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Books

The One With Joe Cocker, Mean Girls, and Eugene Peterson: A Review of Lunchroom Theology by Mark Nelson and Heather Gorman

An all-time favorite song for me is “Space Captain”, written by Matthew Moore and recorded by Joe Cocker in 1970. It’s the story of an alien that catches a glimpse of Earth while flying by and, out of curiosity, he turns and lands here, but then laments that…
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Books

We’re Discipling our Youth, but is it Good News? – A Book Review on Teresa Roberts’ Raising Disciples

In Dr. Theresa Roberts’ book Raising Disciples, she reminds us that, “every child is in the process of discipleship. The question is: What is discipling them?” In my experience as a Youth and College Minister I think of it this way: we are always…
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Books

A Syllabus for the First Five Years

In the summer of 2023 the MRC sent a survey out to its mentoring community regarding the first five years of ministry. The results of this survey showed that there are common areas for growth and learning during the early pivotal period of ministry. Friendship, spiritual direction, understanding…
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Books

Women Who Do: Female Disciples in the Gospels: Book Review

“In this book I argue that we should acknowledge a through line that stretches from the positive portrayal of female disciples in the Gospels to the work of female disciples in our own contexts. We should invite these stories into our conversations and allow them to inform our…
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Books

Giving from Grief: A Review of LeRoy Lawson’s Son, We Need to Talk

This book review talks about the death of a family member due to mental illness. If you or someone you know are struggling with mental illness or suicidal thoughts, help is available. My very first funeral as a minister was…
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Books

“Holy is the Mouse”: Science and Faith in Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom

Yaa Gyasi’s second novel,  Transcendent Kingdom, opens with epigraphs from poets Gerard Manley Hopkins and Sharon Olds.  The quotation from Hopkins, though over a century earlier than Olds’, is probably the less obscure:  “the world is charged with the grandeur of God./It will flame out,…
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Books

The Superabundant Provision of God

A Review of  We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry Mark Elsdon Paperback: Eerdmans, 2021 Reviewed by C. Christopher Smith Here at Englewood Christian Church on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis, one of our favorite stories from the Gospels is the so-called “feeding of the…