Some recommendations

While I am not going to do any full reviews of these books, I am going to be posting some recommendations concerning certain areas of reading within Christianity.

I will keep adding to this list.

Pre-marital Counseling books:

Strengthening Your Marriage by Wayne Mack
Biblical, lots of good homework for couples

The Most Important Year in a Man's/Woman's Life by Wolgemuth and Devries
now two books:
What Every Bride Needs to Know - The Most Important Year in a Woman's Life
and
What Every Groom Needs to Know - The Most Important Year in a Man's Life
This former single edition, now two editions is one of the most fun and practical books that the young couples I counsel read. I consider it a book God led me to on a bargain shelf in Amish country that has been very good for ME and for those I am investing in.

When Sinners Say 'I Do' by Dave Harvey
I have some bad news for you, you are marrying a sinner...




What did You Expect by Paul David Tripp
Day to Day Reality for Marriage. A Great book for helping understand the gap between expectations and, well, reality.

Intended for Pleasure by Ed Wheat
Standard setting book concerning sexual relations within marriage. Read just before the honeymoon, read again later in marriage.







FOR HUSBANDS

The Complete Husband by Lou Priolo
Read with caution, men. VERY convicting

For Men Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn
Very insightful into the mind of a woman. (it even has a fold out guide!!)


FOR WIVES
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn
Ladies, this might be one of the better overviews to helping you understand what is goin' on in your man's head. Very good, recommended to me for counseling use by a very wise man in ministry and marriage counseling.

(I am now going to just start listing, I am sure I am forgetting some...)

FOR FAMILIES
Shepherding a Child's Heart

FOR FATHERING
Point Man
King Me


FOR TEENS dealing with Temptation
Sex Isn't the Problem, Lust Is
The Purity Principle (go get it now, parents of teen guys)

FOR ADULT MEN DEALING WITH TEMPTATION
At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry

For ADDICTIONS
Getting to 'No'



I am sure I am forgetting some, but I'm done for now.

If you ever need a suggestion on a certain subject.
Facebook me or inbox me.

Pastor Dave

The Expository Genius of John Calvin by Steven J. Lawson

This book was a real treat for me. I have been a full time preacher for just over a year and a half. I was a youth pastor before that for 12 years, and enjoyed the opportunities to teach and the occasional opportunity to preach in the pulpit of my friend and mentor, the late great Brad Quick. Previous to that, I had the great privilege of filling the pulpit as part of the Faith Baptist Bible College pulpit supply list for one summer. I must thank Dr. Bob Domokos for urging me to preach as much as I could in my developmental years. (I also should probably apologize to those churches, while also thanking them for putting up with a young preacher for a Sunday of services...at least the food was good, I still LOVE potlucks!)

I sat under the faithful preaching of the Word of God by my father. He preached the Word verse by verse. Second, I sat under the preaching of Norm Hoag, a great preacher of the Word as well. Finally, I was able to sit under the preaching of Brad Quick. God allowed me to be under three great men of God who preached the Word. Expository preachers, whom even though they wouldn't necessarily be accused of setting any pulpits on fire, they brought the heat through the text. In each case, the preaching took a bit of getting used to, because you have to be willing to listen.

In light of God all, when God called me to pastor the church I am currently in, I knew it was time to reintroduce myself to good books on preaching. These books generally fall into two categories. One category is on the passion side; being spiritually charged and right with God. Great reminders. The other side would be the specifics of preaching. The Science of Hermeneutics; finding what the text says to the original audience, then pulling that into today, and what it is speaking to the modern audience. Looking with a literal, historical, grammatical  eye, and communicating the Word. In a sense, these two types of books cover what preaching is. It is a science, and an art.

This book by Lawson, however, was a whole different thing. What I love about this book, is how it just walks through how Calvin preached. (which by the way, was very different from his commentaries and Institutes) This book reveals the commitment to the Word by Calvin. Short intros, verse by verse, not too many illustrations, comparing scripture to scripture, a little bite against the current Catholicism of his day, encouragement in the the power of Christ, and others.

