Yesterday I listed 10 good suggestions for upbeat non-fiction summer reads, fun and funny, inspiring and well-written.  Of course there are tons of other good non-fiction works, and even some scholarly works can be truly beautiful, good and true and pleasurable.  But those listed made a good list and we are grateful for those who re-posted it, tweeted it, and ordered some.  We’ll revisit excellent new nonfiction titles, soon. 

Today, why not pick up for yourself or for a friend, a new novel, something you hadn’t quite intended or considered, a surprising tale that might stimulate your imagination and bring that unique pleasure found only between the pages of a books?  Recommending novels is tricky, since there are so many level of readers and so many varying expectations of what makes a good story or the writing pleasurable.  Some of these are overtly religious.  Some are not at all.  Like good art, they all tell it slant, as the poet said.  For whatever reason, they seemed like fine summer reads.  Enjoy.

A Month of Summer  Lisa Wingate (NAL) $14.00  Wingate has published on evangelical publishing houses but here she writes for a more general mainstream market.  One reviewer says she is a “glorious storyteller” and many have affirmed how heartfelt and moving her emotionally-fulfilling stories can be.  There is a nice conversation guide included making this good for book clubs.  This “ordinary summer” brings an extraordinary change of heart regarding Rebecca Macklin’s plans when she realizes her aging father needs to be put in a nursing home.  She is a busy, high-energy LA lawyer who must go back to her Texas home.  Not exactly chick lit, this is a story of separation and reconciliation, of the yearning of the heart and of the true meaning of family.  One of our staff loved this, and we heartily recommend it for a fun summer read.

Nothing to Hide J. Mark Bertrand (Bethany House) $14.99  You know we love Bertrand’s book on the development of a Christian perspective and way of life, (Re)Thinking Worldview, and we have often recommended his previous hard-boiled crime stories (Back on Murder and Pattern of Wounds) to those who want some realistic  grit to their suspense diet.  As the exceptionally thoughtful Books & Culture notes, “This is one of those series that is worthy getting attached to.”  It is gritty, chilling, there is a grisly homicide, an international threat.  Brand new, but those who have read the previous two Roland March books have offered serious praise for those and have been eagerly awaiting this one from this smart, serious author.  Put on your seat belt.
*Please note: this manuscript was naturally started several years ago and the gun-running FBI sting sub-plot has nothing to do with the now controversial nuttiness of the Fast and Furious operation.  Who knew Christian fiction could be so prescient? 

The Whipping Club: A Novel  Deborah Henry (T.S. Poetry Press) $14.95  Get this backstory:  L.L. Barkatt is a friend and a very esteemed writer, herself.  She started a little indie press with literally a handful of great, Christian poets who deserved to have their serious work published. Hats off, way to go, three cheers, etcetera. And, alas, Ms Barkatt somehow found this extraordinary novel, has blogged and talked and celebrated it, so–naturally–we wanted to stock it.  No sooner did it come in the other day when we get this unbelievable news: O Magazine this month (get it quick at your newsstand or grocery store) did a nice story of the top 50 summer fiction reads, Beach Books, so to speak.  Guess what?  49 were from fairly traditional presses, the big boys who get on these kinds of good, but rather predictable lists.  But wait, one (just one!) was from a small press, a very small press called, you guessed it, T.S. Poetry Press.  Congratulations to T.S. Poetry Press for doing their first novel, and for getting discovered in one of the most popular magazines in the world.  The prestigious Kirkus Review calls this new, serious novel “A powerful saga of love and survival.” One New York Times bestselling novelist called it “so breathtakingly good it seems to burn into your heart.”  Set in the 1960’s Irish orphanages, it will leave you sobered and moved and glad for what a good novel can do. *Please note, we are unable to offer a discount on this title. 

Harvest of Rubies  Tessa Afshar  River North) $14.99  The story of the author herself is pretty remarkable—she was raised in Iran, converted to Christianity and ended up at Yale Divinity School.  This is her second novel set in Old Testament times — the first was Pearl in the Sand (a story of the Bible character Rahab, set amidst the fall of Jericho) which was praised for its particular attention to detail about the customs, clothing and culture of this time period in the ancient near East.  Harvest of Rubies begins in 457 BC and is about the prophet Nehemiah’s cousin who has been catapulted into the center of the Persian court—becoming the Queen’s favorite scribe through her own literary abilities.  When she meets Darius Pasargadae, whom she scorns, there is an arranged marriage; harem life, and the start of an amazing story you won’t be able to put down.

Alif The Unseen  G. Willow Wilson  (Grove Press) $25.00 
Wilson became known for an important graphic novel or two a few years ago and haw quite a following, world-wide, and this
surreal, powerful story set in world of the Arab Spring is getting early
rave reviews as a tour de force.  It is so unusual, one can hardly explain what it
is about, but here is the short version: an Arab-Indian hacker named
Alif (the first letter of the Arabic alphabet) has been driven
underground by repressive security forces where he soon discovers an
ancient tale, new levels of information technology, and does battle
with forces seen and unseen.  One reviewer says it is driven by “a hot
ionic charge between higher math and Arabian myth” giving us a story of
“literary enchantment, political change, and religious mystery.”  Critic Hooman
Majd calls it “a multicultural Harry Potter for the digital age.”  Another writer called it “a Golden Compass
for the Arab Spring.”  Alif the Unseen is certainly an ambitious work and seems to mix myth
and magic and politics and storytelling.  Perhaps for fans of Neil
Gaiman and the like.  This is not your old-school Tolkien-esque fantasy!

Hope Springs  Kim Cash Tate (Nelson) $15.99  I don’t know how much you follow evangelical Christian fiction, but this is a fine example of the complex stories and fine writing that is increasingly available from Christian publishing houses, publishers that increasingly tackle pressing social issues.  While this may not be Pulitzer Prize caliber literature, it works. The author is smart (with a law degree, no less.)   This is perfect beach book, the dialogue is breezy and the story moves along.  Here are two really interesting things about it: firstly, it is about small town life (South Carolina) and what it might be like when adults born there return.  Three women become friends in this small town, and the troubles they encounter are earnest and interesting.  And, also, there are some very interesting things going on: one woman is herself engaged in serious women’s ministry, but her husband, a pastor, feels called to become the minister at his late father’s church in the town of Hope Springs.  How many books are about ministerial couples and their differing visions of ministry?  Very moving is the sub-plot of the racial divisions in the church and town, and what God might have in store as the three women fine new ways to be in this old place. Nice story, interesting characters, good setting, nice message.

In the Kingdom of Men  Kim Barnes (Knopf) $24.95  With deckled edges and a handsome cover this beautiful hardback is getting impressive reviews, seriously considered, named as very important.  Barnes is a new favorite author of mine and I will soon review her stunning coming of age memoir, which I could not put down and can’t stop thinking about In the Wilderness and its powerful sequel, Hungry for the World. This new novel is set in the American heartland and in Saudi Arabia.  As Elizabeth Berg has written about this mesmerizing novel, these two locations “couldn’t be more different. But from the point of view of a woman not allowed to be herself, the two places have startling similarities.” Set in the 1960’s oil rush it is historical and romantic and very much about changing mores around gender and race.  Anthony Doerr calls it “Mad Men meets The Sheltering Sky, a Revolutionary Road for the oil-addicted.”  And, he continues, “It’s an utter pleasure to read.”  Now that is a winning combo.  You heard it here first.

As One Devil to Another  Richard Platt (Tyndale) $15.99  This is not the first person to try a hand at duplicating the charm and great insight and clever plot of the C.S. Lewis classic Screwtape Letters.  I believe it is the first to get an amazing endorsement from the understandably reluctant-to-endorse Walter Hooper, who says “It reads as if C.S. Lewis himself had written it.”   Wow. A fiendish correspondence!

The Director’s Cut: A Novel  Janice Thompson (Revell) $14.99  I haven’t read this but just wanted to show some of the nifty sorts of fun reads we have on our shelves here.  This is from the third in the light “Backstage Pass” series, which, as you might guess, is set in the fabulously interesting and most-usually entertaining sub-culture of Hollywood film-making and TV production.  Okay, so the blurb on the back starts out with the over-the-top cheesy line “the one thing she can’t direct is her heart.”  If that doesn’t make you want to laugh your way through this zany story, well, go back to the demonic correspondence listed above or the more highbrow fiction selections.  For a light-hearted love story written by a real-life TV screenwriter, with a strong faith, you’ll get a kick out of this.

The Meryl Streep Movie Club  Mia March (Gallery Books) $15.00   You’ve heard of The Friday Night Knitting Club and The Jane Austen Book Club and the appeal is obvious.  Here, in what looks likes a fantastic, enjoyable story, three women find happiness in their friendship with one another and, well, the movies of Meryl Streep.  What an idea for chick-lit!  The front says “A Novel of Love, Family, and Movie Night.”   Ha!  I don’t have to tell you the plot, but it involves them watching ten movies together; can you guess which 10 they are?  There is an interview with the author in the back and a fun discussion group—go on, call up some friends and do it!  Set on the coast of Maine, making it all the more fun for an entertaining summer read.

Okay, that’s 10, but there are others I’d love to talk about.  I just read the very intelligently written, captivating, philosophical study of memory, A Sense of an Ending by the esteemed British novelist, Julian Barnes. Beth and another staff person here are reading Suzanne Joinson’s  A Lady’s Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar which is thoughtfully rich and perhaps more complicated (and darker) than it sounds.   But I certainly have to include something in the genre of short stories —  great for those short mini-vacations we grab on a day off or a slow Sunday afternoon.  There are plenty, but here is a classic, with some precious, charming stories with radically profound, and we believe, deeply Christian meaning.

That Distant Land: The Collected Stories (Counterpoint) $18.95 You know the essays, poetry, and novels of Wendell Berry. You know he is an elegant, rural writer, telling stories, always, of his people in Western Kentucky. This nice paperback includes nearly 20 short stories or novellas (from his decades of work)  running nearly 500 pages.  What a nice, nice collection, perfect to dip into as the spirit moves.  Highly recommended.

BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT
any book mentioned
except where noted

2O% off

order here
takes you to the secure Hearts & Minds order form page
just tell us what you want

inquire here
if you have questions or need more information
just ask us what you want to know

Hearts & Minds 234 East Main Street  Dallastown, PA  17313     717-246-3333

 

Here are some books that are truly fun, really good reads, fantastic for your Summer reading pleasures. Today, we offer a nice list of some nonfiction books, sale-priced at 20% off.  Tomorrow I’ll add to the fun with 10 enjoyable novels.   Don’t miss the opportunities these warmer, longer days provide to slow down a bit, pray some, and read a bit. Enjoy fiction and non-fiction, upbeat, memorable writing, taking pleasure in this God-given gift of spending time with enjoyable books. 

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection  A.J. Jacobs (Simon & Schuster) $26.00  SALE PRICE $20.80 He starts off in the intro making me laugh right out loud by the end of the first page, but I was primed, because the full-color inside endpapers themselves made me laugh right out loud; twice, seeing the front and the back.  He explains that this is the third leg of a journey.  He improved his mind, or at least tried to, in The Know it All (a tremendous book about reading Encyclopedia Britannica) and then worked on his spirit in the justly famous Year of Living Biblically (an all time favorite–you have to read it!) and now he is going to work on his body.  Yep, it is one of those kind, like his others, and you will learn so much along the way about the human body, your health and well-being, and be completely entertained.  In what one review called a “riotous, madcap book” you will explore the absurd stuff some people try, discover which health fads really do make sense (chew your food!) and the sublime of science of well-being, including various complimentary medicine type practices.  You’ll enjoy the story and glean a whole lot of practical health practices–maybe even some inspiration.  Dr. Oz even endorses it!  By the way, he’s fearless in what he shares and you will cringe. And laugh.  Maybe cry. 

