WELCOME to Searchlight’s Online Notice Board and Events Listings. For those who came looking for directions to the bookstore, here’s a map showing where we are at 884 Division Street in Cobourg.  We’re at the very front of the building. Still can’t find us? Give us a call at 905 372 5519 during business hours — we open at 10AM — and we’ll talk you through!  If you recognize this as a “blog” you’ll notice there’s actually only two”posts” — one for the events and one for the bookstore. We no longer update the date of the post as that just confuses Google!

GPS = -78.1727202,43.9758635,0

GEOCODE = 8GK1M Q9VBG

4 traffic lights south of westbound 401; 3 traffic lights south of eastbound 401; on left side

For this Coming Events page to work we need local churches to make their congregations to be aware of what we’re doing here. All we ask for is a quarterly (once every 13 weeks) one-line bulletin announcement or a link from the church website. If you’ve never seen that announcement in your church bulletin, ask them, “Why not?”

SEARCHLIGHT ON FACEBOOK — We now have our very own SEARCHLIGHT FACEBOOK PAGE. This page is keeping our regular customers aware of major new releases as they arrive on the sales floor, as well as special promotions. (More people visit us on FB each week than come to this page, but the info is completely different on each.) To “friend” our page, simply click “like”! When you’re logged into Facebook, search for “Searchlight Christian Books.”

HOMESCHOOLERS:  Searchlight is able to order materials from the following key homeschool publishers,and nearly 100 others! 

Not a homeschool parent, but got kids struggling with certain subjects?  We can also get you titles from Sylvan Learning Systems and hundreds of other publishers of grade-specific, subject-specific workbooks and supplements.  Contact the store by phone or email for more information.

CURRENT/ONGOING — UNITED CHRISTIAN BROADCASTERS — UCB Radio’s latest repeater station is now up and running and broadcasting a test signal of commercial free Christian music IN COBOURG at 90.7 FM. The fidelity is very poor, but it makes for good background music.

ONGOING — SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION — Online registration for Camp Iawah’s summer residential camps, family experiences, wilderness trips and youth leadership programs continues at iawah.com

JANUARY 29 — COURAGEOUS — The Men’s Ministry of Cobourg Alliance Church invite everyone to attend a showing of the movie on Sunday from 6-8:15 pm, at CAC. Please plan to bring your own nut-free snacks and drinks.

FEBRUARY 3 – 5 — TOQUE YOUTH RETREAT — Part of a Junior High or Senior High youth group with less than 15 people? Here’s an event your group can plug into. iawah.com

FEBRUARY 11 — AN EVENING WITH C. S. LEWIS — British actor David Payne plays C. S. Lewis. The year is 1963 and Lewis has been asked by J. R. R. Tolkien to give an informal talk to visiting American writers at his Oxford home. Sponsored by UCB Radio and World Vision at The Concert Hall at Victoria Hall, 55 King Street West, Cobourg; Saturday at 7:00 PM. Tickets $11; box office 905 372 2210 or 1-866-388-4488 [Also playing in Belleville on Sunday, February 12th at Maranatha Church, College St.]

FEBRUARY 17 — COURAGEOUS — Grace Missionary Church in Port Hope has rented the classic, atmospheric Capitol Theatre in downtown Port Hope for a showing of the movie. There is no admission charge, but you’re asked to bring a non-perishable food item. Friday night at 7:30 PM. More info at 905 885 2060

FEBRUARY 17-20 — WINTER FAMILY RETREAT — If you’re part of a smaller church that doesn’t do retreat events, or between churches, this is the ideal event to connect with. iawah.com

FEBRUARY 24 – 26 — MOTHER DAUGHTER RETREAT — Moms: Just imagine spending time with your daughters ages 10 to 16! Guest Speaker Linda Halse will help to develop closer relationships between Mothers & Daughters before & during the teen years, creating a heart to heart time for some of life’s most intimate issues. Fair Havens is a Christian Camp / Retreat and Conference Centre located north of Whitby. Cost:Mothers $ 155.00, Daughters 10-12 yrs $ 47.50 Daughters 13-16 yrs $ 95.00. Includes: 2 nights, 5 meals, evening snacks, towels, bedding & a wonderful program, Activities: Skating, cross country skiing, spa night, scrap-booking, gala dress up night, movie night, snow shoeing, wagon rides and much more! 1.800.430.5059 or visit the website.

FEBRUARY 25 — MISSIONFEST MOVIE DOUBLE FEATURE — Despite decades of hostility, Israelis and Palestinians are joining hands and forging a peace agreement long thought forbidden. On Saturday February 25th, 2012 MissionFest Toronto presents a double film screening of ‘Forbidden Peace’ and ‘More Than Dreams’. $5/Person; 7pm (doors open 6 PM) at The Peoples Church, 374 Sheppard Ave. E, Toronto. More info.

MARCH 2 – 4 — POWER UP GOSPEL CHOIR EXPERIENCE — Although this year’s event is taking place a little west of our coverage area — at Toronto’s York University — a number of people from our area have attended this event in previous years. New workshops this year and as always, an opportunity to sing with The Toronto Mass Choir in a Sunday night concert. Website.

MARCH 9 – 10 — CHRIS TOMLIN — The man whose worship compositions define the modern worship of so many congregations has never played in Canada until now. Ontario dates are Friday March 9th at Woodvale Pentecostal Church in Ottawa and Saturday March 10th at Church on the Queensway in Toronto. Both are 7:00 PM. Info at Unite Productions.

