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Book Review – I Am Not But I Know I Am by Louie Giglio

I Am Not But I Know I AmGod is looking for ordinary people to play significant roles in his story.

That is the premise of I Am Not But I Know I Am, by Louie Giglio.

Giglio starts off with taking a look at the name of God, I Am. If God is I Am, then by default, I am not. Thus, the play on words for the title.

The rest of the book is full of stories from Giglio’s own life, contemporary culture, and the Bible, that reveal I am nots who are used by I Am to do great things.

While the stories were inspiring and encouraging, this book held little challenge for me. It was nice, but it didn’t bring me to any great new thoughts or ideas that could grow my faith.

In fact, the word “be” is another way of stating “I am.” And Giglio stretches things a bit by forcing “I am” into words like “be-come,” “be-loved” and “be-hold.” Even though he states in one of the appendices that he takes some interpretative liberty with these ideas, it was confusing and distracting.

I had a hard time staying focused because I was so frustrated by the misinterpretation of these concepts.

I get what he was trying to do there, but just felt like he forced things too much and the result was a concept that fell on its face.

There were a couple of positive elements I gained from the book.  I enjoyed the idea that if God is I Am, them I am not. I also found intriguing Giglio’s One Word Bible Study method.  Other than that, though, I really didn’t gain any fresh thoughts from the book.

All in all, it was an encouraging read, somewhat inspiring, but not challenging. If you want something that will help you grow in your faith, this probably won’t be what you need.

What is God doing in your life that can only be accomplished with the help of I Am? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading I Am Not But I Know I Am, by Louie Giglio, you can purchase it at Amazon.com, in print or for Kindle.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their 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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Coffee Break – 04.22.2013

Coffee Break

The Unseen Bean – This is a pretty cool story about a guy who is visually impaired. But that didn’t stop him from roasting his own coffee, and opening his own business to sell it. It’s pretty inspiring.

Identities – Photography Served has developed a unique approach to portrait photography. In this collection of shots, a photo from years ago is replicated today, and the subject even is posed like they were in the older shot. Some of these photos have an age gap of over 60 years!

The World’s Largest Water Mosaic – I love seeing people’s creativity. While I wonder how some people have the time to accomplish projects like this one, it’s still fun to watch.

Seven Things To Pray For Your Children – As a dad, I pray for my children all the time, for little things like bumps and scrapes to bigger things like their faith, their future marriage, and more. This article lists several scriptural reasons to pray for your kids.

How Many Hours Should Pastors Work? – The ministry is an easy place to hide laziness. I’ve known several ministers who fit this description. But it’s also a place where one can easily become a workaholic. Neither is healthy. This is a great look at the expectations we have on those in ministry, and looks closely at the validity of those expectations.

Seven Traits Of False Teachers – This article helps to understand the subtle differences between the true and the false teachers in the church today. Based on 2 Peter 1 and 2, this reveals the differences between the two, and how to recognize false teaching.

The early Christians did not say ‘look what the world is coming to!’ but ‘look what has come into the world!’ – Carl F. H. Henry

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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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Book Review – Big Book Of Earth And Sky

Big Book Of Earth And SkyMaster Books does a great job creating resources that help educate our kids. The most recent addition to their lineup is the Big Book Of Earth And Sky.

This book is a fifteen foot fold out chart that shows the earth, from the inner parts of the core to the upper reaches of the atmosphere.  With twenty-one full color panels, this book is a treasure trove of information waiting to be mined.

This is an excellent resource for teaching, whether in the home or in the Sunday School classroom.

And it’s designed for kids ages 7 to 12.

Check out the Master Books book trailer:

Big Book Of Earth And Sky is full of tons of information about the earth and its elements. Beginning with the geologic column from a perspective based on Noah’s flood, this chart extends upward and covers such items as fossils and crystals, stones and coal. But alongside the earth portion is the earth’s oceans. Laid out in perspective so you can see how deep the oceans really are, or how high the tallest mountains really are, this chart is simply fascinating.

This chart gives succinct descriptions of more topics as well, such as cave formation, cloud formation. evaporation and rainfall, lightening, atmospheric layers, and greenhouse effects, just to name a few.

We are pretty excited to begin using this resource as we educate our kids. I’m sure it will be very useful as we study the earth and it’s processes.

Now all I need is a fifteen foot wall to hang it on, along with the Big Book Of History.

How would you find such a chart useful? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in utilizing the Big Book Of Earth And Sky, from Master Books, you can purchase it at Amazon.com, or directly from Master Books.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their 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.“