Here is what Mary Roach (Bonk and Packing for Mars) wrote:   

A.J. Jacobs is very, very bad for your health. He will keep you up reading til 2 a.m., disturbing your circadian rhythms, making you sleep through breakfast and overeat at lunch. He is delicious. He’s habit-forming. He will give you infectious titters and terminal glee. Don’t let that stop you. Indulge.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail  Cheryl Strayed (Knopf) $25.95 SALE PRICE $20.75  I was telling everybody who would listen about this new book when I was only a quarter ways through; as you most likely know, dear Oprah W. started up her book club again, just because (as she tells it) she needed to talk to people about this story!  I swear I was big on this before Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 (thank you very much.) Wild is an epic story of grief and (really) bad choices, adventure and drama, sex and longing, wilderness within and without as the author tries in great solitude found in the stunning great Western outdoors, to find herself as she hikes the more rugged and lesser-known hiking trail that was created the same time as the East Coast Appalachian Trail.  She treks with a huge pack and some great books through the Mojave Desert and over some snow-packed mountains and some stunning landscapes. She meets people along the way, presses her own physical abilities, copes with the inner landscape, and survives to tell us in thrilling, smart prose.  A breathtaking adventure story, to be sure, and a moving memoir of a woman trying to come to terms with her loss and confusion and the grand search for life’s meaning. There is a lot on the internet with Ms Strayed; start here.

 
Fly-Fishing, The Sacred Art: Casting a Fly as a Spiritual Practice  Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer and Rev. Michael Attas  (Skylight Paths) $16.99  SALE PRICE $13.55   Forget the jokes about a Rabbi and minister going into a bar; here they go out to streams, explaining the allure and spiritual potential, in fly fishing.  Beautiful, interesting, informative, with describing things from tie flying to enjoying the flowing streams to working on river conservation. I have only fished with flies a few times, but I enjoyed dipping in to this book and found myself recalling my grandfathers who were both stellar fishermen.  Nice!

The Fragrance of God  Vigen Guroian (Eerdmans) $13.00  SALE PRICE $10.40  Rich, elegant, economical prose that is beautiful to read.  The topic: God’s faithfulness to save his cosmos, the beauty of the Earth, sensuousness redeemed by way of gardening.  This lovely little hand-sized book is about digging in the dirt (literally) but also about the dirt of our lives, the ups and downs, and how to thoughtfully navigate this wondrous journey towards Paradise.  Just lovely, and truly beautiful!  As an Orthodox Christian, by the way, he plants his lavish (renowned) garden in ways that flowers bloom in the colors of the liturgical calendar.

Digging In: Tending to Life in Your Own Backyard  Robert Benson (Waterbrook) $12.99  SALE PRICE $10.40  I’ve celebrated this book before — maybe each summer, come to think of it— and am happy to suggest it again.  Although most all of Robert’s gorgeously concise books are perfect summer reads, this is a favorite.  Digging In is about his backyard work, his joy in landscaping, and how he and his wife fell in love with their neighborhood.  Highly recommended!   But so are his others.  I’ll skip the heavier ones about prayer and contemplation, but remind you of these upbeat ones: The Game (Tarcher; $12.95) is a very elegant must-read if you are a baseball fan, maybe more-so if you’re not; A Good Neighbor: Benedict’s Guide to Community (Paraclete; $14.99) is about loving well those God gives to us. A Good Life: Benedict’s Guide to Everyday Joy (Paraclete; $13.95) is a short, sweet and quite practical introduction to Benedictine spirituality and lifestyle. Home by Another Way: Notes from the Caribbean (Waterbrook; $13.99) offers great vacationy insight about our pace of life, about beauty and a sense of place, about family rituals and, yep, the beautiful Caribbean people and beaches.  Great, meaningful fun for armchair travelers.  Sheer delight and abundant wisdom in all of these. Help us spread the word about this wonderful author. Enjoy!

Second Nature:
A Gardener’s Education  Michael Pollen (Grove) $15.00  SALE PRICE $12.00  Noel Perrin in USA Today called this “one of the most distinguished gardening books of our time.”  It is a true joy to read, if you like serious cultural analysis, social history, botany, horticulture, and want to travel along a green path of intellectual stimulation, ruminating on all manner of natural stuff.   This really is a learned but glorious reflection on so many aspects of gardening that you will be delighted to learn more than you could imagine. You surely know of Michael Pollan from the prestigious foodie book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and his numerous public appearance and natural eating columns.  This manifesto about our relationship with nature ought to be better known.
 

Dallas and the Spitfire: An Old Car, and Ex-Con, and an Unlikely Friendship  Ted Kluck & Dallas Jahncke (Bethany Publishing House) $14.99 SALE PRICE $11.99   Here is what I wrote about this when I suggested it at our very cool Father’s Day post:  This is an fine book in a great genre—like a “buddy movie” sort of, and fun for any guy.  This tells of a solid Christian fellow discipling a messed up, druggie, ex-con. But, wait, this relationship isn’t all that simple—the ex-con teaches the Christian guy a bunch: it is not a “how to mentor” guidebook or a one-sided inspiration tale.  It is the narrative of a friendship, a messy and funny biography of this crazy dream of fixing up an old car and learning of God’s great grace through it all.  This is story which is ore profound perhaps even than it wants to be. (“At the risk of embarrassing these nitty-gritty guys, this is ultimately a story about love,” writes Justin Taylor.)  Kluck is a good writer (whose stuff has been seen in the ESPN magazine.)  Dallas and the Spitfire really is a wild tale, profoundly informed by good theology, and a true love for that old Triumph Spitfire. 

When Women Were Birds: Fifty-Four Variations on Voice  Terry Tempest Williams (FSG) $23.00  SALE PRICE $18.40  You may recall how we have raved about Refuge, the memoir Ms Williams wrote after leaving her large, Utah, Mormon clan, and taking up her calling to speak truth to power, particularly around environmental concerns.  We were deeply moved by her unusual book about mosaics, the protection of threatened prairie-dogs and the genocide in Rwanda, Finding Beauty in a Broken World.  Here in this new one she ruminates profoundly on how an author–how anyone, really–finds a voice, in 54 short chapters exploring the mystery of her mother’s saved journals intentionally left to her—journals which were all blank. This very creatively-written book may not be for everyone as it is demanding, thoughtful literature, but it will be one of the talked about books of the year.  Anne Lamott says of the writing of Williams that it is “brilliant, meditative, and full of surprises, wisdom, and wonder. She’s one of those writers who changes people’s lives by encouraging attention and a slow, patient, awakening.”  You will be blown away by this if you enjoy very artfully crafted, passionately charged reflections with environmental and feminist themes.  By the way, I featured the close-up picture, above, to show the lovely, white, embossed cover.  Very handsomely done.

Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son
Anne Lamott and Sam Lamott (Riverhead Books)  $26.95 SALE PRICE $21.55 
Again, we announced this earlier, when it very first came out a few months ago, but it seems quite right to share it here, again, as a fun summer read. What an enjoyable book, a great memoir of Anne’s 19-year old son’s (unexpected) baby and his admittedly complicated relationship with the baby’s mother.  You may recall Sam as a baby from her break-out book Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year and now he is all grown up, studying at a local community college. Sam chimes in a bit and it is poignant to read about this year in their life amidst hardship, chaos, laughter and some God-given traveling mercies.  Her’s is a bohemian and eccentric crew and she has a remarkable gift for being able to turn a phrase, and to build a paragraph that is at once touching, insightful, and drop-dead funny.

Mondays with My Old Pastor  Jose Luis Navajo (Nelson) $15.99  SALE PRICE $12.79  A pastor verging on serious burn-out decides to get together each Monday with his old friend and mentor to reflect on his life and faith, wondering why he is so emotionally drained and spiritually dry—think of format and the power of the story Tuesdays With Morrie.  This Spanish pastor tells the story of their meetings quite beautifully, with such Biblical wisdom, that although it is a true memoir, and mostly a book designed to help your basic Christian living, finding faith in hard times (and in the process of aging) it so well written and translated and so very enjoyable, I wanted to list it here. Just look at the cover!  One good customer of ours, a quite literate pastor, himself, reported that as soon as he finished it, he immediately started it all over again.  Very nicely done—a great way to refresh your faith during the dog days of summer.

As I said, these are just 10 good non-fiction recommendations that feature fine writing and engaging styles.  Tomorrow, we’ll post 10 good fiction recommendations, novels that are fun and sometimes funny, uplifting, pleasurable for summer reads.

BookNotes

It’s funny how I often want to frame things by our overarching perspective, telling the story of what we are about and, hopefully, why you care.  We are a bit of a niche type store, I know (here I go again) and feel like we can use our bookselling as an opportunity not just to sell stuff (especially stuff that is already widely available at WalMart) but to educate thoughtful Christian readers, and others who might be interested, in how a winsome Christian worldview might engage the culture in which we find ourselves with creativity and fidelity.  We write about, and try to sell, exceptional books, books which are often about the issues of the day or mature theology applied, living out faith in every aspect of life.

And so, in order to tell about some very cool Bibles we recently got in, and the incredible prices we are offering on them—basic info any salesman would want to share, not complicated at all, really—I started to write a big ‘ol essay on Bible translations, starting to make the case for using a variety of editions, the strengths and weaknesses of some them, and how to select a good study Bible, even.  Pages and pages in, I realized I was in over my head, set it aside for a bit (pledging to work on it more, posting it perhaps as a monthly column) and decided I’d just do my job quickly tonight.  Skip the big story or the teachable moment.  Here’s three great deals on three new Bibles.

We have two editions of Eugene Peterson’s fascinating and respected paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, on sale. First a new paperback, marked down, then a great sale item.   

Then we have another Bible surprise. 

You know our story: as followers of Jesus we simply have to increase our Biblical literacy, and we are happy to promote any number of different sort of Bible resources to help.  Here, we are celebrating The Message and a thoughtful new edition of a groovy classic.  On sale.  Here ya go.

NEWLY RELEASED PAPERBACK EDITION.  SALE PRICE $15.00

The Message// Remix edition  (NavPress) paperback  $19.99 NOW ONLY $15.00  This is the first time there has been a paperback of the best-selling “Remix” edition.  The Remix is, frankly, pretty much the same as the big standard editions of The Message but has a hip graphic format of the verses (01Kings, for instance, with modern-design large font numbers notable on each page) and an only slightly abbreviated version of each of Peterson’s excellent introductions to each book of the Bible.  It is in a chunky, handy size. Usually, when a customer wants to try The Message—as you all should, as it is so, so interesting, upbeat, plainspoken and fresh—he or she wants to start with the least expensive edition, which are the two Remix editions.  There are beautiful leather ones of the regular version, full size and compact, and we stock each and every edition that is published (including one that is a real bargain, a parallel edition that has the NIV and The Message side by side.)  But the only Remix editions that have previously been available have been the hardbacks—one with a tan, wooden look, and one with a gray, cement look.  These were the least expensive versions of The Message you could get making them our most popular ones.  Until now.

So, now—ta-daaaa—this new paperback Remix is the least expensive one you will be able to get.  A swell, handy 5 x 7 size (of the “wooden” look cover.)  We are very, very excited. and if you want to try The Message, this is a great way to start.  The regular price is the least expensive, as I’ve said, but with our sale price, it is the best buy you’re going to find.