The chapters cover how he studied, how he communicated (for the 'common man'), what he brought to the pulpit, how he did introductions, the body, illustrations, applications, and conclusions. I loved it. In light of the styles of preaching surrounding Calvin at the time, it appeared to me that Calvin was very easy to listen to compared to the 'read the message' style of many others. He used language for all, he reexplained Scripture in what was almost the 'Calvin' version of the verse. Basically, his people walked away KNOWING scripture.

My mentor Brad Quick once told me tat good preaching consisted of a member of the congregation looking at the text and saying things such as, "I see that," "I never saw that before," "Now I understand," and "Now I see." It appears to me based on this book that that is also how Calvin preached. To help the recipient of the preaching understand the text.

This book was well written, and well researched. I went out and splurged on another few Steven Lawson books.

I am back to reading for MY growth, and not just for school; thus, the uptick in reviews. (for whoever, if anybody is reading these.

Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together by Mark Driscoll

This book by Mark Driscoll took me a while to read.

The main reason for the delay in reading the book was my work load at the time it was on my shelf. With college classes and ministry piling up, I had to fight my way through it.

Please keep that in mind when reading this review.

One of the norms of Mark Driscoll is his ability to pull absolutely no punches in his speaking, or in his writing.  God has placed him in a church that has been placed in a position to reach a certain people in a certain context. Would I agree with all his theology? No. Would I agree with all his ministry philosophy? Certainly, no. Can I glean from his straight forward communication style? Yes. Can I appreciate the emotion and passion he displays for God and for what God can do through him and through a people? Absolutely.

IN typical Make Driscoll fashion, he and his wife have put together a passionate and very blunt book. They spend a chunk of the book giving personal testimony about the struggles, difficulties, discoveries, and growth in their lives as a committed married couple. The reality of couples bringing physical, emotional, and even sexual baggage into a relationship is a reality that needs to be discussed.

In this area, this book addresses something that is missing from almost every marriage book that I have been in contact with. In my opinion, there is a definite need to prepare couples for their marriage in terms of physical intimacy. Too many have been taught that, in the words of a Christian humor writer, 'doves would be singing on your honeymoon night if you save yourself for marriage.' And while that is a humorous statement for those of us raised in church culture, 'lifers' if you will, the expectations that we bring into our marriage affect our marriage.

Probably the only book that was out there that was designed to prepare the couple for marriage was 'Intended for Pleasure.' It was a good book, and worth going over again for married couples, but for those in premarital counseling, at least for me, it was almost too dangerous to look at until the week before the wedding.

In that realm, I believe we get into my thoughts on Driscoll's book. It is a good book, it deals with sexual issues that are starting to come up more and more in our increasingly sexual society. The questions that young couples and even older couples are asking today need to be addressed. They need wisdom and insight.

But the book does dive into some areas that might cause some very conservative minds to get a little color in their cheeks. So a warning must be given. You will be exposed to some areas you might not have even thought much about.

A problem that comes along with that is there might be exposure to something that has not crossed the readers mind. In light of that, I believe that this is a book for leaders/counselors within the church as they are preparing to counsel others.

To do a full fledged read-through/book study with a group at large would not be appropriate in my opinion. And it is obviously not for young people who are not married.

Overall, it is another good tool in the tool belt of on who is ministering to others. Even good to discuss with your mate.


This was a book provided to me for review by booksneeze.

Pastor Dave Burman.

God's Standard of Obedience for Leaders - I Sam 15

(This was posted as an assignment, I know it is not a book review. It is just a message presented for class, that was supposed to be posted online, as a requirement)

 Is Your Obedience Half Full or Half Empty?             

 There is a choice to be totally obedient or partially obedient. But I believe that Scripture is clear that total obedience is God’s standard for His leaders. So can we find the answer to the question, "Does God Accept Partial Obedience?"          

What is the last command you had to obey? There is a choice to be totally obedient or partially obedient. That choice comes up every time we are presented with obedience.

