We last heard from John Russell in late 1941 on the eve of Japan’s surprise attack at Pearl Harbor and America’s subsequent entry into the world war. Russell and his longtime girlfriend Effi Koenen were escaping Germany with help from … Continue reading Potsdam Station | Book Review
“The currency of the kingdom of God isn’t prayer, Bible study, missions, or service; it’s love,” writes Choco De Jesus in his new book, Love Them Anyway (Charisma House). “All the disciplines are means to put us in touch with … Continue reading Love Them Anyway | Influence Podcast
John Russell is living in Berlin on borrowed time. A resident of Berlin since the 1920s, he is a former Communist, former British subject, and present American citizen. That citizenship—his father was British, his mother American—has kept him in country … Continue reading Stettin Station | Book Review
Is The Acts of the Apostles a source of authentic historical information about earliest Christianity? Colin J. Hemer answers that question affirmatively in The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History, published after his untimely 1987 death and … Continue reading The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History | Book Review
“Imagine that you have the following choice to make for your listeners,” writes Matthew D. Kim in the opening paragraph of Preaching to People in Pain: “(1) They can listen to sermons that only address the topic of success in … Continue reading Preaching to People in Pain | Book Review
“Of making many books there is no end,” Ecclesiastes 12:12 says, and nowhere is this truer than of books about Abraham Lincoln. The problem confronting would-be Lincoln authors is that every angle of Lincoln’s life seems to have been covered … Continue reading Lincoln in Private | Book Review
Silesian Station is the second installment in David Downing’s series of novels featuring Anglo-American journalist John Russell. It is set primarily in Berlin in the summer of 1939, just before the Nazi invasion of Poland, although Russell travels to other … Continue reading Silesian Station | Book Review
“In twenty-first-century America, three forces have united to make living as a follower of Jesus more complicated and nuanced than at any other time in Christian history: capitalism, consumerism, and celebrity culture,” writes Ben Kirby. “These forces are raising questions … Continue reading Christian Faith in a Celebrity Culture | Influence Podcast
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Biologically speaking, none of us would be here without our moms. So make sure to honor your mom this weekend — if not every day — for the gift of life! We have moms to … Continue reading The Story of Scripture in Four Moms | Influence Magazine
“Suffering is ubiquitous, success is not,” writes Matthew D. Kim in Preaching to People in Pain. Ironically, the content of many, if not most, sermons focuses on success more than suffering, however. Are pastors missing an opportunity to speak into … Continue reading How to Preach When People Are Suffering | Influence Podcast
