In our continuing series on leadership attributes, we now come to a very important one – leaders are mentors. Mentors are more experienced leaders who willingly share their experiences with younger leaders and those aspiring to be leaders. I always enjoy mentoring others, and it would give me pleasure to see mentees go on to grow and achieve higher levels of leadership. Continue reading
The King is Still the King – Chris Tomlin
****
Chris Tomlin returns with The King is Still the King, his eighteenth studio album, and first since 2022’s Always, which featured the song “Holy Forever”. The new album features sixteen new recordings, including four emoji-titled interludes.
I’ve long enjoyed and been blessed by Tomlin’s music. This new praise and worship album is an excellent addition to his catalog and will surely be on my top albums for 2025.
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
Union with Christ: The Blessings of Being in Him by Sinclair Ferguson. Ligonier Ministries. 157 pages. 2025
****
In this book, Sinclair Ferguson introduces the reader to the vital theme of the believer’s union with Christ, with the hope that it may act as a catalyst to a lifetime of reflection on it. He explores the theme by reflecting on specific key passages in the New Testament. The book expands on his earlier twelve message Ligonier teaching series of the same name.
The author tells us that in the sixty or so pages in our Bible that contain Paul’s thirteen letters we will find the expression “in Christ” or a variant of it over eighty times. Equivalent expressions “in the Lord” (or sometimes “in the Lord Jesus”) virtually double that number. He writes that if you belong to Christ, this is who you really and truly are, every day of your life—a man or a woman who is “in Christ.”
Ferguson writes that living in union and communion with Him is surely the highest privilege that we could have in this world.
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading
I enjoy books in a variety of genres, and from time to time like to notify you of new and upcoming books that you might be interested in. So here are 9 new and upcoming books for you to consider:
Hints of Hope: Essays on Making Peace with the Proximate by Steven Garber
Steven Garber, author of Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good, was the speaker at my Covenant Theological Seminary graduation in 2014.
From the Amazon description:
“Through eight lyrical and reflective essays, one of today’s most thoughtful spiritual writers Steven Garber explores the idea of the “proximate”―a word from the Latin “proximatus,” to draw near. Garber invites us to draw near to the deepest realities of life and to see with greater clarity and compassion―recognizing what is true, right, and beautiful in the world, even as we see the suffering all around us.
Hints of Hope probes what it means to be human; to wrestle with the contradictions we all face in our marriages, in our workplaces, in our friendships and vocations. We all experience beauty and brokenness, wonder and despair, joy and sorrow. We live with disappointment and grief and pain . . . wanting more, expecting more, but never being completely fulfilled. Paradoxically, as we make peace with the proximate, our vision is expanded to see more clearly the glimmers of beauty and grace that thread their way through our lives. Garber suggests that those hints of hope are enough in this frail world of ours, “a world stretched taut between what is and what someday will be.”
Written in memoir form, Hints of Hope weaves together decades of Garber’s travels, teaching, and personal musings to offer a tapestry of wisdom on vocation, culture, faith, and hope. Readers of Wendell Berry, Parker Palmer, Marilyn McEntyre, Philip Yancey, and Frederick Buechner will find a rich, soul-nourishing feast within these pages.” Continue reading
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
In our series on leadership attributes, we now turn to perhaps an underappreciated attribute – listening. Leaders are good listeners. I would go even further and say that listening is an underappreciated skill for everyone, not just leaders. For example, when I was working full-time and attending seminary, I was constantly tired. My mind was going in all directions about work and my studies. My wife Tammy and I would regularly meet at a restaurant for an early dinner after work before I would begin studying in the evening. More than once in the middle of a conversation, she would say “You haven’t heard a word that I’ve said, have you?” She was right. I was distracted, thinking about what had happened at work that day, or what I needed to do that evening, whether it was reading, writing a paper or studying for an exam. Whatever the reason, my lack of good listening showed a lack of respect for my wife. Continue reading
None of us knows how many years we will have on this earth. As I write this, I’ve been retired for more than seven years after working nearly thirty-eight years in my primary vocation. I still have opportunities to lead in our local church and presbytery, but haven’t led a team on a daily basis since I retired.
My wife Tammy remains active as a Bible Study leader in our church, and enjoys singing in the choir and helping out in the church office as needed. We often talk about being “used up for the Lord”, as long as we are physically and mentally able to do so. Continue reading
As I have done for several years now, I am sharing my favorites in a variety of categories. All items listed were released or took place during 2025, except for books, which reflect books that I read during 2025, regardless of publication date. I hope you enjoy this list, and find some good recommendations.
Movies
Note: Just a few years ago, my wife Tammy and I would see at least one movie per week in the theater. The pandemic and actor and writer strikes changed our viewing patterns, and we have moved much more to home streaming.
Top Pick: Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning
Other movies that I’ve enjoyed, in no particular order, were:
Song Sung Blue, rated PG-13
***
Song Sung Blue is the true story of Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee based husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act in the 1990’s. It was an enjoyable film, though much heavier than I had expected.
The film was directed by Craig Brewer, and was written by Brewer, based on Greg Kohs’s 2008 documentary Song Sung Blue.
The film begins at the Wisconsin State Fair with a Legends show. Claire Stingl, a divorced mom of two, played by Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), is portraying Patsy Cline. Mike Sardina, played by Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables), is a Vietnam veteran, mechanic, and alcoholic who has been clean for twenty years and attends AA meetings. He is divorced and the father of a teenage daughter. When Mike, who prefers to portray Elvis, is asked to fill in as Don Ho, he refuses to do so, and quits the show. But he is soon taken by Claire’s performance as Patsy Cline.
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for more of this review…
Continue reading
