O Shepherd, Where Art Thou? – Calvin Miller

© 2006, B & H Publishing Group, Nashville

In the inspiring fashion of The Sermon Maker: Tales of a Transformed Preacher, Calvin Miller takes his readers down another worn-out path for many pastors—pastoral ministry, namely the task of caring for the parishioners. Employing the fictional Sam, again, Miller addresses the issues faced by many ministers who have struggled through years of leading a typical congregation, only to be jealous of the pastor down the street who is wowing the crowds.

In this new story, Sam finds himself seeking the advice of a nationally renowned preacher who leads a left-coast mega-church and advocates that every minister should delegate, delegate, delegate. In so doing, the preacher will find more time to think mega-thoughts, prepare mega-sermons, and build his own mega-church, with the people getting lost in the tidal wave of flash and show.

The book design might be at first distracting because of its unorthodox presentation. But just like this books predecessor, O Shepherd is a small volume with lots of volume. In the fictionalization of everyday pastoral life, Miller uses not an angel this time, but the ghost of one of the greats in Christian History—Richard Baxter of Kidderminster who advocated spending time being the shepherd of your sheep—to bring Sam back to the straight and narrow of being a pastor. Again the volume is rounded out with commentary on the left-hand pages with scholarly notes in the back.

While not as inspiring as The Sermon Maker, through the voice of Baxter Miller drives home some well-needed lessons for the pastor in these days of “bigger is better” church life. This is a welcome volume for any pastor’s library.

4 out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, May 27, 2010

Pixie Dust – Henry Melton

©2010 Wire Rim Books, Hutto, Texas

I first encountered Henry Melton’s Young Adult Science Fiction a couple of years ago with his sophomore outing for the “Small Towns, Big Ideas” series, Roswell or Bust, and I was hooked. Having not been a fan of SciFi, but a big fan of YA fiction, I approached the read with trepidation. After that book, I find myself waiting (sometimes impatiently) for his next book.

This latest offering is a slight departure from the “STBI” series in that it’s set—not in a small town—in the city of Austin, Texas, and the featured character is slightly older than his typically high school-aged hero. He addresses this discrepancy by creating a new series—“Home Planet Adventures.”

Now to the reading, Jenny Quinn is a budding physicist working on her graduate project dealing with a new substance identified simply as dark matter. An accident in transporting the dark matter results in her personal contamination with the stuff, and the death of her professor.

Losing her professor, her research, and her desire to continue her education in one fell swoop, Jenny finds herself on the run, trying to hide the fact that she now can fly. She finds unlikely friendship in a lone trucker and refuge among the Carnies of a traveling show. By the end of the story, she’ll have opportunity to bring to life her brother’s comic book heroes and discover the truth about her professor’s death.

Melton jumps directly into the action with the catastrophe involving a dark matter explosion, and keeps everything moving as Jenny finds a way to keep herself alive and moving while hiding her new ability from the public view. The author also gets a chance to give tribute to his own childhood infatuation with the comic book industry not only with the story line, but also by dividing the story into numbered “issues” representing each segment of the tale. If you like SciFi you’ll want to read this book; if you like comic books, it will be fun as well; if you’re a Henry Melton reader, you won’t want to miss this outing.

Four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, May 26, 2010

The Sermon Maker – Calvin Miller

© 2002, Zondervan, Grand Rapids

At a recent conference I had opportunity to rub elbows with one of my favorite Christian authors—Calvin Miller. A long time pastor, educator and writer, Miller embodies many of the characteristics I want when I grow up to be a real preacher. One of the best things that Miller does is communicate. And he has a desire to see all preachers do that better and better. And so he has created some short volumes to inspire the pastor to be the best pastor he can be. This is the first of those volumes.

One of the great things about reading Miller is that you never know what you’re going to get—much like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates. Within the 150 or so pages of this book you will encounter the fictional story of Sam, the beleaguered pastor who is rediscovering how his call to preach can take him beyond the typical mundanity (I know, I know: not a word) of three points and a poem cleverly alliterated for ease in memorization. Sam inspires the minister to re-visit his calling and so refresh his exposition.

The story of Sam is worth the price of admission in and of itself, especially as he interacts with Sermoniel the Angel of Homiletics. But Miller throws in commentary that allows the reader to dive deeper into the why of preaching via the story pattern. And the author puts a cherry on top of his sweet volume by including scholarly endnotes, if only to prove that he did his homework in the writing.

I must admit, I almost passed up this book because of the unorthodox packaging – story on the right-hand page, commentary on the left, with notes at the end of the book – but once I got into the reading, I found it wasn’t distracting at all. I also found that this design allowed to read just the story for continuity’s sake; just the commentary for clarification; or combine the reading to see how each relates to the other.

My recommendation for this book goes out to pastors who are caught in the grind of weekly cranking out lackluster sermons, to those who are looking for a new take on the old art of sermon-writing that will bring life back to their pulpit ministry, or to ministers who find themselves being weighed down by the monotony of taking on their own “Emma Johnsons” week after week. If you’d like to see your pastor revive the life in his sermons, you might consider gifting him this book.

