Weeks 5 & 6 at Clearwater College: Communications

Von mir völlig unbemerkt, ist schon der 10. Oktober vorbeigegangen, der Tag, der 2/3 meiner Zeit in Kanada markiert. Am College bin ich nun auch schon seit 6 Wochen.

In den letzten beiden Wochen hatten wir den Kurs "Communications". Es ging um die Vorbereitung und Präsentation von Predigten und darum, wie man wissenschaftliche Arbeiten schreibt (die große Mehrheit hier kommt ja grad erst von der Highschool). In diesem Rahmen sollten wir alle ein fünfminütiges Devotional und eine zehnminütige Predigt vorbereiten, die dann im Kurs gehalten wurden. Ich habe den Kurs nur gehört, ohne Credits, aber trotzdem ein Devotional und eine Predigt vorbereitet. Basierend auf meiner Farming-Erfahrung dieses Jahr, habe ich sie über Unkraut und Saat gehalten.

Devotional on Mark 4:7: “The seed that fell among thorns” or “Preparing the soil”

I.      Introduction

First of all let me ask you a question: Who of you has ever worked with plants, in a garden or on a farm? In Jesus time, people were familiar with the growth of crops. Many of them probably did at least some kind of farming to sustain themselves. Today many of us are not as familiar with the processes of farming anymore, which makes it harder to understand and relate to the parables Jesus teaches based on this image.

The passage I will talk about today is Mark, chapter 4, verse 7. It is one verse in the parable of the sower and the four soils. This parable is the first Jesus tells in a series of parables in Mark and it is also found in the other two synoptic gospels, Matthew and Luke. In the preceding chapter Jesus has just chosen his twelve disciples and now preaches to a large crowd of people by the Lake of Galilee. I will read verses 3 to 8 from the NIV:

“3 Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

II.     Starting point: Bad soil. The seed that fell among the thorns.

In the verses we just read, we see that the quality of the soil is a crucial factor in sowing. Together with the amount of water and sun as well as the quality of the seed, it is the soil that determines the outcome. We often talk about sowing and reaping but sometimes forget that there is a third stage that actually comes first. Those of you who have read the book on evangelism may recall it: It is the preparation and cultivation of the soil.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus mentions four different kinds of soil: a path, rock, a thorny patch and good soil. Apparently only one of them produces the desired result. So how do we get good soil, the soil that produces a crop and multiplies?

Have you ever seen a garden or a field that has not been used for some time? If you have, you know that soil is not naturally in a state that allows for immediate sowing. Usually something grows there, but in most cases nothing we would like to see grow. So we see that good soil needs preparation.

As most of you know, I spent three and a half months working on organic farms this year. Since this was in the spring and summer, one of my main chores was weeding. Weeding to prepare for sowing and weeding while the desired plants were growing so that they would not be overgrown by weeds. Which takes me back to verse 7: “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.” The problem with this soil is not that there is no growth. The problem is that thorns – or weeds – grow alongside the desired plants. This is a problem that can and should be dealt with.

III.   Interpretation of the parable: We are soil and so are the people we interact with

Since Jesus is speaking in a parable, when he talks about seeds, thorns and soil, he uses it as an image. He explains the parable to the disciples in verses 14-20. The seed is the word (14), the thorns are “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things [that] come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (19) and the soil is the heart and mind of the person receiving the word. Every one of us is this person and also every person we interact with. This makes it relevant on two levels. If the heart and mind are overgrown with weeds, the word cannot grow and bear fruit. Even if the best seed is sown and water and sun are sufficiently provided.

IV.    Application: How do we prepare the soil?

There are many things that can grow in our minds and hearts if we leave them to themselves. Some may start to grow by themselves and some may be sown by the enemy, who does not want to see the good seeds grow and bear fruit. Real-life weeding can teach us several things:

· While good plants need care, weeds grow on their own and they are resistant.

· Weeds can look pretty.

· It takes a certain knowledge and discernment to recognize weeds.

· Inherently good plants can be weeds when they grow in the wrong place.

· Pulling out weeds – especially thorny ones – can hurt. 

