NextChurch.Now is loaded, I mean loaded, with information about starting new faith communities or helping your current faith community draw persons in modern society to a deeper connection with God. Two things make this book particularly important. First, the author makes scriptural connections that are utterly relevant. Second, the indepth research and knowledge about our culture and about leading persons to lives of love and discipleship create a combination that few have been able to articulate with such clarity and hopefulness. I was completely caught off guard by how moved I was by some of the real life stories and illustrations that bring concepts to reality. Craig's insights on leadership, knowing your people, ministry with new people groups, core values for a changing world, establishing a healthy core group for a new faith community, shaping an effective discipleship system, launching a new faith community (a new church or a new faith community within an existing congregation), and experienced based worship will benefit those new to this ministry along with the most experienced persons. You will not be disappointed because this book delivers. I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

There are plenty of commentaries on Revelation. The scholar has Beale and Aune, the student has got the less detailed but scholarly Mounce, and the layman has the rightly popular Hendriksen. There are a lot of other good commentaries out there, but it is hard to find one that stands out from the crowd.

This one by Professor Craig S Keener fills a need in that it is designed to apply the lessons of Revelation to contemporary life. Keener is no academic lightweight, he has already written a 1061 page commentary on Matthew, but he is no stodgy academic either, he is also actively involved in contemporary church life.

In the commentary he covers short sections of Revelation by first discussing the original meaning of the text, which he does reasonably well. Although I think more care is needed to bring out the meaning of the symbolism of Revelation. The layout could also be improved to make clearer which verse he is talking about. After the section on the original meaning there is a section which builds a bridge between the world of the bible and the world of today. Finally there is a longer section which applies the passage to contemporary western life. The pastor or teacher who has to teach Revelation will find this commentary very useful and it will help to answer the question. "Well what has all that Roman persecution got to do with us?" Craig Keener knows the Western church well enough to be suitably challenging in his application. He will also help to enlarge the horizon of an inward looking church. Because he applies Revelation to contemporary life a new edition will be required five to ten years hence.

The 576 page commentary is sufficiently detailed to answer the main questions posed by the text but it is not over detailed. The busy pastor will still need to supply some more analysis. The book has quite extensive footnotes, which can usually be ignored, and four indexes. Pastors and teachers will benefit from this book as well as students who want more than just an academic interest in Revelation. Good job Craig, look forward to the next edition.

This is by far Craig's most basic book. It was geared to lay people who are possibly suffering or at least asking questions such as, "Why is there suffering and pain?"

Not only does Craig cover the issues and questions surrounding suffering, but he discusses doubt in the life of a believer. He uses certain Scripture references to explain why doubt, while not necessarily a good thing, is not always a bad thing if we hand it over to God (Mark 9:24).

In the chapter titled "Failure," Craig tells the story of his second doctorate, under Pannenberg, where he initially failed his oral examination. The story itself is a very humbling story and actually encouraging in many ways. It is encouraging in the sense that here is a man (Dr. Craig) who is a great thinker in the area of Christian philosophy and apologetics, and yet he too has been confronted with failure. Which demonstrates that failure can happen to anyone, it is how we handle the trials of failure which make the difference in our Christian walk.

This is a nice change of pace from Craig's other more technical and scholarly works. The book itself is fairly easy to find in the used market, so Amazon should not have trouble tracking it down for you. It is well worth the search.

In the introduction to his book "Northern Reflections", Jerry Harju reveals that it's a book about growing up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the 1940's and is perhaps most appreciated by those who can identify with that.

While I'm familiar with Upper Michigan and its culture, I did not grow up in the 40's, and still found plenty of good reading here.

If you're new to reading humorous books (as I am), I recommend this one as a great place to start. It's an easy read, comprised of short chapters, each its own story, so you can pick it up, read a chapter, and come back for more later as time permits.

The author's humor has a wonderful way of sneaking up on a person. And just when I thought it couldn't get any funnier, I'd start the next chapter, and before I knew it, I'd find myself doubled over with even greater helpless laughter! Teens may appreciate it, too. From a first job, to dating, to his first car, Jerry covers it all, against the backdrop of small-town life in the rugged climate of northern Michigan.

"Yoopers" (as U.P.'ers are known), especially, should appreciate it; but even if you're not a Yooper, there's still lots to laugh about.

This book is wonderful to read. It is rather humorous though because of its time frame, late 40s. Even though these days girls no longer wear long skirts to sleigh rides, it addresses issues that the typical teenager comes upon these days, such as cliques, boys, and fashion. Gotta Love this book!

There are a lot of people who think that divorce is wrong, or a full-blown sin. I believe all of those people, as well as others, should read this book. Dr. Forward points out that leaving a relationship is a right, not a privilege, and gives an insightful portrait into the motivations of people, married, divorced, or single, who just can't let go. PLEASE READ!

Before I begin, I have to fess up -- I've been involved with The Offbeat as a writer and on-again-off-again editor since it started as a zine at Michigan State two years ago. The writing and production values have come a long way since then, and now it is an exceptional, not just professional, literary collection. (My five-star rating now has the appropriate double asterisk.)

The book begins with a good, eclectic set of poetry. Some of it requires some wading through, but there are several solid and even excellent pieces here. I think Andrew Hungerford's poems stand out here (there are two), especially "Pining for a Third Millenium." "I am a high priest for the / twenty-first century," Hungerford declares, in a Whitmanesque mood but not without irony. Another treat is the featured author section, with an article and selected poems by Meg McClure, another Michigan (nee Chicago) poet. There's a nice survey of McClure's work (including two new pieces) as well as a brief biographical and critical article. McClure is a very promising young poet, and it's astonishing how precocious she is in an early poem like "Sisterhood Haiku": '"We're a different breed," / you confessed one Tuesday night. / "We know what love is."'

The book also features a prose section, including an essay and four short stories from writers all over the map; MSU undergraduates, native New Yorkers, and young San Francisco writers. The Offbeat/1 is really a unique assemblage of breakthrough talent. I think that anyone interested in poetry or new fiction would be pleasantly surprised by just how good this collection is.

I wish The Sporting News would be this thorough for their hockey and baseball guides. They did a fantastic job of putting together a fact guide that not only encompasses the most recent completed season (1997-98), but all previous seasons that the NBA was in existence. I would highly recommend this as a companion to the NBA Official Encyclopaedia, in years the NBA Official Encyclopaedia isn't published, this can make an excellent companion update. Another alternative would be to buy the annual sports almanacs that are offered by CNNSI or ESPN.

This book is awesome. It talks about the past and present of a game they call "basketball." And, if you're a basketball lover, or you like watching basketball on TV, this is the book for you. It has directories of the front-office (like the GM) of each team and it has schedules of every game of every team. This is an awesome book, but if you just "hate" basketball, just get a biography of some famous basketball player and read it. You don't have to do whatever I say, but it works. I tried it on my sister. She hates basketball and I gave her a biography and she loved it. I also tried it on a couple of my friends. It works on them too. I also wouldn't get the book if you hate numbers. There are a lot of numbers in this book. Thanks for reading my review on a great "if your really bored" book!

For educators facing the challenge of integrating the new technologies into their schools curriculum, this book provides tremendous insight. Short on techno speak yet long on insight, this book should be read by everyone interested in the future of education.