bookshelves: study-group-resources
This book has a very different - and definitely more well rounded - take on spiritual gifts. Not only does R. Paul Stevens extend the well known lists of gifts in the New Testament to include a plethora of other gifts, but he also shows readers that spiritual gifts appear in and affect every area of life, from church to the work world to sharing our faith on an everyday basis.
The format is helpful as well, including a fairly short biblical passage each lesson, and giving about 10 questions to think through. Some tease out a more thorough understanding of the text, while others focus on what to do with this newfound knowledge. The questions, unlike those in some study guides, often do not have one "right" answer and therefore encourage going deeper in faith.
Our study groups, made up of people from very different walks of life and educational levels, found this book both interesting and challenging to work through. They especially enjoyed having the questions, so they could think about a passage carefully before coming to the study group, making for much richer discussions.
Leaders can prepare lessons for this book in 1-3 hours, depending on the level of background knowledge desired and what the leader already knows.
The only negative I found with this book was that the questions and vocabulary sometimes come rather obviously from an academic, university setting - perhaps even one in which theology is a subject of study. They regularly require some explanation for non-university groups. ]]>
bookshelves: mysteries, spirituality---women, theology---anglican, theology---women
This was perhaps the best yet in this series, starring Anglican curate and soon-to-be-priested Callie Anson, and her policeman boyfriend, Marco Lombardi.
Besides a very interesting story that intertwines two mysteries, there is a great deal of exploration of sticky issues: celebrity and what it means; relationships and whether they can truly be sustained by two equal and career-minded people in the modern world; the effect that an affair has on a long-standing marriage and the couple's children; difficult decisions that clergy people need to make when two parties are at odds and making competing demands; and the role of family in an adult person's well-being. This list only scratches the surface...do read the series and check this book out for yourself! ]]>
Another great book by American Anglophile (and now British resident) Kate Charles. The second instalment of the story line starring Anglican deacon and curate Callie Anson and love interest Marco Lombardi, a policeman. ]]>
bookshelves: light-reads, mysteries, place-specific-books
Another adventure-filled caper set in snowy Minnesota, starring cookie baker and mystery solver extraordinaire Hannah Swensen. The series is light, fun and doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's also quite believable, despite the rather incredible things that keep happening in this small, otherwise unremarkable town.
However, I was only able to give book 12 a 3-star rating for a couple of reasons. First, the writing seemed rather lower in quality than previous books, as if the writer had to finish it in a hurry to make her publishing deadline. For example, several passages could have used editing to render them more relevant to the plot, and some plot devices seemed to appear out of nowhere, with no apparent connection to anything else. Second, the love triangle between Norman, Hannah and Mike is becoming tiring. Hannah really needs to choose soon, as her indecision and her two boyfriends' tolerance for it is starting to make Hannah look both insensitive and immature, and her suitors like pitiable pushovers. Hopefully this issue will be resolved in an upcoming novel. ]]>
Julie Golding Page
added a quote:
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." — Plutarch
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." — Plutarch
bookshelves: currently-reading
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bookshelves: currently-reading
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