December 3, 2024

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: Practicing Hope: Missions and Global Crises
Photo by Denniz Futalan from Pexels
Hardship, Training, Book Reviews, Pre-field Training

Book Review: Practicing Hope: Missions and Global Crises

Every year the Evangelical Missiological Society publishes a monograph containing papers from the previous year’s annual meeting. This year’s title is Practicing Hope: Missions and Global Crises, edited by Jerry Ireland and Michelle Raven. Yet before we assume the book is talking about COVID-19, we need to remember that when these papers were presented, no one knew a pandemic was coming. Jerry Ireland notes: In September 2019 almost 300 missionaries, missiologists, sociologists, theologians, anthropologists, and students gathered near Dallas for the annual meeting of the Evangelical Missiological Society. The theme was “Missions Amid Global Crises.” I do not think that any of us would have dreamed that eight months later the world would be engulfed in a global pandemic because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Overview of book Though none of the twelve chapters address the current pandemic crisis, these papers give us much to learn and apply. The chapter titles… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
A book about planning to live well after 40
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Finishing Well, Book Reviews, Growth Plans

A book about planning to live well after 40

What does wellness look like after 40? Why should we care? We find helpful and practical answers in Wellness for the Glory of God: Living Well After 40 with Joy and Contentment in All of Life by John Dunlop, MD. The author focuses on wellness in the second half of life. In the introduction, he explains what the book is about:       What strategies can we who are getting older adopt that will maximize our chances to endure the challenges of our later days and continue to be well? The essence of this book is expressed in the title. Wellness depends on living with a purpose that goes beyond the here and now. Over and over I have seen that one way in which Christians can stay well in their twilight years is to keep their focus on God, his greatness, and his glory. The suggested strategies call… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley2 mins read
Resources, Book Reviews

A Preventive Guide to Raising Healthy TCKs

Raising Up a Generation of Healthy Third Culture Kids: A Practical Guide to Preventive Care by Lauren Wells is a preventive guide that offers a whole toolbox of practical helps for parents of TCKs. This book is a recent addition to the SEND U wiki MK/TCK Resources page for the parents of MKs/TCKs. A few weeks ago, Sharon Wicker reviewed another resource from that wiki page. Filling a gap On this page are several books that have been go-to resources for years. They are tools that are great for helping parents and others to understand what a Third Culture Kid is. These books help us understand how growing up in a culture different from one’s parents will shape and impact who we are. Two books in particular do a great job describing what a TCK is. They are Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David… Read the whole post
Teena Embaugh2 mins read
Book Reviews

Book Review: Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture

Too often, in my opinion, books on spiritual warfare start from experience and speculation and then hunt through Scripture for proof texts. Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach takes a different approach. It begins instead by surveying the Bible’s teaching on spiritual warfare from Genesis to Revelation and then develops practical applications. William F. Cook III and Chuck Lawless are both professors at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with extensive pastoral experience. Their book not only contributes to our understanding of what the Bible teaches about spiritual warfare but also provides a model for exploring any topic for those who believe the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. Promising Endorsements As the reader opens the book, the endorsements and forward raise one’s expectations for what lies ahead. Clinton E. Arnold (who has written a few books on spiritual… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley2 mins read
Telling a Better Story – a book review
Book Reviews, Evangelism, Storying, Worldview

Telling a Better Story – a book review

What does telling stories have to do with apologetics? My interest was sparked when I saw this new book on apologetics focusing on telling stories earlier this summer. Apologetics has traditionally been oriented to philosophy and logic. Yet most people understand life through stories they seek to practice. Expressing the reason for the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15) is best communicated through stories. People relate to stories better than to formal syllogisms. Josh Chatraw’s new book, Telling a Better Story: How to Talk About God in a Skeptical Age (Zondervan, 2020) reimages apologetics for today’s context. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 – A Better Story About Apologetics; Part 2 – Offering a Better Story; Part 3 – Objections to the Story. He writes the following about apologetics:       Once viewed as a tool to win debates, apologetics is now becoming more focused on… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley2 mins read
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