Posts

Showing posts from January 6, 2013

Book Review: "We Became Men: The Journey into Manhood"

We Became Men: The Journey into Manhood Shawn Brower P & R Publishing Company PO Box 817 Phillipsburg, NJ 08865-0817 www.prpbooks.com Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-1-59638-386-9; $14.99 Reviewed for Deus Misereatur by: Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber Taking the Trek – 4 ½ of 5 stars There I was, wondering what to pick up for my sons. I was looking for material at the Christian bookstore I could hand to my teenage boys, but was uncertain of the content and ignorant of the authors. I headed home, puzzled about what to do next or where to look. On my arrival at the house I picked up the mail and saw that Shawn Brower had recently written a 240 page paperback for teen boys, “We Became Men: The Journey into Manhood.” My interest was piqued and into the book I dove! Brower comes at his subject with the solid experience-base from being a long-time teen soccer coach, headmaster and teacher of Christian schools, a father of three boys, and himself having once been a teenage

The First Sunday after the Epiphany: a Prayer for 2013

“ O LORD , we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people which call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” (1928 Book of Common Prayer ). Clergy, congregations and denominations often struggle with direction, sustainability and viability, especially in cloudy, complex seasons; or at least, one hopes that they do. The human predicament we find ourselves in makes fidelity difficult at times because we live in the twilight between the passing away of darkness and dawning of the light (1 John 2.8b).  True enough, God has entrusted us with his Holy Scriptures and guided the Church in her understanding of the Word of God throughout the millennia. Nevertheless, not every circumstance, or societal moral mess, is covered in a clearly marked way. That means each generation of the Church, in a greater or lesser degree, must w

Very Short Review: "Dawn to Dark: A Book of Christian Prayer"

Image
{This will only take 2.35 minutes to read} Dawn to Dark: A Book of Christian Prayer R. Douglas Jones The House Studio PO Box 419527 Kansas City, MO 64141 www.thehousestudio.com ISBN: 978-0-8341-2825-5; $14.99 Copyright 2012 Reviewed by: Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur Useful Utility : 4 stars out of 5 The value of having some type of order in daily prayer has been noticed for centuries. From Sacramentaries to Breviaries, Christians have been churning out prayer books that are meant to help structure daily prayer. R. Douglas Jones has added a short work to the mix with his recent 286 page paperback, "Dawn to Dark: A Book of Christian Prayer." Jones covers two weeks of praying that pays attention to the "hours": "Prayer at Dawn", "Prayer at Daylight", and "Prayer at Dusk." The internal order of each session of prayer is fairly standard, including opening prayer, confession of sin, Psalm reading, praise (norma