Divided–When the Head and Heart Don’t Agree

Author:  Bill Delvaux

Published by: Thomas Nelson

The book strives to help people by showing how to find what the author calls an abyss that divides the head and heart. The author says the head says one thing while the heart believes something else. Many examples are given so that readers can identify the chasms in themselves. Mr. Delvaux goes on then and gives examples and ideas on how to deal with those chasms.

From the beginning I was reminded of what Paul said of himself in the Bible:  Romans 7:23: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. V. 24: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

So the chasm Mr. Delvaux speaks of is really a war between the flesh and the spirit. The mind [flesh] wars against the heart [spirit]. This war will continue until death or the day the Lord returns. Still, Mr. Delvaux explains this matter in a way most people will be able to grasp it and he offers help to cope with it.

I recommend this book for the Christian teen. It will give him or her a better start in their adult life, I believe. Adults also will get some insight into their own minds and hearts.

Do your share for Jesus.

Contagious Disciple Making by David L Watson & Paul D Watson

Review copy provided by: BookLookBloggers.com

This book outlines David’s and Paul’s work for the Lord. He called it church planting at first, then changed it to disciple making. We get a small glimpse of what these men and others went through to reach the lost in all countries, including those countries that had already expelled missionaries from their midst. It is no easy task, but David and Paul, led by the Lord, is accomplishing great things. The work is slow, taking years, but this is understandable. People can be saved in the twinkling of an eye, but this is just the beginning of a life that should be devoted to serving the Lord, learning all about God and what He expects from His children, and prayer that is participated in by the pray-er and the Lord.

Stories like this one inspire me to do more than what I am already doing. And it should. Facing great odds, overcoming opposition, sometimes living in secret to be able to work in certain places, bringing Jesus to those who perhaps have never heard of Him—We must hold up David and Paul and their helpers in prayer daily so they will gain and keep the strength to work under this type of stress. I particularly like his statement made on page 4 which says “He [meaning God] also taught me that I needed to teach these disciples to obey the commands of Jesus, not my church/denominational doctrines or traditions.” Too many witnesses for Christ have chased away the lost by pushing their doctrines and churches. The Bible tells us clearly that it is the Scriptures that convicts the lost, showing them they are lost and what to do about it.

Only one thing I haven’t agreed with…David states that the great commission Jesus gave to his disciples says “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20) I use the Authorized King James Version of the Bible which has been around ages longer than any of these newer versions and my Bible, Matthew 28:19-20, KJV, says this “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” By the way, the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost is Jesus.

I know this sounds like nit-picking, but I don’t mean it to be. Jesus, while he preached to great multitudes and healed multitudes of people, only had 12 disciples. He did not make disciples of everyone he taught. Now, perhaps it takes this title DISCIPLE MAKING to actually get the lost interested in Jesus. So be it. I have no complaints about saving souls. My complaints revolve around twisting the Scriptures to suit oneself. I always feel the need to urge the reader to open his/her own Bible when beginning to read any book that is inspirational, religious and/or connected to Christianity. A good practice is to look up each Scripture the book uses to compare it with the Bible.

A Review: What Am I Supposed to Do With My Life? By Johnnie Moore

Review copy provided by: BookLookBloggers.com

This book focuses on commitment. Usually one does not hear the word commitment unless it has to do with marriage, so Mr. Moore has explained what commitment is and how it involves everything in life. Mr. Moore has described how there are two types of commitment—we commit to something willingly because we believe in what we commit to or we commit for any number of other reasons despite the fact we may not want to.

When I first began reading this book, I became somewhat confused. It seemed to me Mr. Moore claimed we should not bother going to the Lord for direction in making decisions. He expounded on this idea for many pages. All this time the Scripture that says we should cast all our care upon him because he cares for us seemed to have escaped Mr. Moore’s attention. Then he begins to state how he is not telling us we should not go to the Lord. It is confusing. The thing I didn’t like about it is how he degraded those who would dare put a “fleece” out before the Lord looking for an answer to a need. Anytime any preacher, author or anyone else puts down a fellowman for any of his beliefs, I tend to want to walk away and not listen to this person. I laid the book aside for a few days then began reading again, attempting to lay aside all emotional reactions until I finished the book. The best thing I got out of this book is the view of commitment being such a constant companion. In everything we do we must commit to doing it in order to get it done. When we make a decision, we must commit to the choice we make. Living life would be haphazard without it.