MARCH 30 – 31 — PROMISE KEEPERS EQUIP WORKSHOPS — Cobourg gets to play host to the Eastern Ontario PK workshops. [Note: Each one of these is independent of the other.]
MARCH 30 — Brothers Workshop; doors open Friday 6:30 PM, event runs 7:00 – 10:00 PM; speaker Bill Innes; discussing what the Bible has to say about friendships and relationships; Cost : Early Bird (ends March 8, 2012) $15 Pre-registration (March 9-28, 2012) $20 Walk-up $25.
MARCH 31 — Basic Training Workshop; speaker Bill Innes; This workshop explores what it means to be a Godly man and challenges participants to explore the key elements of a man’s life. Doors open Saturday 8:00 AM, event runs 8:30 to 3:30 Cost : Includes lunch Early Bird (ends March 8, 2012) $20 Pre-registration (March 9-28, 2012) $25 Walk-up $30.
Both events at Cobourg Alliance Church, 1333 Ontario Street. (Out of town visitors; Ontario St. is the ‘middle bridge’ in Cobourg; it crosses the 401 without actually being an exit; from either direction make your way south to Elgin Street and then turn toward the middle (!) and then turn north on Ontario.) Click the RED pre-registration buttons on each page.

APRIL 12 – 14 — MISSIONFEST 2011 — Are you one of the potential ‘goers’ looking for career Christian service? Are you one of the ‘givers’ seeking opportunities to wisely invest in God’s kingdom? Are you one of the ‘pray-ers’ wanting to know more about what God is doing around the world and around the block? Then you need to be at Missionfest in Toronto for all or part of this event. Visit the website for more details.

APRIL 15 — PHIL WICKHAM, PAUL BALOCHE, SEAN McDOWELL — Two top praise and worship artists and one great speaker together on the Worldserve Truth Matters tour across Canada. The Toronto date is at Global Kingdom Ministries — the same venue as Missionfest, and just one day after — on Markham Road south of Highway 401.  Info at Unite Productions.

APRIL 21 — GUY PENROD — Southern Gospel Music fans won’t want to miss this one. 6:00 PM in Oshawa at The Embassy, a large church in the north end (Taunton Road West) opposite the Oshawa Airport. This concert is sponsored by Hillsdale Wesleyan Church in Oshawa, but unfortunately they did not renew their website URL. Searchlight eventually had tickets for their last concert, so we’re hoping to have news on this in the new year.

LOVE IN ACTION COOKBOOK AVAILABLE — Love In Action is a group of Christian women and sometimes men, who show God’s love by serving others through tangible acts of kindness, both at home and abroad. The newest edition of their fundraising cookbook is available at Searchlight (coming soon, we hope!), Canadian Tire Cobourg, and Houston’s Country Store in Camborne. Cost is only $10 with merchants donating 100% of the sale price to Love in Action.

Individual, Marriage and Family Counselling

NORTHUMBERLAND PROMISE is a new ministry initiative based in Cobourg which seeks to help out economically disadvantaged people.  For more information contact thru Cobourg Alliance Church.

RADIO GUIDE — Back by Request!

88.3 — FAMILY LIFE NETWORK (Buffalo, NY)

89.3 — LIFE 100 (repeater station in Peterborough, ON)

90.5 — FAITH BASED NEWS/TALK in Peterborough; click here to listen online

90.7 — UCB – Test signal now operational in Cobourg

99.5 — WDCX-FM (Buffalo, NY)

100.3 — LIFE 100 (Barrie main signal)

102.3 — United Christian Broadcasters (Belleville, ON) –

104.9 — KLOVE (National; originates in Sacramento, CA)

1250 (AM) — JOY 1250 (Toronto)

DREW MARSHALL SHOW — Live Saturdays 1:00 – 5:00 EST, live stream and archives available at this link.

PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION — With GARRISON KEILLOR — Live Saturdays 6:00 – 8:00 PM EST at this link.

FALL/WINTER MIDWEEK PROGRAMS  — If you have younger kids, Wednesday is “the” night. Check out AWANA at Fellowship Baptist and KidZone at Church on the Hill. For Junior High age kids, consider RIOT at Cobourg Alliance or CHAOS at Church on The Hill. For High School teens, The Crave at Church on the Hill. There’s also a Thursday night youth group at Calvary Pentecostal in Port Hope, and also a Wednesday night drop-in program at First Baptist in Port Hope sponsored by Youth For Christ.

S E A R C H L I G H T  –  NOW IN OUR 16th YEAR IN COBOURG — Over 85% of our book intake is (a) publisher overstock and (b) remainder books.   Each title is hand-picked.   Despite this, with the other 15% we’re still able to stock almost all of the Top 100 Christian Fiction and Top 100 Christian Non-Fiction titles, plus one of the best selections of modern Christian classics you’ll find anywhere.  (See our bestseller chart below.)   Our two “house specialties” are apologetics, and our section on church planting / postmodern ministry / next generation / missional and Emerging church resources.     Click here for some current specials.