EXCEPT MAYBE FOR THIS LIMITED TIME OFFER.  SALE PRICE $10.00
The Message//Remix edition compact sized, imitation-leather (NavPress) regularly $29.99  NOW ONLY $10.00  While supplies last.

This is a really, really handsome, small-size (4 x 6) Remix edition which is fantastic to carry, nice to the touch.  The print is quite small, of course, as with any compact edition.

It comes in this cool-looking slipcover, and is a smooth, rich, tan faux leather (although it sure feels like the real thing.)  Has a ribbon marker.  Love it.  For ten bucks, it is about the best Bible deal we’ve seen in a long time.  Get a few to give as gifts.

We have a limited supply of these. We no longer have any of these in stock.  Sorry.  We can offer them at 20% off.

THE WAY — NO LONGER GROOVY GREEN. SALE PRICE  $15.00
The Way  New Living Translation (Tyndale) paperback regular $24.95
NOW ONLY $15.00  If you are not old enough to recall, maybe you’ve seen ’em lying dog-eared in old Sunday school classes, at musty retreat centers or on the thrift shop dollar table.  I’m talking about the legendary, really groovy, The Way, which was a 1970s paperback paraphrase of the Bible called The Living Bible, laden with hip Biblical pull quotes about love and peace and meaning and joy, very artsy black & white photos of girls with long blond hair or blooming Afros, all decked out with love beads and “one way” signs. This was revolutionary at the time, making this easy-to-read paraphrase a great tool to hand out to jaded hippies and more typical youth who were tired of their grandma’s KJV or their parent’s RSV.  This was way out, man, and we loved it.  Most of us soon tired of the lame paraphrase that was The Living Bible and the pictures eventually appeared dated.  But it was a huge gift in those years and many of us cherish the memories of our youthful forays into the Bible, being read for real, with honest reflection pieces, offered in a package that was relevant and inviting. 

In that same spirit, the same publisher has done a Way 2.0, so to speak.  It is in the excellent, contemporary translation (The fairly recent New Living Translation, or NLT, not to be confused with the old LB paraphrase) and has an all new sleek design, pretty darn hip. The audience and appeal is the same: youth and young adults who appreciate good quotes, honest ruminations, great gallery-quality photos, well-cropped in b/w awesomeness, all in a design that is artful, but not aloof or overly formal.  This is a Bible to give away to
teens or young adults who want a hot-looking paperback in a reliable, fresh translation of the Greek and Hebrew.  (Little known fact: our friend, Bible scholar and worldview guru Al Wolters led the exceptional team that did Job in the NLT. Go here if you want more information on the NLT.)

This stylish packaging vibe really is a great idea, and we’re happy to suggest it to you. 

Some well known writers for youth ministry curriculum worked on the sidebars, but since it is good for any 20-something, many other good folks contributed–writers like Scot McKnight, Phyllis Tickle, music producer Charlie Peacock, human rights activist from IJM, Gary Haugen, Orthodox theologian Frederica Mathewes-Green, Presbyterian John Franke, Emma Sleeth, Richard Stearns, Soong-Chan Rah, just to name a few.  There are over 400 different features, including devotionals, meditations and personal stories offered as resources within The Way to help readers follow in the way of Jesus.  Go here for a list of some of the contributors and a listing of the thoughtful features.  Hats off to Mark Oestreicher who headed up the team, the largest publishing project he ever did (as he says in his blog post about it, here.)  We are pretty excited about this, and with our limited time sale offer, it might be a good think to consider.

BookNotes

HUMOR ME BY READING THIS QUINTESSENTIAL BORGER RUMINATION
OR SKIP TO THE TWO NEW REVIEWS

Everybody wants to find purpose and passion and meaning these days, and many church folks—inspired by many good speakers, conferences, books, websites and blogs—see this search for meaning and the desire to leave a legacy as integrally related to the call of Jesus the Risen Lord to “follow me.”  Jesus didn’t say that he came in order to take us to heaven for everlasting bliss, but to recruit working witnesses to the salvage operation He was doing in and of the world; His gospel was “the gospel of the Kingdom.”  To realize that following Jesus as ambassadors of His Kingdom and that that is a story which is bigger and better than the American dream is said more often these days, and I think our old tune is getting played more and more.  Thanks be to God.  I think more folks these days realize that we are to discover meaning and purpose and direction and joy by making much of God, by serving His world, in every area of society and culture; fewer and fewer church folks want a nominal faith that doesn’t have real-world traction.  I think this desire for faith to really matter, to hunger for an awakening that helps us make a difference in the world seems to be the case across the theological and denominational spectrum; we hear this from Russ Douthart to Diana Butler Bass, from John Piper to Jim Wallis, all in their own way calling us to a search for a meaningful, intelligent faith that has fruitful implications for our life in the world.  As you might guess, we are glad to offer books for this journey, fuel for the fire. 

THE DISCONNECT
For way too long, in too many faith traditions, this very human task of making meaning, of determining the viability of the story we find ourselves in, however, has been oddly disconnected from our heart-felt professions at church, our heart-felt proclamations in worship.   You may recall that line from Death of a Salesman, about the fellow that “dreamed the wrong dreams.”  Sadly, some still attend church, claiming a faith for their personal lives, but are living in their public lives as if that story isn’t really true, or has no necessary implications for “the real world.”  We dream the wrong dreams, arrange our lives in light of the wrong story.  There has been a disconnect, based on a dualism: Sunday does not connect with Monday; religion doesn’t really relate, it just comforts us in our private lives, in our heart, as they say.  As I said, I think this is changing. 

Some of the books we’ve reviewed here over the years have helped (we have been told) as folks see that faith is to be integrated into all of life, that Christ is Lord of each zone of human activity, public and private.  Some authors really are helping people see the natural connection between creation (life in the world), our fallenness (our idols and brokenness, sins and stupidity) and redemption (the promised restoration Christ brings to the entire cosmos.)  You’ve heard us quote Abraham Kuyper’s “every square inch” phrase; we were “early adopters” of that Kuyperian worldview.  Still, there are those who don’t quite realize that Christ does indeed claim “every square inch” so we continue on, talking, inviting folks to deeper considerations, naming authors who help us unpack this in one way or another.  Christian faith does help us relate to all of life in new ways.  From Barbara Brown Taylor to Leslie Newbigin, from Francis Schaeffer to Brian McLaren, from Dallas Willard to Tim Keller,  Margo Starbuck to C. S. Lewis, Miroslov Volf to Phyllis TIckle, each in their own way help us piece things together — so many authors, read with discernment, can help us make sense of faith in a way that speaks to “hearts and minds” and allows faith to be big enough to frame and direct the unfolding of each aspect of our lives.

Recently, we’ve noticed a lot of books that happily encourage people to see their faith as more than a “Sunday” thing.   I’m all for that, as you can tell, but it is growing tiresome, all these uplifting promises of a grand life, a meaningful life, a big life, this call to take faith to the next level, to be great, big, mighty.  This new genre seems big on vision, but frankly meager on substance.  Everybody is writing about making a difference, standing up, living for the gospel.  Don’t Waste Your Life (John Piper), Radical (Richard Platt) Crazy Love (Francis Chan) and Not a Fan (Kyle Idleman) are among the better of these feisty calls to serious discipleship (although none have the staying power of, oh, say, The Cost of Discipleship by Bonhoeffer or the reasonable, sound books by John Stott.) So many recently popular books are just kicking us in the collective backside, chiding us to get going, live large, trust God for miracles and in faith set our sails.  We can do this!  Be great!  Make a difference! Life in light of eternity!  God will help you find your destiny!  Blah, blah, blah.

DOES THE CHURCH REALLY HELP PROFESSIONALS AND OTHER WORKERS?
Again, I am glad that people are seeing that faith is lived out in the here and now, day by day.  People are less likely these days to talk about their “personal, private” faith as if it doesn’t impact their work, voting, or entertainment choices.  Still, there is that disconnect out there, a sense that what we do outside of the walls of the church is somehow not as important as churchy stuff. And that is what I think we should be vigilant about, read up one, dig deep into.

Indeed, just for instance, one recent book helpfully documents how many business people and those who work in the corporate world feel ignored (or even betrayed) because it seems that their church and pastor don’t seem to care much about equipping them to live faithfully in their complex, significant working lives.  See: How the Church Fails Businesspeople (And What Can Be Done About It) by John C. Knapp (Eerdmans; $15.00.)  This is a very important new book, and I think may be more important in the long run than a dozen of the big name popular books calling us to high-energy, mega-church, big-time visions of making a difference. It is written by a person who has worked in the business world, and is also a theologian, helping the church bridge the divide, so to speak, between worship and work, between church and world.  Here is a nice youtube clip of the author explaining about the book.  It isn’t off-the-charts spiffy, not a lot of hip bluster, just good, solid reporting of how the ethos of many congregations seems indifferent to the public lives of most members.

Rousing cheerleading type books promising great joy in making a difference for God can only take us so far.  More “basic Christian living” books aren’t enough; restating that the gospel is all we need isn’t enough. Formulaic books about church renewal aren’t enough. We need a better analysis of what went wrong (with this dualistic disconnect) and how we got hoodwinked into the secularism of our age, and how a truly Christian worldview can help us discover coherent lifestyle in the real world, imagining our lives in audacious ways that are, yet, grounded, informed, plausible.

UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES
Going a bit deeper, then, there are complicated historical and philosophical reasons for this painful disconnect, this gaping dichotomy in the religious imagination of so many (on both the left and the right, the mainline churches and the evangelical ones.) There are serious books that explain the history of the sacred vs secular dualisms that cause us to compartmentalize our faith into one corner of our life, that help us realize where we’ve gone wrong and what to do about it, in ways that are consistent with the apostolic tradition and the historic tenants of the faith.  (That is, we don’t need to jettison the core convictions, as some say, or deconstruct historic orthodoxy.)  Diagnosing the foundational problem, the root problem, is important.  I think The Transforming Vision: Developing a Christian Worldview by Brian Walsh & Richard Middleton (IVP; $16.00) is still one of the very best books to help us with this very thing. I wish more of us, Hearts & Minds friends, fans, and BookNotes readers, had this telling of this tale under our communal belts.  It would help, I think, to share (or at least to be well aware of) the interpretive moves Walsh & Middleton make to understand why privatizing faith isn’t faithful, and why western culture’s service of idols and ideologies of the Enlightenment, deformed and demoralized not only the culture, but the church as well.  To see how they pick up the story in an even more complex way, taking it into the 21st century, see their magnificent Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical Faith in a Postmodern Age (IVP; $22.00.)  This is one of the best books for serious thinkers trying to make sense of the cultural drifts in our times, and how faithful followers of Jesus can live into His ways even in a hyper-modern hot-wired technological culture.  

I think, by the way, that these two books are very good to read prior to, or alongside, the recently popular stuff about the “prophetic imagination” by Walter Brueggemann—stuff like Out of Babylon (Abingdon; $14.99) or Journey to the Common Good (Westminister/John Knox.)  Heck, Brueggemann’s old book The Bible Makes Sense (St. Anthony Messenger Press; $10.95)) starts off with two different sorts of worldviews, two life-stories that most of us tend toward, that explain our role in Western culture differently, and how those predispositions will effect how we read our Bibles.  Good stuff.

