JERRY FIGUEROA - What I'm Reading

Currently (Winter 2008)

From Publishers Weekly
Falling solidly within the genre of Wangerin's previous novels, this book often feels more like a Eugene Peterson–style paraphrase of the New Testament than an actual work of fiction. While Wangerin invents dialogue, events and characters that go beyond the biblical text, these inventions do little more than provide context for his retelling of the bulk of the four Gospel accounts. As always, Wangerin writes beautiful, descriptive prose, evoking the sights, sounds, smells, sensibilities and politics of the world in which Jesus lived. He nicely develops the character of Jesus' mother, but most of the other characters—including Jesus himself—are not adequately fleshed out, as Wangerin tends to use physical descriptions and one or two trademark mannerisms in lieu of full characterization. Judas Iscariot is tall, thin, young and manic; Simon Peter is burly and gregarious; and Mary Magdalene is a strong but tiny wisp of a woman whom everyone refers to as a child. Wangerin innovates a bit by alternating between third- and first-person narration, sharing Jesus' mother's perspective in the third person and the gospel writer John's in the first. Readers looking for a well-written novel that rarely veers from an entirely orthodox depiction of Jesus will appreciate this effort. (Nov.)
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From the Back Cover
This man: Consider this man who, by his power, his peace, his simple presence, and his fierce purity, quietly turned the whole world upside down. None other could evoke such joy at his astonishing deeds, such anger at his strange aloofness, such fear when he began to draw the attention of powerful enemies . . . and such heartbreak when the inevitable came to pass.

Surrounded by a circle of close relationshipshis mother and her extended family, men and women drawn irresistibly by the light of his personality, the authority of his words, the power of his deeds, and above all, by the depth of his lovethis carpenter from Nazareth moved toward a singular destiny. A destiny he would both fear and embrace. A destiny that would mark forever the lives of those who followed him.

Recently

Set in England, Africa and Italy this collection of Steinbeck's World War II news correspondence was written for the New Yolk Herald Tribune in the latter part of 1943.

From the Publisher

An award winner in Canada (and winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize), Life of Pi, Yann Martel's second novel, should prove to be a breakout book in the U.S. At one point in his journey, Pi recounts, "My greatest wish--other than salvation--was to have a book. A long book with a never-ending story. One that I could read again and again, with new eyes and fresh understanding each time." It's safe to say that the fabulous, fablelike Life of Pi is such a book. --Brad Thomas Parsons

The Book of God
By Walter Wangerin

From Publishers Weekly
"This is not the Bible," Wangerin (The Book of the Dun Cow; Miz Lil and the Chronicles of Grace; etc.) says of this newest work. But it is a novel featuring many of the Bible's most dramatic characters. He partitions the whole into eight parts: half focus on personalities (The Ancestors, Kings, Prophets, The Messiah), and half concern themselves with epic themes (The Covenant, The Wars of the Lord, Letters From Exile, The Yearning). Retelling the stories of the Bible in novelized form allows Wangerin to be more selective: no slogging through seemingly endless genealogies or the minutiae of military conflicts for him. Instead, he imagines the finer points of the tension between Sarah and her slave, Hagar; the words Isaac might have used in blessing Jacob; or the drama of Jesus's baptism by his cousin, John. In doing so, he also makes some curious inventions. Does Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, become a justifiably more interesting character, for instance, if he is presented as willingly making nails for the evil ruler Herod to use in crucifixions? For adult readers who are intimidated by the sheer bulk of the Bible, or for those who desire a novelist's different perspective on some very familiar stories, Wangerin is likely to be a welcome voice; for others, however, the novel will feel like an ornate but pale imitation of a great book.

The sayings of Brother Lawrence have inspired thousands to live a life sold-out for Christ. Originally published as a brief booklet shortly after Lawrence's death in 1691, his classic work The Practice of the Presence of God has crossed nearly every denominational and cultural line.

Yet despite its classic status, Brother Lawrence's seventeenth-century description of the Christian life is admittedly difficult for today's reader to follow. Sadly, this prevents all but the most dedicated readers from uncovering the spiritual treasures hidden under centuries of changing language.

In this modern edition, Robert Elmer updates the ancient language, not the timeless message. Elmer's twenty-five years of experience as a writer and editor helps him unlock what was originally a straightforward account of how to love God straight from the heart, using accessible language that every reader can understand.

