Book Reviews
The Mystery of Marriage: Meditations on the Miracle by Mike Mason
If there is one book I wish every couple could read, it is the classic, The Mystery of Marriage. While providing a biblical context for understanding marital union, it is written in a open, easy to read poetic style that lifts the heart to bask in the mysteries of marriage. Mike Mason writes about marital intimacy from everyday miracles to the earthy demands that true oneness require. “A marriage is not a joining of two worlds,” says the author, “but an abandoning of two worlds in order that one new one might be formed.” Each chapter is a celebration and includes topics like: "Otherness," "Vows," "Intimacy," and "Sex." It can be read in a meditative style or couples can read it to each other.
Mike Mason is the bestselling author of The Mystery of Children, The Gospel According to Job, and Practicing the Presence of People. He and his wife, Karen, an M.D. in general practice, live in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, and have one daughter, Heather. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Conversations Journal
Renowned Christian writers, Dallas Willard, Larry Crabb, Richard Foster, David Benner, and Gary Moon, have come together to produce an excellent new journal. Conversations Journal is a collection of rich and diverse voices dialoguing about the spiritual journey and how authentic change happens. Each biannual issue focuses on a single topic, allowing for in-depth study and reflection. The format includes five continuing focal points for each topic: transformational theology, honesty about the journey, classical spiritual exercises, relationships, and the celebration of unity and diversity within Christianity. The first issue is available free for download at: www.conversationsjournal.com.
Listening To Your Life - Frederick Buechner
Through the eyes of this acclaimed novelist, essayist, preacher and theologian come flashes of insight into the accessibility of God found in the profound and mundane. His body of work spanning 30 years is offered in thought-provoking daily doses. "See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Papa Prayer -Larry Crabb
This soon to be released book brings a refreshing new perspective on prayer. Often we think of prayer as a one-way exchange--a time for petition and gratefulness. We ask and cry out for what we think we need, hoping these needs will be met. Challenging the stereotypical notion of prayer, Dr. Crabb expands our vision for conversation with our Father-God and offers a fresh, new perspective. Not only is prayer for petition, it is for so much more. He makes you hungry to enter the mystery of communing with God and avoids techniques that can be used to manipulate God. He teaches the reader how to bring their most authentic self before the Father, and how to spend time listening and learning how to recognize His voice. The Papa Prayer changes the reader's focus from wants to an exchange that hears. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
To Be Told -Dan B. Allender, Ph.D.
Are you hungering for deeper meaning? Perhaps wondering what your calling and place is in this great big universe? Dr. Allender insightfully shares how guidance is within our grasp, yet the last place we often look is at our own story. We spend more time reading a road map before we take a trip than reading the contours of our own life before we make life altering decisions. Through humor and tears he makes a most biblical and compelling argument for how our past illuminates the future and in it we find God. We are storied people who are meant to co-write our lives and reveal the Author of all our stories.(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Question of God -Dr. Armand M. Nicholi
They were two of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century, each asking life's ultimate questions. Both were ardent atheists, until one became the most influential contemporary Christian writer and the other the father of modern psychology. Dr. Nicholi's book, The Question of God, sets the stage for a debate between the two dramatically opposing views of C. S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud. Having studied the philosophical writings of both men for twenty-five years and taught this course at Harvard, the author presents their views on God, the nature of love and sex, pain and suffering, and the meaning of life. Using published and unpublished writings, including their private letters, he allows them to speak for themselves. One can only imagination what these two men would have said to each other had they actually met. The author surmises that possibly Lewis visited Freud, however the evidence is inconclusive. In this compelling study of two lives we find our own longings for meaning seen through the lense of belief and disbelief. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Rumors of Another World -Philip Yancey
In this beautifully written book that reads like a conversation, the author invites those who are skeptics of religion and those of faith to drink from the same well and see that God has not forgotten us. He has left signposts of his presence in our everyday lives.
