Renewal

Last Saturday, I sat with a coffee on a bench outside Quatermaine's and enjoyed about an hour and a half of reading Running on Plenty. That morning break was followed by regular respites of reading time during the following week. I confess to have skipped around and not even attempted to read front to back. Not my way. Yet, it didn't take long for me to run out of pages that had none of my highlighted markings on it.

This book is a solid contribution to my professional and personal life. The visuals are friendly and effective -- the key points, inspirational quotes, road to renewal signs, spaciousness, tailor-made graphics, soulful writing, practicality, and page after loving page of simple wisdom -- all satisfying and nourishing.

I appreciated how this book began, with both authors telling personal stories of learning first-hand about the importance of balance and renewal. Each story was poignant and something that anyone can identify with, I would imagine. It's a friendly, friendly book -- from colors to typeface to spacing to mixing of many inspirational and helpful lines from endless sources & resources. There is so much good work & research supporting what has been assembled and written, which is immediately apparent to the reader, that it had the effect of relaxing me --I knew I was in good hands, and that I was being enriched in ways that I needed.

One final observation that has stayed with me...when I closed the book and went to my car to drive home, and on the way home I noticed a very good, rich, dynamic energy in my solar plexus. It wasn't the caffeine because I'm strictly on decaf now. So, I know it was the stirring from the tone and gentle massaging of the stories, insights, resonance, and spirit of your book. That was a wonderful gift. It surprised me to have had an effect on my energy simply from the reading. I think that happens in the presence of beauty, goodness, and truth, which has been masterfully conveyed and honored.

This book has become an important companion, helping me to care for myself so that I can care more effectively for others.

Balance, balance, balance! We all talk about it but what have you done to balance your life this week? Here's the best answer between two covers.

Suzanne and Krista have done a fabulous job of providing all of us a practical guide for renewing and rejuvenating our bodies, minds, and spirits, not to mention also revitalizing relationships, creativity, and commitments.

Experienceing a lack of energy? Lost your motivation at work? Wondering what life is all about? Suzanne and Krista have given us a gift with Running on Plenty at Work. They provide us with not only a roadmap, but a calendar for what to do every week, and resources for every month of the year. They've thought of everything! And that makes it easy for you to find the balance you are looking for.

The book is jam-packed with tips, exercises, and practical advice. It offers new ideas and ways to look at your world, and it will remind you of all those things you already know but haven't found the time to do. Each of the 100+ ideas is worth the price of the book alone.

Don't hesitate putting this book in your shopping cart. You'll be the winner.

This very readable new book is one of importance for active lay people as well as clergy. It honestly confronts the issues facing the church in our time and puts them in the context of the church's long history of reform and struggle to respond to the new reality presented to each generation. Although written by an Episcopalian, it is written for the whole church. Don't miss it! We will be discussing "The Songs of the Mothers" for years to come.

I have recently had the pleasure of reading Bishop Joe Morris Doss's book The Songs of the Mothers. Rarely have I had such an interesting and enlightening experience. Bishop Doss writes in the Southern style of a Faulkner or a Morris and has the flow of a novel. He presents a clear and concise view of theology without being tedious. A thoroughly enjoyable read, and destined to be required reading for all those studying for holy orders; I regret that The Songs of the Mothers wasn't available to me during my studies for the Episcopal priesthood.

The Venerable Charles G. McCarty, D.D.
Anglican Archdeacon of Louisiana

This book is not a book on technique or a "how to be more like me" book. It is a book that outlines spiritual principles that all of us need to know as we serve the church and God. This has been one of the books that I have constantly referred to over the years and will continue to go back to.

This book updates church management to a model that works now. Too many churches still operate under a model where the minister is the absolute authority figure. Underlying spiritual principles support creating a loving, nurturing Christian team ministry where each and every member can become involved. Every ministry within the church becomes part of a support system. Even those who are difficult can find love, help and support in this model. For example, those in recovery from old hurts or substance abuse, the grief stricken, or those on the fringes of mental health have the potential to distrupt worship or interfere with church activities. They may not ready to be part of the mainstream, but there is a place for them to grow into the mainstream with God's help. This is a wonderful book, full of passion and wisdom and it comes from a man who leads a church with over 4,000 in attendance each Sunday. In other words, it is based on a highly successful ministry. He opens his heart and mind to the reader, providing information and inspiration. It's a great read!

