Tozer's Totally Tweetable

A.W. Tozer's wordsmithing, theology and penetrating barbs into modern culture are still as relevant today as they were 50 to 80 years ago when he was alive and writing. Every time I read this book I shocked into repentance of my shallow slavery commitments to Christ and just scratch my head as he continues to peg our culture long after his death. It seems that every other sentence that Tozer wrote needs to be tweeted. @TozerAW has beat us all to it and is worth following on Twitter.
I thought that any review of the Tweetable Tozer would be remiss without some solid tweetable tweets.
"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One."
"There is within the human heart a tough, fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess."
"The pronouns, my and mine look innocent enough in print...they are verbal symptoms of our deep disease."
"Whoever defends himself will have himself for his defense, and he will have no other.
"But let him come defenseless before the Lord and he will have for his defender no less than God Himself."
I could go on since the above quotes are just from the first 30 pages of the book. Plain and simple: this is a must read, a must own, and a must read yearly kind of book.

Are you comfortable in your own shoes?

Are you comfortable in your own preaching shoes? In Well-Driven Nails, my pastor, Byron Yawn, explains the strange event that all of us know as the sermon. Everyone has heard a sermon and many picking up this book have preached or are about to preach a sermon real soon. Ok, so why should a preacher or teacher invest in this book. First, its a fairly unique approach to the subject. Finding your own voice is pretty hard stuff to do in life whether you are a stand up comic or a Sunday school teacher. But for those who study to deliver God's word to an audience it is of immense importance. Secondly, Byron takes a unique road of personal interviews to get inside some of the top preachers of our time, RC Sproul, John Piper and John MacArthur. Then he distills down three necessary ingredients: clarity, simplicity and passion into a very helpful approach to preaching and teaching.Finally, this book is great for the preacher to grasp preaching in a deeper way and is helpful to us being "preached at" so we know what we are supposed to get. That's a pretty tough thing to accomplish in one book and you would never think that he could deliver that dual message, but he does.

A book worth reading that has a solid Biblical core

Larry Fowler encourages me every time I listen to him or shake his hand. In Rock Solid Volunteers he wonderfully draws truth, encouragement and easy principles from the evidence from Nehemiah. I loved this book because it was straight from the Bible. I have read and studied Nehemiah's leadership and planning principles many times and yet Larry taught me several things that I just flat our missed. I can't wait to put them in to practice in my church's AWANA ministry and my own life. Ok, books have to accomplish several things to be any good, worth reading, worth owning, worth re-reading and then worth recommending. This one accomplished that and more. Number one: Biblical. I only want to read and suggest books to people that are more God's truth than man's opinions. Done. This one is solid Bible through and through. Number two: Quick. I like books that flow well, read quick and steady, organize thoughts that I can remember and apply. Done. I can remember the things I need to do in ministry from this book by simply remembering the flow of Nehemiah's story. Finally, I like books that translate instantly into my life's needs. Done, I needed a fresh boost of energy concerning my volunteers and for me, a volunteer too. These seven simple and instantly achievable principles are just what I needed. Now, let's see, I've got a wall to finish. Hey, are you still sitting there? Go get the book. See you at the wall.

Tried and True curriculum evaluation questions

There is a growing number of children's Sunday School curriculum options in the market today due to the ease of the internet and digital production capabilities of your average computer savvy church worker or leader. I was digging through some old Gospel Light resource books and dusted off this old resource and Surprise! Surprise! The content is just as important today as it was first written back in the 70s or even before that probably.
So here goes: when choosing a curriculum you must watch for:

BIBLE CONTENT AND USAGE

1. Is the curriculum designed to teach the Bible as God’s inspired and authoritative Word?
2. Is there balanced coverage of the Old and New Testaments?
3. Does the overall plan of the curriculum point students to faith in Christ as Savior and Lord, and also nurture and guide them to “grow up in Christ”?
4. Does the material present Bible truths in a manner appropriate to the abilities and development of the students’ age levels?
5. Are hands-on Bible usage and skill development encouraged at appropriate age levels?

TEACHER

1. Does the curriculum challenge the teacher to prepare spiritually for the task of teaching?
2. Is the material clearly arranged to show the teacher an understandable and logical lesson plan?
3. Are the Bible-learning and life response aims specifically and clearly stated for each lesson?
4. Does the material provide the teacher with a variety of Bible-learning approaches from which to choose?
5. Are the materials clearly presented, enabling the teacher to be prepared with a reasonable amount of effort?
6. Are there enough ideas and suggestions to adapt the material for longer or shorter sessions, larger or smaller groups, or limited equipment?

