Braving Sorrow Together
Braving Sorrow Together by Ashleigh Slater is a good book of encouragement and challenge for every one of us because we have or will deal with sorrow, grief, loss, and fears. The author attempts to prepare us and guide us through these trials through sharing several of her own personal stories as well as some of her friends. The stories show a wide variety of experiences of suffering and sorrow.
In each story, Slater vulnerably shares her weaknesses and how community helped her and gave her strength. The book continually reminds the reader of the important role our friends, church community, and those around us have in our lives and how this is particularly helpful when dealing with hard times.
There is advice for being a supporter as well. Advice including what to say and what not to say and how to be a help and serve. The book also acknowledges how each of us responds to hard times in different ways, but despite the different personal needs we have, the answer always comes back to community and those around us in support.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Come Let Us Adore Him
Something he added for this book is one of its best features. For those with families, including children of any age, there is an added paragraph to encourage discussion. It begins with a “central theme” and then there are some suggested questions. The discussions are great and will be very helpful for one who leads their family through them helping each in their family have a deeper understanding of Christmas.
Anything that can help me refocus on the “right things” at Christmas and during the days leading up is something that I need and this book provides that assistance and from a clear God-centered perspective pointing the reader to the glory of God. I highly recommend using this tool this month of December.
Biblical Foundations for Global Missions
“Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global” continues this tradition. The entire book is based in the Biblical foundations of missions. The key goal of global missions is bringing God glory. Many other mission books begin with the need for the lost to be found, the opportunities for serving, the call for workers to the harvest. None of these are bad things, but missions is about bringing glory to God. Glory to God as the lost is found. Glory to God as lives are changed—both those being served, and those who are doing the serving.
The book helps to define missions and missionaries as many things seem to be called missions. The book challenges churches and church members how to support missionaries as we develop a Biblical mission strategy for our churches and live out the Great Commission.
As in each of the “Building Healthy Churches” series books, pastors and church leaders will find the information most relevant and useful, but any believer will find the information helpful and challenging as we are all called to lead from our own place in leadership. I highly recommend this book to anyone to get a good understanding of Biblically-based missions.
Classic Hymns – (Read and Reflect…)
I love contemporary worship, but I am also rediscovering a love for old hymns. I used to always want to change the rhythms and style, but I’m rediscovering the beauty of singing them the way they were always sung.
The beauty that I’m discovering is not that these songs are superior. There are many hymns that are just as weak theologically as some of the worship choruses of past years. It is not an issue of hymns being better (or worse) than choruses.
I’m discovering the beauty of the shared history and shared faith these hymns represent. In the “Letter to the Reader” at the beginning of this book, the author writes, “While soaking in these hymns, I was struck with the instant connection I felt to the Church… The men and women who wrote these hymns felt the same longing in 1600 as I feel today; the same adoration that I melt into a service, and the same need to confess their sins…”
The beauty of congregational worship is that it is a shared experience. Sometimes that shared experience may be had best with the latest from Chris Tomlin or Bethel Worship. Some of us need to be challenged in that way. But, I think in today’s modern and active church, a rediscovery of shared faith includes rediscovering hymns and this book allows us to do that starting with what is most important, the lyric.
Then, following each lyric, are some questions that encourage the reader to dig into God’s Word and understand what the hymn-writer was writing about. After that, there are personal reflection questions to help us grow deeper, and each section ends with a prayer to challenge us and seriously seek God to use these lyrics through the ages for our own current, contemporary and alive faith today.
There are ninety hymns included. Some were very familiar to me and some less familiar. My biggest criticism of the book is that I wish the author had chosen ninety hymns that were best because their lyrical and theological content. There are many great hymns that are included, but also some that are flowery and perhaps just there for the emotional and even nostalgic feeling as opposed to declaring God’s truth. #37: “I come to the garden alone, where the dew is still on the roses…and He walks with me…” comes to mind.
Despite this weakness, I still find this book very helpful and I recommend it for the thoughtful questions and Biblical foundation for each song. Even #37 gives us some good things to think about as it highlights Genesis 5:24 and Enoch walking faithfully with God. My hope and prayer are that it will be used to build a connection with people who worship in many ways rather than fuel debates about worship style.
You might want to check it out and rediscover the shared faith we have with many generations past.
I received a copy of this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review (Mike Fischer)
Sing!
The book is short but filled with depth and wisdom. The book begins with the Biblical basis for congregational singing, and the need for the church to sing. We are created, commanded, and compelled to sing with our hearts and minds. This singing is not limited to a service on a Sunday morning, but extends to our families and through our community. The book ends with the point that our congregational singing witnesses to the world around us. Our singing declares the glory of God in the Gospel of Christ.
At the end of the book are several “Bonus Tracks” that are written for special groups of people such as pastors, worship leaders, musicians, songwriters, and those who work in the music industry.
While a pastor, worship leader, or worship musician may get the most out of this book, anyone-even non-musicians—can learn from the teaching and we can all be challenged with the truth that the important thing is singing with all your heart.
As a worship leader, I highly recommend it to other worship leaders and pastors. Even more, I believe any one of us would benefit from reading it as we strive to worship, declaring the glory of God as sing, proclaiming the gospel together in obedience to God.
Steal Away Home
Worship – A. W. Tozer
Aiden Wilson Tozer writes as a passionate pastor and his writing delivers words that smack us directly. He writes things like:
I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.
…I would warn those who are cultured, quiet, self-possessed, poised and sophisticated that if they are embarrassed in church when some happy Christian says “Amen!” they may actually be in need of some spiritual enlightenment.
The great hospitals have grown out of the hearts of worshiping men. The mental institutions grew out of the hearts of worshiping and compassionate men and women. We should say, too, that wherever the church has come out of her lethargy rising from her sleep and into the tides of revival and spiritual renewal, always the worshipers were back of it.
Science is great, philosophy is greater, theology is greater still, and worship is greatest of all. For worship goes back of where science can go, back of where human thought can penetrate, back of all the wordings of theology, and back to the reality. And when the Christian gets on his knees, he is having a meeting at the summit. He can’t get beyond that.
The wisdom and insight in this small, 134 page volume is significant. The book is full of inspiration and challenge and should make any believer reflect on their own heart before participating in worship, even though we so easily take it for granted. I encourage anyone to read and be challenged by A.W. Tozer as we strive to be worshipers who worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)
Word Centered Church
We like to look to programs to engage people, yet it is the Word of God that transforms us and gets us to surrender and yield to Christ. Great salesmanship or a sleek presentation doesn’t cut it. Only God’s Word can change us.
Leeman provides practical suggestions challenging us to make the Word central. He uses the word “reverberation” in describing how a pastor preaches and passes it on through the congregation much like a sound wave reverberates and causes other objects to reverberate and “pass the sound on.”
What would the church look like if people came for God’s Word as opposed to coming for “the show?” Would a church that puts God’s Word first see a reverberation that impacts the entire congregation and even the community and world around?
Word Centered Church is a good book for any pastor or church member to read and be reminded what is most important in church life: Hearing God’s Word through preaching, reading, singing, and praying.