My first paid writing gig came about through the strangest of circumstances. A broken hotel ice machine led to a chance late-night conversation in an elevator, which later led to an offer to write a book. When it came out, I think I must have carried that resource around with me for 2 days straight with a big grin on my face. There is a certain thrill that comes with seeing one's name in print, I'd have to admit. Now, twelve years, eight books, and over 200 articles and blog posts later, I'm somewhat more comfortable with calling myself a writer...but I'm not all that keen about heavily promoting my work. However, since an Oprah appearance isn't in my future, I hope you will indulge me as I introduce you to my latest work, Burst: Green Church, which has just been released. I saw the final version yesterday, and I have to say in all honesty that it's my favorite—and probably most important—thing I've ever written. 

What does God look like?” “Where can I find God?” “What is God’s real name?” “Why do bad things happen?” “Do I have to love people who are mean to me?” If you spend time with young children, you may have heard some of these questions. If we are truthful, many of us who call ourselves adults sometimes have these questions, too. Although it does not have all the answers, (Oh, that it were so easy!) the book Hide & Seek with God by Mary Ann Moore can provide you with stories that will help you explore these questions with the children in your life.

The aisle of children's ministry books is not the first place I head when I visit my local Cokesbury store. The number of children's ministry books on my shelves is quite tiny in comparison to just about every other Christian education topic. (And if memory serves, I haven't yet reviewed a children's ministry book on Different Voice.) But this week, one new book will take its place on my "favorite Christian education resources" shelf, and it's a book for use with children between 8 and 12 years old: Building a Heart of Faith: Talking about God and Jesus with Kids. It's the first time I've come across a book that applies process theology to children's ministry, and it does so quite nicely!

Today's guest blogger is Rev. Dawn B. Young, Ed.D., the Director of Christian Education for the Louisiana Conference.

There is much talk and concern about how to engage young adults in the church. And interestingly enough, young people tell researchers that while they are not particularly interested in “church” they are interested in the things that churches do. Surprisingly, or not, a large majority of young people say that there are people in the world and issues of the world that need to be addressed and they are interested in working towards solutions. Hence, young adults who claim that the church is “hypocritical” and “judgmental,” want to engage in what amounts to mission. No group is more representative of this particular reality than those involved in the “New Monastic” movement. Although the leadership of New Monastic communities largely emerges from Christian related educational programs, they have attracted a large following of people who are not initially Christian. Let’s review several books that could serve as study tools to prepare a church for associating with or establishing a New Monastic community in their neighborhood, or would serve as a challenge to churches about living in a radical way even within the comfort of our own homes.

Looking for some new songs for worship? Would you like songs that are contemporary and singable? Are you interested in worship songs that at times challenge and at other times reassure? How about songs that reflect an inclusive and justice-loving theology? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I highly recommend that you take a listen to Bryan Sirchio’s latest CD, “Something Beautiful for God: 24 Songs for Worship and Group Singing”.

The songs on this CD are the same songs in the previously available “Something Beautiful for God” piano songbook. For the CD Bryan has produced the songs as he would do them with a worship band in church. Therefore, listening to the CD will give you an idea of what each song sounds like and which ones you might use for worship. Of course, if you are not in charge of worship music, you can simply listen to the CD, as I do!

If asked to recommend some good books about Paul for laypersons and church professionals, there are several candidates that would come to mind. Two, though, would receive my top recommendation. Borg and Crossan's The First Paul would be tops on my list for its lucid and important description of the de-radicalization of Paul's message by the early church. (Read my review here.) Next, I'd recommend a forthcoming novel, A Wretched Man: A Novel of Paul the Apostle by RW Holmen, a compelling exploration of the Jewish (Nazarenes) and Gentile (Pauline) movements in the first century. If you've ever struggled to understand Paul's form of faith, Holmen's work of historical fiction will help you to imagine your way into Paul's life and times.

A Wretched Man takes its title from Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" and refers more specifically within the novel to Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7) which has been the focus of scholarly speculation for hundreds of years. Many theories about just what that "thorn" was, including earaches, headaches, sciatica, rheumatism, demonic possession, epilepsy, bad eyesight, lust, depression, a literally embedded thorn, and many other off-beat possibilities. In recent years, some scholars have suggested Paul's thorn was repressed homosexuality. John Shelby Spong, for example, takes this view, writing in his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism that, "A rigidly controlled gay male, I believe, taught the Christian church what the love of God means." (p. 125). 

Rev. Dawn B. Young, Ed.D. is the Director of Christian Education for the Louisiana Conference. She also reviews books for Different Voice. This month, Dawn reviewed women’s study books or studies on Women in the Bible.

Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You by John MacArthur

I am continually asked about Bible study resources for women. For women in mainline or progressive churches there is a lack of strong study materials. While there is a plethora of works that are either watered down or steeped in denominational dogma, little is available for hardcore Biblical exploration that focuses upon women. Personally, I don’t like to categorize Biblical studies, but I do understand the need and more importantly the desire. So let me take a look at a few mainline Bible studies that focus upon women.

Imagine if you will a unique kind of 2000-piece puzzle. Each puzzle box contains just a few pieces, and those pieces have multiple possible places where they may fit. In fact, some pieces can look like they belong, when in reality they just don't fit at all, since the puzzle box doesn't come with a photo of the completed puzzle on the cover. The person who wants to try to put together the whole puzzle has to assemble a whole lot of chaos and ultimately try make some sense of it all. And the likelihood is, even if someone puts together a mostly complete picture, there's a darn good chance someone else will later determine there's an even better way to assemble the pieces. To further complicate matters, millions of people sit on the outside, arguing about this or that placement of a puzzle piece and making daily proclamations about the ultimate meaning of the puzzle for people's lives.

By now, you've probably realized that my illustration is a pretty good description of what it's like to be a biblical scholar. Each individual specializes in some particular niche—epigraphy, cultural customs, textual variants, political systems, and many others—then adds his or her knowledge to the mix. Every so often, a revolutionary theory will pop up that changes the way people understand a large chunk of the biblical text, such as the Q theory of the synoptic gospels' formation, or the Documentary Hypothesis of the formation of the Pentateuch. For many Christians, learning about these theories can inspire anger, frustration, confusion, doubt, or denial, while others find ways of integrating the new information into their belief system, even if that requires a pretty radical personal shift. If you're inclined to be an "integrator," then click to read more. But don't say I didn't warn you...

Imagine a party where the guests in attendance include Buddha, Mohammed, Abraham and Jesus. The occasion: a birthday party for Jesus. Now imagine a song about such a party. If your imagination is feeling stretched, there is no need to tax it any longer. Get yourself a copy of the CD, Behold by The River’s Voice, and listen to “The Birthday Party”. This song is just one of the fifteen musical gems you will find on the Christmas CD, Behold.

Like most individuals who were religion majors in college and/or went to seminary, I've had to study other religions, differences in denominational theology and polity, and philosophical debates about God. Yet my awareness of Humanism, one of the largest "lifestances" in the world, was sketchy at best before reading this exceptional book by Greg Epstein, the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University. What is Humanism, and why should you care?

Here's my review of Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe (2009, William Morrow, 250 pp.)