The Blessing of Adversity ((Tyndale, 2011) Barry C. Black grew up in Baltimore’s inner city, the son of a self-sacrificing, prayer warrior mother and an alcoholic father. At the age of 8, his mother brought home a thick, old record album containing two sermons of Peter Marshall, chaplain of the U. S. Senate from 1947 […]
Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010) The 365 devotions in this book are the result of personal messages author Sarah Young received from God as she listened to God and meditated on Him while sitting quietly in His presence. In the Introduction, the author emphatically states that the “Bible is, of course, the only inerrant […]
The Land Between (Zondervan, 2010) Author Jeff Manion uses the Biblical account of the Children of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness as a metaphor for being in an undesired, transitional space. He explores ways in which the Israelites’ reactions provide examples on how we should respond (or in many cases, not respond) to our own […]
Learned Optimism (Vintage, 2006) One of the consequences of the synodical call process is an inherent learned helplessness. In our synodical culture, unlike the secular world, it is not considered proper to aggressively seek employment. When an individual exhibits learned helplessness, problems are viewed as personal, pervasive and permanent. Good things, in contrast, are seen […]
The Peacemaker, Third Edition (Baker Books, 2004) The peacemaker approach to resolving conflict centers around what Ken Sande refers to as the Four G’s: Glorify God Get the log out of your own eye Gently restore Go and be reconciled The Four G’s are undergirded by the foundational G, the Gospel. The Gospel makes it […]
The Way of the Heart (Random House Publishing Group, 2003) Henri Houwen bases this book on the teachings of St. Anthony and the Desert Fathers (and Mothers). They were hermits, ascetics, monks and nuns who lived in the Egyptian desert beginning around the third century AD. Nouwen describes connecting to God via three stepping stones: […]
The Wounded Healer (Image, 1979) Henri Nouwen calls those in ministry to articulate the suffering in their own hearts, creating space for the Holy Spirit to enter and leading to the development of compassionate leadership as they recognize their woundedness porvides a common bond for renewed ministry and hospitality to others. Father Nouwen states that […]