STUDENT

1. Is the vocabulary appropriate for the age and abilities of the students?
2. Does the curriculum provide a variety of ways for students to participate actively in the learning process?
3. Are the student materials attractive and do they encourage involvement?
4. Do the teacher resources provide a variety of attractive aids to stimulate student interest and involvement?
5. Are the Bible-learning approaches appropriate to the mental, spiritual, social and physical development of the students?

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

1. Does the material provide ideas for making and sustaining meaningful contact with both students and families outside the classroom?
2. Does the take-home paper contain activities that assist the family in relating the student’s learning to everyday life?
3. Does the curriculum speak to issues relevant to the student’s everyday life?
4. Does the curriculum provide materials and suggestions for ways students may understand the responsibility and joy of sharing Christ?
5. Does the curriculum encourage outreach and church growth?

 © 2000 by Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted. How to Have a Great Sunday School (Content also appeared in a 70s copy of Sunday School Standards also published by Gospel Light)

Family Devotions in a personal and unique style

Our family has kept a tradition for years of reading to our children devotional books or any quality classic for that matter. We have been through the Bible in various forms, Narnia, Little House on the Prairie and countless other books over the last 18 years. This devotional is different than all the others. One simple, yet profound twist in the writing style makes this one interesting and memorable. Instead of reading about God and Jesus this book has Jesus and God speaking to us directly. This is how the Bible should be read and understood. Its God's love letter about His Son to us. I absolutely love the personal nature of this first person style in concept, away. It speaks to the heart and takes very simple passages of Scripture that are overlooked due to familiarity and transforms them to touch our hearts. Even though written for 3rd to 6th graders I find myself captivated by what God has to say to me today.
Today's devotion, September 30th, entitled, I Already Know, is about God being with us and walking beside us to help since He has already lived in our future and knows exactly what we need from Him to live for Him. I took great comfort in this truth presented by this book in a very personal way. I think your family will too. I recommend this book with some precautions to you especially if you are just starting out with family devotions.
As with almost every modern book, sloppy theology has infiltrated this devotional as well. Its so subtle but is especially troublesome with a book that in many ways is most dangerous to write, a book in first person from God. The author has taken a much needed approach  to writing a devotional but a little more theological sobriety would have been nice. Here is the warning for readers and writers of theology. We are dealing with God, His very words to His church and His very character and name are on the chopping block of men's hearts. When I say, "Thus says the Lord!" I better be sure He really did say that. The devotion for October 4th dumped in some of that insidious man-centered theology commonly known as Arminianism. The author, speaking for God mind you, says: "But when you choose to become one of My followers, I come to live inside you." This is unfortunate because the Bible is clear over and over again that we don't choose God first, we don't seek God first, we are dead in sin until God chooses us first. Once we are born again then we are able to have faith, repent, trust and live for Him all as gifts from God. Our spiritual gifts and tools are not inherent from within but from without. (see 1 Cor. 1:30 as one simple example) To be more biblical the author should have said, "When I choose you..."
For this reason, I can only recommend this book for the discerning parent who can glean the junk food theology out of the book for their children.

Church + Home is the ideal combination for growing Christian faith

Mark Holmen of Faith@Home Ministry writes from personal experience as a Faith@Home dad and a Faith@Home pastor on how to build lifelong faith at home. The book is a very quick read filled with personal testimonies as well as other voices from all over the country. I think Mark gets it right when he encourages church leaders to weave home directed faith throughout the church programming instead of building another family program as a separate entity.
I'm just a bit uncomfortable with this self-proclaimed "Faith@Home movement" as it is described in this book and the general tenor of Holmen's ministry. Don't get me wrong, there is tremendous spiritual advantages as we as church leaders discuss and plan how to encourage families to bring glory to God at home. However, as I finished the book I was left with a few haunting reminders of how easy it is for the church in general to get caught up in systematic programming combined with sloppy theology thus detracting from Christ and clear vision of God's sovereign plan. All the events and steps in the Take It Home concepts are, I'm sorry to say, more programs. When you plan a regular event at the church it is a program. It very much has the feel of a silo, the very thing, I know Holmen wants to avoid. Here is the point: as a church gathers to worship Christ, preach and respond to a Gospel that no one ever outgrows, and studies in such a way to believe the Bible and live out the Bible, then you know from the Word that the Holy Spirit is behind the scenes orchestrating it all. I saw very little confidence in the work of Holy Spirit in this book as the driver of parents hearts to bring to bear the Word of God to fruitfulness. I saw hints of a man centered approach to salvation as all the pressure was placed upon the church leaders and the parents to bring faith to the home or another generation will be lost for Christ. I don't buy it. God uses His vessels certainly as He is a God of means but all the pressure is on Him to build His church.
The "movement" to build the Church was started at the cross and it includes every area of life and practice including the home. Its interesting to me that the New Testament constantly directs us to the Cross and to the Church. I think that the Bible writers were able to assume by God's inspiration that faith was going to be taken to the marketplace, the town, the countryside and the home. True God wrought conversion does that to a person. I think the main problem that Holmen exposes but never realizes is that faith is so often not at home because its not at the church or in the typical 'seeker' style entertainment driven church goer. Parents are not saved and that is why faith is not at home. The answer is the gospel, a true God centered gospel and not a Finney bootstrap false gospel.
Finally, all in all, I enjoyed the book as it was another reminder in my life to disciple my own children in the spirit of Deuteronomy 6. For this reason alone I give this book a thumbs up.