· The earlier the weeds are removed the easier and the better. The stronger their roots the harder it gets.

· Weeds have roots and it is important to remove the roots, not only the visible plant. Otherwise they will always grow back.

· Weeding is not a one-time-thing, it has to be done regularly because weeds tend to grow back. But the more thorough you weed the less they will grow back.

· Weeding is work and it takes time.

Each of these points could be analyzed for its implications in more detail. But for now I would just like to encourage you: If you feel like some seeds in your life don’t seem to grow, take the time to look for weeds that might be choking them and then ask God to help you weed and prepare your soil.

Sermon on Mark 4:26,29: “The Parable of the Growing Seed” or “How seeds grow.”

I.      Introduction

In my devotional yesterday I talked about the importance of good soil to enable seeds sown to take roots and grow. I also talked about the danger of weeds and how pulling them out is important to obtain good soil and ensure growth of the seeds growing.

Let us go back to the metaphor of a garden as an image for lives, hearts and minds, in which we would like to see seeds grow into strong plants that bear fruit. They can be our own lives or the hearts and minds of people we meet or know and minister to.

Every garden looks different. Some gardens have never been worked at all. They are completely overgrown with grass, bushes, thistles and shrubs and need a lot of weeding and clearing first. Other gardens have been cultivated before, but have been neglected for some time. You can still see were the beds used to be and there might even be the odd old vegetable or flower, and maybe there are seeds slumbering in the earth that have been planted and have not come up yet, but most of it is wild and overgrown. Still other gardens have been taken care of and between flowering beds and rows of vegetables only a few weeds spring up from time to time.

Let us now pretend that we have made the first step and taken the time to clear, weed and prepare the soil in these different gardens. In some cases, this may have taken us only a few days, in others maybe years.

Now we can take a step further and look at the processes of sowing and growing. Because weeding is not an end in itself but only the means to obtain good soil for planting. Weeding is a stage in the process toward bearing fruit, but not our goal. It does not help us if we only pull out weeds without replacing them with good seeds and plants. We want a flourishing garden or field, not weeded, barren, good soil. 

 

II.     Sowing and growing: The Parable of the Growing Seed

In the parable of the four soils we have already heard Jesus tell what happened with the seed that “fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” (Mark 4:8). Right after this first parable, in Mark 4:26-29, Jesus tells the Parable of the Growing Seed. It is a more precise description of what happens with the seed – the word – that “fell on good soil” and how the process of growth works.

Let me read verses 26-29 from the NIV:

“26 He also said “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

II.1. Sowing

The ground is prepared. Weeds have been torn out, we may even have added some fertilizer. Now the word is sown. It “sprouts and grows” “all by itself”, in its own time. As Edersheim puts it “the growth [of the seed]  goes on, dependent on the law inherent in seed and soil, dependent also on Heaven’s blessing of sunshine and showers” (Edersheim 1886, 588). The sower doesn’t know and doesn’t have to know how it grows. This growth lies entirely in God’s hands. He collaborates with the sower. We do our part and God does his. He is the one who has called us to “live a life worthy of [him] and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). And it is he who will also carry the good work in us “on to completion onto the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). We can trust in God and in Jesus, “who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for [him]” (Rom. 7:4) to finish what he has started. We are not alone in the process of cultivation, sowing and reaping.

The seed grows by itself and in its own timing. Its growth lies in God’s hands and we can trust it to him. Yet, there are factors that we can influence and in which we can again collaborate in the production of good fruit. We cannot pull the plant to make it grow faster and we cannot influence the process of growth in itself. But we can influence surrounding factors influencing the plants sowing and growth.

Again my working on farms this year has helped me in obtaining a clearer understanding of what the parable implies by looking at “real” plants and how they are sown and grow.

            Let us start with the sowing. This applies both to seeds sown into us as well as to seeds that we sow into others.

I have already mentioned one important factor of sowing in my devotional. It is the quality of the seed. Since the seed is the Word or as Jesus says in the second parable “the Kingdom of God” (Mark 4:26), which is brought about by his word, its quality is assured and we can be confident in it.