CHRISTIAN HORIZONS FUNDRAISING BOOK — Drop by Searchlight anytime to pick up your copy of THIS IS OUR STORY — a commemorative collection of short stories celebrating the lives of individuals who have transitioned from life in government-run institutions to living in homes in the heart of our communities.  Only $10 per copy and 3 copies for $25

THANK YOU to all the churches who have supported this calendar by printing the quarterly announcement in your church bulletin.   That’s all we ask.  If your church doesn’t, ask them, “Why not?”   The continuing availability of this service depends entirely on the support of local churches to make people aware that it — and the bookstore — exists.

COMMUNITY NOTICE re. UCB RADIO –  On February 21st the CRTC approved an application by UCB Radio to return to Cobourg at a new frequency, 90.7FM with an effective power of 250 watts. The test signal is now ON THE AIR.

The new station will offer a Christian Adult Contemporary music format. In each broadcast week, the station will broadcast 81 hours and 30 minutes of local programming and will offer 4 hours and 30 minutes of spoken word programming consisting of news (70% local), sports, weather and other community-related programming. UCB committed to devote, by condition of license, no less than 95% of its weekly musical selections to selections from subcategory 35 (Non-classic religious) and no less than 15% of its weekly musical selections from category 3 (Special Interest Music) to Canadian musical selections.

Now available at Searchlight:Local author Eric Wright‘s latest book, The Captives of Mirana sees journalist Josh Radley (The Lightning Files) off to Pakistan — scene of a childhood trauma—at a time when its fragile democracy faces enormous challenges from militant Islam. Instead of covering terrorism, Josh is commissioned to write about the glories of Pakistan’s ancient past. He arrives at the excavation of a 4500 year old Indus civilization city in the desert between India and Pakistan. Josh, his daughter Janice and wife Stephanie expect heat and dust but are unprepared for sabotage, theft, kidnapping, and murder.The book immerses the reader in Pakistani culture at a time when we all desperately need to understand that country.

LOCAL AUTHOR: ALLAN CONNOR is a retired missionary now living in Port Hope.  His latest book is a work of fiction, set in Ghana, West Africa. Check out An Unlikely Saint, available in paperback from Pleasant Word Publishing at Searchlight Books’ Cobourg location.  Allan holds the distinction of being the local author for whom we’ve sold the greatest number of copies his individual titles.

MANY of you have been enjoyed the teaching ministry of JOE AMARAL  on 100 Huntley Street.   Joe’s book Understanding Jesus is available at both Searchlight stores as well as the entire selection of his DVD teachings on the Old Testament significance of New Testament narratives, and Israel.  We have been supporting Joe’s ministry for several years by having these products always in stock at SEARCHLIGHT

NOTE:SOME CONCERT DATES LISTED ON ARTIST ITINERARY WEBPAGES ARE PART OF CONFERENCES WHICH ARE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. CHECK THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU TRAVEL.

If a search engine brought you directly to the page “The Events” URL, click here to see the other half of Searchlight Events.   Scroll down past this point.

For those who came looking for directions to the bookstore, here’s a map showing where we are at 884 Division Street in Cobourg.  (Scroll down much further for a map to the Brockville store.)

GPS = -78.1727202,43.9758635,0

GEOCODE = 8GK1M Q9VBG

4 traffic lights south of westbound 401; 3 traffic lights south of eastbound 401; on left side

RADIO GUIDE — Back by Request!

88.3 — FAMILY LIFE NETWORK (Buffalo, NY)

89.3 — LIFE 100 (repeater station in Peterborough, ON)

90.5 –FAITH BASED NEWS/TALK (Peterborough)

99.5 — WDCX-FM   (Buffalo, NY)

100.3 — LIFE 100 (Barrie main signal)

102.3 — United Christian Broadcasters  (Belleville, ON)

104.9 — KLOVE  (National; originates in Sacramento, CA)

1250 (AM) — JOY 1250 (Toronto)

SEARCHLIGHT FEATURES “Buy – 5 – Get – 1 – Free” STICKERS ON MOST OF OUR IN STOCK COMPACT DISCS.   COLLECT and REDEEM 5 and YOU RECEIVE A FREE CD UP TO $21.99 VALUE.   VISIT SEARCHLIGHT AT 884 DIVISION STREET, COBOURG (Highway 45 Exit) 905 372 5519; out of area call 800 210 5661.  OPEN 10 AM to 5 PM WEEKDAYS (4 PM Saturdays).  ALSO at 15 CENTRAL AVENUE EAST, BROCKVILLE, ONTARIO  613 345 2122; out of area call 877 772 4548

PHILIP YANCEY: What Good Is God?

Yes. I am biased.

Upon first reading The Jesus I Never Knew on a fall day fifteen years ago, I knew I had found a favorite author. So with great anticipation I looked forward to What Good is God (FaithWords) which released October 19th. I was not disappointed. This is a different book; it has a rhythm and cadence all its own; it is a book which will stretch any who read it, including Yancey aficionados like myself.

The format is quite different.

Divided into ten parts, each part contains two chapters which focus on a particular group of people, and a particular place in the world. This is a travelogue of sorts, and while you don’t have to spend the time in airport waiting rooms as did the author, you feel like you’ve earned some frequent flyer points by the time you turn the last page.

The first chapter in each of the ten sections describes Philip Yancey’s journey to a diverse set of places. As a journalist, travel ignites his writing. It also introduces the reason that finds him where he is in his role as a speaker. The second chapter in each of the sections is in fact the text of a speech (or in one case, a sermon) given to a diverse group of people.

But I didn’t know that ahead of time.

