Book: "When God Prays" by Skip Heitzig

I'm not sure how long this book has sat in my "to read" pile, but it surfaced and I'm glad it did. About this time every year I try to read, or re-read, a book on prayer and I'm sure blessed picked this one up.

Heitzig uses the real Lord's Prayer, John 17, as his base for the book and expositorily moves forward.

That I picked this book up to read I don't believe to be accidental. This past year I've read the Book of John numerous times and have studied what many pastors and writers have had to say about the 26 verses of John 17. I'm not disappointed in the least about this author's commentary and teaching points.

As a bonus, there is some great material in this read for those searching out the "ministy of work" worldview.

To that end...Read Well.

Book: "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan

A few dozen, or even hundred, of Crazy Love was being given away at the recent Austin Christian Business Summit. A book about Love at a business function! I love it. Tom Morris would be proud (reference to his book "If Aristotle Ran General Motors").

After reading half of Crazy Love, I decided to slow the read down with the intention of reading it slowly over the next few weeks...more of a few paragraphs to go to sleep on type thing.

But, I finished it after 3 or 4 pick-ups. Chan has some extremely important things to say. His focus on Christ's demand that we love, coupled with disciple, baptize, and teach is hitting some points with my own thoughts and beliefs.

My two criticisms are about the title and a reference to what seems to be an indication of a "higher" calling of full-time vocational ministry (page 172). The critism about the title is more of a cultural thing I guess; why is it so crazy to love like Jesus said to? But, there is too much good material in this read to get hung up on either of these.

So, and though Chan mentions in a subsequent book he's written that this is not a book he's gone back to....to the Ponder list it goes.

I give the book Four Stars because
1. it is in my Ponder stack
2. not one I'll likely talk much about to others, though I will recommend (I know, wierd)
3. many good points about love
4. the subject matter itself, and well written along the lines of the subject

To that end...read well.

Book: "John's Story; The Last Eyewitness" by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

If you enjoy scripture and history you'll likely love this read. LaHaye and Jenkins have seemed done an excelent job in writting about the historical Gospel of John.

This is one of 4 in a series entitled The Jesus Chronicles in which the authors put the lives and writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John into a "fictional" but "historical setting and what might have been going on in their thoughts and lives as they wrote their respective books of the Bible.

I use "likely" and "seem" because there is much about the historical and theological settings that I don't know, and some reviewers have given John's Story, or I should say, the authors' writing of it, some very critical reviews. Yet, I notice that these reviewers invariably give very favorable reviews to what I believe some very far-fetched fiction.

From my limited experience LaHaye and Jenkins don't do anything to wrongly depict scripture and known historical facts and the books reads well.

I think it is important to consider the Biblical writers circumstances and the hisorical backdrop of the times.

Great Read, though this reveiw might be a bit wishy-washy! But it's worth you reading and deciding for yourself. Undoubtedly, 999 or 1,000 people will walk away with more real knowledge and insight into the Gospels, scripure in general, and Jesus than they have now.

To that end....Read Well.

Book: "God at Work" by David W. Miller

Subtitle: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement

This is a subject near and dear to my heart, and my attempted habits.

I read the book in preparation of hearing the author speak briefly at the Austin Christian Business Summit. Britt Harris, an acquaintance, knows Dr. Miller personally and brought him in for the evening. Thanks Britt.

The book seems to be written in a very "mainstream" academia manner and a brief visit with Dr. Miller confirmed that was the purpose.

Comment on inside front cover: Secretaries to CEOs do not turn to their cleargy for guidance in bringing their faith to work, but to their peers and a burgeoning cottage industry on spirituality at work.

Some of the my margins notes, underlines, and comments:

• lack of scripture is obviously due to the audience (mainstream academia)
• Chapter One - good, solid, and transparent about how the church is not equipping itself to minister to its average member (this theme continues throughout the book with suggestions to the church in Chapter 8)
• Lack of Biblical history on God at work
• mentions R. Paul Stevens' definition of work: simply as "purposeful activity involving mental, emotional, or physical energy, or all three, whether remunerated or not" - I emailed Stevens to see if I could get a dialog going about the book. So far, he has just commented that he has not read the book but did read Miller's doctrinal thesis.
• Interesting points about pre vs postmillennialists and how that can shape one's view (pg 25-)
• manufacturing, demand for labor in cities, and family unit being torn apart (pg 27)
• very interesting how he lays out his "Social Gospel Era" and the conservative, radical, and progressive types
• Author mentions "laity, layperson" quite a bit; doesn't seem to have any real emphasis on priesthood of the laity and doesn't present any argument for or against the lack of New Testament usage of the work "clergy"
• Nothing mentioned in book about Doug Sherman and his book "Your Work Matters to God"
• Miller does a good job telling about his departure from his partnership at private equity firm in order to go to seminary to study theology and how his peers and clients responded. He sent out 150 faxes and letters and struck a deep cord among many, if not all. Responses indicated many of the executives where experiencing a deep emptiness and disconnect.
• Pg 75 - The demand for faith at work may best be understood by identifying and analysing the needs that businesspeople and other workers feel.
• Pg 76 - Research of this book suggests......integration of faith and work can be seen in 4 major types of faith issues; Ethics, Evangelism, Experience, and Enrichment (Four E's)
• Pg 79 - Among the many roles and functions of both the church and theological academy is to think theologically about the nature and purpose of humanity
• We think the church would be interested in being present in the whole of life, including the workplace.....and the academy through research would support such a view
• Comments on Chapter 5; author does a great job describing how unprepared the church is to not only help their members on work-related issues, but their sermons are not relevant to our day-to-day lives and what we REALLY deal with - to the point, we don't want to go to the church for help when we need it.
• Great stuff on page 85, 91, 94
• Chapter Seven lays out the Four E's.
• Pg 145: Pastors and churches that wish to respond seriously to the Sunday-Monday gap will need to develop new strategies of equipping laity ministry of integration that connects the Christian faith to the workplace in meaningful and constructive ways....yet an intentional ministry to businesspersons and the workplace must be more than a laundry list of programs
• Pg 145: Clergy should go to their parishioners' places of work for short visits as regularly and naturally as they make hospital and home visits.
• Pg 146-149: Clergy who wish to equip their people to integrate faith and work effectively will first need to develop an ministry of presence and listening, of public preaching and prayer, of teaching, spiritual integration, of gatherings.

Dr. Miller wraps the book up by outlining the promise and then commenting that the book "while perhaps providing a foundation for future research into the FAW movement, is hardly complete." He concludes by stating the goals of the book which includes "to raise questions for further research."

Good book and while not exhaustive it is a very important read.

And.....If it takes more research to get the vocational ministers to get it together to properly minister to their members, then I pray for more research.

To that end.....