Archive for April, 2007
Cindy Crosby, ed. Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings. IVP, 2007. 276 pp.
“To search the sacred Scripture is very good and most profitable for the soul. For, ‘like a tree which is planted near the running waters,’ so does the soul watered by sacred Scripture also grow hearty and bear fruit in due season,” writes John of Damascus in Orthodox Faith (4.17).
By helping us to read holy writings with ancient eyes, the church fathers help us drink deeply from the only water that can give us true life.
Edited by Cindy Crosby and Thomas C. Oden, this guide to prayer and reflection combines excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS) with a simple structure for either daily or weekly reading and prayer.
Included are 52 weeks of readings following cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. You can read through them in order or by thematic interest. Each day you will also find a simple opening and closing prayer drawn from the prayers and hymns of the ancient church.
Come and find the deep nourishment God offers through the insights of this “cloud of witnesses”—the ancient church fathers.
Author: IVP Bio | Faithful Reader Bio
Overview: Amazon | IVP
Excerpts: TOC | Intro | Ch 1
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David Allen. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin, 2002. 267 pp.
In today’s world, yesterday’s methods just don’t work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen’s premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to:
- Apply the “do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it” rule to get your in-box to empty
- Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
- Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
- Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
- Feel fine about what you’re not doing
From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.
Author: David Allen Co. | Wikipedia | Big Speak Bio | Blog
Overview: Amazon | Penguin | Wikipedia
Excerpts: TOC | Excerpt | Browse in Amazon
Reviews: Amazon | LibraryThing
Professors
Pastors
- Bob Hyatt, PastorHacks.net (12/06) Review
- Scott Sealy, The Country Parson (01/07) Review
Laymen
Secular
- Ben Fulton, First: Principles (05/05) Review
- Russ Allbery, Eyrie.org (04/06) Review
- Roger Johansson (06/06) Review
- Richard Bodo (02/07) Review
- Eric John Olson, Olson’s Observations (04/07) Review
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Paul F. M. Zahl. Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life. Eerdmans, 2007. 279 pp.
Grace in Practice is a challenging call to live life under grace—a concept most Christians secretly have trouble with. Paul Zahl pulls no punches, contending that no matter how often we talk about salvation by grace, in our “can-do” society we often cling instead to a righteousness of works. Asserting throughout that grace always trumps both law and church, Zahl illuminates an expansive view of grace in everything, extending the good news of grace to all creation. Conversationally written and filled with fascinating insights, Grace in Practice will reward any Christian who seeks to understand the full measure of God’s grace and the total freedom it offers.
Author: Eerdmans Bio | TESM Page
Overview: Amazon | Eerdmans | Google Books
Excerpts: TOC | Browse in Amazon | Browse in Google Books
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing | Endorsements
Pastors
- Scott Lamb, Wisdom of the Pages (04/07) Review
Unknown
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Mark Dever, et al. Preaching the Cross. Crossway, 2007. 176 pp.
Proclaiming the gospel is without a doubt the most important task of pastoral ministry, yet often other, seemingly more urgent activities obscure it. From time to time all pastors and preachers need to be reminded of the primacy of the gospel.
Preaching the Cross does just this. It is a call to expository, gospel-centered preaching as the center of pastoral ministry. This volume showcases an unprecedented combination of pastors representing a variety of evangelical traditions. Though they differ on some secondary points of church practice, they all enthusiastically celebrate the centrality of the cross of Christ—keeping the main thing the main thing. That message every reader can take away from this book and adopt in his pastoral ministry.
Authors:
Overview: Amazon | Crossway
Excerpts: TOC | Intro & Ch 1 | Browse Inside
Reviews: Amazon | Crossway | LibraryThing
Laymen
- Tim Challies, Challies.com (04/07) Review
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George Barna. Revolutionary Parenting: What the Research Shows Really Works. Tyndale, 2007. 192 pp.
The Revolution is underway, but in this new era, how can parents make a lasting impact in the spiritual lives of their children? To find the answer, George Barna researched the lives of thriving adult Christians and discovered the essential steps their parents took to shape their spiritual lives in childhood. He also learned surprising truths about which popular parenting tactics just aren’t working. Revolutionary Parenting goes beyond youth group and Sunday school and shows parents how to instill in their children a vibrant commitment to Christ.
Author: Tyndale Bio | Barna Group | Wikipedia
Overview: Tyndale | Amazon
Excerpts: TOC, Intro, Ch 1 | Intro
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing
Laymen
- Suzanne Hadley, Boundless Line (04/07) Review 1, 2
- ChristianBookLounge (04/07) Review
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Last updated 04/23/07
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Chad Owen Brand & R. Stanton Norman, eds. Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity. B&H, 2004. 353 pp.