So the second chapter of the first part totally ambushed me. I am familiar with the feeling of tears welling up as one approaches the ending of a good book. I did not expect that to happen so soon as it did in the first part, with the text of Yancey’s address to the student body of Virginia Tech just days after the shooting there left more than a dozen fatalities, and just a few more days since Philip Yancey’s own traffic mishap in Colorado left him close to either death or paralysis.

In the sections that followed are speeches to business leaders in China, sex trade workers and the people who minister to them, the student body at his old Bible College, a Charismatic church in South Africa and members of the C. S. Lewis Society in Cambridge, England, an AA meeting, Christians in India and the middle east; and many others. These are speeches and addresses you and I would never get to hear, and would never be drawn to read were it not for the set-up in the previous chapter.

But what of the book’s title?

I believe the title prepares you more for something along the lines of a response to today’s militant or “New” atheists. Perhaps the marketing department at the publisher had something like that kind of hook in mind. However, the book doesn’t deliver along the lines of apologetics, and while I wasn’t at all let down, I hope purchasers will be appraised about its true content before they buy.

Rather, through its series of narratives, the book demonstrates that if anything, God is what’s good in the world. That on a global scale, Christianity is making a difference and on a personal level, this is a faith that works. The answer to the question the book’s title asks is found in the way that the Christian God infuses every area of life, especially those places of hurt and pain. This is Reaching for the Invisible God meets Where is God When it Hurts. Or maybe The Bible meets your morning newspaper.

Still, seeking resolution to the book’s title promise, I turned over the final page and immediately rushed back to the introduction. If I were not a believer, not a Christ follower, how would all these stories answer the title question?

Technology manufacturers have a phrase called “the tabletop test.” Engineers design wonderful new products: iPhones, netbooks, video game consoles, notebook computers, MP3 players, optical storage devices. But will the shiny new product survive actual use by consumers in the real world? What happens if it gets pushed off a table accidentally or dropped on a sidewalk? Will the device still work?

I look for similar tests in the realm of faith. My travels have taken me to places where Christians face a refiner’s fire of oppression, violence and plague…

When I spend time among such people, my own faith undergoes a tabletop test. Do I mean what I write from my home in Colorado?…

I must admit, my own faith would be much more perilous if I knew only the U.S. church, which can seem more like a self-perpetuating institution. Not so elsewhere. Almost always I return from my travels encouraged, my faith buoyed…

If a person had never read Philip Yancey before is this book a good place to start? Probably, I would recommend What’s So Amazing About Grace? For the rest of us, don’t miss this unique piece of writing from Philip which is, truly, as big as the whole world.

The full title is What Good is God: In Search of a Faith that Matters (Faith Words, hardcover, 287 pages, October 19, 2010; $23.99 US/$26.99 CAN)

Photo: Randal Olsson – The Christian Post

DAVID GREGORY:  The Last Christian

The year is 2088…

Any kind of futuristic writing — both fiction and non-fiction — requires taking a great deal of risk. Especially if you incorporate technologies that some readers find just plain silly. What if the audience doesn’t see your vision of that era as plausible? A few bad reviews and your book is fodder for recycling.

Fortunately, David Gregory (Dinner With a Perfect Stranger, A Day With A Perfect Stranger) is able to navigate the future just fine, thank you. While he hasn’t lost the heart of an evangelist that so characterized his shorter works mentioned above, any apologetic in Last Christian is weaved into a much larger, much more complex plot.

That plot concerns biomedical advances that are becoming reality towards the end of the 21st century. But it’s the absence of religious ethics that characterizes the world in which these so-called ‘advances’ are taking place. Into that environment steps a character who is almost literally from another time. Someone who doesn’t fit into such a world. Someone who discovers that the unease is mutual.

As a mostly non-fiction reader, I now fully understand the meaning of the oft-used, “that was real page-turner.” This is a book possessing a literary intensity I have not experienced in a long, long time. Each chapter — and the narrative moves along quite rapidly — ended with a surprise, driving me deeper into what followed. That pace — and those plot twists — continue right up to the end.

But don’t take my word for it. Allow me to do something I’ve never done before here, and steal some consumer reviews from a retail website:

• As I read the back cover’s description, I thought to myself, “Yeah, right.” Then I read the book. Gregory’s use of existent technologies, experimental technologies and not-too-far-distant-future-type technologies renders this fictional work very believable. As for there only being one Christian left in America in 2088? Well, even that isn’t so hard to imagine if you see how rapidly we’re following Europe’s footsteps, using no discernment governmentally, socially and even the evangelical church seems to be losing it’s bearings on the gospel and God’s Word…
• This book was full of nail biting edge of your seat suspense, with a few twist and turns you won’t expect or see coming! … I would love to see this as a movie!
• Christianity has died out completely. The mega-churches of the 90’s are now schools and malls. While all this sci-fi stuff is entertaining to read, the heart of the book goes much deeper. Gregory makes a really important point in his book. The reason, he writes through one of his characters, that Christianity died in the US early in the 21st century is because Christians didn’t look any different than non-Christians. Their lives hadn’t been transformed by the power of the Gospel.
• David Gregory’s America seems so far removed from our current way of life, but it’s easy to see how we could easily venture down the same road. The Christian worldview is becoming an object of disdain for many, and technology is advancing at an incredible rate. The Last Christian was a fun and entertaining read. It’s a science fiction thriller with Christian apologetics mixed in. Although it was certainly a page-turner, it also caused me to really think about some serious issues in our culture today
• Christian fiction has taken a direction that is wonderfully exciting and The Last Christian is a fantastic example!
• I was shocked by the many things that are slowly taking root even now in America, despite the book’s setting being in 2088. At this time, Americans have become accustomed to feeding their desires and pleasures through entertainment and enjoyment. …many live in virtual reality more than they do in the “real world”. In the name of tolerance and acceptance, all things are acceptable and morality is something each individual decides for his or himself…

I compared these reviews to a few from “the usual suspects” list of bloggers, and while I recognize that some of these reviewers blog as well, I think they said it best.

