I am amazed and touched by the books by Jenny Cote - starting with the Ark, the Reed and the Firecloud, continuing through the Dreamer, the Schemer and the Robe to this newest book, The Prophet, the Shepherd & the Star. What a wonderful way to bring the Word of God to children in such depth and in such a way that they will thoroughly enjoy learning. Of course, it's important to explain to them the differences between the Word and the fictional parts of the book if they aren't already aware, but worth the effort! I was greatly impressed with this last book and the way it explained the prophecies. Bringing the words of the prophets to children in a way they can understand how the prophecies are linked is genius! I have suggested this book to everyone I know with a child in the proper age range for the reading level. My daughter loved all the books. I would love to see some Bible school curriculum evolve from these books. I can't wait for the next one to be released!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Book Review: not a fan.
One of the most compelling and convicting books that I have read this year is not a fan. by Kyle Idleman It became one of those books whose pages that need to be highlighted, dog-eared and flagged. The first line in the book is "Are you a follower of Jesus?". At first blush, and as Pastor Idleman points out, this may be a question you automatically answer without thinking much about it. But as you delve into the book, you are made to look deep into yourself, question your motives and priorities and really answer the question. Are you a fan or a follower? What is your commitment?
I will admit that this was a challenging book. It was convicting and there were times when I did question myself - but I think that was the point of the book. The book is very well written, very easy to understand and, at times, humorous (most of that is in the footnotes). The reader will find themselves being shown, through focusing on certain Bible passages and Pastor Idleman's explanations, the difference between being a fan of Christ and being a follower.
He doesn't stop at convicting the individual, he also speaks to churches in general. He says, "The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interesting in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them." He also mentions later that in some instances churches have become enablers, my word not his, that don't teach what it really means to be a follower because they don't want to make the congregation uncomfortable. I stopped at this point to reflect on all the times that my Pastor has apologized during a sermon that did convict and perhaps make us uncomfortable but then followed up with letting us know he wanted us to know the truth and sometimes the truth is hard. But we're dealing with our eternal life, so shouldn't we want to know the truth, even if it is difficult sometimes?
A follower gives all, they aren't perfect, they are committed. Even if their friends and families think they are going overboard, they stay focused on Jesus. As Pastor Idleman puts it "In Revelation 3 Jesus says to the Christians in Laodicea, 'You are neither hot or cold but because you are lukewarm-I'm about to spit you out of my mouth.' Jesus doesn't say, 'Everything in moderation'; he says you can't be my follower if you don't give up everything. His invitation is an all or nothing invitation."
One of the most encouraging things that I found in the book is this - "when Jesus invites you to follow him, his invitation comes to you right where you are. He doesn't want you to wait until tomorrow in hopes that you will finally be heading down the right path; he wants you to say yes today and he will lead you out of where you are now." Thank God for that.
I will admit that this was a challenging book. It was convicting and there were times when I did question myself - but I think that was the point of the book. The book is very well written, very easy to understand and, at times, humorous (most of that is in the footnotes). The reader will find themselves being shown, through focusing on certain Bible passages and Pastor Idleman's explanations, the difference between being a fan of Christ and being a follower.
He doesn't stop at convicting the individual, he also speaks to churches in general. He says, "The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interesting in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them." He also mentions later that in some instances churches have become enablers, my word not his, that don't teach what it really means to be a follower because they don't want to make the congregation uncomfortable. I stopped at this point to reflect on all the times that my Pastor has apologized during a sermon that did convict and perhaps make us uncomfortable but then followed up with letting us know he wanted us to know the truth and sometimes the truth is hard. But we're dealing with our eternal life, so shouldn't we want to know the truth, even if it is difficult sometimes?
A follower gives all, they aren't perfect, they are committed. Even if their friends and families think they are going overboard, they stay focused on Jesus. As Pastor Idleman puts it "In Revelation 3 Jesus says to the Christians in Laodicea, 'You are neither hot or cold but because you are lukewarm-I'm about to spit you out of my mouth.' Jesus doesn't say, 'Everything in moderation'; he says you can't be my follower if you don't give up everything. His invitation is an all or nothing invitation."