Bill Clinton vowed to "end welfare as we know it" in his first run for president in 1992. Four years later, Congress translated a catchy slogan into a law that sent nine million women and children streaming from the rolls. Did it work? In his definitive book on this unprecedented upheaval in social policy, New York Times reporter and two- time Pulitzer Prize finalist Jason DeParle follows three women in one extended family to a set of surprising answers.

Cutting between the corridors of Washington and the meanest streets of Milwaukee, DeParle tracks the story from the White House to the local crack house. After twelve years on welfare, Angie, a truculent mother of three, finds a job and a 401(k)— and a boyfriend who tries to shoot her. Her cousin Jewell, glamorous even in sweatpants, adores the children she struggles to support. Opal combines an antic wit with an appetite for cocaine while the welfare agency that is supposed to help her squanders its millions. Drawing on more than a decade of reporting, DeParle traces their story back six generations to a common ancestor—a Mississippi slave—and adds politicians, case workers, reformers, and rogues to an epic exploration of America’s struggle with poverty and dependency.

Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-First Century Listeners
Probing the law’s unlikely successes—and haunting failures—American Dream provides a startling expose´ in this election year.

You can buy this book on Amazon.com by selecting this link, when you complete your transaction, a small portion of the sale will be returned to Inspired Christian.org - Thanks!
by Graham MacPherson Johnston, Haddon W. Robinson

While growing churches dot our urban centers and country landscapes, church-goers and students today are actually less likely to maintain a Christian worldview than in the past. In fact, the majority of society does not even believe in objective truth. A minister out of touch with this culture is like an uninformed missionary trying to teach in a foreign country. To communicate God's Word effectively in the twenty-first century, teachers need to know how to connect with and confront an audience of postmodern listeners.
In Preaching to a Postmodern World, Johnston shows pastors, seminary students, professors, lay teachers, and church leaders can reach the present age without selling out to it. The book discusses how to: -distinguish between modernism and postmodernism -understand postmodern worldviews -change the style of preaching without compromising the substance -take advantage of new opportunities provided by the cultural shift -show an inattentive society the relevance of God's truth

The author's keen insights into contemporary pop and media culture also help equip speakers to address today's listeners with clarity and relevance.

Graham MacPherson Johnston is senior pastor of Subiaco Church of Christ in Western Australia and an adjunct lecturer in homiletics at Perth Bible College. He holds degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary.

Get Preaching to a Postmodern World today at Amazon.com.

More Money, More Ministry: Money and Evangelicals in Recent North American History
by Larry Eskridge (Editor), Mark A. Noll

A provocative look at the uneasy relationship between money and evangelicalism.

MORE MONEY, MORE MINISTRY explores the role that money has played in the growth of North American evangelicalism over the last 150 years— including its uneasy, sometimes ambivalent place in evangelical consciousness. Written by seventeen experts on the contemporary religious scene, these chapters discuss in engaging ways such topics as Christian nonprofit organizations, fund-raising strategies, advertising and consumerism, evangelical higher education, financial scandals, the connection between money and theology, and much more.

Rivers of Revival
by Elmer L. Towns, Neil T. Anderson

Rivers of Revival answers the question many Christians are asking: "What will it take to see revival?" What will it take for a spiritual revival to sweep the nation? Anderson explains how believers must first experience an individual revival before widespread renewal can happen. Only then, says Towns, can a "Power Encounter," "Prayer Evangelism," and five other forms of outreach bring souls streaming to God. You can make the river rise---starting now!

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
by Barbara Ehrenreich

From Publishers Weekly 
In contrast to recent books by Michael Lewis and Dinesh D'Souza that explore the lives and psyches of the New Economy's millionares, Ehrenreich (Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class, etc.) turns her gimlet eye on the view from the workforce's bottom rung. Determined to find out how anyone could make ends meet on $7 an hour, she left behind her middle class life as a journalist except for $1000 in start-up funds, a car and her laptop computer to try to sustain herself as a low-skilled worker for a month at a time. In 1999 and 2000, Ehrenreich worked as a waitress in Key West, Fla., as a cleaning woman and a nursing home aide in Portland, Maine, and in a Wal-Mart in Minneapolis, Minn. During the application process, she faced routine drug tests and spurious "personality tests"; once on the job, she endured constant surveillance and numbing harangues over infractions like serving a second roll and butter. Beset by transportation costs and high rents, she learned the tricks of the trade from her co-workers, some of whom sleep in their cars, and many of whom work when they're vexed by arthritis, back pain or worse, yet still manage small gestures of kindness. Despite the advantages of her race, education, good health and lack of children, Ehrenreich's income barely covered her month's expenses in only one instance, when she worked seven days a week at two jobs (one of which provided free meals) during the off-season in a vacation town. Delivering a fast read that's both sobering and sassy, she gives readers pause about those caught in the economy's undertow, even in good times.