My recommendation here leans a little more toward Christian readers, but some other reviews spoke of possibilities in giving or loaning the book to someone outside the faith; perhaps provided they had demonstrated some spiritual openness. It certainly speaks in a mature manner to some of the main elements involved in following Christ, as well as addressing what Christianity isn’t. Age-wise, because of the ‘sci-fi’ flavor, I can see this book appealing to older teens as well as adults, provided they can commit to the 400+ page count. (We’re talking about four times the word count of the two Perfect Stranger titles.)

The two of David Gregory’s shorter books mentioned above already exist as movies. Could Last Christian make it to the big screen? It would be an extremely fast-paced film to be sure; but for now, we have the book which earns my highest recommendation.

JAMES RUBART: Rooms

It’s been more than a week since I turned the last page of Rooms by James Rubart. More than a week to gather my thoughts about the twists and turns of plot and spiritual journey that make up one of the most interesting books I’ve read.

I am not a fiction reader at all, but an increasing percentage of my reading in the last twelve months has been Christian fiction. The book came to me by way of a recommendation from the owner of the Christian bookstore in a small town in Eastern Ontario while we were on the first day of our vacation.

Then, in a manner fully in keeping with the spirit of the book itself, a copy showed up unsolicited in the mail. [Insert Twilight Zone theme music here.] I took it with me on the next leg of our holidays, and began to understand the passion in the store owner’s recommendation.

There are going to be comparisons to The Shack. I say this in the future tense because I’m not sure that this book has hit its stride yet, even though it’s been available for a few months. Unlike Shack, however, I think Rooms will avoid the doctrinal and theological controversies that dogged the former title, especially given its publication by conservative B&H Fiction (a division of the Baptist company, Broadman & Holman.)

That said, the book is edgy enough in a couple of areas to raise some Baptist eyebrows. Don’t let the publisher imprint dissuade you. James Rubart is a comparatively new author, but one who I believe we will be hearing more from in the future. (I’m already looking forward to Book of Days releasing in 2011…)

There are also going to be comparisons to a title which I have not read, the book House by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti, as both books are based on a similar premise. (Although, if you want to stretch things, so also is The Great House of God by Max Lucado, although that’s not close to being a fiction title.)

The protagonist in the story, Micah Taylor, finds himself the inheritor of a large (9,000 square foot) house with, for lack of a better word, supernatural rooms that appear and disappear — and one that is more constant — representing different aspects of his life history and personality.

And then there’s Rick. Seems like every book I read lately has a guy who ‘just shows up,’ who has uncanny insights and knowledge. Echoes of The Noticer by Andy Andrews, So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore by Jake Colsen, and Bo’s Café by a trio of authors. (Tangent: All books mentioned in this post, including Rooms, should be high on your list of books you can recommend to a male reader, including those who don’t consider themselves readers.)

Yeah. That’s about all of the plot that I need to say. From there you’re on your own.

Given sales figures in the millions, comparing this book to Shack isn’t exactly the worst thing I can do. However, while that book is something unique that is being used to reach those outside the Christian faith, Rooms may find its audience among the already converted. I do think there’s room for both types of readers with this book, and I hope it finds a response over the next few months from a variety of readers. Keep it on your radar.

…

The reviews: On one Christian retail site that allows customer reviews, 15 were posted. One gave the book 4.5 out of 5 stars. The other fourteen gave it 5 out of 5 stars. Wow!

The book trailer video: 46-seconds; blink and you miss it.

The picture: James has one and one only promotional picture which appears everywhere. Including LinkedIn. There was one exception — the one on this post — but when I right-clicked it, I ended up with a message reading “Ephesians 4:32 “(“…let him who stole, steal no more…”) advice which, if taken, would mean and end to photo sharing on any social networking sites. So I got the picture above from a tribute James did to his father on his personal blog. Not sure how Ephesians feels about that. Next time I’m stealing the other picture.

The publisher marketing: I was a little light here on plot, so here’s more teaser copy from B&H which may contain minor spoilers:

On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.

When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny.

An “A” Quality Examination of Life’s “Plan B” Moments

I believe that with this single book, Pete Wilson moves outside the circle of American pastors and bloggers and into the arena of people we consider major Christian voices for this generation.

I had a bit of an advantage here. After years of being aware of Nashville pastor Pete Wilson through his blog, and listening to several of his sermons and video posts, I was able to hear his voice in my head as I read each page. I’ve been impressed over the years with Pete’s complete honesty and transparency as someone walking the journey of life as we all do, albeit in the set-apart position of vocational ministry.