5 out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, May 25, 2010

A List of Kiddie Lit

Sherry at Semicolon recently posted this list of top 100 children's books. I thought I'd take a cue from her and indicate which ones I've read (in bold), which ones I've tasted (in italics), and I also added which ones I have sitting on the shelf waiting for me to get a minute (marked with an asterisk). My list of "have reads" is not nearly as long as it should be, though I must admit that I've read a couple of the Dahl books (not overly impressed) and read the first additions in the Harry Potter series (stopped after they got to be more of the same over and over again, at least for me).

100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)*
98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)*
92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)
88. The High King – Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief – Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (200
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)
72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelace (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes – Streatfield (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago – Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)*
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)
49. Frindle – Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)
34. The Watsons Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)*
21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)*
20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)*
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)*
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes – Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter #1 – Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)

I'll also fess up here and say that I didn't really start reading in earnest until I was out of formal education and began reading what I wanted to. And I'll admit that The Hobbit was a terrible struggle for me--it took about 7 starts before I got past chapter 5.

Too Soon to Say Goodbye – Susan Titus Osborn, Karen L. Kosman, & Jeenie Gordon

© 2009 New Hope Publishers, Birmingham

In my most recent group of books from New Hope Publishers for review I found this rare gem. While I have several books dedicated to dealing with suicide, especially detecting signs of intended suicide and preventing it from happening, I have not before seen a volume as good as this one in dealing with the aftermath of suicide and attempted suicide.

The three authors collaborating to produce this book all have a vested interest in helping survivors of this tragic event—they have all been touched by suicide in one way or another, at one time or another. Gordon is an exceptional source for suicide survivors because of her years as a counselor dealing with people on both sides of the suicide spectrum.

My best description of the book would be to call it a group therapy session on paper. The book should not be a substitute for therapy for those who have either lost loved ones to suicide or have survived personal attempts on their own lives; however, it is an excellent resource that points a light on the necessity of getting help to move beyond the grief.

Reading the book takes the reader through the process and stages of grieving, using testimonial stories collected from people who have overcome the difficulties left in the wake of suicide. Also helpful are the interruptions to the reading provided by Gordon as she discusses various means of therapy useful for moving on after tragedy. And finally, each chapter includes short Bible passage discussions related to that chapters topic.

I recommend this book for anyone who has faced suicidal thoughts and felt that they had lost all hope, anyone who has had to deal with the loss of a loved one, friend or family member to suicide, or any minister who might find a need to counsel someone in either of these situations. Too Soon to Say Goodbye deserves all five of our reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, April 16, 2010

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Fuzz – Ed McBain

© 1968, New American Library, New York (1^st Signet printing September 1969)

Ed McBain is always good for a leisure read. Especially when he takes us to the imaginary city housed between the covers of an 87^th Precinct novel. Fuzz has all the things that make a police procedural good: harsh weather, major crimes, on-going investigations, and comic relief.

In the midst of the coldest March on record, the city has decided to paint the precinct squadroom. With the bad vaudeville routine proffered by the painters going on all around them, the bulls of the 87^th begin receiving extortion threats against city officials via phone and hand-delivered packages. The culprit, we discover to be the Deaf Man, is an old nemesis for Carella, Meyer, Hawes, and the boys; one who we’ve assumed was dead because in their last encounter he jumped from a bridge in the River Dix.

Solving this crime spree and catching the Deaf Man will take all the combined brain power of every cop on the squad. Throw in an ongoing case in which the detectives need to catch some hoods who are regularly lighting bums on fire in alleys and back doorways, and the prospect of an upcoming robbery, and you wonder if they can ever get the job done. Not to mention the distraction of a new novel entitled Meyer Meyer which obviously has one of the detectives up in arms.

Find a copy of Fuzz and enjoy a couple of hours helping them solve some crime. And give them four out of five reading glasses while you’re at it.

—Benjamin Potter, April 5, 2010

Jesus Loves You . . . This I Know – Craig Gross and Jason Harper

© 2009 Baker Books, Grand Rapids

Not long ago I got a book in for evaluation that I just had to read. It was written by a couple of unorthodox preacher-types. Craig Gross is the founding pastor of XXXchurch.com, and like the name suggests, he reaches out to people in the pornography industry. His message, “Jesus loves porn stars.” Jason Harper is the Outreach Pastor for Capital Christian Center in California. Harper has gone through some growth pains in his spiritual walk as a result of being reminded that as pastors, those of us who are, rarely face the struggles of the everyday grind encountered by most of the people in our pews.

This book tackles some of the tough issues that we face and attempts to remind readers that Jesus Loves You anyway. From the outcast to the upwardly mobile, from the baby to the porn star, from the bigot to the bi-sexual, the authors address real-life issues with true-life answers. Chapters of interest include how Jesus loves those who’ve been betrayed, those who are skeptical, those who overindulge, and those who steal. They consult scripture for the answers all the while applying the truth in real situations.

There are some rough spots in the book that will make it lose some of its credibility with certain elements of the religious society, but the book even addresses the issue of Jesus’ love for those who are overly religious. As a read the book may be helpful for someone seeking some answers as to how they can develop a relationship with God. As a resource for future study, I’d have to pass on this book. Readers might find a better resource in the pages of unChristian or Lost and Found. Even so, Jesus Loves You is an acceptable volume. I give Gross and Harper 2 reading glasses for effort.