Intelligent Design needs better designed books

I was handed this book as a gift from the Answers In Genesis booth at a recent Munce show in Murfreesboro, TN. I rarely, if ever read novels but since it was a gift and had an interesting story line I thought I would give it a go. I will admit up front that I blew through this book quickly on a recent air travel business trip. Even after knowing exactly how it was going to end when I was about 50 pages in. I still enjoyed it and appreciated a novel attempt to expose the insidious nature of modern, humanistic religion also known as evolution. Conspiracy theory always makes for a good read and this one almost didn't disappoint, but alas, it did indeed disappoint. Here is where I think this author needs to grow a bit. First, the dialog between the scientists was quite lame. If you ever watched a creationist verses evolutionist debate you would immediately realize that these conversations were weak, straw man arguments at best. I think modified debate transcripts from some well know debates such as a Hitchens/Wilson would be in order. Secondly, and maybe the most disturbing, was the trite, Arminian laden gospel presentations. Man centered, boot strap, God's sovereignty, glory robbing gospel presentations are just flat out misleading at best. God saves us, rebirths us, gives us faith and repentance to believe in Him too. We don't have any resident or residual faith that we can exercise at anytime of our own choosing toward a relationship with God. The Bible teaches just the opposite: we are dead and do not seek God ever. God seeks us.  The gospel conversations were more like canned, Billy Graham training session presentations instead of real conversations with lost people. Finally, the plot was way too predictable. You basically could guess the ending well before the halfway point and seriously, that just takes all the fun out of a mystery. I'm sorry miss Julie Cave, new author, it just does. Again, I appreciate the attempt but would be more apt to recommend the book if it were a more believable read. All in all, though, I still want to read the next in the Dinah Harris trilogy to see how she grows as a character and how the author grows too.

The Church should be allergic to the world

Tozer connects another lethal blow to man's self-centered sufficiency in this newly discovered, unpublished work. 47 years after his death, Tozer is still absolutely critical for the modern church to take heed. Tozer's lifelong message of battling entertainment in the church and an insidious form of Christless mysticism still rings truer than ever. Listen to Tozer in his own words: "The average person, unable to understand this passion for intimacy with God, fills his life with things, hoping somehow to satisfy his inward longing. He chases that which is exterior, hoping to satisfy that inner thirst, but to no avail."
This work of Tozer is a basic walk through the book of Hebrews guiding the reader into an opening of the scripture. The modern church still has so much to learn from the simple message of real Christianity that Tozer champions. Tozer was able to see the danger signs in the road of post modern, post Christian American churchianity and his message in this new book needs to be heard and applied. Our churches our filled with entertainment seeking, sin cauterizing conscience, spiritual lethargists.
Here is another great quote to sum up this book and it's importance to us: "From my reading of the Holy Scriptures, church history and Christian biography, I find that there is nothing in the church that appeals to the world, and nothing in the world that appeals to the true Church of Jesus Christ." Tozer's problem with the Church was that worldliness was creeping in and taking over. "Christianity, I fear, is not allergic to fads and fancies." Tozer's simple Christianity from a simple study in the book of Hebrews is another wake up call for us, the modern church. Are we still hitting the snooze button?

Star Parker, female Uncle Tom

Star Parker's Uncle Sam's Plantation from Thomas Nelson is the exact book we need as we face these troubled times in this country. Hard hitting, no punches pulled honesty from someone who lived exactly what she now warns against. Star Parker must be heard and deserves to be heard. Since she broke free from liberal welfare plantation ownership her clarion call is refreshing and right on target. Star Parker for president I say. After reading this book I am more convinced than ever that a welfare state causes infinite harm to the individual, the family, the community as well as the country and is the source of our economic troubles, certainly not the cure.

