New Books by Gordon MacDonald, Daniel Henderson, More

Fresh Encounters Experiencing transformation through united worship-based prayer by Daniel Henderson (Navpress, 2004)

I am often disappointed by books on prayer. Despite their helpful information, they rarely fire me up to pray more. Henderson’s book, Fresh Encounters, is not a disappointment. The book motivates with stories of life change that resulted from prayer.

One significant emphasis is corporate prayer, and Henderson does an excellent job of biblically defending it. He suggests that our private prayer life will rise and fall on our corporate prayer experience, and he fills the book with many creative ideas for corporate prayer meetings. The appendices include schedules, songs, and Scripture for worship-based meetings that will inspire a congregation to pray.

Dee Duke, Jefferson, Oregon

Invading Secular Space Strategies for tomorrow’s church Martin Robinson & Dwight Smith (Kregel, 2004)

Conversations about the future of the modern American church often neglect two facts: the church is neither American nor modern. Robinson and Smith avoid this oversight in their book, Invading Secular Space: Strategies for Tomorrow’s Church. The book successfully combines history, sociology, theology, and practical strategy. And the authors’ European point of view gives a refreshing outsider’s perspective of the church in America. They examine the incredible growth of the church throughout the world, and then ask why the Western church currently is failing to experience the same vigor.

They reexamine our assumptions about the church’s mission, structure, history, and place in the culture. By looking at the rapid advancement of the gospel in emerging countries and in earlier ages, Robinson and Smith lay out a new strategy for the church in the West. Rather than creating large “vertical” church organizations led by a dominant pastor, they argue for recapturing a “horizontal” church with decentralized structures and multiple leaders.

Invading Secular Space may prove helpful for ministries wrestling with the pragmatism of the modern church and the values of the emerging church movement. Robinson and Smith tip their hat to both sides by acknowledging the monumental shift occurring in Western culture and the need for structural changes in the church, while offering ideas that resonate with leaders seeking practical suggestions.

Skye Jethani, Wheaton, Illinois

A Resilient Life You can move ahead no matter what Gordon MacDonald (Nelson, 2004)

How do we structure our lives so that the first half empowers and enriches the last half? MacDonald gives us a way of thinking about our future so we may condition ourselves for an endurance run. Resilient people, MacDonald says, know the importance of cultivating Christian character.

He embraces the concept of becoming a Christian rather than being a Christian. This requires ongoing study, meditation, and other disciplines that form our character. MacDonald wonderfully reveals the character of resilient people to include generosity, encouragement, purpose, and gratitude.

He extols the necessity of having a circle of close friends who can provide a sense of well being, but who are also able to challenge, encourage, rebuke and stretch us. “A careful study of the Bible will lead one to realize something many of us were not adequately taught when we were young: that the Bible is about relationships and that no one is a complete human being apart from the context of those relationships. It is truly the Christian perspective.”

With more than 40 years of pastoral experience, MacDonald gives us an exciting view of how our Christian lives can continue to develop. If we train well for the race we will still be of service to our God, our churches, our communities, our families, and ourselves all the way to the finish line.

C. Mitchell Carnell Jr., Charleston, South Carolina