James O. Chatham – författare

The addition of simple drama to sermons is effective in bringing Bible passages alive and involving a variety of church members in preaching. In this book, James Chatham invites clergy to develop a use of drama to proclaim the gospel. Chatham writes that the Bible is comprised primarily of stories--stories of the relationship between God and God's people spanning over more than a thousand years--many of which are so good that they need little explanation. There is no more engaging way to tell these stories, he says, than through effective sermon drama.

This book offers an excellent introduction to the mystery of God's call into ministry. Anyone who is struggling with a call, who doubts the call they have recieved, or are considering ministry as a vocation will benefit and be inspired by James Chatham's Is It I, Lord?.

The Psalms’ insights are remarkable, unexpected, eye-opening. They have vital things to say to us if we listen intently to the ancient wisdom, much of which has been lost to modern ears.Using the insights of the “shape and shaping of the Psalms” work done by Psalms scholars over the past twenty-five years, James Chatham presents an inviting study for nonexperts to explore the interactions that various psalms have with one another. The book invites us to listen in on several psalm conversations, to realize how contemporary they are, and to join them. Chatham encourages us to immerse ourselves in the mind, heart, and world of the Psalms editor, to get to know those editors well, and to realize that their world was, in important ways, very much like ours. Through this process, the messages spoken by the Psalms editors emerge with words of faith about everyday issues in human living, both then and now.

Perhaps the best way to portray that unique cultural phenomenon called “southerners” is by telling tales about how these particular people live. And who could perceive them better, heart and soul, than their preacher? James O. Chatham, a Presbyterian minister who served several congregations during four decades, witnessed to a full spectrum of southern types during his years in the pulpit. He met all kinds, and he strived to minister to each with a compassionate, pastoral hand.His book of tales about his experiences with them puts a human face on the southern portrait. In Sundays Down South: A Pastor’s Stories, he recounts experiences with people who were heroic and pathetic, wise and foolish, visionary and blind. “Two things I have taken from these [stories],” he says. “One is the insight that the most sturdy and courageous hearts often come in very plain packaging. The other is the importance of conviction, of having in your soul a motivating cause.”He preached in a variety of southern locales—a paper mill town in the mountains of western Virginia, two small communities in southwestern Mississippi, a tobacco town in Piedmont North Carolina, and a city on the edge of Kentucky’s bluegrass region. The people he encountered in his pastorates are flawed but charming, even admirable in some instances. “It is impossible,” he says, “to tell from the outside who the giants will be. You have to be attentive, to watch and listen carefully, sometimes to dig to uncover the people you really want to meet.”Religion, race, sex, family ties, economic hardship, health, and education all arise in these tales, and Chatham never condemns or accuses. Nor does he shy from an honest portrayal of reality and of the prejudice that persists in the South. With a poignant but plain style, he makes clear his love for his parishioners and his attempt to infuse their lives with the inspired dignity that has moved him through a lifetime of preaching and listening.