Deepening Faith
Pray Like a Gourmet: Creative Ways to Feed your Soul by David Brazzeal
I’ve read many books on prayer. Some suggest one way to pray, others promote another way, Brazzeal takes a different tacked. Instead of focusing on one method of prayer, he looks at the types of prayer (Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession, Blessing, Lament and others) and invites us to look try out many avenues to participate in each type of prayer. We are called to use all our senses, bringing our bodies as well as our minds into prayer. It is a book less to be read, than savored. One that you can come back to again and again as your life and your prayer changes.
Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today by N. T. Wright
“We dare not try to tame the Bible.” (pg. 132)
I continue to find N.T Wright’s writings fascinating. His analysis of the role of the Bible in lays out a cohesive and accessible understanding of what the Bible is and how it shaped the faith of those who have gone before us. I particularly like Wright’s chapters on medieval, reformation and enlightenment views of Scripture. These two chapters provide a background that is valuable in enabling us to understand where we are today. The addition on two case studies on Sabbath and Monogamy, and the end of the book gives the reader a handle on how Wright’s proposed view of Scripture plays out as we continue to engage the Bible today.
Wearing God by Lauren F. Winner
While this seems a very odd title, it is a book that I love, mostly because Winner thinks like I think. Winner takes a number of different images of God in scripture (clothing, smell, laughter, laboring women to name a few) and takes each in several different directions. Winner contemplates how each of these images can take our faith in a new direction. How does it change our image of God to consider God as a woman in labor (Isaiah 42:14)? If Jesus is the Bread of Life, what kind of bread is that? I could go on and on. Winner supplements her writing with a plethora of quotes from a multitude of sources, further expanding the pathways we can wander down. Great book, hope to read it.
Saying Yes by Albert Haase
I’ve read any number of books on discernment. Frankly, most of them have been too nebulous to be of much help. Haase’s book, however, is in a different category. He takes a difficult topic and moves into it with a wonderful combination of concrete examples, grounded understanding, and many-faceted approach, all in a short accessible format. This is a book that I will be turning to in the future and will be purchasing some extra copies of to share with others.
Flunking Sainthood: A year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray and Still Loving My Neighbor
by Jana Riess
I have a feeling that Jana Riess and I would get along. Both her attempts and her honesty appeal to me and I think will appeal to many. Riess challenges herself to take on one spiritual discipline a month, some of which include fasting, Sabbath keeping, centering prayer, and Benedictine hospitality. While she labels many of her attempts as “failures”. Riess writes not only of her struggles but the insights she gained in the process. This would be a great book to read in a group.
Love Does by Bob Goff
While the world may be filled with 6 degrees of separation, sometimes the links are much closer. I discovered Bob Goff because he is a friend of one of my college friends. The book is a wonderful. Filled with stories of both the everyday and the extraordinary things that can spring from being open to the love and light of God. This would be a great book for a tween or teen group, as well as anyone who would enjoy seeing how God can change everything for perfectly ordinary folks.
Making Crosses: A Creative Connection to God by Ellen Morris Prewitt
This is perhaps the best book for those who 1) like to fiddle with things, 2) don’t throw anything away and 3) what to experience a form of prayer that doesn’t rely on words. Prewitt takes the reader thorough a process of creating crosses that encourages the maker to listen to the materials at hand and to the voice of God. Each step is filled with possibilities and promise. I’m looking forward to using this process both individually and in a group. Great resource.
Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers and Praise Songs of Thanksgiving Edited and with reflections by Katherine Paterson
This is a book be more savored than read. With a few short reflections that beginning each of the four sections, Paterson has gathered an array of writings to ponder. Assembled from around the world and presented with wonderful papercut illustrations by Pamela Dalton, this would be a wonderful book to have at the table throughout the month of November, or anytime you feel the need to pause and remember the great gifts you have been given.
