Books and educational resources that have come to our desk recently

The following books have come to our desk over the past months. Perhaps one or more of them will pique your interest.

—Susan Brandt

Educational

Second Mile, Faith and Life Resources, has released Pathway B: Heading for the Promised Land, together with a leader’s guide. Pathway A is entitled The Land that I Will Show You. Themes discussed include everyday economic choices, relating to aboriginal peoples, and how to live peaceably with those around us.

Closer than a Brother – Men’s Series (Faith and Life Resources) has released two new curricula: The Meaning of Tough: Wealth and Power by Leonard Beechy and Sex and Faith: Celebrating God’s Gifts. Others in the series include: What Really Matters.

Making Disciples: Preparing People for Baptism, Christian Living, and Church Membership by April Yamasaki. A manual for teaching youth and others about the church. Although written for Mennonite Church Canada, it would be a good additional resource for pastors teaching baptism and membership classes in our MB churches.

MennoFolk: Mennonite and Amish Folk Traditions. Ervin Beck. Herald Press, 2004. Part of the Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History series. The book examines Mennonite urban legends, looks at Mennonite and Amish paintings on glass, and considers the Mennonite relief sales as folk festivals.

Who Are the Anabaptists? Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonites. Donald B. Kraybill. Herald Press, 2003. Anabaptists of North America come from diverse backgrounds and cultures but are known for their strong commitments to peacemaking, service and community. Kraybill is connected to Elizabethtown College (Pa.).

Biographical

A Family Torn Apart. Justina D. Neufeld. Pandora Press, 2003. Neufeld writes about growing up in Russia during World War II, fleeing to Poland and eventually coming to the U.S. She describes her feelings of loss and abandonment as her family is scattered across Europe and Russia.

Thicker than Water. The Uncensored, Unabridged and Completely Unbiased Account of the Life and Times of the Dietrich Klippenstein Family As Told by their Middle Child Hendrijk. Henry Klipppenstein. North Vancouver, B.C.: Loon Books, 2004. The title says it all. Klippenstein talks candidly about his parents and his siblings, their depression-era farm and the numerous disasters that struck. The story is light-hearted, yet often heart-rending.

Recalling Recollecting Reflecting. Otto Derksen. Self-published. Derksen recalls his years as a missionary in the West Indies with World Team. He was a church planter and developed a Bible school for training national church leaders. He tells of his early years of ministry in Saskatchewan and his call to mission overseas. He includes stories of his ministry following the years in West Indies and some of the courses he developed to teach at Bible school. (Available for $12.00 from the author.)