"What Every Christian Needs to Know About Judaism" (Rabbi Evan Moffic)

TITLE: What Every Christian Needs to Know About Judaism
AUTHOR: Rabbi Evan Moffic
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2020, (224 pages).

Christians generally recognize the link between Judaism and Christianity. Jesus ministered among Jews. Many religious rituals came from Jewish culture. The twelve disciples were all Jews. The Bible contains many references to Jewish practices. There were feasts and rituals that are familiar to the Jew. However, from these, not much else is known to the layperson. In this book, author Rabbi Evan Moffic's primary purpose is to unpack Jewish teachings for Christians, to establish a deeper appreciation of Judaism and Jewish culture. In this manner, he hopes that Christians will learn to grow closer to Jesus by understanding the times, the contexts, and the uniqueness of Judaism. In doing so, he aims to build bridges between Jews and Christians to share the common heritage. Throughout the book, Rabbi Moffic shares the common elements. First, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures is the same as the God of the Bible. He addresses common questions surrounding the nature of God; His Revelation; topic of suffering, etc. On suffering, he helpfully points out the three different approaches to suffering: Job approach; Jeremiah approach; and the Maimonides approach; Lurianic approach; and the Kaplan approach. These are definitely eye-opening approaches that Christians would benefit from learning.

"When Anything Goes" (Leslie Williams)

TITLE: When Anything Goes: Being Christian in a Post-Christian World
AUTHOR: Leslie Williams
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2016, (208 pages).

We are living in a post-Christian era. It is an era of 70% Americans calling themselves Christians but the culture is nowhere near being Christian. It is a neo-scientific, new age, new heresies, new global polarizations, pluralism, secular and humanist philosophies. Universities are secularized, even those with Christian beginnings. People nowadays have largely forgotten what Christianity really means despite their ancestors link with Christianity. From the point of view of Leslie Williams, an English professor, she observes that the generation of young people now have lost sense of biblical references in literature, biblical origins of law and cultural symbols, and a general loss of influence of Christianity. Instead of a book of apologetics that react or respond against anti-Christian cultural claims, this book is more about the author's personal narrative of what it means to be a Christian in a post-Christian world. The underlying conviction is that God is not only alive and well, God is still redeeming us from the follies and bad decisions we make.

Leslie Williams is an English Professor at Midland College for over 20 years. She lives in Kerrville, Texas with her husband. Writing with a personal voice about "real life," Williams warns at the outset that this book will not have any "scholar's voice," "theories," or theological jargon. Not exactly "anything goes" technically speaking. She is probably trying to appeal to that segment of readers who prefer a down to earth language and response to a world that is increasingly anti-Christian. Believing that Christianity is for everyone, Williams uses rhetoric, literature, and her own personal journey as a way to show us that God is anything but "dead." Culture is a strange thing. We are immersed and influenced by it. Unless we live with intention, we will be swept along by the waves. Williams uses a type of reasoning that is more understandable in this day and age. She avoids difficult concepts like "soul," and ideas like people believing in Jesus simply because the Bible tells them so. In a culture where anything goes, it is important to recognize that existing culture is incapable of substituting the present for what Christianity had done for the people in the past. It is unfortunate that some people have thrown out the baby with the bathwater when reacting against the excesses of radicalism in various religions. This book of narrative is Williams's approach to defending the Christian faith. She uses nine broad strokes to explain why Christianity matters.

"What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Jewishness of Jesus" (Rabbi Evan Moffic)

TITLE: What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Jewishness of Jesus: A New Way of Seeing the Most Influential Rabbi in History
AUTHOR: Rabbi Evan Moffic
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (224 pages).

The seeds for this book were planted at the end of a lecture at a local church. Someone commented to the author about desiring to be a Jew just to understand more of what Jesus experienced. Challenged by that, Rabbi Evan Moffic tries to build a bridge for non-Jews to understand Jesus more through the lens of Jewish unique culture. We learn several interesting things.

• A Disciple is more than simply a student. He is a "link between the past, present, and future." Without disciples, essentially there is no future.
• Jesus' miracles are not to wow audiences but is a direct challenge against the stubborn Pharisees and religious leaders. The miraculous signs are traces of God's presence to show us the existence of the supernatural.
• Love in Jewish culture is an "active pursuit" rather than a passive feeling.
• In Jewish culture, faith is about persons rather than in things or concepts. That's why "faith" in the Old Testament is more about "faithfulness," how one exercises faith, rather than some idea. 
• Just like the Torah has multiple entry points to God, we can love God in multiple ways too. 

"Hollywood Jesus" (Matt Rawle)

TITLE: Hollywood Jesus: A Small Group Study Connecting Christ and Culture (The Pop in Culture Series)
AUTHOR: Matt Rawle
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (128 pages).

How is pop culture influencing the world? Are Christians able to counter this pervasive reach of Hollywood with the gospel? If all things were made through Christ, and Christians called to reach the world for Christ, why does it seem that more people know about Hollywood stars than the person of Jesus Christ? How do we reach a people who have been so thoroughly indoctrinated with Hollywood philosophy that oozes worldliness? According to author Matt Rawle, we are not called to reject the pop culture around us. Instead, we need to "re-narrate" them. Just like Jesus who did not reject the cross but endured the shame and transformed something very bad into something so powerful. The purpose of this four-session small group study is to learn to engage the culture around us by opening our eyes to the "spiritual truths" flowing through many different channels of communications today. Key to the whole book is the question: "How are we portraying Jesus to those in our circles of influence?"

One common theme throughout pop culture is the story it tells. Many Hollywood movies depend on good stories that moved from books to screens. In fact, Rawle asserts that the story of Jesus Christ has been portrayed from explicitly Christian titles like "Jesus of Nazareth," "The Gospel of John," "The Passion of the Christ," "Jesus Christ Superstar," to other less obvious titles like "Tommy," "The Matrix," "Ratatouille," "Man of Steel," and even "Star Wars." The sessions are entitled as follows:

"Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations" (Robert Schnase)

TITLE: Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations
AUTHOR: Robert Schnase
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2007, (144 pages).

