Forgiving Forward

As a part of a school assignment I was supposed to read Bruce and Toni Hebel's book Forgiving Forward. I don't think that I would had read that book on my own, because the cover and the title do not seem to be so inviting. Perhaps the biggest problem was the recommendation in the cover from Bruce Wilkinson (+ numerous referrals to him as a friend and an originator of the idea for writing the book), and that feeling that they are speaking about a movement I haven't heard, and they also have a dot com site for their book.


What was good in the book?
Hebels have encountered forgiveness issues, both in their ministry and personal life. The best thing was the stories that also make the book very easy to read. The book tries to offer help to people with forgiving issues and also be a guide how to be part of this revolution/movement and help other people forgive. Why does it have to sound like it would be a new invention? We are speaking here about a topic that has been around for 6000 years!


I walked through the steps of forgiving that they introduce with my mentor, and it was helpful. I know that I can use of the tools in my ministry, and perhaps also point to the book as a reference/pack of good stories.


Critique?
Already said. Good thing they managed to keep the book small enough.

To whom I'd recommend?
Counsellors, pastors. I'm not sure if a person with bitterness in his life would pick this up or find it helpful.

Grade (1-5)
***

Blue Like Jazz

Last week I begun to read a book in the school library after the classes every afternoon because it was in the reserve shelf. It might be that I need my own volume, because it is certainly one of the best books that I've ever read. What was the book? Tension gets higher.... It was Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz. 

I'm taking a course about postmodernism, and this book was introduced to us as a voluntary reader. Why would somebody read something voluntarily when the course schedule is already very tight?

I have a confession to make: I cried secretly in the library while reading this book. Somehow I felt like I connected with Miller - he writes so lively, and his stories! Occasionally I was wondering if the characters are truly real or only result of Miller's vivid imagination. I do not want to spoil your reading experience, but I can recommend this book to everyone who has been asking the question, how could the church be more relevant to modern society.

Grade (1-5)

*****

Postmodern Times

I just finished reading Gene Veith's book Postmodern times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture (2003), and it was good! Veith shares his view almost in a prophetical way. Unlike many other evangelical writers, Veith stresses the opportunities that postmodernism brings about, which is refreshing. However, the book is already almost 10 years old. That does not mean that it is outdated, but a lot has happened especially in the area of technology, and those parts call for updating.

What was good in the book?
1) Overall clarity of the book. Even though it is philosophical, only one or two chapters were more demanding.
2) Explanation of the development of thought. Veith gives a comprehensive account which deals with all spheres of life and society.

Critique?
Slight repetition here and there.

To whom I'd recommend?
Everybody! Especially all educators should read this book; pastors, sunday school teachers, teachers, youth workers, mothers... Everybody who is interested to know why things have changed, and who are willing to understand what consequences the changes might have, and how to react to the changes. To everybody who thinks we are still living in a modern world.

Grade (1-5)
****

Reading plan 2012 (subject to changes)

This blog does not try to be a collection of exhaustive book reviews; it is rather a listing of books that I read possibly with few notes. If you stumble upon to this blog of mine, know that it is meant primarily for personal use.

It is already February, when I came up with an idea to start some kind of listing of books that I read (thanks Bogdan for inspiration). Also I heard from our research professor about a method to do a listing about book in different categories that should be read every year. I do not yet know how many books should I put into each list, but I try to estimate roughly and then adjust the list after a year or so. Identifiers or keywords are arranged according to the categories.

Each short review will consist of introduction, good and bad sides of the book, to whom I'd recommend it. I'll also give a grade on a scale of 1-5.

One final note: I am a seminary student, so I am obliged to read certain books, which might distort the statistics. Here is my list of planned readings (categories, and actual books if I have planned to read certain books):

Church and ministry (5 books)

Fiction (12 books)

Tolkien: The Hobbit (I already read it few days ago)

Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (started)

8 other books

Inspirational (dump category)

Leadership (5 books)

New Testament Theology or Commentaries (5 books)

Old Testament Theology or Commentaries (2 books)

Personal development (6 books)

Pastoral Ministry (3 books)

Pedagogy (5 books)

Philosophy (5 books)

Veith: Postmodern Times (already reading)

Photography (3 books)

Systematic Theology (5 books)

____________________________________

Total: 60 books

I managed to maintain a pace of about book a week for several years, thus reading about 50 books a year. Recently I have been lazy, and need more discipline in this sense. This blog is meant to inspire me and also help to follow through this challenge of reading like I used to.

I should also mention that I am doing my thesis about demonology at the moment (due june 2013), so I left out that category altogether, because I will be reading plenty of those books. However, I will include those books in my reports in this blog, but keyword them as 'thesis'.

Now, back to the books!