More inspirationally I’d say, but equally profound, is an all-time favorite, Os Guinness’ The Call: Finding and Fulfilling Your Life’s Purpose (Nelson; $17.99) which, again, is a book we come back to again and again, when we want to help customers realize how faith is a big, exciting, drama, and discerning our role in it all is part of our life’s task.  Guinness shows, in lovely and elegant meditations, with remarkable illustrations and examples from the worlds of science and literary, poetry and art, politics and commerce, how living fully for Christ in all areas of life—and then finding one’s own “secondary calling” which is our own particular sense of vocation—is what is taught in the Bible, even if we don’t hear it enough in most churches.  “My utmost for His highest” indeed! 

Did you know that Os the prominent sociologist and cultural critic was named for the passionate preacher and devotional writer, Oswald Chambers (who wrote My Utmost for His Highest?)  Again, Guinness is always important to read (and he has a new book coming soon), not least this classic book on calling.  His description of how the gospel impacts “everyone, everywhere, in everything” is so helpful; he has a chapter telling of how some 16th century priests locked the doors of their church so that people would stop feeling like they had to come back to church each day, that their real mission in life was to serve God in the real world. His very moving story about an Irish farmer plowing such beautiful rows is such a testimony to the power of a seamless simple life, lived well before God. This book is important because of the good ground it covers, it’s nicely written style, and the helpful stories that illustrate these profound, essential truths.

I’ve told you before about Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Amy Sherman (IVP; $16.00.)  This is not the place to restate in detail the many strengths of this valuable book, but I note it just to remind you that there is a renaissance these days of rich and thoughtful books about calling and career, and about social change and the common good.  This is a book that every church leader should have in his or her lending library as it lays out not only a robust theology of the common good, and a serious study of notions of vocation and calling, but also because it–unlike quite any book I know–calls for lay folks to really make a difference in their workplace, as servants, leaders, whistle-blowers, reformers, or creative social innovators.  It affirms a “bloom where you’re planted” approach, but offers other pathways toward making a Kingdom difference in the local economy. How exciting to have these several models explained and explored, offering dreams and visions of how we can make a difference, how we can steward the ideas of vocation and calling, into actual service for human flourishing.  I’m thankful for Ms Sherman’s astute approach and her very inspiring case studies.  What a good resource this is!

Recently, one of the most talked about books in this whole arena of worldview formation, discerning vocation, living out the calling of God into all of life is James K.A. Smith’s Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (BakerAcademic; $21.99.)  Every few years (heck maybe only once a decade or so) a book comes along that is a real must-read for thoughtful Christians, that is shaping the conversation in significant ways, in deed, that alters the conversation in significant ways.  I have argued before that Smith’s book (the first of a three part series) is one of those kind of very significant and generative books.  It is a serious read, demanding (he is a professor of philosophy, after all) but important. To be informed about the nature of faith and discipleship and cultural engagement these days one simply must be aware of DtK.

Smith is often cited and discussed much these days although not every agrees with all of his views.  As with any vanguard author, there are reviews that are glowing, sometimes he is considered with circumspect.  He reminds us that the transforming vision, the call of the Lord Jesus (to link two previously-mentioned books, which is my little rhetoric pleasure here, not that Jamie does this overtly) are not just matters of “seeing” or “hearing.”  In deed, we must embody the faith, we must learn the habits of heart that come from thick, meaningful litanies.  What rituals shape your imagination most—your trip to church on Sunday morning, say, or your trips to the mall or the sports arena or multiplex or grocery store? Don’t those “secular litanies” inform us and train us to “see” and “hear” the world in certain ways?  Walsh & Middleton, Brueggemann, and Os Guinness, too, are very valuable, but we need Smith’s powerful insights about the influence of the world’s formative habits on our (embodied) discipleship. 
Not, however, to escape the world, but to be aware, and to find a counter-narrative, a better story, more wise and durable liturgies, that can shape our heart’s desires so we “hunger and thirst after righteousness” and live to be an agent of the King. Desiring the Kingdom is really an amazing book.

Here, by the way, is a rambling, honest, interesting conversation with Jamie about a whole lot of things, interviewed on American Public Media by Krista Tippett.  If you like to listen to articulate conversation while you’re at your computer, this really is very nice.  It isn’t about the DtK book, which wasn’t written at the time of this interview, but it illustrates why we like him. 

I don’t have to tell our readers that one of the important contributions of the British Biblical scholar — and H&M pal — N. T. Wright is exactly related to these themes:  he explains that the gospel accounts tell us of a Jesus who was the long-awaited Messiah and liberator of ancient Israel, who came to announce and inaugurate a Kingdom come “on Earth as it is in Heaven.”  I can’t say enough about the last two important Wright books, Simply Jesus (HarperOne; $24.95) and How God Became King (HarperOne; $25.95) which both open up this theme consistently in light of careful study of the gospels.  We find our meaning not in just ramping up our enthusiasm for God, but by wisely finding our place in His coming Kingdom, by discerning our calling, knowing that it is something other than the conformed imaginations of the North American ideologies, value-systems, and ways of thinking. (Cue in Romans 12:1-2 here, please.)  We need a transforming vision and transformed lives, renewed minds and embodied faith!  But somehow, this means we have to be more intentional and knowledgeable about what the Bible teaches about creation, covenant, Israel, Christ, church, mission, and new creation.  N.T. Wright has a great gift, and knowing his work will be life changing for some, I am sure.  Read these two books this summer—you’ll be glad you did!  They are thoughtful and meaty, but not too academic or arcane.  Perfect!

Well, this is heavy stuff for a weekend, eh?  

Sorry to be pondering all this, but I gave a talk a few days ago to a group of graduate students (in the Higher Education Degree (HED) Program Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA) who are grappling with these very matters as they attempt to think about serving God well in higher education (including in the informal networks and places that fall under the rubric of student affairs.)  They, themselves, as professionals in higher education, want to have a Kingdom vision, and live out a Kingdom calling, in their vocations in institutions of higher learning, and they want to be an influence among the students with whom they work.  It was a privilege to ponder with them stuff like Steve Garber’s profound book that wonderfully raises these life-long questions—The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior (IVP; $16.00) or the easy-to-read but very, very good The Next Christians by Gabe Lyon, now out in paperback with a new chapter on civility (Multnomah; $14.99.)  As you might guess, the very good, and very helpful, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving the Church and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman (Baker; $17.99) came up, and I highly recommended it for anyone who works with younger adults.  A bit more specialized, I showed them what I take to be the best book for understanding young adults, Shaping the Journey of Emerging Adults: Life-Giving Rhythms for Spiritual Formation, Richard Dunn & Jana L. Sundene (IVP; $18.00.) What a wonderfully written, lovely, provocative book.

I naturally suggested that these folks who run dorms and student clubs and who work under the student affairs deans at their various colleges, use Make College Count: A Faithful Guide to Life and Living by Derek Melleby (Baker; $12.99) since it offers guidance about these very things for those transitioning from high school to college.  You know we think it is ideal for anyone just out of high-school, making their way to college, although it’s a good read for any first year collegiate, for that matter.  Derek, you see, has himself been somewhat informed by the sorts of things I’ve noted above, perhaps even by the likes of Brian Walsh & Richard Middleton, Walter Brueggemann, Jamie Smith, Os Guinness, N.T. Wright.  You don’t have to have read any of those authors (let alone agree with them all) to appreciate Make College Count, but it is interesting that Melleby took these big ideas and teased out some of the implications for adolescents making their way to young adulthood.  I think it is remarkably good, and glad that I got to give it a shout out while at this HED program. 

So I talked at Geneva College about some of my favorite Bible passages, told a few stories about decisive moments in my own life when I came to increasing awareness about the relevance and reforming and restoring power of Jesus’ Kingdom teaching.  I called on them to take up their vocations as professionals in higher education by reading widely and thinking deeply about all the issues that come up in their own settings and context.  Which is why I’m now reminding you of a few of these pretty foundational books that make up our story here at Hearts & Minds, the kind of take on things we are most excited about and most commend to you, our friends and supporters.

We think these are the kinds of books that are most fruitful and valuable for most of the churches, college fellowships, Bible studies or small affinity groups that we know of.  More cheerleading for passion, more insistence we should engage culture, more enthusiasm alone is not enough.  We need quiet empowerment by the Spirit of God and we need well rooted in good reading and sophisticated analysis of the crisis of faith in our times.  I love the ones I mentioned above.  But wait, there’s more.

***

Perhaps here is yet another way into this heavy conversation: think of the ways that evangelicals recently have been encouraging followers of Jesus to think of their role as humans made in the image of a Creator-God, folks who, in small and larger ways, are invited to create, steward, and enhance human flourishing and our shared culture. We are made to be involved in making the world a better place, being creative, engaged, as we say nowadays.

 No one book indicates this shift better than (again) one that is a personal favorite, written by a friend and hero of mine, a journalist and author named Andy Crouch.  I know you know about our appreciation for Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling (IVP; $23.00) as we have promoted it often. We have shown this book at church conference, amongst college groups, to artists and social reform groups and ordinary churches.  We do so again, here, as part of this reflection about why we need foundational, solid, readable books that can help us find coherence and Biblical guidance for all of life; we think it is one of books on the short list of titles that will help the recent interest in purpose and passion get grounded, be effective, going beyond fluff to substance.  I can’t say how very important I think this one is, and how foundational this book is to the story we are trying to tell here at Hearts & Minds.  If you haven’t read it, we suggest it heartily.  Besides it being a helpful book about being engaged in doing meaningful work and contributing to the common good, it also illustrates the caliber of the conversation we’ve come to appreciate in recent years.  It is nicely written (Crouch is an excellent journalist and very, very smart) but has a light touch.  It isn’t overly academic.  Three cheers!

MAKO FUJIMURA: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE TODAY?
Although he doesn’t cite Andy Crouch, he could have.  This recent talk by the acclaimed artist, Makoto Fujimura, the video clip offered below, is a fabulous way into this conversation about learning to see Christian faith as somehow more than a Sunday morning religion, but a living relationship with Christ that compels us to be creative, to social concern, learning to be “salt and light” in the secularized, pluralistic culture.  Yes, this worldviewish way of life I’m ruminating upon is well captured by IAM founder, painter and cultural organizer, Mako.  We here at H&M have all of Mako’s books; his most famous is Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art and Culture (NavPress; $24.99) and it is truly one of the most precious books we’ve sold in our 29 years here in Dallastown.  His “refractions” journal entries are wise and interesting and beautiful and good. If we are going to get all fired up about cultural engagement, as so many books and websites and movements now insist, we sure better be passing out books like this, so folks know what it looks like to take faith into the artistic marketplace. 

Listen to Mako Fujimura, who gave a very thoughtful invitation to graduates of Bioloa University in their recent commencement ceremony.  He invites students to ask “What will you make today” but he does not say it cheaply.  Mako links the (transgressive) effort of being creative to, also, the suffering of 9-11, and to our own opportunity to think about our contribution to the world.  Mako embodies as an artist and as a public thinker some of these same themes of calling, passion for gospel transformation, cultural renewal and distinctly Christian thinking about our vocation in the world.  This really is a fine, sober, and very interesting address; the host’s introduction is a bit long, but very nicely done, as well.  Enjoy!

THESE ARE IMPORTANT AND GENERATIVE
Okay, I’ve laid out a way of thinking about faith and discipleship and culture that suggests we would be better equipped if we read important books about worldview and calling, about “the fabric of faithfulness” and being attentive to the shape of our desires and longings, as we see ourselves as culture makers, serving the common good.  These sorts of books are generative and important: they are the books that have been influential for many of the folks I most esteem.  They are proven and transforming, at least to those who want to dig a bit deeper and broader.  I am confident that they will go a long way beyond the sorts of “cheer-leading” books that are popular these days, that just say that we should live with passion and abandon for God, but don’t really offer much substance or insight.  And they are broader than those that are merely engaged in the project of getting theology re-done (either as liberals or conservatives.)  We need some handles and models of what it all means and what it looks likes, and these books provide just the needed backdrop for lasting renewal and reformation in our day.

MISSIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
Yet, another way many authors, preachers, and faith-based pundits are exploring how honoring the Lordship of Christ should be an all-encompassing way of life, a way of seeing and perceiving, a way of being and a way of living, is less by talking about worldview and wholistic, embodied living, but just by ramping up the call to discipleship and the implications of that.  They (and here is the somewhat new and essential twist) explain discipleship as missional. Not as a formula for personal growth, or for every-increasing interest in the church, or even as the process of being changed into Christlikeness in our innermost selves–although any gospel-center vision will, of course, have that impact, described very well by Jerry Bridges in, say, Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love (Navpress: $14.99.)  Missional discipleship is on the move, active, multi-dimensional.  We are hearing now that discipleship is essential outward, being sent, being agents, ambassadors, life-long learners in the Way; discipleship is a journey, a walk into life with others and God for the sake of others. We are being invited to not only practice spiritual disciplines, but to embrace new practices of living. This vision is insisting that discipleship means we are all on a mission from God.  Get on those Blue’s Brother’s shades, and join the adventure: no longer dare we suggest that just missionaries are missionaries.  In the missional age, we are all missionaries.  We are, as Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi say, “on a mission from God.”

I’ve mentioned before books that take the “missional church” approaches for congregations, and apply those models to daily discipleship.  This is a notable trend in the last year or so, and there are numerous studies of this. 

For instance, this powerful trio of books is very, very important, written by authors who have been innovative, pioneer leaders—the Blues Brothers of the missional church movement, I’d say.

You should know Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship by Alan and Debra Hirsch (Shapevine / Baker;$14.99) and Right Here, Right Now: Everyday Mission for Everyday People by Alan Hirsch & Lance Ford (Shapevine / Baker; $14.99) or The Faith of Leap: Embracing a Theology of Risk, Adventure and Courage by Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch (Shapevine / Baker; $16.99.) 

These are very, very important books, exciting, to be sure, but also rooted in
transformational theory, insights about cultural shifts, and awareness of what sort of practices allow us to be effective in bearing witness to the work God is doing among us. 

This new publishing imprint (Shapevine) specializes in this serious stuff.  In other words, they are, at times, a bit heady, and rooted in very solid theory.  For those who like meaty stuff, they really, truly, are essential reads.  They are based on earlier “missional church” thinking, and apply those philosophies of church life to our life in Christ as leaders in the Kingdom.

TWO NEW,  WONDERFUL, EASY-TO-READ, INSPIRING, HELPFUL, BOOKS ON MISSIONAL DISCIPLESHIP ON THE LIKEWISE IMPRINT
But, having said all that, and offering that overview of some important resources to enhance your missional vision for daily discipleship, here is what I am most excited to tell you about.  Here are two fantastic books about this whole “missional living” – whole life discipleship, active, engaged, servanthood lifestyle.  They are both fairly new, and I fully love them both.  I applaud the Likewise imprint of InterVarsity Press for bringing to us these sorts of upbeat, exciting, and challenging resources. (We carry all the Likewise books in their whole line, by the way.)  I hope many folks order these two, share them with others, helping us cast a vision for people learning to live missionally, radically, in and for Christ, in acts of daily discipleship.  Read these, order them, share them.  They are fun and worthwhile. And better than a lot of the “same old, same old” stuff.  They are visionary and practical and astute, more than just cheerleading or offering cheap formulas.

Everyday Missions: How Ordinary People Can Change the World  Leroy Barber (IVP) $15.00  First, the cool news: this has a retro cover with a goofy car heading over a map, the type font screaming as if a vintage movie poster for a 1940s horror show.  What fun.  Okay, there’s that.  Now to the great news.  

This book is great!  It should be taken seriously as one of the most important and helpful and truly good books of the year.  Leroy is a hero to many of us, a friend, in fact, to so, so many, but yet he isn’t exceedingly well known as an author (yet.).  If this book were on a super famous publisher and issued in hardback with an oh-so-classy dust jacket, it might be taken more seriously—but that isn’t how Leroy rolls.  He’s down to earth, fun-loving, keeping it real.  But he is also a bundle of energy. Barber is an urban activist, cultural innovator (he started an upscale looking coffee shop in his urban Atlanta ‘hood) and an African American leader.  He’s the President of the rightly-famous Mission Year, overseeing their several houses of young adults living simply in service in some of the nation’s worst ghettos, although before that he started Restoration Ministries in Philadelphia, and, more recently, founded the Atlanta Youth Academies.  Barber is esteemed amongst the best urban workers in the country, from Bob Lupton to Shane Claiborne.  He’s been on main stage at events from Catalyst to Jubilee, Q to the annual conferences of CCDA.  

We have promoted his first book, which is an exceptionally handsome small book full of artful b/w photographs with moving meditations about the journey from alienation to reconciliation, set in the inner city.  That rare small volume was called The New Neighbor (Mission Year; $14.99) and showcased his poetic lines, his heart, his vision, as he helps people move towards the beloved community. Very artsy.
 

THREE REASONS TO READ IT
This new one, Everyday Missions, was for me so inspiring and I really think our readers—that would be you!—will enjoy it and be blessed by it.  I want to highly recommend it, for at least three reasons.

Firstly, it is full of vibrant writing, good stories, powerful examples, practical advise that you most likely need.  This is no arm-chair thesis, it is written on the run, down on the street, in the trenches.  I respect a guy who can turn a well-chosen phrase and footnote recent studies and make a clear case for his ideas without loosing heart and soul.  I’m here to tell ya, Leroy’s got heart and soul.  And he knows that we simply must be wise in any daily endeavor to serve God, so he has sections on “blending in versus standing out” and “risking safety.”  I love the chapter–apropos of all I wrote above—called “Job Versus Calling.”  He has chapters dealing with money, with time, and very eloquently with being guided by God, inviting God to guide our best dreams and aspirations (“Two kinds of dreaming.”)  You will enjoy this book!

Secondly, the book is grounded in the Bible.  Barber loves the Scriptures and his compassionate urban work comes from the obvious verses about reaching out to the needy neighbor and caring for the peace of the city.  But he goes a bit further, offering insights on Biblical characters, bringing their hopes and dreams and challenges and failures and faith into our own day.  Check out his chapter of Moses called “Kingdom Imagination” or the one which he calls, sounding all the world like Eugene Peterson, “God-confidence” (David.) He talks about Esther and Peter in a section entitled “Spirit-Led Mentors” and it is thrilling and informative. I think you will be glad how he opens up the Bible in creative and helpful ways.

Thirdly, this book both incorporates social concern, passion for the poor, Biblical teaching on justice and reconciliation, but it is not written for urban activists or Shane Claiborne wannabes.  It is for you, no matter where you live–as the subtitle puts it, “ordinary people.”  Leroy, in many ways, is like his old boss, Tony Campolo (founder of Mission Year) who calls many to lives of great sacrifice, but also invites all of us–butcher, baker, candlestick maker–to lives of joyous service, too.  Whether one is a suburban housewife, a college student perplexed about how to pick a major, or a professional well established in a career and congregation, these stories, this instruction, this wisdom, will help you live out your faith. It really is for “ordinary people.”   I like Campolo’s line that this “how those of us in the pew can become radical followers of Jesus in our everyday lives.”  And Bob Lupton’s blurb, who writes,

Provoking —in the very best sense of the word—this hopeful, can-do book inspires readers to risk pursuing their created purpose and discover their true source of meaning.

Go and Do: Becoming a Missional Christian  Don Everts (IVP) $15.00  Okay, the retro rocket ship on the cover is cool in some Jetson’s kind of way.&nb
sp; And the tag-line on the back, “God Has a Mission.  And You Are Part of It.” couldn’t be clearer.  As we get a glimpse of the vision of what Jesus is doing—He is alive and well, you know—we get to “go and do likewise,” as He once put it.

Go and do likewise.  Well, that isn’t as easy as it sounds, so we need some guidance, some handles, some help.  Don Everts is a very enthusiastic speaker, a great leader, and a man a bit humbled by a few decades of experimenting, trying to reach out, serving, sometimes failing, always learning.  He has written popular, poetic books—the small paperbacks Jesus With Dirty Feet and The Smell of Sin are tremendous—and he has co-written a very helpful book based on research about barriers and hurdles which postmodern collegiates need to overcome before they are open to even consider the claims of Christian truth. (That is called I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Paths To Jesus  IVP; $15.00.)  And, he has others (a set of four short books of his own philosophical ramblings, the “One Guy’s Head” series about the Bible and truth) as well a great hardback, an overview of the life of Jesus called God in the Flesh.  He’s a good writer.  

Everts is now minister of outreach at Bonhomme Presbyterian Church in Chesterfield Missouri, where he especially helps folks discover a passion for local evangelism and global justice.  

This great book has two clear parts.  Each chapter is full of stories and builds step by step.  The vision is broad and colorful and multi-faceted, but the book is clear, sober, instructional. There is impeccable logic and wonderful stories, some very poignant.

ANATOMY
Part one explains what we mean by the word  missional (even though he admits to considerable discomfort with the now-faddish, oddball word.)  And, more to the point, how to be the kind of person that cares about God’s purposes, and has a chance of being effective at advancing Christ’s redemptive work.  He calls this section “Anatomy” because he looks at various body parts as images and metaphors; exploring parts of who we are that have to be transformed by God.  He helps us get Sober Eyes, Servant Hands, Ready Feet, a Compassionate Heart and a Joyful Soul.  This is not cheesy, by the way, although I suppose it could seem that way.  It’s really good material! I think this could be a great design for a sermon series or class, and on its own would be well worth the admission price.  He talks about these aspects of our character and how we are to live faithfully as God’s own, seeing and caring, and being; knowing and doing.  He develops with clear teaching and touching stories, including honest admissions from Everts himself about his own struggles and failures and some provisional successes.  I suppose this isn’t all that new, but it is good, and is, again, the solid stuff many of us need. But he’s just getting started.

GEOGRAPHY
Part two he calls “Geography” and it basically shows how a missionally active bit of servanthood is lived out in various arenas.  Five areas are explored in these chapters (and he is really, really good in each) and you can recognize the topic by the titles:  Purposeful Family, Relational Evangelism, Thriving Church, Urban Mercy, and Global Partnerships.

I suspect that not too many folks really buy whole books about, or undertake entire studies of, each of the topics explored in each of these chapters.  This book is such a good resource because, here, in one happy volume, you can learn a bit about being “missional” in and among your family, your neighborhood, in church, for and with the hurting world nearby and far away.

I love this book.  It is evangelically minded, but, like the writing of the best evangelical authors these days, it is wholistic, passionate about justice, and sensitive to a variety of cultural concerns. It isn’t explicit about the kinds of worldviewish things I wrote about above, but it doesn’t erode those kinds of profound foundations.  His perspective is solid, serious, yet winsome.  And he doesn’t over-reach: Everts is tender and wise (and honest) in talking about dysfunctional families, he is aware of how slow-moving and traditional many churches can be; he doesn’t make missional living sound all that easy (but he also doesn’t make it sound all that complicated, either.)  He makes the case clearly that there are connections between the anatomy and the geography (the inner character stuff and the outward service stuff) so he is wonderfully doing both spiritual formation and Kingdom mission, discipleship of the heart and hands.  Can you see why I’m so fond of this?

