Of Books and Bookclubs, Part I

In the past couple months, I've read three books about evangelicalism by evangelicals. I had planned on blogging about them, but the tyranny of the urgent always seemed to get in the way. I've decided that I will review these books- David Kuo's Tempting Faith, Randall Balmer'sThy Kingdom Come, & Tony Campolo's Letters to an Evangelical. If nothing else, it gives me a lesson plan for the next three days. I also have a proposition. I came across this book online:
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore.

Apparently, the authors (Jake Colsen is a pseudonym) decided to keep their identity secret for a while. So here's the deal. Want to start an online book club? Say by next friday anyone interested reads the first chapter and then we'll decide whether to continue. If nothing else it could be an engaging dialogue (and accessible to all!).

Today's meditation comes from a different source: the Qu'ran (just kidding), it's from A Celtic Lent:

"God is encountered in the ordinary. "Like the ancient Hebrews, the Celts were earthy people who led simple lives. Believing God was involved in all ordinary events of their lives, they prayed constantly asking God to bless whatever they were doing...These prayers often asked for a particular grace for the one praying as evidenced in this prayer accompanying the kindling of the hearth in the morning: 'Kindle in my heart within a fire of love for my neighbor. May the light of love shine out to my foe, my friend and my kindred.' "Surround the routine things of your life with a prayer. As much as possible follow Paul's advice to 'pray constantly,' lifting each thing you do and each person you meet to God for blessing. Bless your children as they leave for school, your colleagues as they work, other commuters on the road. Say a blessing each day for one of the common, everyday things in your life, and ask that as you are blessed, you may in turn be a blessing" to all you come in contact with this Lent, as the days lengthen into Easter.

pax,
jefe