Keller has always been a good read and this book is no exception. It is really a booklet from the "The Encounters with Jesus" eSeries.
It is short but to the point.
As the title suggest, this is a book about the death of Lazarus. The two sisters are Mary and Martha. Jesus doesn't get there in time and Lazarus dies. The sisters are bereaved, as is Jesus. This is the section of the Bible that records Jesus wept.
Keller shows how Jesus treated the situation. Each sister acts in a different way, causing Jesus' response to be different when speaking with each woman.
It reminds me of the doctrine of Law and Gospel. Some people need the law. They are puffed up and think the world revolves around them. They need the Law to show them that they are not as great as they think they are. Others need the Gospel. They are already devastated and the Law would break distort them.
It is a great little booklet. I am interested in reading the others.
As an added bonus there is a preview of his new book, "Every Good Endeavor", which is a biblical case for work.
I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge, from Penguin and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I started this book I did know what to expect. It was a little bit of a surprise and a pleasant one at that.
There was much more depth than is many modern books. It is not a list of ten things you can do to have a better marriage or how to manage you money.
It was a good read. The discussion of two types of "good" was worth the whole book.
Here is one quote from that section.
"When someone goes to the dentist complaining of a toothache, the first thing the dentist does is pull out an evil-looking, sharp metal probe and start to poke around. “Does this hurt? How about this?” Is the dentist some kind of sadistic monster? I've always thought so. However, we all know that the dentist pokes around the mouth not for the purpose of inflicting pain but rather to find the problem tooth in order to heal it. The programmer tests his code, seeking to break it, so that he can fix the bugs. Jesus preaches a stringent moral code to fish out this inward division—to diagnose us as sick—so that He can bring us to a place of healing and transformation."
Wow, what great analogies! It sounds almost like a modern day Bunyan. It reminds me of Pilgrims Progress when Bunyan relates the Law to sweeping a dirt floor. It doesn't clean it just makes the dirt visible.
He uses this illustrations to show that it is not God's desire for us to be divided in our desires of doing right. God wants our desire and our morals to coincide. We have to be transformed to the point that both "goods" become one.
He spends a great amount of time speaking of the law and it's effects. The law not only tells us what we should do, it actually stirs up the sinful nature. Have you ever came across a sign that says, "Keep off the Grass!" ? What is the first thing we want to do? Walk on the grass! That is one use of the law. Paul says the law stirs up sin. We are back to the illustration of the broom in Bunyan's Progress.
There is nothing wrong with the Law. It is righteous. Our own sinfulness is to blame. The Law can not give us the power to live the commands of the Law. Grace is sufficient. Grace not only forgives sin, it also gives us the will to do righteousness.
That is the main theme of this book. Grace gives us the motive and desire to do the things of the Law, not through coercion or begrudgingly, but by the Grace of God. It is not a chore but a romantic gesture - The romance of Grace.
I enjoyed this book, There were a few spots where I disagreed. He is not Reformed. But I try to use the watermelon method when reading - eat the good part and spit out the seeds.
I recommend this book with some light discernment but give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Cross Focused Reviews and Libertary Company in exchange for an honest Review
How do I know if I am called to preach?
What is the ministry?
What does a minister do?
These are some of the questions answered in this small booklet.
Many, when they are saved, feel they need to do something special for the Lord. They are so excited that God has forgiven them, they feel something should be given back to Him. Many feel that they should preach. But are they really called?
What is their motivation to preach? Do they desire it so others can see them? So they can have more authority?
Pastor Robertson has written this fine book to teach those who feel God has called them to the ministry.
A minister is to serve, not be served. They are to nurture the flock. He leads by example. The flock sees him bruised but not broken.
All Christians go through trials, the minister is to live a life that shows his congregation how to live the Gospel through the good times and bad.
His most important duty is preaching the word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the work of God. He is to feed his flock.
He is also to pastor his flock. He is to know them so that he knows how to pray for them. Just as Christ prayed for His church, the pastor is to pray for those he is overseeing.
This was a short but good book. I recommend it and give it 4 out of 5 stars.