Understanding Revelation, the final book in our Bible

The Book of Revelations Made Clear by Tim LaHaye and Timothy E. Parker
Review copy provided by: BookLookBloggers.com

The Book of Revelation tells us of this earth’s future events and is a must-read for everyone. Especially for people who have found the Book of Revelation impossible to understand. Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible and are written in our everyday language. If a reader uses a different version, he/she should compare the scriptures in this book to those in their version. This comparing is always a good practice. The layout is simple enough so a reader can take one chapter per day to read, compare scriptures, and meditate on the knowledge gained. Three multiple choice questions at the beginning of each chapter is an amusing way to test the reader’s knowledge before getting into the topic. Neither the writing nor the quizzes are difficult and combine to make an interesting experience. A few of the chapters have extra material like charts and lists.

By the time the reader finishes this book he/she should have a very good working knowledge of what the Book of Revelation is telling us. I like the way this book is formatted. I believe all of us will understand Revelation much better after going through this book. I believe those, like me, who think they know all about Revelation will find a few points that will set them to thinking deeper about the message found in Revelation. How wonderful to know God Almighty loved us enough to tell us our future that we may prepare for it! Tim LaHaye helped write The Left Behind Series which I have read. He knows what he is talking about. Once a reader finishes The Book of Revelation Made Clear, if they have not read the Series, then they should. Between the Series and this book, the reader will not be left with any doubt as to what is about to happen.

Never give up!

Every day it seems we could all use a word of encouragement. For the writers of any genre, for readers of any genre, and for any one who desires to hear a happy voice no matter the topic being discussed, try Joan Edwards blog.

  http://joanyedwards.wordpress.com

7 Ways to be Her Hero

 

    7 Ways to be Her Hero: The One Your Wife Has Been Waiting For  by Doug Fields

Review copy provided by: BookSneeze at BookLookBloggers.com

This book definitely gives a man what he needs if he cares at all for his wife and family and wants a good marriage. After the Acknowledgments page, there is a small section advising the reader to Start Here. This section lays the foundation for the book. Chapter One talks about the man’s desire to be great, to fulfill his dreams. Chapter Two gets down to business by dealing with the first of the specific 7 ways by explaining about what God meant when he said that two people become one when they marry. In Chapter 2 Mr. Fields doesn’t talk just about the part where the man may have a problem wounding his wife with words or deeds, but he answers the man’s question: “What if it’s really not my fault…” in a section labeled 2B. Part B of each chapter looks at the chance that it may be the wife’s fault, but the man must still worry about what he does and how he reacts. The book ends with a chapter that Mr. Fields advises the couple read together so they can begin to work on the problems they face in their marriage.

Being a woman, I grabbed a chance to read this book just to see if Doug Fields really knew what he was talking about. He does. In my opinion, he has been successful not only in knowing a woman and her needs, but in what a man should and could do to make her life better with a resultant change for his own…a change for the better. I particularly liked this part…[Direct Quote] “I’ve got to do all this so you can live the life that you want to live.” This is the excuse from the man. Mr. Fields says, “Really? Your wife may appreciate the lifestyle your chase can provide. But she likely would give it up in a heartbeat to have more of you in her life. She does not want your presents; she wants your presence.” Amen and Amen. He mentions how the man chased his wife before the wedding, trying to get her attention and win her love, then after the wedding the man begins to chase his job, his hobbies, his friends, maybe another woman, and leaves off chasing his wife. Mr. Fields recommends the man continue to chase his wife. I hardily agree with Mr. Fields.

Ladies, this is a great book for your husband. If you can’t make him read it, then make him sit and listen while you read it to him. I wish I would have had this book back in 1962 when I got married.

 

Men Helping Men

    Building a Ministry of Spiritual Mentoring by Jim Grassi

Building a Ministry of Spiritual Mentoring targets mostly pastors of any church interested in increasing their male attendees by ministering to the various needs of men of all ages. This activity of reaching the men is a ministry whose primary purpose is to get men interested in going to church and becoming disciples of Jesus. Thirteen chapters explain the needs of men, how to meet those needs, how to get the men interested in helping other men as well as how men can become better men, better fathers, better friends. At the end of Chapter 13, the author mentions and thanks the people involved in helping him get this book out to the public.