Discipleship is one of the most used words in the Christian world, in churches, and in many Christian communities. What is it? How does it look like? What are the fruits of a Christian life? Where are the evidence of a Church that is exercising the ministry of discipleship? According to the Bishop of Missouri Conference (United Methodist Church), Robert Schnase, these are summed up in five practices; namely:

1. Radical Hospitality
2. Passionate Worship
3. Intentional Faith Development
4. Risk-Taking Mission and Service
5. Extravagant Generosity

Schnase's purpose in writing this book is to give "permission, focus, and encouragement" for churches and Christian communities to be creative and to be able to grow in all aspects of ministry. He recognizes the hunger in people to want to grow. He believes that any congregation large or small; urban or rural; as long as they are intentional about discipleship and fruitfulness, they will serve well as transformed people. Meant to be used as a discussion guide for small groups as well as those in positions of influence, it is geared toward enabling the work of sharing the gospel with all.

"Counterfeit Christianity" (Roger E. Olson)

TITLE: Counterfeit Christianity: The Persistence of Errors in the Church
AUTHOR: Roger E. Olson
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (184 pages).

Where there is truth, there will also be falsehood lurking around. Like the early encounter with the deceiving serpent, Adam and Eve faced trickery right from the start. The only problem is that they succumbed to the temptation and disobeyed God. Since then, heresies, half-truths, and lies have burdened the human race with grief and pain. Some Christians prefer not to talk about heresies, believing that as long as truth is studied, they will be alright. Begging to differ, Roger E. Olson, a Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University asserts that both heresies and truths need to be studied. That is why he devotes a chapter each to describe what heresies are and what orthodoxy means. We need to study heresies because of 1) Heresy exists; 2) It is important for discernment; 3) It helps us learn what ways they twist or deny orthodoxy; 4) It is important for Christian discipleship that helps us defend the truth; 5) It protects the Church; 6) It enables us to understand and appreciate sound doctrine. On criticisms at the title of this book, Olson defends it by saying that it exists, which is why discernment is needed. Like the existence of truth. If truth exists, heresy will also come about. If there is no truth, heresies will self-destruct as it has nothing to bend or corrupt. In Olson's words, "heresy depends on orthodoxy." Heresies covered in this book include not only the historical ones that go against the great tenets of Christian faith, but also the more subtle postmodern ones. Olson references heresy as the "mother of orthodoxy" because it was due to the existence of heresies that forces the Early Christian leaders to write clear statements of orthodox faith through the creeds and defenses of the truth. With the explicit statements of faith, heresies are shunted away as errors to beware of.

"The Sky Is Falling, the Church is Dying, and Other False Alarms" (Ted A. Campbell)

TITLE: The Sky Is Falling, the Church Is Dying, and Other False Alarms
AUTHOR: Ted A. Campbell
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (116 pages).

There is a reason why people keep saying: "No news is good news." Just open up the daily newspapers or the headline news and you should find out a few more reasons. Simply put, there is so much bad news reporting out there, that not hearing anything about it is in itself a good news already. Ironically, while the Church is not of this world, it often seems like doomsday prophecies and bad news continue to plague the state of the Church. Even among Christians, it is common to hear the following bad news:

• The Church is dying
• The numbers are dwindling
• The spiritual vitality of churches are deteriorating
• Many Christians are discouraged, down, and disillusioned
• ..

On and on, it seems so ironical that the very Church that is supposed to preach the good news is herself swimming in the pools of bad news. Ted A. Campbell bucks this trend by suggesting that all these bad news statements are simply false alarms. They are based on old paradigms. They rely on past expectations that are projected unwittingly into the future unrealistically. While the Church is not the same institution it once was, that does not mean the Church is going to go away anytime soon. It is not a deteriorating kind of growth. It is simply a different kind of growth. It is not about Christianity declining in the West. It is about new forms of Christianity rising in other parts of the world. The West simply needs to catch the wave. Rather than to say people are disinterested in religion or Church, it is more accurate to acknowledge that people are still interested in faith matters, just not in the old ways we used to work. 

"Gifts of the Dark Wood" (Eric Elnes)

TITLE: Gifts of the Dark Wood: Seven Blessings for Soulful Skeptics (and Other Wanderers)
AUTHOR: Eric Elnes
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (240 pages).

"You have a place in this world"; so begins the book that is marinaded with assurance and acceptance. It addresses the fundamental aspects of life, what are we searching for, where is home, and in particular, where are we. It is an invitation to journey through the dark woods and discover for ourselves the gifts that we so often miss out in our busyness of life. It is a quest for life not on the basis of following the rules and false promises of human schemes but on the basis of God alone. We do not stand on the premises of the Church in hope, but on the promise of God who is the True Giver of Hope. The gifts to be revealed in this book show us how to deal with emptiness, uncertainty, lostness, temptations, being misfits, and so on. What appears like curses can be blessings in disguise. This is what trusting and following Christ entails: Not what we expect to happen, but what surprises God has in store for us. This calls us for rearranging our inner dinner table to let God sit and the head and us being ready to dine with Him. It is a book for "Dark Wood" travelers. Often shunned in favour of security and clarity, Elnes brings us back to revisit the dark night of the soul, experienced by the saints of old.

"The New Adapters" (Jacob Armstrong with Adam Hamilton and Mike Slaughter)

TITLE: The New Adapters: Shaping Ideas to Fit Your Congregation
AUTHOR: Jacob Armstrong with Adam Hamilton and Mike Slaughter
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (120 pages).

How much do we love the Church? Do we spend more time criticizing the things she does? Have we constructively built up the Church over the years? Do we really believe in the Church that we are prepared to adapt our ways according to changing times? In this book, after a conversation with United Methodist Church ministers, Adam Hamilton and Mike Slaughter, Jacob Armstrong have come up with a model called "The New Adapters" model to bridge and help old established ideas with adapting to new reality in changing times. His vision of such new adaptation comprises eight broad proposals. Firstly, the vision must fit the mission field. This means that we cannot allow our own preconceptions to determine the ministry we want to be in. Rather, we need to know the community first through "learning, knowing, and loving the community" that we are in. This calls for an attitude of "Praying and Listening" so as to bridge our past "megaphone model" with the current "direct marketing" model to our community. Armstrong provides six questions to help do the listening. Secondly, the mission of the Church must include ministry to the poor. We must resist the temptation to stick to the wealthy, the influential, and the powerful. For such efforts tend to make us rely less on the providence of God. Preaching good news to the poor was Jesus' announcement prior to his ministry. Such "focus on the poor" can help bring any inward focus toward outreach. Churches that ignore the poor do so at their own peril. Thirdly, create new spaces for new people. Let these new spaces bring people from buildings to programs. Spaces are not just physical places but opportunities for people to work and live together.  This means not making visitors and strangers fit into our mold but to allow compassion and love to adjust according to the needs of these visitors and new people.

