Category: Book Reviews

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BOOK REVIEW: The Post-Quarantine Church by Thom S. Rainer

The Post-Quarantine Church: Six Urgent Challenges and Opportunities That Will Determine the Future of Your Congregation by Thom S Rainer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It’s no secret that 2020 has been a difficult year in many ways. One way 2020 has impacted the world has taken place in our churches. As a Children’s Pastor, I’ve seen the way that COVID-19 has specifically affected kids: delaying crucial social developmental steps, creating distance between families and friends, and introducing a low-simmering trauma into their lives. That’s not even to mention the kids who have gotten sick from COVID-19, and even those who have died. This has been a tough year all the way around.

In the midst of 2020, Thom S. Rainer brought us The Post-Quarantine Church. This short book is trim and packed with thoughts, reflections, and steps forward for the church (specifically in the United States) as it seeks to look at what comes next. Rainer focuses on six different challenges for the church including: what it means to gather now, the impact of the digital world on the church, the local community and its connection with the church, prayer, facilities, and the business of fast-paced change during this season.

Part of the downfall of this book is that even though it was released in September 2020, some of the language sounds as though Rainer thought the quarantine and perhaps even the pandemic might have been completed by that time. He often uses “While we were in quarantine…” types of sentences, when the reality is that even as of the writing of this review in December 2020, many places across the world are still in a quarantine mode or even returning to their homes due to the rise in cases in many areas across the globe. However, if one you can set this aside, you’ll be able to see some very helpful advice, thoughts, and questions that certainly lead to self- and church-reflection.

Perhaps one of the most important chapters here is the chapter on managing change during this season. Even in my own ministry, we have had to pivot multiple times as we moved from in-person services to online services back in March 2020 and then in April 2020 talked about drive-in services, and then in July 2020 moved to in person services with social distancing and masks in place, and then navigated the space issues, quarantined volunteers and staff, and continuing digital presence for families at home Sundays and Wednesdays. Rainer lays out the fact that this is a time of fast-paced change as information constantly comes at us, as we navigate the difficulties of all the feelings and theories surrounding the pandemic, and even what moving forward in the short term looks like.

Also relevant for many here is the literal instant expansion of online ministry that has taken place in 2020. Children’s ministries around the world suddenly adapted to a new online format they had never used before. Even as some churches returned to in-person services, figuring out ways to do online content for families at home has been challenging in the Children’s ministry realm. It is much more difficult to livestream an in-person kid’s service with kids present due to seeking to protect the privacy of kids in relation to the internet. This has brought double work to many Children’s Pastors seeking to create online and in-person content each week.

I wish Rainer had looked at Children’s and Youth Ministry in particular within the church as those two have had to create many new ways of doing ministry during 2020 in order to accommodate social distancing and in some places capacity guidelines. Rainer is certainly focused here on lead pastors and the church as a whole rather than zeroing in on any specific types of ministry.

All said, this is certainly a helpful book and a very quick read. If you’re in ministry at a church and still struggling with how to move forward into 2021, this is worth a read.

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CHRISTMAS BOOK REVIEW: The Silent Noisy Night by Jill Roman Lord

The Silent Noisy Night by Jill Roman Lord

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As a Children’s Pastor, I am always on the search for good books to add to our Preschool and Nursery areas at church, and so what did I do? I stood at the Walmart Christmas books display reading about twenty Christmas board and picture books in order to find a couple to add to our library. When I first read The Silent Noisy Night by Jill Roman Lord and illustrated by Kelly Breemer, I almost cried. This book is an incredibly beautiful, well-illustrated, amazing story that will not only teach young kids various sounds, but will also point to a foundational theological point: the God of Scripture is a God who celebrates.

This is a board book with amazing illustrations, and simple sentences on each page that allow the story to be read quickly, but also allow kids time to look at the pictures and will allow parents and teachers to point out various corners of the pages to see all the animals. Words that are sounds are all highlighted and in bold to allow for kids learning sight words to begin seeing them and correlating each word to the pronunciation and the sound it makes.

I really appreciate here the attention to depict the people in the story as they would have been, not as European, blond-haired, blue-eyed proxies. This allows kids to see the real kinds of people who may have been there at the birth of Jesus, even if some of the animals here such as raccoons may not be animals in the Middle East.

