Alex Forrest

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The Green Ember: A Review

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The Green EmberI almost put it down after the first page or two. Did I really want to read a story about rabbits?

That would have been a mistake. Because these rabbits have swords, and this is more than a children’s book.

I came upon The Green Ember when it was on sale at Amazon and bought it because I thought it might be a good book for the kids. When I saw reviews that mentioned words like “Narnia” I was intrigued. Would this book deliver?

Yes.

The Green Ember is S.D. Smith’s story of a fanciful rabbit kingdom whose former glory was a bittersweet memory for some and a bedtime tale for others. The plot centers around the unexpected adventures of two young rabbits named Picket and Heather, a brother and sister whose story is intertwined with a larger story in ways they never imagined.

emberWhen their seemingly idyllic and obscure world is suddenly turned upside down Heather and Picket find themselves in the middle of a wild, confusing, and desperate adventure. They are launched into the center of a struggle for the soul and future of a kingdom they had barely known existed.

It’s a gripping adventure and a beautiful story. I honestly found it very difficult to put this book down (I stayed up way too late a couple nights). This children’s book captivated this adult reader.

It’s a story with wild chases, unfolding mystery, tenacious hope, costly betrayal, epic battles, and plenty of imagination. Discerning readers will recognize that the story flows from an imagination that is rooted in a biblical worldview, but fortunately Smith is not preachy or cheesy about it.

As the story unfolds, there are nuggets of wonderful spiritual insight that will hopefully lead you to consider what it means to long for and live in the tension of the already/not yet Kingdom of God. The Mended Wood beckons.

So go get this book now!

You won’t regret it. I will absolutely give The Green Ember to my kids. It would likely be perfect for reading aloud as a family too, if you’re into that. (There’s an audio version as well).

Bottom line: Children and adults alike will enjoy The Green Ember (and wait eagerly for the sequel).

(This post contains affiliate links – meaning if you click through and buy the book, we’ll both be winners. Please and thank you!)

Proof

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We spent many years in Louisville, KY, while I was doing MDiv and PhD work at Southern Seminary. While we were there we got involved with a new church plant being led by fellow student Daniel Montgomery. Though it started pretty small, today Sojourn is a large and thriving church with multiple campuses and an incredible music and arts ministry. We still miss it!

ProofCover

A lot of that growth is the result of Daniel’s charismatic leadership and his outstanding Bible teaching. He’s honestly a brilliant guy with a vibrant heart for the Gospel, authentic Christian community, and the mission of the church. Though we moved away many years ago, I still consider Daniel a friend.

That’s why i’m excited he’s written (with Timothy Paul Jones) a book called PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace.

The book is a call to freedom through God’s grace:

Like a strong drink, God’s grace is intoxicating and dangerous. It simultaneously leaves you staggering and empowers you to stand. God’s grace not only declares us “not guilty!” in his presence, it changes our relationship with God—forever.

PROOF is an acronymn that stands for:

  • Planned grace
  • Resurrecting grace
  • Outrageous grace
  • Overcoming grace
  • Forever grace

Here’s an introductory video:

Have you read Proof? What did you think?

Reviewing Pujols: More Than the Game

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We watch a lot of sports at my house, and while my boys are still pretty young, I’m sensitive to wanting them to observe not just the athletic exploits, but things like sportsmanship, attitude, and character. As baseball season approaches, we’re eagerly awaiting some Braves baseball, and watching our favorite players (guys like McCann, Heyward, and Chipper). But there’s little doubt that the best player in the game is the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols. The nice thing about Pujols is that he’s someone you can point your son to with confidence that this is a guy with character, who approaches the game the right way, and whose priorities and values match our own. A new biography, Pujols: More Than the Game, seeks to make the case for his greatness both on and off the field.

There is a formal disclosure below about the fact that I got the book for free. Full disclosure also would require that I consider Tim Ellsworth, the co-author, to be a friend.

The book essentially lays out two goals: (1) to prove that Albert Pujols is the greatest player in the game today and one of the greatest ever; and (2) to prove that he is great off the field as well, and that his off-field greatness flows from his relationship with Jesus Christ. These two goals are interwoven in a fairly cyclical pattern where you get one chapter of baseball stuff, usually tracing a particular season in Pujols’ career, and one chapter talking about his off-field life, focusing on how his relationship with Christ influences him.

As to the first goal, there are a lot of stats to back up the claim. Baseball people love their stats, and while I’m a baseball fan, statistics cause my eyes to glaze over. The recounts of each season are sprinkled with highlights and lowlights and occassional anecdotes. If you’re a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, you’ll probably really enjoy these chapters. If you’re not, then you may find these chapters less interesting.

The second goal encompasses the most interesting components of the book for me. Here we learn about Pujols’ conversion experience, his very solid family life, and his charitable work (he is deeply involved in projects in his native Dominican Republic and in work with the Downs Syndrome community). It’s interesting and amusing to hear of the first baseman asking opposing baserunners where they’d go if they died tonight. It’s cool to read about him leading a teammate to Christ and taking younger Latin players under his wing. Though he has a reputation as being prickly with the press, Pujols seems to be a man whose walk with Christ genuinely influences how he lives and works. A cursory look around the modern sports landscape affirms that this is not all that common. He’s a guy who is a true role model, though far from perfect. Though the authors do occasionally mention his shortcomings, the charge could be made that they are a bit too laudatory in their assessment.

