Hidden in Plain Sight: Pastoral Care Teams in Churches; Rags of Light; When Ministry and Marriage Collide; Faithful Choices in Church & Mission; Here Lyeth; The Contented Life; Faithful, Creative, Hopeful

New media roundup

• Hidden in Plain Sight: Sam Goudie and the Ontario Mennonite Brethren in Christ, by James Clare Fuller (Wipf & Stock, 2024). Biography of a denominational leader (1866–1951) involved in evangelizing rural Ontario using teams of women preachers and establishing overseas missions.
• Pastoral Care Teams in Churches, by Robert K. MacKenzie (Friesen Press, 2024). A 74-page guide on a system of care led by nonclergy. Author is an Ottawa Presbyterian former pastor and professor involved with the Ottawa Pastoral Care Training Program.
• Rags of Light: Leonard Cohen and the Landscape of Biblical Imagination, by Brian Walsh (Cascade, 2024). Ontario theologian reflects on the writings of the Montreal-born celebrity poet, novelist, songwriter, Buddhist monk and follower of Judaism.
• When Ministry and Marriage Collide: Honest Conversations on Thriving Through Conflict, by Jack A. Taylor (Word Alive 2024). Fifty practical tools to improve a marriage demonstrated through the honest conversations of seven couples. B.C. pastor and prolific author has multiple degrees in counselling.
• Faithful Choices in Church & Mission: A Group Discussion Resource for Guiding Small and Rural Churches Through Times of Transition, by Donna Mann (‎Manna Publications, 2024). Retired pastor in Ontario offers 130-page guide (DonnaMann.org).
• Here Lyeth, by Johanna Frank (Marrow, 2024). A mix of supernatural fantasy and faith-based fiction for “curious readers who don’t want to be preached to, but are open to exploring spiritual themes through fantasy” by a Kitchener, Ont., author (JohannaFrankAuthor.com).
• The Contented Life: The Art of Enjoying What You Have Right Now, by David Koop (Insight International, 2023). Vancouver pastor offers personal stories and practical strategies for managing thoughts, emotions and circumstances, as well as the power of gratitude and connection with others (DaveKoop.com).
• Faithful, Creative, Hopeful: Fifteen Theses for Christians in a Crisis-Shaped World, by Jesse Zink (Church Publishing, 2024). Anglican theologian in Montreal challenges Christians on the crises of our times such as climate change, migration and economics.

Agnus Dei (65” x 105”, oil on baltic birch) by Josh Tiessen. JoshTiessen.com PAINTING © JOSH TIESSEN

“I create hyper-realistic paintings that draw on philosophy, theology and art history. This altarpiece triptych, which took 1,700 hours, is a musing on the moral innocence of animals, something we as humans cannot claim for ourselves. Isaiah 53 prophesies about a Suffering Servant likened to an innocent lamb. Messianic Jews and Christians believe this was fulfilled by Jesus, who died to bring us into right relationship with our Creator, an act with cosmic implications for a ‘new heavens and a new earth’ where ‘the wolf and the lamb will feed together’ (Isaiah 65). The full essay for this painting appears in my coffee table book Streams in the Wasteland.”