The ending to the book also has a wonderful message for kids surrounding the ways we celebrate the birth of Jesus. This idea of celebration is so important, as we see celebration on the part of God and God’s people throughout Scripture, but often find ourselves in the United States of America leaning away from celebration in favor of a more stoic and serious God. We see clearly from stories Jesus told such as the stories of lost things in Luke 15 that all heaven rejoices when someone decides to follow Jesus. The most important aspect of this celebration is that it does not end. In the story of the Prodigal Son, the father tells them to start the party for the son who has come home, but he never tells them to end it. The party continues.

In The Silent Noisy Night, kids will discover an incredible world of celebration and how each one of us can use our voices, actions, and songs to celebrate the birth of the Savior.

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BOOK REVIEW: Let Earth Receive Her King: An Advent Devotional by T. Scott Daniels

Let Earth Receive Her King by T. Scott Daniels

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have to admit: I’m always a little bit nervous when it comes to devotional books. I’ve read some that I absolutely love and some that I really didn’t care for, and then many, many devotionals that seem to fall in the “That was okay” category. Am I little picky when it comes to devotionals? Probably. I’m always looking to be inspired and encouraged, but also to be left processing in a thought-provoking way. When it came to the season of Advent this year, I picked up Let Earth Receive Her King by T. Scott Daniels, and honestly read it much faster than the day to day layout of the book prescribes. This was exactly the kind of devotional reading I really enjoy.

The book is divided into four sections, each one covering one week and providing a daily devotional from the first Sunday of Advent all the way through December 24th. The devotionals themselves provide a daily Scripture reading, a devotional, a blessing, and questions with space to record answers. The first devotional of each week also contains a hymn for the week, which I definitely found myself humming as I read.

The devotional content is superb. Each day’s reading is thought-provoking, and provides historical background, insight into specific language, as well as anecdotes from the author’s own life. I never felt as though the stories overtook the devotion or became too loose to connect to the leading thought of the day. The questions are also very engaging and provide some excellent self-reflection.

Perhaps the only downfall of this book is that it is specifically dated for the 2020 year, so unless you do some creative date-swapping in future years, it might be difficult to read according to each week as presented here. Otherwise this is certainly worth the devotional read. I found myself highlighting throughout the book as Daniels really made me think and contemplate the meaning of this season, which I always appreciate when it comes to devotionals.

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BOOK REVIEW: Gaal the Conqueror by John White

Gaal the Conqueror by John White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Gaal the Conqueror is the second book in The Archives of Anthropos series by John White, and continues the adventures in the magical land of Anthropos as the battle between good and evil rages on for the control of every living thing. Enter John Wilson, returning from the first book in the series and joined here by new characters of all kinds, including Eleanor MacFarland. Together, they must travel the lands of Anthropos, on a quest to defeat the evil sorcerer Shagah and elude the blasphemous Lord Lunacy.

There are so many things to say about Gaal the Conqueror, and so I’ll start here: This book, while labeled second in the series, is actually the fourth book written. John White wrote The Tower of Geburah, The Iron Sceptre, and The Sword Bearer before this one, and at times the seams of the story show through as White is obviously setting pieces in place that will be present in later books in the series. These first two books have circled back to a time before The Tower of Geburah and set up the story line for the future.

At times haunting, at others deeply profound, this book begins in snowy Canada amidst the search for a missing child. Much like the first book in the series, this book has moments that almost seemed too intense for a children’s fantasy series. There is a subplot about this missing child who has clearly been abused. While nothing is explicitly stated here, there is plenty of subtext to indicate what has happened. It left me questioning the audience for this book, as I probably would not want a very young child to read this one, but perhaps for a middle grade and above audience this would work.

The parallels to Christianity seem the most obvious here, and for those who are familiar with the story of Christ, some beats in this story will be telegraphed miles before they take place. However, there is one final twist near the end of the story I did not expect coming, and I actually cried out loud at the book and said, “No!” When a book surprises me, it always gets a higher rating from me, and this twist definitely had me flipping pages to see what would happen next.

There are some fantastic fantasy elements at play here which blend pieces of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia with the same author’s Space Trilogy. Once again, the ghastly Lord Lunacy returns, but this time with a host of creepy friends who show up near the last third and are definitely nightmare material.

However, for all the good this book contains, the lead character’s story arc, much like in The Sword Bearer seems the most lacking here. John Wilson’s “growth” throughout the story is slight at best, and John and Eleanor both serve to move the plot along and help us discover new aspects of this fantasy world through their actions and reactions.

