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Mitch Carnell, a lay leader at Charleston’s historic First Baptist Church, is concerned about a lack of civility in public affairs and church life. His concern has led him to edit an insightful book called “Christian Civility in an Uncivil World.”

The essays are written by notable church leaders representing various Christian traditions. John Gehring and Alexia Kelley are Roman Catholic laypersons who write about mediating and modulating too much inflammatory rhetoric and negotiating the politics of the church they know and love.

The Rev. Sally Dyck, bishop of the United Methodist Church, Minnesota Conference, draws on a distinctive Wesleyan tradition she terms “Holy Conferencing.” Dyck outlines an approach to negotiating and problem-solving designed to minimize the unfortunate consequences of a church life reduced to “winners” and “losers.” She has adapted this approach from Methodism’s founder John Wesley.

Another bishop, the Rev. Stacy Sauls of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, Ky., who is also an attorney, writes with notable pastoral sensitivity concerning the conflict in the church he loves and serves surrounding the matter of one’s sexual orientation.

In this essay, Sauls declares, “What We Need is More Maturity.” Except I found myself wondering if the notion of being “more mature,” however kindly presented, might still provoke anyone conflicted or threatened about such a polarizing subject.

Likely the most public of those writing in this book is the Rev. Richard Mouw, a Presbyterian and president of Fuller Theological Seminary.

A leading figure among American evangelicals, Mouw’s chapter, “Good Manners for Public Christians,” is reflective of his firm convictions and kind and considerate spirit, evident when he addresses hot-button issues in the world of religion and culture.

Carnell’s essay, “The Power of Words,” not only reveals how hurtful interpersonal communication can be, it offers thoughtful guidance for improving interpersonal relations through a greater awareness of responsible and considerate ways of speaking and listening, both verbal and nonverbal.

Having spent his professional lifetime studying “The Power of Words,” its intricacies and subtleties, Carnell’s contribution to improved civility for the church in the world is worthy indeed.

The chapter contains numerous evocative quotes from both well-known and lesser-known people. One that sparked my imagination was Mark Twain’s: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”

Plus, the theological/biblical foundation Carnell offers is particularly significant for any Christian discussion of “civility.”

Three representative Baptist ministers also are contributors. Jimmy Allen describes important efforts in “Bringing People of Faith Together,” drawing on conflict involving Southern Baptists over several decades.

Tom McKibben’s “The Minister as Friend” is written from the perspective of someone who has served two different American Baptist congregations in Massachusetts. His is an important contribution to the practice of pastoral theology.

Wade Burleson, another Southern Baptist, who has developed quite a reputation as a blogger, writes the essay “Christian Civility on the Internet.”

“Christian Civility in an Uncivil World” is a readable book, as conversational as it is intellectually, morally and spiritually stimulating, and sure to appeal to anyone concerned about conflict in and outside of church life.

Carnell has joined with an impressive array of thoughtful, faithful church leaders in producing an important book I commend to both clergy and laity.

CHRISTIAN CIVILITY IN AN UNCIVIL WORLD. Edited by C. Mitch Carnell. Smyth & Helwys. 160 pages. $17

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Richard Stearns was a man who seemingly had it all. He was a successful businessman, community leader and family man. He had the big house, the Jaguar, and the country club membership. But just at the time he was at the peak of his career, he was called upon to do something more. Something much harder. He had to face the real evil in the world – he had to face the hunger, need, and want of the forgotten.

Too many of us would rather concentrate on our lives, write the occasional check to charity, and forget about the real calling of all moral people – Christian or otherwise. What Stearns calls our attention to in this book is that we are all called upon to lift up each other. We do not succeed in making the world a better place by memorizing verses, patting ourselves on the backs, or isolating ourselves from problems. It is only by putting our lives, not just our money, where our mouths are that we can perform the duties that we were put on this earth to perform.

To fill the hole in the gospel, we must fill the hole in our hearts and in our world. We must go out and make the world a better place. This is the message that has often been missing and the message that Stearns delivers powerfully through this book. Whether you are a Christian, member of another religion, or a member of no religion, this book is important and moving. The hole exists for us all, no matter what gospel we follow, and it is our duty and privilege to work on filling in that hole.