My Dad always told me to check the oil. Every stop, every chance, always check the oil. Maybe it was the fact that our cars were old and suspect to oil leaks, maybe it was because oil was important. But the message was always the same. Check the oil. So I did, sometimes, when I remembered.

            Of course before any trip, I would check the oil. One afternoon before my trip home for the weekend, when I checked the oil, I didn’t really see oil on the dip stick, per se. This was the first time I had encountered a dry dipstick. I knew that this was something that my dad would have to deal with. I, however, had a to speak at a youth rally back at my home church. The oil part would be dealt with later, I had to get to the Lord’s house.

            You can probably guess what happened. My father’s 1979 Mercedes 240d at mile marker 142 on I80W gave up the ghost in a series of violent screaches and a final screeching halt. (I did manage to get it into neutral in time to coast to the side of the road.  My relationship with my father has never quite been the same since that weekend. Apparently just CHECKING the oil was not enough, I had to follow through and get oil INTO the car. Checking was only half the battle. 

Doing something halfway was, and still is not enough when it comes to oil in my car, but what about God? He is a loving God, he looks at the heart, and after all, halfway is still part way, isn’t it? Isn’t it the thought and the heart that counts?

Scripture is not silent in terms of God’s expectations, so we must look to scripture for the answer to the question: Does God Accept Partial Obedience?

In I Samuel, God gives us a very full picture of three key figures in the transition into the transition of Israel to being a people with a king. The promised monarchy of old, promised from Abraham forward was about to be instituted.

The three characters of I and II Samuel are the key figures in this great transition. They are Samuel, Saul, and David.

First God places Samuel into the priesthood, and soon God is leading him to anoint Saul as the first king of Israel. Saul, however would prove to be a failure, and by the time we reach I Samuel 15, Saul has been nailing the last three nails into the coffin of his kingship. In Chapters 13 and 14, he had shown himself to be impatient and proud. In chapter 15, he would be given one more chance to past the test of leadership; and in the process, he will discover if partial obedience would count for anything when it came to God.

 This Chapter contains four truths concerning his standard of obedience. The first truth we see, is that God communicates His standards for obedience. Look at the first 3 verses of I Samuel chapter 15.

I.                    God Communicates His Standards for Obedience (I Sam 15:1-3)

Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. ² Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. ³ Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

One of the great truths about Scripture and contained in Scripture is the truth that God speaks to man. He is not silent, he communicated. We serve a God who communicates with His children.

God here, through Samuel, graciously reminds Saul of where he came from, and what that implied. Saul had been anointed by God to be the king, and that meant he was under God.  going to use Saul to punish Amalek. God wanted Saul to go, smite, and utterly destroy them.

How could God make a command like this? He is God. The term for utterly destroy, was the word for dedicating, or even sacrificing for the Lord. It was to be a total destruction, as was commanded for a holy war, something only God could command. God was specific. He did not need to clarify, but he did. The children of Israel were to slay men, women, infants, sucklings, ox, and sheep, can all the animals. This was God’s command, a complete removal of Amalek. God had used Balaam to prophecy this in Numbers 24, when Balaam said in verse 20, “…Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish forever.”

This kind of warfare, called ḥerem, was practiced only against peoples who had come under the Lord’s severest judgment (e.g., Jericho). It required the destruction of all people and possessions captured in battle. The task was a solemn and holy one since those Israelites who carried it out functioned as the Lord’s agents of judgment.^[1] God was about to use Saul as the instrument of destruction.

Not only did God communicate His standards for obedience to Saul, he also provided the means for obedience.

II.                  God Provides the Means for Obedience (I Sam 15:4-9)

How exactly did God provide the MEANS for obedience? We see that first he provided the resources for battle. Look at verses 4 and 5.

a.      Resources for Battle - 4-5

⁴ And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵ And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley

Saul gathered the people together. So this is obviously Saul’s doing, right? Well, not really. Who’s people were these? They were the children of God. In verse 2 Samuel had called God the LORD of hosts. He is the God of armies. This army was God’s army.

