Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Review: After 50 Years of Ministry: 7 Things I'd Do Differently and 7 Things I'd Do the Same

After 50 Years of Ministry: 7 Things I'd Do Differently and 7 Things I'd Do the Same After 50 Years of Ministry: 7 Things I'd Do Differently and 7 Things I'd Do the Same by Bob Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I requested for a review copy as I had read Russell's excellent "When God Builds a Church" - if you have yet to read it, I'd highly recommend it! However, I had half expected that as with most megachurch pastors, Russell could only have authored only one good book (with the others being of a so-so standard). I am most happy to admit that I could not be more wrong, this book has very much cemented its place on the rare never-to-be-sold-away 6 star (out of 5) gem.

As a senior minister/preacher who has retired for slightly over a decade, Russell writes earnestly, honestly and authentically; I did not send that he had anything to prove nor axe to grind - he simply wanted to bless the next generation of pastors/preachers. What with? With the vastamount of wisdom and experience he had accumulated - which often shared with an engaging, self-depreciating sense of humour. The appeal of and winsomeness of the illustrations alone would be worth the price of the book's retail value; I found myself to be genuinely interested whenever a real-world example was coming up and savoured every bite of it! I'd be hard pressed to pick which section of the book I preferred; I found both his regrets and best practices to be immensely handy.

As a seminary student with little ministry experience, this most wonderful labour of love has provided me with a glimpse of what forty years of faithful service would look like - warts and all - and provide endless food for thought! I could possibly spend a couple of months journeying a chapter of two on a weekly basis with a trusted friend in reflection, making plans and self-evaluation, and perhaps 5 years later, look back at this book and still find that it is still going to be incredibly useful! What I found exceptionally helpful was how Russell often shared about the temptation for self-glorification and how he sought to combat it - for good measure, Russell would add in a humourous story of how ordinary (or second rate) he truly was in reality when compared to his compatriots and staff.

In summary, this book was incredibly practical, highly inspirational and very realistic. I did not close the covers with a sense of how great a man Russell was - I went away with a sense of awe for the God Russell lovingly served for four decades. That perhaps, if a guy as ordinary and oddball as Russell could go the distance in the Lord's service, maybe I too, can also!

I received this book from the Moody Publishers Newsroom program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Saturday, September 23, 2017

Review: Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom

Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom by Daniel T. Willingham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was skeptical because the author, a cognitive psychologist, covered many topics that I already knew about. I had gleaned wonderful reminders of why teachers should impart abstract reasoning and problem solving, about how fact-memorisation is not as useful in today’s google age. Indeed we do want our students to be able to apply principles to contexts above and beyond what they are taught in school. In the section about how expert scientists work (Chapter 6), I was encouraged about how the free-spirited me found the Singaporean Education System extremely stifling.

This segment espeically resonated with me:

"High schoolers know that laboratory exercises have predictable outcomes, so their focus is probably not on what the lab is meant to illustrate on whether they 'did it right.' Likewise, historians don't read and memorize textbooks-they work with original sources (birth certificates, diaries, contemporary newspaper accounts and the like) to construct sensible narrative interpretations of historical events. If we're not giving students practice in doing the things that historians and scientists actually do, in what sense are we teaching them history and science?" (pg 98)

Having tried unsuccessfully to conquer the GCE Advanced Levels despite having been retained for my first year (I took three years instead of the regular two). But when I went into Polytechnic, for the first time in a long time, I finally managed to succeed academically when the grading criteria involved the synthesis and study of unpredictable outcomes. Today while most of my peers are holding conventional jobs, at 27 years of age, I'm hunkered down with running my own online business. It's extremely tough, with insane working hours, and with the reality check of earning many times lesser than my peers. Oh, I'm now in year two of a bachelor's (degree) program, also doing rather well in a system that is not just about examinations. And I'm savouring every moment of it! And am seriously considering pursuing a PhD in future!