I witnessed much of the transformation described in this book and it is remarkably accurate. This should serve as a guide for community organizers seeking to work in neglected neighborhoods. Too bad Peter Medoff is no longer with us.

A little too much detail. However, this is an inspiring success story about a community in very bad shape, that turned itself around totally, working "from the inside out". Well known in the field of community development, in my area.

I really like this book. As a mere neophyte in art appreciation, Symbols in Art taught me to look beyond the color and composition of a work of art to discover subtle messages from the artist-messages that comment on a range of topics that are part of the human condition. That being said, this book is a visual delight. Mr. Polakoff's choice of artwork-master works as well as his own works-are visual touchstones to the crisp, concise text. The content was easy to digest for a newcomer like myself, yet I can imagine that there is much in this book that will appeal to the seasoned connoisseur.

Symbols In Art: The Hidden Keys To Love, Balance, And Renewal by Serge Polakoff adroitly combines full-color artwork (including many classical pieces), with an erudite and learned discourse concerning the meaning and power of symbols. Very highly recommended reading, especially for students of art, art history, and graphic design, Symbols In Art is superbly articulated with four symbols associated with the classical four elements of earth, water, air, and fire, the informed and informative text accessibly explores hypothetical, emotional, and evocative issues embracing the soul of humanity and the expression of that soul through artistic creations.

I personally was very disappointed with this book, simply because the section on how to fast was so small, yet knowing how to fast wisely and healthy is an absolute must. Sure there is a lot about who fasts and why and how fasting and prayer works, but the fact that this was written shortly before 2000, and has such a heavy duty emphasis on fasting for end millennium times and spiritual revival suggests the book wasn't what I needed. The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting by Mahesh Chavda is a book that seems more on target. Elmer L. Towns books on fasting are also supposed to be good.

Spiritual fasting, from a Christian perspective, is among the more misunderstood aspects of a holy lifestyle. "The Transforming Power of Fasting and Prayer" by Bill Bright is a book for layman looking to learn what fasting is and isn't, and what it means to their lives.

The late Bright is famous for many things, but his forty-day fasts are an especially important thing to know about. He dedicated the last years of his life promoting and educating Christians about this spiritual discpline. His experience, along with his expertise in Christian outreach and discipleship, augments the research behind this book.

Though written from an evangelical Christian point of view, Catholics and other liturgical faiths might find this book helpful during the Lenten season.

Discussed here are the reasons to pray, and what part fasting has in prayer, the Great Commission, and revival. Bright addresses corporate fasting as well as individual fasting. How should a church initiate a fast? He also mentions other resources through each chapter for further reading.

One chapter of interest to me is on the physical aspects of fasting. The difference between a juice fast and water-only fast are looked at, emphasizing the medical necessities. He points out that not all juices are the same, and encourages avoiding the heavily sugared (corn syrup, etc.) juices, and to temper acidic juices like orange juice with 50% water.

This is a wise and practical first look into fasting. It isn't a small group study, but can be a tool within a small group as members learn to pray.

I fully recommend "The Transforming Power of Fasting and Prayer" by Bill Bright. For a continued look at fasting with a more contemplative approach, see Richard J. Foster's books "Prayer" or "Celebration of Discipline."

Anthony Trendl

Turning Back The Darkness: The Biblical Pattern Of Reformation by Richard D. Phillips (Associate Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia) is a critical examination of God's principles, and pivotal turning points in the era of the Christian Church. Turning Back The Darkness does not specifically focus upon the crucial historical juncture of sixteenth-century Europe; rather, it reaches all the way into Old Testament and New Testaments, and ranges from the wisdom of Solomon to Christ's letter to the churches. Turning Back The Darkness is a very highly recommended and insightful religious analysis of interest to Christian scholarship and the non-specialist general reader alike.

Turning Back The Darkness: The Biblical Pattern Of Reformation by Richard D. Phillips (Associate Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia) is a critical examination of God's principles, and pivotal turning points in the era of the Christian Church. Turning Back The Darkness does not specifically focus upon the crucial historical juncture of sixteenth-century Europe; rather, it reaches all the way into Old Testament and New Testaments, and ranges from the wisdom of Solomon to Christ's letter to the churches. Turning Back The Darkness is a very highly recommended and insightful religious analysis of interest to Christian scholarship and the non-specialist general reader alike.

