God doesn't forsake us. Thoughts on Not Forsaken

     Over the years, at any number of Men’s Ministry events, I’ve heard about how difficult it is to use the image of God as a loving father when talking to men.  I know that I’m not an exception just because I grew up in a not overly bizarre two-parent home, but I know a lot of men who didn’t have that luxury. Or worse they grew up in a two-parent home where the dad was abusive: verbally, physically, emotionally, or even sexually. Other friends grew up without a male role model/father figure, and others had a mom with bad luck with relationships. The male figures in their lives seemed to come and go as if through a revolving door. It’s hard to see someone as a loving Father when they disappear as quickly as they show up, or when they are around, they’re drunk or on drugs, and speak with their fists more than with their tongue.

     So I get it…it’s hard to ask someone to look at God as a loving father, when the examples of father that they know are so negative. Dads in many places are the guys who come around for a while and then abandon those who love them, trust them, and want their attention.  Some dads stay around. Others forsake the family.  That’s what many men think of when they hear the word father. But God the Father is different. He doesn’t forsake us. And that’s the message that so many people need to hear. Men, but also women.

     Louie Giglio’s book Not Forsaken: Finding Freedom as Sons and Daughters of a Perfect Father (B&H Publishing Group: Passion Publishing, 2019) goes a long way towards helping people understand the difference between even the best of the best earthly fathers, and God the Father.  

     Little boys want to grow up to be like daddy, and Giglio shows us how we would all be better off trying to be more like God than like any man (other than Jesus) who has ever walked the earth.

     We all have a story, and when we learn to follow God, then our stories take on a significant turn—for the better. Lives are changed and eternities are changed.

     I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a participant in their bloggers’ program. I was not required to write a positive review.

4/5

Good Synopsis of the Main Biblical Themes

               In my perfect world, everyone would love reading the Bible—not just the exciting stories, but the whole of the text. I realize that not everyone has the reading skills or the patience to make their ways through the genealogies and some of the other less than thrilling passages, so maybe books of Bible stories are a way to get people interested. Or at least familiarize them with the grand themes of Scripture.  I got my first bible several decades ago, and Genesis was fun to read, Exodus was exciting for a while, but then come Leviticus and Numbers, and no matter how often I tried, it was hard to get through Exodus, much less what is often referred to as ‘insomniac literature’.

                So, for a generation that is growing up with ‘super-heroes’ and electronic devices, EPIC: The Story that Changed the World (B&H Publishing Group, 2019), retold by Aaron Armstrong and illustrated by Heath McPherson, may be the way to go.  The book contains 40 chapters or stories that make up the Biblical Narrative. It starts with the creation story, traces the history of God's people and their journey to the Promised Land, then chronicles their time there and in exile. The story of Jesus'' birth, life, death and resurrection is told, followed by some of the theology of Paul and the other epistle writers. Finally, the last chapter is a brief account of the Revelation. Or as is mentioned on the back cover: “from the creation to the cross and the resurrection to the revelation”.

                Each chapter includes a question to challenge the reader to think about a key theme of the chapter, and to get them thinking about how all the pieces of the bible, fit together to form one epic story about God and His Son- Jesus, the greatest super-hero of them all.

                The illustrations would be appropriate for someone of my generation, but I imagine the tech-savvy youth of today might find them a little less than inspiring.

                I agree with the ‘product details’ that suggest this book is appropriate for young people from 8 -12 years old (3^rd – 7^th grade). If you read aloud a lot to your child, or your child is an advanced reader, he or she may appreciate this book at an even younger age.

                The publisher sent me a copy of this book because I participate in their bloggers’ program. I was asked to write and post an honest review; there was no requirement to write a positive review.

things happen when you put others first

Everyone wants to belong; every child wants a playmate, but sometimes it seems like nobody cares.  And that’s where Doug the Slug is. One day he finds a wagon, but pulling an empty wagon isn’t much fun. So where does he find a friend? What he finds is that sometimes you have to be a friend if you want to have a friend. 

                Who Will Play with Me? (a Slugs & Bugs Story) (B&H Kids, 2019) by Randall Goodgame with illustrations by Cory Jones is a delightful story about how friends can learn to make things work by putting others first.  

