May BOTM: Raising Gen Alpha

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Several people asked me recently for new recommendations on books about ministering to youth and children, and I told them I had nothing new for them. And the very next day I heard an interview with author Dave Boden talking about his new book Raising Gen Alpha: Helping Kids Navigate Everything from Anxiety to AI!

Boden is a former pastor and educator passionate about ministering to the next gen. I found the short book to be a helpful overview of some of the experiences that have shaped Gen Alpha, as well as highlighting some of the implications and opportunities for how we minister to them.

The chapters are organized according to the acronym ALPHA, which stands for Anxious-minded, Leading influencers, Pandemic-impacted, Hyperconnected, and AI-shaped.

Gen Alpha is generally thought to include those born between 2010 and 2025, so this is everyone from age 1 to about 10th grade or so. That means we’ve all got “Alphas” in our lives who we love and are discipling, whether as parents, teachers, mentors, aunties, or uncles.

April BOTM: The Story Behind the Song

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I recently read the book When God Doesn’t Fix It, by Laura Story. You might recognize her name, as she is the one who wrote the song “Blessings.” (She also wrote “Indescribable,” a well-known worship song from the early 2000’s.) I heard about this book during one of the Sisters’ Coaching & Soul Care Sessions, and wanted to recommend it to those looking for your next read.

The full title of her book is When God Doesn’t Fix It: Lessons You Never Wanted to Learn, Truths You Can’t Live Without. She writes honestly about the lessons she has learned through life taking unexpected turns, starting from when her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor early on in their marriage. I don’t want to give away too much, but I was challenged and ministered to greatly to know that this song of hope and trust was written amidst deep and ongoing struggles and weakness.

Each chapter ends with a Myth/Truth pair, exposing some of the expectations many of us have of God or about life, and affirming the truth of what God can do in and through us even amidst disappointments and heartbreaking situations.

The book is faith-boosting, full of joy and even has some humorous moments. It’s not a dense book, and because the story is engaging, it can be a fast read for even more reluctant or “too busy to read” folks.

March BOTM: An Oldie AND a Goodie

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As we are a few weeks out from Easter, I chose a devotional classic, The Calvary Road by Roy Hession for this month’s book. This is a lot of people’s favorite book, and I know there are people who read it regularly.

One thing I love is how Hession doesn’t pull any punches, but is direct in his writing. As I reread the book, I was reminded of our recent John 12:24-25 memory verse and this past week’s MBS message from the very beginning paragraphs:

“The Lord Jesus cannot live in us fully and reveal Himself through until the proud self within us is broken. This simply means that the hard unyielding self, which justifies itself, wants its own way, stands up for its rights, and seeks its own glory, at last bows its head to God’s will, admits its wrong, gives up its own way to Jesus, surrenders its rights and discards its own glory – that the Lord Jesus might have all and be all. In other words it is dying to self and self-attitudes.”

The book focuses on how to experience spiritual renewal and deeper relationship with God, and Hession emphasizes it isn’t necessarily through dramatic events, but through daily dying to self that comes from brokenness, repentance, and walking in the light. It is a short book, but each paragraph is packed with phrases you want to highlight or underline. You might end up coloring the book!