"Christians in a Cancel Culture" (Joe Dallas)

TITLE: Christians in a Cancel Culture: Speaking with Truth and Grace in a Hostile World
AUTHOR: Joe Dallas
PUBLISHER: Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2021, (208 pages).

Opposition to the gospel is nothing new. It could be direct persecution, like in the Early Church. It could also be indirect insinuation in the form of cynical comments or sarcasm. Both forms of hostility are alive and well today. While physical persecution happens mostly in closed countries like North Korea, open criticism and condemnation occur daily whenever Christians attempt to speak against worldly values. In the 60s, when Christians speak about a Christian perspective of a particular issue, it was generally accepted in a "business as usual" manner. Then comes the 90s culture of cynicism, where the same issues in the past need to be defended. Apologists grew in number as more people attempted to engage a generation of cynicism. Today, the tide has been turned completely around that Christians no longer can speak about such issues freely. Their rights to expressing the same views of the past are increasingly being "canceled." Author Joe Dallas has been observing such a "cancel culture" trend. He sees how Big Tech is playing the role of censorship to "streamline" views they deem unsuitable. At the same time, they are lenient toward those who mirror their views and "cancel" those who don't. While the natural instinct is to fight back forcefully, Dallas gently guides us toward a loving rational response. Convicted that the Bible today is alive, relevant, and potent, the primary purpose of this book is to equip Christians with skills to respond with grace in a hostile climate. The first five chapters provide some background on the formidable challenges of today that tend to blackmail Christians into silence. The second part of the book focuses on the knowledge of biblical truths and wisdom about rules of engagement. For thirty years, the author had encountered countless opposition and he shares from his wealth of real-world experience. 

"101 Leadership Insights" (Bob Phillips and Del Walinga)

TITLE: 150 Essential Insights on Leadership (Legacy Inspirational Series)
AUTHOR:  Bob Phillips and Del Walinga
PUBLISHER: Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2021, (176 pages).

How does one lead to inspire? How could a leader motivate another to improve and to do better? How do we go about discovering our own personality profile and leadership styles? What does it take to be a leader? What do we do when our leadership is challenged? How do we move from dealing with differences to learning to make a difference in the lives of people? How does one deal with criticisms? What does it take to be a forward-looking leader? How could a leader learn to distinguish between rights and responsibilities? What about avoiding burnout? How does one form a vision? What does it take to develop resilience in leadership? What about loneliness? How do we balance the different expectations on us? These and many more form the basis of this large volume of leadership insights. Filled with lots of famous quotes and illustrations, it is a fascinating look at the many different perspectives of leadership. There are chapters on leadership styles and behaviors to help us determine the most appropriate attribute for different occasions. Authors Bob Phillips and Del Walinga have given us a book filled with insightful advice and powerful examples of leadership. Knowing the highs and lows that come with leadership, they encourage us to learn and to keep on learning. 

"Beyond Burnout" (Amy O’Hana)

TITLE: Beyond Burnout: What to Do When Your Work Isn’t Working for You
AUTHOR: Amy O’Hana
PUBLISHER: Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2020, (208 pages).

Even in the most enjoyable jobs we do, once we over-exert ourselves, we experience exhaustion leading to burnout. What then can we do about that? How do we sustain our energy levels without wearing ourselves out? As one who has experienced what burnout means, even writing a dissertation about it, there is much to learn from Amy O'Hana. In order to keep us all on the same page, she begins with a description of what burnout is. Externally, it means physical and mental exhaustion. Internally, it involves questions surrounding "meaning, fulfillment, and passion." For Christian ministry workers, the expectations are higher because of the desire to want to please God (and people!). Realizing a wide variety of material and resources in the market that prescribe solutions to burnout, O'Hana wants to help us begin a conversation about the things that really matter to us. Generally speaking, the three types of burnout are physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion, and loss of meaning. Most people would have a combination of the three that change at different stages of our life experiences. Before we spiral out of control into a crash-and-burn scenario, it is important to take heed by being self-aware and to take steps toward self-care. This is different from selfishness or ego-centric behaviours. It is about caring for the caregiver in us, that we may continue to serve and help others. As the saying goes, "too much of a good thing is not good." For all our good intentions, we can become lost in the busyness of good works. We need a way to be rested. Otherwise, we will become entangled in an unhealthy cycle of "performance, disconnection, and renewed fervor" to do more. We are to remember that we are human beings, not human doings. Through a five-step intentional process, O'Hana teaches us to grow beyond burnout toward spiritual connection with God.