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Saturday, September 16, 2017

Review: The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Timothy Keller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thank the Lord for Timothy Keller's passionate exploration of Jesus' famed parable. This was the book that got then anti-christian me back on track again. Having grown up in church, I was all too familiar with the elder brother types and could relate so very well to the younger brother. Only then did I realise in my hatred of the elder brother types, I took was just as legalistic and lost.

Most of us would have never heard this well known parable being taught before in this light.

I highly recommend this book! In fact this is highly likely to be my book of choice whenever I am have the privilege to disciple a person. I hope that the grace of the prodigal father would touch and change the hearts of the lost sons out there - whether they be like the older or the younger son in the parable.

Buy a few copies if you must! And journey together chapter by chapter (or two by two chapters) with your small group. I have not had the opportunity to review it, but I do know that Keller has a resource that is catered to the small group setting. It is titled "The Prodigal God Discussion Guide with DVD."

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Monday, September 11, 2017

Review: Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology

Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology by Mark Dever
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the read and was astounded to find that almost every chapter was outstandingly well written, engaging and thought-provoking (well except R C Sproul's which I found to be rather mediocre). Perhaps the fact that the origin of this book was a series of conference messages makes is so exceptional. While bible scholars may be prone to drifting toward excessively complex (or convoluted) theological messages when writing an article, book or thesis, having to present that same work at a conference often warrants summarising the content to its creme de la creme.

Although I find that I resonate more with Arminian and Charismatic scholars than I do with their Calvinist counterparts, I have often found that these Reformed theologians continually astonish and encourage me with their passion for sound doctrine (and therefore sound theology), orthodoxy and most importantly, a cross-centered Gospel. I am so thankful that the fruit of that conference a decade ago lives on through this book, and that so many more readers can be blessed.

The editors did not leave the readers with just a mountain of hard hitting theology too high for the average pastor to scale - C J Mahaney's penultimate chapter compelled the budding bible teacher to engage in (i) a deep reflection to seek the Lord for a (pardon the Charismatic terminology) greater measure of faith and gratitude and (ii) a renewed desire to be a joyful minister in his service amidst our often humble circumstances.

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Sunday, September 3, 2017

Review: Anointed to Heal: True Stories and Practical Insight for Praying for the Sick

Anointed to Heal: True Stories and Practical Insight for Praying for the Sick Anointed to Heal: True Stories and Practical Insight for Praying for the Sick by Bill Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is essentially a minuted version of Randy Clark and Bill Johnson interviewing one another. So you can search for the Audio Book or the DVD if you prefer those formats to reading this book. I felt that the book ended too soon - this is one of the few books whereby the authors could have probably added more content, elaborating on the existing material or supplementing them with more illustrations/examples/explanations of testimonies/personal insight.

I grew up in a thoroughly charismatic church and am studying in an Assemblies of God-affiliated seminary. However, my love and passion for faithful, exegetical preaching/studying of Scripture has drawn me toward my present expository-centered church, which has led to my leaning toward a more reformed position toward healing, miracles and deliverance - that these are not the normal operations of the Holy Spirit.

While I still am not a cessationist, I acknowledge that my posture toward pain and suffering - physical, psychological, economical etc. - is that of desiring more of a reality of God than for deliverance from the problem. I am therefore highly encouraged by Clark and Johnson, who challenge my theology and remind me how my brothers and sisters in Christ are so precious in God's sight and how we complement one another in ministry. I am also compelled to reconsider my level of faith and expectation for divine intervention when I pray for another person, even if he/she is a pre or post Christian. I highly recommend reading (and lending the book to others to read) Randy Clark's personal healing testimony (first chapter in Part 2 of the book).

If I enjoyed the book so much, then why the 4 star rating? While I understand the intention to faithfully reproduce the interviews, the impromptu follow up questions and a back-and-forth dialogue do not make for readable or thorough coverage of a topic/subject matter. I felt that many of the chapters, especially in the second part of the book (Bill Johnson interviewing Randy Clark) were abruptly cut off pre-maturely without covering what they were discussing. Hopefully in the subsequent editions these could be ironed out so that readers would not be left hanging.

I received this book from Baker Publishing Group's Chosen Books Blogger Review Program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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