It would have been very easy for Saul to think this was his army. Imagine standing before an army of 210,000! The sights, the sounds, the war cries; all would have awakened the warrior spirit in Saul. God provided a vast army to carry out HIS command. To carry out His task of the destruction of Amalek.

Not only did God provide the resources for battle, he provided the victory.

b.      Victory in Battle - 6-9

⁶ And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. ⁷ And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. ⁸ And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly

After fulfilling a promise concerning the Kenites, who we understand from Judges 1:16, were the desendents of Jethro, Saulattacks and smites the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, against Egypt.

Saul’s attack extended “all the way from Havilah to Shur” (v. 7), an expression apparently referring to the entire geographic extent of Ishmaelite territory (cf. Gen 25:18), a distance stretching from Arabia to Egypt. Such a widespread attack would have been technically possible due to the large numbers of Israelite troops mustered. This massive, sweeping attack was successful, and since no prisoners were to be taken, “all” Amalekites who were caught were “totally destroyed with the sword” (v. 8)—all, that is, except Agag, the Amalekite king (v. 9).^[2]

Saul was victorious! The battle belonged to HIM! Right? Saul was in charge of these mighty men. No, every victory and every defeat is of the Lord. In just two chapters, we would see young David proclaiming, 

“And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.” (I Sam 17:47)

Verse Nine, however gives us a second problem to be dealt with. Saul had achieved, by the Lord of hosts, a great victory. He was an instrument of God! BUT…Agag and the best were spared. He WOULD NOT utterly destroy them. How would God respond?


We do not have to wait for the response. It becomes clear that God rejects partial obedience.

III.                God Rejects Partial Obedience  (I Sam 15:10-31)

a.      God Responds - 10-12

Look at verses 10-12.

¹⁰ Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, ¹¹ It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. ¹² And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal

THEN came the word of the Lord to Samuel. God repented. The only other occasion in Scripture where the Lord stated that he was “grieved” (from nḥm) over peoples’ actions was when he observed the wickedness of humanity that led to the universal flood^[3] 

Gen 6:7 “And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.^[4]”

            What was the cause of this repenting? Saul had not performed God’s commandments. Now, Saul HAD performed SOME of God’s commandments, but those are not mentioned. It is as if partial obedience was the same as no obedience at all.

Samuel, however, did not show the same emotional response. The text says it grieved Samuel, but this is the only time we see this word used lie this. Every other time it is used to describe anger, with words used in the KJV such as ‘hot, wroth, angry, incensed, and burning.’ We could rightfully say, Samuel was hot, and he brought it to the Lord all night. But a lack of a good night’s sleep did not keep Samuel from doing what needed to be done. Much like Abraham to sacrifice his son of promise, Samuel got up early to proclaim the end of the kingship of Saul.  But Samuel had to do a bit of wandering to find him. Saul was not where the prophet had expected to find him. Instead the king had set out on a journey that took him initially deep into the Negev to Carmel (Khirbet ’el-Kirmil, seven miles south of Hebron), where he “set up a monument in his own honor” (v. 12) commemorating the recent victory he had achieved in the area. Yet Saul had not remained there; instead, he had gone “down to Gilgal,” an important military staging site that was also of great religious significance at this time (cf. 1:15; 7:16; 10:8; 13:4–15). The sequencing of Saul’s actions—performing acts of self-interest prior to those of devotion to God—was reflective of his entire life.^[5]

Finally, Samuel finds Saul, and the fireworks begin.

b.      Accusation and Excuses - 13-15

¹³ And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. ¹⁴ And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? ¹⁵ And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Explanation and Argumentation

            I love this scene…when Samuel finally reaches of Saul’s location, he has a , and as we will learn, fateful, final confrontation with the errant king. As on the earlier occasion (13:10), Saul initiated the dialogue with a blessing.^[6]

            But wait, what is that noise? Oh, well, THEY brought them. Yet in verse 9 we saw that Saul and the people had brought them. And, it was ok, the disobedience had good intentions. The rest were destroyed. We had a BETTER plan!

