Where would this world be without the simple, un-noticed, and unheralded people?

Just as a butterfly can flap his wings and the wind currents started can effect people many miles away, so, too can our lives.

We are not isolated here.

We are not alone.

We are not without effect.

We are not useless.

We are people with immense influence, even if it is not noticed.

Andrews uses his gift with words to encourage us that our lives matter.

Well illustrated, this book is a pretty coffee table sort of book. What is also interesting is the fact that each page has just enough words on it to give you pause to think a moment before you turn to the next page. It is designed for maximum effect, and should indeed have that.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book. It will encourage you and lift your spirits.

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Incomplete Commentary on Matthew Vols 1&2 (See Amazon to buy Vol1 Vol2)

I shall look forward to working with these for a few weeks and then writing a review.

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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! That is what I must say about this book.

As one who is interested in apologetics and New Testament studies, I was interested in writing a review of this book. I approached it as one would approach a textbook: with trepidation. I felt it would be scholarly- it is; I felt it would be dull- it is not. This book is well written, interesting, scholarly, and all in all a very good book.

The authors are men who are convinced that the Bible is God’s Word and reliable and take great care in demonstrating this while going against the current of popular culture and so-called scholarship.

The main issues with which the book deals are the issues of orthodoxy, the development of the NT canon, and textual transmission. They show us from Scripture itself, the early church fathers, and other sources that there was indeed a standard of faith that was held to in the early church. There was variation, but there was a standard of truth. There was orthodoxy in the early church.

They move from the issue of orthodoxy vs heresy to showing that the canon was not something that was decided upon in the fourth century by certain power mongers and then imposed upon everyone else. In fact, the authors demonstrate that the NT writers themselves understood that they were writing Scripture. The churches recognized that the four gospels were authoritative proclamations of the truth and also acknowledged the various epistles and apostolic works as being of God. This happened gradually as the various books were written and traveled from place to place, but it happened in the late first century and early second century. They explain that the process of canonization was not a decree that was passed, or the decision of a council, but a general receiving of the NT by the churches and their accepting the NT as inspired of God and authoritative.

Finally, the authors show that the NT has not been lost in transmission. Far from being lost, we have an embarrassment of riches in NT studies because of the multitude of manuscripts that we possess today. Though there are a few places where textual variant leave us in doubt of the exact text of Scripture, we know that we have a reliable NT text today. In fact, we can be assured that our Bible is the Word of God and is essentially the same as it was in the days of the early church due to the excellent manner in which God providentially preserved it for us.

I am convinced that this book will stand the test of time. Though written as a response to some particular voices of today, this book’s worth is seen in that it defends and upholds the timeless Word of God. Bauer is gone, and Ehrman shall soon be gone, but God’s Word lives forever. So, too, will this book abide as an excellent defense of the authority and reliability of the NT.

“Disclaimer:
I received this book free from Crossway.  Providing me a free copy in no way guarantees a favorable review.   The opinions expresses in this review are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Intelligent Design Uncensored: An Easy- To-understand Guide to the Controversy by William A. Dembski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Intelligent Design Uncensored

Dubbed as “an easy to understand guide to the controversy”, it lives up to its name.

Perhaps the only difficulty will be with the numbers. Giving us mathematical probability concerning various things happening takes us into the realm of numbers that few of us can probably understand. In the end, however, what is shown is that evolution is mathematically improbable to the point of being impossible.

Dembski and Witt do a very good job of making the issue of ID understood. At the same time they present to us a view of the controversy that surrounds it. ID is not accepted by many in the scientific community. They reject it on philosophical grounds instead of scientific grounds. Many scientists have embraced ID because that’s where their research has led them. Those scientists who believe in ID are censored by the Darwinists, however.

On the other side of the coin, sometimes Christians oppose ID because it does not necessarily embrace Christian Theism. Dembski and Witt argue that ID is not necessarily anti-Christian. Christians who are creationists can certainly profit from examining the case for ID.

The authors state their case, present their arguments, then give us a guide to do battle with Darwinism. The directions in the guide are good directions. Sometimes those who wish to have all of the evidence regarding origins presented go too far and fail. ID Uncensored shows how we can fight the battle at the schoolboard meeting or in the statehouse.

This book is recommended reading for those who are interested in the debate about origins.

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“Disclaimer:
I received this book free from Intervarsity Press. Providing me a free copy in no way guarantees a favorable review. The opinions expresses in this review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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I have begun an expository series in Romans and have turned to it for reference.

I will grant that Swindoll doesn’t write for the scholar.  That’s OK, though.  Someone needs to write for the common man.  That is what he has done, and done well.

What has stood out to me now that I’m using Swindoll’s Insights on Romans is the fact that he takes the time to define key words as he introduces a section.  This is very helpful for those who don’t read the Biblical languages.

When he is finished with a section he gives an application.

Swindoll doesn’t do a great amount of exegesis.  He gives insights.  He gives comments and exposition.  His exegesis has obviously been done, however.

I look forward to using this as one of my many references as I preach through Romans.