I found this second book more engaging than the first, and I already have the third book, The Tower of Geburah on my shelf, waiting to be cracked open and read! For fantasy fans of series such as The Chronicles of Prydain or The Chronicles of Narnia, you definitely won’t go wrong reading this classic gem.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Sword Bearer by John White

The Sword Bearer by John White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first discovered John White’s Archives of Anthropos series from a random blog post where someone referred to it as the “other” Chronicles of Narnia. John White the author actually admitted to the similarities between his series and Narnia because his children wanted him to tell them a bedtime story like the Narnia stories. Thus, this series was born. However, The Sword Bearer, while being often listed as book number one in the series was not chronologically written first. This book came out after two other books in the series, The Tower of Geburah and The Iron Sceptre. From everything I have read about this series though, most who have read it suggest starting here with The Sword Bearer. So with pesky questions about reading order out of the way, the question is this: is this book worth a read?

The story begins with a young boy named John whose parents have been gone for quite some time. And when John’s grandmother promises to tell John on his thirteenth birthday the “truth” about his parents, John can’t wait. But then tragedy strikes and John finds himself transported to another place called Anthropos. In this land he discovers that evil is searching through the kingdom and seeking to build a tower that will allow it to rule over the entire universe. Only John and his spunky pack of friends can even hope to put a stop to the evil force. However, it has been said that victory will only come at great loss for John. Will he be able to sacrifice what is needed in order to save them all?

This book, written back in 1986, has the charm of an old school fantasy story with hints of allegory sprinkled throughout. The Narnia comparisons are fitting, but I never felt as though it was so derivative that it couldn’t be its own story world. In fact, I would say the stakes in Anthropos are much higher than in Narnia, where you never exactly were worried about the characters making it out of the story in the end. Here, the danger is very real, and no one is safe. That said, I definitely found some moments shocking and wondered if a younger reader would be okay reading this.

In fact, one of the most terrifying things about The Sword Bearer was the illustrations that are scattered throughout the book. I won’t spoil anything here, but there are a couple of drawings of the villain of the book that I found disturbing and the stuff of nightmares if I was still a kid. But that’s probably what would have made me love this book all the more when I was younger. This book feels like one of those stories in the vein of The Neverending Story that is just intense enough without ever crossing a line.

As for the characters, John goes on a journey of sorts, but again, this is an older school fantasy story where some things are telegraphed from early on and often the children are a little impetuous. There were parts of the story where I felt as though if the main character just got over his bad attitude so many plot points would have been fixed.

Also, I will say there are so many imaginative moments throughout with very fascinating “magical” items that I have not seen too often in a Christian fantasy. How the “magic” system works here is never exactly explained, and there were times I felt as though I was missing something. Perhaps in the earlier-written books some of the “rules” of Anthropos are explained that would fill in the gaps.

All said, I would recommend this for anyone who is a fan of Christian fantasy and especially to see how the genre grew over time. The Sword Bearer, while episodic at times, presents an epic story that will definitely pull at the heartstrings at the same time it makes your heart race in suspense.

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BOOK REVIEW: Joshua: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition by Stephen J. Lennox

Nbbc, Joshua: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition by Stephen J. Lennox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Joshua: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition is the first Bible Commentary I have ever sat down and read from cover to cover. Dr. Stephen J. Lennox brings the book of Joshua to the 21st century and helps modern day readers ask tough questions (and I do mean tough questions) of the text, grapple with theological themes, and understand the background culture and composition of the book.

One of my favorite aspects of the New Beacon Bible Commentary series is the copious amount of sources included in the bibliography and throughout the text that leads readers to discover more scholarship on various specific topics brought up through the book of Joshua. An extensive bibliography is included here, and a must-go list for anyone studying the book in depth.

The book of Joshua is a complicated one, especially in light of the amount of seemingly God-sanctioned violence throughout the narrative. Dr. Lennox takes time up front to address many of these concerns in an entire section dedicated to the question of what to do with the violence in Joshua. Throughout, the author presents multiple theories from multiple angles in an effort to best present all the possibilities and allow readers to draw conclusions for themselves.

Each chapter is broken down, outlined, and presented in a three-part structure: Behind the Text, which showcases background information, framing, and other considerations before entering the text of the chapter; In the Text, which takes the reader verse by verse, addressing key issues along the way; and From the Text, which gives concluding thoughts, application, and tie-ins to the rest of Scripture. Along the side of every page are little “guide verses” that show what passage that page covers, which makes it easy to go back and flip through and find the section needed.

