Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
My First Message Bible
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
it's brilliant!
the pages pictures and graphics are lush, the text is easy to read with a flowing style (as you expect from the message). no only that but thought prompting questions are found though out as well as suggested prayers and activities to coincide with the events.
basicly i highly recomend it since it combines everything that children need and enjoy.
Books I have read: Information for parents - Speech and language difficulties
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Continuing my reading around my Learning Mentor role I had a flick through Information for parents - Speech and language difficulties. This was a fantastic resource - speech and language difficulties in young children are not unusual. Research suggests that as many as one child in 10 under the age of five suffers some problems.
Possibly the most helpful section was where it explains how children normally develop communication, language and speech and how adults can help in these processes. There is a fantastic table on pages 11-12 which shows the normal stage a 1 year, 18 month, 2 year, 36 month, 3 year, 4 year, and 5 year old child should be at in term of social and play, understanding, and talking.
The booklet also touches on how to start getting professional help; speech and language therapy – what it is, who provides it, how to get it and what to do with it, once you have it; and as usual for this series of guides it has a large extensive list of contacts at the back for further information.
Books I have read: Information for parents - Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) and related conditions
As part of my new role as a Learning Mentor in a local primary schools I have been trying to read more of the guides from the government on topics linked to young people. This guide - Information for parents - Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) and related conditions is great for parents who are worried about their child. The booklet was written by the National Autistic Society and TreeHouse in response to requests from families, professional agencies and voluntary organisations for better information.
It highlights what parents of autistic children wished they had known in the early days of finding out about their child’s situation. Parents have been involved in the producing of the booklet, and it is full of quotes from them which give great insight in to the issues vthey face.
The booklet describes the support that is available and answer the questions that many parents have at this time. The back of the booklet contains loads of places for further support, including websites and phone numbers.
If you are working with families who have children on the autistic spectrum this booklet would well be worth a read.
Books I have read: Help! I'm a Student Leader
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Whilst sitting in casualty a couple of days ago I read Doug Fields' Help! I'm a Student Leader!. I really enjoyed this book. It was straightforward and easy to read. Similar to the First Two Years in Youth Ministry Book it felt more like a conversation than a book on the theory of youth practice. It covers a number of different topics including: serving, solving problems, caring about schools. With each of these topics Doug writes his thoughts, and at the end of the chapter, one of his high school leaders writes her thoughts and comments, those additional comments are very helpful and encouraging.
This is certainly a book that I will be wanting to get into the hands of the young people who help with our groups.
Mahaney on books about the cross
C. J. answers the question, “What books on the cross of Christ have affected you the most?”
Review of Stott's "The Living Church"
Friday, February 01, 2008
Derek Thomas reviews John Stott's The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor.
Books I have read: The Organic God
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I really enjoyed reading The Organic God. One of those that you need to read several times as there are so many different layers in which it can be understood.
Here are a couple of quotes I appreciated:
I couldn't help but wonder, What would have happened if Moses kept on walking? In other words, what is Moses saw the flames and smoke [of the burning bush] and thought to himself, "That's interesting, but what I really need to focus on right now is the flock." Would God have still called to him? Would he still have had his moment? Would God have visited him in another way? I do not know. I would like to think so. But I do not know. (pp. 93-94)
Our God is wildly infallible. Nothing is beyond his redemption. Nothing is beyond his restoration. Nothing is beyond his healing power. Not the bruises. Not the scars. Not the pain. (p. 106)
God is unbelievably stubborn in his concern for us. He does not give up. He does not give in. Indeed, God is very stubborn. If seen in a negative light, stubbornness is often synonymous with being inflexible and bullheaded. But God's unwillingness to yield - his stubbornness, if you will - is not haphazard. It's founded in his love - his firmly resolved, absolutely determined, unrelenting love. (p. 147)
The Organic God interview
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Last year The Digital Sanctuary interviewed Margaret Feinberg author of 'The Organic God'
Read the interview here, part 2, part 3.
Read the interview here, part 2, part 3.
Puritan reading challenge
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Timmy Brister has come up with the idea of reading the Puritans in 2008: the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge. You can see the schedule and books here.
I am going to have a think on this, but even if I don't take up the challenge fully I would like to spend some time reading some Puritans - particularly John Owen and Richard Baxter.
An audio Bible: The Bible Experience
Monday, January 07, 2008
Lewis blogged about The Bible Experience which is new audio bible, put together by Zondervan, full of big name celebrities playing the different characters, for example Samuel L. Jackson as God, and Denzel Washington as Solomon. Check out this little youtube promo clip here.
Can You Read 100 Books This Year?
Saturday, January 05, 2008
J.K. Rowling interview
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Books I have read: Anger - handling a powerful emotion in a healthy way
What a fantastic read. This book was easy to read, it flowed well, but made so many great points. It is a book that has my pencil marks all around it as I thought about how it applies to my life, and how I can use it to help others. It covers a real range of issues: where does anger come from; how to handle "bad" anger; explosions and implosions; when you are angry at God, to name just a few.Chapman's basic summary when dealing with anger is:
- Consciously acknowledge to yourself that you are angry
- Restrain your immediate response
- Locate the focus of your anger
- Analyse your options
- Take construction action
Whilst a lot of that is much easier to write down on a blog than it is to put into practice Chapman does include many life examples and tips to make it easier. All in all this book is a helpful Christian study on the topic of anger.