There are discussion questions, too, making this an ideal book for small groups, Sunday school classes, book clubs and the like.  Or just read it yourself.  It covers a lot of ground, is easy to read, and he offers excellent suggestions for further reading in every section.  I’m fond of this, of course, as it just might lead you to deeper and more specialized resources.  As we become whole, become the sorts of people who reflect Christ, and then “take it to the streets” we will make a difference among those around us.  Three cheers for Don Everts and this lively book that is arranged in such a helpful way.  And for how he starts off noting that, uh, well, “missional” is not a word.  Ha!

And how he, as Bob Goff puts it, helps us “get to the do part.”

*** 
I’ve already said why I think it is important to wade through heavier books like Transforming Vision by Walsh & Middleton or The Prophetic Imagination by Brueggemann or Desiring the Kingdom by James Smith.  You know that I think N.T. Wright is the best for getting a solidly Biblical view of the Kingdom of God.  I’ve promoted important titles like The Call by Os Guinness, Kingdom Callings by Amy Sherman, and Culture Making by Andy Crouch.  Jumping to the “do” part can be premature if we aren’t insightful and wise and aware.  So these sorts of foundational books are helpful backdrops for a Kingdom vision that isn’t shallow or formulaic or just more graceless noise.

And I listed a trio of important, serious studies of contemporary missional theories for transformational, risky discipleship; new models and new energy from guys like Michael Frost and Alan and Debbie Hirsch.  These are commendable for their willingness to take seriously the compromised nature of the church and the need for new thinking about new ways to be radically committed as we serve the world in our lives and lifestyles and communities. Wow.  

But then I described these two small, accessible, interesting, upbeat books by Barber and Everts, both on the Likewise publishing imprint. This two little books—Everyday Mission and Go and Do— if taken seriously, could rock your world.  The are basic, yet remarkable, interesting and informative.  Give them a try.  Thanks for sending the order our way.  We hope all of this is useful in your own search for meaning, missional living, and daily discipleship. 

BookNotes

It’s not too late to send
dad a book for Father’s Day; not too late for grandpap or Uncle Bob or some soon to be daddy. Or any
other guy who needs encouraged in his guy-ish role.  Or, well, you know: almost any day is a good day to give a
book to anybody.

Here are a few about
dads, or that your dad might like. 
Need other ideas?  Email me
at read@heartsandmindsbooks.com
or call the shop at 717.246.3333. 
We’ll help you find the perfectly chosen read for some dude or Mister in your life, or anybody else.  Thanks!

Father’s Day: A Journey
into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son  Buzz Bissinger (Houghton Mifflin) $26.00  Let me get this said right away:
Bissinger is a heck of a writer, clever, interesting, observant, eloquent, and
yet, well, manly.  Yup, he’s the
best-selling, talented author who gave us the brilliantly entertaining book that inspired the excellent TV show, Friday Night Lights.
When you get props from legendary sports writers like Frank Deford (we have his great new
collection, too, by the way) you know your in the big leagues.  This story, though, is not about the
big game, it is about Bissinger’s real life, and his complicated relationship with his
grown son, afflicted with significant intellectual disabilities and an autism-like disorder.  There are many good memoirs by parents of special needs kids
but none that I know of by a dad that is as good (and honest) as this. 

The core of the story narrates a cross
country road trip taken by Buzz and his son Zach–gifted with an uncanny sense of
direction—coming to grips with confusion and frustration and
wonder and love. (Zach was a twin; his brother ends up at U of Penn.)  One reviewer, in fact, writes that “the real journey, though, is interior. It’s a barely guided tour through
Mr. Bissinger’s own roiling anxiety, his depression, his narcissism and
his profound insecurity, not to mention what he sees as his failings as
a man, as a father, as a son and as a writer.” Yes, but it is still a fabulous road trip, an adventure tale, fun and interesting, entertaining and uplifting, truly moving at times. That it carries a
no-nonsense blurb from Temple Grandin is cool, too.  She says “Every father of a special needs child should read
this very insightful book.”  I’d
expand that a bit.  Every father.  

Learning from My Father:
Lessons on Life and Faith  David
Lawther Johnson  (Eerdmans)
$15.00  This publisher, you
probably know, is one of the premier houses releasing serious theological
texts, important, mature works  of spirituality and faith-based cultural
criticism.  We respect them
immensely, and carry many of their titles.  It is interesting to me when they choose to do a book of this sort–a personal memoir, a guide to more ordinary living.  What I mean to suggest is that they don’t
crank these out promiscuously like some publishers; when Eerdmans does a book
like this, you know it is extraordinary and intelligent and will be well reviewed. 
And this certainly is.  My
sales rep gave me an advanced copy months ago and we are grateful to now
announce it: it is a perfect Father’s Day gift.  Johnson is a longtime business leader and lawyer and now the
CEO of BioCrossroads, a collaborative enterprise supporting initiatives in
science and biotech.  And he is a
Christian, inspired by his father, a Presbyterian pastor.   

The heart of this book
(and it has a lot of heart) are the insights gathered as Johnson re-reads and reflects upon
(and offers excerpts of) a batch of letters his father sent him years ago when
the lad was a homesick, overwhelmed freshman at Harvard.  Yes, this is loaded with fatherly
advice (so maybe, dad, you should give it to your son or daughter!) but it is also
a tribute to the father, his good counsel, his graceful style, his keen
arguments about the credibility of a Christian vision of life and how we make
meaning in this life.  The book
rings true on so many levels and is a treat to dip into, to ponder, enjoy, or
share with others.  Blurbs on the
back cover are by NPR commentator, Krista Tippett and Mitch Daniels, the
Governor of Indiana.  Walter
Isaacson (who wrote that big book about Steve Jobs) calls it “a beautiful book”
and “inspiring.”  E. J. Dionne says
it is, “quite simply, a beautiful book—eloquent, deeply moving, quietly
passionate, and wise.”  I love
Dionne’s last line: “In offering this gift to his father, Johnson has gifted
all of us.”  Indeed.

Unbroken: A World War II
Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption  Laura Hillenbrand (Random House) $27.00  Remember this one from a year ago—it
won so many awards for being such a riveting, well-written story (by the same
gifted woman who gave us Seasbiscuit.) One could hardly find a better book for
a WW II era vet, or anyone interested in the engrossing story of being shot
down in the Pacific, tortured in a Japanese prison camp, and finding faith
after years of anguish.  Louis
Zamperini was an Olympic hero before the war, and yet his greatest triumph was
surviving, and then forgiving, those who abused him as a POW.  The adventure is awesome, and horrific story, which goes from bad to worse, leaves you panting, the writing is just spectacular.  Mr. Zamperini is a truly amazing man (google him and watch the youtube videos) and nearly any man would appreciate being gifted with this story, a story that really is of survival and resilience, and–thanks be to God–bone fide and glad redemption.  What a book!

Crossed Lives–Crossed
Purposes: Why Thomas Jefferson Failed and William Wilberforce Persisted in
Leading an End to Slavery  Ray
Blunt (Resource Publication) $37.00/ H&M sale price, $27.00  I’ve written about this before, too—a
new book by a good friend, a gentleman and a scholar, as they say, who draws
leadership principles from these two colleagues whose lives ended up so
differently.  We hope to have the
author do a presentation on this fascinating book here at the shop perhaps in
the fall.  It’s intriguing enough
that we want our customers to hear all about it as it raises vital questions, about history, about the worldviews of Jefferson and Wilberforce, and about what kept them going, year by year.  One of the big take-aways, by the way, is that Wilberforce not only was an evangelical Christian with historically sound doctrine, but he had community; friends.  Jefferson had a less than orthodox faith and, frankly, few true and lasting friends.  This is a study that breaks new ground, a great book for anyone interested in history, in faith-based social action, or in leadership.  Get for yourself or or give the book to someone soon.  Please note: our special discounted price on Crossed Lives, shown above, is better than the 20% off offered on all the others, so that is the final discount.

Dallas and the Spitfire:
An Old Car, and Ex-Con, and an Unlikely Friendship  Ted Kluck & Dallas Jahncke (Bethany Publishing House)
$14.99  This is an fine book in a great genre—like a “buddy movie” sort of, and fun for any guy.  This tells of a
solid Christian fellow discipling a messed up, druggie, ex-con. But, wait, this relationship
isn’t all that simple—the ex-con teaches the Christian guy a bunch: it is not a
“how to mentor” guidebook or a one-sided inspiration tale.  It is
the narrative of a friendship, a messy and funny biography of this crazy dream of
fixing up an old car and learning of God’s great grace through it all.  This is story which is ore profound perhaps even than it wants to be. (“At the risk of embarrassing these nitty-gritty guys, this is
ultimately a story about love,” writes Justin Taylor.)  Kluck is a good writer (whose stuff has been seen in the
ESPN magazine.)  D and the Spitfire really is a
wild tale, profoundly informed by good theology, and a true love for that old Triumph
Spitfire.  One reviewer quipped it seemed like “Good Will Hunting meets John Owen” and if you get that, you know this book is for you. 

The Searchers: A Quest
for Faith in the Valley of Doubt Joseph Laconte (Nelson) $24.99  Loconte is well-known and respected on the deep end of the blogosphere, a
prolific conservative pundit on political and cultural concerns.  Here, he uses his notable skills and brilliant mind to come
up with a book that is genius–well written and creatively conceived, about hope. It is a beautiful, good piece of work.

Consider what Eric Metaxas (I assume you’ve given his
Bonhoeffer away as a gift already) writes:

Every once in a while a book
comes along that is so elegant and beautiful and vital that you can’t imagine
the world without it.  Joe
Loconte’s The Searchers is a masterpiece, one of those rare books you will
want to give to almost anyone, believers and non-believers alike. It overflows
with wisdom and information about the very thing that makes us human, our search
for meaning in the universe. 

Wow,
how ’bout that?  Do you have a
somewhat inquisitive, educated, thoughtful dad?  Skeptic or disciple, as Eric notes, this is really a great
book to give.  Each chapter starts
with a short report of a person or episode, and from there wonderfully
ruminates and explores and teaches, offering authentic, serious, solid, hope.  As Os Guinness puts it, this brand new hardback is “fresh,
powerful, and often hauntingly beautiful… [written by] a poet philosopher.” 

Artificial Maturity:
Helping Kids Meet the Challenge of Becoming Authentic Adults Tim Elmore (Jossey
Bass) $24.95  Tim has become one of
the leading speakers and writers on the transition into young adulthood; he
does leadership training, especially for college students, and has his own
ministry teaching leadership principles (even to children, by the way.)  This is work that might catapult him to
great fame as it explores—on a prestigious publisher, well known for doing
the likes of, say, Parker Palmer—how to parent in a way that helps kids grow
up into something other than what he calls “artificial maturity.”  As Mary Gerardy, a dean at Wake Forest,
puts it, “Without question, this is the right book, tackling the right subject,
written by the right person, and delivered at the right time.”

I think this book is useful for any
leader in business, education, government, ministry, and the like, but it
is—this Father’s Day—also ideal for those serious about parenting.  In a nutshell, the context of his book
is that the iY generation (kids raised in a world of the internet and ipods)
and the Homelanders (those born after 9-11) have been exposed to more
information than any generation heretofore, but have not necessarily been able
to process the information coherently. 
What do you do with what we know? How do we impart wisdom so that the
highly-informed can handle living in such a hot-wired world?    Elmore claims that many
kids (including young adults) are not only overexpose to info/data, but are
underexposed to meaningful relationships and real-life experiences.  This overexposed/underexposed paradox
is the starting point for his helpful advice.  I think Artificial Maturity is a very interesting book, important for
teachers, youth workers, and, of course, parents. 