One of the most encouraging things that I found in the book is this - "when Jesus invites you to follow him, his invitation comes to you right where you are. He doesn't want you to wait until tomorrow in hopes that you will finally be heading down the right path; he wants you to say yes today and he will lead you out of where you are now." Thank God for that.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Book Review - Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me by Ian Morgan Cron
If all memoirs were like this book, they may be the only genre I would read. This book captured my attention with its title. I kept coming back to it. Jesus and the CIA, I finally decided I had to know the connection. Ian Cron’s memoir is a look into the life of a child growing up with an alcoholic father and the impact it has on decisions, emotions and faith. The famous words of review that have been used time and again – “I laughed, I cried” – well, I laughed, I cried, I prayed. Moments in the book will speak to you, touch you to the core and make you chuckle. The memoir is told honestly but at times with humor that makes you wonder at its very presence.
There were several ideas in the book that I just wanted to write down and stare at, considering them in more detail. One of them was “Life always comes down to who’s driving.” It made me think of signs I’ve seen that say “If God is your co-pilot, you’re in the wrong seat.” Who is driving your life? One of the others was “Love always stoops.” God’s love and the love we are meant to develop and show to others is a humble love, a servant’s love. “Love always stoops.” I think I’ll remember that one.
This book was a quick read because it was so intriguing and enchanting, pulling you into Ian Cron’s life as if you were there with him. I have to give a small shoutout to Book Sneeze because if it weren’t for their site, I may never have found this book or decided to read it. And that would have been regrettable. I highly recommend this book.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Resurgence - Answers to Common Questions About Creation
Answers to Common Questions about Creation
I found this to be quite interesting. It's a little long, but worth the read. Two things that I found compelling enough to want to share is Pastor Mark's thoughts on evolution:
What are some of the problems with atheistic evolution?
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1892) was an English naturalist who founded the modern theory of evolution. He published this proposal in 1859 in the book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. His lengthy original title is often shortened to The Origin of Species both because of its length and its racist overtones. Evolution seeks to explain the origin of life apart from God. As Christians we are free to accept the seemingly self-evident fact of micro-evolution that species can and do adapt to their environments. However, as Christians we are not free to accept the yet unproven and highly suspect thesis of macro-evolution that one species can evolve into another species entirely.
And, though it reigned as the dominant paradigm for over one hundred years, Darwin's theory of evolution has recently come under intense criticism by both Christian and non-Christian scientists who prefer what has come to be known as "intelligent design." The reasons for the decline of confidence in macro-evolution are many, but the following are some of the most implausible faith-leaps of macro-evolution, which seemingly requires at least as much faith as believing in an eternal God:
And his thoughts on the Bible's teachings. He discusses several interpretations, but this is just one of them:
View #1 - Historic Creationism
In this view, Genesis 1:1 records the making of all of creation by God out of nothing (or ex nihilo) through a merism of "heavens and earth," which means the sky above and land below, or the totality of creation. Since the word used for "beginning" in Genesis 1:1 is reshit in Hebrew, which means an indefinite period of time, it is likely that all of creation was completed over an extended period of time (anywhere from days to billions of years). Then Genesis 1:2 begins the description of God preparing the uninhabitable land for the creation of mankind. The preparation of the uncultivated land for and creation of Adam and Eve occurred in six literal twenty-four hour days. This view leaves open the possibility of both an old earth and six literal days of creation.
The article is definitely worth the full read, but these were the highlights in my view.
I found this to be quite interesting. It's a little long, but worth the read. Two things that I found compelling enough to want to share is Pastor Mark's thoughts on evolution:
What are some of the problems with atheistic evolution?
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1892) was an English naturalist who founded the modern theory of evolution. He published this proposal in 1859 in the book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. His lengthy original title is often shortened to The Origin of Species both because of its length and its racist overtones. Evolution seeks to explain the origin of life apart from God. As Christians we are free to accept the seemingly self-evident fact of micro-evolution that species can and do adapt to their environments. However, as Christians we are not free to accept the yet unproven and highly suspect thesis of macro-evolution that one species can evolve into another species entirely.
