A Father’s Blessing
– Jim McBride. Moody Press. Read Michael Catt’s comments on the book here. For generations, other religions and cultures have put their children through a rite of passage to adulthood. Many people are aware of the Jewish practice of the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, for example. The reality, however, is that many children today don’t
Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job
How the Oldest Book in the Bible Answers Today’s Scientific Questions– Hugh Ross. Baker Books. “For those who want to know more about how the Bible speaks to history and are seeking to reconcile faith and science, [this book] will provide stimulating insights and observations. Ross, a respected astrophysicist and Christian apologist…has written another insightful
The Leadership Ellipse
Shaping How We Lead by Who We Are – Robert A. Fryling. Formatio. From the foreword by Eugene Peterson:“[The] message is two-pronged: you can’t be a Christian activist without be contemplative; you can’t be a Christian contemplative without being an activist. With winsome accuracy he has joined two ways of life that are often ‘put
Early Christian Thinkers
The Lives and Legacies of Twelve Key Figures – Paul Foster (ed.). IVP Academic. “This collection of essays presents the thought and practice of the early church through the lives and works of twelve key Christians from the second and third centuries. . . . a necessary window into the early development of Christian orthodoxy.”
The Wisdom of Pixar
An Animated Look at Virtue – Robert Velarde. IVP Books. “Pixar tells stories. These stories, in turn, have the power to wholly engage us–heart, soul, and mind. The characters and plots need not be overtly Christian in order to instruct us in virtue. Christ engaged his listeners by telling parables, not by preaching to them
The Message of Holiness
– Derek Tidball. IVP Academic. “Christians universally agree they aspire to holiness, but to what, really, are they aspiring? Derek Tidball surveys the Scriptures for a comprehensive biblical understanding of this elusive mandate from God to “be holy as I am holy.” The triune God of glory, he contends, sets us on paths that lead
The Ancient World: The Bible and the Land
Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller – Gary M. Burge. Zondervan. The new Ancient Context, Ancient Faith series explores the ancient stories of the Bible and shows us how to look at them through new lenses. Each volume features full color photography and maps and draws upon the very best biblical scholarship, archaeology, and the traditions
Run with the Horses
The Quest for Life at Its Best – Eugene Peterson. Formatio. In a series of profound reflections on the life of Jeremiah the prophet, Eugene Peterson explores the heart of what it means to be fully and genuinely human. His writing is filled with humor and self-reflection, insight and wisdom, helping to set a
God Behaving Badly
Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist? – David T. Lamb. IVP Books. The old Testament seems to portray God as capricious and malevolent, punishing enemies with extreme prejudice. Is this our God? Without minimizing the sometimes harsh realities of the biblical record, David Lamb unpacks the complexity of the Old
Are You Waiting for “The One?”
Cultivating Realistic, Positive Expectations for Christian Marriage – Margaret Kim Peterson & Dwight N. Peterson. IVP Books. Does God want to write your love story? Maybe not! Through positive, realistic assessments of family, conflict, friendship, children, household economics and life stages, Margaret and Dwight Peterson help us locate the difference between inherited images of marriage
Ancient Christian Devotional
Lectionary Cycle B – Edited by Cindy Crosby. Formatio. This devotional guide combines excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture arranged in fifty-two weeks of readings following the weekly lectionary cycle B. Spend each day with God as you draw from the prayers and hymns
Wired for Intimacy
How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain – William M. Struthers. IVP Books. Taken from chapter four:“If this corrupted pathway can be avoided, a new pathway can be formed. We can establish a healthy sexual pattern where the flow is redirected toward holiness rather than corrupted intimacy. By intentionally redirecting the neurochemical flow, the path toward