Tuesday, December 19, 2006

It's A Wonderful Life!




Check out this Christmas lesson I preached at Grand Central.








Enjoy! -- Adam Ellis

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Reviews: The Illuminated Heart; The Dust Off Their Feet, and Songs from The Voice Volume 2

The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation
I must say I was impressed with this little book on spiritual formation. The author has a very engaging writing style and wrapped her information in a loose story to keep it flowing and locate it in history. This is a wonderful introduction for anyone seeking to learn more about the ancient art of spiritual formation and how it might/should be applied today. It's a quick and informative read. The only real issue I had with it was that towards the end, the author sort of throws the baby out with the bathwater in regards to the use of sarcasm. With that one small critique, I recommend this book. It will bless you and make you think. CLICK HERE for the publisher's web page for this book.


The Dust Off Their Feet: Lessons from the First Church (Voice)
Wow! I am a big fan of this series. I really liked the first book in this series, The Last Eyewitness: The Final Week (Voice). I absolutely love this book. Brian McLaren's masterful translation of Acts is beautiful and poignant. I actually teared up as Stephen was being stoned and asked God to forgive his killers. In addition, Chris Seay adds insightful commentary throughout the text. The second section incudes several chapters by theologians and practicioners that give historical and cultural context to the scripture and even suggest how we as the church might find new life and direction in this powerful section of God's Word. Seriously, get this book. CLICK HERE for the official website.


Songs From the Voice, Vol. 2: Son of the Most High (Songs from the Voice)
Multiple artists (including Andrew Peterson) collaborate on this ambitious second volume in the series. This CD focuses on mostly prophetic/poetic texts about the Messiah. The arrangements are fresh and innovative. The lyrics are true to the scriptures they are based on. From a stylistic standpoint, I probably prefer Songs From The Voice, Vol. 1: Please Don't Make Us Sing This Song
, but I also highly recommend this second volume to a fascinating project.

Although I have quite a bit of grad school work coming up in addition to youth ministry and adjunct teaching, I am planning on reviewing the following books from Paraclete Press in the near future: