The Open Table – Book Reviews
Jesus was known –some would say notoriously so—for His “open table” eating style. In the Gospels, Jesus loved to share life at the table with others and never refused an offer to eat with someone. Most of Jesus’ great discussions with His disciples and others happened around the table. In honor of that model, The Open Table is a forum where all are welcome to join in the conversation about the books suggested and more. It’s a place where book reviews will be served up, but also where other thoughts, observations, and life happenings can be discussed and ideas savored. Your participation is encouraged. All contributions will be valued and nourished. Good manners are expected of course at The Table. Welcome to The Open Table. I hope we can meet here often. Great times are ahead! –thyrkas
Nudge
Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who Is Already There by Leonard Sweet --Review by Teri Hyrkas How would you initiate a change in the current negative mindset toward evangelism? Do you think a nudge might help? Nudge: Awakening Each Other To The God Who Is...
Outwitting the Devil
Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success By Napoleon Hill (1883-1970 Posthumous) June 2011, Annotated by Sharon Lechter ISBN: 978-1-4027-8453-8 (hardcover) --Review by Douglas Balzer Who doesn’t like the idea of outwitting the Devil? When I read...
Trouble I’ve Seen
Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism by Drew Hart --Review by Vern Hyndman https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Ive-Seen-Changing-Church/dp/1513800000/ In Trouble I’ve Seen Drew Hart opens his heart. Dr. Drew Hart, Ph.D. is an African American college...
The Rise
The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery by Sarah Lewis (2015) ISBN:978-1-4516-2923-1 --Review by Douglas Balzer Three words, yes, three words resonated with me in the title of this book and drew me to it. Creativity, failure, and mastery...
Letters to the Chuch
Letters to the Church Francis Chan, 2018 --Review by Landrum P. Leavell III, ThD. Backstory: I have a dear friend who has been on staff at two mega-churches, one in Seattle and one in Texas. He is currently between churches, evaluating...
In Other Words
In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri Translated by Ann Goldstein --Review by Teri Hyrkas The fifth book by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Jhumpa Lahiri, In Other Words (Vintage, 2016), was translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein. Yes, you read that correctly. Lahiri,...
This Land is Your Land
This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land: The Looming Prospect of the Next Land-Grab in South Africa. By Brett Johnson --Review by Vern Hyndman I became virtually acquainted with Brett Johnson after reading his book “LEMON Leadership.” Brett currently lives...
How to Think
How to Think: A Survival Guide For a World at Odds By Alan Jacobs New York: Currency, 2017 --Review by Landrum P. Leavell III, Th.D. How many times have we heard someone or ourselves ask the question, “What were you thinking?” Alan Jacobs believes we...
The Prodigal Prophet
-- The Prodigal Prophet -- Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy by Timothy Keller --Review by Teri Hyrkas "You cannot conceive, my child, nor can I or anyone, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God." Graham Greene from Brighton Rock Can you think of a book in...
Words at the Threshold
Words at the Threshold Lisa Smartt --Review by Vern Hyndman “Words at the Threshold: What We Say as We're Nearing Death” is a book that Lisa Smartt wrote while finding her way through the grief of her father’s death. For a book that deals with the last words of...