Books Sold and Recommended at the Redeemer Gospel & Culture Conference on Work

At the risk of making some of our faraway friends jealous, we want to report that the Center for Faith and Work conference sponsored by Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC was truly fantastic, a great blessing, affording us an incredible opportunity to get to know and sell some books to some remarkable (mostly youngish) New York professionals.  What a privilege to have them inquiry about books for their unique journeys: judges, United Nations diplomats, Broadway actresses, hedge fund guys, a working clown, several teachers, physical therapists, designers, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers.  Okay, that last part I made up; I don’t think we chatted with any candlestick makers, although there were some Episcopalians and Catholics who surely have lit some candles.   It was a stimulating conference and we had a ball, despite the considerable effort it demanded of us. Plus, we got to get caught up with a few old friends, too, and learn again to navigate the van in mid-town traffic! And we only got a little bit lost in North Jersey coming home in the middle of the night.

mouw.jpgIn a wonderfully delightful sermon that was at once pleasant and challenging, Fuller Seminary’s President Dr. Richard Mouw started the event alluding to the themes of his book He Shines in All That Fair: Culture and Common Grace (Eerdmans; $14.00) and drew from the rich neo-calvinist insight so clearly explained in his study of Dutch theologian and statesman, Abraham Kuyper, the one simply called Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction (Eerdmans; $16.00.) Both books are excellent and mean a lot to us.  (See my recent reviews of the book about Kuyper here and here.) We also highlighted Mouw’s truly wonderful book on civility and graceful dialogue—you know I’ve mentioned it often and think it is a must-read—Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World (IVP; $16.00.) I was glad that his book on Reformed theology—Calvinism at the Las Vegas Airport: Making Connections in Today’s World—is nowpraying at BK.jpg available in a handsome, small paperback (Zondervan; $14.99) and figured Redeemer folks would benefit from it. 

A sleeper of a little book of RIch’s is a fine collection of very short meditations, small talks he’s given here and there, weighing in on this and that, interestingly called Praying At Burger King (Eerdmans; $16.00.)  (By the way, he thinks you should.)  I’ve read a few of these out loud in classes and they are ideal for conversation starters or short devotionals. And of course we always take his great book about the renewal of the creation shown in his fabulous, innovative, insightful study of one chapter of Isaiah’s promise of new creation called When The Kings Go Marching In: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem (Eerdmans; $15.00.)  I’ve read it several times and consulted it often and hope you know it.

If you wonder why I like Rich Mouw so, listen to this audio podcast lecture—it is a great sermon which I’m sure you’ll find edifying, and maybe a bit stretching. (And yes, he cites some old hymns, even as he did at Redeemer.)  He’s really preaching by the end, and it is good, good stuff.  Mouw has long been one of my favorite writers and it was a pleasure to hear him in New York, to be reminded why we so recommend his titles, and to have the chance to hang out a bit laughing over some old stories of really old friends, like a mentor of mine and friend of his, the late, Peter J. Steen, whose Dutch Kuyperianism taught me of the Kingship of Christ.  If Steen were alive, I’m sure, he’d be pressing Mouw’s books into your hands and insisting you study them right away. 

From the main stage of the marvelous St. Bart’s Cathedral who hosted the Redeemer event we heard from a CEO of an instantly recognizable global corporation and a Broadway actor and actress (who we had mailed books to a few years ago), listened to an innovative organ recital by an wonderful classical musician, heard of the courage of a high school principle who stood up to an unjust administration; I was impressed by the gentle insight of a talent agent (who represents some A-list stars), was excited about the presence of some local civic leaders who talked politics, heard about the journey of a brave woman who has served the disabled in her medical work and another who has now chosen to be a stay at home mom.  I got to hang out backstage with controversial television journalist Martin Bashir whose family comes from the Indian-Pakistani border and came to faith later in life while in London. The day before he has challenged a supporter of candidate Cain for racially demeaning comments and interestingly stood up for Cornel West.  What an interesting, complex journalist he is.

tim_keller.jpgAfter a characteristically culturally-insightful and gospel-centered call to join God’s work in the world by having our own hearts clearly transformed by Christ, and our minds set on His glory, Tim Keller interviewed Bashir, asking about the unique foibles and temptations found in his particular field of celebrity journalism.  Many, many of the ambitious, young professionals surely resonated when Bashir warned against both narcissism and cynicism.  Keller is always helpful, intelligent, sound, and honest about very real things.
 His book counterfeit gods.jpgCounterfeit Gods: The Empty Gods of Money, Sex and Power and the Only Hope That Matters (Dutton; $15.00) I have often said, is the best thing I’ve ever read on idolatry, and it is urgent, smart, and touching. (And it is just now out in paperback—yay!)  I wondered if Mr. Bashir knew it.

