No Less Days, by Amanda G. Stevens

Amanda G. Stevens's novel No Less Days asks the question, what would you do if you could never die?  Bookseller David Galloway hasn't lived forever, but he has lived well over a century.  After a frontier doctor in the 19th century treats him with a mysterious serum, he has survived.  He thought he was alone, but now he has met up with a small group of "longevites" whose resistance to death stems from treatment by that same doctor.

If you want to explore the science and biology of longevity, you will be disappointed.  But Stevens's story explores the human side of apparent immortality.  David, as a lone soul, lived several lifetimes as someone who never ages, without knowledge of other immortals.  In his new circle, he finds fellowship with a community that has been in relationship for a century of mutual support.  What would relationships look like if you could not die?  How would you relate, if at all, with mortals?

Some of the characters are Christians, but even they struggle with questions of church involvement and God's purposes for their immortality.  The questions become even more profound when a mortal human who seems to be onto their secret turns up dead.  How do immortal humans bring to justice one of their own?  There are no easy answers.

Stevens's style is deeply personal and readable.  Her pacing is pretty mellow, with some surprises but not a lot of cliff-hanging.  She does a great job of exploring a speculative idea--immortality, or something close to it--from the perspective of a Christian.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Loving Your Community, by Stephen Viars

I love to see churches that impact their communities.  Stephen Viars, pastor of Faith Church in LaFayette, Indiana, calls churches to demonstrate love and service in their communities in Loving Your Community: Proven Practices for Community-Based Outreach Ministry.  As often as churches get caught up in denominational politics, theological nit-picking, and cultural commentary, they (ok, we) miss their purpose of sharing the love of God with their community.

Viars's basic rule for churches is: "We ought to be guided by the principle "Say yes unless you have to say no."  He writes that "wise churches look for every opportunity to share love and resources with those around them." He offers very practical ideas from his church's experiences.

I was surprised by his first recommendation.  "One of the first ministries I would lead the church family to start would be a community-based biblical counseling ministry because of the wonderful opportunity it affords to love your community." I wouldn't have guessed this would be first priority, but it makes sense, in that it opens doors for relationships, personal ministry, and impacting individuals' lives.

In the bigger picture, Viars touts the idea of churches as community centers.  Rather than a building that sits dark six and a half days a week, our churches should be hives of activity for people from the community.  I love this idea.  We might be too tied to our buildings being used for "holy" purposes, but what is more holy than bringing people in and creating opportunities to love and serve them.

Throughout the book, I kept thinking, Wow, these ideas will take a ton of time, personnel, and money to implement.  That's partly true, but he offers some help there, too.  And once a church catches this vision, it will snowball and grow.

While Viars's vision may seem out of reach to many in traditional churches, his presentation will force you to stop and think about the purpose of the church and the potential your church has for reaching your community.  What higher calling is there?


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!