An Excellent Graduation Gift

This post is not related to anything liturgical or sacramental or even Wesleyan or Anglican.  However, it is pastoral in nature.

Graduation season is upon us.  During this season, pastors are always looking for something appropriate to give to high school (and college, etc.) graduates.  They usually want to give something that is somehow "spiritual" (whatever that means).  After all, it is coming from the pastor!  -  The Christian bookstores have all of those "Devotions for Graduates" books, which are fine.  But, if you are like me, you often see those as the kind of default gift when you can't find anything else.

However, I have a suggestion that I think is especially appropriate for those young ladies who are graduating from high school.  It is an excellent, little book by author and speaker, Missy Helderman.  The book is title, She Believes: Uniquely Designed with Purpose in Mind.

I've known Missy for quite some time.  (We won't say how long!)  We graduated from Floyd Central High School together, and while in high school, we were both active members of the "Good News Club."  She is a good friend and a wonderful Christian woman.

When I first heard that she had written a book, I was the first to sign up to get a copy, and I was not disappointed!  I had my college age daughter read the book after I finished it, and she agreed that this would be very appropriate for young ladies graduating from high school.  -  Now, I don't mean to imply that the book is only appropriate for such young ladies!  In fact I would recommend it for any who are seeking to discover who they are and what their life is all about.  But, as a pastor, I immediately thought, this would be a great graduation gift!

I would encourage you to take a look at Missy's website.  There you can read about Missy and take a closer look at her book.  Or you can go straight for the purchase for just $9.99, here!
 
 The promo. for the book says:

Are you feeling like a round peg in a square hole but dream of more? …a life a purpose?
Have you wondered why no matter how hard you try to be what others expect, there are things you just can’t seem to change?
She Believes takes you on a journey that leads to freedom to be who God created, dream the dreams placed within you, and do what only you can do…what you were created for.

Discover, Embrace & CELEBRATE the design God intentionally tailored within you for purpose & destiny.

Your Design Matters !

 

 

And here is what people are saying about the book: 

God takes each of us through a journey of discovery, a journey of connecting with our heavenly Father and growing into who He has created us to be. I firmly believe God has created each of us as a beautiful daughter with a unique and fulfilling destiny. Missy does an excellent job of guiding the reader of She Believes into a graceful and anointed process of personal growth and spiritual encounter with destiny. I highly recommend this book to all women who desire to live a life beyond the limits and kingdom adventure.

~Rebecca Greenwood

President, Christian Harvest International, Strategic Prayer Action Network

If you truly desire to discover, understand, and embrace your God-given design, then this book is the key to unlock that process for you. She Believes takes you on a transformative journey that will challenge and inspire you to draw closer to God in order to reflect His glory and to live out your purpose. With practical and powerful insight, that can only be gained by going through the fire and emerging refined + renewed, Missy shares tools, strategies and prayers that work! Her heart for seeing women experience true freedom, healing, and wholeness is evident on every page.  I have no doubt that God is going to use this book to encourage, uplift and launch His daughters into greatness.

 ~Ilesha “CoCo” Graham

Speaker + Founder, Flourishing Women Ministries

Missy Helderman’s “She Believes” is an inspiring small book with big concepts about the journey we all face. A journey that brings us to the heart of who we are and what we were  destined to be.  A delightful quick read that will encourage and inspire! I found it enlightening and thought provoking.

~ Dr. Dallas Eggemeyer

Lightbearers International, Atlanta, GA

Recent Reads

I believe the last book that I talked about on the blog was John Wigger's, American Saint: Francis Asbury & the Methodists.  That was an excellent read!  However, I have recently read some other good books that I thought I would share.

First is Christian Preaching: A Trinitarian Theology of Proclamation by Michael Pasquarello III.  It was originally published by Baker Academic in 2006.  It has since been picked up by Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2011.

This is not a simple "how to" book.  This is, as the subtitle indicates, a Trinitarian theology of proclamation.  It is a strong and needed corrective to much of what has passed for Christian preaching in the modern age.  Pasquarello swims in the historical theology of the Church.  He compares modern preaching to the preaching of folks like Irenaus, Augustine, Luther, Wesley and others, and he finds much of modern preaching lacking.  -  There are many who will not like this book.  They will not like his critiques or his "closed mindedness."  Readers of this blog, however, will likely love the book.  My one criticism is that Pasquarello, at times, becomes a bit like St. Paul in terms of his sentence length.  :0)  -  (I should say, Michael was one of my professors during my doctoral program, and I took his Trinitarian Preaching class.)

After reading Pasquarello's book, I read the late Robert E. Webber's Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God's Narrative.  It was published by Baker Books in 2008.  -  This is Webber's final book and the final book in his Ancient-Future series.

It is a bit of an embarrassment to admit that I had not read this book, prior to now.  I have read lots and lots of Webber's writings.  And I have used his Ancient-Future Worship video curriculum while teaching on worship.  Webber has made a HUGE impact on my life and ministry.  I readily admit that I am an "Evangelical on the Canterbury Trail."  However, this is the first time I have read this particular book. -  Having said that, like most things "Webber," I loved this book!

I am, now, close to finishing Christopher A. Hall's Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, InterVarsity P, 1998.

This is a companion book with Thomas Oden's Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (which I also love).  There is another companion book, which I own but have not yet read, on Worshipping with the Church Fathers, also by Christopher Hall.

If you choose to read this book (i.e., Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers), it is important to know that this is an introduction book.  It introduces us to the fathers and the way that they read the Scriptures.  That is to say, if you already have a familiarity with the fathers, this may not be the book for you.  If, however, you don't really know the fathers, this may be a good place to begin.  -  Hall is good about pointing readers to other sources for further reading.