            Samuel would bring all this into perspective for Saul

c.       Explanation and Obedience Claim - 16-21

¹⁶ Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. ¹⁷ And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? ¹⁸ And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. ¹⁹ Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? ²⁰ And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹ But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal

Explanation and Argumentation

            “Saul”, Samuel said, “you went from being little in your eyes to big in your eyes.” And when who sent Saul out? The Lord. He set the standards, and you did not meet that standard, and did what? EVIL. What is partial obedience? Evil.

            Saul tries to explain and tries to make excuses. I obeyed, I went the right path, He TECHNICALLY didn’t say anything about kings…and the PEOPLE took the spoil. We did it for HIM! For the LORD thy God in Gilgal. (I won’t even get to the significance of the use of the Lord THY God.)

The response, like before is swift and clear.

d.      God’s Response and Overview- 22-23

²² And Samuel said,

Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

      As in obeying the voice of the Lord?

      Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

      And to hearken than the fat of rams.

²³    For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,

      And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

      Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord,

      He hath also rejected thee from being king.

Obedience is BETTER than sacrifice, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. (a sin which Saul WOULD commit later, as seen in Chapter 28). Stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry (another sin that Saul would be connected with, when we read chapter 19), you set yourself up as above God. Partial obedience is REJECTION of the word of the LORD Jehovah, and REJECTION of Jehovah results in rejection BY Jehovah.

            Saul, here cries out as he comprehends the consequences.

e.      Saul’s Cries – 24-31

                                                              i.      For Forgiveness – 24-26

²⁴ And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. ²⁵ Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. ²⁶ And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

                                                            ii.      For Honor – 27-31

²⁷ And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. ²⁸ And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. ²⁹ And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. ³⁰ Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God. ³¹ So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the Lord.

Explanation and Argumentation

Saul cries for forgiveness, and for the presence of the Lord through the presence of Samuel. Saul knew what was about to happen; Samuel would leave. And Saul was right, Samuel would leave as the Lord had rejected Saul as king. But first Samuel make a striking statement…the Strength of Israel – the ETERNAL one of Israel, nēṣaḥ, “the Everlasting One” (NIV “the Glory”) will not lie nor repent…he should not repent.  Basically, he is saying that God should not have to do with anyone what He had to do because of Saul.

Saul GRABS Samuel as Samuel turns to go. And the Illustration goes into effect. Saul BEGS for one last honor, and something happens, that we miss sometimes. In mercy, Samuel turns again, and after this declaration as to the irrevocable character of the determination of God to reject Saul, Samuel yielded to the renewed entreaty of Saul, that he would honour him by his presence before the elders and the people, and remained whilst Saul worshipped, not merely “for the purpose of preserving the outward order until a new king should take his place” (O. v. Gerlach),

 - but also to carry out the ban upon Agag, whom Saul had spared.^[7]

IV.               God Finds Someone Else Committed to Obedience (I Sam 15:32-35)

a.      Samuel Executes Agag – 32,33

³² Then said Samuel, Bring you hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. ³³ And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

Explanation& Argumentation

            Oh the wonder of scripture. From, “Bring me Agag” to “Agag spoke to him delicately.” Samuel was still a man of emotion, and conviction. One of my favorite statements in the Bible from my teenage years, “Samuel hewed, or hacked, or divided up, Agag to pieces.”

            How did he do it? Before the Lord in Gilgal. Obedience is to be done before the Lord.

And the relationship was over, Samuel, at this point, separates from Saul.

b.      Samuel Separates from Saul – 34,35

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Explanation& Argumentation

TRANSITION: So what can we learn from this story?

Narrative Conclusion: God rejects partial obedience

There are a four things that help us understand what God expects out of us in terms of obedience. First,

1.      God Communicates His Standards for Leaders

a.      Application – He Demands Full Obedience

God clearly spells out his demands in leadership. It is found all throughout scripture in narratives, directives, and even specific leadership standards for the offices of the local church.  

b.      Illustration - God makes His standards clear to us. All Christian leaders are ‘under God’ just as Saul was.