"Not Safe for Church" (F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Jasmine Rose Smothers)

TITLE: Not Safe for Church: Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations
AUTHOR: F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Jasmine Rose Smothers
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (144 pages).

For the early adopters, this book is a welcome challenge. For those used to keeping the status quo, this book is a wake up call to stand up and take action. For the rest of us who are neither of these groups, perhaps, the authors of this book can persuade us to join the brave and the bold to do battle with complacency and conceit within the Church. Written by F. Douglas Powe Jr. who is the James C. Logan Professor of Evangelism and Professor of Urban Ministry, Associate Director of Center for Missional Church at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C, and Jasmine Rose Smothers, Associate Director of Connectional Ministries within the United Methodist Church in Georgia, the book contains ten tips for churches to learn how to reach new generations now!

Beginning with a "minority report" that goes all the way back to the twelve spies asked to check out Canaan, the authors warn us not to become like the ten spies who filed a "majority report" out of fear and lack of faith. By refusing to go forth and enter the land, they failed to act in faith and in the process angered God. Although we do not live in Old Testament times, the principle remains the same. Are we going to remain in our comfort zones and delay obeying the Great Commission? Or are we going to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and the follow Christ in faith? The answer is clear. It is the latter and this book aims to push us even further with ten creative ventures to reach post civil-rights generations. The authors are primarily trying to motivate their congregations (mainly black) to think and act differently. The Ten Commandments in NSFC are:

1. Thou Shall Chill: What’s at Stake (Let It Go)
2. Thou Shall Not Front: Be Authentic
3. Thou Shall Not Trip: Discuss Taboo Subjects
4. Thou Shall Check Yourself before You Wreck Yourself: Provide Inclusive Worship and Bible Study
5. Thou Shall Learn How We Roll: Create New Entry Points
6. Thou Shall Watch the Throne: Rethink Leadership
7. Thou Shall Get Game: Engage Mission and Activism in Meaningful Ways
8. Thou Shall Not Deny My Swag: Hear New Insights
9. Thou Shall Sample: Bring Together the Old and New
10. Thou Shall Represent: The Future Is Now!

Just looking at the language used should remind readers that in order to appreciate the book, one needs to understand that it is written for people familiar with black culture. It can be rather educational for non-black people.  The "Ten Commandments" here have nothing to do with the biblical ten commandments. It is basically a list of ten things for leaders to take note of and to act now. What is helpful for me are the discussion questions at the end of each chapter that can be relevant to many churches. Complacency and a lack of connections at an intergenerational level are common concerns for all churches. Every generation will need to address their own challenges. This book helps kick start the process.

Rating: 3.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Abingdon Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Worship Ways for the People Within Your Reach" (Thomas G. Bandy)

TITLE: Worship Ways For the People Within Your Reach
AUTHOR: Thomas G. Bandy
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2014, (216 pages).

First it was the segregation of worship by time, distinct times in the morning, afternoon of evening services. Then it became separated by generational preferences, between traditional, youth, middle-age, etc. It then evolved into differences over worship styles, contemporary vs traditional, and so on. These brings up the core question: Why worship?

What is the point of worship? Does it really matter what kinds of worship ways we adopt? For an increasingly disenchanted communities and fragmented world, worship seems meaningless. Church consultant and leadership coach, Thomas Bandy then asks this revealing question:

"If worship were simply cancelled and Sunday morning ceased to become the centerpiece of church experience, what would happen?"

"Slowing Time" (Barbara Mahany)

TITLE: Slowing Time: Seeing the Sacred Outside Your Kitchen Door
AUTHOR: Barbara Mahany
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2014, (208 pages).

For the racer, speed is king. For the high achiever, quick results means efficiency. For the impatient, any time saved is never really good enough. As a result, the world spins faster and faster turning life into a giant rat race. Many of us have become so accustomed to such a lifestyle that "fast-paced," "busyness," and "quickly" have become norms in our culture. As the task grinds on, and as exhaustion wears one down, work increasingly looks more like a chore. The clock runs ceaselessly pulling people in and breaking people up. Something must change. We cannot live on speed forever. Machines may be light-speed capable, but man is very much "life speed." Life is about telling a story not rushing a storybook to meet a human deadline. The big question is how. If everybody is so busy, who would have time to look at the slower things in life? Enters author Barbara Mahany, who knows what the benefits of slowing down are.

"Abundant Living" (E. Stanley Jones)

TITLE: Abundant Living: 364 Daily Devotions
AUTHOR: E. Stanley Jones
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2014, (384 pages).

E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973) was a Methodist missionary to India. Soaked in biblical wisdom and powerful experiences in the mission field, Jones has written widely and wisely about the Christian life. Unfortunately, Jones himself admits that this book is probably his least successful book as no one paid any attention to it. Until the late Dr Martin Luther King Jr referred to it. It was E. Stanley Jones's friendship with Mahatma Gandhi and his writings that spurred the late civil rights leader to shape his protest movement.