If you are looking for deeper study on the book of Joshua, Dr. Lennox’s commentary is a must-have.

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BOOK REVIEW: Arcade and the Triple T Token by Rashad Jennings

Arcade and the Triple T Token by Rashad Jennings

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I saw Arcade and the Triple T Token on the bookshelf at a local Christian bookstore, I did a double take. I immediately picked up the book, thumbed through it, read the jacket synopsis, and knew I was going to buy it, read it, and most definitely enjoy it. And I did.

Books like this one are rare. First of all, there are not a ton of Christian middle grade fiction novels out there. Since middle grade fiction tends to be fairly clean, many Christian families buy general middle grade books for their kids. Second, and this is perhaps the most important, I believe this is the very first Christian fiction book I have ever read that featured a kid of color as the lead character. Aside from a couple of books set back during the Civil War or during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, (and even those often have a white lead character who is “struggling to understand” what is happening during those time periods) there are very few Christian middle grade books written from the African American perspective featuring a lead character who is also African American.

In the first book of The Coin Slot Chronicles, Arcade Livingston finds himself in a new city, attending a new school, dealing with new bullies, finding new friends, and also discovering a mysterious token that takes him and his friends to new places, times, and worlds. As Arcade and his sister are just beginning to figure out how the token works, they discover that someone else is after it as well. Someone who wants to use the token for evil. Can they keep the token out of evil hands and finish their homework?

Rashad Jennings has given us an incredible first entry to a great series. I laughed out loud several times while reading and also gasped as the plot unraveled. Arcade is instantly one of the most likeable heroes of middle grade fiction, and has his own journey to travel throughout the book.

I will say there are plenty of mysteries to solve here, and by the end of the book, only a few reveals are given, leaving other mysteries to be solved in book two. If your kids are looking for a fun, lighthearted, slightly fantastical read (or if you’re looking for one as well!) you cannot do wrong by picking up Arcade and the Triple T Token.

Now on to book two!

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BOOK REVIEW: Rumor of a Werewolf by Eddie Jones

Rumor of a Werewolf by Eddie Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Since it’s “spooky season” I’ve been enjoying reading through Eddie Jones’ Monster Mysteries series. However, while book four, Rumor of a Werewolf has some fun moments, it also seemed to falter a bit. One of the biggest strengths of the previous three books was the setting. Jones excels at creating spooky scenes that really get your imagination cranking. But with this latest entry, I found myself a little underwhelmed by the setting. This book takes place in Sleepy Hollow, NY, which has plenty of atmosphere from its famous associations with Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but none of that chilly pumpkin charm shows up here.

Nick Caden is on another case, this time in Sleepy Hollow, where a woman has been found murdered, and all the clues point to a werewolf as the culprit. As Nick closes in on the killer, he discovers that the werewolf has caught his scent, and it’s only a matter of time before the full moon rises and Nick ends up the next victim.

Storylines from the previous three books are loosely continued here, and there definitely is a bit of suspended belief required to follow the sometimes loose logic leaps Nick takes in order to solve the case. Once again, there are some subtle clues that point to the killer along the way, but only by guessing a little blindly can you solve the crime before Nick does.

Throughout the story, there is a traveling group of sleuths dressed as famous TV detectives from the 1970’s and 1980’s who show up for a recurring gag, and while I understand Nick knowing who all of these characters are because he watches mystery shows in order to solve crimes, I also felt as though readers today would most likely be completely unaware of many of the names mentioned. I feel as though I only knew some because my parents loved those shows and we watched some of them as kids. However, kids today would likely have no idea who Jessica Fletcher, Kojak, or Columbo even is.

As far as other content in the story, the gore in this one is ratcheted up a notch, especially since a werewolf is in play. There are a few scenes that pushed this firmly into the Young Adult category, and parents with younger readers may want to check this one out first before letting their kids dive in. The other potential caution here is this book is particularly heavy on comments about women and how they look. Nothing is graphic, or overt, but at a couple of moments I was a little taken back by the commentary on the women in the story. Again, nothing here is inappropriate per say, but parents of younger readers may want to check it out for themselves first.

No spoilers, but I will say there are a few lingering story threads from previous books in the series that show up here as teasers for what might happen in book five.