henri_nouwen_in_the_name_of_jesus.jpgInterestingly, though, the first book that came to my mind as he reflected on these duel trouble spots was Steve Garber’s Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior (IVP; $16.00) as its profound view of long-term, sustainable hope in daily living (and how to keep it) is a large part of the antidote to narcissism and cynicism. I got to hand-sell it to a few thoughtful participants and trust it will serve them well. (I found myself recommending some of the excellent essays at his Washington Institute on Faith, Vocation & Culture website, too, which would be enlightening for anyone struggling with such big concerns.)  I also thought right away of the little book by Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (Crossroad Publishing; $16.00) realizing it contains such wise council for leaders of any sort.  We sold a couple of those, too, and we were glad that we had a few in our section on leadership.

As you can imagine, I’m always thinking about connecting books and people in situations like this and I wanted to suggest a book that came to mind to each and every speaker; I’m tempted sometimes to shout right out to the crowd that if you like what that woman said, if you appreciated that film segment or spoken prayer, if your really interested in that notion, you should get this book or that one for further study or clarification.   Such missed opportunities leads me to share a few fairly random titles now, ideas emerging from the invigorating day at Saint Bart’s, Park Avenue.  Thanks to all who put together that great event. Thanks to those who asked us good questions in the frantic moments of the book browsing breaks. We rejoice in the historic orthodoxy of Redeemer and how they’ve boldly applied a gospel centered vision to the spheres of work, business, and the arts, and appreciate how they’ve so graciously brought us into their conference. 

Buying and reading and discussing the books we list is a good way to join the conversation, get caught up to speed or follow through on your hopes to live into the gospel call to “do your work with all your heart, as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23-24) and “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31.) Please take up our offer on these books, offered at a deep 30 % off of the regular prices I’ve listed (while supplies last.) Getting this vision and these kinds of books out there, I hope you agree, is of the first order of importance. People are drifting from faith (and sometimes the idea of Christian study is mocked) because all many folks know is cheesy, sentimental books of shallow piety or obscure and inflexible dogmatic tomes.  We rejoice that there are indeed these kinds of refreshing, relevant books and ministries like Redeemer that promote this solid view of whole life discipleship. The link at the bottom will take you to our order form page where you can list whatever you want.  We’ll take it from there.

So, here are some we sold well, or would have talked about more if time would have allowed.  They are all pretty great and should be known among us.

What Do I Do With My Life.jpgWhat Do I Do With My Life: Serving God Through Work  Kenneth Baker (Faith Alive) $9.99  This is a small group resource that is excellent for small Bible study groups or adult Sunday school classes.  There is a bit to read —five short readings for each day of the week (so each member will need one) but it is mostly designed for good conversations. It has helpful discussion questions, some activities, lots of Bible verses to consider exploring what the Scriptures say about the 9 to 5 and our other callings to work in various aspects of our lives.  This is a very fine and solid overview of missional thinking and how our various labors matters to God—I don’t know of many resources like this for small groups so we hope you keep it in mind.  Thanks to the CRC publishing arm for doing such quality work.  Nicely done.

taking your soul to work.jpgTaking Your Soul to Work: Overcoming the Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace  Paul Stevens (Eerdmans) $15.00  There are a many great books about a Biblical view of the work-world and the role of the laity in being “priests” in the marketplace, but few get down and dirty as elegantly as this wonderful book.  It is a real gem!  Taking Your Soul To Work is arranged as a study of the seven deadly sins (and then some) but brings unique insight to their deforming power and how to resist them by illuminating how they show up particularly in our work lives.   (Hint: part of the redemptive answer to spiritual maturity at work is applying the fruits of the Spirit, a topic about which he writes expertly and beautifully.) This is a rare find, a treasure of spiritual formation linked to a faith-based vision or the glories of work.  At New York we heard the true truth that all of life is worship, that we can worship God in our cubicles, computers, classrooms, our factory floors or studios.  Few books explore how to have a worship, Godly attitude in such a realistic way as this masterpiece.  There’s a nice forward by Eugene Peterson, too.    A must-read, urgent, helpful, good.

