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
Soul Keeping
Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You John Ortberg --Review by Landrum P. Leavell III, ThD. “Sometimes the soul gets sifted and shaped in places you could never imagine and ways you could never expect. For me it was in Box Canyon.” (17)...
The Fantasy Makers
Faith In Imagination: The Fantasy Makers A Documentary --Review by Teri Hyrkas One definition of the word "flight" is: a grouping of similar items, such as a flight of stairs or a flight of geese. In the documentary The Fantasy Makers,(Gateway Films/Vision Video,...
Uncommon Sense
Uncommon Sense, Common Nonsense: Why Some Organizations Consistently Outperform Others By Jules Goddard and Tony Eccles Published 2012 ISBN: 9781846686023 --Review by Douglas Balzer Being drawn to books with unusual titles has been one of my patterns....
A Star is Born
A Star is Born (2018) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517451/ --Review by Guest Reviewer Vern Hyndman A Star is Born is a semiotic feast prepared on a mirrored table. Declining star Jack (Bradley Cooper) meets uber-talented struggling artist Ally...
Deadpool 2 by Guest Reviewer Dan Payne
Deadpool 2 Movie Review --Review by Guest Reviewer Dan Payne Would you travel back in time to kill a teenage Jeffery Dahmer in order to stop him from becoming a serial killer? That is one of the many themes of Marvel Comics Movie Deadpool 2. On the surface,...
A Light So Lovely
A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of the Life of Madeleine L'Engle by Sarah Arthur --Review by Teri Hyrkas When she was a teenager, Sarah Arthur knew of Madeleine L'Engle's award winning book, A Wrinkle In Time, but didn't read it because she was not drawn to...
Giving Blood
Bloody Perfidy On Giving Blood by Leonard Sweet Zondervan, 2014 (356 pages) --Review by Guest Reviewer Terry Rankin To be clear from the outset, Sweet’s masterful work in Giving Blood certainly is not the bloody perfidy. On the contrary, the tragedy is that his...
The One-Life Solution
The One-Life Solution: Reclaiming Your Personal Life While Achieving Greater Professional Success By Henry Cloud 2008 ISBN: 9780061466427 Review by Douglas Balzer Life throws curveballs! It is an old saying I heard many times growing up. In many ways, it is a...
The Case for Christ
The Case for Christ, starring Rated PG; available on Netflix Review by Ashley Davis Quite honestly, I was prepared to not really enjoy this movie—I tend to be skeptical of mainstream faith films—but I was pleasantly surprised. The Case for Christ provides a look into...
Sacred Travels
Sacred Travels: Recovering the Ancient Practice of Pilgrimage By Christian George Review by Landrum P. Leavell III, Th.D. For those who have had the opportunity to travel parts of the world, particularly on Christian pilgrimages to places like Greece,...