BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS Book Review Title:  "Earth Gospel: A guide to prayer for God's Creation" By:  Sam Hamilton-Poore 221 pages Publisher:  Upper Room Books This prayer book covers four weeks, with readings and prayers for morning, midday, and evening of each day.    The focus is on the beautiful planet Earth, God's creation.    The meditations and prayers come from many sources, and all are thoughtful and honor God. The book contains instructions for how to use the prayers and meditations.    Each day contains Bible readings, with useful commentaries on each reading.   Sketches of flowers, birds, and other items of natural wonder are included. I was disappointed when the four weeks were over, as I had gotten used to these wonderful readings, and the pauses during the day for prayer and reflection.   I highly recommend this book. by Kathy Dean --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     Book Review Title: “The Shack” By:  Wm. Paul Young 248 pages Publisher:  Windblown Media   People kept asking me if I had read “The Shack”, so I was expecting something good, and I was not disappointed.   This story is a modern-day allegory.    It’s easy to read, but don’t read it quickly, because you want to allow time to think about the message it gives.    Depending on your beliefs, it may upset you.     But I found that this story of a man whose young daughter was abducted and murdered, contained much truth and inspiration.   The lessons in this book will stay with you, and cause you to recall them, and apply them in your daily life, in the weeks after you read the book.    These are gentle lessons but at the same time very strong and pointed.   If you haven’t yet read “The Shack”, I highly recommend it.    If you have, recommend it to others!    This is a book that builds faith and compassion, if we take its message to heart.   By Kathy Dean ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Book Review Title: “The Grand Inquisitor’s Manual – A History of Terror in the Name of God” Author:  Jonathan Kirsch 296 pages Publisher:  Harper One – An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher If you were to ask most people today, they would say that the Grand Inquisition instituted by the Catholic Church in the early 13th century, is no longer being practiced today.  And they would be right in one way, but sadly wrong in another.  The last use of the Inquisition by the Catholic Church was through the most famous branch – the Spanish Inquisition,  occurring in 1834.  Yet the vast tentacles and cultural reach of the Grand Inquisition can be seen in the modern day use of waterboarding, placing hoods over “terrorists” heads, the construction and use of dungeons, and other means  in use today to relate to those who pose a threat either directly or indirectly to our peace and safety.   Jonathan Kirsch paints a very complicated yet factually accurate picture of the beginning of the rise of the Inquisition in medieval Europe.  The Church at the time had to deal with those Christians whose theology had been influenced by outside sources or by misguided interpretations of scripture.  The first appeal was through teaching/preaching challenges of those called Cathars.  This did not result in the success the church had hoped for and stronger methods of getting those whose theological ideas had erred to come back to the truth found in the mother church was begun.  Pope Innocent III is credited with beginning the Inquisition.   The history of the Grand Inquisition is our history of today, complete with the diabolical methods of torture.  It is not a pretty picture.  It is not a Christ centered picture, though Christ is used justify the methods and the means through law.  It is through the written codified use of law or church canon, and the many torture methods of the past that are in use today that one can clearly see the line leading from now back through nearly 600 hundred years of history.  It is a sad history of the twisting of the truth that would become the lie that would lead to death.  Yet the light of hope and change is seen as sparks that Kirsch throws in at various points to keep one mindful that indeed the darkness has not overcome the light.   For a student of church history this is sidebar historical note of interest and a must read.  For others, it might leave you with nightmares, disgust and revulsion.    By John Dean -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Book Review Title: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible Author: A.J. Jacobs Publisher: Simon & Schuster Year: 2007 When I first heard of this book, I made it a point to read it as soon as possible.  What interested me most about this book was not only the approach of attempting to live a modern, twenty-first century life according to the rules and regulations of the bible, but also how, in living biblically, this could change the author, in his relationship with God. The book is a quick read, as the author writes with a healthy dose of wit and humor.  Living in New York City, with his wife and young child, it was understood that some of the more arcane rules found in the bible, would impact his life in a profound fashion.  