Martin B. Copenhaver – författare

This Odd and Wondrous Calling offers something different from most books available on ministry. Two people still pastoring reflect honestly here on both the joys and the challenges of their vocation. / Anecdotal and extremely readable, the book covers a diversity of subjects revealing the incredible variety of a pastor's day. The chapters move from comedy to pathos, story to theology, Scripture to contemporary culture. This Odd and Wondrous Calling is both serious and fun and is ideal for those who are considering the ministry or who want a better understanding of their own minister's life.

Christian faith, says Martin Copenhaver, is not a subject to be mastered like calculus or Shakespeare; it is a story to be told and a life to be lived. No matter how much or how little you know, To Begin at the Beginning tells the story of Christian faith and invites you to take part in it. In this book Copenhaver covers basic themes—the Bible, church, ministry, sacraments, prayer, ethics—in a clear and inviting way. His approach creates a valuable resource for pastors, an accessible guide for seekers and new Christians, and a "refresher course" for longtime Christians who want to engage anew with what they believe.

An excellent supplemental confirmation resource, or meaningful confirmation or graduation gift, Words for the Journey: Letters to Our Teenagers About Life and Faith, first published in 2003, is an original collection of letters written by Martin Copenhaver and Anthony Robinson to their teenagers. They discuss a wide variety of topics - God, church, Bible, vocation, relationships, difficult matters, faith, doubt, prayer, sex, abortion, race, and homosexuality - and share what God and their faith means to them.

Contrary to some common assumptions, Jesus is not the ultimate Answer Man, but more like the Great Questioner. In the Gospels Jesus asks many more questions than he answers. To be precise, Jesus asks 307 questions. He is asked 183 of which he only answers 3. Asking questions was central to Jesus’ life and teachings. In fact, for every question he answers directly he asks—literally—a hundred. Jesus is the Question considers the questions Jesus asks—what they tell us about Jesus and, more important, what our responses might say about what it means to follow Him. Through Jesus’ questions, he modeled the struggle, the wondering, the thinking it through that helps us draw closer to God and better understand, not just the answer, but ourselves, our process and ultimately why questions are among Jesus’ most profound gifts for a life of faith. A game-changer of a book.

Witty, wise, and powerful meditations on the New Testament are presented in the perfect form for readers with busy lives who sometimes find that there is not enough time in the day to focus on their spiritual well-being. Martin Copenhaver feels their pain and has packed this volume full of insight into the teachings of Jesus that anyone, no matter how busy, can find the time to digest, reflect on, and enjoy. In addition, a scripture and a prayer accompany each of the 140+ lessons, the distilled results of decades of spiritual scholarship and teaching.