The Water-Saving Garden [A Review]When my wife and I got married, we thought we'd try our hand at gardening-the fruits of our labor that summer were pitiful, but the joy of growing our own food carried us on. It's a wonderful feeling to grow so much food for free, but the thing is…Tags: book reviewclimate changegardeningpam penicksustainable livingwater saving gardenMarch 22, 2016
Reading, Reflecting, Failing, SucceedingOne hundred books. That was my new year's resolution last January: to read one hundred books during 2015. I tend to read a lot of books in general, so that number (though it was definitely a stretch goal) seemed attainable. It is the beginning of…Tags: frank watersjohn framereadingreading goalssong of albionsovereigntystephen lawheadsystematic theologythe man who killed the deerDecember 25, 2015
The Imperfect Pastor [A Book Review]Post-apocalyptic movies always begin the same way. The scene opens upon the heels of catastrophe-all of humanity's best laid plans have quite literally exploded around us, and the few survivors are left to pull together what remains and eke out some…Tags: book reviewimperfect pastorministrypastoral theologyzack eswineSeptember 27, 2015
The Bible Story Handbook: a Resource for Teaching 175 Stories from the Bible [A Review]The Bible Story Handbook is a useful tool that I’m glad to have on my bookshelf. I envision myself referring to this book in all my future teaching of Scripture.Tags: bible storybook reviewexegesishandbookjohn waltonteachingJune 26, 2015
The River Cottage Booze Handbook [a review]From rose hip vodka to green walnut grappa, from elder flower and gooseberry wine to blackberry cider, from puffed wheat beer to dandelion and burdock beer, it is clear that alcohol is really something of an art form for Wright. These brews are intended to stand out from the crowded shelf of normalcy.Tags: alcoholbeverageboozeforagejohn wrightreviewriver cottageJune 19, 2015
Pure Food: Eat Clean With Seasonal, Plant-Based Recipes [a review]My wife and I have been experimenting in the kitchen for the past few years, looking through various cookbooks and trying new recipes. She's been doing the lion's share of the cooking lately, and so the following review is written by her. Two topics…Tags: cookbookeatingfoodhealthypure foodrecipesveronica bosgraafApril 25, 2015
Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment [A Book Review]Allison offers concise, exegetically specific reasons why a certain Catholic doctrine is wanting. If there is substantial agreement, on the other hand, he says so.Tags: book reviewchurchcrosswayevangelicalismgregg allisonroman catholicismtheologyJanuary 18, 2015
Noah: ReflectionsWhile Aronofsky might not have gotten some of the details right on the Noahic plotline, in my opinion he absolutely nailed the Bible's emotional stance on evil. I've typically found among us evangelical types that we're generally okay with movies as long as they don't have sex scenes or four-letter words, but when it comes to glamorously portraying horrifically graphic violence or greed (for instance), we don't bat an eye.Tags: aronofskybiblecultural commentarymovienoahreflectionSeptember 21, 2014
Make Some Beer [A Review]"Craft beer is like wine these days," my brother offhandedly remarked to me "It's crazy how many options there are." I grew up on the front range of Colorado, which is basically micro brew mecca. It's weird if your town doesn't have a brewery. Call…Tags: beercrafterica sheahome brewmake some beermicroreviewsmall batchstephen valandSeptember 2, 2014
The Wonder-Working God [A Review]What are we supposed to do with miracles? Sigh. We could write them off as pre-scientific descriptions of very natural phenomena or we could look at them as mythological tales designed to communicate theological truth. Both of these options allow us…Tags: biblebook reviewdevotiongods storygospelgospel centeredhermeneuticsinterpretationjared wilsonjesusmiraclesmiraculouswonder working godAugust 26, 2014