Tag Archives: Spiritual Growth

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Book Review – Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions

Whit's End Mealtime DevotionsHave you ever wished for a way to spark spiritual conversation over dinner with your younger kids?

Wish no more. Because Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions is here.

Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions is designed to give you short, yet powerful, table topics to discuss with your kids. And if they are familiar with Adventures In Odyssey, they’ll enjoy these devotions, too.

Each devotion is broken down into several sections: Mealtime Prayer, the Appetizer, the Main Course, Table Talk, and Vitamins and Minerals.

The Mealtime Prayer is a simple suggestion, taken from the devotion for that day. We encourage each of our kids to participate by praying along these lines.

The Appetizer is introductory in nature, asking questions or telling a story to get your minds thinking.

The Main Course is just that… the Main Course. Here is where you’ll dig into the Bible story, and discuss it.

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Book Review – Bitesize Biographies – John Newton by John Crotts

Bitesize Biographies John NewtonOne of the best ways I’ve found to learn about Christ is by reading about the lives of others. The biographies of great Christian men and women can sometimes speak more to our lives than any other books. Reading of the faith of men and women who lived before our time, or even our contemporaries, can convey spiritual truths that are hard to gain from almost any other source.

So when I received a copy of the Bitesize Biographies book on John Newton, I was pretty excited to delve into it. Of course, I had heard of Newton, who wrote the hymn Amazing Grace and many others, but I didn’t know much about his life and faith.

What I read was simply incredible. Newton was very rebellious as a young man, leading a life of such sin that he wondered how God’s grace could ever cover his failures. Participating in the slave trade in the mid 1700s, Newton flirted with death several times, only to be saved time after time. God had a plan for his life.

After a major storm convinced him that his life was completely out of step with God, he made a complete turnaround, ending up an ordained minister of one of the most influential churches in England.

His letters and hymns have touch lives for generations, bringing hope and encouragement that God can and will use anyone who opens their lives to his leadership.

This is a very short biography, and is quick and easy to read. But even though it covers many of the important events in Newton’s life, the author, John Crotts, still finds the room to insert chapters dedicated to some of Newton’s most famous hymns, and several key passages from his many letters.

I gained a much greater perspective on both Newton’s life and ministry as well as God’s amazing grace from this bite size biographical sketch. Newton’s life, and what God did though him, brings an inspiring message that many of today need to hear, even more than two hundred and fifty years later.

I’ll be watching for the opportunity to read more Bitesize Biographies.

Do you read biographies? If so, what life or lives have you enjoyed reading about most? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading Bitesize Biographies: John Newton, by John Crotts, you can purchase it at Amazon.com, or directly from EP Books.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Cross Focused Media as part of their Cross Focused Reviews blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. 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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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:11-12

As Paul continues to speak about women and worship in the public assembly, he gives some instructions that have been the source of much discussion, especially in recent times. Take a look at the text found in 1 Timothy 2:11-12:

1 Timothy 2:11-12

This passage has been the source of much confusion and discussion. What is Paul saying here?

There seem to be two major schools of thought: Some feel that this is a general statement applied to all women everywhere. Others hold that Paul’s instructions here are only for the Ephesian church. I think that the real application is somewhere in the middle.

Let’s take a look at a few specifics about this passage. First, women are instructed to learn, not to teach. Since Paul has been addressing the public worship service, it follows that this instruction is meant to be understood in that context as well.

How should she learn? In full submission and quietness. The key to understanding Paul’s use of the word “submission” here is not inferior value or worth, but to recognize one’s role in the relationship.

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:9-10

Paul is finished with his call to prayer, but isn’t yet finished instructing Timothy about worship. In this week’s passage, he moves on to other matters. Take a peek at the two verses we’ll be looking at in 1 Timothy 2:9-10:

1 Timothy 2:9-10

Paul begins here a section of his letter that has stirred many discussions over the years. He instructs Timothy on the role of women in the church.

And yet, before he talks about how women should serve, he addresses how women should dress.

He draws a very clear distinction between two realities: the inner versus the outer, much like Peter discusses in 1 Peter 3:3-4.