The Cross is central to the Gospel. Without it, we would still be in our sins and have no hope for salvation.
McKinley's book on the Passion of Christ, not only takes us through the events leading to and culminating in the crucifixion but it also tells us what the cross accomplished.
If God is truly God, He must punish sin. If we have all sinned then God must punish everyone of us. What a dilemma we are in. Either God has to cease being just to forgive us, or He keeps His justice and sends us to Hell for eternity.
God provides the answer Himself. He will send his own Son to be born a man. He will live the sinless life we could not. Then He will take on the punishment we deserved. How wonderful is that. The Son of God who deserves all glory actually took punishment in my stead.
In this book, McKinley shows that we have much in common with the people who were around Jesus during the trial and Crucifixion. We would probably be one of those yelling, "Crucify Him". But His death and resurrection brings us forgiveness and righteousness.
I enjoyed this book. It is written in an easy to read style, but contains some great theological truths . God not only wants us to understand the truths of the Gospel, He wants us to live in the light of those truths.
The cross should melt our hearts and drive our lives. We should wake up each morning realizing that the only reason we are here is to glorify God.The cross made that possible.
I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book free of charge from The Good Book Company and Cross Focused Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
My son and I have been gamers since he was very small. It all started with Mario 64. From there The Legend of Zelda was a given.
My reviews are normally of Christian books, but when I saw a book on the History of Zelda, I had to take a look.
This book is a somewhat chronological history of the Zelda universe. Because the games were mostly created for the game-play itself, the creators focused more on the gaming aspect than the story. That is why there are many twists in the story line of the Zelda series.
Fans have wanted a timeline for a while and the creators of the series have tried their best to provide one.
The book has four parts. The first shows the making of Skyward Sword and how it was conceived. Then the timeline (History of Hyrule), Third is a list of main characters and how they have changed through the years and last but not least, a comic.
This book is packed full of pictures - hundreds of them. There is a lot of information. The comic was a great addition.
I enjoyed reading it and give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
* I received this book free of charge from Diamond Book Distributors, Dark Horse Books, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have always loved reading books on bible difficulties. They actually strengthen my faith and help me in my daily discussions about the gospel.
Josh McDowell is the quintessential apologist. He has written dozens of books defending the faith. This one looked very promising and it did not disappoint.
Josh and Sean take us through the bible touching on each major verse that has been used to discredit Christianity. It is very readable but does not oversimplify. He touches on every thing from science to the Biblical inerrancy.
He answered the obvious questions like, "Where did Cain get his wife" to "was the flood universal". His writing is so convincing that you want to study more on each topic that was considered. If you or someone you know has question about the Bible in general or even a specific verse, this is the book to turn to.
I highly recommend this book and give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book free of charge from Harvest House Publishers and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This small book was a surprise. Through the years, I have probably read a dozen books on predestination, Some were good and some were terrible. This book will be in my top 5.
It is simply written, but very good at explaining a difficult subject. Many people get angry when discussing the subject of Predestination. They see it as unfair. Instead of a cruel and terrible thing, it should be looked on as beautiful.
God is God. If He isn't in control, then who is? Us? That would be scary. I heard someone say that if a mosquito can do something that is against God's control, it would have more power than God. By default that would make it God.
The definition of God means "One who is all powerful". Without His sustaining power, we would not even be alive.
Petty's book takes us through some very hard questions.
Does God control the future?
Does God choose who will be saved?
Is it fair if God choose one over another for salvation?
And many more...
Petty not only talks about our salvation, he shows how God is involved in all our lives. We can take comfort when we have problems, because we know God is in control. He works all things for the good of those who are called.
Does this not do away with freewill?
This is also discussed. We do not have absolute freedom, but compatibilist freedom. We make choices and God is sovereign at the same time. We may not understand it, but God is even in control of our discussions, but not in a way that he is the author of our sin. It is a mystery (like the trinity). We will never understand this side of heaven.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone interested in the subject of Predestination. It makes predestination accessible to the person who has never tackled the subject.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book, free of charge, from Matthias Media and Cross Focused Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
