For All It's Worth

The One O’Clock Miracle by Alison Mitchell and Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri This wonderfully written and illustrated children’s book entitled The One O’Clock Miracle by Alison Mitchell and Catalina Echeverri is a real treat for those interested in a retelling of John 4 and the Royal Official’s son and his healing.  With illustrations reminiscent of the pictures in The Jesus Storybook Bible, illustrator Catalina Echeverri, the story of the Royal’s son comes to life.  The writing and illustrations in The One O’Clock miracle all hinge upon Jesus, not only that he healed the Royal’s son but that he was God’s rescue King, the Son of God.  How do the author and illustrator point to Jesus in the story?  For one, at many points in the story the royal official was out of breath, but he kept continuing on his path because he NEEDED to see Jesus and he MUST see Jesus.  The highlighted words bring out the necessity of the Royal official’s plight ...

Eyes Have I That See by John Julian A monk, priest and a scholar, poet John Julian has given us a breadth of wisdom here in a new collection of poems that gathers together old and new poems alike.  Julian founded the Order of Julian Norwich in 1985 and his poems exude that same quite confidence.  These poems span the time from his first ones, written in 1959 to the most contemporary, written in 2014.  Yet, these poems have a strength to them that comes from someone who has long pondered the mysteries of life, suffering, and faith. In the poem Incarnatus, Julian captures the profundity of Christ’s becoming flesh on the earth in a unique and forceful way.  He writes, Suffer, he said, but never cause suffering / Give, while the rest of the world seeks to take; / Die, if its needed , but never cause dying; / Love, with the knowledge that friends may forsake (49).”  The extending of grace, the giving of himself to and for others, and the love t...

Luther on the Christian Life by Carl Trueman Do we really need another book on the famous Augustinian monk from  the 16 th century?  Well, yes, if the book captures Luther’s genius from decidedly unique and formative perspective.  Professor Carl Trueman, in his new book, Luther on the Christian Life, does just that, by situating Luther in his historical milieu, locating his main theological theses, and providing a glimpse into Luther as pastor, calling all Christians to follow Christ in a world of upheaveal. What was it about Luther, especially post-1525, that radiates a sort of encouragement for Christians today?  Trueman writes, “As a theologian who was also a pastor, he was continually wrestling with how his theological insights connected to the lives and experiences of the people under his care. This gave much of his writing a distinctly pastoral dimension. Further, he was (for a theologian) unusually forthcoming about his own life and experienc...

Recently, I have been reading about evangelist Billy Graham in Grant Wacker's new biography America's Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation .  Wacker masterfully weaves together a narrative of Billy's life, theology, preaching, and impact that is first-rate and well-rounded, not falling into hagiography or overt dismantling or criticism.  As a preacher, Billy Graham was not eloquent like a William Sangster or Aimee Semple McPherson, yet he was profound.  His preaching did not hinge on rhetorical flourishes designed to captivate the ears of his listeners, rather he repeated phrases often time and time again to make an impact upon his hearers.  His proclamation was not obtuse as to confuse his audience but centered upon one single aim, "...to draw men and women to make a decision for Christ (63)."  How did he do this? Wacker writes, "Whatever the specific topic, the overarching pattern invariably took the same form.  First acknowledge sin's de...

Our Great Act of Fidelity: Waiting for Christ in the Eucharist by Ronald Rolheiser Ronald Rolheiser in his gift for broadening our horizons on teachings of the faith, including the Eucharist, shares with his readers a unique perspective on this sacred sacrament in his book, Our Great Act of Fidelity.  Rolheiser begins with the central tenant of the faith, namely that in the Incarnation God became flesh.  From this point, he makes the claim that the continuation of the Incarnation, of Christ’s presence is mediated or found in the Body of Christ, the Supper.  Yet, God still has skin in this world not only in the Eucharist but in the body of Christ, his church (16-17) Ronald outlines the difference between Catholics and Protestants as a difference in focus, one is focused on the Eucharist as giving meaning to the entirety of the Mass and the other tradition places the Word of God front and center, making worship flow from the Word.  Yet, Ronald focuses ...

Honest Evangelism by Rico Tice with Carl Laferton http://www.amazon.com/Honest-Evangelism-Rico-Tice/dp/190991939X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428516529&sr=1-1&keywords=rico+tice Have you ever been scared to talk about Jesus?  Have you ever had serious doubts about speaking of your faith for fear of rejection?  Rico Tice is the first to raise his hand in affirmation to these questions.  In his new book, Honest Evangelism , Pastor Rico Tice takes these questions head on and gives us hope in the end.  Rather than skirting around the issue of rejection, Rico says outright that we will be rejected, reviled, and ridiculed for speaking of Jesus and this is all part of the plan.  But, Rico does not leave us there in our rejection, but gives us a hopeful way forward about sharing Jesus with our co-workers, neighbors, and friends.  Rico says in the beginning, “…if you tell non-Christians about Jesus, it will be painful.  Tha...