Reflections of the Kingdom

The Monastic Heart: 50 Simple Practices for a Contemplative and Fulfilling Life by Joan D. Chittister My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book has 50 chapters; one for each monastic practice. The chapter title and subtitle provide a brief hint on the topic … such as Bells (Remembering), Hospitality, Silence, Cloister, Community, Solitude (you can see how some of these are related if not repetitive). A short summary (aka thesis statement) follows the title, then there is a reflection on the topic within the Benedictine monastic life/history and that is followed by a section called "Integrating the Practice" (how you and I can incorporation this practice in our more secular life. The chapter ends with a quick quote that is designed to restate the core concept of the practice. For such as ambitious work, it is fairly well put together and it is an easy read … perhaps not in one sitting though. At times it seems to be covering the same ground, just fr...

Collects for Our Cultural Moment by Terry Jonathan Stokes My rating: 3 of 5 stars I am not sure that I am the intended audience for this book of prayers as there are specific [younger] generational and cultural references that I had trouble understanding.  I was looking for something that could enhance my own public ministry, but I had trouble identifying with many of the references to [what I presume are] millennial memes, or specific issues within minority communities where it felt presumptuous for me to even try to appropriate, even as an ally.  That said, it is certainly useful in identifying concerns within those communities, even if I felt awkward with the provided language.  So too with the idea that you can [and should] bring everything to God, the author was perhaps a bit too literal in execution, even though this is a great idea in theory.  This is how you get mundane items like, "For when one clogs the toilet" or "For before th...

Speaking with Spirit: 52 Prayers to Guide, Inspire, and Uplift You by Agapi Stassinopoulos My rating: 2 of 5 stars You get 52 reflections (2-3 pages each) on various aspects of Life, that if you actually have any experience with might help; however, I found it difficult to relate to most of them.  Each reflection opens with a personal anecdote and a little self analysis that I felt would apply more specifically to the author than to me.  Increasing the disconnect is the actual form of the Prayer.  If your spirituality is more independent of the established religions and you are comfortable with more generic language, the Prayers probably are not that bad … but I just could not get past the opening of Dear Beloved and ending with So Be It for all of them.  The language is generic enough to potentially fit within any tradition … or no tradition; but that actually makes it difficult to connect to somebody with a solid connection to a particu...

The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything by Erwin Raphael McManus My rating: 4 of 5 stars The author is the lead pastor of Mosaic, a nondenominational christian megachurch based in Los Angeles. In this book, he explores the concept of Genius, starting with how he defines it … which basically holds two things … it is nonconforming and it is transformational (the author actually splits nonconforming into three parts: 1. They are heretical. 2. They are original. 3. They are extremist). There are two ways that genius manifests: transforming what we do is the most common measure and transforming who we are is the second and most overlooked aspect. Conceptionally this is a pretty good fit into my own philosophy on what religion is supposed to do and it is the latter which describes the Genius of Jesus (who shows us how to transform ourselves). The author then makes a bold statement: “Before you were twelve, you were a prodigy.” I think that is q...

Jesus and the God of Classical Theism by Steven J. Duby My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is an academic text with 7 related essays on the mystery/nature of Jesus that push back on some of the modern theologians’ treatment of christology in favor of reconstituting some of the more classic patristic (aka orthodox) concepts. Modern theologians have noted that many of the classic [metaphysical] terms have evolved away from their original meaning into something that is more confusing than enlightening to the faithful today … and to some extent I completely empathize with that idea having recently struggled through a class on the Trinity. This book was a welcome addition to my study in that in revisiting the classical arguments, each essay took time to orient in the reader to the relevant biblical scriptures before reviewing the modern objections and walking through the orthodox/reform positions to explain how the classic view remains the better fit.  The ...