Forward Progress

Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

A Review of Real by Daniel Darling

Posted by MK | Filed under Books

I am a church kid, through and through. My parents had me in church 9 months before I was born. There has never been a significant period in my life when I have strayed from the church, and I began serving on staff at churches when I was 19 years old. For all those reasons [...]

Brennan Manning Made Me Get a Tattoo

Posted by MK | Filed under Books, Current Events

I owe a debt to Brennan Manning. In 2000, my wife and I moved from the friendly confines of the town where I had lived my whole life to Birmingham, AL, and I was (at least internally) very confident that it was only a matter of time until I would set that city on fire. [...]

Book Review: Contend by Aaron Armstrong

Posted by MK | Filed under Books

To “contend” means “to struggle in the face of opposition; to strive against rivals; to dispute and debate earnestly.” It’s also the title of a book by Aaron Armstrong. Armstrong states from the outset that contend is not a passive word, but rather requires action. It’s a struggle; it’s a fight. And the premise of [...]

What is the Kingdom of God?

Posted by MK | Filed under Books, Theology

The following is taken from an essay by Tullian Tchividjian written for The Mission of God Study Bible: According to Jesus, it’s impossible for Christians to properly understand the practical nature of the Christian life without properly understanding the nature of their citizenship in God’s kingdom. In fact, one of the primary biblical descriptions of [...]

Some Reflections on Flannery O’Conner

Posted by MK | Filed under Books

Flannery O’Connor is one of the best known American writers and essayists. She wrote two novels, but she is probably better known for her short stories. I finished reading two collections of these stories entitled A Good Man is Hard to Find and Everything That Rises Must Converge. She only lived to be 39 years [...]

Wonderstruck: An Interview With Margaret Feinberg

Posted by MK | Filed under Books, Friends to Check Out

I first met Margaret Feinberg several years ago when we worked together on a Bible study project called Scouting the Divine. Since then, I’ve enjoyed interacting with her and her Viking husband Leif on a number of other occasions, so when she got ready to release her latest book called Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness [...]

From a Manuscript I’m Working On…

Posted by MK | Filed under Books

This is a bit of the next book I’m working on that’s actually due to the publisher on Friday: One of the most common phrases that makes its way into our prayers is this: “Please be with so-and-so.” I’ve said it. You’ve probably said it, too. I know what we mean when we say this. [...]

The Waiting Room

Posted by MK | Filed under Books

The following is excerpted from my book, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God: There is nowhere on Earth like a hospital waiting room. Most people have been in one at one time or another—waiting because your appendix is bursting, waiting because your kid has a gash that needs to be sewn up, [...]

His Hands Never Fall

Posted by MK | Filed under Books, Theology

The following is taken from my book, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God: The Greeks thought believing exclusively involved the intellect. We have sort of adopted the same idea into our English understanding, that belief is about assenting to a certain set of facts you hold to be true. So the how [...]

The Question of Identity Can Really Only Be Settled in a Moment of Crisis

Posted by MK | Filed under Books

(The following is excerpted from my book, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God) … this is what happens to most everyone who encounters an event like cancer and then tries to figure out what life looks like afterward. Such circumstances are pain- ful for a lot of reasons, but one of the [...]

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