Frank Tillapaugh hit a home run with this book. First, he reasons that the church must abandon its fortress mentality and get its people actively involved in ministry to a hurting world. He severely criticizes the church, and rightly so, for its rural middle class mind-set and value system which prevents it from reaching those who need salvation the most. Despite the failure of the church to reach strategic populations, Tillapaugh does not give up on the church as an instrument that God has chosen to reach these population groups for Christ.

Although it's strength is in the fact that Tillapaugh is solidly sold on the church as the instrument God has ordained to win the world to Christ. I enjoyed his recommendation that the church not be shy about borrowing from the para-church organizations. Why, he reasons, should we reinvent the wheel? His advice that the church streamline its decision making process is worth the price of the book. Like Bill Hull's Can We Save the Evangelical Church, Tillapaugh sees the strangle hold that bureaucratic red tape has no the church. The slowness (like a mighty glacier moves the church of God!) adds to the public's perception that the church is out of date, and on top of that, it also discourages willing workers.

There were a few areas of weakness. Pastoring in a small rural church, I am acutely aware that rural churches are also in need of renewal. Although I realize that he is writing for an urban audience, the same rural traditions that are killing urban churches are strangling our rural churches. Since ninety percent of churches are rural, the church is in danger of extinction unless we can bring renewal to rural churches as well.

FORTRESS MENTALITY CONSENTRATES UPON THE CHURCH BUILDING AND ALL OF ITS INTERNAL PROGRAMS INTENDED TO GET PEOPLE TO COME TO CHURCH. MOST PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH DO NOT FEEL CAPEABLE OF MINISTRING TO ANOTHER, AND THEY DEPEND UPON THE PASTOR TO DO ALL THE WORK OF MINISTRY. RURAL VALUES CLASH WITH URBAN. RURAL ATTITUDE IS STATUS QUO PREVAILS,AND NOT MUCH CHANGES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. IN THE URBAN AREAS. MANY CHANGES OCCUR,AND USUALLY THE POWER STRUCTURE AND MONEY IN CHURCHES ARE CONTROLLED BY THE FEW. THE FORTRESS MENTALITY, RESISTS DIVERSITY,THUS ONLY A CHOICE FEW GET TO MINISTER. THE UNLEASHED CHURCH MINISTERS TO ALL ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY. NEED FOR INTEGRATION OF PARA-CHURCH MINISTRIES INTO THE CHURCH TO WORK AS A TEAM FOR SAKE OF THOSE WHO ARE LOST AND NEEDING CHRIST'S MINISTRY. ALSO, THE UNLEASHED CHURCH NEEDS TO HELP THOSE IN VALUE VACUUMS. THE FORTRESS CHURCH HAS BEEN ON THE DEFENSIVE FOR TOO LONG. THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY ARE GREAT, AND THERE IS A NEED WITHIN THE CHURCH TO KEEP THE STRUCTURE SIMPLE,SO THAT REAL NEEDS DO NOT GET SWAMPED BY RED TAPE. PASTORS AND TEACHERS ARE TO TRAIN THE LAITY TO DO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY(EPH.4:11--12) SPIRIT AND STRUCTURE MUST BE BALANCED. THE SPIRIT OF GOD MUST LEAD THE WAY,WITH STRUCTURE ENABLING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MINISTRY. THE FORTRESS CHURCH WANTS TO KEEP ITS MINISTRY WITHIN THE CHURCH BUILDING,WHEREAS THE UNLEASHED CHURCH IS EAGER TO RELEASE ITS MINISTRY WHEREVER POSSIBLE SUCH AS RESTAURANTS ,HOMES, THEATRES ETC. THEY ARE GOOD VENUES FOR TARGET MINISTRY TO TEENS, ELDERLY OR SINGLES,OR STREETPEOPLE..MOST OF ALL,LOVE MUST PREVAIL,AND A SINCERE DESIRE TO MINISTER TO ALL LEVELS OF SOCIETY,AND BRING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE TO ALL.THE UNLEASHED CHURCH AND ITS PASTORATE MUST ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LEAD,AND THEY MUST ALWAYS STAY UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES.THE BODY OF CHRIST IS MADE UP OF BLOODWASHED INDIVIDUALS,WITH EACH PERSON HAVING A MINISTRY GIFT. I'M GLAD PEOPLE ARE STILL TURNING TO THE CHURCH FOR HEALING. THE UNLEASHED CHURCH IS ONE IN WHICH ALL PEOPLE OF WHATEVER CATEGORY,WHETHER RICH OR POOR, YOUNG OR OLD, SINGLE OR MARRIED, HEALTHY OR UNHEALTHY ,CAN DISCOVER WARMTH OF ACCEPTANCE,AND A LISTENING EAR.TO RECEIVE WISE COUNSEL BASED UPON THE PRINCIPLES THAT CHRIST TAUGHT. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK,HOWEVER THE CHANGES HE ESPOUSES ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE,AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE FORCED UPON CONGREGATIONS. PEOPLE NEED TO CAPTURE THIS VISION FOR THEMSELVES. OH THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO INSTITUTE FRANK TILLAPAUGH'S IDEAS EVERYWHERE.