This is honestly not a particularly inspirational story in the sense that it will change your life or something like that. But it’s well written and reads well. If you’re a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals I think you’d love it. If Pujols played for the Braves I’m sure I’d love the book because I’d be more invested in the baseball parts. But it’s a nice, casual read that will interest general sports fans and those who are interested in how a Christian uses a major platform for good.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Bible Story Books for Little Kids

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If you’re a Christian parent, you’ve probably seen or been given a number of Bible story books for kids. There are scores of them out there, and they are of varying quality. I submit that Bible stories are not just moralistic tales like Aesop’s Fables, but far too many publications are oriented that way. Instead, the stories in the Bible begin to draw us into the Story of the Bible, which is the Gospel.

From the ones that I’ve seen, The Big Picture Story Bible is my personal favorite Bible story book for kids. The stories are written in a manner that is suitable for young kids. At present, my 5-year-old is very interested in these stories and looks forward to reading the next one each night. My 3-year-old is not quite there yet. Obviously each child is different – we’ve used this book for a couple years, but I’d say it’s tough for someone younger than 4. But for kids in that 4-6 range (maybe older?) this book is a great fit.

Obviously the stories are short enough for short attention spans. The thing I like about it, though, is that the biblical narrative, the “Big Story” is in view in each of the little stories. It fits together to introduce children to the narrative arc of the Bible, the story of creation/fall/redemption.

There’s also a Kindle version as well.

I’m definitely interested in hearing about other options as well. What have you found?

Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

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One of the things that I like best about Mark Driscoll is that he doesn’t speak Christianese. It is refreshing to listen to someone who is not a product of or immersed in the modern American Evangelical subculture. I suspect that that is also one of the reasons he rubs some people the wrong way.

Driscoll’s new book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev, has generated some controversy on the web. (I’m admittedly late to the party in commenting on the book.) Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, a church that has become well known and influential in recent years, especially among younger, missional evangelicals. In this book, Driscoll tells the story of Mars Hill from its founding in his living room to becoming the mega-church that it is today.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is really interesting and full of practical insight. There are also many times where Driscoll chases various theological rabbits which are usually as funny as they are interesting. And I think that Driscoll is usually right on target in his analysis. There is no question that Driscoll is a funny guy – his cynical and sarcastic sense of humor is one that appeals to me but probably won’t appeal to everyone. There aren’t many books that make me laugh out loud, but this one did on numerous occassions. With that said, however, there are times where Driscoll probably too caustic crosses a line.

One danger in a book like this is that there may be those who seek to just copy Mars Hill or Mark Driscoll. There are good ideas and good principles at work here. Driscoll challenges all Christians to pursue an unapologetically biblical and missional approach to life and church. Mark Driscoll is someone we need to listen to.

McLaren not so Subtle

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Flipping through a catalog from Baker Books I came across a book by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger entitled Emerging Churches. From the write up it appears to be a sympathetic look at the movement (errr… conversation). The thing I found kind of interesting was the endorsement from Brian McLaren, in which he takes a not so subtle swipe at DA Carson: “If you want to be truly conversant with emerging churches, this is the book to read.” (Carson wrote a book on the Emerging Church entitled Becoming Conversant with Emergent that was rather critical and, hence, not well received by those inside the, ummmm, loosely affiliated network(?).) Not a big deal, just something I found interesting.

Tolerance in Islam

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As part of my classwork for a seminar on Islam, I’m currently reading a book titled The Place of Tolerance in Islam. Some people, upon hearing the title, think it is an oxymoron. Perhaps you do too. Indeed, the dominant picture of Islam that we have here in the West is certainly not one of tolerance. And it can rightly be debated (and is in this book) as to whether or not there is a place for tolerance in the Qu’ran.

I only mention this because it seems to me that we tend to think of Islam as a monolithic faith, when indeed there are a range of opinions on various issues related to theology and practical living. There are, for lack of a better term, liberal Muslims, moderate Muslims, conservative Muslims, fundamentalist Muslims, etc. Sound familiar?

Of course, most in the Muslim world likewise tend to think of Christianity as a monolithic faith. Unfortunately, they see the West as a Christian culture, and thus Western culture is a reflection of Christian values. While many Christians seem to have the idea that this nation, for example, is at its heart a Christian nation, most of us who live here can quite obviously tell that it is not. We are able to distinguish between true Christianity and “cultural” Christianity (and, for that matter, secularism that depends on faint vestiges of a previously held worldview rooted in Christianity). When your impression of Christianity is rooted in a dubious history of colonial domination and exploitation, and current Hollywood films…. you tend to think it is an immoral and baseless religion.

The professor leading our seminar observed that, when someone compares his religion (whether Christian, Muslim, etc.) to another religion, he tends to compare the ideal of his own religion to the lived reality of the other. So the Christian tends to compare the ideal and goal of biblical teaching with what he sees at work in the Muslim world, somewhere like Iran or Saudi Arabia. The Muslim likewise compares the Qu’ranic ideal with what he sees at work in America. I thought it was an interesting observation.

So is there a place for tolerance in Islam? I suppose it depends on who you ask. If you ask an Islamic scholar at an American university, you will likely hear an affirmative answer. They will talk about certain passages in the Qu’ran that emphasize such a theme, they will emphasize periods in history when Islamic civilization was the most advanced in the world and tolerated religious minorities in its midst. If you ask a conservative imam, you will hear the opposite response, emphasizing different passages of the Qu’ran and other historical periods (like colonization). As things stand now, the conservatives seem to have the position of greatest influence, and the fundamentalists get all the press.

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