Review: "The Gift"

                Do you like gifts?

                Do you like Christmas presents?

                How do you react to them?

                Glen Scrivener looks at our gift-giving – and especially our Christmas gift-giving, in his book, The Gift:  What if Christmas Gave You What You’ve Always Wanted? – and he walks us through the gift-giving dance of “It’s for you,” “You shouldn’t have,” “I wanted to,” and “Thank you.”

                Scrivener explains that the same dance that we have with our loved ones is a dance that God has with us regarding the gift He has given us in His Son and the salvation He has merited.

                How do we respond?

                Does it make gift-giving all the more meaningful to us?

                Will you refuse this gift?

            [This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]

Review: "Leaving Your Mark Without Losing Your Mind"

            My friend, Tom, gave me a copy of Leaving Your Mark Without Losing Your Mind:  Overcoming Seven Obstacles to the Important Work of Your Life by Mark Brouwer, and it a book that I found helpful and encouraging, especially given my current circumstances.

            The seven obstacles Brouwer addresses are:

1.      Losing touch with what you really care s about and are committed to doing.

2.      Getting overwhelmed by the needs you encounter.

3.      Living with confusion about divine guidance and empowerment.

4.      Struggling with not having enough time.

5.      Getting burned out by high levels of stress and anxiety.

6.      Feeling disheartened by conflicts and difficult people.

7.      Getting discouraged and losing heart.

I am at a point of evaluation and seeking out how best to go forward, so it was very helpful to have Brouwer guide me through thinking about what is really important to me, what I really want to do and accomplish, and seeing that planning, setting markers, and recognizing what is in my control and what is not.

This is not a book to go through once and never look at again.  It is a book to go through, start to move in the direction that you believe is right and desire for yourself, and then refer back to to keep up healthy practices and thinking to get to the end of what you have set before you.

I am finding this a helpful book for me as I consider what is next and how to get there, and you may as well.

            [This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]

Review: "John's Letters"

            John’s Letters:  An Exegetical Guide for Preaching and Teaching (Big Greek Idea Series) by Herbert W. Bateman IV and Aaron C. Peer is an interesting new volume – and beginning of a series – in the interpretation of the New Testament.

            The series was created with the concern that most people don’t have a solid, working, understanding of biblical Greek.  This series will be a help to the pastor who has some knowledge of biblical Greek, as well as “the overloaded professor,” and the seminarian (14).  Although the authors provide their own translation of the text at the rear of the text, the book is designed to highlight “the big Greek idea” of each section of text and put the tools out there for these persons to use to interpret, explain, and preach the text.  It is not for the average lay person – some knowledge of biblical Greek is necessary.

            The text opens with a table of contents, charts and sidebars index, list of abbreviations used, and then a length introduction which explains how to read the text and the authors’ basing it on the use of the clausal outline of the text.

            Then the text begins in earnest with an introduction to each letter before it, followed by the big Greek idea, structural overview, outline, and clausal outline for each section of text.  Interspersed are syntactical, lexical, semantical, theological, text-critical and grammatical “nuggets” to help in understanding the translation and interpretation of the text.

            The volume ends with a bibliography and a “nugget” index.

            If you are looking for a commentary that gives your denominational interpretation, this is not it.  If you are looking for a commentary that helps you work through the Greek to understand the bid ideas and, thereby, the text, you will find this very useful.

            I am interested to see future volumes.

            I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

            [This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, Kregel, and Goodreads.com.]

Review: "Surplus"

            I like to give.  I especially like to give to the church and the people of the church.  I especially look for good books to give to others.  As Richard Baxter commends, “There is nothing better a minister can do than to give good books to his people.”

            On the other hand, I wonder how God wants us to prepare for the future and eventualities of not being able to do the work we once did – especially in a world where not even the church folk are as close and supportive as they once were – as we ought to be.

            I read Surplus:  Fearless Generosity in 2 Corinthians 8-9, by Bryan Elliff, in two sittings on the same day.  It is short, convicting, joyful, and very readable.

            As the title suggests, Elliff explains the context and meaning of 2 Corinthians 8-9 and applies it to the modern Christian.

            As the reader might know – this section of 2 Corinthians is Paul asking the Corinthians to be prepared for his arrival and his taking of the collection of an offering for the church in Jerusalem which is suffering – and Paul relates some of the giving that has been done thus far.

            Elliff explains that God gives us all that we need, plus a surplus to give to others.  He shows that what we have is a grace from God and we give as a grace to others (Ch. 2).

            What is most important – as we tend to highlight in this passage while ripping it out of context – is that we are to give with the right heart attitude – and God has gifted us – graced us – with a surplus another needs that we may share that grace and meet that need.  “Paul’s big idea is that theses churches should pursue equality in times of acute need by using their surplus to remedy the deficits of others” (31).

            He is not suggesting socialism.  He is suggesting that everyone’s needs ought to be met through the gifts and grace God gives.  God gives the surplus that we may have joy is filling a need.

            Elliff tells of John Wesley and George Mueller who did not believe we are to save for ourselves or future generations but are to fill our needs and give the rest away.  Elliff admits that he is still wrestling with whether this is a biblical norm or a gift of certain people (37).

            Chapter four looks at the integrity needed in giving.

            Chapter five looks at what it means to not give begrudgingly or under compulsion.

