Retiring my Bible

I decided several weeks back, maybe even months, that on my birthday this year I would retire my Bible. I received this NIV Disciple's Study Bible from my parents on my birthday 1990, the year that Michelle and I returned to Christ after a time of wandering aimlessly. The truth contained in this book has carried me from the desert of Arizona back to Georgia and then to Tennessee. It has held me up through the death of my father and my brother. It has given me hope in the troubled waters of strained relationships and shined light into the dark places of my soul when I chose to hide in the shadows. In those twenty years, I have cried into it's pages over disappointments in life and unfulfilled dreams. It has consistently reminded me that I must die so Christ may live in me. Some lessons I learned and some I ignored, but it never gave up on me. The pages are filled with notes from my journey, so I will keep this treasured book in hopes that someone travelling behind me in later generations may pick it up and use it on the journey. So now I lay my friend aside and begin the next 20 years with my ESV Study Bible. I may consult my old friend occasionally to talk about "the good ole days" and see what it has been up to, but for now I say "Thank you" for a great 20 years.

The Least Among You-DVD Review

The Least Among You, inspired by a true story, tells the story of Richard Kelly, a young black man, who is sent to serve probation at an all-white seminary after being arrested in the 1965 Watts riots. As Kelly faces racial obstacles to his acceptance at the seminary, he receives guidance from Samual Benton, the seminary's gardener and the only other black person on campus. Kelly finds that he is not only battling racism, but he is at the same time wrestling with God as the external war becomes one of an inner spiritual nature.Kelly must have an answer to a question: Is his purpose for being at the seminary a punishment or the providence of God?

I was hesitant in agreeing to review this DVD for Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program, mainly because I haven't been overly impressed with many of the Christian movies (like Facing the Giants, etc.) that have been released in recent years, primarily because the preachiness of them just didn't feel like real life to me. With that said, I wasn't sure what to expect out of The Least Among You. I enjoyed the movie and had to examine my own heart as I asked myself how I would react or behave in the same situations the character's found themselves in. There were some scenes that lacked in their development and could have been explored a little more, but overall the film accomplished what I generally look for in a movie which is an hour or two of entertainment that doesn't insult my intelligence or overly offend me.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

In recent months, I have read several books that focus on global human needs (hunger, poverty, etc.) and challenge Christians, especially wealthy western Christians, to take a front-line position in helping to meet these needs. Max Lucado's most recent book, Outlive Your Life, is in keeping with this theme.

Lucado is known for his gift of storytelling to make a deeper spiritual point and OYL is no different. This book uses the early chapters of the biblical book of Acts as a springboard to tackle such topics as turning a blind eye to human needs, the importance of community, persecution, defending the helpless, and the power of prayer. I admit that I am not a big fan of Lucado, because I am distracted at times by his attempts to tell an engaging story when an in-your-face point would be more effective. Some topics are best not watered down.

With all that said, I enjoyed this book and, oddly enough, some of the story illustrations were my favorite parts. Go figure, my biggest complaints about Lucado in the past were what I benefited most from in this latest book from him. The opening, Father Benjamin: A Fable, was insightful into what it means to Outlive Your Life.

This book includes a Discussion and Action Guide in the back. I did not work through every question, but the parts I did look over were well done. I am convinced that the book is not intended to be read apart from this action guide. Using this guide would greatly enhance the book and would be a great tool for small groups to use to put the concepts into practice in a community setting.

Radical by David Platt

This book crossed my path several times before I read it. I don't believe it is coincidental that I finally read it after returning from ten days in Kenya. I was, and still am, in a place of trying to sort through the ever-widening gap between how I live and how the average Kenyan lives. In Radical, David Platt addresses a variety of challenges that face western Christians, if they are to journey toward becoming more obedient to the teachings of Christ found in the scriptures. The subtitle of Radical is "taking back your faith from the American dream." Radical is built upon Platt's observation that we, American Christians, have made Jesus into our own image and worship this Jesus that feeds and even approves of our material excesses and devotion to our entertainment, comfort, and conveniences. God's purposes are much greater than this.
I must admit that this book made me uncomfortable as Platt told of his experiences from around the world working with various churches. This book is not just a book of inspiring stories. Platt does an excellent job in pointing to scripture to back up the truths he is sharing. I am confident that my squirming as I read this book came from the conviction of the Holy Spirit in how I have ignored and completely disobeyed the teachings of Christ because they weren't in line with the kingdom I am building for myself.
Here is some chapter titles that will give you a taste of what you can expect from Radical: (1) Someone Worth Losing Everything For (2) The Great Why of God: God's Global Purpose (3) How Much is Enough: American wealth in a World of Poverty.
I was both encouraged and challenged by this book. Encouraged that there are people addressing these topics and taking them seriously and challenged that I haven't been one of those people but have a stirring desire to be counted among them.
In this post, I have included 2 videos for you to watch: a general book video and also one of David Platt himself talking about the book. I strongly recommend this book for all Christians to read. It is in an easy to read style, but the content will not be easy for anyone. I am working my way through it a second time.

David Platt has challenged his church in Alabama to what he calls The Radical Experiment (http://www.radicalexperiment.org/).

