Book Review: "A Journey of Repentance, Renewal, and Return: Lent, Day by Day"

Did you know that our wonderful pastor is also a published author?

His book, "A Journey of Repentance, Renewal, and Return: Lent, Day by Day," was recently reviewed by Kirkus:

"A writer offers a comprehensive look at Lent.

In this nonfiction debut, Hasselbach takes readers through the liturgical celebration of Lent, which stretches from AshWednesday to Easter Sunday. The period is typically seen by Christian celebrants as a time of reflection and personaldenial—“What are you giving up for Lent?” is the typical question. The author takes a broad and scripturally informedview of the subject, issuing a call to action to Christian readers: “First, we must do a fiercely honest examination of ourlives—before we repent, we must know we are sinners.” The book breaks down Lent by day, with each sectionproviding plenty of space for readers to write their own reflections. This is a work that can be used extensively byreaders, shaped to their own personal interpretations of the season. The volume’s strongest feature by far is Hasselbach’sown insights into not only Lent specifically, but also the Christian faith more generally. “If Jesus’s resurrection was forhim alone, it would be amazing but not significant for us all these years later,” one passage goes. “It would have changedhim, but not us.” “When Jesus tells us to become like little children, he is instructing us to acknowledge that we are onewith the poor, the suffering, the broken, and the lost,” reads another. “That means we must accept those whom othersreject.” These and other observations about the nature of Christianity crop up throughout the book and are uniformlyintriguing. Even readers who have little interest in performing an active Lent will still find the bulk of this workinvigoratingly thought-provoking. And the volume’s usefulness during Lent itself is self-evident.

A broad and richly reflective examination of Christianity through the lens of Lent."

Pick up your copy (hardcover, paperback, and Kindle version) here: https://amzn.to/3bhl6CL