Philip Yancey says, "I am where you are...an ordinary person trying to figure things out. I'm a human being: I love, I weep, my friends die, I experience beauty, I live. And as I live I try to figure out if there is a God, and what difference would that make...This book comes out of my own search and is written specifically on behalf of those who live in the borderlands of belief the region between belief and unbelief." (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Where Is God When It Hurts - Philip Yancey
What do you do when life doesn't make sense? Philip Yancey, winner of the Gold Medallion Award and an inspirational best?seller for over twenty years, addresses the problem of pain with sensitivity and understanding. This unique book discusses pain??physical, emotional, and spiritual??and helps us understand why we suffer from it and how to cope with our own. It is helpful in equipping those who want to reach out to the hurting, but struggle knowing what to say. Using examples from the Bible as well as the author's personal experiences, this revised and expanded version addresses many of the important topics related to suffering. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
How Children Raise Their Parents:
The Art of Listening to your Family - Dan B. Allender, Ph.D.
What would our approach to parenting and even life look like if we embrace the reality that we learn as much from our children as they learn from us? Suddenly parenting becomes an experience that can mature us, rather than just a pressurized strategy to raising successful kids. Dr. Dan Allender offers a unique view of parenting that attunes us to hearing what they are actually saying and what to do when with the formulas fail us. In our struggle to parent well, a divine dialogue takes place as our children reveal God to us. Dr. Allender says, "...no arena in life holds us more hostage to hope, more afraid to dream, more defensive about our decisions, and more open to receive help, all simultaneously. This intensity and passion bring the potential not only for our worst, but also for our very best as human beings." The author invites us to fall more in love with our children and God who is the divine, all-loving Parent that we all hunger for.Dan B. Allender, Ph.D. is the father of Anna, Amanda, and Andrew and the husband of Rebecca. He is president of Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, Washington, and professor of counseling. He is also a psychologist, speaker, writer who has authored The Wounded Heart, Bold Love, Intimate Allies, and The Healing Path. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Pressure's Off - Larry Crabb
Frustrated and weary with trying to make life work? Noted Christian psychologist Dr. Crabb explores how our approaches to life can either create pressure or provide freedom. The pressure way no matter how we dress it in Christian-ease, leads to boredom and inner emptiness. The freedom from pressure approach leads us towards uncertainty, mystery and into our deepest desires realized. As Dr. Crabb says, "Fellow Seeker, will you dare to imagine what for so long you've feared may not be available? Will you join me, a trembling pilgrim, in putting aside the cynicism that skillfully avoids the risk of hoping? Will you embrace your desire for the one thing you would give all else to gain an actual encounter with Jesus Christ, now, before heaven?". (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
An Affair of the Mind - Laurie Hall
The secret world of pornography has mushroomed into a 13 billion a year industry. That's more in annual revenues than the Coca-Cola and the McDonnell Douglas corporations combined. An Affair of the Mind is one woman's compelling and poignant struggle with her husband's addiction to pornography and the impact it had upon their marriage relationship and children. With candor and sensitivity, Laurie Hall describes the nightmare that nearly destroyed her family and the hard lessons and honesty that initiated their road to hope and healing. She offers practical advice for a spouse living with an addict entrapped in pornography. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
A Door of Hope: Recognizing and Resolving the Pains of Your Past - Jan Frank
An easy to read, practical book on the topic of sexual abuse. Jan Frank describes the symptoms of sexual abuse in adults and children and takes you through some of the steps necessary for healing by interspersing her own story of victimization and God’s restorative plan. Through the author’s own professional training and personal life, she offers hope for anyone who struggles with the wounds of sexual abuse. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix - Brian D. McLaren
Tired of easy answers and quick fix formulas for church growth and renewal? Brian McLaren's book, The Church on the Other Side offers a refreshingly realistic approach to bridging the modern and postmodern cultural transition with creativity and thoughtfulness. Years of pastoral experience coupled with an engaging writing style that brings to life a vision for the church that has untold opportunities for communicating the Gospel when we are not afraid to understand, enter and engage. As McLaren says, "Before us lies a new world--a world nearly empty spiritually, which makes it hungry and thirsty for good spiritual bread and wine. It is a world hostile to dogmatism but ready to be sown with good seeds of vibrant, living faith." Come read and enter the tectonic shift of the postmodern culture.