This experienced voice needs to be heard and trusted. Star's ability to write of her experiences applied to our modern troubles in American politics is most helpful. You will really like her definitions of poverty breaking it down into three levels. From the very beginning to the last page she paints an unflattering picture of what happens to humans that are constantly feeding from a free food trough. I really appreciate her insights into the problem with plenty of answers from common sense and the Bible. Add this to the increasing pile of proof that the government is not at all the answer. Put this one down on your Christmas giving list for all your politicians and even your liberal friends.

Big read for Small groups

In What Every Small Group Leader Should Know, Larry Kreider gives the church a very solid training tool for any church's small group ministries. Whether you are a Sunday School teacher, Bible study leader or home fellowship host you will greatly profit from this book.
The book is filled with some basic biblical theology of ministry and small groups. The added strength of the book is the tons of tips, ideas and illustrations about doing it right and learning from doing it wrong.
I like this book. Rarely will a book stimulate whiteboard, dream big sessions with my creativity but this one delivered. I found myself with pen and paper jotting down notes and ideas about my own fellowship group that I lead. Maybe that's the key to this book's success with me: I needed the contents to encourage me to wade out of the shallow end of my small group experience and venture into the deep waters of real ministry. I have left this book encouraged and ready to pursue God with my small group.

Happy 47 years Mom and Dad

Dad is the one in the center.

47 years ago today a very unlikely couple got married. An uptown girl married a 10^th Ward military man. According to my dad, he feels pretty certain the marriage is going to last past the "trial break in period" but he’s still not sure these “arranged” entrapment marriages are for everyone.  I think the odds are now looking better than BP Oil stock futures anyway. They dated two weeks and got engaged then dad went off for a year of military service. He came back for two weeks and they got married. Then he left for another year overseas. So after two years they had been with each other for 4 weeks or so. And yet, 47 years, 3 kids, and 9 grandkids later they are still together. What an island of faithfulness in a crashing sea of broken marriages. Thanks for being a great example and encouragement to Jennifer and me.

Dad retired about three years ago after serving the same company for 40 years. So it seems like this commitment to long term relationships is a pattern. (I mean Dad wore the same American flag running shorts for over 3 decades until they disintegrated off his body on a canoe trip, which really would be another blog post on a mature audience only site.) Since that retirement mom and dad have had a very rough go. Dad contracted leukemia and mom has lung/breast/ovarian cancer. Its nearly killed dad at least twice and mom once. Then on top of all the medical pain and suffering their beloved puppy, Jake, died from kidney disease, or I guess you would have to have kidneys to die from that malady. They have really had a tough time for it seems that all they retired from was good health. Yet, they are alive, still married and we are thankful. God has been faithful, Jesus Christ has shown Himself to be real, Holy Spirit has comforted and all praise, glory and thanks goes to Him alone.

Mom, Dad, I just want to say Happy Anniversary. I am extremely thankful for you. You have lived out your marriage vows and charted a course I wish to emulate. You poured your lives into us kids with tons of sacrifice, hard work, late hours, money, moves to better environments, work, pain, suffering… ah you get the point.  I love you both and honor you on this special day. Pick yourself out something real nice and charge it to Shannon's account. 

Your only son,

Mark

Modern Answers to Modern Problems

Joni and Friends gives the church a wonderful study and resource to answer the really tough ethical and moral questions of our day. Issues like abortion, stem cells, eugenics, disabilities and the right to life debate are clearly articulated, processed through scripture and laid out in a great fashion for the reader. I found the research and clarity very helpful as I continue to hone my beliefs about these complicated and emotion charged issues. The end of the chapter study questions are perfect for small group meetings and book clubs. As an added bonus the book is replete with personal stories and life commentary from Joni and others who have been personally impacted or entrenched in these issues.
I believe the church is in better light when Joni Eareckson Tada speaks and writes as she stands taller in her chair than most do even standing on a chair.
(Book was received from Gospel Light)

General Patton: The Pursuit of Destiny

General George S. Patton Jr. was a man of destiny. During his military career that spanned the first half of the 20th century he was a man in the right place at the right time. Then, as usual, by his own undoing, he became his own worst enemy with deeds and words making him the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I learned so much about this man, the military from 1900 to 1945, tank warfare and key battles of WWII from this book. It is an absolute 'must read' for any student of history. I could not stop reading the book, getting up at one point in the middle of the night to finish. Yes, this is a book worth losing sleep over. Grab this book to learn about the greatest military mind who possibly ever wore an American uniform. The "I didn't know that" phrases will pour out of your mouth as you read this book, especially if your only diet of Patton trivia and information was from the 1970s George C. Scott Hollywood movie rendition of the General. Founder of tank warfare? Olympian? Bible student? The war's best decoy? Read the book to find out all these great details. I think to study Patton is to learn about human nature and how dangerous it can be to be who we really are in front of people. Do you dare? Patton certainly did, paying many dear prices in route to becoming a great American still studied and remembered 65 years later.
(Book provided by Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze.com program.)