work matters.jpgWork Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work Tom Nelson (Crossway) $15.99  A few good friends of mine have had some opportunity to teach and consult with the folks at Tom Nelson’s church and it seems to be nearly one of the nation’s best centers of culturally-engaged, thoughtful nurture of the gifts and insights of laypeople and professionals for marketplace service.  After years of reflecting on the Word as it is broken open in their midst and equally paying attention to the contexts of the various workers at the church, this brave pastor has learned to equip the people for relating faith and work, Sunday and Monday, prayer and public life.  Reverend Nelson and his staff and congregants are really doing it, and their vision for why it all matters is nicely spelled out in a way you’ll surely appreciate.  There are numerous two-page sidebars, too, documenting the stories of some of the folks in the church—a brilliant, Christ-honoring architect, an ethical businessperson, a good teacher, a Christian lawyer, and the like.  This may be the best book I’ve seen in years on this topic and it was highlighted on a special page in the Redeemer conference program (so I’m not alone in raving about it.)  If this topic is somewhat new to you, please consider buying this (and, even better, buy one for your pastor.)  If you are a fan and connoisseur of this topic and have read well in the field of relating faith and work, I can assure you that you will be pleased to own this, will be encouraged by it, and will find new insights and stories that will bolster your own journey and allow you to more clearly explain to others your passion for developing a Christian perspective on the work-world.  Three cheers for a great, accessible, inspiring book!  Here is a brief review I did of it a month ago in Comment.

work-kingdom-perspective-on-labor-ben-witherington-iii-paperback-cover-art.jpgWork: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor Ben Witherington (Eerdmans) $18.00  This is pretty short but don’t be deceived by its simple size and shape.  Ben Witherington is one of our finest New Testament scholars and has a profound awareness of the teachings about the Kingdom of God deep in his bones.  As he writes about work one can sense his great vision, his good concerns, his practical, Biblical insight, especially as he unpacks some of the parables of Jesus to help us get a Kingdom vision of our jobs and labor.  This helpfully breaks down the pagan sacred-secular divide and calls us all to a robust way of life where discipleship colors all we do, even our daily 9-to-5 labor.  Very, very good and its Biblical teaching makes it ideal for adult Sunday school classes or to inspire a sermon s
eries on work.  Great!

to-change-the-world.jpgTo Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World James Davison Hunter (Oxford University Press)
$27.95  In his closing address at the conference, Tim Keller named this book in passing as a key title making a case for some distinctively faithful practices regarding our Christian presence in the world.  Indeed, Keller has a blurb on the back saying how much he has learned from it.  Be aware, though, this is a rigorous, sociological read.  And it is doubtlessly one of the most talked about books of its kind in years.  Not a few of us are reading it more than once.  Here is an often-cited few sentences which offer a glimpse of his concern:

“Christians need to abandon talk about ‘redeeming the culture’, ‘advancing the kingdom’, and ‘changing the world’. Such talk carries too much weight, implying conquest and domination. If there is a possibility for human flourishing in our world, it does not begin when we win the culture wars but when God’s word of love becomes flesh in us, reaching every sphere of social life. When faithful presence existed in church history, it manifested itself in the creation of hospitals and the flourishing of art, the best scholarship, the most profound and world-changing kind of service and care – again, not only for the household of faith but for everyone. Faithful presence isn’t new; it’s just something we need to recover.”

Public Faith Volf.jpgA Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good  Miroslov Volf (Baker) $21.99  Again, Rev. Keller alluded to this recent work in his address as a very important book.  Dr. Volf, a professor at Yale Divinity School who became famous for his very important Exclusion and Embrace (Abingdon; $28.00), is one of many who are asking tough questions about uniquely Christian cultural witness in our pluralistic world.  Nicholas Woltersdorf writes that it is “a wonderful guide for the perplexed.”  Richard Mouw endorsed it, too, saying it is “an important book, packed with wisdom” and (yup) I wanted to stand up and shout–hey, both our keynote speakers, Mouw and Keller, recommend this book.  Why isn’t everybody rushing to buy it?  I figure if the leaders of the whole day both cite something, that is no small indication of it being a must-read.  We will be with Volf in a few days, by the way, and hope to get a few autographed.  Let us know right away if you want one…


generous-justice-timothy-keller-hardcover-cover-art.jpgGenerous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just  Timothy Keller (Dutton) $19.95  Okay, I suppose that most folks at the event are members of Keller’s PCA church and I suppose they’ve heard these talks, listened to the podcasts, and have a chance to buy the book at their meetings.  Still, this little book should have been a central resource for our thinking about the gospel and culture and I was surprised we didn’t sell more.  Keller is as solid as anybody relating the core truths of the gospel to the urgent demand for social justice in the world.  Can justification make us just?  Can we root our longing to see the world and the workplace transformed and just in God’s own justice?  Please, please, buy this book and share it with somebody who yearns for evangelical faith and social transformation.  Or read it yourself and realize the deep, deep connections between the benefits of the cross and the demands to be active working for a just social order.


Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling
  Andy Crouch (IVP) $26.00  I have saidculture-making.jpg repeatedly that this is an all-time favorite book and one very sharp customer (and very thorough reader) told me again today, for about the third time, that this was maybe the best book he’s read in five years.  All of us interested in making something of our time in history, that want to engage the built environment and witness to the goodness of God by making creative contributions, will be inspired by this insightful, foundational book.  Andy touches on so much here—the implications of being made in God’s image, the need to grapple with questions of power, the benefits of practice and creativity, how to be faithful in small things, inspiration for starting some new iniative in your own locale–that it is hard to describe.  I gave a shout out to it in my short talk at the conference and wish I could have explained more clearly why I think it is an essential resource for our efforts at social, cultural, and work-world reformation.  I wonder what might come of it if a small group committed to reading this together with a prayerful openness to see if some helpful social initiative, civic involvement or ministry might arise.  Or maybe a new hobby, or, heck  a new job?  Read it and hope for the best!

other six days.jpgThe Other Six Days: Vocation, Work and Ministry in Biblical Perspective  Paul Stevens (Eerdmans) $27.00 Stevens teaches at one of the greatest institutions of higher learning in North American, Regent College in Vancouver, and they have one of the best programs of serving Christian lay people as they take faith into their vocations and callings in the world.  Stevens is one of the reasons why they have this emphasis and he has written a lot.  This is a masterpiece of studying the Biblical foundation for thinking about what we make of the distinctions between clergy and laity and why we all need to see ourselves as agents of God’s Kingdom, in all aspects of our daily lives.  Seriously excellent.

Character Counts: The Power of Personal Integrity Charles Dyer  (Moody Publishers)  $13.99 This is not rocket science, but every now and then I think it is very important to revisit some basic questions about ethics, virtue, character and integrity.  I know I am daily tempted to fudge, to be less than honest, to take short cuts, to take something somewhat other than the high road.  Most of us are not jerks or abusive, most of us don’t blatantly cheat or act unjustly. Few of us curse our Lord.  But maybe there are blind spots, sore spots, tough spots.  It is easy to be expedient. This Bible-drenched book can help us.  I’ve always loved Bill Hybell’s simple but powerful read Who Are You When No One’s Looking (IVP; 15.00) or the more academic study, Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World (Baker; $26.99)–both of which we had at the display at the St. Bart’s conference.  This new one is an easy read, a realistic and God-centered call to character.  

work love pray.gifWork, Love, Pray: Wisdom for Young Professional Christian Women  Diane Paddison (Zondervan) $14.99  Okay, I’m not going to lie: I don’t know much about this topic so can’t really say if this is truly great or not.  People who we trust say it is, several sharp young women at the Redeemer conference studied it over and concluded it was worth purchasing.  Everybody wonders if the shoes work.  The allusion to Eat Pray Love is in the title, but she doesn’t develop it in the book; it would have been a hoot if she had.  The author is a top-shelf executive, does important work in the corporate world and brings both Biblical vision and practical advise for women in the work-world.  It is pretty interesting to see how she was able to raise her children and hold down a demanding job, and how she maintained a solid and inspiring faith through it all.  It may be a cliche to say she understands how to juggle career and family and how she and her husband navigated their otherwise conservative, two-career marriage.  Early reviews have been passionately favorable—“buy this book for your granddaughters” one grandma writes.  Another said it was the first book she ever read that understood the tensions of her own life.  And ya know what?  Not surprisingly, several folks said that it would be very helpful for husbands of career women, too.  Right on.

