Jesus and the Powers

The new book by N. T. Wright and Michael Bird is so good and comes at the right time as we head into an election season. Dive in and enjoy!

Here’s an overview via the publisher:

An urgent call for Christians everywhere to explore the nature of the kingdom amid the political upheaval of our day.

Should Christians be politically withdrawn, avoiding participation in politics to maintain their prophetic voice and to keep from being used as political pawns? Or should Christians be actively involved, seeking to utilize political systems to control the levers of power?

In Jesus and the Powers, N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird call Christians everywhere to discern the nature of Christian witness in fractured political environments. In an age of ascending autocracies, in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crises, Jesus is king, and Jesus’s kingdom remains the object of the church’s witness and work.

Part political theology, part biblical overview, and part church history, this book argues that building for Jesus’s kingdom requires confronting empire in all its forms. This approach should orient Christians toward a form of political engagement that contributes to free democratic societies and vigorously opposes political schemes based on autocracy and nationalism. Throughout, Wright and Bird reflect on the relevance of this kingdom-oriented approach to current events, including the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the China-Taiwan tension, political turmoil in the USA, UK, and Australia, and the problem of Christian nationalism.

Table of Contents

1. The kingdom of Jesus in the shadow of empire
2. The Church between Jesus and Caesar
3. Power and the ‘powers’ in early Christianity: John, Paul and the paradox of biblical politics
4. The kingdom of God as vision and vocation
5. The Church between submission and subversion
6. The Church resisting the powers of today
7. Liberalism and love in a time of fear and fragmentation
8. Conclusion

Jayber Crow

This is one I had not heard of until John Ortberg referenced it on a recent podcast episode. He said it was one of the best novels he had ever read — an endorsement that piqued my curiosity. I enjoyed it very much and I believe you will too: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry.

Here’s an overview of the book via the publisher’s website:

ABOUT JAYBER CROW

“This is a book about Heaven,” says Jayber Crow, “but I must say too that . . . I have wondered sometimes if it would not finally turn out to be a book about Hell.” It is 1932 and he has returned to his native Port William to become the town’s barber.

Orphaned at age ten, Jayber Crow’s acquaintance with loneliness and want have made him a patient observer of the human animal, in both its goodness and frailty.

He began his search as a “pre–ministerial student” at Pigeonville College. There, freedom met with new burdens and a young man needed more than a mirror to find himself. But the beginning of that finding was a short conversation with “Old Grit,” his profound professor of New Testament Greek. 

“You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out—perhaps a little at a time.”

“And how long is that going to take?”

“I don’t know. As long as you live, perhaps.”

“That could be a long time.”

“I will tell you a further mystery,” he said. “It may take longer.”

Wendell Berry’s clear–sighted depiction of humanity’s gifts—love and loss, joy and despair—is seen though his intimate knowledge of the Port William Membership. 

Death’s End

Here’s the final book in the Three Body Problem Series —  a science fiction trilogy also referred to as the Remembrance of Earth’s Past. I loved this series and really enjoyed the Netflix series called 3 Body Problem too. Check them out and let me know what you think (book 1 and book 2).

Here is a synopsis via the publisher:

The New York Times bestselling conclusion to the groundbreaking, Hugo Award-winning series from China’s most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu.

Half a century after the Doomsday Battle, the uneasy balance of Dark Forest Deterrence keeps the Trisolaran invaders at bay. Earth enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the infusion of Trisolaran knowledge. With human science advancing daily and the Trisolarans adopting Earth culture, it seems that the two civilizations will soon be able to co-exist peacefully as equals without the terrible threat of mutually assured annihilation. But the peace has also made humanity complacent.

Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the early twenty-first century, awakens from hibernation in this new age. She brings with her knowledge of a long-forgotten program dating from the beginning of the Trisolar Crisis, and her very presence may upset the delicate balance between two worlds. Will humanity reach for the stars or die in its cradle?

BEING HENRY

The past few years I’ve added a few autobiographies, memoirs, and biographies into my reading rotation. As a fan of “Happy Days” from my younger years, I found myself drawn to this memoir. So, I got the audio version via the Libby APP and listened to it in one day on a recent road trip. I was thoroughly captivated by his story, and I believe you will be too. BEING HENRY: The Fonz…and Beyond by Henry Winkler.

Here’s an overview via the publisher’s website:

From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.  

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence by his role as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.

Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he’s revealed himself as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as The Fonz, he could hardly find work.

Filled with profound heart, charm, and self-deprecating humor, Being Henry is a memoir about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and kindness and of finding fulfillment within yourself.

The Dark Forest

I enjoyed this one even more than the first book in this series (probably because everything felt more familiar after watching the Netflix series called 3 Body Problem). The Dark Forest is book 2 of the Three Body Problem Series —  a science fiction trilogy also referred to as the Remembrance of Earth’s Past. FYI: I have the final book in the trilogy on hold via the Libby APP (with a 4 week wait at the moment!).