Celtic Daily Prayer, compiled by Andy Raine and John T. Skinner of the Northumbria Community
I have a notoriously short attention span. Books with long, convoluted reasoning or plots leave me in the dust. One of the things I love about this book of daily prayers is that it allows me to dip into it for a moment or two and carry the thoughts throughout the rest of my day. The beginning of the books set forms for daily, morning, midday, and evening prayer. These I have not used, but the daily offering, which includes three readings from scripture and a paragraph or two from another source, are resources that I find refreshing and challenging. It is yet another way to open the window to the wind of the Holy Spirit.
Simply Christian by N. T. Wright
Many moons ago I read C. S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity. It is one of those books that stuck with me, both for its topic, but also for its language. Lewis sought to dig down the essence of what it means to be a Christian. Likewise Tom Wright takes the topic and speaks with eloquence, imagination and earthiness to us, enabling us to touch again on the essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Wright’s words lift me up and remind me of what it means to be a Christian. To give you a taste “One of the Central elements of the Christian story is the claim that the paradox of laughter and tears, woven as it is deep into the heart of all human experience, is woven also deep into the heart of God.” Hope you enjoy it.
The Social Media Gospel by Meredith Gould
“Social Media is both a stethoscope, magnifying your ability to listen to your congregation and community, and a megaphone, magnifying your ability to proclaim God’s word to your community” (from the forward of The Social Media Gospel). Meredith Gould’s book should be required reading for every congregational and ministry leader in the country. It’s short, to the point and accessible by even those with only the most passing knowledge of Facebook, Tweeter, or Pinterest. The author constantly reminds us that ministry is ministry, wherever it happens, in an email, Facebook post, at the back of the church on Sunday morning or over coffee. The venue will dictate a change in presentation, just as we may find some topics are better dealt with in a longer discussion and not in a sermon reference, so to the format of a Tweet will lead itself to certain topics. Get this book, read it, and consider the implication of how we communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to an online world.
American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham
Long before the founding of the United States the European immigrant culture has been entangled with its unique religious heritage. These settlers brought with them assumption about the nature of God and humanity that continue to shape our laws and government today, even as the scope and nature of those assumptions is rapidly changing. Meacham takes the reader on a journey though the twists and turns of the influence of Christianity though the political history of the United States. Some of his observations follow a well-worn path, many others make unexpected connections, especially in during the shifts of culture in the late 19th century. Its broad sweep helps you to see the effect that faith has had and continues to have on our political and civil community.
A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren
Brian McLaren straddles may parts of Christianity. On the cover of this book he list some of the descriptions that he applies to himself “missional and evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, green, biblical, …..and unfinished”. Like McLaren, I’m not really sure that there are adequate labels to fit me, perhaps the best is the last “unfinished”. The book is written in a very accessible voice and encourages the reader to explore the many different gifts that various strands of belief have offered to Christianity. Each different identity is explored and we are invited to consider how we fit (or not) into that aspect of the faith. It would be an interesting book read with group from a diverse denominational background.
The Kingdom New Testament by N. T. Wright
I have a whole collection of New Testaments on my shelf, everything from “The Cotton Patch Gospel” writing in the 1950’s to some of the latest translations and paraphrases. Each of them catches another facet of meaning, and N.T. Wrights new offering is a skillful and accessible addition to the group. Wright brings both is scholarly and pastoral understanding to the project. Hope you get a chance to enjoy it as well.
Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth
For those of us who have a hard time praying in silence and stillness, this is a wonderful addition to the variety of ways to pray. Using color and shapes to create visual representations of our prayers, I’ve found it particularly helpful when I’m tired or overwhelmed as it enables me to focus my prayers, especially when I what to pray for individuals. This is a great resource for those who are called upon to help others with prayer, but it Sunday School teachers or others.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: Theologies of Confirmation for the 21st Century by Sharon Ely Pearson
Pearson has gathered a people from a breadth of backgrounds to reflect on the Episcopal rite of Confirmation as it is currently practiced and understood. The first section of the book provides an overview of the roots and recent changes to the rite of Confirmation. The main section then launches into reflections on various aspects of confirmation. The last chapter seeks to point to ways of moving forward. While each chapter provides interesting and sometime provocative input, I found it lacking in any reflection on the confirmation for adults. While in many places teens are the primary recipients of confirmation, in my observation an increasing number of adults are being confirmed. I wonder how that will change the conversation?