UnCommon Manhood: Secrets
to What it Means to Be a Man  Tony
Dungy  (Tyndale) $12.99 Who doesn’t
admire Tony Dungy, famed football coach, leadership guru, and thoughtful
Christian teacher? He’s got other, bigger books and studies, but this
trim-sized gift book offers short excerpts, quotes, meditations and
reflections, enhanced with great graphic design, colorful pages, and pictures
galore.  The pictures are
beautifully printed, includes folks of various races (thank you, Tyndale!) and
makes a great, great gift.  Know
any young men verging on authentic manhood?  New dads?  Dungy
fans?  Guys graduating for whom you
need a little gift?  This could be
given to your dad, or, if you are a dad, you could give it to your son.  Father’s Day or not, this is a
handsome, upbeat, colorful book, and we are happy to suggest it. 

By the way, might I say
just a word about race, here?  Above, I just
applauded the artful, multi-cultural pictures in this book. 
I said that, well, because it does show a diverse range of men, but also because there is an African
American man and his boy on the cover. 
Does this mean that the book is only for black guys?  Pu-leeze.  I know most BookNotes readers are not
so stunted in imagination, but I want to put it here in black and white: people
of color buy books with white folks on the covers all the time.  I’d like to not have to mention it, but you
know the complexities of these things. 
So there ya go.  Buy the
book, no matter what your skin tone. 
In fact, women are allowed to buy it too, and give it to a guy they love.  But be warned, there is an even more radical diversity in here: there are pictures of tough jocks and firefighters and mountain climbers, and there are photos of musicians and men playing with kids.  Three cheers!

Things We Wish We Had
Said: Reflections of a Father and a Son 
Tony & Bart Campolo 
(Authentic) $14.99  I’ve
written before how much I love this book, and how happy we were a year or so
ago when it was re-issued.  This is
a wonderful set of letters back and forth between the famous, funny evangelist
and his honest, radical son.  Both
express there great love for one another, the way Tony’s wholistic vision of
faith and politically progressive work effected their family.  Bart expresses some frustrations—it
hit me, too, since, I too, like many of us, haven’t been away for work more
than we may have wished—and this candor makes it a stronger book.  There are two very dynamic men and their
inspiring conversations make fabulous reading.  Highly recommended.

Hiking Through: One Man’s Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail Paul Stutzman (Revell) $13.99  This is a very, very nice memoir of a guy whose wife died of cancer and, in part to cope with his grief, and to reconsider his life, he sets off to hike the AT–a “through hike” as it is called, meaning the whole 2,176 miles of it.  This was a very popularly self-published book, especially among avid backpackers (or those who read about the famous trail.)  It doesn’t happen as often as people think is does: a self-published book got picked up by a real press, it was given a new cover and, here ya go: a good as new amazing book with a proven track record.  I think any outdoorsy guy would like it.  It’s full of good nature writing, descriptions of the grueling trip, and great stories of all the characters he meets along the way.  Highly recommended.

Fly Fishing–the Sacred
Art of Casting a Fly as a Spiritual Practice  Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer and Rev. Michael Attas  (Skylight Paths) $16.99  This publisher is an interfaith outfit,
a bit playful, who does easy-to-read books about spiritual practices, attending
to God’s presence in the ordinary. 
In this new book, to serious fly fisherman—one a Rabbi, the other an
Episcopal priest (and medical doctor.) 
If you want to learn a bit more about this artful fishing style, tying
flies, or being better stewards of rivers and streams, if you love the idea of
fishing combined with faith, this is a great, great resource.  Fun, full of (tall?) fish tales and
some meditative ideas about finding God in the outdoors.  I hope you know that we carry other
books like that, from evangelical and from interfaith perspectives, on all
sorts of outdoor adventure stuff. 
Call if us if you need other ideas…

Earth Works: Selected
Essays  Scott Russell Sanders
(Indiana University Press) $25.00 
As we curate our selections, we occasionally find authors that fit us
wonderfully, that are both people of faith and notable in their fields, great
thinkers and great writers, deep and dear.  Sander’s won me over years ago when I read a few of his
essays about a sense of place (and adored his book about homemaking, Staying
Put.) This is a recent anthology,
collecting much of his extensive writing career of nature writing,
conservation, literary and cultural criticism and memoir.  He’s friends with Wendell Berry (if
that helps you place his voice and vision) and Terry Tempest Williams, and the
back cover includes glad raves from Kathleen Dean Moore, Lewis Hyde.  If your dad likes the literary,
environmentalist magazine, Orion, this is a must-have book; he’ll be surprised
and impressed, I bet.  If he doesn’t, this is a great way to introduce him to an American hero.

AND, FREE WITH ANY PURCHASE OF ANY BOOK LISTED:

My Brother’s Keeper: What the Social Sciences Do (and Don’t) Teach Us About Masculinity Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen (IVP) $17.00  This is an amazing book, a serious example of distinctively Christian research, rooted well in a neo-Calvinist, Reformed worldview, with solid grasp of the feminist insights on the literature about men and men’s studies.  It is more insightful and balanced than many books on this topic.  We have reasons to be fond of this important book—well, okay, we get a shout out in it—and really appreciate her classic, Gender and Grace so we’re happy to share it with anyone who is up for this serious bit of innovative, critical, gender studies scholarship. Van Leeuwen is a professor at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA.  Offer expires June 15, 2012.

BookNotes

What a delight it has been serving so many CS Lewis Institute Fellows last year (and many years before that) in their Year One program.  Thanks to the mentors and participants who send their orders our way.  We pray this intensive faith formation community has widened your heart and matured your mind.  In Year Two you will go a bit deeper, a bit broader, living out the implications of a solid, historically orthodox faith, and a lived, full-orbed relationship with the King of the Universe, the God that Lewis loved and served.

Here is your Year Two Fellow’s list.  As always, we list the regular retail prices, but will offer a 10% discount for C.S. Lewis Fellows.  Just use our handy order form page, from the link shown below.  Tell us what you want, if you want us to bill you or if you want to use a cc.  We’ll ship ’em out.  Again, thank you for your work and thank you for the opportunity to serve you in this way.

This list was edited 6-9-2012 to reflect a change in the CSLI Year Two Handbook.

CS Lewis Institute Fellows Program Reading List YEAR TWO

DVD  Les Miserables 1978/2004 directed by Glen Jordan starring Richard Jordan, Anthony Perkins (Lion’s Gate) $14.98  Who hasn’t been moved by the extraordinary story, inspired by the classic Victor Hugo novel?  Very well done.

What’s So Amazing About Grace?  Philip Yancey (Zondervan) $14.99  One of our great contemporary writers tells moving stories to help us all understand God’s grace and how to be more gracious in our own lives.

The Grace Awakening  Charles Swindoll (Nelson) $14.99  A truly wonderful, easy-to-read overview of this essential doctrine by one of the most popular Christian writers of the last several decades.  Inspiring, thorough.  You may choose this one, or the Bridges book, listed below.

Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love  Jerry Bridges (NavPress) $14.99  A portion of this was used in Year One so most Year Two Fellows have it.  Bridges is no-nonsense, solid, insightful and very popular.  He understands the gospel-centered life from which we can serve God, being transformed into the ways of Christ.  You may choose this one or the Swindoll listed above.

On Christian Liberty  Martin Luther (Fortress) $9.99  A very short piece, obviously a key notion which help launch the Protestant reformation.

The Dynamics of the Spiritual Life  Richard Lovelace  (IVP) $30.00  Lovelace has studied renewals and awakenings, from the times of Jonathan Edwards to the Jesus People of the 70s, asking some of the largest questions and offering deep answers.  Many consider this book to be a seminal work, classic and vital.

Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin  Cornelius Plantinga (Eerdmans) $22.00  Can it be said that a book about the horrors and dysfunctions and violations of sin can be a fun read?  This is elegant and wise, insightful and important.

Workbook on the Seven Deadly Sins  Maxie Dunham & Kimberly Dunnam Reisman  (Abingdon) $13.00  Just like it sounds, this is a helpful guide to working through the historic ideas of the “seven deadlies” and helping us grapple with their deadly influences.  Very helpful, written by a popular, upbeat United Methodist leader.

What Your Counselor Never Told You: Seven Secrets Revealed to Conquer the Power of Sin in Your Life  William Backus (Bethany Publishing House) $20.00  Another study on the deadly sins and how to replace them with God-given virtues, received as we embrace the grace to repent.  Really interesting and exceptionally helpful.

True Spirituality  Francis Schaeffer (Tyndale) $13.99  We know of Schaeffer’s insight about history, art, and culture, his gracious outreach to counter-cultural students of the 70s and his powerful influence of evangelicals who think about worldview and cultural reformation.  This book is foundational, his insights about submitting to God moment by moment, experiencing Christ’s presence as we increase in wholeness and hope.  Wow.

The Screwtape Letters  C.S. Lewis  (HarperOne) $14.99  Is this the most popular Lewis’ books?  It is certainly one of his most creative.  A set of fictional letters from a lesser demon to his evil boss, as they attack the person they are assigned.  Sort of the opposition of a guardian angel.

Christian Mission in the Modern World John Stott (IVP) $8.00  These short, brilliant chapters emerged from the early Lausanne movement, working on how to embrace mission in a pluralistic world, how to balance words and deeds, how authentic evangelical mission can transform lives and cultures.  As timely now as ever, by the late hero of informed, balanced evangelical thought.

Prayer Power Unlimited  J. Oswald Sanders (Discovery House) $9.99  There are so many great books on prayer it is difficult to pick one or two to teach.  This is truly a contemporary classic, fruitfully used by many.

Community of the King  Howard Snyder (InterVarsity Press) $18.00  In my opinion, this is one of the very best books I’ve ever read on the nature of the church, and how we are to be a community that models and proclaims the Kingdom of God.  Very important.

Life Together Dietrich Bonhoeffer (HarperOne) $13.99  Well, speaking of great books about the church, this is, indeed, a true classic, pastoral, deeply spiritual letters written under the Nazi repression.

Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? Ronald J. Sider (Baker) $15.00  This explores the sad truth that many who hold to high evangelical doctrine and historic orthodox faith still don’t live very differently then their secular neighbors.  A robust analysis and hope-filled call to faithfulness in every area of life.

Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living Andy Stanley (Multnomah) $13.99  This upbeat book helps us to be people of integrity, relating what we know with how we live.  Basic, but truly important.

BookNotes

We wrote about this a year ago, how we are pleased to stock all the DVDs and books needed for our friends in the CS Lewis Institute’s Fellows Program.  There are several different cities involved in this year-long, evangelical discipleship course, and we applaud the C.S. Lewis Institute, the mentors, and, of course, the participants who are willing to read through significant books that will impact their lives, deepen their discipleship and help them become the sorts of leaders who have the theological and spiritual foundations to live out their faith in the modern world.  Thanks for considering sending your orders our way.

Here is the updated 2012 list and the updated prices.  These are the regular retail prices, but we offer a 10% discount off any of them you may need, so we will deduct the discount from these list prices when anyone orders.  We ship from south Central PA so orders usually get to the DC area in a day–the other groups (Atlanta, Seattle, Cincinnati) may take a few more days.   As we always say at our website’s inquiry page, or the order form page, (you can find links shown below) we can easily send an invoice along so you can pay by check later, or, if you’d rather, you can pay by typing your cc information into the website order form.  It is certified secure. Just type in the titles you want and we do the rest; it is as easy as that.