                Product details on an on-line site suggest that this book is for 4-8 years old, or preschool through 3^rd grade. I think I would offer this as appropriate for 3-6 years, or pre-K through 1^st grade.

                I received a copy of this book from the publisher with the expectation that I would post an honest review.

                4/5

Difference Maker Declaration says it all

Everyone I know seems to want to make a difference, but most people don’t know how. Part of the reason seems to be that they think to make a difference that they have to be doing something so big that it will change the world. Sometimes we need to remember the lesson of the starfish, and start by making a difference to that one starfish. Sometimes things take off from there, and sometimes we need to change course and start over with something new. And sometimes we just need to wait until God decides that the right time for our idea has come.

Gregg Matte started a bible study when he was in college. It grew and grew, but it took time to get there. He pastors a successful church, and yes, they make a difference, but just how big of a difference they could make wasn’t necessarily evident until Hurricane Harvey hit.

I don’t think I read much of anything new in the book Difference Makers: How to Live a Life of Impact & Purpose (B&H Publishing, 2019) but that’s ok because the ‘Difference Maker Declaration’ that he refers to often, makes up for whatever else might be missing.  There are a lot of stories of making a difference, and how important passion is in making that happen, but the declaration says it all:

I was made for more than watching. I have a history-changing, difference-making, life-giving, Spirit-empowered legacy to leave. Jesus, I ask you to work deeply in me and clearly through me as I pray, give, and go in your love. I am a difference maker. In Jesus'' name. Amen

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a participant in their bloggers’ program; I was not required to write a positive review.

3/5

Tebow, This is the Day.

To be utterly transparent, I’m not a fan of pro-sports, and I don’t remember requesting a copy off this book, but somehow, I ended up with Tim Tebow’s (with A.J. Gregory) This Is the Day: Reclaim Your Dream. Ignite Your Passion. Live Your Purpose. (Waterbrook, 2018).

I’m sure I did request it, but more because I was interested in the athlete who made such a stir when he showed up on the field with “John 3:16” on his face then because I was interested in football or baseball. 

I was not impressed. The more I read, the more it seemed that the author was using this book to tell everyone about the many great things his charitable foundation is doing.  Granted the Tim Tebow Foundation does a lot of great things: Night to Shine, hospitals, among other things, but to me there was just too many commercials and not enough show.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.

2/5

ingram Marriage that Works

  I think that most people start their married lives with the idea that the honeymoon phase is going to last forever. Spoiler alert—it doesn’t always work that way. The good news is that there is a way to make your marriage, if not perfect, then at least better than it will be without putting in the work.

            In his book Marriage that Works: God's Way of Becoming Spiritual Soulmates, Best Friends, and Passionate Lovers (Baker Books, 2019), Chip Ingram starts out with a few disclaimers. Things like the fact that he’s not a professional marriage counselor, and although he serves as a pastor, his family of origin was not ideal, and his marriage is far from perfect. But he has managed to learn about marriage according to God looks like, and he shares some of those lessons with his readers.

            This book is not for someone looking for the easy way out. In fact, a good marriage requires a lot of hard work on the part of both husband and wife. Along the way Chip takes a look at some commonly misunderstood scripture verses, and puts them in context.  You know the ones I mean, the pesky verses in Ephesians (4:22-23) that suggest that the man is the boss, and the woman is supposed to be submissive and subservient.  Of course, if you read the whole passage (Eph 5:21-33) it becomes a lot clearer, and when you use scripture to interpret scripture, God's plan is even more fully revealed.

            A marriage that works is not an accident, it’s not a guarantee; it’s the result of living according to the plan that God has laid out before us. Both husband and wife need to be willing to make the effort.

            Thinking about getting married? This might be a good book to read ahead of time. Thinking about divorce? That’s not part of God's plan, and this book might help you avoid it. Things not going quite the way you had imagined them?  Maybe some time spent together in this book might help.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a member of their blogger’s program. I was not required to write a positive review.

5/5

it's not just the financial bottom line

In Real Estate one  might say that it’s location location, location, but when it comes to business, Randy Ross says it perhaps should be relationship, relationship, relationship. The bottom line of a business may be all about the financial success, and so the title of this book plays on the word ‘economics’, and thus we have Relationomics: Business Powered by Relationships (Baker Books, 2019). 