Inventing Hell: Dante, the Bible and Eternal Torment by Jon Sweeney
Who would have thought that a book on Hell could be fun? Sweeney does a masterful job of weaving together Dante’s vision of Hell with the sources that he drew from and the influence that vision of the afterlife has had on Christianity since. Sweeney approaches the topic with a light touch that keeps you wanting to read the next chapter, and with it to ponder where exactly our understanding has come from, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, Greek and Roman myth, as well as Dante’s imagination. It is a book that will keep you reading and thinking about the influences we bring to our own theology.
The Digital Cathedral by Keith Anderson
Anderson takes the image of a medieval cathedral and its interconnectedness with the community surrounding it as a model for the interaction of our current Christian communities with the world in which we live. As he explores various aspects of ministry, the examples range from a church that has chosen to not have a building, instead using various public settings for their gatherings, to the creation of spaces for theological conversation in the digital world. The last chapter “A Digital Rule of Life”, challenges me to rethink my integration of digital and face to face relationships. Concrete as well as thought provoking, I have found The Digital Cathedral has sparked an number of ideas and new ways of looking at current programs.
Multicoloured Seasons and Multicoloured Praises by Mary Fleeson (Linsidfarne Scriptorium UK)
With all the buzz lately about coloring books for adults, I was intrigued when I stumbled across these coloring books from the UK. Each image is paired with a meditation on the opposite page, designed to deepen the contemplation inherent as one adds color to the drawing. There are a number of other titles in the series, and they continue to expand. For a modest fee, the drawings are available for use in Christian Formation programs.
I’ve read many books on prayer. Some suggest one way to pray, others promote another way, Brazzeal takes a different tacked. Instead of focusing on one method of prayer, he looks at the types of prayer (Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession, Blessing, Lament and others) and invites us to look try out many avenues to participate in each type of prayer. We are called to use all our senses, bringing our bodies as well as our minds into prayer. It is a book less to be read, than savored. One that you can come back to again and again as your life and your prayer changes.
Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today by N. T. Wright
“We dare not try to tame the Bible.” (pg. 132)
I continue to find N.T Wright’s writings fascinating. His analysis of the role of the Bible in lays out a cohesive and accessible understanding of what the Bible is and how it shaped the faith of those who have gone before us. I particularly like Wright’s chapters on medieval, reformation and enlightenment views of Scripture. These two chapters provide a background that is valuable in enabling us to understand where we are today. The addition on two case studies on Sabbath and Monogamy, and the end of the book gives the reader a handle on how Wright’s proposed view of Scripture plays out as we continue to engage the Bible today.
Wearing God by Lauren F. Winner
While this seems a very odd title, it is a book that I love, mostly because Winner thinks like I think. Winner takes a number of different images of God in scripture (clothing, smell, laughter, laboring women to name a few) and takes each in several different directions. Winner contemplates how each of these images can take our faith in a new direction. How does it change our image of God to consider God as a woman in labor (Isaiah 42:14)? If Jesus is the Bread of Life, what kind of bread is that? I could go on and on. Winner supplements her writing with a plethora of quotes from a multitude of sources, further expanding the pathways we can wander down. Great book, hope to read it.
Saying Yes by Albert Haase
I’ve read any number of books on discernment. Frankly, most of them have been too nebulous to be of much help. Haase’s book, however, is in a different category. He takes a difficult topic and moves into it with a wonderful combination of concrete examples, grounded understanding, and many-faceted approach, all in a short accessible format. This is a book that I will be turning to in the future and will be purchasing some extra copies of to share with others.
