Changing Lives for Good

Book Review: For These Tough Times by Max Lucado

For These Tough Times: Reaching toward Heaven for Hope and Healing
Max Lucado

“Where was God when ________ happened?”

It’s a question I hear a lot as a pastor.

Where was God on September 11? Where was God when Hurricane Katrina hit? Often the questions are more personal: Where was God when I lost my job? When I was diagnosed with cancer? When my spouse left me? When my loved one died?

From pink slips to cemetery plots, the heart of the questions is the same: Where was God when my world fell apart? Is He in control? Does He even care about me? 

In his book For These Tough Times, bestselling author Max Lucado answers these questions with his trademark warmth, compassion, and biblical insight. (Note: this is an adaptation of material from a few of Lucado’s previous books, so much of the text will be familiar to Lucado readers.)

It's a short book (only 79 pages), but Lucado’s gentle words bring a biblical perspective and comfort to those going through tough times. Like a father soothing a frightened child, Lucado acknowledges the reality of pain, points to the promises of Scripture, and reminds us that God is in control, He loves us, and that His plan will ultimately prevail. 

For These Tough Times contains eight self-contained chapters that offer a good balance of theology and tenderness in bite-sized nuggets that will appeal to those reeling from heartbreak. I recommend it as part of any pastor’s library or as a gift to pass on to anyone going through tragedy or loss.

I believe the book is retitled as For The Tough Times and the can be found on the publisher's website here

Audio Book Review: Word of Promise Next Generation - New Testament

In my second review for Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program I chose yet another item for my girls... the Word of Promise Next Generation - New Testament.

This is a dramatized audio New Testament read by tween/teen stars such as Cody Linley, Emily Osment, Jordin Sparks, Alyson Stoner, Corbin Bleu, and many more. They use the child friendlytext of the International Children's Bible which doesn't lend itself to this medium as much as the Message or NLT would in my opinion. That said, I am definitely not the target audience for this product so my thoughts aren't nearly as important as my 7 year old daughters which I will also include in this review.

My take: I couldn't listen to it very long at a time. It's well done for what it is but it's very "teeny" as it honestly should be for the target audience. It's often overacted and hard for this 35 year old father of three to listen to without letting out the occasional laugh so it was an times entertaining... but for me it was entertaining for the wrong reasons.

My 7 year olds take: My daughter liked it... a lot. She enjoyed the radio drama aspects of it along with the music. She didn't notice the overacting although she did say on occasion that it sounded weird at times. What exactly does that mean? I don't know and she couldn't explain it to me either. But overall she likes it and is listening to it.

Would I recommend a buy? It depends. Not for adults (although Nelson also has a Word of Promise for adults which comes highly acclaimed). Does your kid enjoy listening to books? If so then I'd encourage you to get it for them if they seem interested in it. After all... if their going to listen to something on their iPods instead of listening to you it ought to be the Bible right?

The Gospel ... a clarification from John Piper

"Until the gospel events of Good Friday and Easter and the gospel promises of justification and eternal life lead you to behold and embrace God himself as your highest joy, you have not embraced the gospel of God. You have embraced some of his gifts. You have rejoiced over some of his rewards. You have marveled at some of his miracles. But you have not yet been awakened to why the gifts, the rewards, and the miracles have come."  -- John Piper, God is the Gospel, pp 37-38.

John Piper is one of my all time favorite authors because he challenges me not merely to think but to find my highest joy in God. I've just started reading God is the Gospel but it is promising after only 40 pages. I'm not expecting Desiring God or God's Passion for His Glory but I'm finding Piper's familiar ring in this book and had to share the challenge above. I will definitely review it when finished but beware... I am savoring this book and not merely reading it. Thus it has to fit in to time when I am neither working or reading through Hoehner's exegetical commentary on Ephesians as I prepare for a series in January.

Book Review: The Moon Shines Down

Thomas Nelson Publishers has begun a book review blogger program where you agree to blog a review of one of their books and they will send it to you for free. Read it, review it, and then you can choose your next book. It sounded almost too good to be true but alas... it's not. For more info head over to http://brb.thomasnelson.com/.

The Moon Shines Down
By Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown wrote the classic and Stair family favorite Good Night Moon.So when I was presented with the opportunity to grab a free book to review I opted for the one I hoped could match Brown's classic. The book was actually recently discovered as an unfinished manuscript in a tucked away trunk with yellowed pages held together by a rusty paper clip. Laura Minchew, a Christian publisher and fan of Brown actually finished the manuscript in order to get it published.

The Moon Shines Downis an enjoyable read with the kids and it has many enjoyable characteristics. It does have the distinctive tenor of Good Night Moon but it falls short of its measure or that of Runaway Bunny, another of Margaret Wise Brown's children's books.