Just as weeding, sowing requires a certain knowledge of where, when and how to plant the seed. We have already talked about “where”: We want to make sure that the seed is planted in prepared, good soil in the right climate.

As to “when”, we see in nature and read in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, that everything has its season: “1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.”

Which means for us that timing plays a role in our sowing and planting, too. We need to know when the right season for sowing is. We may well sow in January or in April, but the chances are that our crop will not be very successful. The time is right, when the soil has been prepared.

However, we should keep in mind that every seed is different and in nature we find a variety of amazing seeds that grow under the most astonishing conditions. Some need fire to grow, others can lie dormant for a long time, some need to be planted deep, some are only spread on the surface.

There is only one seed – the Word of God – and we can and should try to assure that it is planted wisely at a good place, time and with a good method as nature tells us. But we may always know that this is a powerful and unlimited seed and that we collaborate with God, who can also work in miraculous and supernatural ways to make any seed grow, even under unfavourable circumstances.

II.2. Growing

Now that we have looked at the aspects of sowing, let us also look at the process of growing. As mentioned before and told by Jesus in the parable, growth lies in God’s hands and we can trust it to him. Especially (sun) light is something we cannot control, unless our plants grow in an artificially lit greenhouse. When we apply this metaphor, Jesus is the light, as he says in John 8:12. His light is what makes the plant of the word grow in our and others’ lives. And he is not only light, but also gives us living water (John 4:10). Light, water, soil and seed – all crucial factors of the process towards plants bearing good fruit are provided by God. Our part is to accept these gifts into our lives and bring them into the lives of others.

There are a few additional factors that we can influence and in which we can again collaborate in the production of good fruit while the plant is growing.

Some plants grow faster than others and it requires patience and trust. Once the seed is in the soil, the first part of growth is underground, out of sight. It will do no good, do dig it up every few hours to see whether it has grown already. But we can water the seeds should there be no rain.

At some point, we finally see the first sprouts. With some plants it only takes a few days, with others it takes longer. This is when the work of watering and protecting of the plant begins. When weeds start to grow back in the beds and fields, we can pull them out. We can check the plants for pests like bugs or slugs that come to devour them. This process is ongoing until harvest time, being more intense in the beginning when the plant is the most fragile and small.

Finally the day of harvest comes, the day when all the hard work and patience invested into the plant is rewarded and we can enjoy the fruit.

III.     Conclusion

Life is change, life is movement and ideally life is growth. Our minds and hearts are the soil on which the seed of the Word is sown. God wishes for us to grow and bear fruit. And he joins us in our efforts toward a fruitful life. By giving his life for us, Jesus has prepared the ground. He also provides the light, the water and the seed. God is the one in whom we can trust to bring about growth and life abundantly, the process of which we do not fully understand. We can trust him and step up beside him, playing our role by taking care of the additional factors that help and support the production of good fruit in our lives and in the lives of others.

REFERENCE LIST

Edersheim, Alfred. ed. 1886. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Vol. 1. McLean Virginia: Mac Donald Publishing Company.

Evangelism week in Edmonton, 17. - 22. September

In meinem vorhergehenden Post habe ich ja schon kurz von unserer Woche in Edmonton für den Kurs "Evangelism" berichtet. Eine unserer Aufgaben dafür war, eine Reflexion und eine Kritik für das begleitende Buch "Lifestyle Evangelism" von Joe Aldrich zu schreiben, die ich hier mit euch teilen möchte.

Reflection on the Evangelism Week in Edmonton, September 17-22, 2017

I.      Expectations

My feelings going into this week of evangelism in Edmonton were mixed, since it was my first time intentionally evangelising. I had shared my faith before, with friends and colleagues in Germany as well as some of my hosts while I was traveling in the eastern provinces of Canada this year, but had never talked to anybody I didn’t know with the intention of telling that person about the gospel. I always associated evangelism with talking to random strangers somewhat awkwardly about Jesus. Therefore, I was somewhat apprehensive of being asked to approach people in a way that would feel pushy and uncomfortable to me. I went to Edmonton expecting to be stretched and pushed out of my comfort zone, which made me a little nervous and at the same time excited about how it would be, since I know that overstepping our limits gives God the opportunity to work.