ROBERT FIGUEROA - What I'm Reading

Currently

Jesus, Entrepreneur: Using Ancient Wisdom to Launch and Live Your Dreams
By Laurie Beth Jones

He didn’t work for money. He was willing to walk away. He invested his emotions wisely. He did sweat the small stuff.

Beyond work, beyond entrepreneurism, there is “spiritreneurism”—work that allows you to do well by doing right. In Jesus, Entrepreneur, Laurie Beth Jones, bestselling author of Jesus, CEO, shows you how to find soul satisfaction in your work.

Jones shows that there is no contradiction between earning a comfortable living even as you use your job to promote your deepest spiritual and personal beliefs. How exactly is this possible? By sharing timeless wisdom from the Bible and anecdotes from her own life and consulting career, as well as tales from the best and worst work situations in today’s rapidly changing business environment, she reveals how you can inspire yourself and your coworkers to use your highest gifts to benefit the bottom line.

A genius at making the powerful familiar, Jones offers a commandingly fresh and compelling case for Jesus as a role model for modern times. Rich with humor, exercises, meditations, and case histories, Jesus, Entrepreneur is essential reading for those seeking to put their spirituality to practical use.

Recently

The God Chasers
By Tommy Tenney

A God chaser is a person whose passion for God's presence presses him to chase the impossible in hopes that the uncatchable might catch him. A child chases a loving parent until, suddenly, the strong arms of the father enfold the chaser. The pursuer becomes the captive; the pursued the captor. Paul put it this way: "I chase after that I may catch that which apprehended me" (Phil. 3:12).

Job was a God chaser. He said, "Oh that I knew where I might find Him!" David was one; he said, "My soul followeth hard after Thee." Paul was one too: "That I may know Him..." The passionate paths of God chasers can be traced across the pages of history from Moses the stutterer, David the singer, and Paul the itinerant preacher, to contemporaries like A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, and countless others who share one common bond: an insatiable hunger to know their Lord. These are people whose relentless, passionate pursuit of Christ often made them appear foolish in the eyes of others. Yet, having tasted His goodness and glimpsed the invisible, they could be satisfied with nothing less.

The Battle For Jerusalem
by John Hagee

On September 28, 2000, retired Israeli General Ariel Sharon visited Jerusalem’s historic Temple Mount under a cloud of tension. As he left, more than 200 Arab protesters surged forward, throwing stones and finally forcing Israeli police to fire upon the crowd. The incident launched a series of bloody battles that mirror conflicts between Arabs and Jews through the ages. Written in Pastor Hagee’s no-holds-barred style, The Battle for Jerusalem explores the heart of the current conflict, the history behind the antagonism between Arabs and Jews, and the powerful significance of the thirty-five-acre parcel that is the most fiercely-contested real estate on the planet. He also discusses the most recent American election, and explains why President Bush will not be able to reach a peace accord in the Middle East. Must-reading for every concerned Christian and all who struggle to understand the unique and continually unresolved conflict in Israel, The Battle for Jerusalem takes a hard look at Israel, Arafat, and the United States… and illustrates how they fit into God’s plan for the ages.

Purpose-Driven (TM) Youth Ministry
by Doug Fields

From the youth pastor of Saddleback Church--a revolutionary approach to building a self-sustaining youth ministry. What The Purpose-Driven Church has done for pastoral ministry, this book is about to do for youth ministry. Doug Fields, the youth pastor at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, reveals the foundations for a powerful, Purpose-Driven? Youth Ministry (PDYM). Youth leaders passionate about a ministry that fulfills the five scriptural purposes of evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and worship will discover a proven, team approach that reduces burnout and incorporates the strengths of the church as a whole. What they won't get is another Six Easy Steps book. Says Fields, You will not find the PDYM to be a cookie-cutter approach promoting do it my way because there's only one way. Rather, it's a model that can be adapted to fit the unique needs, personality, and circumstances of any church.

King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel
by Jonathan Kirsch

Following much of modern scholarship in calling the Bible "a patchwork of ancient texts that were composed and compiled by countless authors and editors," this study is clearly not going to appeal to most fundamentalist readers. Neither is it intended for scholars. It should, however, satisfy many readers who wish to explore more deeply the fascinating and pivotal life of a very real man, a charismatic leader who, as one historian puts it, "played exquisitely, fought heroically, and loved titanically.