Books I have read: Core Skills for Children's Work
Friday, December 28, 2007
This is a fantastic resource for training those who work with children in our churches. The material covers six key areas:- Child development
- Leadership skills
- Programme planning
- Children and community
- Pastoral awareness
- Spirituality and the Bible
The sessions are well written, with plenty of options to pick 'n' mix different activities to suit the group you are working with. The themes are easy to adapt and I have enjoyed using bits of this resource as I have helped to train those in our local area who work with children and young people.
The material has been written by the Consultative Group on Ministry among Children which represents a wide group of denominations and organisations - for example the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Churches of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Salvation Army and the United Reformed Church to name a few. For £12.99 this is a fantastic resource that I would love to see used in many churches across the country.
Books I have read: Launchpad
This is an intriguing resource that I can't make up my mind on. In many ways it is excellent - it provides outlines for seventeen child-centred all-age worship services. It is well written, has some good music and dramas, but just doesn't quite do it for me. I think I would like a bit more meat on the outlines - there is a lot of specifics on the music and drama but not much on the other parts of the service - especially the talks. I would love to see some more detail on those. My other issue is I am not sure how I would regularly use them as part of the Sunday worship in the church where I work. I could see if we ran a Messy Church monthly event they could be really helpful, but given that most of our all-age services are around the special times in the church calendar I will struggle more to use this resource. We also struggle as a church, to regularly resource people to do drama and music at this level.
If you have regular all-age resources this may be a great resource for you, if not it might not be top of your 'books wanted' list.
Books I have read: Jesus, save me from your followers
This book was recommended by a local church leader and was an interesting read, especially in comparison with Confessions of a Pastor by Craig Groeschel. This felt a bit more random, not necessarily more personal, but certainly more the unordered unedited personal thoughts of a minister. There were some things that were helpful and others that weren't as much. I found Gilpin's writing style not as easy to read - they may be more to do with the difference in church and the way that so much of what he was/is trying to do is to come from Australia and set up churches across the UK. His vision is much bigger than pastoring a church, but at the same time he faces many of the struggles a pastor faces, at other times he seems to be in a completely different settings to those I work in. An interesting read, but not one I will come back to time and time again.
Books I have read: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
Thursday, December 27, 2007
This was an intriguing read. I was lent this book by a friend and wasn't at first sure to make of it. It was captivating but bizarre to start with. After a while it became more apparent that it a story that weaves into it most of the key life skills and lessons that are used in managing one's life.
It tells the story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life: following a heart attack, he decides to sell all his beloved possesions and trek to India. On a life-changing odyssey to an ancient culture, he meets Himalayan gurus who offer powerful, wise and practical lessons that teach us to:
- Develop joyful thoughts
- Follow our life's mission
- Cultivate self-discipline and act courageously
- Value time as our most important commodity
- Nourish our relationships
- Live fully, one day at a time
An interesting read which at times focussed too much on Eastern mysticism and on the view that you and a bit of luck are reponsible for where you go. At times there wasn't an obvious role for the Christian God that I believe in which I struggled to think around. An interesting read which certainly makes you think you priorities, and the way which you live.
Books I have read: Killing Floor
David has given me some good fiction to read during the Christmas break. I was feeling like I had spent a bit too much time recently reading non-fiction so it was good to get back to some good quality fiction with lots of twists and turns. Child's is a great writer, and I really enjoyed this thriller. I read about 50 pages on Christmas Day, and then the other 500 yesterday - it truly was a book I couldn't put down. If you enjoy a good thriller I thoroughly recommend this, and am looking forward to reading the next in the series.Books I have read: An Hour On Sunday
Monday, December 24, 2007
Over the last month I have read Nancy Beach’s An Hour on Sunday. This was an interesting book – at times it was hugely helpful and practical, at other times it seemed to be so focussed on the way that a mega-church runs with huge artistic teams, and people who seem to be able to commit masses of time – things that just aren’t realistic in my setting. As you would expect the book was very arty, and well designed with lots of lovely quotes throughout. The general theme of her book could be summed up by this:
Something very significant can happen when the body of Christ gathers all together on a Sunday morning. Those weekly services define what matters to a church and its leaders. (p 23)
Books I have read: Confessions of a Pastor
Following on from my post about Craig Groeschel’s 40 Leadership Tips for Young Pastors I have read his book Confessions of a Pastor. It was an enjoyable read - not at all heavy, and flowed nicely, yet dealt with some challenging issues. I read it in a few hours whilst at the hospital for various blood tests and X-rays. What I liked most about this book was Groeschel's honesty - it is very disarming and refreshing to read his thoughts. I think this book should be critical for all new pastors, children's or youth workers to read. It certainly hits home the theme on not faking it, and the importance of being ourselves in front of God, our congregations and our friends and family.
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