Flunking Sainthood: A year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray and Still Loving My Neighbor
by Jana Riess
I have a feeling that Jana Riess and I would get along. Both her attempts and her honesty appeal to me and I think will appeal to many. Riess challenges herself to take on one spiritual discipline a month, some of which include fasting, Sabbath keeping, centering prayer, and Benedictine hospitality. While she labels many of her attempts as “failures”. Riess writes not only of her struggles but the insights she gained in the process. This would be a great book to read in a group.
Love Does by Bob Goff
While the world may be filled with 6 degrees of separation, sometimes the links are much closer. I discovered Bob Goff because he is a friend of one of my college friends. The book is a wonderful. Filled with stories of both the everyday and the extraordinary things that can spring from being open to the love and light of God. This would be a great book for a tween or teen group, as well as anyone who would enjoy seeing how God can change everything for perfectly ordinary folks.
Making Crosses: A Creative Connection to God by Ellen Morris Prewitt
This is perhaps the best book for those who 1) like to fiddle with things, 2) don’t throw anything away and 3) what to experience a form of prayer that doesn’t rely on words. Prewitt takes the reader thorough a process of creating crosses that encourages the maker to listen to the materials at hand and to the voice of God. Each step is filled with possibilities and promise. I’m looking forward to using this process both individually and in a group. Great resource.
Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers and Praise Songs of Thanksgiving Edited and with reflections by Katherine Paterson
This is a book be more savored than read. With a few short reflections that beginning each of the four sections, Paterson has gathered an array of writings to ponder. Assembled from around the world and presented with wonderful papercut illustrations by Pamela Dalton, this would be a wonderful book to have at the table throughout the month of November, or anytime you feel the need to pause and remember the great gifts you have been given.
Celtic Daily Prayer, compiled by Andy Raine and John T. Skinner of the Northumbria Community
I have a notoriously short attention span. Books with long, convoluted reasoning or plots leave me in the dust. One of the things I love about this book of daily prayers is that it allows me to dip into it for a moment or two and carry the thoughts throughout the rest of my day. The beginning of the books set forms for daily, morning, midday, and evening prayer. These I have not used, but the daily offering, which includes three readings from scripture and a paragraph or two from another source, are resources that I find refreshing and challenging. It is yet another way to open the window to the wind of the Holy Spirit.
Simply Christian by N. T. Wright
Many moons ago I read C. S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity. It is one of those books that stuck with me, both for its topic, but also for its language. Lewis sought to dig down the essence of what it means to be a Christian. Likewise Tom Wright takes the topic and speaks with eloquence, imagination and earthiness to us, enabling us to touch again on the essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Wright’s words lift me up and remind me of what it means to be a Christian. To give you a taste “One of the Central elements of the Christian story is the claim that the paradox of laughter and tears, woven as it is deep into the heart of all human experience, is woven also deep into the heart of God.” Hope you enjoy it.
The Social Media Gospel by Meredith Gould
“Social Media is both a stethoscope, magnifying your ability to listen to your congregation and community, and a megaphone, magnifying your ability to proclaim God’s word to your community” (from the forward of The Social Media Gospel). Meredith Gould’s book should be required reading for every congregational and ministry leader in the country. It’s short, to the point and accessible by even those with only the most passing knowledge of Facebook, Tweeter, or Pinterest. The author constantly reminds us that ministry is ministry, wherever it happens, in an email, Facebook post, at the back of the church on Sunday morning or over coffee. The venue will dictate a change in presentation, just as we may find some topics are better dealt with in a longer discussion and not in a sermon reference, so to the format of a Tweet will lead itself to certain topics. Get this book, read it, and consider the implication of how we communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to an online world.