2.      God Provides the Means to Meet His Standards for Leaders

a.      Application – He Provides for Full Obedience

b.      Illustration – God has given us all things we need. He supplies our needs, he gives us Scripture, the HS, a way of escape from temptation.

We are not to do it on our own. We come to Him for grace and mercy daily.

3.      God Rejects Partially Standards for Leaders

a.      Application – He Rejects Anything other than Full Obedience

b.      Illustration – Like stated in the intro, halfway was not enough

4.      God Replaces Those who do not meet His Standards for Leaders

a.      Application – He Finds Someone who will display Full Obedience

b.      Illustration – Neither my father or I ever used that 1979 Mercedes 240d again. It had to be replaced, it was disqualified for use do to the internal damage done…

Conclusion:

Who would do the work of God now?

I Sam 16:1 - And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons^[8]

God would provide a king, just like he would in our eternal king, King Jesus.

TOTAL Obedience is God’s Standard for His Leaders

Currently Reading 5/2012

Currently Reading

My last currently reading was on 10/2011. So here is an update.

The Bible (I love my You Version reading plan - The Cell of Optina NT read through!)
Visioneering - Andy Stanley
Transforming Discipleship - Greg Ogden
Four Views on The Spectrum of Evangelicalism - various
The Exemplary Husband - Stuart Scott
Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis (why not, everybody else is...)
Preachers and Preaching - D. Martin Lloyd-Jones (love it!)
Lloyd-Jones - Iain H. Murray (bio of Lloyd-Jones)
The Forgotten Spurgeon - Iain H. Murray (bio of Spurgeon's stand on the hard gospel, baptismal regeneration, and the down-grade controversy - basically, that Spurgeon DID stand and seperate)
Baptist Ways A History - Bill J Leonard
Family Walk devos (with my kids - Jen, my wife, does a LOT of the reading)
Calvin and Hobbes (with my sons who laugh so hard at the same one I laughed at as a kid/teen)
Total Truth - Nancy Pearcey
Apologetics for the 21st Century - Louis Markos


Kindle reads:
Church Discipline - Jonathon Leeman
Jesus: Why the World is Still Fascinated by Him
The Question of God - Armand Nicholi (fascinating comparison of C.S Lewis and Freud)
Pagan Christianity - Frank Viola; Georg Barna (a little mean spirited...)

A Princess of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs (my token fiction title - The book 'John Carter' is based on)

That's all. And I wonder why I have too much running through my head...

Heaven is for Real

What to do, what to do...

When I (a proud pastor) throw out a general "That book is 'ok'" I have to be careful.

I personally read Heaven is for Real because my mother-in-law wanted to know if it was 'ok.' Which, being a pastor, I am supposed to know. So, over Christmas, one evening, I read it.

My pastor 'senses' were trying to tell me something 'felt' wrong. But I couldn't find any theological issues with it. It reminded me, a bit, of when Randy Alcorn, in his book entitled Heaven , said that some of what he believed would be in heaven were not based on any scripture, but did not violate scripture.

I had another person send me a pretty thorough, fair, review. But the conclusion was a bit harsh. It was, in a nut-shell. DON'T READ THIS OR PROMOTE IT.

One good part of the review was his determination that Paul did not reveal what he saw, so should we listen to a kid reveal what he saw (a very cute kid by the way). I hadn't thought about the 'Paul went to heaven but did not reveal any details' aspect. It is a good point. The reviewer also pointed out that CHRIST is to be our hope, not the dreams of a little kid (or Don Piper for that matter)

What to do... What to do...

I DO have a hard time accusing someone of being a liar and touring with his son who nearly died and tells this story alongside of his parents.

I also personally know some reviewers BLAST anything that they deem to be 'low thinking' and not 'high intellect.' So We have to try to figure out what we have here. TO be honest, I understand how a book like this for 'the people' would probably irk a theological reviewer. And I get that.