All said, Rumor of a Werewolf was a little disappointing in comparison to the previous books in Monster Mysteries, but here’s hoping that book five, Phantom Gunslinger picks things back up.

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BOOK REVIEW: Dead Low Tide by Eddie Jones

Dead Low Tide by Eddie Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to admit: Eddie Jones’ Monster Mysteries series has been my guilty pleasure this spooky season. Each book is a quick read, highly entertaining, and often have a few great action scenes that really get the blood pumping. Even if each book is very light on character development, and sometimes the spiritual connections are intriguing conversation starters, these books are all about the atmosphere. Jones can create more atmosphere in under 200 pages than I have ever seen in any other series.

Dead Low Tide, book number three, sets up more fun and creepy action for Nick Caden as his family spends a short vacation on an island off the Carolinas while his dad interviews for a new job. However, things get rolling along right from the beginning as Nick’s sister Wendy is zombie-napped. It’s not until Nick starts getting messages from a dead girl that the pieces begin to fall into place. And when the dust settles, zombies will be the least of Nick’s worries.

The mystery and storytelling are a little tighter here than in the first two books of the series, however, as with the previous books, there are also moments with a few logic leaps that make sense in retrospect, but definitely left me scratching my head as to how Nick was able to piece it together. There is more genuine danger in the story, and for parents to note, there are also a couple of moments where the author makes veiled references to teenage partying that has gotten “out of hand.” This book in particular has definitely moved up to the Young Adult category. There is also mention of a “date rape drug” at one point, which if younger readers are encountering this book, might bring up some conversations and questions.

All said, Dead Low Tide had some great atmosphere that left me checking the darker corners of the room a couple times before settling back into the story. If you’re looking for a fun and easy spooky read this season, this is one that will definitely scratch the itch.

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BOOK REVIEW: Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church by Soong-Chan Rah

Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church by Soong-Chan Rah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


During 2020 in the United States of America, we have seen our fair share of difficult, traumatic, and horrifying seasons. Between global pandemics, political fervor at a fever pitch and ready to explode, the saga of what is truth and what is fake, and natural disasters from tornadoes to hurricanes to wildfires, this has been quite the year. But it has also been an important year because this was the year that racism and cultural identity came to the forefront of public discussion after the tragic deaths of several African-Americans. This conversation was not able to be had in person due to social distancing and quarantines that have affected our country and disallowed people to have this important conversation in person rather than over social media, blogs, podcasts, and the news.

Soong-Chan Rah’s Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church will not solve these issues. It will not be the sudden revelation that leads to widespread heart change across the United States. It really only scratches a tiny surface of space and allows readers to enter in to the discussion with a toe. But it is an important scratch, especially for those who are in ministry, and for those who are new to the culture conversation.

Let me begin by defining what I mean and what Rah means by culture. “Culture” is a buzz word in many evangelical circles that conjures up images of an oppressed church by a “wicked culture” that seeks to destroy the foundations of Christianity at every turn. While this may be the way some view culture, this is not what Rah is presenting. When he talks about Cultural Intelligence, he is talking more in terms of the ways that groups of people operate in their daily lives: from the types of food that a group may prefer, or music, or film, or ways of communicating. For example, some cultures communicate very directly, with facts and numbers, and seldom tell stories to illustrate an idea, while other cultures are the exact opposite, and will never tell you directly what they are thinking and love stories as way of communication.

Throughout the book, Rah talks about the vast lack of cross-cultural intelligence existing in the United States in particular. Most groups tend to stick together and rarely find ways to cross into each others’ worlds. This is what the book is all about: answering the question of how we extend a hand to others within the body of Christ and respect their culture by seeking to understand, experience, and even embrace it. This is a difficult, difficult task, and Rah starts there by saying it will be hard. It will cause many to have uncomfortable feelings and emotions as they process their own culture, the history of the United States, and then find ways to bridge the gaps that need to be bridged.

Rah doesn’t sit only in theory, as some books in this genre do. The last third of the book is dedicated to practical ways to seek to love one another through hospitality, the telling of stories, journeying together through difficult experiences, and looking at the ways our churches in particular operate and how they may or may not be welcoming to others.

For those who have read other books on the topic, this will not necessarily be new information. Much of the beginning two-thirds may seem repetitive against other works that have spent more time with the subject. However, the last third is particularly helpful, and relevant to the current social climate in the United States as a way forward to discussion, understanding, and bridging the gaps in culture between races.