            In chapter six, Elliff argues that the text tells us that if we are as generous as God has been with us, “we will never lack supply, both for our needs and for continuing acts of liberality” (68).

            “But now comes the truly remarkable reality.  Not only will you be provided with enough seed for planting, your seed planting will be multiplied.  For every one bag of seed you go out to plant, there will be more bags waiting to be planted.  In other words, the more you give, the more you will have to give” (69, emphasis his).

            Don’t misunderstand:  the multiplying is not for us to store up, save, or hoard.  The multiplying is only for giving to others.

            Chapter seven looks at how gifts communicate something – how they can build fellowship.

            The book ends with a chapter considering the indescribable gift all Christians have received in Jesus.

            Each chapter ends with study and/or group questions.

            The book ends with the text of 2 Corinthians 8-9 for review and meditation.

            This book reinvigorated me and my desire to give more.  Though, I admit, I still struggle with knowing what is biblically right with regards to saving.  For now, I will pray and be and wise and liberal in my giving to the glory of God and in thanks for His grace.

            You need to read this book.

            [This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]

Review: "D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, 2 volumes"

            D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a rising star in the surgical field of medicine, when he received a call to the ministry – the larger part which was to be at Westminster Chapel, London.

            The massive two-volume biography of Dr. Lloyd-Jones by Iain H. Murray began as Murray’s notes for Lloyd-Jones for the eventual writing of Lloyd-Jones’ autobiography – which was never to be written.

            Volume 1: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: the First Forty Years: 1899-1938.

            Volume 2: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: the Fight of Faith: 1939-1981.

            Murray served alongside of Lloyd-Jones at Westminster for some years and they collaborated on the Banner of Truth Trust, so he is someone with a great knowledge of the man of which he writes.

            Though the two-volume biography scales some 1,300 pages, it is very readable and extraordinarily engaging.  Murray includes primary documents and pictures will greatly add to the work.

            Had a never read Lloyd-Jones or heard Murray speak before reading these volumes, I would still have picked them up knowing that Lloyd-Jones defines preaching as “logic on fire” – that is, preaching – good preaching – examines the text as a surgeon diagnosing with medical skills and with a passion given by God the Holy Spirit.

            Other than saying you will have missed out on a great preacher, a great biographer, and what the Holy Spirit might do with you through this book, I will keep this brief – you have much to read.

            Highly recommended.

            [This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]

Review: "Small Church Essentials"

           What are the essentials of a small church?  Well, to become larger and to have more money, right?

            Not necessarily, Karl Vaters argues in his book, Small Church Essentials:  Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of Under 250.

            I can’t tell you how much I hate it when someone asks what our average attendance is and I say, “25,” and they respond, “Oh, I’m sorry” or “Have you thought about an open house?”  Or a revival?  Or a sermon series on giving?  Or focusing your ministry on doing whatever you have to do to change to get people in the doors?

            Vaters has been to all the church growth seminars – as he shows with quotations and endnotes.  Yet, he states the average Protestant church in the US has 80 congregants (18) and that is not necessarily wrong or indicative that a church is broken; it may be perfectly healthy and obedient – and there’s the rub – the Church is to “equip the saints, reach the lost, and glorify God” (41) and there is no numerical equivalent to that mandate.

            In Part Two of his book, Vaters presents the differences between big and small church and argues that the differences merely make them different, not wrong.

            In Part Three, he asks if your church is small because there is a problem or because it is strategically small by virtue of its context – in which case, there is nothing to be fixed.

            If there is a problem, the problem must be understood and addressed (though the problem’s resolution does not mean the church will grow financially or monetarily).

            Vaters begins by arguing that all churches should “fill up” and “empty out” in being who God calls them to be – there is a receiving part in the church and a giving out in the church (116).  The problem could be that the church focuses on one and not the other, rather than having a balance.

            Functional churches are not cluttered (120).  (And he helps the reader understand what clutter is and how best to remove it.)

            In chapter ten, he argues that each church has something(s) that it does well, and that is what it should focus on – that is what it’s purpose/way/method it brings the Gospel and grows as a church (135ff).

            In part four, he argues that being a “great” small church is found in recognizing that small churches are much more about relationships than large churches, so maximize relationship-building (191ff).

            Vaters book is very readable – great for church boards to read through and plan with, as well as for senior/solo ministers to read and bring forth to the church.  It is extremely important that we disabuse ourselves of the notion that all churches must be large or that small churches are being punished.  A faithful, Gospel-preaching, obedient church can be perfect with 25 people in it.

            [This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]

Review: "The Outsider"

            A pre-teen boy is savagely murdered and left in the woods.  His coach’s DNA is on him.  His coach’s fingerprints are on him.  His coach is seen with him by several people in the hours before his body is found.  The case seems like a slam dunk.

            But as several law enforcement agencies work together, they find that not everything is as it seems – not everything adds up.  There is conflicting evidence – hours away conflicting evidence – and someone else’s fingerprints.

            It’s said that everyone has a double.  But maybe it’s not as simple as that.  Maybe some can become your double.

            Stephen King leads his readers on a high-speed chase to answer the question of whether the person you saw has to be the person you saw in, The Outsider – an engrossing and disturbing read that leaves the reader wanting to believe – and not wanting to believe.

            [This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]