Designed to be read systematically on a daily basis, readers will quickly notice the continuity of thought while leafing through the pages. Grounded with deep awareness of the human psyche and the cultural nuances that we all face from day to day, Jones is a wise guide to anticipate the questions that we have, and to lead us gently to discover the weaknesses of our own strengths, that we may realize our deep need for God. Each page looks initially like "Our Daily Bread" devotional. Unlike ODB, the devotionals are all written by Jones himself, filled with lots of personal experiences on the mission field, followed by spiritual insights to accompany the observations. It ends with a prayer in bold italics to help us refocus back on God. Jones is passionate about the defense of the Christian faith against worldly philosophies such as psychiatry that is too lopsided toward the science and missing out the moral values; or the complete lack of understanding of what science can offer and erroneously dismissing all things as spiritual problems. Jones is not only theologically astute, he is down to earth. His brand of apologetics is rather unique in that he does not simply argue against the non-Christian religions, he shows what he means. For example, in the "Calling the Roll of Life Strategies," Jones shows us the emptiness of Fascism and Capitalism, and reminds us that life's supreme choice will determine how one will live. Spiritual warfare is also big in Jones's agenda. He lists the fifteen seed enemies of the faith that not only threatens the spiritual life but the whole person. He offers tips for deliverance and to show us the way of self discipline. Toward the end of the book, one can see a greater emphasis on kingdom matters,

The devotions all have abundant living as a theme. Overcoming sins, debunking erroneous philosophies, correcting theological flaws, and living for God are all consistently taught. Readers will find that as they reflect upon the convictions of Jones and the writings that show forth the need for God, they will find more to agree with than anything else. This devotional is spiritual dynamite! Don't read this book at night. You may be too excited even to sleep.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Abingdon Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Mercy and Melons: Praying the Alphabets" (Lisa Nichols Hickman)

TITLE: Mercy & Melons: Praying the Alphabet
AUTHOR: Lisa Nichols Hickman
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2014, (208 pages).

Many people believe wholeheartedly that prayer is important. Some memorize the Lord's Prayer. Others religiously go through set times of prayer. Some pray through the Bible, while others pray with personal concerns in mind. What about the ancients? How do they pray? In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people often pray using a system that is easy to remember. One such method is acrostic structure, just like Psalm 119 which are all laid out according to the Hebrew alphabets. That way, people can remember with ease and to pray with systematic convenience. In our Western culture, we often use literary devices such as acronyms, alliterations, assonance, or other ways in which to remember how and what to pray. Sometimes, all we need is a way to trigger and bring out our prayers. For author Lisa Nichols Hickman, it is about praying the English Alphabet, to let them become "prompts for prayer." She works through each alphabet creatively looking not only at how the letter spawns a thought or an object, but also how the alphabet is a metaphor for life. Like the letter "A" in which she notices the ascend on one side and a descend down the other. She keeps an open eye on how each alphabet links not only what we see but also what we hear. Like a spiritual thesaurus, concordance, and dictionary, she lets her flow of thought weaves in daily occurrences with biblical references; normal activities with ancient events; contemplating the present and at the same time anticipating the future.

I was curious about how M eventually became the title of this book. Why of all the 26 alphabets did Hickman decides upon using M? It turns out that it was simply an "earworm" she was having where the words simply remained in her head so much that even when she walked, the "melons and mercy become the rhythms" of her feet. Be warned that this "earworm" can creep into readers too. Toward the end, Hickman gives us several more suggestions on how to begin to pray more creatively. Lest readers misunderstand, this is not a book about techniques or methods. It is simply a way to spur prayer moments by using the simplest circumstances available to us. It may not be a like Brother Lawrence's Practice of the Presence of God. Neither is it a prayer manual like the Anglican Church's Book of Prayer. It is also not a book that describes the particulars of prayer and praying like Andrew Murray or Richard Foster. It is simply a prayer that uses literary devices to guide one's prayer life.

For me, I find the book very refreshing and non-intrusive to our everyday lives. We should not be restricted to praying only at our rigid times or specific places, though those arrangements are good. Hickman's book is like a companion walking alongside us as we busy ourselves with our daily activities. By using the letters as prompt pointers, Hickman shows us how we can disentangle ourselves from the complicated essays of life, not to be sidelined by the paragraphs of our life plans nor the sentences of our work. We can learn not to be saddled with the demands of words and where to place our punctuation marks. Instead, we are encouraged to go back all the way to the first alphabet, to begin with a clean slate. That is precisely what many people would need in a busy, multitasking, and easily distracted world. Maybe, this book is more than mercy and melons. It is grace and gentleness. I suppose if the author decides to write another book of the same theme, she can easily come up with another series of alphabets and words. That is what prayer is. It is creative, refreshing, and very life-giving because prayer is not about a series of words or what to say. It is also about listening to the voice of God and learning know when to speak and when to remain silent.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Abingdon Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"The Book of Not So Common Prayer" (Linda McCullough Moore)

TITLE: The Book of Not So Common Prayer: A New Way to Pray, A New Way to Live
AUTHOR: Linda McCullough Moore
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2014, (176 pages).

There are some people who claim that liturgical prayers and no longer necessary as they say things like, "I say grace. I pray and work at the same time. I pray on the fly just like Brother Lawrence." Those who say this will be badly mistaken. Brother Lawrence is not just a man who prays when he works. He also participates in liturgy and prayers 8 times a day. This is what "unceasing prayer" looks like. We pray whether we work, rest, or performing religious liturgies. The "Practice of the Presence of God" is not just for those who work and work. It is also for all other moments when we are not working or doing something. In our modern world of technology, gadgets, and mobility on the go, praying is increasingly becoming an after-thought or a spiritual flash in the religious pan. How then do we cultivate a prayerfulness amid a busy lifestyle we live in? Bill Hybels claims that our society has made us think we have become too busy to pray. That is why he counters by saying it is "too busy not to pray." Moore, an accomplished writer hopes that more will not only know how to pray, but want desperately to pray.

She begins with her own musings about how prayer is essentially what we were made for. Realising that it is quite challenging to schedule prayer times during the day, she looks beyond mere time toward posture. She tries out intentional Bible reading as prayer. She involves her whole body to reflect a posture of prayer. She examines the set times of prayer Jesus often takes and questions the very notion of speedy prayers that many modern teachers suggest. While it is true that short prayers are better than not praying, the overuse of short prayers in our prayer life will mean the loss of spiritual disciplines. Moore writes:

"The reason we do not spend one of those hours every day in prayer is because we do not want to, and we do not want to because we have not spent an hour there." (p10)

It is a matter of the will, not about the deficiencies of the flesh. Do we desire God more or do we want to gratify self more? She points out whether our use of time has unwittingly become a reflection of the god we worship. "Time is a thermometer" of our spiritual passions. She falls back to the conventional ACTS paradigm of prayer to begin with: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. She talks about how art can infuse a prayerfulness. She looks at Confession and sees it not as a negative in terms of pouring out our sins, but as a positive in terms of how it frees us from burdensome sinful past. Good prayers are those with a concentrated gaze on God. I like that.  Prayer is also about prayer for all people, those we love and the strangers that come to mind.