Here are the five challenges included in the experiment:

In One Year:

1. To pray for the entire world
2. To read through the entire Bible
3. To commit our lives to a multiplying community
4. To sacrifice our money for a specific purpose
5. To give our time in another context

Details of the above can be found in the "Overview" section of the Experiment website. If you are interested in being part of an "experimental group" at some point in the future, leave a comment on this posting and we can talk about it.

Blessings as you journey in a Radical life for for Jesus.

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews

Everything you do matters. This is the truth that Andy Andrews presents in his new children's book, The Boy Who Changed the World.

The story is about a boy named Norman that decides to change the world and as an adult does just that. However, the story is also about Henry, George, and Moses. You see, each of these people impacted another's life, and that person impacted another and so on. It's the butterfly effect, the name given to the principle that everything triggers an effect on something else . All of these people did something that led to Norman being able to change the world. This book is a wonderful tool to instill in children the truth that that they can make a difference in the world, even if that difference is several generations away. The things we do today impact the future. Nothing is insignificant. As you can imagine, this is a message not just for children. It is a message for grownups, too.

This book is great for kids of all ages with it's wonderful message and beautiful illustrations by Philip Hurst. All will enjoy this as we move toward doing our part in changing the world. It starts today. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze books for bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16CFR, Part 255.

Two Books on Evangelism

Thousands of books have been written on evangelism, with some promising results from a particular technique or formula and others in total dependence on God's Spirit to lead. In this posting, I want to introduce you to 2 books on evangelism, both which are faithful to biblical truth regarding "going and making disciples of all nations" (Mt. 28:19).

The first book is Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer. In this small book, coming in at only 135 pages, Packer provides a sound, biblical response to the question 'If God is ultimately sovereign in the saving of men, then why is evangelism even necessary, since it is out of man's realm of power or control?'

Packer discusses human responsibility on the front end, then moves into a detailed discussion of what is meant by evangelism by looking at what it meant to the greatest evangelist of all time, the Apostle Paul. He summarizes the evangelistic message as a message about God, a message about sin, a message about Christ, and a summons to faith and repentance. But what about God's sovereignty? Packer makes it clear that God is the one who saves, but He has chosen to save by the Gospel and people must hear in order to respond, therefore or taking and preaching the message is a vital link in the process. It is not by us, it is through us. Packer speaks of the urgency of evangelism, because it enables the dead to hear and live. Because God is sovereign and we can be confident in it, Packer says we should be bold in sharing the Gospel; we should be patient, waiting for God to bring the harvest; and we should be prayerful, relying on God's power and sovereignty in all.

The second book is Marks of the Messenger by J. Mack Stiles. This is another excellent resource for anyone desiring to explore evangelism. Stiles, who lives in the Middle East, writes from the vantage point of a missionary so his book is packed with application stories and less scholarly than Packer's book. Like Packer, Stiles provides a description of the Gospel message because if the the message of the Gospel is not clear then the taking of the message to others is futile.

Stiles impacted me in his chapter entitled "On Your Guard." He says, "Losing the gospel doesn't happen all at once; it's much more like a four-generational process...in the first, the gospel is accepted; in the the second, the gospel is assumed; in the third, the gospel is confused; in the fourth, the gospel is lost." In other words, if we assume people understand the Gospel and are genuinely saved, then the next generation will confuse the true message of the gospel, and the generation after that will have no real gospel left. In this, I saw the progression of the gospel in America.

The importance of our lives matching the message is a focal point of Stiles as well. He stresses that we should be doing good, but the goodness we do should never be divorced from the hope of sharing the gospel message. Our lives should be radical messages of Christ. So where does one start in having this kind of life?

I am not going to list them all here, but Stiles ends his book with "16 ways to demonstrate love and unity in the church and in so doing become a healthy evangelist" The first two are (1) Attend a church that takes the gospel seriously and (2) Become an actual member of a church.

I recommend both of these books to anyone wanting to explore evangelism more deeply. After reading these, you will equipped with a better understanding of the gospel message and the need for taking this message to the world,along with practical tips for living out the gospel in your day-to-day living.

Walking in Kicheko

Walking in Kicheko was not that difficult. It was the seeing that proved to be no easy task. Kicheko means "mocked" and this name serves as a direct indication of how the residents here feel about themselves and how they are viewed by many in the community. Fountain of Hope Church in Syokimau is changing this perception as they open their hearts and arms to serve their neighbors in Kicheko.
Why was I troubled by what I saw in Kicheko? This community was literally a series of rooms built and held together by whatever could be found at the time of construction, whether it be sheet metal, cardboard, spare lumber. The pieces were leaned against each other, forming living spaces that were less extravagant than what the "family pets" enjoy in the U.S. I took note that my bathroom is larger than most of the living areas of these homes. Piles of garbage, in plain view, mark every step. Flies, dogs, and chickens share the open spaces.
In the middle of these horrible living conditions, the light shines in the faces of the children and the Fountain of Hope church members that live here and have been rescued from the dominion of darkness. They are alive and well as they walk and put their hope in Christ, rather than in their circumstances. I was blown away as I heard church members talking about how they wanted to help those around them in need. The focus was not on simply bettering their own situation, but bettering so as to help their neighbors. This is a God-focus and a lesson our Western churches can learn from our brothers and sisters in Kenya. As we build buildings, they are building the Kingdom.

Find your local "Kicheko" and serve there.

Clean up the sewage and trash, not just in the streets but in the hearts as well. and keep yourself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27)