He established a few ground rules before embarking on his year-long journey: he choose, not just one version of the bible, but multiple (who knew there was a waterproof outdoor bible, or a hip-hop version?); he attempted to find the original intent of a rule, and follow that; he spent about 8 months following the Old Testament, and the remainder of the year the New Testament; and finally, he choose to have a few religious and biblically experts like “rabbis, ministers, and priests, some of them conservative, some of them one four-letter word away from excommunication” The author describes himself as Jewish, but Jewish in the same way that “the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant: not very”.  By the 5th day, he was dealing with one of the more interesting and perplexing Old Testament rules: “Nor shall there come upon you a garment of cloth made of two kinds of stuff.” Leviticus 19:19.  He found out that a Shatnez (Hebrew for mixed fibers) tester would come and test your clothes for mixed fibers.  Of course, he had to ask the question glaring everyone in the face who reads this passage: “Why would God care if we wore mixed fibers?”  The answer to this, and of many of the other ancient rules, is that we don’t know.  As the author discovered during the 8 months of following the Old Testament rules, is that it is the discipline of going through the motions of checking for mixed fibers, attaching the ten commandments to his head (seriously, Exodus 13:9 says “And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of Jehovah may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath Jehovah brought thee out of Egypt”), or growing out his beard.  Of course, he ran into some humorous situations with the laws, especially the menstruation rule with his wife. During the course of the year, he was able to find quiet times in which to meditate and pray.  He found these times to be the best, and while at first seemed odd and a burden, he ended up craving those times.  While the book naturally tends to focus more on the Old Testament rules, his journey through the New Testament was markedly different.  While not professing Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, he admittedly found it difficult to know what to do with the New Testament.  As a compromise, he decided to focus on two Christian social agendas: conservative fundamentalism, and red-letter Christians.  I will leave it at that, in terms of what he discovered in his journey with these groups. In closing, the book presents a fascinating social experiment for a person to undergo.  During the quiet times of prayer, meditation and reflection, he was able to feel centered and calm.  At the end of the year, the author was a changed person, in that he truly felt closer to God.  by Alex Dean ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS Earth-Wise: a Biblical Response to Environmental Issues Calvin B. Dewitt This is a good book for use in church discussion groups, on actions we can take as Christians to help the environment.   Available on Amazon. Living More with Less Doris Janzen Longacre Here are many ideas for living more simply and thus consuming fewer resources.   The emphasis is on living in harmony with God's order for the world.   Available on Amazon. Readings from the Perspective of Earth Norman Habel In this book, scriptures are interpreted from the point of view of the Earth.   The texts are from both the Old and New Testaments. Available on Amazon. Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship Fred Van Dyke, David C. Mahan, Joseph K. Sheldon, and Raymond H. Brand Written by four biologists, the authors present nature stories along with scientific findings and related Scriptures.  Available on Amazon. PRAYER Contemplative Prayer Thomas Merton This short book unites scriptural lessons with practical experiences to present a thoughtful teaching on meditation and contemplative prayer. Available on Amazon. The Lord's Prayer Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger The author explains the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase, and how we can apply this prayer more meaningfully in our lives. Available on Amazon . The Oxford Book of Prayer George Appleton (general editor) These are prayers from the Scripture, the church, individual Christians, and other faith traditions - a very wide variety to choose from! Available on Amazon. Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home Richard Foster This is a practical and comprehensive approach to "how to pray", in three sections:  Moving Inward, Moving Upward, and Moving Outward.   Available on Amazon. Prayer, Stress, and Our Inner Wounds Flora Slosson Wuellner This book explains how prayer can help us toward inner healing from various types of pain. Available on Amazon . Praying the Name of Jesus Robert V. Dodd Praying just the one word:  "Jesus" is extremely powerful.  The author explains the Scriptures supporting this prayer practice. Available on Amazon. To Pray God's Will: Continuing The Journey Ben Campbell Johnson The author includes exercises to help the reader put into practice the lessons about the Christian life as a spiritual journey. Available on Amazon. With Christ in the School of Prayer Andrew Murray The auther uses examples from scripture to explain how to pray effectively. Available on Amazon.