Other uncommon prayer habits include the need to understand how time impacts our praying. Many people have a tendency to schedule our prayer time without much thought. Some prefer the start of day while others prefer either the evening or the midday. With the constant struggle between praying first or work first, all of us need to find our own rhythms through the day. Moore likens the need to find time to pray to the need for finding time to write. Gently, she encourages readers to move beyond mere praying times toward seeking to find God at all times. She looks at self-discipline and notes how similar it is to habits. The illustration about how one breaks the habit of using the TV remote control within the first seven seconds of sitting on a couch is instructive. Likewise, in cultivating prayer as a discipline, we can take concrete steps to remove the distractions of our daily life, so as to be intentional about keeping the important thing the main thing.

I ask myself: "What's so uncommon about the prayers in this book?" Actually, it is about small paradigm shifts. It is what I call habitual jiggling to renew our love for God through prayer. It aims to turn unceasing prayer that grows beyond mere set times toward loving God and neighbour in the ministry of prayerfulness. Moore writes in a manner that ranks her in the same category as Anne Lamott and to some extent Anne Dillard. Some readers may question whether she is qualified to write spiritual works as she has no theological degree or some Christian teaching credentials. I would answer by simply saying, one does not need a degree to talk about religious stuff. One needs to be a believer. As believers, we are all called to pray, and Moore is essentially using her gift of writing to encourage more to pray.


Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Abingdon Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Love to Stay" (Adam Hamilton)

TITLE: Love to Stay: Sex, Grace, and Commitment
AUTHOR: Adam Hamilton
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2013, (176 pages).

With Valentine's Day just a few more days away, it is rather appropriate to have a book about love, sex, and marriage. It is easy for anyone to locate statistics about how bad the divorce rates are and how many marriages are struggling. There are also negative connotations whenever couples go for marriage counseling sessions, for the assumption is always problematic couples going for counseling together. We all know that the institution of marriage is increasingly under threat. More people are choosing instead to live together without bothering to get married. "It's just a piece of paper." They say. Is it?

Pastor and author, Adam Hamilton says it is more than a piece of paper. Marriage is a calling. It is good. It is a union of two person's all for the benefit of the marriage relationship. Both are counterparts, partners, lovers, helpers, companions, and mutual blessors. It is a relationship that is eros transformed into agape. The mission and vision for marriage is to reach an agape of selfless service, beautiful, profound, and holy. The wedding vows present the reality and scope of such love.

In order to achieve that, five things are necessary. First, both husband and wife are to know their gender uniqueness. It is about selfless living to put the interests of one's spouse to be selfless loving. Marriages are worth investing and worth our time and resources to cultivate. It means building up a healthy "love bank." Second, sexual intimacy protects the marriage. Hamilton notes that the older the couple is, the lesser the number of times they made love.  Plumbing through the expert studies and research journals, he encourages couples to schedule times of lovemaking, see the sex act as part of the mission of marriage, and learn fun and play in the process with each other. Of interest is the link between sexual intimacy and regular conversations. The more couples communicate, the better their lovemaking. This one point is probably worth the price of the book! Third, cultivate good habits that heal rather than hurt. One particular habit is how we speak of our spouses to other people. Do we do so respectfully? Have we done it lovingly? What would we like our spouses to speak of us? Habits do make a relationship. Otherwise, we risk exposing our marriages to temptations. Hamilton suggests five steps to protect our marriage from temptations. Fourth, marriages must be filled with forbearance and forgiveness. In order to make love last, note the behaviours that will turn off our spouses and then refrain from doing them. Recognize the bad habits that irritate and stop doing them out of love. Remember that relationships do not rise or fall overnight due to any one major crisis. Most of the time, the small little issues that build up over time are more fatal. Do an annual marriage review. Make room for honest and healthy conflict. Fight not to break but fight for the marriage. Recognize the "four horsemen of the apocalypse" (criticism, defensiveness, contempt, stonewalling). Pray together. Finally, learn to return to the first love moment in our marriage, just like the biblical truth that urges us to return to our first love. This is another way of going back to first principles. It means returning to what the Bible teaches and then obey them. Learn to say "Thank you" to each other. Learn to pray together.

This book is a nice summary of many popular marriage manuals. Sometimes, I wonder whether we still need another book on marriage. After all, there are already so many books out there. In the light of the many challenges in marriage nowadays, I think the need is greater each day. Marriage is worth writing for. That is why I encourage readers to pick up this book and learn all over again. I like the way Hamilton puts it, especially the part about married couples going for couples only when their marriage is in trouble. The point is, why do we need to wait until a problem occurs before going for counseling? Like a car that needs regular maintenance in order to run reliably, so do marriages. Another point is about the sex component. I find that Hamilton may have spent relatively more time on the physical sex at the expense of stressing sexual intimacy. Yes, the act is important, but the intimacy is also equally important. Personally, I would note that sexual intimacy is more than sex. Itt is different from sex although sex is a component of it. Sexual intimacy means knowing one another, being vulnerable, being open, and naked before the other. It is a special union that is beautiful, profound, and holy. Hollywood and perverted sexual images have marred our understanding of sex and intimacy. Having sex does not mean intimacy for one can have sex without establishing intimacy. At the same time, being intimate does not necessarily mean one must perform the sexual act. I appreciate the way Hamilton suggests ideas and recommendations from the standpoint of those who are singles or still unmarried. It makes this book more inclusive.

This is a worthy addition to one's marriage resource library, but don't just buy it and shelve it. Read it and practice it. For love is here to stay.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Abingdon Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Listen: Praying in a Noisy World" (Reuben P. Job)

TITLE: Listen: Praying in a Noisy World
AUTHOR: Reuben P. Job
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2014, (144 pages).

When God speaks, we need to listen. When God has spoken and we have no clue what it is, then we have not really listened. Reuben Job, invites us to a 40-days journey of praying and listening to God even when the world around us is noisy, distracting, and complicated. The desire to listen is indeed a reflection of our desire to love God and to love our neighbours. Instead of constantly being on a lookout for a solution out there, why not consider preparing our inner hearts to listen inside? Prayer, Scripture, questions, and guidelines are listed for each of the 40 days to help readers put into practice the art of listening. We are urged to use the "Prayer of Presence" to recognize God near us. We learn to adopt "Silence" as a counter-cultural practice, to turn our attention away from the worldly matters toward God. Key to listening is the use of "Scripture" which forms the core of all the reflections. Then there is the "Reading" of a story followed by a "Discovery and Dialogue" to reveal more insights. Finally, there is the "Response" to what we have listened.

It is quite typical for us to rush from place to place, even when our hearts are unprepared. Doing things is a way to prove we are useful. After going around our day simply doing stuff, at the end of the day, it may be frustrating when we start to ask what all of our doing actually mean. Was it worth it? Could there have been a better use of our time? What is God's will in all of these? I know there are many Christians who are passionate about Christ and are earnest about living out their faith. The struggle is about how they live out a quiet faith in a noisy world. According to retired United Methodist Bishop, Reuben Job, it all begins at home in our hearts. It starts with listening, praying, contemplating, and deliberating our actions. I know of people who tend to see the practice of faith daily as an either-or option. Some say that they need to begin the day well with their devotional or "quiet time" in order to make their day right. Others say that due to practical considerations, they can only do their devotionals at the end of the day. Yet, others may say that an appropriate combination of the two is more important. Maybe, I can propose an alternative. This is what I call a disposition approach. Train ourselves to be willing to listen at all times, especially in our waking hours. This is because God cannot be bounded only to our desk or during moments of our "Quiet Time." God can speak anytime, anywhere, and anyhow. God can even choose not to say anything at any given circumstance. Like the parable of the Ten Virgins, we need always to keep our lamps filled with oil. In the same light, we need to keep our attentiveness to God full. Through the practice of the 40-days exercises, we learn to train ourselves with better listening skills.

There are several gems in this book. Some of my favourites are:

• "We must rely first on the ever-present spirit of God, not on particular methods or models of prayer and discernment, for guidance, direction, and companionship."
• "Christians at their best are good listeners, and the Christian church, when most faithful, is a listening community."
• "When everything else seemed frightening, the rhythm of my heartbeat gave him confi dence, comfort, and peaceful rest. Today, how do we intend to hear the heartbeat of God?"
• "Prayer is not meant to be complicated, complex, and left to professionals. Prayer is for all of us. it is simply offering the fears, needs, hopes, longings, and questions of our minds and hearts to God as honestly, earnestly, and accurately as we can. Our prayers also express the essence of who we are and what our relationship is with God. Yet it is not our initiative that begins our prayer. Rather, it is God’s seeking love and invitation that awaken within us the desire, courage, and need to pray."
• "Positioning is also critical to growth in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The gentle breath of the Holy spirit is always touching us, but it is our responsibility to position ourselves in ways that make it possible to receive the gifts that God waits to bestow upon us."

These plus many other beautiful reflective quotes culled from many prayer masters like Henri Nouwen, Basil Pennington, Richard Rohr, Brennan Manning, Eugene Peterson, plus writings from Abraham J Heshchel, Ben Campbell Johnson, Dallas Willard, and others, provide a wide contemplative circle of friends readers can learn from.

While this book is appropriate for all seasons, it can be meaningfully done this coming season of Lent, which is also a 40 days period of reflecting on Christ's journey to the Cross.  Kudos to Reuben Job for giving us such a wonderful resource to cultivate contemplative prayer and spiritual listening.

Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Abingdon Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Five Stones" (Shane Stanford and R. Brad Martin)

TITLE: Five Stones: Conquering Your Giants
AUTHOR: Shane Stanford and R. Brad Martin
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2013, (192 pages).

Do you know that the word 'miseri' is literally "Egypt" in the Swahili language? Ever wonder why God chose a short and unfancied shepherd boy like David to defeat a large size fearsome Philistine like Goliath? What about moments of tough challenges in our lives? Do we take flight or do we fight? Maybe there are some giants in our lives that we have the potential to overcome, but for some reason we have failed to stand up against them. The authors begin by sharing the reminiscences of their own past, where they see how giants of life are slain by the most ordinary people with extraordinary hearts. Like Shane Stanford's grand uncle, whose bravery in WWII Normandy is often hidden as he wanted to avoid the pain of reliving the horrors of the war. The act of remembering is a way in which one can overcome the fear of pain with the reality of victory gained. Or the story of how a girl from Kenya became a symbol of hope, that as she battles the plight of being an orphan, she unconsciously helps others battle their own "emotional orphanages." Or the stories of Citizen Kane vs the victorious comeback coach in Hoosiers. Over and over, the authors reiterate that all of us can slay the giants of our lives, through the adopting of two attitudes and and using of five stones. The first attitude is interdependence, and to learn to fight battles together with others, not alone. The second is remembering that many others have conquered their own giants, and have paved the way for us to conquer our own giants.

The First Stone: A Picture

The key to fighting a victorious battle is to be clear in our minds what we are fighting. It is one thing to be gifted and skilled in a certain way. It is yet another to channel these skills toward a clear battle strategy. Like the famous golfer Jack Nicklaus who understands that the key to putting the ball is to visualize and "imagine the shot." Similarly, one needs to build a clear picture by recognizing fact from fiction; by visualizing the big picture; and by setting achievable goals. Before one flexes the muscles and throws the stone, one needs to reflect and recognize the actual challenge and the big picture of the target.

The Second Stone: Your Tools

Tools that are blunt will not give us the cutting edge. Not only that, tools that are unused will also go bad, just like Paganini's violin that became worm-eaten when kept unused in its case. The unused tool is also a metaphor of missing and avoiding opportunities when they present themselves. Three principles are put forth for the reader to sharpen, to use, and to excel in the tools we have. We first decide what is at stake. Then we take an inventory of what we have. Finally, we share our burdens and the battle we take. It reminds me of how easy it is for the stone that David threw to just embed itself fatally into Goliath's forehead. It must have been sharp to do just that!