Max-Anderson-_23-2.jpgThe MBA Oath: Setting a Higher Standard for Business Leaders Max Anderson (Portfolio)MBA-Oath300pix.jpg $24.95
  Meeting this guy and hearing his story was one of the highlights of the Redeemer event and I was energized to sell this book more intentionally that we had before.  In the year the economy went hay-wire, Anderson—himself a former intern at Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work and one who is well acquainted with evangelical theology—was about to graduate from Harvard Business School.  He realized that unlike the medical profession MBA’s don’t have anything like a “Hippocratic oath.”  He and his classmate Peter Escher wrote this pledge, hoped to get a handful of their fellow students to recite it to one another during graduation, and, well, the rest is history.  Jon Stewart mocked those who hadn’t signed on, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported about it, other students at other schools took up the cause and what started as a small dream of getting some MBA students to promise to a certain code of conduct in business and economics, turned in to an international movement of ethical reform and new principles for appropriate conduct in the executive suites.  If the leading MBA professors don’t teach this stuff and our some of our best and brightest business leaders are being convicted of high crimes and cutting corners for profits, idealistic students will have to lead the way.  Such am epic scenario sounds almost Biblical, doesn’t it?  What a book!
Please visit mbaoath.org/ to learn more about it, watch the great video clip, and then come on back and order a few to share with business folks you know.  Max is a really, really good guy and this is a perfect example of how to take deeply faith-based ideas and work them into the culture in a restorative way. Thanks be to God.

busin for common good.jpgBusiness for the Common Good: A Christian Vision for the Marketplace  Kenman Wong & Scott Rae (IVP) $24.00  This publisher has four or five excellent books of varying levels and writing styles on business and I recommend them all.  I like this one for a couple of reasons.  It is meaty, thorough, serious, and yet offers stories of real business folk making efforts at “another way of doing business.”  This is more than a survey of business ethics, but offers transformational principles and practices for integrating faithful ideas into every aspect of the business enterprise.  It significantly asks which things in the corporation can be practiced “as is” and which must be rejected or transformed.  It covers various aspects of the business, too, from management to environmental impacts, to honest marketing, etc. I appreciate that they have this notion of the common good as primary,  as it radically relativizes the role of profits.  Certainly, profit-making isn’t wrong, but it isn’t the ultimate thing.  Very thoughtful.  For a quick exposure to just one bit of his work, see this short post of Mr. Wong from Q Ideas, and the discussion thread that follows.  This is the sort of question we simply must be asking.

Sequencing: Deciphering Your Company’s DNA  Mike Metzger (Game Changer Books)sequencing.jpg $17.95  I’ve written about this interesting “game changer” book before and almost every week or so find myself re-tweeting Mike’s fascinating and learned Doggie Head Tilt web column.  This is a complicated book to explain, but I can say two simple things: it is cool and it is crafty.  Firstly, it is stunning to read and enjoy, with large graphics and interesting black and white photos offered in a very edgy, eye-catching design.  Secondly, besides the witty look and pithy quotes, this is a book that will help you explain profoundly Biblical principles without any religious jargon.  Mike doesn’t want to comprise his evangelical faith but he also knows that long-term cultural renewal of the sort we so desperately need will have to bubble up from institutions and organizations—like businesses—who rethink their purpose and retool their internal DNA.  This book helps explain what I often call the four-chapter gospel story (or what N.T. Wright calls the five act model of the Biblical drama) in ways that are creative and based in our shared experiences, using common language of the workplace, not theological lingo.  Jesus said to be harmless as doves but crafty as snakes.  Metzger is one of the best I’ve ever seen at this important virtue.  This is the best Christian business book that might actually be read by a non-Christian executive or nonprofit leader. Go here to see a fabulous short video of Mike talking about the book and how it can help you unlock the culture of your organization, and how to determine if your company will be able to be innovative, or renewing, over the long haul. Mike also makes an appearance as one of the session leaders in the Q Ideas curriculum DVDs, the one called The Kingdom Way of Life.

The Next Christians Gabe Lyons (Doubleday) $19.99  Speaking of this
four chapter NextChristians3d.jpg story—first named in Al Wolter’s Creation Regained and
Walsh & Middleton’s Transforming Vision—Gabe makes the powerful
case that younger adults are resonating with this vision of a faith that
makes a difference, they want to find meaningful vocations that helps
make the world a better place, they see the gospel in terms of pointing
to God’s restoring work in history, not merely a ticket to a heavenly
afterlife.  He blows away the vestiges of the “Christian American”
notion that held sway in previous decades of culture wars and
re-envisions a faithful engagement with work and culture based on this
wholistic view of the Kingdom of Christ.  I would think that most of the
folks at our conference would find themselves described in this book
and would appreciate it’s tone and perspective.  It gives language to
our yearnings, Biblical meat to some intuitions we have, some good
direction for those wanting to be agents of reformation and renewal.  If
you want one book to give to an energetic young person who is less than
inspired by old patterns of faith and religiosity, this book is the one
to share. Very well done.