We are eager to serve, happy to help.  If you are a Year One C.S. Lewis Fellow, here is your list (although you should follow your instruction handbook for the real scoop.)  If you are a Year Two Fellow, that list is posted next.  If you aren’t, why not pick a few and read along?   

C. S. Lewis Institute FELLOWS PROGRAM READING LIST
(summer 2012)

OPTIONAL DVD The Bible and the Christian Life: Six Sessions on the Authority, Interpretation, And Use of Scripture John Stott (Zondervan) $19.99  You may recall that we’ve promoted this here before, and I’ve told of using it in an adult ed class at my own church.  Six excellent, dense, clear, thoughtful and inspiring lectures by the late, incomparable British evangelical who some called Uncle John. (If you are using this in an Sunday school setting, each of the six talks are divided into portions to stop the DVD and discuss the content.  Each lecture is just under an hour, so could be used in 6 weeks but can most fruitfully be used over 10 or 12 weeks.)  CSLI used this other years, but this is is optional.

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives Richard Swenson (NavPress) $15.99  Who doesn’t need some sensible guidance about managing resources—time, emotions, money and such.  I often tell people that this is the only book of this sort that I really like.  We’ve often raved about the devotional that is also available (Minute of Margin) and the recent sequel (In Search of Balance.)  It makes a lot of sense to start with some attention to this very basic matter, our pace of life and wise sense of balance.

Knowledge of the Holy A. W. Tozer (HarperOne) $13.99  Still one of the most best-selling religious books of the 20th century, a passionate study of the attributes of God.

Ordering Your Private World Gordon MacDonald (Nelson) $15.99  A contemporary classic about priorities, character, and the inner life. Includes a study guide making it very useful as a foundational book.

Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs J.I. Packer (Tyndale) $14.99 Our friends at CSLI are always on the look-out for how to teach basic theology with depth and warmth and brevity.  It doesn’t get more clear and solid than this by one of the most important Reformed thinkers of the last 50 years.

Satisfy Your Soul: Restoring the Heart of Christian Spirituality   Bruce Demarest  (NavPress) $16.99  A studious, excellent, Christ-centered book about spiritual formation.  One of the very best!

OPTIONAL Quiet Time  IVCF Staff (IVP) $5.00  A small booklet inviting one to a daily quiet time.  Nice.  Good to share with those new to this discipline.

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life  Donald Whitney (NavPress) $15.99  I sometimes say Whitney is a Reformed Richard Foster drawing more on Puritan sources than Foster’s monastic sources.  Great for anyone wanting a deeper spiritual walk.

Spiritual Birthline: Understanding How We Experience New Birth  Stephen Smallman (Crossway) $12.99  Do you know how to tell your spiritual journey? Does understanding justification and regeneration matter?  Can you look back over your life and say when and how you crossed over the line to saving faith?  Very interesting!

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther and Calvin  John Piper (Crossway) $14.99  The passionate Piper has a series of books each studying a theme by way of three short biographies.  This one reflects on God’s saving grace as understood by these titans of faith.  Highly recommended.

DVD Luther Directed by Eric Til (MGM) $14.98 Staring Joseph Fiennes, this is entertaining, powerful stuff.  Kudos to those in Hollywood who brought this well made drama to the silver screen.

The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine  A.W. Tozer (Wingspread) $12.99  Tozer, who died in 1963, was a remarkably innovative and learned leader of the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination.  Here, he shows himself to be solid with traditional, orthodox rigor, and yet with a sweetly mystical strain.  Classic.

Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love Jerry Bridges (NavPress) $14.99  Few books in recent years have explored the meaning of grace for justification and sanctification, for salvation and living, than this clear-headed, no-nonsense study.  This is stuff every Christian should know.  

C. S. Lewis Institute FELLOWS PROGRAM READING LIST
fall, winter, spring, 2012-2013

OPTIONAL DVD Gospel of John (The Visual Bible) $14.99  The entire gospel, verbatim (in the Good News translation) dramatically acted with Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond from Lost) playing Jesus.  Directly by Philip Saville, it is tremendously done.

DVD Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace (Gateway Films) $19.99  Staring Ulrich Tukur, this is still one of the best films on the famous martyr and his role in the German resistance. You may choose this, or the one listed below.

DVD The Hiding Place (Worldwide Pictures) $19.99 Julie Harris was nominated for an Academy Award for this powerful adaptation of Corrie Ten Boom’s classic memoir about their time under Hitler.  Digitally restored and remastered in a wide screen edition.  You may choose this, or the one listed above.

The Cost of Discipleship  Dietrich Bonhoeffer  (Simon & Shuster) $16.00  Considered one of the most important books ever about the demands of following Christ.  Serious and life-changing, first published in Germany in 1937.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream  David Platt (Waterbrook) $14.99  Have we reduced the gosp
el to fit our own cultural preferences of individualism and upward mobility? Hear this simple exhortation to reject the values of materialism and ease; hear the call to give our lives in radical ways to the work of the Kingdom.

My Heart Christ’s Home Robert Boyd Munger (IVP) $1.60  This little booklet has changed lives, telling the parable of one who invites Christ into his home.  It has two great strengths: Jesus cleans up various rooms in the house (the bedroom, the library, etc) and He waits quietly for the resident to invite him to meet in daily quiet time.  Lovely, interesting, useful.

The Problem of Pain  C.S. Lewis (HarperOne) $13.99  One of the more serious studies Lewis has produced, written to explore why God permits sorrow in this good but fallen world. 

The God Who Loves You Peter Kreeft (Ignatius Press) $14.95  Kreeft, nearly a contemporary Lewis himself, teaches philosophy at the Jesuit Boston College, is beloved for his own wit and charm and clear-headed logic.  This is a deeply rewarding, rich text.  C.S. Lewis’ friend, author Sheldon Vanauken (author of A Severe Mercy) says of it “I know of no writer today who can deal with (the subject of God’s love) more justly and lovingly than Peter Kreeft has done.”

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount  Martyn Lloyd-Jones  (Eerdmans) $30.00  Well, anyone who follows Jesus must grapple with his major teaching, and the sermon is perhaps his most didactic session.  There are other books on this, of course, but Lloyd-Jones is truly one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century, who held forth in London for a generation. This big volume is a treasure chest, laden with sound insight and important commentary.

DVD  Malokai: The Story of Father Damien (Era Films) $19.99  What an inspiring drama, portraying the legendary Catholic missionary who moved to a leper colony in Hawaii in 1872 and his self-sacrificial ministry.  Produced in the Netherlands in 1999 it stars the likes of Peter O’Toole, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Neill and David Wenham.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism  Timothy Keller (Riverhead) $16.00  Well, what thoughtful class on Lewis-esque faith in the modern world would be complete without a book  by the author The New York Times suggested could be our contemporary Lewis, the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan?  This is a fine, well-written, accessible book about skepticism and the validity of Christian faith in our age.  Highly recommended. (When you are done with this, read all his other books!)

Humility: The Journey Towards Holiness  Andrew Murray (Bethany) $7.99  A much-needed Christian virtue and one about which very little is written these days.  Brief, poignant, very Biblical, written in the older style of the famous  late 19th century South African evangelist.  

DVD C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands  (Vision Video)  $19.99  Staring Joss Ackland and Clarie Bloom, this is the older British movie, aired on the BBC, not the more popular one with Anthony Hopkins.  Lewis fans all commend it.

Mere Christianity  C.S. Lewis  (HarperOne) $14.99  What can we say.  A must-read.

Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis (HarperOne) $14.99  Is this the most popular of Lewis’ books?  It is certainly one of his most creative.  A set of fictional letters from a lesser demon to his evil boss, as they attack the person they are assigned.  Sort of the opposition of a guardian angel.
 
The Holy Spirit  Billy Graham (Nelson) $14.99  There are more sophisticated scholarly works on the Spirit, some more practical about the Spirit’s gifts or fruits, but few are as clear and helpful and full of great information and inspiration.  Graham was more of a great reader than most realize and this is a fine example of his lasting writing ministry.  Very nicely done.

Can I Trust the Bible: Defending the Bible’s Reliability Darrell L. Bock (RZIM) $4.99  Of course there are hundreds of books of various sorts and styles, but this slim booklet has great information  preparing you to give a reasonable case for the trustworthiness of Scripture.  A very handy tool to have and to share with those who are perplexed.

Is the New Testament Reliable? (second edition) Paul Barnett (IVP) $16.00  With all the nonsense in the media about the gnostic gospels and the lack of historicity of the New Testament (not to mention the resurrection accounts) and any number of best-selling books about the errors of the earliest manuscripts, etcetera, etcetera, this is very interesting and a helpful case for authenticity and trustworthiness of the New Testament.  Very well done.

Meditating on the Word  Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Cowley) $17.95  In this remarkable volume you can read a letter Bonhoeffer wrote about the Bible, learn of his practical guidance about how to meditate on Scripture, and reflect on a handful of solid sermons on various Psalms.  Not to be missed. Compiled and edited by Episcopal priest, David McI. Gracie.

DVD Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?  (Ignatius Press) $19.95  This is a fascinating and educational documentary featuring an array of conservative Catholic, mainline Protestant and evangelical scholars, from Fr. Mitch Pacwas, Johnnette Benkovic, Craig Blomberg, Craig Evans, Timothy Gray, Gary Habermas, Edward Sri, Roy Schoeman, Fr. Ronald Tacelli, Ben Witherington.  All have PhDs and each offer insight in this critical examination of the facts about the resurrection of Jesus.

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling Your Life’s Central Purpose Os Guinness (Nelson) $17.99  Thoughtful evangelicals in the DC area who are striving to live out their faith and convictions in the marketplace, the academy, the think-tanks and corridors of power surely must have a strong understanding of the Biblical notion of vocation (as should we all.)  You may know I have viewed Os as a bit of a mentor and hero and often say this is one of my favorite books.  Kudos to CSLI for holding up this vision and reading this wonderfully rich and beautifully written work.

DVD  Amazing Grace (Bristol Bay/20th Century Fox) $19.99  Directed by Michael Apted.   Much has been written about this exceptionally popular drama about the profoundly Christian work of William Wilberforce, his sense of calling, and his effort to integrate his faith and his own political vocation.  The story of the long British campaign to abolish slavery has never been more wonderfully told.  A perfect movie to use in Washington, of course, but a vital one for us all.  Highly recommend to own and to loan.

CD “Understanding Postmodernism”  Mark Stibbes  (Father’s House Trust) $10.95  We have paid a copyright fee and have been given permission to duplicate this audio lecture by the creative British evangelist and are happy to make it available to friends of the CSLI.  There is so much more to learn about this topic, but this is an articulate starting point.

The Postmodern World: Discerning the Times and the Spirit of Our Age  Millard J. Erickson (Crossway) $14.99  Lewis fans will know that Lewis had great concern about the nature of truth, and also exposed the ways in which faith in scientistic rationalism reduced our insights, disregarding the role of the imagination, a human way of knowing that he valued deeply.  Was Lewis, then, an early postmodernist?  Hmm. That isn’t the theme of this book—which attempts to give a fair and lucid ex
planation of the role of postmodern theories in popular culture, at the university.  One cannot avoid this question, and Erickson is a fine guide to the discussions, offering some wise, qualified appreciation and much critique of deconstruction.

DVD  Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed  (Vivendi Entertainment)  Ben Stein $9.99  The acclaimed documentary on freedom of thought in education and science, and the debate about intelligent design.

BookNotes