So I really, really wanted to be included among the 500+ people who are posting reviews of this book today as part of a blitz by the publisher, Thomas Nelson. The book is Plan B – What Do You Do When God Doesn’t Show Up The Way You Thought He Would? Knowing this was his first time in print having to compete for the attention of North American Christians in a crowded publishing market, I was a little unsure how Pete would fare.

Here’s my review:

This is a landmark book.

Using a large number of examples from the lives of people Pete has pastored in Kentucky and Tennessee; combining in the Biblical examples of David, Joseph, Job, Ruth, and even Jesus; and finally mixing in quotations from some of today’s most popular contemporary Christian authors; Pete delivers a treatment of his subject that would be thorough enough to meet the most rigid academic requirements, but is delivered in a totally grassroots, down-to-earth, unpretentious style.

However…

This is not an easy book to digest. Life is hard. This is not a feel-good book with rhyming couplet sayings. There are chapters that seem to ask more questions than provide answers. In the end — spoiler alert! — there is no pastoral closing scene with a golden sunset or a rainbow against a blue sky.

If anything, I got the impression that as someone who has been pastoring for just a little over a decade, Pete has had more than his share of being with people at the deepest moments of personal crisis and tragedy.

When I was pastoring in Kentucky, I would often ride with law-enforcement officials after someone had been murdered or killed in a car accident. The officers liked having me along when they went to inform the next of kin. I still remember the sick feeling I would get when we pulled into a driveway to do that sad job. I would think, Inside that house is a family just living their lives, going through the normal routine. They have no idea how my next few words are going to turn their very life upside down forever.

Not a book for people — including myself at times — who would like to bury their heads and deny that life often presents us with seemingly impossible challenges. But a book that finds there is hope to be found at the foot of the cross.

I found the overall pacing and writing of the book very similar to another title (from the same publisher) Fearless by Max Luacdo. I think that fans of Lucado’s writing would find this a very comfortable fit for their library, if they’re open to trying a new author. I won’t labor the similarities, but they are many.

But I also think there’s another application here: I think that pastors and counselors should buy this book, read it, and then have an extra copy handy to give to people who suddenly find themselves in the valley. This is an author who understands, who gets it.

Finally, I think there’s yet another direction for Plan B, which is hinted at in an eleven-page set of study questions at the back: This would be an excellent group study. We all experience unique trials and we all process these difficulties differently. What better healing process than to get people sharing some of the darkest times in their lives with others who have had, are having, or will have similar times where God seems conspicuously absent? Combining the first two chapters also yields a viable 13-week adult study curriculum.

Those of us who’ve enjoyed Pete’s blog, Without Wax, or listened to sermons at Cross Point already knew what Pete Wilson was all about. I believe with this single book, Pete steps into the circle of people we consider significant Christian voices in North America and beyond.

Plan B – What Do You Do When God Doesn’t Show Up The Way You Thought He Would? by Pete Wilson (Thomas Nelson, 244 pages paperback, May, 2010)

Theological courses offered at St. Peter’s, Cobourg

As the Cobourg Campus of Wycliffe College, St. Peter’s church offers  courses for lay people . Courses are part of the Wycliffe Lay Ministry Diploma program, they can either be taken for academic credit or simply for personal interest.  No academic prerequisites are necessary to participate in these courses.

The Wycliffe courses, because of their quality and the facilities in which they take place, have drawn students from a very wide geographical area in this part of Ontario over the past ten years.

St. Peter’s is located opposite Cobourg’s Victoria Park on King St. East, at College St.

For more information call 905 372 3442 or e-mail info@stpeterscobourg.org

Book Reviews

Bo’s Café – From the Publisher of The Shack

You come home from work and your spouse says something — something possibly containing a minuscule, trace amount of irritation — and you react to it. Then he/she reacts to your reaction. Then it gets loud. Then it crosses the line to where you’re saying things you instinctively know as you are saying them that you are going to have to apologize later. Or worse.

I think a lot of people have anger issues, and I think that we live in times that leave us vulnerable to stress factors that manifest themselves in different ways in different people. Fortunately for me — and my wife — it’s nothing like Steven Kerner, however. He’s the lead character in the book Bo’s Café, and he is given to what may only be described as serial rage. Every discussion with his wife escalates into something it shouldn’t. He can’t help but keep messing up, and then there’s no turning back.

Bo’s Café is the third fiction work from Windblown Media, publishers of The Shack and only the fourth book the upstart company has released. (A second non-fiction book is due out in November.) This time around there are three authors, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, John Lynch, and the setting is an area quite familiar to me, the environs of Los Angeles, California.

And yes, there is a Bo and there is a café but there’s also a bar and Steven’s life is greatly impacted by a guy who smokes, so the Shack-bashers who are now predisposed to despise anything from Windblown will have something to work with. (see: Sarcasm) The theme this time around however is marriage, family and our need as humans — including Christians — to come to terms with who we are and build in controls against the knee-jerk reactions we have when someone — especially a spouse — pushes our buttons.

Therefore, don’t look for a fictional treatment on the nature of God this time around. Bo’s is so much about marriage, I suspect it will land on a lot of bookstore shelves next to Fireproof. In a way, the two form a perfect set.

Like Shack, this title uses what might be termed Socratic dialogue named after the didactic writing in The Republic of Plato. Conversation that teaches. Words that cut to the heart of issues; our issues. There was one part, early on in reading, that I wondered if they had pushed that agenda too much to the forefront; if the book was too preachy. But the moment passed, and I settled in to find out what was in store both for the quirky characters and for Steven, who I truly believe represents you and I.

