Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Star Trek/Planet of the Apes Graphic Novel by Scott and David Tipton

Can you get more bizarre than the combination of Star Trek and Planet of the Apes?

In these IDW productions, you will find a lot of fun. That is the key word: fun. The writers understand the two franchises. They understand what made them work and the humor involved.

The character interactions were fun and the twist gave the book a nice send off.

I've been mostly impressed with these graphic novels of Star Trek. I was worried about this crossover. I worried it would be silly or such a train wreck but I was pleasantly surprised.

It does spin a bit from an original series episode concerning whether the Trekkies interfere with the Prime Directive. And how exactly will that work in this Planet of the Apes situation...

Enjoyable and great fun.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by IDW Publishing.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Ghost Fleet by P.W. Singer and August Cole

This book is really choppy.

It wants to be the next Tom Clancy book but isn't quite there.

The first part of the book is fairly interesting. You have the groundwork being laid for a rip-roaring tale of suspense but then it sinks.

The major attack happens and you're wanting things to get really good but it just never follows through.

Maybe for future books, these guys with pull it together. It is hard to live up to the Clancy hype but perhaps things are looking good for these guys.

This book was provided for review, at no cost,by Eamon Dolan/Mariner Books

For a New Generation by Lee Kricher

This book reads like something from Andy Stanley. Similar to his Deep & Wide.

A great read on how a pastor made changes to a church and began effectively reaching the next generation.

It is very easy to get comfortable in any circumstance and church life is not an exception. Once things are going along, it's easy to want to keep things as they are because they seem to work. But Kricher explains that as church people, we need to be constantly looking forward to those coming of age.

He identifies 5 areas/strategies that he and his leadership team adopted and implemented in order to accomplish this.

It isn't another "church growth" book. This isn't simply about getting more people into your church as if your church were a business selling products. This is about not allowing the church to become like Joshua's generation.

Remember Joshua? The guy who led the people of Israel after Moses had died? Most know of Joshua as the guy who led them into the promised land, but many may not be familiar with how the story of Joshua and his generation ended.

In Judges it reads that another generation came after them who didn't know the Lord.

This is the big thrust for Kricher and his church and why he feels it should be for all churches. He believes every church should do everything they can, the best they can to reach the next generation for God.

This is a good book in that he outlines why he did these five things and how they implemented them. He doesn't sugarcoat things. He points out that people left the church because of these changes and that you should expect the same from your church if you make similar changes. But how important is it for the next generation to know God?

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Zondervan.

A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Preaching

This was a fascinating read as I have never attempted to do Lectionary preaching.

This is an excellent guide for week-by-week sermon ideas. Or you could go all out lazy and simply speak the words they provide in the book.

It's quick enough reading that most pastors will feel the urge to add their own thoughts and ideas to the framework provided.

It gives simple series outlines and big theme suggestions. It also has options for church holy days.

It doesn't feel dated (OLD) but quite relevant while including practical application. This would be a great help in churches.

Pastors should add it to their library if, for nothing else, they want additional idea assistance or simply an aide when they're in a preaching pinch.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Westminster John Knox Press.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Star Trek vol. 11 by

This is a graphic novel telling continuing stories from the JJ Abrams reboot films while incorporating/retelling stories from the original series.

This volume tackles the Tholian Web episode. As with the previous comics, the original story has been twisted a bit to fit in with the reboot. These tend to be hit or miss but you won't be complaining about the artwork nor the characters.

The second story included in volume 11 has to do with Sulu on his first away mission - feels like a typical Star Trek story.

The third story has all of the doctors (most I should say) from the shows combining their forces.

This is enjoyable and quick as I think they tend to be written for the summer reads.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by IDW Publishing.

Punderdome: A Card Game

The idea of a card game for pun lovers is amazing.

However, I think most punners will end up throwing out the official rules of this game and create their own. It is more difficult than I realized; perhaps I am not the best pun creator out there, but I struggled coming up with puns that actually fit with the words on the cards.

You select cards that have words on them and you are supposed to come up with a pun that incorporates the words.

On the back of the cards are random puns for your enjoyment, and they are hilarious. (most of them)

It is a semi-enjoyable game. But I unless you are quick with creative puns, you may decide to read the ready-made puns and laugh a bit.

It is a challenge.

This game was provided for review, at no cost, by Clarkson Potter.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Serving a Movement by Timothy Keller

What does it mean for a church to be missional?

This is the new buzz word for Christian circles and, as Timothy Keller points out, it has come to mean multiple things. And the combination does not really help each other out.

Keller attempts to outline how we shouldn't be simply about promoting our churches for the sake of growth but that we should be using the church for the mission of Jesus which is to bring peace and reconciliation to those around us and with God through Jesus.

How do churches equip the people to do the work? It seems as if most Sunday's boil down to information transference. What if we could get deeper than that? What if churches intentionally cultivated a culture of ministry that goes out and connects people?

Like many of Keller's books, I enjoyed reading his thoughts and ideas. I did not care for the additional essays from other people. However I found that they helped flesh out some questions that might come up when pondering Keller's words. And when Keller would respond to the essays, it provided additional insight.

This wasn't as good as Shaped by the Gospel but I enjoyed reading through it nonetheless.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Zondervan Publishing.