                People want to feel valued, most of us recognize that fact, and so this book gives some practical advice for showing value. Perhaps you’ve heard something along the lines of ‘take care of your people and your people will take care of you.’ Ross offers some good ideas on how to do just this.  But in a surprising twist, it’s not all about rewarding the employees, although that can certainly be appropriate at times; much of this book centers on what the CEO/Manager/Boss/Supervisor can do to personally improve his or her leadership skills so that people want to do their best for that boss.

                A major premise is that it’s up to the leader to create, develop, foster a culture where success can happen naturally. In this remarkable type of culture people 1) Believe the best in one another, 2) want the best for one another, and 3) expect the best from one another (p63). The rest of the book seems to build on these ideas.

                A favorite part of this book for me was part 2, Stay in the Fray: Humility. It seems to address some of the issues that leaders and followers at all levels struggle with. Down to earth, no nonsense advice with little room for doubt about how important the author thinks humility is.

                I’ve read a lot of leadership books, and didn’t find anything new here, but the simple straight-forward writing style made for an enjoyable read.

                I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review

Treasure can be a wonderful synonym for love

There are several words in the Greek New Testament that get translated into English as ‘love’. I confuse them often, as probably many other people do also. When this book first came available for review, I decided to pass on it. The cover didn’t jump out and grab my attention, the author, Alexandra Kuykendall, wasn’t familiar to me, and some of the things I read about her other books made me think that this was a book better suited to a female audience, and besides, with a title like Loving My Actual Neighbor (Baker Books, 2019), I expected 150 or so pages of someone trying to tell me who my neighbor is.  And I already get that.

But I was looking for something to read, a book to take with me on vacation, a book which could be left in a hotel room, airport, or a seat pocket and perhaps the loss wouldn’t be noticed. So, I took a second look, and what caught my eye was the Subtitle: 7 Practices to Treasure the People Right in Front of You.

This wasn’t going to be an attempt to convince me that I needed to love the unlovable, the unwashed, the people that don’t look, talk, dress, or cook like me. Rather it was going to be practical advice on how to love my neighbor—whoever that might be. And then I began to look at the word ‘treasure’. What a great synonym for ‘love’.  It’s not a sexual attraction, not just a friendship, or a familial affection, this is about valuing a person for what he is, rather than who. And what he or she is just happens to be a human being created in the image of God. And in the early pages, the author suggests that her chapters are based on 2 Peter 1:5-9. I got where she was going, but it was a bit of a stretch for me to get there.

Kuykendall goes beyond telling us to practice the golden rule, and actually does offer some advice on how to put into practice some of those principles that many of us have learned since childhood. Things like staying humble and being a good conversationalist (listening skills, and asking questions to learn more about the other person). Being willing to stick it out even when you are obviously out of your comfort zone, and realizing that there are things you can’t change, so make the best of them. Being able to give freely—without expecting anything in return. And my favorite: lighten up—don’t take yourself so darn seriously.

There are also some additional useful tools to be found at the end of the book.

This is not the type of book that I usually read, I’m still not a fan of the cover, and yeah, a female audience might like this book more than I did, but, still, I’m glad I reconsidered and took the time to read it.  I’ll probably pass the book on to a friend, or donate it rather than make it a permanent part of my library.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a participant in their blogger’s program. I was not required to write a positive review, rather an honest one, based on my opinion of and experience with the book.

4/5

I KEPT WAITING FOR THE SURPRISE

I often get books because I like the title or the cover. Sometimes it’s recommended by a friend, or get it as a gift. Other times it’s offered as a book for review in one of the programs in which I participate. I don’t remember the circumstances behind Heroic: The Surprising Path to True Manhood (by Bill Dalvaux, B&H Books, 2019), and it sat in the pile of ‘to be read’ for several weeks before I got around to picking it up.

It was a fairly easy read, and filled with lots of anecdotes from the author’s personal experience, but I didn’t find anything new from many other men’s ministry books that I’ve read over the past 20 years. Likewise, there was nothing that I found that reminded me of something exciting from the other books that I’ve read. Some of the examples that he came up with seemed a little ‘foo-foo’ for a book about true manhood.

Bottom line, for me there was nothing to either really like or really dislike in this book.

3/5