Small press roundup. Art by Megan Little. Books on a theological framework for justice-minded Salvationists; stories of charismatic renewal; life of John Newton and story behind Amazing Grace; turnaround memoir by retired hospice chaplain and United Church pastor; and more
She Mistook Him for the Gardener (14″ × 16″) by Megan Little (MeganLittleArt.com). ARTWORK & POETRY © MEGAN LITTLE
The humble sculptor forms
us gently; piecing together
the fragments of our experiences.
Each baby step of faith is celebrated.
Each doubt and trial woven together
to create a sturdy framework.
And in the ordinary days
He is busy cultivating gardens
where we walk together in the
cool of the evening
slowly relearning how to
rest in his presence – naked
and unashamed.
SMALL PRESS ROUNDUP
◼ Living Right While Righting Wrong: A Salvationist Theology of Protest by Wendy Swan (Triumph Publishing, 2022). Author, originally from Burnaby, B.C., now directs the International Social Justice Commission at The Salvation Army. Her book offers a theological framework for justice-minded Salvationists, especially 20-somethings.
◼ God's Country: Stories of Charismatic Renewal compiled by Al Reimers, 3rd edition (Guardian/Essence, 2021). The latest version of a book originally released in 1979 by a former Anglican priest, documenting the 1970s spread of the Charismatic Renewal movement in Canada.
◼ Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song by Bruce Hindmarsh and Craig Borlase (Thomas Nelson, 2023). Hindmarsh is a scholar at Regent College, Vancouver, who has spent years researching the life and writings of John Newton, the slave trader who wrote the song “Amazing Grace.” His new cowritten biography “reads like a novel.”
◼ Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction by Bradley Jersak (Whitaker House, 2022). A collection of “vulnerable memoirs, philosophical memos, and candid provocations” by a prolific Abbotsford, B.C., author (BradJersak.com), who also serves as dean of the theology and culture program at St. Stephen’s University in New Brunswick.
◼ Called! A Longshot’s Story by Gordon Postill (FriesenPress, 2021). A turnaround memoir by a retired hospice chaplain and United Church pastor (GordonPostill.com), recalling his university years chasing sex and alcohol (he flunked out of Queen's University in 1970), and more years as a drifter and alcoholic before experiencing a remarkable call into a 35-year career in ministry.
◼ Letters to My Friends: Words of Faith, Hope and Encouragement by Phil Gunther (Kindred Productions, 2022). A collection of 49 devotional letters originally published as weekly emails by the director of ministry for the Saskatchewan Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
◼ Audaciously Alive: Choosing to Live Well on Purpose by Roxanne Harris (Forefront, 2023). An Ontario Christian wellness practitioner (RoxanneHarris.ca) shares her story of autoimmune disease, the practical tools she used to find health, and how women can “embrace their created purpose to live well, regardless of their circumstance or situation.”