Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: March 2021


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

The Characters of Easter: The Villains, Heroes, Cowards, and Crooks Who Witnessed History’s Biggest Miracle by Daniel Darling. Moody Publishers. 208 pages. 2021
****

Daniel Darling follows up his popular The Characters of Christmas book (see my review of that book here), with a similar book about the characters of Easter. The book is easy to read and engaging, but don’t mistake that for this being a simple book that you will not learn from. Darling offers much information about the history of the period and the background of the characters that you might not have previously been aware of. Like the previous book, I read and discussed this one with a group of men I’ve been meeting with to read and discuss books for many years now. Also like the previous book, this book includes study questions at the end of each chapter, along with suggested hymns and songs related to the chapter that are helpful whether you are reading the book individually or with a group.
The author tells us that Jesus took upon Himself your sins so you could enjoy intimacy with your Father, and that Easter means those who are in Christ will be made alive, spiritually and physically. By looking at unlikely disciples, unprepared civil authorities, and unscrupulous religious leaders in this book, we can learn more about the setting in which Jesus lived and died, and we will gain a great love for God’s long and sure plan of salvation and rescue.
I highly recommend this book to you. Below, I’ve provided two takeaways from each of the chapters of the book:

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEW ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Providence by John Piper
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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New and Upcoming Music

I enjoy music in a variety of genres, from contemporary Christian (CCM), worship, classic rock, pop, rap, etc. Here are ten new and upcoming albums of interest. Continue reading →


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THIS & THAT: A Weekly Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

LEARNING FROM OTHERS:

  • George Washington Carver’s Amazing View of Work. These insights about G.W. Carver are adapted from John Pletcher’s book about faith at work Henry’s Glory: A Story for Discovering Lasting Significance in Your Daily Work.
  • Changing Lives Through Washing Cars. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra shares the story of Everclean car wash and its founder, Thomas Kim, who focuses on honoring God by loving customers and team members.
  • Joe Buck: Announcing Sports with Humanity. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Dr. Doriani visits with six-time Emmy award winning sportscaster Joe Buck and talks family, legacy, charity, the perils of social media, and of course — sports.

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  • More links to interesting articles
  • The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
  • My Review of Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown
  • Snippets from the book Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy by Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B. Willson

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Hope Springs


One of the things that my wife Tammy enjoys about living in the Midwest is the opportunity to enjoy the four seasons. While I might prefer the climate of San Diego, she enjoys experiencing each of the four seasons, especially the new life of spring, and the beautiful colors of fall. Even in the days leading up to spring, we could already see the green of bulbs pushing up through the soil, perennials coming back to life, buds on our trees, and our grass turning green.
In a way, spring corresponds so much with Easter, as our creation seems to be resurrecting daily before our eyes. That gives me hope after a long and cold winter, which featured a major ice storm. In his new book Hope in Times of Fear, Tim Keller tells us that what Christianity offers a world that has lost hope is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Christians celebrate on Easter, but which should be foremost in our thoughts each day. Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Letter to You – Bruce Springsteen
*** ½

I’ve been a long-time fan of Springsteen’s music, though not his politics. The first of his albums that I bought new was 1978’s excellent Darkness on the Edge of Town. I fondly remember humming songs from that album – “Prove it All Night”, “Badlands”, etc. – as I was walking through an office building doing an end of night inspection as the manager of a cleaning crew while going to college.
Letter to You is the 71-year-old Springsteen’s twentieth studio album, and first with the E Street Band (Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, Max Weinberg, Charlie Giordano and Jake Clemons), since 2014’s High Hopes. The album was produced by Ron Aniello and assisted by Springsteen.
Springsteen wrote all of the songs, most of which were written in April 2019. Three of the songs “Janey Needs a Shooter”, “If I Was a Priest” and “Song for Orphans” date back to the early 1970’s. The album was recorded live in just five days at Springsteen’s home studio with very minimal overdubs.
This is a very personal album. Themes include loss of friends, relationships, looking back, the power of music, and spirituality.

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  • More of this review
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics

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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS


My Heart Cries Out: Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life by Paul Tripp. Crossway. 256 pages. 2019
****

After reading a few other devotional books by Paul Tripp (New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional, Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional, and A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble), I looked forward to reading his latest book of devotional readings. This book includes 120 meditations written in the form of poetry, accompanied by beautiful photography by Tim Kellner. For the book, Kellner traveled to ten countries and five continents. The photography selections are meant to reflect the content and themes contained within the poetry. After each meditation, there is a related Bible verse, questions and a Bible passage for further study and encouragement on the subject matter of the meditation.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Providence by John Piper
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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12 New and Upcoming Books of Interest

I read books in a variety of genres – theology, Christian living, biography, sports, professional and personal development, leadership, integrating faith and work, etc. Here 12 new and upcoming books of interest and a brief description of each below: Continue reading →


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THIS & THAT: A Weekly Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • Prohibiting Prayer in Australia. Carl Trueman writes “The state of Victoria in Australia just passed a bill that will considerably intensify the conflict between religious freedom, individual choice, and identity politics. And it might well become a model for laws elsewhere in the democratic world.”
  • The Way Home: Dr. Carl Trueman on the Modern Self and the Sexual Revolution. On this episode of The Way Home podcast, Daniel Darling is joined by Carl Trueman to talk about his new book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Daniel Darling states “I think this is one of the most important books written in the past decade, as it helps us make sense of the moment we’re in.”
  • Ravi Zacharias and the Judgement of God. Collin Hansen writes “Ravi Zacharias may have escaped justice in this world. But no one escapes justice in the next.”
  • ‘You Are One Step Away from Complete and Total Insanity’. David French writing about Ravi Zacharias, and RZIM’s attempt to cover up his sins, states “Christian ministries are populated by leadership teams who derive not just their paychecks but also their own public reputations from their affiliation with the famous founder. They’re admired in part because the founder is admired. They have influence in part because the founder has influence. When the founder fails, they lose more than a paycheck. There is powerful personal incentive to circle the wagons and to defend the ministry, even when that defense destroys lives.”

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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My Review of NOMADLAND

Nomadland, rated R 
** ½

This film recently won Golden Globe awards for Best Motion Picture Drama and Chloé Zhao (The Rider), won for Best Director-Motion Picture. The film features an outstanding performance by two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Fargo). The film also features some wonderful cinematography, with multiple landscape scenes of the American West by Joshua James Richards (The Rider), and a memorable musical score by Ludovico Einaudi.
The film is based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. Many of the characters in the film are non-actors who live on the road. Some of those who are in the book show up in the film as well, playing themselves.
We learn that the USG sheetrock plant in Empire, Nevada went out of business in early 2011, after 88 years. At the time, USG employed about 100 of the 300 residents of Empire. In a scene late in the film, Fern returns to Empire, walking through her former home and the abandoned plant. Within seven months of the plant closing, the town had lost its zip code. Both Fern (Frances McDormand, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her performance), and her husband, who died of cancer, had worked at the plant. Fern has now lost her home. The film begins and ends during the holidays, with Fern singing “What Child is This?” and wishing people a happy new year. Fern takes off in her van to work a temporary position at an Amazon plant. While there, Fern is living in her van, which she will do during the entire film. She prefers to refer to herself as “houseless”, rather than “homeless”. At Amazon, Fern meets the likeable ponytailed Linda May (who plays herself), who tells her of a community of older van-dwellers led by Bob Wells (who plays himself). Fern then heads to the Arizona community. Continue reading →