This is more of a correction than a review. Whatever book the above review refers to, it is certainly NOT "The Instructed Heart" whose author was long dead before Veritatis Splendor was ever written. Sheed's book is well worth reading for the first section alone, which unpacks the Biblical idea of the heart - it's much more than merely the affections. Fans of the Sheeds will also be interested in his very tender reflections on one particular heart, that of his wife, Masie Ward, who co-founded the publishing house of Sheed & Ward which, during their lives, was at the center of the Catholic Literary Revival.

This book is one of the few positive reflections on the Papal encyclical "Veritatis Splendor". Most of the books about the encyclical are slanted to the left, written by the same theologians and moralists that the Holy Father is warning the Bishops to reign in. Not so with this book. The contributors, who include Frs. Avery Dulles SJ, Romanus Cessario OP, J. A. DeNoia OP, Servais Pinckaers OP and Mr. Alasdair MacIntyre, are faithful Catholic theologians who write from a viewpoint of appreciation for the Holy Father's teaching.

The book is divided into three parts: Perspectives on the encyclical, Issues raised within the encyclical, and the Reception of the encyclical. The Perspectives section is aimed at helping the reader to unpack the structure and meaning of the encyclical itself. The Issues section discusses in-depth the different questions that the Holy Father has addressed, from Natural Law to the true meaning of freedom to the concept of moral absolutes within a relativistic society. The third section has two essays that examine the press and the academic commentaries that were published within the first five years of the encyclical's publication. Finally, Pio Cardinal Laghi, the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, provides a reflection on how Veritatis Splendor can be used within the educational environment to teach moral theology.

This is a superb book to read alongside the encyclical, especially when the technical language begins to weary. The subtitle, "Studies by Ten Outstanding Scholars", is quite an apt description of the contents of the book. As Fr. Servais Pinckaers explains in his essay, Veritatis Splendor is truly an "Encyclical for the future". This book will help mine the riches present in the Holy Father's teaching.

Woods is as much philosopher and urban planner as architect in the traditional sense. His buildings rip open the landscape of the ordered grid, and also open new possibilities about what it means to inhabit a space. The functions of some of his ideas for buildings are obscure even to him. He is constantly trying to deconstruct the politics of architecture and it's place in history. He actively embodies Heidegger's idea that "dwelling means to recieve the sky", except in his dwellings it also means to recieve the ground, and to actively take part in constructing your world.

In this work I have seen the necessity for Woods' architecture to exist; where before I had only seen compelling drawings. Lebbeus Woods has dedicated this manifesto to the city of Sarajevo, and to all cities which bear the signs of armed conflict on their walls. He states that the emergence of a new architecture is especially crucial in Sarajevo where the architecture was the target of the attackers (from within) who meant to destroy the culture there in all of its manifestations. The architecture of that culture, the places of worship and of social congregation, became the primary target for the ethnic genocide. As much as the bodies of the people, the architecture was destroyed for its significance as the public body. Therefore it is the architecture which must give a physical presence to these atrocities. Woods makes it clear that it is the responsibility of the architecture to preserve the memory of the destruction- not in a sentimental or memorial manner- but in the same manner as the life of cities has been preserved through use and adaptation throughout history. The war is part of the reality of the place and therefore should not be erased. This work also resists the glorification of war of the Italian Futurists, and the 'tabula rasa' erasure of existing conditions of the Modernists. This is a work which acknowledges growth and destruction in the same breath. It is existential in its acceptance of reality and its means of building with it.... not nihilistic. It is existential in that it knows no reality other than what is there, but is not fully convinced by its authority. It revels in the multitudinous nature of the contemporary world, of the present. Unlike the Modernists, Woods does not intend to reinvent the city but to allow the city to be more itself. This work, his infamous drawings, is an attempt to recognize the reality of a place through actualization of events.... By building in and upon the ruins he remakes them into the living substance of the city, leaving no trace unexposed.