The book has another similarity to Shack inasmuch as I think it will attract more male readers than one normally expects with Christian fiction. Steve is helped greatly by Andy, a guy who just turns up in his life, which will also remind readers of Dinner With A Perfect Stranger by David Gregory, The Noticer by Andy Andrews, and Windblown’s other fiction title, So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore by Jake Colsen (the pseudonym of Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman). Those books all scored high with male readers as well.

The book has several messages, and I’m sure other reviewers will have a different take on this; but my personal revelation in reading was that personal change takes place over time, not overnight. Like Shack, this book is expected to score some sales in the general market, as well as the Christian market, and very appropriately Steven Kerner’s faith and belief in God is like a soundtrack running softly in the background, not something that’s in your face awkwardly on occasions the writers feel the need to ‘say something religious.’

This is a book that will save lives. Marriages in particular. This is a book that couples should read. (We both finished within days of each other.) Days later, I found myself on a website where the blogger was lamenting the lack of someone to talk with. The book inspired me to suggest that a listening ear is not too far away. You just have to be looking, to be open, or even to ask, “Do you know someone who is known to be a really good listener?”

This book shows the power of a good listening ear. We all need someone like that.

Make Love, Make War

Make Love, Make War: Now is the Time to Worship (David C. Cook, 2009) is a wonderfully crafted outpouring from the heart of Canadian singer-songwriter Brian Doerksen, who has authored or co-authored — he seems to do much of his writing in tandem with others — some of our best known worship songs such as:

• Refiner’s Fire
• Your Love is Amazing
• Today (As for Me and My House)
• It’s Time for the Reign of God
• Faithful One
• Everlasting
• Creation Calls
• Light The Fire Again
• You Shine
• and 84 other CCLI-listed songs

Some of these songs, and some I didn’t know, become the chapter titles for this book and are used as a springboard for discussion about what it means to live a life of worship to God, and also the worship songwriting process itself. On many chapters, I found the songs playing as on a loop in my head, providing a background soundtrack to reading the book. (Maybe someday that technology will exist as you begin a new chapter, the appropriate song will play…)

Furthermore, although I’ve missed hearing Brian live, getting to know his voice and spoken mannerisms from the Today live worship DVD resulted in almost hearing him speak the words right off the page. I questioned getting the DVD, since I already had the CD, but it has proved to be one of my all time favorite visual worship experiences. The book Make Love, Make War is the next natural progression, deeper into the heart of Brian’s love for his heavenly father, though if you currently own neither, don’t let that dissuade you from the book..

The book is part worship textbook, part autobiographical. It is in places humorous and at other places deeply serious. It is partly intended for worship music personnel at local churches — especially with its technical and practical tips for musicians at the end of each chapter — and also intended for the average person who seeks after God.

In many of our churches, the worship component involves half or more of the total time spent “at church.” Towards the end, Doerksen suggests:

“…we send people away to Bible school and seminary for years to learn the Scriptures and how to preach. And upon their return they preach sermons, which people often promptly forget. But there are very few theological schools designed to help modern artists and worship songwriters learn the Scriptures and biblical theology; we just tell them to write a song we can sing in church. Maybe it’s the songwriters who should study the most — because the lyrics of the songs are what really stick with us.”

In an excellent analogy — again towards the end of the book — he compares worship leaders to the Best Man at a wedding, leading the introduction of Bride (the church) and Groom (the Father), and then quickly getting out of the way.

Elsewhere he despairs over pastors who encourage worship leaders to include something “lively” or “up tempo,” when the heart of the Psalms is often woeful lament. His admiration for principal Psalmist King David — he just calls him Dave — is repeated throughout the book. He admits that sometimes, following after his role model, his song themes and lyrical choices have been met with criticism. This does not deter him; he feels he is living out the particular worship role for which God has chosen him.

Lord willing, Brian Doerksen will keep giving the church new musical worship material; but I also hope this isn’t the last time we see his name on a book. He has much to teach us about our relationship with the Father.

Here’s a link to blog containing many book reviews on titles either currently in stock at Searchlight or available by order. Drop by and visit Janis at The Nearsighted Bookworm for her perspective on a mixture of fiction and non-fiction Christian titles.

DONATE YOUR CLUB Z POINTS AND AIR MILES

BEGINNINGS Pregnancy Care Centre now has a community account where anyone who wishes to can donate all or a portion of their Club Z Points (Zellers) to Beginnings. The account number you need is ID # 978-0421. Simply see the customer service representative at the store or go online to set up the points to go to this account. Beginnings will use the points to purchase items for their care cupboard or office supplies.

You can also donate your AIR MILES to CHRISTIAN SALVAGE MISSION, which provides used books and Bibles and teaching materials to missionaries in remote parts of the world. Quote # 8007 960 3655.

ONGOING – BEGINNINGS CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTRE is now offering services to people in Port Hope, using the Port Hope for Youth Centre, upstairs at 38 Walton Street; Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 AM to Noon. Services include pregnancy testing, options counseling and pregnancy support. For info call the Cobourg office at 905 373 4575.

Winnie Visser Counselling Services… “I am a Christian Registered Marriage and Family Therapist. My office is at 1011 Elgin St West in Suite 28, the building NORTHEAST of Staples (not the Flemming Building).   I also have an office in Belleville. Mondays and Tuesdays I’m in Cobourg and Thursdays and Fridays in Belleville. Please check out the website www.winnievissercounselling.com or call me at 905-373-4050.”