The Third Stone: A Plan

Like the old adage, if one fails to plan, one plans to fail. How did David defeat Goliath? It is not enough just to have a big picture or powerful tools. One needs a plan in order to maximize both of them. being prepared is one core requirement of any successful battle. The authors also present three principles for planning. First, it needs to be solid but flexible. Solid in its comprehensiveness, and flexible in its implementation. Second, we learn from the Bible that seeking godly and wise counsel is critical in any battle plan or strategy. Having good mentors is a critical part. Third, keep the plan simple so that it can be easily communicated and effectively implemented.

The Fourth Stone: Your Training

We do not simply train for training's sake. We train with a purpose. We train on the basis of knowing ourselves. We train in a manner that knows what we need, what to build upon, and when to stop. Through five ways, we learn to adopt a targeted cultivating of skills. We learn when to put our skills into overload in order to strengthen. We learn to take a rest for recovery when needed. We learn to adapt. We learn to remain consistent.With the principles of sacrifice, obedience, and effort, our training will not be in vain.

The Fifth Stone: Your Nerve

One of the biggest challenges in any battle is on the inside. Whether it is psychological, emotional, or somewhat hidden, we need to cultivate boldness that is not easily given in to fear. It would have been easy for David to retreat back into the safety of his shepherding work, or the ordinary lifestyle of a normal Jewish boy. Yet, he built up nerves of steel to come face to face to battle with the Philistine. Living boldly is an act of faith. How do we do that? The authors suggest two principles. The first is to be prepared. The second is to be committed. Together, the preparation and the commitment will help build boldness in fighting our giants.

So What?

The authors then share their real life stories of their battles with all kinds of giants in their own lives. Like Martin's recovery from a bitter divorce. It took a lot of work before he is ready to try again in another marriage. Training, planning, and committing are core ingredients. Toward the end of the book, there are many exercises to help readers develop and build upon these five stones for overcoming any giant.
It is very practical and easy to follow. It will be easy for readers to just say that this book is another of those spiritual motivation books that provides the adrenaline for a while. Lest readers miss it, note that the book is written out of the ashes of brokenness and humbled lives. The authors themselves are not just writing theories. They have personally experience the humiliation by giants in their lives. Honestly and humbly, they have given us a manual soaked with their experience and learning, that we too can be encouraged to battle our own giants, and hopefully, avoid potholes along the way.

I am encouraged indeed, to know that we can use the five stones to defeat any giant. Let me add in a cautionary note. We must always remember that when we face any giant, we come against them not in our own five-stones effort, but in the name of the Lord. Choose our battles wisely. As disciples and soldiers of the Lord, we cannot simply get involved with every battle. Sometimes, we need to discern with the Spirit of God, whether to advance or to retreat, whether to reinforce or to just let go. Distinguish between winning battles or winning wars. We may win short term battles and still lose the eventual war. Do not fight unnecessary battles foolishly. Beware of red herrings. The wisdom and counsel of the Lord must always be sought first. If the book has given readers the idea that they can do it with their own strength and their own five stones, then readers will be doing themselves a disfavour for that is not what the authors have intended.

The battle always belongs to the Lord. Even when we fail to use the five stones properly, or even when we fail despite our best efforts, God is faithful and just, and will win the battles in His Name, according to His time, for His ultimate Glory. That must be the reason for our boldness and our commitment. Glory must go to God, and only God!



Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Abingdon Press and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Inked" (Kim Goad and Janet E. Kusiak)

TITLE: Inked: Choosing God's Mark to Transform Your Life
AUTHOR: Kim Goad and Janet Bostwick Kusiak
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2013, (208 pages).

What do you do when you meet someone with a tattoo on his body? Do you roll your eyes or brighten up with excitement? Do you pass negative judgments inside your head or do you demonstrate a desire to learn more about the tattoo? Or do you simply appreciate the individual's bold self-expression on his skin? Or like the authors, have you ever thought that the tattoo itself can be a great conversation starter? This book probes into these and offers up a fresh perspective on how Christians can understand people with tattoos, tattoos on people, and anyone involved in the creation and designs of tattoos.   Tattoos reveal a lot about the person. It can be a sign of solidarity or a revelation of some pain. It can be an expression of love or a remembrance of someone. It can also be a message of hope or a statement of faith. All in all, tattoos reveal more than meets the eye. It is a window into the world of the person wearing it. For the authors, it is also a window of opportunity to care and to understand more of the interesting people in this world. While not all tattoo stories are pleasant and heartwarming, some of the stories shared reveal a whole load of honesty about the brokenness of the world we live in. This is a book into the inner world of tattoos, personalities, art, self-expression, and things pertaining to the tattoo culture. Key to understanding tattoos is how it encapsulates the essence of a person's perspective of life, their dreams and their hopes.

The Book
Each chapter begins with a Bible verse and a quote from a person with tattoo, that sets the tone for the pages to come. Historically, tattoos have been used since the American Civil war days where soldiers were tattooed. The 1940s were said to be the "golden age" of tattoos. What makes this book most compelling is that it is not simply about tattoos but about the stories behind the tattoos. It is not about the inked art on the body but about how it diagrams the life of the person. Like Josh Hamilton whose highly successful baseball career was curtailed in a car accident, and how him being a showcase for his tattoo artist, plays a part in his slow but sure recovery of faith in himself, and more importantly in God. Or like Ricky, who struggles with a mother who seems to put her own interests above the children, and a broken family, and how he tattoos on himself a quote from Fight Club: "It's only after we've lost everything that we are free to do anything." Yet, not all tattoos are intentional works of art. Others like brawny looking Pete and petite sized Lilly have been scarred by life so much that the tattoos are about what life has done to them instead of what they have wanted out of life. Still, Lilly manages to find some revelation of God's glory through her gashes, and how the gentle engraving of images on the skin is a whole new learning experience of how God is gentle on people. As prayers can bring about an experience with God, so can tattoos. Chapter after chapter, page after page, the authors painstakingly weave in stories of God's redemption of people, even as people seem trapped in the harsh world of broken reality and dashed dreams.