American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham
Long before the founding of the United States the European immigrant culture has been entangled with its unique religious heritage. These settlers brought with them assumption about the nature of God and humanity that continue to shape our laws and government today, even as the scope and nature of those assumptions is rapidly changing. Meacham takes the reader on a journey though the twists and turns of the influence of Christianity though the political history of the United States. Some of his observations follow a well-worn path, many others make unexpected connections, especially in during the shifts of culture in the late 19th century. Its broad sweep helps you to see the effect that faith has had and continues to have on our political and civil community.
A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren
Brian McLaren straddles may parts of Christianity. On the cover of this book he list some of the descriptions that he applies to himself “missional and evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, green, biblical, …..and unfinished”. Like McLaren, I’m not really sure that there are adequate labels to fit me, perhaps the best is the last “unfinished”. The book is written in a very accessible voice and encourages the reader to explore the many different gifts that various strands of belief have offered to Christianity. Each different identity is explored and we are invited to consider how we fit (or not) into that aspect of the faith. It would be an interesting book read with group from a diverse denominational background.
The Kingdom New Testament by N. T. Wright
I have a whole collection of New Testaments on my shelf, everything from “The Cotton Patch Gospel” writing in the 1950’s to some of the latest translations and paraphrases. Each of them catches another facet of meaning, and N.T. Wrights new offering is a skillful and accessible addition to the group. Wright brings both is scholarly and pastoral understanding to the project. Hope you get a chance to enjoy it as well.
Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth
For those of us who have a hard time praying in silence and stillness, this is a wonderful addition to the variety of ways to pray. Using color and shapes to create visual representations of our prayers, I’ve found it particularly helpful when I’m tired or overwhelmed as it enables me to focus my prayers, especially when I what to pray for individuals. This is a great resource for those who are called upon to help others with prayer, but it Sunday School teachers or others.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: Theologies of Confirmation for the 21st Century by Sharon Ely Pearson
Pearson has gathered a people from a breadth of backgrounds to reflect on the Episcopal rite of Confirmation as it is currently practiced and understood. The first section of the book provides an overview of the roots and recent changes to the rite of Confirmation. The main section then launches into reflections on various aspects of confirmation. The last chapter seeks to point to ways of moving forward. While each chapter provides interesting and sometime provocative input, I found it lacking in any reflection on the confirmation for adults. While in many places teens are the primary recipients of confirmation, in my observation an increasing number of adults are being confirmed. I wonder how that will change the conversation?
Inventing Hell: Dante, the Bible and Eternal Torment by Jon Sweeney
Who would have thought that a book on Hell could be fun? Sweeney does a masterful job of weaving together Dante’s vision of Hell with the sources that he drew from and the influence that vision of the afterlife has had on Christianity since. Sweeney approaches the topic with a light touch that keeps you wanting to read the next chapter, and with it to ponder where exactly our understanding has come from, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, Greek and Roman myth, as well as Dante’s imagination. It is a book that will keep you reading and thinking about the influences we bring to our own theology.
The Digital Cathedral by Keith Anderson
Anderson takes the image of a medieval cathedral and its interconnectedness with the community surrounding it as a model for the interaction of our current Christian communities with the world in which we live. As he explores various aspects of ministry, the examples range from a church that has chosen to not have a building, instead using various public settings for their gatherings, to the creation of spaces for theological conversation in the digital world. The last chapter “A Digital Rule of Life”, challenges me to rethink my integration of digital and face to face relationships. Concrete as well as thought provoking, I have found The Digital Cathedral has sparked an number of ideas and new ways of looking at current programs.
Multicoloured Seasons and Multicoloured Praises by Mary Fleeson (Linsidfarne Scriptorium UK)
With all the buzz lately about coloring books for adults, I was intrigued when I stumbled across these coloring books from the UK. Each image is paired with a meditation on the opposite page, designed to deepen the contemplation inherent as one adds color to the drawing. There are a number of other titles in the series, and they continue to expand. For a modest fee, the drawings are available for use in Christian Formation programs.