After I finish Hall's book, I will be picking up something new.  I have narrowed it down to three books.  (I don't think I will be moving to Hall's other book, at this time).  -  Here are the books I am thinking about:

Created to Worship: God's Invitation to Become Fully Human by Brent D. Peterson, Beacon Hill 2012.  -  This is "hot of the presses."  It is written by the only Nazarene with a PhD. in Liturgical Studies (to my knowledge).  (My degree is a D.Min.)

I am anxious to read this book, and for good reasons.  I know Brent.  He is a Nazarene, and there is very little out there about worship from Nazarenes, and even less that is really informed by classical and Wesleyan liturgical studies.  Also, if one looks at his "Acknowledgements" page, one will see a name familiar to the readers of this blog!  -  Brent had me read a portion of his book and make suggestions, prior to his final draft.

The second book that I am thinking about is A Holy Purpose: Five Strategies for Making Christlike Disciples edited by Bill Wiesman, Beacon Hill 2011.

This, too, is a Nazarene produced book.  I have been thinking about this book for a while, now.  One of the draws to this book is that it will be a change of pace.  I have read about preaching (anchored in classical Christian theology), about worship (anchored in classical Christian theology), and about reading the Scriptures with the Church Fathers (anchored in . . . well, you get the picture).  The subjects of the last three have been different from each other, but they have all drawn from common sources.  -  While I am sure this book is theologically informed, I do not anticipate that it will be anchored in the classical Christian theology of the ancient Church in the same way that the other three have been.  Yet, my anticipation (hope) is that it will be anchored in the Wesleyan tradition, and especially in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition.  -  Then, of course, is the immediate subject, which is discipleship.  I think that this book could be a timely read.

Finally, there is Orthodox and Wesleyan Spirituality edited by S.T. Kimbrough, Jr., St. Vladimir's Seminary Press 2002.

This book has been on my shelf for a number of years, and my recent attendance at the Climacus Conference at St. Michael the Archangel's Orthodox Church, has put it back on my radar.  Plus, this book is edited by Kimbrough.  A few years ago I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, his article (chapter?) titled  "Wesleyan Hymns As Icons of the Wesleyan Tradition" in Charles Wesley's Hymns: "Prints" and Practices of Love Divine, edited by Maxine E. Walker, Monograph Series: Number Seven, Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma P. 2007.

So, those are the three books that I am considering for my next read.  -  What do you think?  Make a comment and let me know.

Books I've Recently Finished Reading

I was recently reading the Rev'd. Dr. Thomas J. Oord's site, For the Love of Wisdom and the Wisdom of Love.  It would be presumptuous of me to refer to Tom as my friend or as my colleague, but we did go to seminary together at Nazarene Theological Seminary (he graduated the year after I did, but I'll not divulge the years, so as to not "date" either of us!).

Tom has a very nice site (which he must spend quite a lot of time keeping up, posting in various categories).  I recommend that you check it out.   (It is listed in my blog roll, to the left.)

Anyway, looking through his blog, I noticed that he recently gave a list of books he has been reading, or has recently read.  And, since I have just finished reading two books that I thoroughly enjoyed, I thought I would follow his lead, and pass them along.

Yesterday, I finished reading Crucified with Christ: The Life and Ministry of William Marvin Greathouse, by William J. Strickland and H. Ray Dunning (Trevecca Press, 2010). 

Of course, the occasion for reading this book is obvious (cf., the post, below).  I had planned on purchasing the book, last year, when it was first published.  I don't recall why I didn't.  Perhaps, I was on campus and the bookstore was closed.  Perhaps they were not taking orders, but only in-store purchases, at the time.  Whatever the reason, upon Dr. Greathouse's home going, I called the bookstore at Trevecca (Nazarene University) and made my order.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  I do wish that Drs. Strickland and Dunning would have gone into some details about some of the issues that Dr. Greathouse faced or was involved in.  I'm sure that there was considerable restraint which they likely imposed upon themselves, perhaps out of Christian charity, but it would have been nice if those situations could have been more thoroughly explored.  Nevertheless, the book not only provides insight into the histories of Trevecca Nazarene University, Nazarene Theological Seminary, and the Church of the Nazarene, it is also quite inspirational.  Even as we may look to the lives of the saints to help us in our spiritual walk, this book provides us with a contemporary saint whose life's story fills us with a hunger for God.  In reading this book about Dr. Greathouse, I am reminded of St. Paul's instruction, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1, NRSV).

I recommend the book to Nazarenes, as well as others in the larger Wesleyan-holiness tradition.

Another book I recently read is A Teacher's Guide to Understanding the Sacraments, by Samuel M. Powell (Beacon Hill, 2011). 

This is a short, little book (71 pages, including the glossary).  It is in a series of "A Teacher's Guide" books written by Dr. Powell.  It seems to be designed for Sunday School teachers or pastor's teaching a Sunday School class or small group.

If you are interested in knowing more about the sacraments, especially from a Wesleyan point of view, but do not want to read a full sacramental theology, this is a great little book. 

I have submitted a short Book Review for this book to Sacramental Life (a practical journal published by the Order of Saint Luke), so I do not want to reproduce that, here.  However, let me say that Powell writes in a way that is not argumentative, but rather inviting.  There are a couple of things, of course, that I would have done differently.  However, I found it to be a very exciting contribution to the sacramental awakening in the Church of the Nazarene.  My prayer is that pastors and laity will read it and teach from it and that it will bear much fruit.