II.    Experience

I was relieved on the first day, when we were told that our task for that day would be to simply start conversations with people at the Millwoods Mall. On that day at the mall, Emily and I spoke to three people. The first was Glory, a Jehova’s Witness and then an elderly Christian couple. Before we went into the mall we took the time to pray to insure that we would not evangelise by relying on our own understanding and agenda.

I do not know much about Jehova’s witnesses and it was my first conversation with a Jehova’s Witness. I only knew that they are very well trained in Scripture and try to convert people, too, which is why I tried to keep the conversation more in the area of personal experience. We had a good conversation, simply talking about our lives and faith. Even though Glory seemed cautious, I had the impression that some of the things Emily and I said or the way we said them reached her, even though she often just countered with bible verses. She did not allow us to pray for her while she was present, but did not mind our praying for her after she had left. Upon our asking if she had prayer requests, she told us she hoped her children would also find the truth. Speaking with Glory gave me a new perspective on door-to-door evangelism. When Emily asked her when and how she had become a Jehova’s Witness, she said that people had come to her door. This made me realize that this field would be completely left to Jehova’s Witnesses if Christians do not go door-to-door, too.

The next conversation we had with Hilda and Rudi, the Christian couple, was so enjoyable that I even felt a little guilty for having it, which reveals another misconception I had about evangelism. Unknowingly, I had approached Germans, who had immigrated to Canada about 60 years ago. We encouraged them, prayed for them and were encouraged in return. Hilda felt we had been sent her way and said that God always sent her people when she felt discouraged. It is incredible what we miss by always only passing by people, following our agenda instead of God’s. Time passed very quickly and when the time came to meet with the rest of the group at the van, I would have preferred to stay and continue to talk to people because I enjoyed it so much. This first day – to my own surprise – really encouraged and motivated me for this type of evangelism. In the morning I had been struggling with some doubts and questions, a headache and nausea, which made me question whether I would even be able to go out in the afternoon. Other students in the group reported similar difficulties and spiritual attacks during the week.

On the second day at the mall, Emily and I talked to six people. Most other student groups later expressed having experienced greater difficulty and spiritual opposition, which we did not encounter. I found myself using the Evangecube, that we had been given that day. I had not been planning to use it, since its design does not really appeal to me and the gospel presentation given for the respective scenes – especially the “heaven or hell” one – was not presented in the way I would present it. Furthermore, I did not believe I would even get to sharing the gospel in one of the conversations. However, when I started talking to Houdda, a Muslim woman from Sudan, we came to the point where I could explain to her what Christians believe about Jesus, which I did with the Evangecube. In this setting, the Evangecube proved to be an effective tool, since it illustrates the message of the Gospel and gives structure to the presentation.

On Thursday he went into some residential areas to distribute door hanger invitations for a screening of the movie “The Case for Christ” at the church we were staying at. I did not talk to many people but could invite a few people personally on their doorstep. While I walked through the streets and put the hangers on the doors I started praying for the people in the houses, the neighbourhood and community. The meeting point was at the school, where a fire alarm started shortly after we arrived, which gave me the opportunity to talk to one of the teachers and invite her with the last invitation that I had put into my pocket because the hanger was torn.

III.  Conclusion

The week of learning about and practicing evangelism in Edmonton in combination with the reading of the book “Lifestyle Evangelism” by Joe Aldrich has given me a new perspective on evangelism and inspired me to start the cultivation of evangelism as a way of living.