Here is a synopsis of the book via the publisher:

The Dark Forest is the second novel in the groundbreaking, Hugo Award-winning series from China’s most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu.

In The Dark Forest, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion-in just four centuries’ time. The aliens’ human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information, means that Earth’s defense plans are totally exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret. This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies, hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he’s the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.

Hearing God

I’ve recently been going back through this extremely helpful book by Dallas Willard (the 2021 updated edition) — Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God.

Here’s an overview via the Dallas Willard website:

How do we hear God’s voice? How can we be sure that what we think we hear is not our own subconscious? What if what God says to us is not clear?

Being close to God means communicating with him, and this communication is a two-way street—telling him what is on our hearts in prayer and hearing and understanding what he is saying to us. It is this second half of our conversation with God that is so important but can also be so difficult. How can you be sure God is speaking to you? The key is to focus not so much on individual actions and decisions as on building our personal relationship with our Creator. Hearing God is but one dimension of a richly interactive relationship, and obtaining guidance is but one facet of hearing God.

This updated classic, originally published in 1984 as In Search of Guidance, provides rich spiritual insight into how we can hear God’s voice clearly and develop an intimate partnership with him in the work of his kingdom. The reader will learn that divine guidance goes beyond the anxious, sometimes neurotic, quest for “what God wants me to do,” to having a critical role in my becoming a responsible co-laborer with Him, the kind of person He expects me to be. God is inviting us to reorganize our lives in a way that keeps us walking so closely with him that it becomes easy to know his mind and hear his voice.

Chapter one clarifies the tension in which Christians live, believing that hearing God is very important to our walk with him but at the same time lacking a confident understanding of how it works for the individual in practice. Chapter two removes some common misunderstandings about God’s communications with us. Chapter three explains the various ways in which he is with us. Chapter four examines some objections to the very idea of God’s communicating with individuals. Chapter five deals with the various ways in which he communicates and explains and defends the centrality of God’s speaking— God’s Word—to his creation and to the process of redemption. Chapter eight clarifies how we can be sure that we are hearing God. Finally, chapter nine deals with what to do on those occasions, sure to come, when God is not speaking—or at least when we are not hearing him.

Hearing God may be a daring idea—some would say presumptuous and even dangerous. But is it not, in fact, more presumptuous and dangerous to undertake human existence without hearing God? Dr. Willard’s hope is that Hearing God will leave you with a clear sense of how to live confidently in a personal walk that is complemented by an ongoing conversational relationship with God.

The Three-Body Problem

I became acquainted with this book awhile back after learning that Netflix planned to release an interesting-looking series called 3 Body Problem. The series is based on a science fiction trilogy called the Remembrance of Earth’s Past. After a little research I was intrigued and enjoyed listening to the first book while on vacation and think you will as well (I also watched the series on Netflix this weekend and really enjoyed it too).

Here’s a synopsis of the book via the publisher:

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

Lead With Prayer

Here is a fabulous new book that will help every follower of Jesus and will especially be beneficial to every leader: Lead With Prayer by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle.

Here’s a brief description from their website (you can find some free prayer tools based on the book on their website as well):

With biblical insights, astounding research, and practical tools in every chapter, Lead with Prayer inspires readers to implement the spiritual habits extraordinary leaders live by and prioritize, grow, and multiply prayer.

PS: here is a Bible Reading Plan based on the book as well via YouVersion.

HYBRID CHURCH

Here’s one I think you’ll find interesting and helpful (church leaders will especially enjoy it but I believe it has some great insights for anyone who is interested in church and culture): HYBRID CHURCH by James Emery White.

Here’s a snapshot of what the book is about via the Church & Culture website:

“There is an urgency to rethink the church’s approach to fulfilling its mission in a post-Christian, digital age. That rethinking hinges on a single word: hybrid.

The church must bring together the physical and the digital, and it must be a vibrant community of faith for churchgoers as well as a church for the unchurched. These twin dynamics are at the heart of the new hybrid model.”

– James Emery White, Ph.D.

WORTHY

If you’ve ever wondered if you are truly enough I think you’ll find this new book by Jamie Kern Lima very helpful: WORTHY How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life.

Here’s a synopsis of the book via Jamie’s website:

What has Self-Doubt Already Cost You? WORTHY is how you change that.

It’s time to build unshakable self-worth together! Simple steps, life-changing results!

Imagine what you’d do, if you FULLY believed in YOU! When you stop doubting your greatness, build unshakable self-worth and embrace who you are, you transform your entire life! WORTHY teaches you how, with simple steps that lead to life-changing results!