I recently read the most challenging and inspiring book I’ve read in a long time. Unbelievably, it’s a book on tithing! Douglas Leblanc’s Tithing: Test Me in This is the latest title in the Ancient Practices Series. In this book Leblanc challenges us to practice the discipline of tithing. He does this not by undertaking an exegesis of relevant bible passages or preaching a sermon, but by interviewing people whose lives have been decidedly marked by tithing and generosity. These interviews include members of a 1970s intentional community, an author who has given away millions of dollars in book royalties, and a pastor helping a New Orleans’ neighborhood rebuild after Katrina. An interview with a Jewish rabbi gives useful background to the Old Testament commandments on tithing and generosity.
Leblanc looks at tithing not as an act of legalism but as an act of grace that is the doorway to a life of generosity. Tithing is discussed as a Christian practice through which God invites us to participate in His purposes in the world. Tithing is a means of grace through which one learns to live in the fullness of the Kingdom of God that is present now.
When I received a review copy of Tithing from Thomas Nelson, I anticipated reading it a few pages at a time, but was so inspired that I read the entire book in one day. I pray that my life would be marked by the radical dependence on God and joyful partnering in His work in the world that is seen in this book.
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I didn’t grow up in a church tradition that valued Communion as a regular practice. Instead, communion was an event, saved for a few special times a year. Like the family’s fancy china dishes, Communion was ensured to be special by its infrequent use. In The Sacred Meal
Gracefully reflecting on the practice of Communion in her life, Gallagher walks the reader through a threefold path of practicing Communion: waiting, receiving, afterward. In waiting, we prepare ourselves to enter into the practice of Communion, examining how we have lived-or not lived-in the reality of the present kingdom of heaven. In receiving, we open ourselves up to the presence of God, not through our effort, but by simply accepting the gift of God. In afterward, we allow the experience of Communion to seep into every aspect of our lives.
The Sacred Meal
Primal is a “reimagining” of the Great Commandment, discussing what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
As with Mark’s first two books, Primal inspired me to live fully for God and to attempt big things for God’s Kingdom.
I was especially moved by Mark’s suggestion in chapter 3 that Christians establish an income ceiling. “What would happen,” Mark asks, “if every Christ follower gave away everything above and beyond their predetermined income ceiling?”
Thomas Nelson recently sent me a copy of The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life
I didn’t grow up in a church that followed the rhythm of the liturgical calendar, but have slowly been learning the beauty of the liturgical life. Sr. Joan Chittister, though, has lived a lifetime being formed by the rhythms of the liturgical year. Reading The Liturgical Year
Here’s a number of books publishers have sent me to give away. Let me know if you’re interested in any of them. Any titles not claimed by 11:59 pm on October 31, 2009, will be released into the wild for the finding at IWU.
Here’s the available titles:
Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires
Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind all That Mom
Holy Roller: Finding Redemption and the Holy Ghost in a Forgotten Texas Church
The good people at Thomas Nelson sent me a copy of The Expanded Bible: New Testament
So, how useful is the expanded material provided in The Expanded Bible
Reading The Expanded Bible
Final Vote: Useful, but clunky.
To see a translation that does a good job of integrating notes into the text in a readable way, check out The Voice
Thanks to the good folks at Multnomah Books, here’s the second giveaway for Booktober Fest 09:
Holy Roller: Finding Redemption and the Holy Ghost in a Forgotten Texas Church
Book Summary:
Julie Lyons was working as a crime reporter when she followed a hunch into the South Dallas ghetto. She wasn’t hunting drug dealers, but drug addicts who had been supernaturally healed of their addictions. Was there a church in the most violent part of the city that prayed for addicts and got results?
At The Body of Christ Assembly, a rundown church on an out-of-the-way street, Lyons found the story she was looking for. The minister welcomed criminals, prostitutes, and street people–anyone who needed God. He prayed for the sick, the addicted, and the demon-possessed, and people were supernaturally healed.
Lyons’s story landed on the front page of the Dallas Times Herald. But she got much more than just a great story, she found an unlikely spiritual home. Though the parishioners at The Body of Christ Assembly are black and Pentecostal, and Lyons is white and from a traditional church background, she embraced their spirituality–that of “the Holy Ghost and fire.”
It’s all here in Holy Roller–the stories of people desperate for God’s help. And the actions of a God who doesn’t forget the people who need His power.
Want a free copy of Holy Roller
So, I know you’ve all been refreshing my blog every few minutes wondering who would win the much desired A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
K has hooked me up with several good free books in the past, including Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?
Congrats, K!
Thanks to the good folks at Thomas Nelson, I’m kicking of Booktober Fest 09 by giving away a copy of Don Miller’s Latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life
Read my review here.
Why do you want a free copy of this book? Leave a comment on this blog post between now and 11:59 PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2009, letting me know why you need/want this book. Feel free to be serious or funny or creative with your answer. :)
On Wednesday, October 7, I will pick one commenter to receive a copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