Starting with a more critical view of evangelism, the course taught me its importance and its different forms and tools. In his book “Lifestyle Evangelism”, Joe Aldrich names three categories of evangelism that are at the same time different stages of evangelism as well as equally coexistent forms (Aldrich 1993, 73; 76). I always thought the only form of evangelism I would be willing to do was the incarnational/relational type, which – according to Joe Aldrich and also to my own impression – is the most natural and effective type, because it allows time for the process of “cultivating, sowing and reaping” (Aldrich 1993, 77). However, during this week, I realized that I am also comfortable with the confrontational/intrusional type as long as I can be sensitive to the situation and do not feel the urge to be the reaper when the soil has never even been cultivated. Since we collaborate with God and fellow believers in this process, our role may vary and we can trust God to work with the input we were able to give (cf. Aldrich 1993, 77). In all of this, it is very important and both our teacher and the author of the book stressed, that “Evangelism is not something we do for Christ; it is something he does through us” (Aldrich 1993, 114).

Another aspect that was important for me to learn is that “evangelism involves both good works and good words” (Aldrich 1993, 78). I have always preferred to only preach by example and works without speaking about my faith, justifying this with the quote (probably falsely) attributed to St. Francis of Assisi that we should preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words, which actually does not even contradict what I have learned about evangelism now. Only that it is always necessary to use words at a certain point: “No one is good enough to let just his life speak for Christ. Words are necessary to point beyond himself to Christ.” (Aldrich 1993, 79). Furthermore, I learned that evangelism and spiritual warfare of any kind always comes with opposition, which is a sign of its impact and effectiveness. We faced and overcame this opposition as a group in fellowship and prayer.

I really appreciate that we were not given a certain number of people we had to talk to in a certain amount of time because it allowed us to follow our impressions of whom to talk to and take time for the people we met without looking at the watch or looking for the next person to talk to, while still talking with another. I liked the fact that the evangelism week was early in the semester because this gave us an early insight into the practical implications and importance of what we learn and why the spiritual disciplines – e.g. memorization of Scripture – are important. In terms of our effectiveness and confidence as evangelists, it might however be even more beneficial to have the evangelism course and practice in the second or even higher semester, when everyone has established a more secure basis and foundation of both knowledge (e.g. Scripture memorized) and faith. Concluding the course on evangelism was very instructive and beneficial for me on a personal and spiritual as well as on an informative level.

Critique of “Lifestyle Evangelism” by Joe Aldrich

I.      Summary

In his book Lifestyle Evangelism Joe Aldrich explores both the theoretical as well as the practical implications of a lifestyle of evangelism. Dividing his work into three parts, he moves from defining what evangelism should look like according to the Bible (Part 1) to the step-by-step description and illustration of how this goal can be attained in the church (Part 2) and in every believer’s life (Part 3). First of all it is very important to state that “evangelism is what Jesus Christ is doing through his church [and the individual believer] to reach his world” (Aldrich 1993, 155), not what we do for Christ (cf. Aldrich 1993, 114). On this basis, Aldrich describes evangelism as the “glorious result” of a Christian community that cultivates and communicates joy, certainty, completeness and beauty (Aldrich 1993, 21) as such a healthy community then sends out into the world believers, who live “as children of light” (Aldrich 1993, 32), making Christ’s love tangible and proclaiming the Gospel. He stresses more than once the importance of “both good works and good words” (e.g. Aldrich 1993, 78). Taking an integrated stand, and presenting three different legitimate categories of evangelism – 1) proclamational, 2) confrontational/intrusional, 3) incarnational/relation (Aldrich 1993, 73) – Aldrich promotes the incarnational/relational approach, since it is the most natural and effective type according to his experience, because it allows time for the healthy growth of relationships that enable the gradual process of cultivating, sowing and reaping (cf. Aldrich 1993, 77).

In the beginning of the book, Aldrich states that the foundation is Christ’s love, the product of which is “holiness and blamelessness” (Aldrich 1993, 26). A person who is “whole, integrated [and] balanced” (Aldrich 1993, 27) through salvation and the love of Christ will live “beautifully [...] opening [his/her] web of relationships to include the nonbeliever” (Aldrich 1993, 27).