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The Noticer

The central figure in The Noticer is an impossibly old and mysterious man by the name of Jones. Not “Mr. Jones”, just “Jones”. He is goes by other names to non-Anglo individuals and appears of differing ethnicity to those other cultures also. Jones tends to appear basically out of nowhere to comfort and advise troubled people during their darkest hour. While the story takes place in a small Gulf Coast town, it might as well be “Anywhere, USA”. The town and the name of the protagonist aren’t important. What is important is the lessons he imparts.

The book is a quick, enjoyable read and falls into that category of self-help books that try to convey advice through parable. While the book is enjoyable and the advice worthwhile, I found The Noticer a bit hard to get through in places simply because the story was just too cloying. Much as you really get tired of the mice in the business book Who Moved My Cheese?, you start to get tired of the characters and predictability of their reactions in the work. If the book was much longer, you might just put it down.

As it stands though, this is the type of book that you will read, get out of it what you need, and then pass along to someone else because out of the 180 odd pages you will find four or five that speak directly to an issue you have. And for that, it is worth the price. (The explanation of the four ways that love is conveyed and perceived was just that tidbit for me.) I can also see The Noticer being given by many as gifts for those entering into new relationships, business opportunities, or even graduation. And in those situations, again, if the reader can even find just four or five pages that speak to them, then the reading will have been time well spent.

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Why would you have any loyalty to a store, restaurant or other business when their only point of differentiation is pricing. As soon as the price changes, the customer moves on. And the price will always change because there is always someone willing to sell a little cheaper, cut a few more corners, or take a bit less profit. Where loyalty and longevity are established is through our points of differentiation.

Not only does Scott McKain make it clear, through repeated interesting and insightful examples, that we currently have this problem, he suggests way in which we can combat the problem. His four “Cornerstones of Distinction” provide methodologies that someone in any business, or even personal endeavor, can use to separate themselves from the pack, create interest from the customer, and then concentrate on that customer experience to build loyalty. This works in service industries, sales, consulting, and even civic organizations.

Something else that is as almost as exciting the book itself is the distribution method. With this book, Thomas Nelson Publishing launches what they are call “NelsonFree”. What this means is that when you purchase the physical book, you also get access to it in electronic and audio format. So, you could read the paper version by your bedside, keep the electronic version on your iPhone or Kindle for reading on the train, and then have the audiobook format available for listening to while driving. The additional formats are just a simple and free download from the web. This is revolutionary and could, if it becomes widespread, dramatically increase the spread of alternative forms of reading.

So, all together, Collapse of Distinction is an very worthwhile book that can help you see your business through not only during these tough economic times, but through the “normal” times as well. In addition, with one person you get to pick whatever format makes you happy – or choose them all. A great deal by any standard.

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Here If You Need Me is the true story of how Braestrup overcame the sudden death of her husband, took care of her kids, became a chaplain for the Maine Game Wardens, and basically put her life back together. But it is far more than that. It had to be, because I don’t normally go for warm fuzzy perseverance stories. For one thing though, Braestrup tells her story honestly but with a sense of humor. She never dissolves into self pity or the woe-is-me attitude that many would. She still asks the hard questions, but she asks them with power.

And that leads to another reason I enjoyed this book. Although she might deny it, Braestrup is a strong women. Outside events may happen to her, but she alone chooses how she handles the events and how she reacts. She refuses to be a victim and in the end actually becomes a champion for the victims. By choosing the road of becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister, as her late-husband had planned to do, she explores her faith and her strength. But by becoming a chaplain with the game and wildlife service, she puts that faith and strength to use together with her compassion. She makes a difference, pure and simple.

Here If You Need Me is not a long book and it is not a complicated book, but it is a good book. I would recommend it for anyone trying to find meaning in their life or for those who are trying to help others find that meaning. And truthfully, I would recommend it for people who are simply looking for a good read with a good story line that has some humor and human angst thrown in. And if it jumps on you from the end cap at your library, take the hint.