My Reflections
Five things strike me as I read this book. Firstly, there is a painfully honest dimension with regards to tattoos. From the first tattoo experience, to the stage where they "kick into third" gear of engraving more permanently the ink, the tattoos personalizes their experience, and in some unique way, allows them an honest expression of their personal pain and gain. Pain in the engraving. Gain in the explaining. The honesty in the tattoos fully deserves greater understanding from the public. Christians can learn to ask open questions with keen interest to know the person more. They ought to show genuine care and to avoid casting statements of judgment. Like what the authors have experienced, readers can use the world of tattoos as a great conversation starter, and in the process, engage in a warm conversation leading to friendship that heals people.

Secondly, it is a bold step of faith to personalize their own struggles. Tattooing is a painful experience for novices. Many of the persons describe have a childhood struggle or a traumatic experience to share. It tells us about how broken the world is, and how deceptive the devil can be in deceiving us or making us hide from reality. The tattoo is a way in which many people express how the evil one has tried to crack an innocent life. In tattooing, real struggles are depicted in flesh and for some, in pain.

Thirdly, there is a strong element of redemption through Christ. This is not just about the bible verses in the front of each chapter, or the bible stories weaved in each tattoo story. It is about how God redeems people in the past, and how He is still redeeming people in the present. In God, we can overcome any harsh self-critic in us, by learning to see ourselves from the loving eyes of God, instead of cursing ourselves to oblivion.

Fourthly, we can move from self-expression to expressing ourselves more holistically in God. Tattoos can do so much to represent personal history or human hope.  There is only a limited leap of faith in any element of human spirit. As we are all made in the image of God, only when we reflect the image of God more fully, can we present ourselves more completely. In other words, tattoos may represent us partially, but it takes God to be about to help us be the persons we are made to be. After all, we are in many ways, "works in progress." When we learn to move beyond self-expression, we start to notice that the world is bigger than our world. There are the other people and different characters in the tattoo shop. There are many different artists and skills in the tattoo industry. There are also thousands of stories waiting to be told. Most importantly, what counts is a "new creation" that only God can provide, above the mini-acts of creative works of art humans try to engrave.

Finally, we do not let the tattoo define us. It is God who defines us, aligns us, and refines us in our journey called life. We cannot frivolously judge people with tattoos with any preconceived mindsets. For Christians, yes, I understand that the Old Testament do have words of warning against graven images, or the New Testament teachings about preserving our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. Learn to see the tattoo for what it is, and not to see too much into it. Learn to see from the eyes of Christ, to see that underneath the inked mark is a person that Christ has died for. Underneath the skin is a person that God loves very much. Underlying the picture or engraved words is a story that is being told or waiting to be told. 

Final Words
This is a very unique book that looks into the world of tattoos from a very redemptive angle.  In fact, I feel that tattoos have often been cast unfairly in a negative light. Through the insights gained in this book, readers will certainly learn that there is more than meets the eye. We need to learn to withhold judgment and to embrace an openness like Jesus toward people, regardless of their looks or their lifestyles. Just knowing that many people with tattoos are also people with genuine struggles should help us maintain a level of empathy and understanding to want to hear more of the stories. One big disservice any Christian can do to the gospel is to brush off people with tattoos with any of their preconceived ideas about tattoos. Next time, if you look at a person with a tattoo, do not cringe or feel embarrassed. Be interested, and ask questions. For all you know, you will find that the person is just another ordinary person like you and me, coping with the cruel reality of life, in the best possible way. Thanks to authors Goad and Kusiak, we not only have a book that puts some perspective to an often misunderstood world of tattoo, we have a guide on how the gospel shines regardless of the effects of sin in this world. After reading this book, you'll see tattoos from a new perspective, largely positive.


Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Abingdon Press without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Deeply Loved" (Keri Wyatt Kent)

TITLE: Deeply Loved: 40 Ways in 40 Days to Experience the Heart of Jesus
AUTHOR: Keri Wyatt Kent
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2012, (200 pages).

How do we better experience the practice of Lent? Does it mean simply fasting or refraining from certain things? Is it a period where we wear our somber looks everywhere we go? What about learning to walk closer with Jesus with the 40 days as an opportunity to prepare our hearts for Good Friday and Easter? The key point: Draw closer to God.

This gentle guide brings together many different spiritual practices, guided by several ancient and modern spiritual practitioners, as well as reflections of our typically busy lifestyle. The crux of the book is this. Make spiritual growth practices a deeply personal one. The disciplines of praying, reading, waiting, pondering, self-examining, and many more are not new. They have been adopted by saints of old such as Brother Lawrence, Thomas Kelly, the prophets of old, as well as modern writers like Richard Foster, Philip Yancey, John Ortberg, and others.

It is important to begin well, and Kent shows the way by reminding readers that we are first and foremost children of God. Our identity is not in terms of what we do or say, but in God accepting us as we are. We walk with Jesus knowing that He is the Master of the whole project called "Life." We slow down so that we can pace more naturally. Kent shows us gently the way to go through the day. We wake up with a daily reminder that God watches over us. We go through the day knowing the presence of God that is real, regardless of whether we feel God or not. We learn to praise and pray, adore and be restored to God, to be alone and yet not lonely, because God is with us. Self-examination is a big feature of the book. Following the spiritual practice of "examen," we resist the pressures of the world that tries to mold us to its image, and to be open to the movement of the Spirit, to transform us into what God wants us to become. Kent calls worry as the biggest distraction we often face. Using personal examples with her own relationships, as well as learning from the spiritual masters, Kent not just writes about spirituality. She practices it. It looks so simple that one may be mistaken that it is a light book. While the content is not heavy, the practice of it can be challenging. By spreading the daily exercises over 40 days, we learn patience and discipline. We learn to be intentional and to be sensitive to what God is saying to our hearts. At the end of it all, as we slow down to examine ourselves, as we open our eyes to appreciate the wonders of God in creation, as we remember the sacrifice of Christ, the biggest benefit we can gain is through the period of Lent, is to learn that we have been deeply loved by God. All the sacrifice, all the overcoming of obstacles, and all the spiritual disciplines that have been done, will be so worth it that we will want to do it over and over again. Not because we have to, but because we want to. Draw closer to God.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Abingdon Press without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.