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
False Intimacy - Dr. Harry Schaumburg
Sexual addiction is a battle fought in secrecy, guilt and shame. It offers the promises of relief and intimate connection without meeting one's deepest longings. Dr. Harry Schaumburg has written an excellent book on a topic which is more pervasive in our society and churches than we know. His work goes far below symptoms and surface issues and a offers a biblical perspective toward healing and restoration. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Fight Like A Man - Gordon Dalbey
If you are wanting more than just a "how to" book on being a man--what you should do and the associated benefits---Gordon Dalbey, one of the pioneers in the Christian men's movement, has written Fight Like a Man to address the deeper issues of a man's soul. He invites men to know the One who pursues and restores and to be captured by the deepest longing of every man's heart. Some of the issues the author addresses are dispelling the fear of making a mistake, healing the shame of not measuring up, overcoming addictions and becoming allies with your wife.
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Healing Path - Dr. Dan B. Allender
In Dr. Allender's ground-breaking work, The Wounded Heart, he charts the healing path for those who had been sexually abused. The inevitable impact of sin and suffering in daily living is not limited to a few and Dr. Allender has written The Healing Path to show how suffering in life can lead us to God and transform our lives. While focusing on the issues of betrayal, shame and powerlessness, The Healing Path takes the reader on a journey toward embracing life and relationships with a heart that is set free to love. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Heart to Heart About Men - Nancy Groom
What are the deepest longings of a woman and how does this relate to her femininity and her relationships with men. Nancy Groom interviews 25 leading Christian women and explores these questions and more. It is a book for women who want to relate with integrity toward the men in their lives and are not sure how. It will challenge you to look deep inside and ask the hard questions about your attitudes toward men, toward yourself, and especially toward God. The author provides practical ways for improving existing relationships, which would impact any relationship whether it be our spouses, parents, siblings or friends. Heart to Heart About Men is an invitation for women to risk opening their hearts to deeper connection with others and to God. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
His Needs Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage - Willard F. Harley, Jr.
Studies are now telling us that just teaching couples communication skills and how to fight fair falls short of what is necessary to promote long and satisfying marriages. Christian psychologist Harley Willard captures what the research confirms: It is necessary to help couples learn to understand and accept their differences. In his classic book, now revised in an anniversary edition, Harley identifies the ten most vital needs of men and women and shows husbands and wives how to satisfy those needs in their spouses. Love is heightened through meeting the basic emotional needs, which builds a relationship that sustains romance and increases intimacy. He provides guidance for loving more creatively and sensitively and this may help eliminate the problems that often lead to extramarital affairs. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Journey Of Desire: Searching for the Life We’ve Only Dreamed O - John Eldredge
C. S. Lewis said that as Christians we are too easily pleased. He likened us to "...an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. The Journey of Desire is an invitation to experience what life was meant to be. God has placed desire in our souls to lead us into His very heart, but we must take the journey to find what we most want. Isn’t it time to take the risk of listening to the whispers of "divine discontent" wooing us out of resignation and despair to be captured by our First Love?
