Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

There are very few things as powerful as story, especially in the context of youth ministry. In youth ministry, we utilize the power of story all the time, recognizing that our youth (and others) connect with story — not to mention Jesus was a storyteller. God has, is and will continue to write a story in our world and in our lives. We must connect our youth to God and God’s story so they can begin to see the story God has for them. Max Lucado is a great storyteller. While the stories in the book are great and it’s an enjoyable book, its value in a youth ministry setting is limited to the possible use of some of the author’s stories. It’s neither a book that can be used as a curriculum or teaching series, nor is it a book I would recommend having youth read. This book contains some great stories that youth workers may find helpful in communicating God’s story to their youth, but I would not recommend using it for any other purpose in a youth ministry setting.

–Rev. Marcus J. Carlson

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

The Complete Visual Bible is a great tool for youth workers trying to prepare meaningful and accurate lessons using the Bible. This handy tool can bring passages of Scripture to life with some nice images and very helpful descriptions of background and history and a good overview of the books of the Bible. While it is not something that can be used for significant exegesis, it is a helpful aid in understanding context and background.

–Rev. Marcus J. Carlson

Book Review

Published on Book Sneeze & Amazon

Unleashed by Erwin McManus

This book Erwin McManus is a revision and re-release of his book The Barbarian Way, which I have read several years ago. I have heard Erwin speak and have always found his material to be enjoyable. In this book, Erwin challenges the corporate, safe, neutered faith that many Christians have chosen. McManus calls all followers of Jesus to a Barbarian faith, one that is raw, authentic, risk-taking, and kingdom minded. McManus is a great storyteller and uses a lot of personal stories, especially relating to his own family to talk about living a passionate faith that is not tamed by the expectations of the church or the world.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a fast and easy read. Even though I had read the previous book, I did not feel as though this book was a repeat at all. I enjoyed the stories in the book, although sometimes they were hard to follow or longer than they needed to be. McManus give the American church a message that it needs to hear, that we have packaged our faith and are not living it out with passion. No matter where you are in your faith journey, this book will encourage you to something greater. I found the message of the book to be a kingdom message. The book is more motivational than it is practical or theological which did not weaken it at all. Erwin brings a kingdom message and reminds his readers that Christ has come to transform our lives and that we are called to transform the world. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants more of the abundant life that Jesus has promised his followers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Rev. Marcus J Carlson

Book Review

Published on Book Sneeze & Amazon

The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher

This book by Nora Gallagher is part of a series on Ancient Practices put together by Phyllis Tickle. In this book, Gallagher examines the nature of communion or Eucharist, which is where the title of Sacred Meal comes from. Having a deep passion for communion I was excited to read this book. Gallagher uses story and deep, honest personal reflection to discuss the various realities of the practice of communion. The term practice is important in this book as Gallagher talks about communion as a practice, highlighting throughout the book the significance of the word practice. Without diving into many of the theological nuances of communion, Gallagher shares her journey and story as she invites all to participate in the sacred meal.

I had high expectations and found myself enjoying the book very much even though there were some pretty disappointing aspects to the book. It was a very easy to read book and I found the stories to be meaningful. Gallagher relies heavily on the use of story in this book, but the stories are not anecdotal in nature, rather they are deeply personal and reflective. Gallagher touches on many of the key aspects and realities of communion, bringing it to life in many refreshing ways. Early in the book, Gallagher admits that she is not dealing with the theology of communion in this piece. This is problematic because it would seem dangerous if not impossible to talk about communion without theology entering the discussion in a significant way. Gallagher does not address theology much, other than to criticize until the later part of the book where theology comes into her writing in a very scattered and inconsistent way. Even though it is an enjoyable read, I am not sure it meets the criteria of examining communion in a way that is consistent with spiritual practices or disciplines. This book is a perfect reflection or devotional on communion, but it does not have the theology, organization or the strength that I had hoped. Overall, I would recommend the book to those interested in the topic of communion, especially those who are looking for a devotional on communion. It offers wonderful stories and powerful quotes. For those looking for a book that looks both at the practical and discursive elements of communion while addressing practice and theology in a meaningful way, you may be disappointed.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com http://BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Rev. Marcus J Carlson

Book Review

The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster

This book by Charles Foster is part of a series on Ancient Practices put together by Phyllis Tickle. In this book, Foster examines the nature of a pilgrimage and the negative attitude towards pilgrimage in Christendom today. Foster points out that Jesus himself was fond of those who were wanders and that our faith is expressed in a journey. Without specifically defining or laying out the structure of a pilgrimage, Foster examines the Biblical and historical aspects of a pilgrimage while describing the joys and benefits of a pilgrimage. Pilgrimages are hard to define and are experienced internally and externally, with the destination having less significance than the journey.

I found this book to be an easy and enjoyable read. I found Foster’s examples, stories and metaphors to be very helpful. I appreciated that Foster points out that we are all wanderers and on a journey and found his use of Scripture to be accurate and helpful. Foster engaged with a deeper yearning and reality in my own life faith journey in this book. Perhaps I have been on a pilgrimage more often that I realized. I have a tendency at times to need to hike or travel, because of some yearning in my soul. I suspect this desire is connected to much of what Foster talks about.  The book probably could have been much shorter and made the same points and conveyed the same information in a stronger way. At times, it was hard to follow the organization of the book, yet I still found the book to be very appealing and would recommend it to others, especially those interested in spiritual disciplines.

Rev. Marcus J Carlson

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”