—Benjamin Potter, March 23, 2010

Dreamstone – P.A. Hendrickson

© 2009, Booksurge

If I continue to accept review copies of science fiction, I may have to re-think my position about not really being a fan. I recently finished a fine read by P.A. Hendrickson that had me turning pages.

The story tells of Joebin Vassiter, the Dream Lord unawares (until, that is, that he’s told of his status) as he leads an unlikely group of adventurers on a quest to save his world. Prothia is a little-known, less-desired planet inhabited by the descendents of war criminals who determine that for the purposes of survival they will set up a society of peace. Unknown (a lot of that going on on Prothia) to these inhabitants, there is an entire society of peace-loving Atlomians who have hidden themselves from everyone, all the while pulling strings to guide humans in the settlement across the river into doing their own “projects.”

In order to save his own society, Vassiter learns that he must also save the Atlomians, and he must do so without violence. All is not lost, though. The Atlomians have created to Dreamstone to aid him in his task; and only a Dream Lord can tap into the power of the Dreamstone to, for lack of a better phrase, make dreams come true.

The book has several positive features – it is a compelling story, with heroes facing seemingly insurmountable foes, it is written in language that paints moving pictures in the mind of the reader, and the characters themselves are believable (even the alien life forms). Even so, there are some things that might discourage the average reader—the book is lengthy, almost to a fault. Passages in the middle of the story have a tendency to drag. But don’t let that discourage you, the fast-paced reading encountered at the beginning of the story which attracts you to the story itself, returns in flying colors in the last chapters as Vassiter battles for the safety of all of Prothia.

Because the story itself is so good (even with the occasional slow spot), and it is relatively free of foul language and explicit sex scenes so often appearing gratuitously in modern fiction because “you have to include it” I heartily recommend this book and look forward to picking up another Hendrickson title to escape in. For now, I’ll just leave Dreamstone with 4.5 out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, March 23, 2010

Raising Peanuts in a Gold Field – Paul W. Powell

©2009 Paul W. Powell, Tyler, TX

Paul Powell, Dean Emeritus and Special Assistant to the Dean of George W. Truett Theological Seminary, offers another collection of sermons that are challenging to the preacher as well as the layman in the pew. Mining from years of experience, Powell again presents meaningful illustrations, anecdotes, and ideas related to applying scriptural principles to everyday life.

The theme of this collection is mediocrity. Or more precisely, how to avoid living a mediocre life when we have access to the spectacular power of the Holy Spirit. In addition to the title chapter, the reader will find “Living for Christ in the Home” which addresses faithful Christianity within marriage; “Hot Air or True Religion” concerning how sincere faith; and “Finishing Well” reminding believers to focus on Jesus throughout life.

The most useful aspect of the book is the wealth of illustrations ranging from Powell’s personal ministry at churches throughout the state of Texas to interesting stories involving ordinary people and greats such as Johnny Weismuller alike. Preachers will want to read this book for the ideas, scholarship and illustrations. Others will be impressed by the readability and matter-of-fact presentation of sermons that can be applied directly to everyday living.

I give Powell 4 out of 5 reading glasses for Raising Peanuts in a Gold Field.

—Benjamin Potter, February 24, 2010

Secrets Behind Closed Doors – David Ray

© 2009 Winepress Publishing, Enumclaw, WA

David Ray has developed a book that addresses some of the more pressing issues that attack the very heart of people these days yet are the very issues that nobody talks about—at least not out loud, at least not in mixed company, at least not without fear of being judged, labeled or ostracized. His experience as a pastor/counselor has given him a wealth of “behind closed doors” scenarios to use in compiling this book.

The author tackles life issues ranging from depression to suicide, from homosexuality to abuse, from unwanted/unexpected pregnancy to euthanasia, and just about everything in between in short order. Each issue finds about 10 pages’ discussion (more or less) including: an introductory word (with generalized case study), some keys to dealing with the issue, an author’s assessment (called the A.P.S. or Author’s Post Script), some discussion starters, and closing with a prayer for that particular situation.

Without being judgmental himself, Ray addresses many of the areas with which the church and Christians have found difficulty dealing without becoming judgmental to the point of hypocrisy. Part of his reaction comes across strangely like a self-help book. At times it seems that he encourages people with “hide-able” issues to pick themselves up by their own bootstraps. At other moments he encourages approaching God as an answer.

The biggest difficulty that I had with the book was the passing nod to Devine ability in matters where that is the most important response that anyone can make. That said, I understand that too often preacher-types like me tend to raise the flag of God and prayer as an escape issue. In this I believe that Ray is working diligently to avoid this escapism. For this reason I’d give him three reading glasses.

Who would I recommend this book to? Pastors who need a good reference tool in their counseling; someone facing the need to address one of the issues in the book—including supportive friends and family members. On the other hand, I would not be quick to jump on the “group study” bandwagon that publishers are excited about in their marketing of such books to churches and church leaders.

—Benjamin Potter, February 1, 2010