The Jesus you are probably ignoring

One of America's greatest modern preachers and possibly one of the greatest yet has served up another volume worth reading. Even though this book is a distillation of many of his sermons on the topic of Christ and His bold ministry confrontations it is an important work for me as I try to grow in Christ and grow in my understanding of Christ.
The reader is brought face to face with a Jesus who does not receive too much press in our modern age. As you will learn in this book Jesus spent his whole public ministry confronting in very bold and even extreme ways the prevailing false views and practices of the spiritually elite in a way and style that we as moderns need not ignore and better off to embrace.
I was personally challenged to rethink how and why I should be more bold and wise and yet at the same time mild and loving in my witness to the lost as well as to the church. This is one more book that will be added to my Christology section of the bookshelf and will be referenced again and again.

Thank you Thomas Nelson publishers for making this volume available through your free book blogging service.

Jesus Manifesto

Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ
by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola



Who do you say that Jesus is? Where does He fit in your thinking, your life, your church? In Jesus Manifesto Sweet and Viola help the reader and thus the church flesh out freshness to our understanding of the Christ. Could it be that the church has become so occupied with Christianity that we miss Jesus? The authors believe it is so and so do I.

Who does the world say that Jesus is? More important, though, is this question: who do you say that Jesus is? This book very directly and simply gives us the answer. Do we really need another book about Jesus? Surely the Bible itself and the countless thousands upon thousands of books written about The Christ is sufficient? Well, yes and no. Yes, the Bible is all that we need for life and godliness. Certainly out of the countless books written about Christ there are no doubt more than enough that are worthy to be read and enjoyed. However, like anything else in this life, seeing and savoring the savior through another set of eyes is always wonderful. Can one have too many pictures over the years of our children going through stages of life? Another book, a good book that is true to Scripture, is always needed. I believe this is one of those books.

To start with, I like the premise behind this book even though the title threw me off and seemed a bit on a cultic twinge. However, the content is very much orthodox and helped me in my walk with God. I believe I need a constant freshness in my view of Christ and this book delivered that for me. This course correction for a modern church that is more interested in having a dialog about justice or going green than in the worship and exaltation of Christ is straightforward and long overdue. This book can reach into emergent, missional, moderate, conservative and even liberal churches in a way that some authors with great books about Christ might not reach. These two authors hand deliver and gift to our churches that is worthy of small group studies throughout Christendom.

Here is the cool content that draws me to and helps me easily recommend this book to my friends. These guys get the questions right and even more importantly they get the answers right. “Who do you say that I am?” “Do you love me?” In these questions lies the premise of the book. The answers are just as profound and fill the pages as they flow over our souls like gentle waves lapping at the shore of our need. Here are a few of these little nuggets to capture your interest. Every scripture and every biblical story points to and is about Christ. “He is the Rosetta Stone of the Bible.” Did you know that? Jesus, the son of man, is the human being, the way human beings were supposed to be before sin. He died the perfect death after He lived the perfect life and all this to please and magnify the Father as we reap the benefits. The book opens with this challenge and I will close this review with it. So what is your chief occupation in life and ministry? Here’s a hint: Whatever you are occupied with comes out of your mouth. It’s what you talk about most of the time.” Is it Christ or something else? That’s why you should read this book.

I was given this book as a free copy to review and blog. I was not told in any way what to say by Thomas Nelson publishers.

Simple, encouraging leadership principles for Church workers

Ok, so there are tons of books on leadership. When I saw that Gospel Light and Regal Books were adding to the list of this genre I was quite skeptical. I wasn't even going to read the book until I met the author, Craig Johnson. Warm, personable, humble and real are my new impressions of this man. His life story, replete with triumph and tragedy, are on display in this book. God is proclaimed and glorified as the victor and ministries across the world should be blessed by this style of leadership. You will certainly benefit from reading this book but more importantly from taking your team through this book this year. Its not heavy theology but should make a heavy imprint on your ministry none the less. Note: I received a free copy of this book from Regal with no expectations to read it let alone review it.

Is your God big enough?

