CHRISTIAN MISSIONS
Greg Taylor. High Places, Siloam Springs, Ark.: Leafwood Publishers, 2004. ISBN 0-9728425-7-8; 256 pages; $12.99; (877) 634-6004 or www.leafwoodpublishers.com.

Written by Greg Taylor, a former missionary in Uganda, High Places reveals what happens when a North American couple sets off to do mission work among the “heathen” in Uganda, Africa, with a goal to convert the “heathen” and bring them a message of good news from God. As the story unfolds, the redemptive work of God is revealed as a two-way street and the clichéd ideas of missionaries and “heathens” erode, giving way to an authentic perspective of both. By the end of the novel you get a sense that you’ve read a story about real people who, despite a tremendous cultural divide, are equally in need of God’s redemptive love. Reviewed by Chris Gonzales.

BLENDED CHRISTIAN FAMILIES
Michael S. Midland. God Sets the Lonely in Families: You can Have a Wonderful, Spiritual Blended Family, Houston: Joshua Interests LLC, 2004. ISBN 0-9748767-0-04; 194 pages; complimentary copies available; (281) 444-5355 or www.godblendsfamilies.org.

When many of us think of blended family maybe we envision something like the Brady Bunch. Despite a few awkward adjustments and sibling rivalries, the family gelled. But Midland knows that spiritually blended families take serious work.

This is a book for those who will soon enter into or already have entered into the world of blended families. Readers will explore issues like setting rules, changes of identity and roles, restoring the ideals of marriage and building a foundation for families based on a promise in Psalm 127.

Husbands and wives reading this book will see a plan unfold that will help guide them in wrestling with the complexities of blended families in ways that will both honor God and bring peace at home.

BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP
David Hansen. Loving the Church You Lead: Pastoring with Acceptance and Grace, Grand Rapids, Mich.: BakerBooks, 1998. ISBN 0-8010-9176-4; 176 pages; $13.99; (616) 676-9185 or www.bakerbooks.com.

Ministering to congregations calls for determination, courage, stamina and grace — lots of grace. Hansen seeks to offer encouragement to church leaders by reminding them of four biblical pastoral loves: loyalty, compassion, friendship and Christian love (agape). He also exposes among those who dare to direct God’s flock some common traps.

Those who experience difficulties at times of loving the people God has called them to serve and lead will be inspired and challenged by Hansen’s wisdom.

 

SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHY
Harold Shank and David Ralston. It’s All About God, Nashville, Tenn.: 21st Century Christian, 2004. ISBN 089098335-6; 170 pages; $12.99; (800) 251-2477 or www.21stcc.com.

In a unique little book, Harold Shank and David Ralston combine two objectives. First, they seek to provide readers with 13 Bible studies that will help them navigate from the world that says “it’s all about me” to a world in which one’s heart craves a relationship with God rather than merely knowing about him.

Second, as an illustration of a life that sought and achieved a close relationship with God, the authors focus on the spiritual leadership of E. H. Ijams. Ijams helped to keep Lipscomb College afloat during the Great Depression, assisted George Pepperdine with his plans for a new college and severed on the faculty of Harding Graduate School of Religions.

This list includes information provided by publishers. For more information, contact Reviews Editor John Harrison at john.harrison@oc.edu.