Unless you’re just dead set against historical fiction, I’m quite confident you’ll find this book utterly engrossing. (Fiction)
Led by the Word
We must desire to feast on God’s living word daily so that we can truly find nourishment and growth. Without it, we will surely die of malnutrition.
Seeking Jesus
While the wise men sought to find Jesus, I watched a man yelling at police officers at the U.S. Capitol building while holding a flag with a Christian fish and the name of Jesus.
Conflict Top 5: Your Church Wants You to Read This
Sometimes Jesus engaged others and sometimes he didn’t. However, what he didn’t do was quit, avoid, or escalate the situation. Read on for a quick conflict refresher.
“The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion
I have often recommended this book to those who are grieving, and all of them have affirmed how true it is. When it comes to honestly dealing with grief, Didion’s book goes to the top of the stack.
“The Ten-Cent Plague” by David Hajdu
Imagine. A threat to the moral, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of young people all over America. (Nonfiction)
Top 10 of 2020
In the spirit of this naturally reflective season, and because it’s just what bloggers and blog editors are supposed to do in December or January, here’s a look back at the top 10(ish) Mosaic articles published in 2020.
What Did Mary Know?
Making the meme circuit again this Christmas is a new classic that takes on the almost-30-year-old question: Mary, did you know?
“Mister Monkey” by Francine Prose
Mister Monkey is an absolutely awful children’s musical about a pet chimpanzee who has a penchant for theft. This terrible play is performed by a cast of very broken people. There you have it.
An Extra Candle
Special days and seasons tend to have a polarizing effect on our emotions and spiritual lives. Do you feel this every year too?
“The Eichmann Trial” by Deborah Lipstadt
Lipstadt argues that Eichmann was not just a little man following orders but a convinced Nazi and anti-Semite committed to the program of genocide. (Nonfiction)
New Books for Church Leaders
As the year comes to a close, I’d like to recommend six brand new books that you might find particularly helpful as you pursue God’s preferred future in 2021.
Resource Highlight: Siburt Institute 2020 Digital Resource Roundup
Whether you wish to catch up on a live webinar you missed or to use a Summit guidebook as a small group discussion guide, I invite you explore the numerous new resources we developed this year.
Don’t Forget the Spouses!
Over the years I have heard many stories of spoken and unspoken expectations on the spouse. This has varied from the assumption of specific ways they would be involved at church to expectations regarding employment.
Take Care of Your Old Flock
Let me suggest three specific ways to express value and worth to our older members.
Where Christmas Starts
The first lesson of Christmas is to keep showing up even when your miracle hasn’t.
“The Storytelling Animal” by Jonathan Gottschall
This is one of those must-read books for preachers. One of the primary tasks we face is to give our congregants a story to live by. (Nonfiction)
For Ministers Who Would Like to Facilitate Gender Inclusion, Start Here
If you’re a male minister and have had gender inclusion on your mind for a short while or long while, you are among many ministers who are in the same boat, and the struggle is real.
“Terrorist” by John Updike
Although there is a fable-like quality to the story, I found the characters to be more or less believable and the plot to be quite suspenseful. (Fiction)
Liberals and Conservatives Can Benefit From Each Other
In the last year or so, I have stopped pretending I can somehow bridge the divide and have instead devoted myself to understanding it.