Deus Misereatur

The Lord Is Good: Seeking the God of the Psalter Christopher R.J. Holmes IVP Academic InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515 ISBN: 978-0-8308-4883-6; $27.00; January 2018 Friends I know who have been to Africa tell me that they often have heard in African churches a responsive invocation, where the leader declares one statement, and the congregation replies. “God is good * all the time! All the time * God is good!” What a beautiful way for God’s people to be reminded of the goodness of God no matter their circumstances. Yet what does it mean to say that God is good. The idea of goodness, and especially with reference to God, can mean different things for different people. Christopher R.J. Holmes, associate professor in systematic theology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, rigorously addresses the goodness of God in his new 224 page softback, “The Lord Is Good: Seeking the God of the Psalter”. This is a new installment in IVP Academic...

A Prayer Journal by Flannery O'Connor My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'm not sure how happy she would have been with this volume. I suspect she would have blustered and blushed scarlet. Nevertheless, this tiny little book is the publication of Flannery O'Connor's prayers while she was in graduate school at the University of Iowa from 1946 to 1947. In many ways it is a touching read to be perusing the musings of her soul as they spilled out on the page. The first half of "A Prayer Journal" is introduced by W.A. Sessions, who visited and corresponded with O'Connor during those years. Then for the next several pages are the prayers of O'Connor, aesthetically cleaned up and mildly re-punctuated. The last half presents facsimiles of the original handwritten journal. The prayers show the soul-wrestling of a young woman who believed, and prayed God to help her unbelief, "Dear God, I don't want to have invented my faith to satisfy my weakness. I don...

We give you thanks, O LORD, with our whole heart; before the gods we sing your praise; we bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day we called, you answered us; our strength of soul you increased (Psalm 138.1-3). Hear us again as we pray for your world and Church. We pray that the day will soon arrive when all the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, when they will hear the words of your mouth, and sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD (Psalm 138.4-5). To this end we pray for you to raise up men and women, individuals and families, who will take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all lands, to every tribe and ethnic group. Bless the work of For the Children’s Sake Foundation ; International Justice Mission ; and Compassion International . Fill their manpower gaps and their monetary essentials. Open doors...