And, though it reigned as the dominant paradigm for over one hundred years, Darwin's theory of evolution has recently come under intense criticism by both Christian and non-Christian scientists who prefer what has come to be known as "intelligent design." The reasons for the decline of confidence in macro-evolution are many, but the following are some of the most implausible faith-leaps of macro-evolution, which seemingly requires at least as much faith as believing in an eternal God:
- It postulates that the world sprang into existence from nothing for no reason, or that matter is basically eternal and has no origin but cannot explain how or why this occurred.
- It postulates that impersonal matter created personal people.
- It postulates that species evolved over long periods of time from one kind of animal to another yet does not have the transitional forms between species that would demonstrate this has actually occurred.
- It has been unable to replicate evolution after over one hundred years of attempts to do so.
And his thoughts on the Bible's teachings. He discusses several interpretations, but this is just one of them:
View #1 - Historic Creationism
In this view, Genesis 1:1 records the making of all of creation by God out of nothing (or ex nihilo) through a merism of "heavens and earth," which means the sky above and land below, or the totality of creation. Since the word used for "beginning" in Genesis 1:1 is reshit in Hebrew, which means an indefinite period of time, it is likely that all of creation was completed over an extended period of time (anywhere from days to billions of years). Then Genesis 1:2 begins the description of God preparing the uninhabitable land for the creation of mankind. The preparation of the uncultivated land for and creation of Adam and Eve occurred in six literal twenty-four hour days. This view leaves open the possibility of both an old earth and six literal days of creation.
The article is definitely worth the full read, but these were the highlights in my view.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Book Review - The Ambition by Lee Strobel
The Ambition is Lee Strobel's first fiction novel. Since I am a big fan of his non-fiction books, I was very eager to get read this book and purchased it as soon as it came out. LOVED this book. Although I have to admit that I had to stop reading a few times because I was so frustrated with the main character. Which I guess proves that it was a good book since it elicited such strong feelings. Very well written, it was a gripping story that I couldn't put down (unless frustration dictated it) about a pastor of a megachurch that thinks about becoming a senator while his church faces proof of God's hand in our lives, corruption runs rampant in the courtroom and an investigative reporter comes across more than he bargained for. The various plot lines interwove and in the end came together seamlessly. I shouldn't have been surprised since I've seen Lee Strobel do the same thing with facts and interviews, but the flow of The Ambition was exceptional.
The only issue that I had was more with the Kindle version than the book itself. Assuming the problem I had was with the Kindle and wasn't showing up in the actual print book. Intermittently during the story the word indent, cindent or excindent would show up where another word was supposed to be. No idea what that was all about.
I would STRONGLY recommend this book.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Book Review - The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone
The Story of The Bible is a wonderful trip through time learning about the origins of the Bible, the intricacies of the translations, the dangers dedicated people put themselves in to share the Word of God. Taking you through the history of the Book itself you learn how books were picked for inclusion and how far back the some of the books can be traced. You follow the history of Bible translations to find yourself at the end of the book realizing that the Bible has been translated into more languages than you could imagine, with many more to go. One of my favorite chapters in the book is the 8th chapter, The Old Book in the New World. As a nation, America has lost sight of the fact that it was founded on Biblical principles, many do not even realize it since it’s hard to find that teaching in schools these days. This chapter is a must read for anyone not familiar with the history of this country.
This book itself is fun to read with the scattered inserts giving you copies of pages to pull out and peruse in their original format. It is like a treasure hunt within the book. The illustrations are beautiful and interesting in themselves. A very nicely done history.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Heart of Memory by Alison Strobel
I am a big fan of Lee Strobel, so when I heard that his daughter Alison had written a Christian fiction book I decided to read it. I don't read Christian fiction normally, only Jan Karon. I have to say, it is one of the best fiction books that I've read. The story of the life of the heroine and her family, the highs and the devastating lows, was mesmerizing and gripping. From Savannah's seemingly put together life in her ministry through a heart transplant that changed her so much that she almost lost herself in the process, the story flew across the pages. Add to that the dysfunctional relationship with her daughter and the life her husband kept from everyone and it became a book I could genuinely not put down. I would highly recommend this book.
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