An inspiring account of Christian faith that should appeal to readers hoping to learn more about how ministries can support...
A devout Christian recounts how she ended up founding a ministry in Ohio.
Debut author Matthews knew from a young age that she was called by God to become “a missionary in the inner city.” Her faith was extremely strong and, through prayer, she decided to stay in her hometown of Akron to teach children in urban communities. This formed the first step in Matthews’ journey to founding Urban Vision in 1992, a ministry that she now leads with her husband, Rodney, where she works with “brothers and sisters of different cultures, to walk the path of ministry together.” The ministry began with Kids Clubs, run by Matthews, where as many as 20 children came to her house for “homework assistance.” She hoped that helping them to succeed academically would begin to break the cycle of poverty. Often, Matthews questioned her ability to spread the Word of God, thinking that she was “just ordinary Jodi,” yet she felt confident that God had “given me a voice to declare the Word of the Lord to the next generation in our little corner of the world.” Matthews’ experience has taught her that, “working with children in the city…so many of them just needed love, attention, and the Truth of God spoken into their lives.” This work deftly shows how the author’s unshakable faith has guided her on an admirable path of helping people—especially children—who need guidance, support, and a safe space to learn and pray if they wish. Though it’s clear that Matthews is deeply religious, this absorbing and heartfelt book focuses on the worthy programs she has founded in her ministry, such as a Bible study for mothers and literacy programs for non-English-speaking children. Whether or not readers share the author’s belief system, they should appreciate how deeply committed she has been to her community for more than 25 years. Furthermore, Matthews has managed to deliver a richly detailed, eye-opening look at how Christian ministries can positively impact communities without attempting to convert readers to her religion.
An inspiring account of Christian faith that should appeal to readers hoping to learn more about how ministries can support children and families economically and academically.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5127-9904-0
Page Count: 278
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.
A teacher and scholar of Buddhism offers a formally varied account of the available rewards of solitude.
“As Mother Ayahuasca takes me in her arms, I realize that last night I vomited up my attachment to Buddhism. In passing out, I died. In coming to, I was, so to speak, reborn. I no longer have to fight these battles, I repeat to myself. I am no longer a combatant in the dharma wars. It feels as if the course of my life has shifted onto another vector, like a train shunted off its familiar track onto a new trajectory.” Readers of Batchelor’s previous books (Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World, 2017, etc.) will recognize in this passage the culmination of his decadeslong shift away from the religious commitments of Buddhism toward an ecumenical and homegrown philosophy of life. Writing in a variety of modes—memoir, history, collage, essay, biography, and meditation instruction—the author doesn’t argue for his approach to solitude as much as offer it for contemplation. Essentially, Batchelor implies that if you read what Buddha said here and what Montaigne said there, and if you consider something the author has noticed, and if you reflect on your own experience, you have the possibility to improve the quality of your life. For introspective readers, it’s easy to hear in this approach a direct response to Pascal’s claim that “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Batchelor wants to relieve us of this inability by offering his example of how to do just that. “Solitude is an art. Mental training is needed to refine and stabilize it,” he writes. “When you practice solitude, you dedicate yourself to the care of the soul.” Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it.
A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-300-25093-0
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
An erudite and artful, though frustratingly restrained, look at Old Testament stories.
The Book of Genesis as imagined by a veteran voice of underground comics.
R. Crumb’s pass at the opening chapters of the Bible isn’t nearly the act of heresy the comic artist’s reputation might suggest. In fact, the creator of Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural is fastidiously respectful. Crumb took pains to preserve every word of Genesis—drawing from numerous source texts, but mainly Robert Alter’s translation, The Five Books of Moses (2004)—and he clearly did his homework on the clothing, shelter and landscapes that surrounded Noah, Abraham and Isaac. This dedication to faithful representation makes the book, as Crumb writes in his introduction, a “straight illustration job, with no intention to ridicule or make visual jokes.” But his efforts are in their own way irreverent, and Crumb feels no particular need to deify even the most divine characters. God Himself is not much taller than Adam and Eve, and instead of omnisciently imparting orders and judgment He stands beside them in Eden, speaking to them directly. Jacob wrestles not with an angel, as is so often depicted in paintings, but with a man who looks not much different from himself. The women are uniformly Crumbian, voluptuous Earth goddesses who are both sexualized and strong-willed. (The endnotes offer a close study of the kinds of power women wielded in Genesis.) The downside of fitting all the text in is that many pages are packed tight with small panels, and too rarely—as with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—does Crumb expand his lens and treat signature events dramatically. Even the Flood is fairly restrained, though the exodus of the animals from the Ark is beautifully detailed. The author’s respect for Genesis is admirable, but it may leave readers wishing he had taken a few more chances with his interpretation, as when he draws the serpent in the Garden of Eden as a provocative half-man/half-lizard. On the whole, though, the book is largely a tribute to Crumb’s immense talents as a draftsman and stubborn adherence to the script.
An erudite and artful, though frustratingly restrained, look at Old Testament stories.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-393-06102-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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