This book offers many survey type forms called Exhibits that will certainly help the pastor zero in on the skills, interests and needs of the men of his congregation. The forms are designed to help build programs that address these men, and how to teach these men to become leaders and disciples of Jesus so each of them can help other men in each of their communities. The whole program sounds like nothing but gathering men together to have plenty of time “with the boys”. It is the end result that counts I suppose. If the men gather and truly work to help others, to get other men into the church, to bring their families into the church, to become better men and fathers and husbands, then I have no complaints.

I strongly agree that men should take up the responsibilities as head of household that God gave him after he was created. Mr. Grassi says that Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was there with Eve as the serpent beguiled her into eating the forbidden fruit. If this is true then men have never performed their God-given duties as head of household. Considering the implications of this I have one question: Is it really possible to get men to become the men God wanted when he created Adam? Perhaps with this book and its ideas, there may be a chance.

Every man who is interested in being a good Christian needs to read this book simply because the focus is on men and they can learn how to reach God and help each other.

One God One Plan One Life Devotional by Max Lucado

One God One Plan One Life by Max Lucado is a devotional aimed at the teenager. Each day of the year, the reader has a Scripture text, usually from a new modern form of the Bible, the Title and article, and ending with a section called One More Thought.

In my opinion, the teen will be better able to understand the Scriptures by following this devotional. I would recommend this devotional to people of any age group, especially teens and new Christians, who also need a little extra help with the Bible.

My one complaint is that Max Lucado uses the modern so-called Bibles for all his Biblical references. One thing everyone should bear in mind is that the new modern bibles are written in today’s English using the authors’ viewpoints and understandings of the Scriptures. I have found several instances where a verse in a modern bible does not agree with the same reference in the Authorized King James Bible. One needs to be careful accepting the new works.

A Good Study Text for Anyone

Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Source Book by Various Authors

O.S. Hawkins, Editor

Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Source Book is a compiled text written by various authors who are also ministers. The Contents is divided into two sections: sermons and articles. There are 535 pages in these two sections followed by Special Occasion Registries covering forms for Baby Dedications, Baptisms and Confirmations, Funeral Registrations, Funerals Log, Marriage Registrations, Marriages Log, and Sermons Preached. These forms are empty so a Minister may use them for record keeping, I think. This section is followed by NOTES showing where each author obtained references for their topics. The Index is mainly a listing of words and on what pages of the text each word can be found…much like the Concordance is arranged. Last is a CD of the text which can be used by either a MAC or PC.

I have always wanted to read one of these books out of plain curiosity. My question had been, Do preachers really use a book of sermons and outlines to plan their own weekly sermons? Now I knew it could be done, but would not a preacher want his sermons to reflect him/herself and his/her beliefs? However, I can imagine many ways in which this book can be used. A minister can indeed take the book and follow it from page one in planning a whole year’s worth of sermons whether he had to have one, two or even three sermons a week. A preacher could even choose a topic and look up articles and sermons in this book to assist him in putting his thoughts together. My favorite idea is one in which a lay person could take this book and use it as a devotional book. Beginning with the first sermon/article and reading/meditating on one a day would be fantastic for those of us who have studied the Bible in so many ways we may be looking for a different approach.

The thoughts and ideas of the contributors of this source book have given me new insights into scriptures I already understood, but I still appreciated the new thoughts. I have also been able to get new understandings of scriptures which I had not been able to fully understand before. For these reasons I not only recommend this book to ministers, but also to lay people. Read the book. Meditate on what the authors are saying, pray God will open your understanding and enjoy finding out how experienced ministers think and feel. But most of all, enjoy the stronger relationship between you and the Lord Jesus Christ that this book should help develop.

31 Days to Happiness by David Jeremiah

Review copy provided by: BookSneeze at BookSneeze.com

31 Days to Happiness is based mostly on the Book of Ecclesiastes. Pastor Jeremiah brings out the message that almost every chapter in that book has to give us, which is: Without God, all is in vain. No matter who you are, what you do, where you go or what you think or believe—all life is vain without God.

I agree with Pastor Jeremiah and say that the book’s overall message is simply telling its readers that without God your life will have no meaning or purpose. I recommend all people read the book of Ecclesiastes before or during the reading of Pastor Jeremiah’s book. This is an accepted method for Scripture study. Ecclesiastes will give one wisdom and, if more wisdom is needed, one can ask the Lord and He will gladly give it.

The thing that hit me hardest in Pastor Jeremiah’s book is the fact that I am one of those who think I know best and the Lord should always do what I want Him to. I forget that God has a plan for my life already and the best living I can do is written in His plan. Indeed, we should all walk with the Lord moment by moment and let Him deal with our futures.