Christian Music en Français

Paul Baloche and Friends is a collection of some of Paul Baloche’s best known worship songs translated into French and recorded in Quebec.  (For some reason the title on the CD cover is in English, though the album, but for a final bonus cut, is entirely en Français.)

The album reminds us how much material Baloche has contributed to the worship life of contemporary churches; these are some of our best known, popular worship pieces.

Second, it reminds us we are part of much larger, much greater body of believers.   Hearing these familiar songs in another language is humbling, especially to those who tend to think that North America (or England or Australia) is the center of the Christian universe.

Songs on the album include:

• Hosanna
• Élève-Toi (Arise)
• La Terre Entière (All The Earth)
• Ton Nom (Your Name)
• Louez Adonaï (Praise Adonai)
• Offrande (Offering)
• Jésus Tu Es (Jesus You Are)
• Ouvre Les Yeux De Mon Coeur (Open the Eyes of My Heart)

This recording is available at Searchlight for $19.99

JUDI PEERS’ new book, Guardians of the Lamp is a “historical fantasy” for teens based on life in Bible times. It is intended for sale in both Christian and general market bookstores; though for Christian teens, this book fits in very well with the writing of authors Chuck Black or Bryan Davis.  The story incorporates a time travel dimension, with the present section set locally in Peterborough, Ontario, at a time just before Christmas; and the rest of the book set in the year 1000 BC, where the story’s main character, Gavin Turner finds himself needed for battle against mythological beings that were formerly just obscure Old Testament names.  The book is available at Searchlight for the very reasonable price of $12.95 and the accompanying workbook is now available for only $14.99.

Paul’s book, featured in Faith Today magazine is available FREE online! The Pornography Effect: Understanding for the Wives, Girlfriends, Mothers, Daughters and Sisters was written in April, 2008 and is intended as a resource for the women who often represent the collateral damage in the internet pornography issue. After review by several major U.S. publishers, the print version is still pending, but in the meantime, we wanted to make this information available to people who need it.

You are invited to read the book online at www.thepornographyeffect.wordpress.com (It’s recommended you set your browser to a larger text size — click on “view.”) With 15 short chapters the book is only two full internet pages and can be finished in under an hour.   Click on “previous entries” after chapter six to get to chapters 7-15.

‘THINKING OUT LOUD.’  Opinion, devotional thoughts and links to many other blogs; and almost all of it somehow church- and faith-related.  To reach Paul’s blog / webzine, with readers on around the world, click on this link: www.paulwilkinson.wordpress.com

A picture of our beautiful (i.e. neat and organized) store in Brockville. (You’d hardly know we were related !! )

DIRECTIONS TO BROCKVILLE STORE:

VOLUNTEER HELP NEEDED — Searchlight Books has an ongoing need for people whose work or family takes them to Ottawa or Montreal on a regular basis who can drop off parcels at our Brockville store. It’s on a street parallel to the 401, so you get off on one exit and resume your trip on the next. Compensation is available if there’s a lot of boxes or it becomes recurrent. Call 905 372 5519

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT YOUR CHURCH — Police checks for childrens’ ministry workers is now a fact of life at many of our churches, but some people just can’t be bothered going to all that trouble and the small expense.  The result is that many churches are now short volunteer workers to help with child and youth ministry.  Somewhere there is a child that needs your time and attention.   If you don’t offer to help, your local church may have to curtail or even discontinue certain aspects of its Christian education program.   Consider making yourself available to your church in this way.

EMPLOYMENT — Searchlight networks with a broad spectrum of Christian people across Northumberland County. If you are either looking for a job, or are a business that potentially has a position available at your workplace, e-mail searchlight@nexicom.net. Job-seekers, do NOT e-mail US your resumés; just tell us the type of work you are seeking and whether full time or part time. In terms of ministry organizations, please note the following needs:

• NORTHUMBERLAND YOUTH FOR CHRIST — Executive Director position; salary with deputation req’d. Involves the supervision of five staff members and drop-in centers in four towns
• We have a variety of people in our network who are LOOKING for work, including unskilled and semi-skilled.

Sponsored by SEARCHLIGHT CHRISTIAN BOOKS, 884 Division Street, Cobourg. 905 372 5519; out of area call 800 210 5661. We’re on Division Street (Highway 45 Exit off the 401.) Go south about four traffic lights; we’re just south of Elgin St. on the east side. Searchlight is also in Brockville at 15 Central Avenue East, phone 613 345 2122, out of area call 877 772 4548. Central Ave. runs parallel to and one block south of Highway 401 between Stewart St and North Augusta (Coming from North Augusta it’s known as Reynolds Ave.) Click the link toward the upper right for “Searchlight Current Specials.”

Remember that Searchlight is BOTH a FULL SERVICE CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE and a fully accredited CHRISTIAN BOOK OUTLET STORE

Our older website www.searchlightbooks.ca contains information about our bookstores and also has the listings of Churches and parachurch ministries operating in the areas where our stores are located. We also operate the CHRISTIAN BOOK SHOP TALK blog; if you’re in the business, contact us for the address information. THINKING OUT LOUD is a blog page containing articles by Paul Wilkinson and reprints from around the blogosphere. Link here or type www.paulwilkinson.wordpress.com