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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Prime and Begg are in the position of being able to counsel and instruct pastors. Their many years of experience are quite useful in giving good instruction to those who shepherd Christ’s flock.Whether it is prayer, Bible study, spiritual disciplines, or family time, this book covers it. We are instructed in conflict as well as chairing meetings, scheduling, etc.Highly recommended to those who are pastors.

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The good folks at Baker have done a great job with Evidence for God. Edited by William A. Dembski and Michael R. Licona, this is a one volume quick reference guide to apologetics.
Contained within the book are fifty articles (as the subtitle states it “arguments”) for faith from the Bible, history, philosophy, and science.
The articles are concise, well-written, and very informative. I cannot imagine finding a better book for those who desire to defend their faith, or strengthen their faith.
Contributors include Craig Blomberg, Andreas Kostenberger, Darrell Bock, Craig Evans, Ben Witherington III, Phillip E. Johnson, and many more. One cannot ask for a better set of writers.
Whether one is dealing with arguments for God (cosmological argument, moral argument) or against God (the problem of evil), this book has a section to address it. There’s also a section dealing with science, the impossibility of evolution, and even a chapter that debunks some myths about the “Scopes Monkey Trial”. Wondering about skeptics arguments against Jesus? There’s a section filled with information. Finally, there is a section on the Bible, the canon, the reliability of the Bible, inerrancy, and the “Gnostic gospels”.
I cannot speak too highly of this book. I give it a five star ranking only because there aren’t ten stars to give.
Disclaimer:
I received this book free from Baker Publishing. Providing me a free copy in no way guarantees a favorable review. The opinions expresses in this review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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Shannon Odell has experienced much success in the pastorate. That success came with a price, however. This book chronicles the trials, struggles, heartaches, and the joys of finding success in rural ministry.
Odell writes in an engaging manner, and it is easy to enjoy the book.
The positive things that I must note is that Odell did not seek to model his church after any particular place. He sought what was best for them. He admits to mistakes. He also was painfully honest about being ignorant of the invisible power structure that is prevalent in rural churches. Odell also dealt with growth in an interesting manner: he wanted to grow people as well as crowds. Odell didn’t simply set out to make a small church large; he set out to lead the small church into personal growth as well as numerical growth. It was more than a numbers game for him.
The negative that I take away from the book is the fact that I was left with the feeling (though I think Odell worked hard to not leave this feeling) that many will be led to think that Odell’s way is the way to grow a rural church. It is not the only way, and I think Odell would want to state that quite loudly. There is no cookie-cutter approach to church work and church growth. Odell seems to know that, and I believe he wanted to express that by presenting chapters 4-8 that tell us of the need to establish certain attitudes, mindsets, and character traits in ourselves as we labor.
In the end, this book is well worth the 4 star rating.

“Disclaimer:
I received this book free fromNew Leaf Press.  Providing me a free copy in no way guarantees a favorable review.   The opinions expresses in this review are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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A dozen years have passed since I first began reading books by John MacArthur. I have never failed to be blessed by them. This is no exception.

I shall first mention that, to be honest, it was a little less engaging and took me longer to read than a book normally does. It didn’t seem to be typical MacArthur.

The book, however, is a very good book. The subject matter is of great importance today. Evangelicals do not seem to confront evil and false doctrine much at all. The idea is that Jesus was meek and mild. MacArthur skillfully exegetes the Scriptures and expounds to us the fact that Jesus was often rough and tough. Jesus was quite the confrontational teacher.

Jesus confronted sin wherever He encountered it. In the temple, the synagogue, homes- wherever. He called a spade a spade and did not hold back. This does not mean that He was unmerciful. He indeed was very merciful. When Jesus encountered sinners He was kind and merciful. He was patient and loving. Jesus was most confrontational when He faced the religious sinners-the Pharisees and Sadducees. He simply could not abide their flaunting their traditions and ignoring His Word. The hypocrisy and false teaching were not things that Jesus would tolerate. Thus Jesus boldly confronted them about their sins.

Many times people consider this unloving. MacArthur explains that confrontation is sometimes the most loving and merciful thing, because it allows a person to see that they are wrong and need to repent. So it was in Jesus’ day. Though it led to His crucifixion, Jesus was confrontational in a loving way.

It is necessary to distinguish between confrontation in a loving way and an angry, vindicative confrontation. Jesus was always loving. Let us follow His example in wisdom and in love that we may uphold truth and honor Him.

“Disclaimer:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson.  Providing me a free copy in no way guarantees a favorable review.   The opinions expresses in this review are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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“I am suggesting that the key to the Synoptic Problem lies in the recognition that one of the Gospels—Matthew—was written and published in stages. That is, the Gospel of Matthew had its beginning in a series of separate documents authored by the apostle Matthew over a period of some years, which thereafter were circulating independently in the churches, before being edited and expanded by this same apostle Matthew into the Gospel we now have.”In The Progressive Publication of Matthew, Powers fleshes out his proposal, measuring it against other theories with due diligence and respect.

via B&H.

I am excited about a book that seems to argue for Matthean priority.  I am attempting to get an advance copy for review.

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