The Gospel According to Rock
Toby Jones
Books and Bridges, 103 pp., 2007, $15.99, www.booksandbridges.com
The way churches use music in worship has caused rifts and divisions for years. Whether it is an argument of organ versus guitar or complicated hymns versus repetitive choruses, the modern “worship wars” have become legendary. Both of these new releases from Abingdon address this controversial issue.
Message in the Music approaches worship as a musical discipline through 10 critical essays that critique 77 contemporary worship songs, first from a lyrical standpoint and then musically. When Will Jesus be Enough is significantly less academic and prefers to focus on the centrality of Christ that has become very strangely absent from worship.
Read in tandem, these two books can start a well-rounded discussion on the quality of contemporary church worship. To read one of these without the other would be to miss a giant piece of the worship pie.
Toby Jones doesn’t want anyone to miss out on rock music bringing them closer to God. Even the most secular rock, he believes, gives us spiritual dialogue, a social conscience, a value of creation and more.
—Adam Griffin

Rejected Sunday School Lessons
Steven Case
Zondervan, 2007, 102 pp., $9.99, http://www.zondervan.com/
Anyone responsible for teaching a Sunday School class knows that some lessons look better on paper than actually being taught. Steven Case, a former columnist for YWJ who has been in youth ministry for more than 18 years, has undoubtedly had this experience. His new book, Rejected Sunday School Lessons, is for anyone who has had to throw in the towel midway through any teachable setting and laugh because the lesson just wasn’t working. It is not, however, a book of last-minute Sunday school teaching ideas.
Inspired by his kindergarten Sunday School experience with Mrs. Mallot, these 24 humorous lessons are meant to be a sort of “release button whenever you feel the work of youth ministry is getting a little tight.” Most of the lessons are pretty funny, reminding the reader that God has a sense of humor and that it is a good thing to laugh at ourselves once in a while.
—Drew Sher

Losers, Loners, and Rebels: The Spiritual Struggles of Boys
Robert C. Dykstra, Allan Hugh Cole Jr., and Donald Capps
Westminster John Knox Press, August 2007, 189 pp., $19.95, www.wjkbooks.com
Three seminary professors consider their early teen years to gain understanding of boys and their spiritual journeys. They contend that there are three types of boys between the ages of 10 and 14 and explore how each thinks and feels.
Though too heavy for a quick, easy read, the book offers possible insight into some issues boys face. While recounting stories from their past, the authors explain how different events affected them and how similar experiences can impact boys today.Youth workers or others in close contact with young teen boys may find this book helpful to explain certain perspectives held by boys and the problems associated, though it leaves little room to believe some boys may be well adjusted and happy, without self-image problems or spiritual crisis.
—Cheri R. Gillard

For Parents
Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World
Judy Halliday, R.N., and Joani Jack, M.D.
Regal, January 2008, 224 pp., $19.99
We are a society that is supersized, overindulgent and, on the whole, overweight. Sadly, our children are not exempt.
Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World is a practical guide for not only getting your kids to eat healthy, but also your entire family. It is not about diets or counting points or calories but about simple, basic principles of learning to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are satisfied. It is about knowing who you are as God’s creation and using the brain God gave you to fuel your body in a healthy way.
The authors use specific tools that help a child understand his or her body’s needs. From using “Tummy Keys” to the “Motion Monitor,” kids are encouraged to listen and know how to care for themselves in ways that are fun.
This book is written from a parental point of view, so a teenager reading it may not relate. However, it would be helpful to a youth worker who is in a position to positively impact a child in terms of health.
—Lara M. Van Hulzen

Logged On and Tuned Out: A Non-Techie’s Guide to Parenting a Tech-Savvy Generation
Vicki Courtney
Broadman & Holman, 2007, 197 pp., $12.99, http://www.broadmanholman.com/
A youth worker recently told me of MySpace and Facebook, “Really, these two sites are this generation’s email.” Courtney agrees and does a good job of speaking slowly and using small words for adults who are MySpace/Facebook/text/IM-challenged. With humor and directness, she asserts that parents need to be quizzed up on kids’ primary modes of communication in order to wisen them up regarding their online activities. Even those who use computers regularly will learn from Courtney’s thorough research of cell-phone technology, instant messaging, texting, social-network sites, chat rooms, and photo/video uploading.
Courtney doesn’t demonize all these, though she shares recent examples of invasive communication (from bullies to predators). She does a great job of “talking” parents through the ins and outs of setting up accounts (not only to check on their kids, but to communicate better with them).
—Danette Matty 

Extreme Pursuit: Winning the Race for the Heart of Your Son
John E. Davis
NavPress, 2007, 203 pp., $13.99, www.navpress.comRaising Dad: What Fathers & Sons Learn From Each Other
Thom S. Rainer & Art Rainer
Broadman & Holman, 2007, 212 pp., $17.99, www.bhpublishinggroup.com
I am a dad. My boy is still young; but the wit and wisdom, the hope and the strategies that Davis and the Rainer team offer in Extreme Pursuit and Raising Dad are invaluable resources to me already. In Extreme Pursuit, Davis introduces us to a cast of characters—parents and their sons—who are on the brink of disaster. Through moving personal stories, spiritual insight, a good understanding of youth culture, and practical advice, parents can navigate with Davis the dangers of drugs, anger, love, sex, and other important topics. A helpful feature is the “GO FOR IT!” section that ends each chapter. This catapults parents from reading the book into parenting with love and action.
Rainers’ Raising Dad is a unique approach to a book on parenting and for this reason is extremely valuable. The younger Rainer, Art, begins each chapter by recounting the events and milestones of his growing-up years. Thom responds with “A Father’s Perspective.” This dialogue makes Raising Dad a valuable and eye-opening read. I will keep these books on my shelf, recommend them to other dads and come back to them often as my children grow up.
—Daniel Clark

For Teens
Just Do It!
Butterfly in Brazil: How Your Life Can Make a World of Difference
Glen Packiam
Tyndale House, July 2007, 188 pp., $12.99, http://www.tyndale.com/

Join the Movement: God Is Calling You to Change the World
Alvin L. Reid
Kregel Publications, March 2007, 160 pp., $10.99, www.kregel.com
“Beginnings are only as significant as their endings. A runner who doesn’t win the race finds no consolation in a good start. Successful endings are often determined by the very ordinary moments in the middle.” So begins Butterfly in Brazil, taking its title from the metaphor of something ordinary happening in one place and causing great effect halfway around the world.
Both books push students to make a difference, but they take different approaches. Join the Movement is a study of different movements in history and the individuals who started them. Reid’s chapters are based on the characteristics he sees in movements (not institutions): vision, passion, impact, purpose, worship and obedience to name a few.
Packiam is a great storyteller. Butterfly is a fast and compelling read, and his approach of being faithful in the small things without knowing whether or not we’ll perform on a grand stage is very fitting. He encourages readers to not “store up greatness” but to start living as Jesus calls today.
Join the Movement has a format ready-made for group discussion, with questions based on passages in the book of Acts at the end of each chapter—but it’s a bit clinical. Butterfly in Brazil is more engaging and is, therefore, more highly recommended.
—John Dunham