How big is your God when times are tough, the mission impossible and the knees are weak? Big God is a new book by Britt Merrick on one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Hebrews 11. "We need a bigger picture of the supremacy of Christ, the glory of Christ and the mission of Christ, and our lives should be subsumed by and submitted to Him." pg. 219 When your heart is overwhelmed with the worst possible news about life and death you better know some Bible, you better know Jesus. The central message of this book and why its worth reading in Britt's own words: "What do you do as a Christian when the doctor tells you that your five-year-old has cancer? How do you deal with that? If you're a Christian, your mind goes to Jesus." pg. 18. This book helps you along that path by exploring nine key elements of faith from Hebrews chapter eleven.
Another book about God and faith seemed a bit of a stretch for me with all the thousands of titles written on the subject in the last decade alone, not to mention antiquity. Britt disarms those thoughts as soon as you read the introduction and sense that this man has been battle tested with Jesus, through the Scriptures, anchoring this man's soul in very rough seas. The easy to read and understand exposition of the great faith chapter, Hebrews 11 was very well done and laid out. I wish for scholarship sake that he would have been defined the origin of faith itself as coming from God Himself as a gift and actual result of regeneration. (Rom. 10:17, Eph. 2:8-10, Titus 3:3-8)
Regardless, I was moved closer to Christ and encouraged to press on with the Gospel message and that is the benchmark for a book worth reading and recommending. You will be impressed, as was I, by his very high view of the Scriptures, Christ and the glory of God. The Solas of the reformation ring true and bright with this one. Britt, thank you for your work on this. You can warm yourself by my theological fire anytime.
http://biggodthebook.com/
Note: I received a free copy of this book from Gospel Light / Regal Books with no expectations or endorsements required. I write these words under my own motivation and desires.

How to connect the family to the Bible and church

How in the world can the church effectively connect the Sunday school efforts, the Word of God, and the family together? Within the context of modern society this seems like an impossible task given all the activities and 'pulls' on the family. Sitting around the crackling fire all snuggled up with each other as dad gently draws on his pipe while turning the pages of Scripture in an engaging Bible devotion seems totally foreign today. Is it possible to capture that lost innocence and direct the same spirit of family time into modern constructs? Heaven help the home and the church if we can't or stop trying.
I want to share with you some ideas and some examples of how one Sunday school publisher is trying to establish the connections.

 As a dad, the biggest hurdle I face is motivation to remember to ask what my kids learned in Sunday school. If I do remember they usually don't remember what they learned. It could be that my question is just too big and too broad to help them focus. I'm looking forward to this solution: automatic, weekly emails that will be delivered to me early in the week so we can review Sunday school easily. I look forward to the simple reminder from myhomelight.com

Another issue we face is kids and their Bibles. Often we have struggled in this area because when they do take their bibles to class they are a different translation and different page numberings  making it tough for the teachers to get the kids to use their own bibles. Now with God's Story for Me Bible Storybook we have a great resource at home that matches story for story what is going on in Sunday School. No more guess work and the children actually use their bibles at home and in class.

"Give me something practical and easy!" is no doubt the battle cry of men. I need something really quick and visual that I can point to or ask about concerning the Sunday school lesson. The kids are doing these fun in class activity pages that end up coming home too. Its amazing to me how much the kids want to show off what they were doing in class. The level of recall as they point out the different parts and pieces of this resource is pretty impressive. Since I wasn't raised in Sunday school I think I'm learning too.

I remember the days of being in children's ministry and the difficulty of seeing take homes not being taken home. I think these Family Fun Time take homes have a great chance of making it home. The parenting articles are great. The retelling of the story in an interactive way is fun and it references what page to turn to in the God's Story for Me Bible which is a huge bonus.

Another area that I often forget about is the music. I know that kid's Sunday School is always filled with music. Everyone remembers the words to their favorite songs even from 30 years ago in high school. This music from Gospel Light makes it very family friendly. Its reproducible and now we can have a free copy of what they are using at the church for home use. Great idea and the songs are fun. Yes, I sing along in the minivan too.

Finally, I think its terrific that the second hour Children's Church is using a curriculum that actually matches story for story with the first hour Sunday School programming. I always found it difficult to try to help the kids keep up with too many stories in the morning. How many times have they been talking about a story only to get confused about the other story in the other class. "No son, Jesus did not walk out on the water to visit Noah in the ark!"

Nothing is perfect when it comes to raising kids and teaching them at church but I think Gospel Light is doing a pretty good job.The Bible. Pure and Simple. Sounds good to me.

