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Archive | December, 2011

The Christian Writer’s Market Guide 2012 | Jerry B. Jenkins

By on December 30, 2011 in Book Reviews, Resource 0

This book is pure motivation. Every time I flip through the pages, I think of something new to write about.

Here’s how this 500+ page book breaks down:

  • A list of Book Publishers. This section is organized by category, so you can figure out at a glance which publishers may be interested in your book.
  • A list of Magazine Publishers. This is my favourite section. You have no idea how many Christian magazines exist until you start browsing through this list. You will find a place for everything from your essay on apologetics to a two line joke.
  • Specialty Markets. This is a quirky section. If you’re interested in writing for greeting cards, video games, or DVD markets, this will help you along.
  • Helps for Writers. Here you’ll find listings for Christian Agents, contact information for writers conferences and clubs, and even lists of various writing contests.

This book carries much of the same information as Writer’s Market, expanded and focused toward the Christian market. Whether you’re just starting to consider selling your writing, or are an established author looking to expand your influence, this book is an essential resource.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided for free by Tyndale Publishing House.

The Pastor | Eugene H. Peterson

By on December 26, 2011 in Biography, Book Reviews 0

In my personal hierarchy of “Most Important Books I’ve Ever Read”, two always rise to the top: Mere Christianity (C. S. Lewis), and A Celebration of Discipline (Richard Foster). Everything else suffers by comparison . . . until now. Meet the most important book I’ve read in over a decade: The Pastor.

Here’s why it ranks so highly:

  • Like Peterson, I’m a pastor—this book resonates with my own experiences.
  • Peterson bucks the trends of modern Christendom in favour of authentic biblical fidelity.
  • Peterson is painfully honest, describing both failures and successes.
  • Peterson describes how the various themes that form his major books developed.
  • Peterson spends time describing how he wrestled with what he was called to do.
  • In the end, there’s nothing better than hearing the wisdom of a seasoned pastor with an academic background.

You know, that list doesn’t seem so spectacular in retrospect. There’s something about this book that I can’t quite put my finger on yet. Sure, his writing is as poetic and lucid as ever—but there’s something extra.

All I can suggest is that you read it for yourself. If you’re a North American pastor, order it right away!

Performing the Faith | Stanley Hauerwas

By on December 19, 2011 in Book Reviews, Theology 0

Hauerwas is always challenging and thought-provoking. This work on Bonhoeffer is no different.

In Performing the Faith, Hauerwas uses Bonhoeffer’s life to show how Christians can be creative in their practice of non-violence (of course, that’s an extremely reductive summary). Here are some examples of the sort of brilliance you’ll find:

No account of the Christian life is adequate that ignores the beauty of God’s creation as well as the beauty created in response to that creation we sometimes call art. (22)

Good performers of the Christian faith, like good musicians, are those who have refined the art of allowing themselves to be played by the work even as they perform it. (102)

The failure to live with humility, a failure common to Christian and non-Christian alike, results in a distorted understanding of the way things are. (127)

Insights, even about the human condition, are a dime a dozen. People seldom, and rightly so, are willing to risk their lives or even make a small sacrifice on the basis of an “insight.” (139)

I am a pacifist because I think nonviolence is the necessary condition for a politics not based on death. (201)

The most profound chapter in the book was his pacifist response to 9/11. For Hauerwas, the whole response to the terror attacks were derailed when President Bush first brought up the term “war”. That galvanized and misled the entire response to date.

I do have one major frustration with this book, though. It’s not about Bonhoeffer, and it’s not one logical unit. It’s a collection of essays of various levels of academic writing around the theme of non-violence. Bonhoeffer, whose picture and name grace the cover of the book, is only given a two-part essay comprising 39 pages.

Once you understand that, you can give your mind and heart a work-out with these incisive essays.

Spirit Inspired Thoughts? | Martin Luther

By on December 16, 2011 in Weekend Wisdom 0

Do not trust yourself to your own opinions, but take them to Christ and see whether they are in conformity with the faith (Rom. 12:7) and the Word of the holy Gospel. I, too, occasionally have beautiful and splendid thoughts, and I believe that the Holy Spirit inspired them. But when I judge them in the light of faith, I realize that they are sheer filth, sinful and impure.

—Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 22: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 1—4, 272.

Drive | Daniel Pink

By on December 12, 2011 in Book Reviews, Leadership 0

I’m torn about how to write this review. I think I’ll have to proceed with two perspectives:

1. The Idea. Despite the mild hyperbole in the subtitle (“The Surprising Truth”), the thesis of Pink’s book is inspirational and well-grounded. Motivating people with sticks and carrots doesn’t work like we assume. People these days are more driven by a desire for autonomy, a desire for mastery, and a desire to add value to life.

This is the sort of idea that can take root and change the way you look at your own life, not to mention the obvious application for management. I put the book down a few weeks ago, and I’m still mulling over the application. Five out of five for popularizing this idea.

2. The Format. This shouldn’t be a book. It’s more suited for weekend conference lecture fodder. I could almost see the PowerPoint presentation in the back of my mind as I read. The book is a string of illustrations and examples that support his idea.

My problem with the book crystallized during the appendix where he offers a Twitter summary, a cocktail party summary, and a chapter-by-chapter summary of his work. The Twitter summary nails it, the cocktail party summary fleshes it out, and the chapter-by-chapter summary seems like overkill. If you can reduce your book to 140 characters, do you really need to write the rest of the pages?

Perhaps this is just my frustration with the format of modern business / self-help books. If so, disregard and enjoy.

Where Have Our Sins Gone? | Martin Luther

By on December 9, 2011 in Weekend Wisdom 0

It is extremely important that we know where our sins have been disposed of. The Law deposits them on our conscience and shoves them into our bosom. But God takes them from us and places them on the shoulders of the Lamb.

—Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 22: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 1—4, 169.

For the Love of Physics | Walter Lewin

By on December 5, 2011 in Book Reviews, Science 0

Like a lot of people, I was introduced to Walter Lewin through his compelling physics lectures from MIT, which are freely available online. During my last trip to Chapters, I noticed he had written a book as well. His lectures were so fascinating, I picked the book up immediately.

The book is a combination of memoir and physics (without the mathematical tedium). To be more specific, the introduction to physics is sandwiched between autobiographical information at the start and end of the book. Both parts of the book are interesting, but they don’t seem to gel that well together as one work.

Lewin’s trademark humor and passion for teaching shines through clearly here. He often describes his classroom antics—along with the student’s reaction—in a way that makes you feel like you’re in the front row. Add to this a dash of Vonnegutesque interjections and you have one memorable physics primer.

This book would have been even better had I not already listened to the lectures. I felt an odd sense of déjà vu a number of times when the book and lectures overlapped. Still, with my porous memory, I’m sure the repetition helped things to stick.

For the Love of Physics is what you get when a talented teacher has loads of enthusiasm for the subject.

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