where mortals dwell.jpgWhere Mortals Dwell: A Christian View
of Place for Today
  Craig Bartholomew (Baker Academic) $29.99  You may
know I’ve briefly reviewed this before (here and here) and I think it is another one of the
year’s most extraordinary books.  He studies why a sense of place is so
important, drawing not only on the wonders of Wendell Berry and Norman
Wirzba, but on early church fathers and ancient theologians and
contemporary thinkers like Bob Goudzwaard and Eric Jacobsen.  He is nothing if not extensive, tirelessly showing how a Biblical
view of place is or is not (usually is not) appreciated by historic
theologians or philosophers.  As Brian Walsh and Steven Bouma-Predigar show so
powerfully in their one-of-a-kind masterpiece Beyond Homelessness:
Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement
(Eerdmans; $27.00) the
Western, modern tradition has not been friendly to responsible
stewardship over our embedded places.  Most Christians, too, have
ignored God’s Word of homecoming and have lived either valorizing exile
or awaiting an end-time rapture.  To be responsible, to care, to dig in
for the long haul may never happen well unless God’s people discover a
theology of place.  Where Mortals Dwell is a major contribution, perhaps
the only book of its kind in church history that so thoroughly explores the topic in
light of the Bible, philosophy, and contemporary social thinking. It is a truly interesting book, too, with some pictures, maps, even, showing how our understanding of our placed-ness really, truly matters.  To care about nearly anything (and, obviously, home and family, church and politics) is to necessarily care about place.  Bartholomew, who knows the Bible so very well, has studied aesthetics and theology and philosophy, and is himself somewhat of an exile (he is from South Africa, now living in Canada, teaching at Redeemer University in Ancaster) so he is most certainly well prepared for this audacious undertaking.  One of the books of the year!   

Keeping
House: The Litany of Everyday Life
Margaret Kim Peterson (Jossey-Bass;
$21.95)keeping house.jpg This is a book that invites us all, men and women, to reflect on
the essential meaning of homemaking as a calling.  There are few good
books on this oh-so-basic topic; The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith
Schaeffer (Tyndale; $12.99) which remains a fine standard despite its
slightly dated style but this more recent on by Peterson is by far the
best book we’ve ever seen.  Not everyone who takes care of homes as
their primary calling may need to think about it, but why not?  Surely,
as with banking or doctoring or teaching there are normative approaches,
rights and wrongs, built into God’s creation, so what may seem
commonplace might be in need of a little intentional consideration. 
Anyway, this book is a delight, well written, wise, and tender and sure
to be a rewarding read, in between laundry and dishes, of course. 
Highly recommended.

Well, at the conference we had books on
creation-care and engineering, art and music, theater and architecture. 
We had sections on politics and law, teaching and education, media
studies, advertising and literature.  A few people asked about special
education resources and we sold a book on Christians in social work. We
talked about resources for multi-cultural ministry, and promoted a few
on urban design.  I suspect we won’t offer such a wide-ranging and interesting spread of these kinds of titles until the epic Jubilee 2012 in Pittsburgh. Where, by the way, Richard Mouw will be giving the Sunday morning presentation. 

Whether one is a professional young urbanite who needs
a book like Michael Schutt’s Redeeming Law (IVP; $24.00) or a small town business
person needing to think about The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local
Businesses are Beating the Global Competition
by Michael Shuman (BK;
$16.95), or someone needing some spiritual guidance to discern a new vocation or calling as you could helpfully find in Gordon Smith’s great updated Courage and Calling: Embrace Your God-given Potential (IVP; $17.00) there are plenty of resources to help you relate faith to
calling, values to vocation, piety to public life. And, if in doubt, you may know that one of my all time favorite books, and one of the ones I most often recommend on these pages, is The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life by Os Guinness (Nelson; $17.99.)  Why not pick one of those up at this good price—you know you it makes a handsome and rich gift, wonderfully written, and inspiring.  Let us help you answer the call of God in Christ, that Guinness reminds us is for “everyone, everywhere, in everything.” 

Check out our (soon to be updated) “books by vocation” link at the Hearts & Minds
website where you’ll see an annotated listing of basic resources of wise books on
everything from science and math to special education and sports and engineering and business.  More
will be added, but I wanted to keep it pretty basic; there is more than enough there to whet an appetite for this wholistic Kingdom vision of whole life discipleship as it is lived out in various professional spheres.  For now, why not start or expand your library of this kind of dynamite by buying a few of the ones we’ve listed above at our sale price of 30% off.  They will help you, we are
sure of it.

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