Calculus and Christ, The story of Sir Isaac Newton

Modern reader meet Isaac Newton the world's greatest mathematician. This is a delightful page turner that was so fun and so engaging to read. I literally enjoyed every paragraph. So many things you either forget or were never told about Newton. The author lines out the facts, the man, his fellows and enemies into a wonderful story that flows well. I am so thankful for being given the chance to read this book as it may be my favorite read for the whole year. Every 7th to 9th grader should be required to read this book so they can better engage their studies and their world. Its an absolute must for homeschooling families and Christian schools. This time you take to read this very approachable book will only enhance learning in every field.
What is it about a man, his life and his life's work that so engages us after almost 300 years since he died? Impact. Isaac Newton left an impact that affects every last educated person ever since his first works became famous in the late 1600s. Think about that. Every educated person on the planet since around 1680 has been touched by this man, used his equations in math, stayed up late trying to understand calculus, talked about and thought about gravity, planetary motion and optics. Newton's gravity apple never dropped on his head but the impact of the event has been placed inside the heads of millions. Thank you Mitch Stokes for cracking open the vault of history and reintroducing a man that we should have never forgotten in the first place. And, to my utter delight, I learned that Newton above all else loved the Lord Jesus and did everything, even math, for His glory. Can't wait to meet him in heaven. Sadly, the liberal, godless government schools since the 60s have stopped telling us the truth about the men of history that we study. How dare they not tell us that the most important thing to this man was not calculus but Christ.

I read this book as a free gift from www.booksneeze.com but they in no way tell the blogger what to write only that they have to write a review if they want to choose another book. Its a sweet deal and I am thankful.

Oh, now I understand Jane Austen

A book of biographical import concerning Jane Austen

Thanks to modern renditions in film and on stage, Jane Austen has a bigger following than ever before. I would imagine that an easily accessible biography would be helpful to those faithful followers. This book accomplishes that need and more. First, it is an easy read making it profitable in the home school setting to the university English department. Second, it is filled with all the sites and sounds of the Victorian age where 'Jenny' romped in life and story. I found it helpful to get to know the author of some of my favorite movies in the family DVD collection. Pride and Prejudice has been burned into the pixels of our television and so knowing the person behind P&P, as we call it, was enjoyable.
Concerning this book, I found it to be boorish and dry at times but a few extant comments or quotes from Jane herself kept me plowing ahead to the end. The author did a more than fair job in revealing the world behind the woman behind the writings. The author has done a more than adequate job in tying the life with the writings on Jane. The reader will be particularly impressed with the skill of the author painting a picture of Jane from all the available resources. I will remember her overall dealings with friends and family, her short 41 years and the events surrounding her death in 1817. Place this volume next to the novels and the DVDs to reference often. My complimentary copy from Booksneeze will be gifted down the line to the next P&P lover in the family.

Knuckle dragging theology

The Selfless Gene
Knuckle dragging theology
By Charles Foster

The author and I have at least one thing in common: anger. He wrote that he was 'angry while writing the book' and I was angry while reading it. In the Selfless Gene, Foster attempts to so disparage and belittle Christians who actually believe the Bible concerning the creation account in hopes of shattering faith thus allowing his gods, natural selection plus whatever force allowed altruism, joy, pain and pleasure, to be seated. The hated view point of the 'Young Earth Creationists', as he calls them, so irritates this man that he feels compelled to shower the reader with gifts of evidence from science and logic. If anything, I am grateful to the author for hopefully showing the Answers In Genesis crowd that trying to dispute or prove various artifacts of evidence will never win or charm anyone into accepting God as sovereign over His creation. No matter which evidential rabbit trail you wonder down with an evolutionist you will always be tempted to point out folly concerning this bone or that rock in their thinking. The answers from the Creationists will always be the same: "God did it!" And, the answers from the evolutionists will always be the same too: "natural selection did it!" Dead ends, deaf ears and no common ground whatsoever will be found. The author tries and the author fails to find middle ground with a very poor conclusion to the book which leaves the reader with nothing: nothing to believe and nothing to hold. Be warned Christian reader, this man is certainly a wolf in predatory, natural selection, eat or be eaten clothing with no semblance of costuming. He openly states that Creationist evidence and positions are foolish and that after reading his book he will enlighten you and win you out of darkness. As usual, the evolutionist fails to answer the question, the most important question in the universe, why? Why us, why earth, why anything as opposed to nothing? Only God can answer that question and the evolutionist denies God so therefore these questions simply remained unanswered and really unasked by them. I have news for the author, evolutionists and evidential Creationists alike, the answer to our universe is very simple: God created an 'old earth' with the appearance of age. This theory is called the Appearance of Age Theory. The author apparently has never heard of it nor has it ever crossed his mind either. Here it is in a nutshell: God created the earth with the appearance of age for that is the only way He could have done it. Let me illustrate: Five minutes after God created an Oak tree if Adam were to chop it down how many growth rings would it have? By simple definition a certain aged tree must have growth rings equal to the seasonal yearly changes of growth. God created it and so created a 100 year old tree that was actually only five minutes 'old'. The same holds true with humans, rocks, gamma radiation, light rays and every other created thing. They all look and have to be a certain age to even exist and yet they were only minutes old after God spoke them into being. Why not reader? Couldn't God, who we believe to be all powerful and sovereign, create the world however He wished? This is exactly what I believe and it perfectly explains the world and every artifact. However, its not even close to being the most foolish thing I believe. No, I believe in something even more far-fetched. I believe that an ancient Jewish carpenter's son's death on a cross actually provided everything I needed to have all my sins forgiven and be put in perfectly right standing before God, my Creator. Now that's foolishness. I guess the author and those who buy in to his illogical conclusions will continue to drag their knuckles into the naturally selected godless, Christless future. As for me, I will continue to serve and believe God who supernaturally revealed Himself to me by His Word, the Bible by the enlightening of my darkened mind by God, Holy Spirit. Make no mistake about this book. This book is a battle but not the battle the author tries to fight between creationists and evolutionists. No, this battle is even more important concerning the trustworthiness of God's written word, the Bible, and the clear message of the gospel contained in that perfect Word. If the author doesn't want to believe what the bible says about creation why would he believe what the Bible says about Christ? The Bible, God and the gospel are on trial in this book.

