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Clarke's last chapter describes how this thickly interwoven saga of slave and free comes to an end because of the Civil War. Dwelling Place is a deeply informative and moving book.
—M.N.

CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE: Living in Your Sweet Spot
Max Lucado
W Publishing, 240 pages, $22.99

We're made to fill an empty spot in God's jigsaw puzzle, says bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado; we're custom-designed for a one-of-a-kind assignment.

In this slim volume, bulked up by Lucado's delightful trademark anecdotes, a comprehensive study guide, and a personal assessment questionnaire, Lucado encourages readers to look for their "sweet spot." It lies at the convergence of what we do, why we do it, and where we do it (our everyday life).

Being "sweet-spot-centered" requires that we periodically step away from our lives and reassess what we are doing. The assessment questionnaire will help readers find their "tools" or gifts. We should use these gifts, Lucado says, to serve others and glorify God.

Lucado urges readers to "spelunk these verses with me," and observes, "When you do the most what you do the best, you put a smile on God's face. What could be better than that?"

Lucado devotees should find this a satisfying read.
—C.C.

BORN AGAIN AND AGAIN: Surprising Gifts of a Fundamentalist Childhood
Jon M. Sweeney
Paraclete, 173 pages, $19.95

Wait a moment. Take a pen and cross out the word "fundamentalist" in Jon Sweeney's subtitle. In its place, write "evangelical." Now we can begin.

Born in 1967, raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and educated at Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College, Sweeney might have been specially created to represent the changing face of American evangelicalism, evolving from the fundamentalist faith of his grandfathers—both of whom were Independent Baptist preachers—to the expansive movement whose most prominent spokesman was Billy Graham. In his growing-up years, Sweeney seems to have experienced almost every distinctive of evangelical culture, including the ritual destruction of some of his favorite cassette tapes (the Eagles) after a visiting speaker explained that they contained subliminal satanic messages. It figures that by the time he was at Wheaton College, Sweeney and some of his fellow students were checking out a church that didn't look like a church, a place called Willow Creek.

But Sweeney's evolution didn't end there, and while he still defines himself as a Christian, he has departed on many points from the teachings of his childhood. His memoir—remarkably free of bitterness—will be particularly valuable to readers who have traveled part of the way with him (in their changing attitudes toward Roman Catholicism, for instance), but who remain evangelical, as an invitation to clarify their own convictions.
—J.W.

A PROFOUND WEAKNESS: Christians and Kitsch
Betty Spackman
Piquant, 448 pages, $50

Betty Spackman is herself an artist, so, upon learning that she has turned her attention to imagery and objects that express Christian faith in the chaos called "popular culture," we might expect a diatribe against Thomas Kinkade. Alternatively, we might expect an uncritical celebration of the "popular," the kitschier the better.

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January 2006, Vol. 50, No. 1