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Men & Sex: Discovering Greater Love, Passion, & Intimacy with Your Wife -
Clifford L. Penner, Ph.D. and Joyce J. Penner, M.N., R.N.Men have you ever felt mystified by your wife’s sexual and emotional needs? Clifford and Joyce Penner present a biblical approach to enhancing sexual intimacy that is written especially for men. With over 20 years experience in sex therapy, they expose some of the myths and teach men why goal-oriented sex doesn’t work, how listening to your wife’s bodily signals leads to greater passion and why servanthood and intimacy are inseparable. Women will find this book helpful in understanding themselves. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Mystery of Marriage - Mike Mason
It is difficult to find authors who portray the paradoxical nature of a topic–its mysteries, problems and glories, yet Mike Mason in the Mystery of Marriage has beautifully articulated the essence of marriage. Elisabeth Elliot stated that after reading this book, "I don’t need to read any other books on the topic. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Right From Wrong:
What You Need To Know To Help Youth Make Right Choices - Josh McDowellOur teens are facing struggles unparalleled in previous generations. Josh McDowell’s groundbreaking work goes to the heart of the matter with a revealing study of evangelical churched youth and the appalling decline of objective standards of right and wrong. In his own unique style, this internationally known teen expert, shares a biblical and practical blueprint for understanding moral absolutes and passing on them on the next generation.
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Ruthless Trust - Brennan Manning
What would you do with these challenging words? "You've got enough insights to last you three hundred years. The most urgent need in your life is to trust what you have received."
Thus began Brennan Manning's relentless reexamination of his life, ministry and the authenticity of his relationship with God. From this soul-searching journey was birthed his lasted book, Ruthless Trust. Not just a concept, ruthless trust is a way of life. This storyteller, scholar and honest sojourner invites the reader to a riskier and richer experience of trust that warms the soul in the light of God's love. As Manning observes, "Ill winds may blow, more character defects may surface, sickness may visit, and friends will surely die, but a stubborn irrefutable certainty persists that God is with us and loves us in our struggle to be faithful." Good summer reading if you want to be refreshed and impassioned to abandon yourself to God.
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God - John Eldredge
The essence of true romance is that which enlivens anticipation and hope. The Sacred Romance is such a book. Curtis and Eldredge have masterfully interwoven personal narrative and the gospel to movingly invite readers to touch the deepest yearning of their hearts-to be recaptured by the divine Lover. Less-wild lovers exist to offer gratification, but pale in the light of awakened desire for the one who has inscribed His redemptive love story upon our hearts. Reading this book will provoke your passion for God and encourage deeper communion with Him.
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Why Your Kids Do What They Do - Rodney Gage
Ever what to know the driving forces behind your teenager’s behavior? Rodney Gage, one of America’s dynamic Christian leaders, shares from his own experience and the most current studies on adolescence, providing eye-opening insights and practical applications on raising the next generation. A must read for parents wanting to understand the motivations and often unspoken needs of teens and how to have a biblically-based relationship of mutual love and respect. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
Wild at Heart - John Eldredge
Want your world turned upside down? I dare you to pickup John Eldredge's latest book, entitled Wild at Heart. It's not just another book about men, but is so unique that it blows the lid off sanitized Christianity that has held men captive and turned them into androgynous "nice guys." His biblical insights into true masculinity and femininity are not for the faint of heart as he gives men permission to become who God designed them to be--alive, dangerous and passionate. With passages stunning at times, Eldredge shares about the deep desires that beat in the heart of every man–to have a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. In similar fashion, he invites women to become captivating daughters of Eve--valiant, vulnerable and scandalous. Many women endure the pain of abandonment as their husbands seek to battle only in their vocations or become armchair sports warriors, often times taking their strength from their wives, instead of taking it to them. The author addresses the wounds men carry and how vibrant connection with God can empower them to be the adventurous warriors who capture their wives' hearts. (Click on the book to purchase it now.)
The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse - Dr. Dan Allender
A recent study indicates that 38% of the woman surveyed had been sexually abused by an adult or family member by the age of 18. The phenomena of abuse is more prevalent than most of us can imagine, and knows no religious or social boundaries. Its soul deadening damage leaves scars that last a life time and carry a shame that makes pursuing healing even more difficult. Dr. Dan Allender groundbreaking work skillfully addresses a variety of topics which includes, false memory syndrome, environments which open a person to abuse, the damage of abuse and relational coping styles which only provide false hope. He offers a scriptural path to healing which invites the abuse survivor to a personal journey of honesty, courage, and repentant trust in God that leads to loving others.
(Click on the book to purchase it now.)
