I admit it. I really don’t care for winters, even the relatively mild ones we have here in Virginia. The combination of colder weather and short days wears on me. I’m quite certain this has been exacerbated by having spent most of my life in an industry that tends toward negative cash flow during the […]
The Peacemaking Pastor: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Church Conflict, by Alfred Poirier | Review by Rosa Byler
Alfred Poirier’s introduction is forthright: “Christ is the reason many enter the pastorate. Conflict is the reason many leave.” The frequency of church conflicts should not surprise us, he says, as much as the fact that “churches, Bible colleges, and seminaries alike provide little if any pastoral training in how to address these conflicts.” (9-10) […]
Screens and Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless World, by Kathy Koch | Review by Rosa Byler
Screens and Teens’ author Kathy Koch (pronounced “cook”) joins a growing body of both Christian and secular professionals seeking to evaluate the effects of technology overuse. Koch briefly describes possible consequences, the main ones being decreased memory, distraction, and diminished ability to concentrate. Use of technology can train or retrain neurons, the brain’s “conduits of […]
Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue, by Matthew C. Mitchell | Review by Rosa Byler
Gossip is probably one of the most under-addressed of all the Romans-seven-style sins that Christians hate but fall into regularly anyway. Although mentioned frequently in the Bible, gossip is the focus of surprisingly few books or sermons. Pastor Matthew Mitchell addressed the subject early in his ministry and later preached a nine-sermon series that eventually […]
Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others, by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock | Review by Rosa Byler
Being hospitable is an ancient tradition; every culture offers variants of the basic components of food, lodging, and conversation. Yet hospitality is rooted in biblical command and precedent; and for Christians, there is the added “joy of serving others” as we follow Christ’s example. In Practicing Hospitality, Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock encourage readers to […]
Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ, by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield | Review by Rosa Byler
Increasing gender confusion around us suggests that a higher percentage of new Christians will suffer ongoing temptation and discouragement over pre-conversion life patterns. Most churches, not just those who have been somewhat isolated from the culture around us, lack understanding or experience in dealing with the fallout of homosexuality. Rosaria Butterfield, an educator and former […]