Eternity is in your heart too!

Don Richardson has added a nice addition to the field of missiology. He has put in tremendous effort in gathering, researching and compiling information on his theory of 'redemptive analogies'. These analogies are the usable, one true God proof footprints within nearly every culture and tribe found on the planet. His chapter, 'Scholars with strange theories' is well worth the price of book and is Richardson at his scholastic finest. He clearly shows that Darwinian evolutionists have the growth of world religions completely wrong debunking the view that polytheism and animism evolved first then led to monotheism later. Turns out that the evidence from the field proves just the opposite that belief in monotheism was first and early then later became distorted through time and distance by isolated tribes.
A couple of areas that I believe Richardson misses on has to do in the areas of monotheist origins and sovereignty of God over missions, man's salvation and even man's knowledge of the one true God. His created words and concepts such as the Melchizedek factor for monotheist imprints from general revelation are not helpful to his argument and somewhat make his viewpoint sound 'cheesy'. He never explores the scattering of people groups that would have carried knowledge of the one true God from the tower of Babel episode in Genesis and the amazing trade routes and far expansive empire set up by the kings of Israel, especially Solomon. Tribes on remote islands had to get there somehow and most probably by sailing ships or ocean going boats and therefore would have come from established populations all stemming from God's original pair: Adam and Eve. Instead he invents an answer that God mysteriously has this general revelation of a messiah that he has implanted into mankind. I believe the bible supports specific revelation that God spoke and thus revealed details about Himself. He gives too much credit to general revelation. Finally, he never seems to credit God as sovereign over the entire salvation process from missionary endeavor, man's response and man's lack of a true free will. He goes into a biblically unsupported rant on page 173 that God is not able to penetrate man's freewill but only through man's logical persuasion through the missionary’s well crafted and well timed message. This is pure biblical nonsense and totally unsupported in the bible.
Other than these two key areas I still highly regard this work and all of Richardson's works for their excellent information
and writing.

in reference to: Product: Eternity in Their Hearts (view on Google Sidewiki)

Rugby takes off in Brentwood TN

I have three kids in the program and it is terrific. Rugby, I hope will take over soccer and even football. All body types and abilities can play and everyone gets to touch the ball! Way better than other sports.

in reference to: Brentwood Life :: Local Sports : Rugby Gains Momentum on Middle School Level (view on Google Sidewiki)

My bible reading plan for 2010. Do you have a plan?

One Year Bible OnLine - http://shar.es/aU1Ve

The most unlikely Christians: head-hunting cannibals.

"Thank you" shouted a thousand times from a thousand Sago thatched rooftops would not be enough to recommend this book to you. Having worked for Gospel Light for over a decade made me certainly familiar with this book that was first published in the 70s but for whatever reason I never got around to reading it. What was I thinking? I loved this book from cover to cover and did not want it to end. Don Richardson is a terrific story teller and writer. The story flows and is very compelling as I learned all about the conversion of the Sawi cannibal tribe of Irian Jaya. His discovery, explanation and illustration of God's thumbprint of a redemptive analogy in this culture will blow you away. I left this book with my mouth wide opened as I search my shelves for the other books Richardson has written. I have read thousands of books and this one is firmly in my top ten! Read this book. Live this book by finding the redemptive analogies in your own culture that God may use for His glory.