That being said, this book is in a category that is very hard to do ANY review. It's not a Lucado type of "picture this!" book. It is not a 'what if' fictional journey (what if...Johnny died for a bit and went to heaven). It is not a kids book (well, the Christian money marketing has made a kids version). It is not a theology book (though it throws around a lot of basically okay theology, and not any really BAD theology). It is a hard-to-knock, feel good story, with no real 'bad' theology, and some strange goings on that feel good, but are based on the musings and mumblings of a very young man.
(If I did that based on my six year old, DEREK'S musings, we would have QUITE the theological book!)

What to do...What to do...

So I will go Jesus style and answer with a couple of questions.

1.)  How can I USE this? If my review is just to be an evaluation, maybe we can evaluate with opposing viewpoints in hand...It IS a New York Times Bestseller.  So, read the positive and negative viewpoints. Then, determine what should be done about the book. Should I recommend it? Should I accept it? How would I respond if my unsaved friend was given this book by someone else and they asked me what I thought of it. (it DOES present a clear gospel...) Should I condemn it as heresy? Could someone get saved by it? Should I base my theology concerning the Holy Spirit, Jesus, heaven, salvation, etc. on it? (it talks about the Holy Spirit looking like it is shooting blue lightning bolts...)

Is it too 'out there' to recommend? I personally do not look to 'recommend' it.  Yet if someone IS given it, can I point to the good theology without throwing out the whole book and risking alienating someone who is genuinely interested in going to heaven because they read the book? (which, again, emphasizes the gospel, and being saved so you won't go to hell)

1. bonus thoughts) I personally believe this (being able to evaluate) is the best tool to give our students. An ability to evaluate and determine what a book is and how to use it...that kind of ability equips them for movies, music, flaming atheists, liberal believers, and even the opinions of their fellow teens.

 2.) How is being presented? As a book that is very popular? or as a theologically true book? This is book should NOT be a source of theology. It is an autobiography that is a bit subjective, and hard (and awkward) to disprove.
If I start telling everyone that this is a GREAT book that is SO true and will help them understand theological conepts, Then there is a problem.

If I say it is an interesting book to be evaluated and considered, as it is a NYTimes best-seller (and soon to be a movie) that many people are reading.That gives us much to be discussed about WHY it is so popular, WHAT is missing, HOW does it stand against scripture, and SHOULD this be a tool, or just a cute book that makes you think...

Again, before you recommend or use this book,  I would recommend reading it yourself since the others are. Mainly because, LOTS of people, non-believers and believers, are reading it. And if that is the case, you can be a resource that points to the truth that is central to the reason this book IS popular.

People want to know. Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Am I ready for eternity?

And THEN, we can be ready to give an answer!

-this is dedicated to my favorite person/teacher who rips on my English! BP!!

The Book of Man

The Book of Man is a classic William Bennett book. I do not think that it was as compelling as his Book of Virtues, but it is still a good read.

As a pastor, one big part of my ministry is the preaching. A small but key part of preaching is to have illustrations that help the hearers think through the point that is being made. It is important to have a good set of resources for finding illustrations and examples to use in my messages. This book provides many great examples from a variety of topics.

The categorical breakdown of the book is helpful, and insightful. There are six subjects: war, work, leisure, community, women and children, prayer and reflection. Again, I felt this was a good resource book, but also found some of the quotes and stories a bit long. I was not able to read straight through. I found myself bouncing around, and getting into more of a hit or miss read. If the content looked to be interesting, I jumped in. If it looked o little boring, I would just scan it and move on.

I really enjoyed a number of the inspirational speeches early in the book. Bennett also does a good job of 'setting up' the stories. There are some very compelling thoughts to be found throughout. But you will have to do some digging.

I have been able to use a number of segments from this book in a variety of settings. I have read a few quotes to my boys in family devotions, I have used three quotes in my preaching, and I have been able to bring up a few things I read in some political and spiritual conversations with friends.

Overall, while not a great 'reading' book. A good 'go to' book to have around.