Blog Archives
Intervention in Church Conflict
In Intervention in Church Conflict, Dorothy R. Dann shares her personal and professional journey of navigating congregational conflict using a blend of narrative therapy and family systems theory. Rooted in her doctoral work and lived pastoral experience, the book recounts how she developed and applied a model for healing a divided church community. Through a series of phases, listening, externalizing, deconstructing, and rewriting, the intervention unfolds with theological grounding, leadership development, and a commitment to wholeness. The book is part memoir, part field guide, and part theological reflection.
This book was a surprisingly emotional experience for me. I expected an academic treatment, something heavy with theory and light on humanity. But Dann writes with a raw honesty that caught me off guard. Her vulnerability and deep compassion for the congregation she served shine through every page. I could feel her struggle to hold steady as a new pastor, tasked with helping a broken community rediscover itself. The writing is accessible, even when she’s discussing dense theoretical concepts. What really struck me was her belief that healing begins with storytelling, not fixing, not diagnosing, but listening. That resonated with me. It reminded me that leadership isn’t about having the answers but about being present in the hard moments.
Some chapters, particularly those summarizing academic sources, felt like detours from the gripping story of the actual church intervention. I found myself craving more narrative and fewer summaries of systems theory. Still, the theory has its place, and I get why she included it. For a pastor or counselor walking into their own conflict zone, those resources might be lifelines. The blend of scholarship and heart is ultimately what gives the book its depth. I just wished for more moments where the personal story took center stage, because when it did, it sang.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to pastors, seminarians, church leaders, and anyone trying to navigate messy group dynamics, whether in faith communities or elsewhere. It’s especially valuable for those who feel in over their heads but want to walk with integrity and love through tough seasons. This book doesn’t offer quick fixes. It’s not a how-to manual with step-by-step guarantees. But what it does offer is wisdom, humility, and hope, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need when all you see is conflict.
Pages: 97 | ASIN : B0CW1L7FG2
Dead Men Walking a Stairway to Life
Walter Thomas’s Dead Men Walking: A Stairway to Life is a raw and deeply personal appeal to Black men and their communities to rise from spiritual death into a life of purpose and redemption through Christ. Blending biblical scripture, social statistics, historical analysis, and testimony, Thomas focuses intently on the crisis of fatherlessness, Black-on-Black violence, and the erosion of the Black family. Anchored in his own devastating loss—the murder of his daughter by a young Black man—the book channels grief into a passionate call to action rooted in faith, responsibility, and communal healing.
Reading this book stirred up a mix of emotions in me. There were moments I felt deeply moved, especially when Thomas speaks about his daughter or when he recalls his father’s advice. There’s an urgency in his voice, steady and strong. He doesn’t mince words. He lays the problems bare—fatherless homes, cycles of violence, spiritual emptiness—and he puts it back in our hands to fix it. The writing is unpolished at times, full of repetition and raw edges, but it’s also heartfelt. It’s not about eloquence. It’s about impact. I could feel the pain behind the words, and more importantly, the hope that things can change.
What stands out most is Thomas’s honesty and how directly he speaks to the reader. He doesn’t sugarcoat the issues. He leans heavily on scripture and spiritual transformation. His message is clear: nothing changes without turning back to God. Whether he’s referencing Priscilla and Aquila, Martin Luther King and Benjamin Mays, or the Moynihan Report, he ties every thread back to this idea of responsibility—spiritual, familial, communal.
This book is for someone who needs a wake-up call. It’s for fathers who’ve lost their way, sons who feel like no one’s looking out for them, and communities tired of watching their boys die too young. If you’re open to faith-based reflection, willing to face hard truths, and looking for a message that comes straight from the soul, Dead Men Walking is worth your time.
Pages: 94 | ASIN : B0DS3QT1V2
In His Hands
In the book, In His Hands: A Spiritual Journey, Olie K. Teeter Jr. takes the reader on his spiritual journey, discussing various aspects of religion, sharing lessons, and demonstrating how faithful God has been. This book is written in a clear-cut manner, in that as much as it feels religious; the reader is able to see the human aspect of it all. Olie K. Teeter Jr. starts the book by introducing himself to the reader. He writes of where he comes from, his parents, friends, and acquaintances he has made throughout the year. This part of the book is a favorite because the author intentionally created a bond with his audience. By telling his background story, the author makes the reader connect better with his discussions and even feel like they can relate to certain issues.
Olie K. Teeter writes with zeal, love, and genuineness. The author’s authenticity is visible throughout his narration, and one can point out the objectivity in his writing with ease. In His Hands: A Spiritual Journey is a straightforward book to read. Apart from the division of the book into two major parts, the author added an appeal to the book by arranging the chapters into categories that discussed God and his divinity and those that had discussions on the author’s personal experiences and of others. The first chapters in part 1 of the book taught me about my personal relationship with God, while most of the chapters in part 2 of the book made me reflect on life and my spiritual journey.
Part II of the book was meant for anyone trying to find themselves in their spiritual journey. The teachings shared, his style of sharing the word of God, and the multiple real-life examples of how God’s work manifested in his life that the author wrote about are enough reasons to enjoy this book. In this section, the author touches on topics like deception, power, love, holiness, and the church. I thoroughly enjoyed the bible teachings and the scriptures that the author shared in this part of the book. If you want to learn your bible well, then you need to look at what Olie K. Teeter Jr. writes in this chapter. Everything imperative from the Old Testament to the New Testament is discussed with precision, and the reader fully comprehends the holy book.
As a reader, I found discussions on the silent voice of God, prophecy, prayers, ministry, and the Holy Spirit to be eye-opening. Olie K. Teeter Jr. was insightful in each of these topics, giving comprehensive explanations and throwing in personal tales when he wants to drive the point home. Reading about his encounters was both fascinating and inspiring. The best thing about Olie K. Teeter Jr’s writing is that his stories easily flow. His storytelling skills are astounding, and the author understands how to fuse more than one story without losing the reader.
Pages: 186 | ASIN : B08P8482VZ
LITERARY TITAN 