Library & Book Reviews - Church Blog

by Alan D. Wolfelt  (Companion Press, 2013)   What do I say to a child whose pet has just died?  How do I talk to a teen whose friend was killed in a car collision? What words are there to answer the questions of a toddler whose mother won’t be coming home?  This book by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, who has studied and taught about grief for decades, is an amazing collection of questions and answers about how to talk with children and teens about death, suicide, funerals, homicide, cremation and other end-of-life matters.   It is divided up according to age group...

Did you know that we have, in our library, three full shelves of resources for those who serve on our church council?  There are books on good meeting practices, books that explain narrative budgeting, communication within the congregation, stewardship and planned giving, record keeping and archives.  There are wonderful books on Christian Education from preschool through youth and adult.  We have resources on Pastoral Care, Ministry and Personnel, Worship and Music, Outreach and  congregational renewal.  Most of these resources are from trusted publishers e.g. Alban Institute, United Church Publishing House (UCPH), Wood Lake Books and Zondervan.  Beneath this section is a...

 As we head into a year-long study of prayer with Rev. David and Rev. Susan, it seems like a good time to pause on our tour of the library, at the section dealing with prayer.  You will find resources here for almost any type of spiritual practice – prayer, yes, but also many other methods of being with the holy.  We have books on meditation, journaling, walking, yoga, chanting, fasting, use of incense, drumming and more.  We have books on the spirituality of gardening, of baking bread, of knitting and crocheting.  You can learn how to make a sacred space within...

I don't know about this guy.  The publisher's blurb made him sound so good: ex-marine (green beret, yet!), successful author, life coach and friend of Oprah . . . . but his prose is strangely empty.  Nice enough stories, mind you, but there's no substance.We have three of his books on our shelves, all supposedly of help to millions.  So what am I missing?If you have read Zukav, and he changed your life, I would love you to write a rebuttal of this flimsy review.I have to concede the guy is handsome but, somehow, that is not enough.What do you think?...

Here is a little history for you.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian imprisoned by the Nazis in 1943, for denouncing Hitler's regime.  It was from his cell in Buchenwald that he wrote to his family and to fellow theologian Eberhard Bethge.  Bonhoeffer retained his sanity by walking his cell, praying and writing letters, eventually coming to see the shortcomings of modern religious practice.  His cry for 'religionless Christianity' changed the way we live out Christianity today.  Bonhoeffer was executed two days before the Armistice, at the hands of a hangman in a gestapo prison.You might say these letters are historic...

  Have you ever wondered how the Old Testament was recorded?  Who did it? How was it preserved? Were changes ever made? How were the books for the New Testament chosen? What books were rejected?  Would you like to read some of those? Try The Gospel of Judas or The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. What writings were lost and have just been discovered? We have translations of both The Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi Texts.  That's the fun stuff. Then there are the scholarly reference books you would expect to find: HarperCollins Bible Commentary, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,...

When Bruce Masterman told me he was leading nature study sessions at Canyon Church Camp this summer, I flew to the #500 section of our library to see what resources we might offer.  We have Rachel Carson’s books (Carson is the founder of the contemporary environmental movement) and the early books by Farley Mowat, Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and many of David Suzuki’s stuff.  But for children?  I found a treasure trove!  We have books for kids on oceans and rivers, forests, endangered animals, the night sky, simple experiments, kids crafts and games - all with an environmental focus. ...

This one is for those taking the spring study with Susan, though I'd love you all to read it. What, you may ask, can a new age guru from India teach us about Jesus? Well, quite a lot, actually. While raised with a minimal exposure to Christianity, Chopra sees in Jesus much more than the two facets recognized by Christians. Chopra sees a third Jesus, one acknowledged by the masses of people who don't accept Jesus as the son of God or the son of Man. The third Jesus is the one whose life and teachings revolutionized a largely uneducated world....

Subtitled: A New Age is Dawning for Every Mother’s Daughter While that statement may be true for all women, it is especially so for women living in patriarchal societies.  Bonnie (Hewson) and I keep a finger on the pulse of women’s emancipation by attending the annual fundraiser for Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, which is where I found this book.  Armstrong has long been known as a women’s rights activist.  In this book, she tells the stories of women and girls that are so moving, you don’t know whether to weep or shout for joy at their audacity.  We know...

So, how do you feel about suicide?  Euthanasia?  Mercy killing?  Given the discussions going on in Ottawa and the decisions being made with which we will all have to live, we  need to decide where we stand as individuals and as a community of faith.  Author Tada has lived with these decisions and knows whereof she speaks.  Coming from a Christian fundamentalist background, her beliefs aren’t necessarily mine.  Still, she lays the arguments out clearly and this can only help you decide what is right for you.  There are other books in our library giving other points of view.  Look in...