"Work Worth Doing" (Tom Heetderks)

TITLE: Work Worth Doing: Finding God's Direction and Purpose in Your Career
AUTHOR: Tom Heetderks
PUBLISHER: Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2020, (176 pages).

If there is one thing we all do, it will probably be work. Whether it is working at home or in the office, proft or non-profits, small or large, or any kind of activity, we are all part of the economy of work. For we are all recipients of someone else's work. For example, imagining turning on the TV. Some company employees have manufactured the machine. Others have packed it, shipped it, sold it, delivered it, and installed it for us. There is the cable or Internet company needed to provide services to the TV. Then there is the power company to supply electricity to our device and the distribution network. These and many more are needed for all to happen at the push of a remote control button. This is one small illustration of how our work impacts so many others in society. The point of work is not simply to make a living. If we were to look at work from a bigger picture, what we do provides varying levels of essential services in the economy.  Author Tom Heetderks expands on this notion of work to share that work is essentially something worth doing. With conviction, he gives us an acronym: Worship Our Risen King, to remind us that as believers, we work as a means to honour God. Of course, non-believers might feel a little out of place to hear things like that. Not only that, employees might find it hard to work for a boss they don't respect. Heetderks challenges us to list down our top reasons for work and to compare that to this bigger picture. For non-believers, this big picture is about the wider benefit to society. For believers, we serve and work not just for the sake of our neighbour, but for God's kingdom. In that manner, this book should appeal to a wider audience, both believer and unbeliever.

"Soaring Through the Bible" (Skip Heitzig)

TITLE: Soaring Through the Bible: A Travel Guide from Genesis to Revelation for Kids
AUTHOR: Skip Heitzig
PUBLISHER: Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2019, (224 pages).

The Bible is one big book to read through. Adults often have trouble even trying to understand what the Bible is saying. Many have spent years studying it and still find it mysterious. It is not easy to read the Bible cover to cover, partly because of its length and many genres. The ancient contexts are not easily understood. Thus, there are many commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and biblical helps for people wanting to know more about the Bible backgrounds. Many of these resources however are not easily translated into a manner suitable for kids. This book helps teachers, parents, and youth leaders in giving a Bible overview to kids. Using the metaphor of flying in an airplane and looking down on earth, author and Bible teacher Skip Heitzig gives us a bird's eye view of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The main idea is this: "the higher up you go into the air and look down, the more you can see of the earth than you can from the ground." Heitzig takes us through a three part framework for every book of the Bible.

1. Check Your Location (Context)
2. Plot Your Course (Content)
3. Enjoy Your Trip (Practice)

"The Bible from 30,000 Feet" (Skip Heitzig)

TITLE: The Bible from 30,000 Feet: Soaring Through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation
AUTHOR: Skip Heitzig
PUBLISHER: Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2017, (640 pages).

The Bible is the world's bestselling book. It has been read and revered through the centuries. Instead of multiple books of disconnected stories, there is a general narrative from Genesis to Revelation. Trained Bible scholars will be able to do many connections from the Old Testament to the New Testament. For the rest of us, we have to rely on teachers to guide us. Author Skip Heitzig is one such teacher. Sharing his wealth of knowledge about the Bible, this book is a bird's eye view of the whole thrust of Scripture. It is free from difficult terminology or technical details. Heitzig makes the learning interesting by using the metaphor of a plane. He begins with a flight plan where the facts are first laid out. He gives short notes on who the author(s) was, when it was written, landmarks of the expedition, and an itinerary or outline of the chapter. Along with this initial flight plan is an overview of the gospel's relevance to that particular book and some historical background.

The "in-flight" segment is the main part of the book where it becomes a mini-commentary. Heitzig describes the key characters; main events; significant stories; major themes; concise messages; and practical examples for modern readers. The chapters appear like mini-sermons that double up as an overview of the Bible book. The strengths of this book include:

• Ease of understanding with a creative metaphor
• Modern use of language
• Big Picture Overview to help readers keep to the main message
• Stirs up imagination about how we can design our own flight plans
• Convenient reference book