The girls definitely enjoyed having dad read the book to them and it's a good story. I like the fact that you can use the book to teach a little geography and talk about how God has caused His moon to shine down on everyone, everywhere. The illustrations are also helpful in identifying different animals to teach those to your kids while reading the book as well.

It was an enjoyable read but the story and rhyme was definitely forced in places. I understand the challenge of linking everything together and think that perhaps this is why is was unpublished and tucked away in a trunk. Minchew did a good job of mimicking Brown and I couldn't really single out what she had added or adapted but still, its forced in places.

Is it a classic? Probably not but it's a little unfair to judge it by Brown's published works as I have above.
Is it enjoyable? Yes.
Is it a good addition to your child's library? Yes, but you'll have to read it with them and not expect them to jump into it all by themselves since there are bigger words, country names, and even a little French "oui" (we).

For more information see the product page at Thomas Nelson by clicking this sentence.

The best book ever!

We just got in our first shipment of Bibles for kids who need a Bible and for new believer's. I'm excited! There's simply nothing better than handing someone a Bible they can actually read and understand. Interested in what direction we went...

For our younger kids we purchased a case of The Adventure Bible for Early Readers. It's the New International Reader's Version or more commonly referred to as the NIrV. It's on about a 2nd-3rd grade reading level and really tries to make the Bible understandable for 6-9 year olds. And it's a great Bible for parents to read to their younger kids as well.

For kids who are a little older we purchased a case of The Adventure Bible. It's the NIV, or New International Version which is a little more true to the Greek and Hebrew texts and on a 7th-8th grade reading level. It's ideal for those who are reading well and even adults.

For new believer's we're going to provide the New Believer's Bible. It's the New Living Translation which is a very readable translation and the helps in the Bible are geared toward new believers. I can't wait to begin going through a few of these with people. The NLT is on about a 6th grade reading level and is very readable and engaging.

What's my preferred translation? ... Well hands down I prefer the New American Standard because it is the most literal translation. It's was updated in 1995 to read more easily and I really enjoy it. It is, in my estimation, the best Bible to use for your personal study. If you're looking for one make sure it's an updated version unless you have a special affinity for Thee's and Thou's.

That said, I enjoy reading other translations as well. I enjoy reading the NLT and The Message. NIV is always handy and I use it a lot in messages because most people can understand the NIV. Currently I'm reading through the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) and I'm enjoying it as well.

There's nothing quite like it

This past Monday I ventured out to get one of my Christmas presents. Yes, I realize that December 25th has come and gone already, but I had a gift card to one of my favorite stores and it was high time I used it. So I packed up my 4 year old and my 18 month old and I headed out to Mardel.

Unfortunately, "packed up" and "headed out" are quite literal since the three closest Mardel stores are roughly 30-45 minutes away. But, being the adventurous dad I am, I was not going to faint from the challenge.

I headed to the Fort Worth store since I am fairly certain that I hadn't visited it since seminary. I already knew the clearance section (my favorite section) at Lewisville was great and Denton's was lacking (from my only visit shortly after they opened... perhaps they have more stuff to "clearance" now). So I wanted to see what the bargains could be discovered in Fort Worth... I was disappointed. But alas I wasn't merely there to unearth literary raw diamonds. I was there to get my Christmas present.

As we entered the store I was careful to usher my four year old's eyes away from the kids section... we'd get there soon enough but I knew if she saw it first my hopes of finding my Christmas present and Jennifer's valentine's gift would face serious challenges. Success!

I went straight for the Bibles section. My Christmas present was waiting for me on those shelves. I was there to get a Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Why? Well, I like to try a new version out for size every once in a while and what I had read of the HCSB on my Bible software had intrigued me. It seemed more literal than the New International Version and more readable than the New American Standard Bible. I picked the one I wanted, got Jen's valentine's gift, and spent a lot of time in the kids section before checking out and going to pick up my Kindergartner from school.

As I was waiting for dismissal I opened my Christmas present up, looked it over, and started reading. There's nothing quite like reading a new Bible for the first time. The notes you've written in aren't there, the verses aren't all underlined, circled, and boxed, and the language with a new version is fresh enough to help you engage with the text again. I love new Bibles. They hearken me back to the freshness of my faith when I had first trusted Christ and remind me of so many times when God has used His word to speak into my present circumstance. New Bibles compel me to read them and to underline, circle, box, and comment.

And this time I'm compelled once again to read through the Bible in a year. I'm off to a good start in a slightly different approach. When I was in college I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in about 8 months and it was extremely rewarding. Recently I read through the Bible over the course of three years. This time I'm looking to read it in a year again but I'm going to read the Old Testament and the New Testament side by side. I've started with Genesis and Hebrews reading five chapters OT and two chapters NT. I thought it would be neat to read Hebrews before I get into Exodus and Leviticus because Hebrews uses so much of Israels history and Jewish religious practice to show God's plan of Jesus and how He fulfills the law. It's very refreshing thus far. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.