JACKSON, Tenn. — June 7, 2013 — Two 51社区 trustees and Southern Baptist leaders have recently published new books.
Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, is the author of 鈥淚 Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference,鈥� while Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention鈥檚 Executive Committee, has written 鈥淢elissa: A Father's Lessons from a Daughter's Suicide.鈥�
Rainer鈥檚 book, released May 1 by B&H Books, addresses the problem of inactive or barely committed church members. Rainer addresses what is expected of those who join a church, arguing that when a church member鈥檚 attitude is biblical and healthy, matters of giving and service will fall into place more naturally.
Union President David S. Dockery, in an endorsement of the book, wrote that while it is small in size, 鈥渢his insightful resource has the potential to bring about big results, helping to guide individuals and churches toward much-needed changes in how we all think about what is really involved in becoming a faithful church member.鈥�
Page鈥檚 book, released June 1 by B&H books, came as a result of his daughter Melissa鈥檚 suicide in 2009. He examines the biblical truths that carried him through the painful time then and that still minister to him on dark days.
鈥淎nything but a simplistic 鈥榟ow to鈥� manual for dealing with grief and loss, Frank Page walks us through the reality of his struggles in an authentic manner that allows the readers to experience with him the hurts that accompany such a traumatic interruption in one鈥檚 life and family,鈥� Dockery writes in an endorsement.
But the book is more than a personal story, Dockery says, describing it as 鈥渁 pastoral and fatherly reflection, grounded in the love and mercy of God as revealed in Holy Scripture, intended to provide guidance for families and individuals who have walked down the paths of sorrow that the author himself has walked.鈥