"How to Survive the Empty Nest Phase" (Pamela Fariole)

TITLE: How to Survive the Empty Nest Phase
AUTHOR: Pamela Fariole
PUBLISHER: Independent Publishing, 2022, (158 pages).
 

What do you do when your children grow up? What happens when you feel you are no longer needed? How do you deal with loneliness as your children leave the home one by one? According to author Pamela Fariole, it is about overcoming the initial stage of grieving toward a new stage in life: Surviving as an empty nester. Many parents will recognize such feelings. From birth to school, and from school to college, parents have revolved their lives around their children. For over twenty years, they disciplined, educated, fed, ferried, nurtured, and supplied their children with whatever they needed. There are many resources on what to do pre and post-pregnancy, caring for toddlers, parenting young children, bringing up teenagers, relating to young adults, and general parent-child relationships. On the other end of the spectrum, there are also many resources on aging and retirement. However, when it comes to empty-nesting, resources are surprisingly hard to come by. This book fills in this gap to help us manage our grief, find relief, and cultivate joy through this process. Having children is a joy. Bringing them up is a challenge filled with many ups and downs. Seeing them leave the home can usher in a flood of inexplicable emotions. That sums up the emotional journey of many parents around the world. This book is that guide to help us make this journey with purpose and wisdom. 

"Meeting Jesus at the Table" (Cynthia M. Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr)

TITLE: Meeting Jesus at the Table
AUTHOR: Cynthia M. Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2023, (160 pages).
 

Food is a significant part of any community both at home and outside the home. The Bible too has lots of references to meals, food, and feasts. There are food laws in the Torah. Throughout the Old Testament, we read instances of people needing food, like the famine in Egypt; the hungry and thirsty Israelites in the wilderness; the test of Daniel and his friends who opted for vegetarian food as their act of faith; how God fed Elijah; the feasts of kings; and so on. The need to eat continues to be a key thing in the New Testament. The gospels, especially the gospel of John use special feasts as a way to date the interactions of Jesus with the people. For Christians, the highlight of the Christian meal is none other than the Holy Eucharist or the Lord's Table.  The Lord's Table is a symbol of love, hospitality, openness, and welcome. Combing the gospels for instances of meals with Jesus, authors Cynthia Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr lead us through the different aspects of spirituality over the table. The intent of this book is to help us ponder what it means to be disciples of Christ, and what it means to be nourished body-wise and soul-wise. Food not only sustains us. It is an opportunity to cultivate relationships of all sorts. Eating together also provides teachable moments to learn spiritual lessons. In this Lenten Study, readers get to explore eight broad themes using food as a key to unlock these lessons. The authors have also engaged the input of illustrator Kevin Burns to use visual aids to invite further reflection on the past, conversation about the present, and application for the future. Each chapter helps us relate to the Season of Lent, to point us to the direction of meeting our needs in Christ alone.

"Evangelical Pharisees" (Michael Reeves)

TITLE: Evangelical Pharisees: The Gospel as Cure for the Church's Hypocrisy
AUTHOR: Michael Reeves
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2023, (128 pages).

During Jesus' time, some of Jesus' harshest criticisms were leveled at the Pharisees and religious leaders. The key reason: Hypocrisy. Jesus uses words like "blind guides," "fools," "leaven," "vipers," "whitewashed tombs," and "hypocrites." If there is any one word that would sum up how Jesus saw the religious establishment then, it would be the latter: Hypocrites. Author Michael Reeves adds to this pot of nouns with "hidden cancer," and points out the three major theological problems with the Pharisees; namely, their approach to Scripture; their understanding of salvation; and their disregard for regeneration. Reeves then introduces the three Rs to correct these three problems: Revelation, Redemption, and Regeneration. Each chapter is then devoted to unpacking each of these Rs. Embedded within these chapters are frequent comparisons of modern evangelicals with the Pharisees of old as well as warnings not to make the study and interpretation of Scripture become an end in itself. We need to gospel to correct our lens of interpretation. We need to get the salvation message clear that we are saved not by works but by grace alone. Each of these Rs parallels the members of the Triune Godhead. The Revelation of the Bible is to be seen in the light of God the Father who graciously reveals Himself to the world through the Word of God. The Redemption according to the Bible is about Christ coming down to earth to rescue us from our sins. The Regeneration aspect refers to the work of the Holy Spirit to enable us to do the will of God. 

"Church Revitalization: A Pastoral Guide to Church Renewal" (Russell N. Small)

TITLE: Church Revitalization: A Pastoral Guide to Church Renewal
AUTHOR: Russell N. Small
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Ministry, 2023, (232 pages).
 

Like it or not, every organization will need to be refreshed or revitalized every now and then. Existing members age or move on to "greener" pastures. New people move in and form new relationships. As dynamics shift from year to year, organizational structures can sometimes become archaic and inflexible to changes. Pastoral transitions also play a part in the range of changes. If these changes are to be expected, it makes perfect sense to prepare for them. This book shows us the way. The first five chapters present some theories to know and assess "critical areas" in such revitalization efforts. The following five chapters present the practical steps to put them into action. The primary purpose of the book is to recognize Church Revitalization as a calling and to help do our part to renew the Church over and over again. Chapter One sets the stage to bring us back to the fundamental convictions of a Church. Questions are asked pertaining to the definition of a Church, what it stands for, and the types of churches we are talking about. Not all churches are the same doctrinally, traditionally, and structurally. Not a problem. The point is not about the differences but to recognize our own church's conviction, mission, and vision. Chapter 3 deals with the history of the Church so as to establish a pattern of thought. This includes the assessment of past pastorates, reviewing Church records, major decisions made, spiritual successes, and listening carefully to members and the community. Chapter 4 deals with demographic concerns both inside the Church and outside in the neighborhood. On the inside, we look at factors such as generational differences and on the outside, to learn awareness about the cultural, social, and political climate. Chapter 5 looks at the spiritual health of the pastor. There are various personality tests for pastors to take to better self-understanding. There are also tips of pastoral wellness and emotional health. An important point to note is the danger of burnout and blowout! There is also a section on digital wellness which is increasingly relevant. From chapter 6 onward, the author brings in several strategies to help us plan toward Church revitalization. It is crucial that we do not skip the first few chapters about Chruch and leadership personal evaluation, lest we put the cart before the horse.

"Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God" (Gordon D. Fee)

TITLE: Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God
AUTHOR: Gordon D. Fee
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023, (240 pages).
 

The Holy Spirit is God's Empowering Presence. Paul teaches and lives it. He urges the people of God to do the same. How do we not only learn more about the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, maybe like what the Early Church had experienced? Perhaps, before we move into the actual application, we need to learn more about the continuity and discontinuity gap between the Old and New Covenant. Recognizing the struggles to link these two important truths, well-respected professor, Dr. Gordon Fee has written his Magnus opus on the Holy Spirit from the perspective of Pauline theology. From Paul's window into the Holy Spirit, he draws out the connection between what Paul says and what we experience in our present life in Christ, before extending it to the relevance of the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of the Church. For that to happen, we need to draw a series of connections between the past and the present. This includes relationships between:

• Understanding and experiencing the Theology of the Holy Spirit;
• The old covenant and the new;
• The Individual and the Community;
• Present and Future
• Soteriology and Eschatology;
• Conversion to Covenant;
• and more...