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Both well written and well illustrated, the book covers everything from downloading and installing the software, to setting up the database, defining system parameters, and selecting a template. What is really excellent about these explanations is that McNulty tells you not only what are the best choices, but what impact those choices will have on your blog in the future. There are many selections you can make when setting up a new WordPress installation that can seriously affect how your blog operates in a year or two when it is getting lots of hits, and McNulty helps you to make well informed decisions.


While the book was written based on version 2.6 of the WordPress software and version 2.7 has now been released, there is very little other than administrative interface that does not apply. Most of the setup choices and database decisions are still the same. It would be great to see a physical or on-line update of the book for WordPress version 2.7, but I think that is just me being greedy.

If you are new to blogging, know what it is, but don’t have any experience getting blog up and running, this is the perfect book to start with. You will be given clear and concise instructions on what you need to do and why. If you follow along with the book, by the time you are done you will have a solid blogging platform up and running. Everything will be ready for you to start writing, and there in lies the only real problem with this book — the title.

While the book expertly covers the “building a WordPress blog” half of its title, what it really is not written to address is the what “people want to read” component. With a title like this one I would have expected chapters on what to write, how to interact with your audience, how to optimize for search engines and attract traffic. Also perhaps a few lessons from McNulty’s vast experience on what not to do. Scott McNulty is the founder and author of some important blogs and websites. I would really like to have been privy to some of that experience.

This is a very good book, but it should have been titled, “Building A WordPress Blog: A Guide to Installation and Setup”.

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The author concentrates on the why’s and wherefores of WordPress site design instead of getting bogged down in the minutia of every single menu possibility or syntax statement. For those looking for a thorough dictionary of all the WordPress programming codex, you need to look elsewhere. While the most commonly used commands are covered, the syntax is not gone into in detail and there are many functions left out. That type of reference is best left to books like WordPress Complete or the online help.

What Silver does in this book is start with the initial conceptualization of a site and then follow it all the way through to the end. From the very beginning with back-of-the-napkin sketches, this book makes it clear that the real heavy lifting of website design work is in deciding what you want the site to do. It is only after your decide what the site should do and how you want that presented that you can begin to program your website and actually get it to function.

Chapters on theme development, debugging, plug-ins and dynamic content go beyond the basics of WordPress to bring a full image to your web design. By showing how all of these features are first planned and then implemented, the author provides a great blueprint for the actual successful creation of a functioning site.

While the book was written before version 2.7 of WordPress was released, there is not too much that doesn’t apply across versions. Mostly this is because more emphasis is placed on the design than the technical details of syntax. Of course that is also the books one weaknesses. You will not want this to be your only WordPress reference. You will either want to avail yourself often of the online help, or you will need a more technical companion, such as the aforementioned WordPress Complete.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. If you need to create a truly custom WordPress site, and especially if you want to create more than one, you need a guidebook like this to blaze the trail.

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Reading the book it also quickly becomes clear where the root of the families problems is. Lynne Spears is a mother who passed on to her children the need for fame and success without any real regards for the cost or the process. Turning true talent and personality into celebrity became the fastest way to do that.

There is a quote pulled out about two-thirds of the way through the book that says, “I wonder what Mama and Daddy would have said about all the craziness surrounding Britney, Jamie Lynn, and all of us. They were from another era, a time when character counted more than celebrity, and when you word was your sacred trust.” Those two lines about sum up this unfortunate story.

The incidents in “Through The Storm” show that the Spears girls, led by their mother, abandoned character and values for the glamor of celebrity. Equally as evident in reading this is that there is always someone else to blame or a prayer that God will bail you out. Instead of taking personal responsibility for actions, causes, and consequences, Lynn Spears always places the blame outside of herself. Showing still that character just is not there.

As for the book itself, it is a quick but disjointed read – very much like the lives of the pop celebrities it details. The style and content is about as filling as watching E! on television. If that is what you enjoy then you will enjoy “Through The Storm”. If however, you prefer real biographies, real stories, real news – then move on to something else.

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