Perspectives on Church Government presents in counterpoint form the basic models of church government which have developed over the course of church history with a view toward determining which is most faithful to Scripture. Each chapter will be written by a prominent person from within each tradition—with specific guidelines dealing with the biblical, historical, and theological issues within each governance tradition. In addition, each writer will have the opportunity to give a brief response to the other traditions.
Authors:
Overview: Amazon | B&H
Excerpts: TOC & Intro
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing
- David Roach, Baptist Press (09/04) Review (or here)
- Dennis M. Swanson, Narnia3.com (02/06) Review
- Joe Schluchter, Evangelical Presbyterian Church (03/06) Review
- Jerry Hamilton, SharperIron (08/06) Review
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Last update 04/18/07
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Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones, eds. An Emergent Manifesto of Hope. Baker, 2007. 320 pp.
Many have heard of the emerging church, but few people feel like they have a handle on what the emerging church believes and represents. Is it a passing fad led by disenfranchised neo-evangelicals? Or is it the future of the church at large?
An Emergent Manifesto of Hope represents a coming together of divergent voices into a conversation that pastors, students, and thoughtful Christians can now learn from and engage. This unprecedented collection of writings includes articles by some of the most important voices in the emergent conversation, including Brian McLaren, Dan Kimball, and Sally Morgenthaler. It also introduces some lesser known but integral players representing “who’s next” within the emerging church. The articles cover a broad range of topics, such as spirituality, theology, multiculturalism, post-colonialism, sex, evangelism, and many others. Anyone who wants to know what the emerging church is all about needs to start here.
Authors:
Overview: Baker | Amazon
Excerpts: TOC, Intro, Ch 13–14 | Excerpt | Amazon | CBD
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing
- Roger N. Overton, A-Team Blog (04/07) Review
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Last updated 04/17/07
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James M. Hamilton Jr. God’s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments. NAC Studies in Bible & Theology, ed. E. Ray Clendenen. B&H, 2006. 233 pp.
Does the Holy Spirit do the same things in New Testament times that He did in Old Testament times? Volume one in the NAC Studies in Bible & Theology series for pastors, advanced Bible students, and other deeply committed laypersons addresses this challenging subject.
God’s Indwelling Presence asks and explores the question: What are the differences and similarities between Old Testament and New Testament believers? Did God dwell in Old Testament believers as He does in New Testament believers? Were Old Testament believers born again (that is, did they experience regeneration)? What do the words indwelling and regeneration mean? How is the Holy Spirit’s ministry similar or different during Old Testament and New Testament times?
Author: SWBTS CV | Blog
Overview: Amazon | B&H | Google Books
Excerpts: TOC | Ch 3 | Browse in Google Books
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing
- Denny Burke, DennyBurke.com (01/07) Review
- Alex Chediak, AlexChediak.com (03/07) Review
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Last update 04/16/07
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Christopher J. H. Wright. Knowing the Holy Spirit Through the Old Testament. IVP, 2006. 159 pp.
We tend to think of the Holy Spirit as the straggler of the Trinity, a latecomer in God’s interaction with the world. But our first introduction to the Holy Spirit is not the drama of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts. We first meet the Holy Spirit in the second verse of the Bible, hovering there, speaking the world into existence.
Christopher Wright begins here and traces the Holy Spirit through the pages of the Old Testament. We see the Third Person of the Trinity in the decrees of prophets and psalmists, in the actions of judges and craftspeople, in the anointing of kings and the promise of a new creation.
Knowable and discernable in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is thus eminently knowable to us. The witness of the whole of Scripture, from its first pages to its last, directs us to a Holy Spirit empowering the people of God, and sustaining and renewing the face of the earth.
Author: IVP Bio | Langham Partnership
Overview: Amazon | IVP
Excerpts: TOC
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Last updated 04/16/07
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Gerald R. McDermott. God’s Rivals: Why Has God Allowed Different Religions? Insights from the Bible and the Early Church. IVP, 2007. 181 pp.
In the providence of God, why are there other religions? Was the God of the Bible wise in allowing for them? Can they serve any purpose?
Gerald R. McDermott explores reflection on teaching from the Old and New Testaments and from a number of key teachers from the early church to suggest an answer to this perplexing but intriguing question. In the end McDermott provides considerable insight into the troubling clash of world religions and offers a helpful Christian response.
Author: Roanoke Page | IVP Bio
Overview: Amazon | IVP
Excerpts: TOC | Intro | Ch 1 | Browse Inside
Reviews: Amazon | IVP | LibraryThing
- Micheal Hickerson (03/07) Review
- David Morrow (03/07) Review
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Last updated 04/12/07
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