atheism leaders in conversation. One other tidbit about McGrath, he holds an advanced degree in one of the hard sciences. He is not just taking shots from some scholarly vantage po...

It is so good to see Dr. Hunt back in the saddle again. His work is among some of the best, if not the best out there in the area of prayer. Seeing the Unseen is no exception. His candor and his knowledge of prayer show forth in this short book like a beacon in the night. He shares with his readers his years of experience in prayer without all the fluff that accompanies other books I’ve read on the subject. He makes it clear that the occasional prayer meeting will not suffice if you seriously want to see the unseen, grow in faith, and know God better than you do at this moment. He also doesn’t promise instant prayer warrior status either. He makes it clear that growth is a process, that takes time, and that it takes practice. But he also makes it clear that the end result is well worth the effort. So what didn’t I like about this book? Not much really. I could have done without some of the introductory stuff, but it was interesting. Slows down the rapid consumption of wha...

Must be time for another non-review entry.  Good intentions to visit more often just aren't enough.  It's all I've got, though.  Yes, that was a very lame excuse.  It'll have to do. So what have I been doing that takes up all my time?  Recently, I've been pushing to get a course done before the end of the month.  Tons of reading and three papers later I'm almost there.  Need the final and a "reflection paper" now.  Close, very close to reaching the finish line.  I think I'm beginning to get the hang of how to do these independent study courses.  Beginning, I say.  They are much more work than the online versions.  By about two papers at least and several progress reports.  Believe it or not I am enjoying this.  Learning a few things along the way too.  Start another course first part of July, but it's an online one.  Need the rest from this one. Got a jury summons.  Suppose to be some sort of privi...