Book Review: "Just Think" by Nancy J. Nordenson

CHICAGO, IL (July 3, 2004) - Are you feeling spiritually flabby? Have you lost your mental muscle tone? Does your soul yearn for a healthy discipline? Just Think is a book for everyone who wants to get off the couch and move into faithful living.

Author Nancy Nordenson, a medical writer and member of Edina (Minnesota) Covenant Church, calls upon women and men to nourish their minds to feed their souls. The title of one of the first sections of the book, "A Mind in Love with God," captures the theme of the book. Quoting Jesus's great commandment in Mark 12, Nordenson reminds us that we are to love the Lord our God with our whole being: heart and soul, mind and strength. She observes that we often limit our love for God to the joyful moments of heartfelt worship, but God has created us with sharp, inquisitive minds. Whenever we stretch our mental muscles or open our minds to new thoughts, we honor God and share in God's glory. Faith is not simply an emotional high, nor is it a dusty doctrine of the church--it is God's gift that we may explore anew each day.

Nordenson demonstrates how both the sacred and secular bear witness to God. Truth is to be found in all parts of God's creation: science, music, poetry, and history. We are invited to explore the world with open eyes and question-filled minds. Even when a new thought confuses or challenges our worldview, it is good exercise. Real breakthroughs and new discoveries happen when the familiar road seems closed.

Chapters entitled "Befogged" and "Stretch and Strain" describe this process of life-long learning. We can grow through hardships and doubts; we can lean toward the light of God's truth.

Nordenson offers many practical suggestions to bulk up our thinking. Her goal is to make us fit believers. She encourages us to read beyond our familiar favorites, to write in the margins of books, to keep a journal of our thoughts and questions, and to learn with others. Just Think is generously sprinkled with quotes from Scripture and excerpts from contemporary literature, whetting the reader's appetite for a visit to the library or local bookstore.

This would be a great volume to read together as a small group. It primes the pump, stimulates new thinking, and increases the desire for God's word.

Nordenson draws freely from her own life experience as a daughter, a student, a wife, a mother, and a woman of faith. Just Think is not simply a how-to book, but rather a how-to-become book. The final chapter is a wonderful invitation to turn to God, the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Nordenson calls us to live deeply, to be immersed in the wonder of God, and to discover God's grace, truth, and love.

Reviewed by Steven Swanson, Covenant pastor and former Covenant missionary in eastern Germany. This review appeared in the April 2004 issue of The Covenant Companion.

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