He calls women to dress decently. This probably isn’t referring to revealing or suggestive clothing, although that application certainly fits to our culture today. He is more likely referring to the “dressing up in order to show off” attitude that is also common in many places in our society today. When he refers to the braided hair, gold and pearls, and expensive clothes, he is suggesting that such extravagance completely fails to recognize that the inner person is much more important than the outer. Such an external display would prove to be a distraction in worship.

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:7-8

Paul’s explanation of God’s desire for all men to be saved is directly tied to his call to prayer. And he will finish that thought in this week’s passage. But first, Paul seems to go into a bit of an explanation concerning his own calling. You can see it in 1 Timothy 2:7-8:

1 Timothy 2:7-8

There seem to be two separate thoughts going on in these two verses. The NIV and other translations separate these two into different paragraphs. However, I think verse eight wraps up Paul’s thoughts on prayer quite nicely, before he moves on to other aspects of public worship in the following verses.

But before he finishes off that thought, he refers to his own calling as an emphasis of God’s desire for all to be saved. He uses three terms to describe himself.

  • A herald: This is one who publicly proclaims a message.
  • An apostle: One sent on a mission. In fact, he received this mission directly from Christ himself in Acts 9:1-19.
  • A teacher: This term seems to emphasize instruction and exhortation, in contrast to the first term, referring more to evangelism.

As a result of these indicators of his authority, Paul declares his desire is similar to that of God’s; he wants us to pray for the salvation of all men. Verse eight concludes his thoughts here on prayer, though the next section is linked to public worship as well.

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Book Review – Tower Of Babel by Bodie Hodge

Tower of BabelA few years ago, a friend gave me a copy of After The Flood, by Bill Cooper. I was fascinated, and read through the entire book, appendices and all, in a couple of evenings. It was full of research and details about what happened just after Noah’s Flood, and how mankind was forced to spread out across the face of the earth after God’s actions at the Tower of Babel.

I loved the information presented in After The Flood. But I wasn’t aware of much else along the same lines until recently.

A few days ago, I received a copy of Bodie Hodge‘s Tower of Babel. Once again, I devoured this book, cover to cover, in just a couple of evenings. I simply couldn’t put it down.

Check out the Master Book book trailer to see what I mean:

Tower of Babel is packed full of tons of incredible information. And after reading it, one has to wonder how mankind can continue to deny God’s existence and involvement throughout history.

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Book Review – Crucifying Morality by R. W. Glenn

Crucifying MoralityOne of my favorite sections of Scripture is the Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew 5, 6 and 7. Some of Jesus’ best known teachings come from these three chapters. And many of the topics he speaks of in these verses have become very familiar to us.

Too familiar, maybe.

From turning the other cheek to being a city on a hill. From treasures in heaven to judgment. From divorce, murder, and adultery to giving, worry and fasting. There are the wise and foolish builders, the narrow and wide gates, and the passage telling us to ask, seek, knock. And then there are the Beatitudes.

While most of these passages are straight forward and can be taken at face value, the Beatitudes seem to stump us. The Beatitudes seem vague and general. Are they a stair-step progression of what a Christian should be? Or are they deeper than that? Or, perhaps, is it much more simple than that?

These are some of the questions that have always bothered me as I read these short verses. I’ve landed on the general belief that they are a progression that we go through as Christians as we grow, but even so, that understanding seems to leave something behind. It doesn’t quite explain this passage of Jesus’ words satisfactorily.

Until now. Until I read Crucifying Morality, by R. W. Glenn.

Because of my love for the rest of these chapters, and when I saw that this book might help explain the purpose of the first section, I had to read it.

And I’m glad I did.

Crucifying Morality is a deep examination of the Beatitudes, looking at them in a totally new light. These eight statements aren’t steps to follow, or phases we go through. They are, quite simply, the Gospel in a nutshell. Jesus makes these eight declarations and stuns us when we actually get a good look at what he’s saying, and not what we think he’s saying.

Too often, we try to do our own thing. Even in the realm of our faith, we tend to think that if we just do more, or do it better, we can somehow please God and take a step closer to salvation.

But Jesus makes it clear: nothing we can do will get us there. He had to do what needed to be done; he had to crucify our morality, so that we could depend upon his grace to do what we could never do on our own.