II.    Strengths

Drawing from a wealth of knowledge of both the Bible and the world as well as from a lifetime of experience in evangelism, Aldrich has written a valuable guidebook to evangelism for the Christian community. Numerous examples and illustrations help the reader understand the topic and its implications. His step-by-step practical explanations facilitate the implementation into the everyday life and his figurative language (e.g. “music of the gospel”, “beautiful bride”; Aldrich 1993, 20; 36) appeals not only to the head but also to the heart of his readers. He often starts his chapters with anecdotes that introduce the new subject in a very comprehensible way. The book does however not lack seriousness and soundness. Aldrich confronts misconceptions and malpractices in a direct but graceful manner and illustrates how improvement can be achieved. He also challenges his readers and actively involves them by including lists (e.g. p. 40f) and an appendix with a 12 session study guide. Throughout the book, Aldrich achieves to stress, what Whitney sometimes fails to emphasize: Everything we do as Christians – be it evangelism or the practice of spiritual disciplines – is meant to be “the constant and spontaneous outflow of our individual and corporate experience of Christ” and his love for his beautiful bride (Aldrich 1993, 29). Aldrich emphasizes that we have “the privilege of delivering the best news that any individual could possibly receive”, which should result in evangelism being “one of life’s most fulfilling and sought after experiences” (Aldrich 1993, 191).

III.  Weaknesses

In comparison to its strength, the weaknesses of the book are almost negligible. For the standard reader not involved in pastoral ministry or in a leadership position in church, the second part of the book is not as relevant. I believe that the topic of the second part is important and helpful to understanding the pastor’s standing, position and function in the church but might have been addressed more concisely in this book, since it does not apply to everyone. To my view, Part 1 and 3 are more important and applicable for the average Christian reader.

            Personally, I did not like the analogy between the Gospel and rifles in Chapter 7. Even though the Gospel is compared to a sword in the Bible, I would have preferred a different comparison for quality assurance and control (cf. Aldrich 1993, 131). I felt that equating the good news with a company producing weapons was somewhat unsuitable.

            A third minor drawback is his focus on men in the second part of the book where he only talks about men and the male “model leader” (Aldrich 1993, 137). Having a ministry for men in every church certainly is of high importance but so is a healthy women’s ministry and the cultivation of feminine leadership.

IV. Personal impact

We are called to live a radical life (cf. Aldrich 1993, 39). The radicalness of our life should be love just as it was in Jesus’ life. Reading the book “Lifestyle Evangelism” made me realize in what way I am “important to the process” of God “draw[ing] people to himself” (Aldrich 1993, 198) and how I can get involved in that process.

            Three aspects stood out to me in particular. Firstly: My preference for incarnational/ relational evangelism is a shared feeling and valid: “Natural evangelism provides the most satisfying option for the largest number of believers” (Aldrich 1993, 191). Aldrich states that relating “is much more natural [...], less stressful” and also “much more effective in the long run”.
            Secondly, the book – as well as the teaching in Edmonton – challenged me in my opinion about the importance of words vs. works. Tending towards the incarnational type of evangelism, I had hoped to be able to mostly avoid speaking about the gospel. Aldrich’s repeated comments on evangelism involving both “visualization and verbalization of truth” (Aldrich 1993, 31) – or put more simply “good words and good works” (Aldrich 1993, 78) – made me realize the importance and necessity of talking about the Gospel and how works and words always need to work together, both speaking the same language of beauty and love.

Thirdly, his comment “If you do nothing more than eliminate [the] caricature [that Christianity is a religion], you will have made great progress.” (Aldrich 1993, 188) made me see the effectiveness of my evangelism this year and realize its value. Working and living on organic farms I was literally and metaphorically in the harvest field. I cultivated and sowed in both senses. The book now has also given me the tools to reap.

The main goal in evangelism is to become more and more like Jesus. Being an effective evangelist is a side-effect that follows: “The Christian loves his neighbour and evangelism becomes a byproduct of his self-giving love, not the reason for it” (Aldrich 1993, 76). Reading the book “Lifestyle Evangelism” in combination with the week of learning about and practicing evangelism in Edmonton has given me a new perspective on evangelism and inspired me to start the cultivation of evangelism as a way of living.

V.   Summary

“Lifestyle Evangelism” is both an enjoyable read and a valuable resource. With its combined theoretical and practical approach it is a recommendable guidebook that I would advise every Christian toread and start to apply in his daily life.