Book Review – On The Seventh Day by John F. Ashton, Editor

On The Seventh DayOne of the things I hear quite often in conversations concerning origins is that “all real scientists have given up belief in God.” For a time, I wondered if that were true. I wondered how science and faith could ever be compatible. But then I was introduced to a brilliant scientist who worked with a creation organization and realized that faith and science are not incompatible. In fact, they dovetail together almost perfectly. Meeting that scientist occurred almost twenty years ago, and since then, I’ve been exposed to dozens of people who work in various areas of science who have a tremendous faith in God. I’ve found hundreds of resources that reinforce that. And I’ve become closely affiliated with at least tow different organizations that attempt to teach the historicity and validity of Genesis as fact.

One of those organizations is Master Books. I have several of their books on my shelves, and am always excited to receive another. And I was pretty excited when I opened the mail and saw On The Seventh Day, edited by John F. Ashton, PhD. Aston has compiled short testimonies from over forty different scientists describing why they believe in God.

Certainly, these men and women go against the flow, at least the flow as described by the popular media and the atheistic element in the science community. However, I’m beginning to suspect that those elements might actually be in the minority, or at least much less of a majority than they seem to present. I suspect that there are multitudes more in the scientific community who keep their lives focused on the Creator as they strive to understand his creation.

Aston has organized more than forty short chapters from believing scientists from all over the world. These scientists come from all sorts of fields, including physics, aerospace engineering, psychology, biology, chemistry, linguistics, information science, math, medicine and more. They come from all over the world, from places such as Australia, Europe, the UK, America, and others. The people and places, and the sciences they represent are as varied as can be, yet all are believers in the same Creator God.

Book Review – 7 Men by Eric Metaxas

7 MenThe role of man has been under attack in contemporary American society. Popular media displays men as deadbeat fathers, unexplainably absent, or dull and simple-minded, at best. We seem to have lost our ability to look up to men as heroes. In fact, we seem to have lost our ability to identify manhood at all, and to see what it is that makes men great.

While 7 Men isn’t blatantly about reestablishing the role of man in modern America, this is a theme that underpins the entire book.

Author Eric Metaxas has identified seven men who’s stories define greatness: George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II, and Charles W. Colson. Some of those names may be familiar. Some may not. But all of them did what it took to live lives of greatness during their times. Whether that was abolishing slavery or leading a new nation to freedom, or being faithful on the mission field or establishing a prison ministry, each of these seven men displayed greatness in their lives.

Unfortunately, there isn’t enough space to go into much depth in any of these lives. However, Metaxas has written extensive biographies of two of these men; Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer. Instead, 7 Men is more a series of snapshots, showing how these men stood for their convictions, stood for their faith, and stood for God in spite of the public and popular opinion of the times.

There is much we can learn from these seven men, among others. I hope this becomes a series of books written about some of the greatest men the world has known.

I definitely encourage you to grab a copy today. But be warned; once you start reading it, you may not be able to put it down…

Question: Who do you think exhibits (or exhibited) greatness? In other words, who needs to be added to this list? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

If you are interested in reading 7 Men And The Secret Of Their Greatness, by Eric Metaxas, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

I received this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their BookLook Bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review – The Genesis Factor by Ron J. Bigalke, Editor

The Genesis FactorGenesis is the target of significant controversy concerning several matters, especially in the realm of earth’s history and our origins. Much of the mainstream scientific community rejects the contents of Genesis outright as myth, or worse. However, there are many scientists who accept history as laid out in the book of Genesis.

In response to many of the arguments and compromises concerning our beginnings, Ron Bigalke, Jr. has compiled several discussions from many brilliant leaders in the church who accept Genesis at face value in The Genesis Factor, from Master Books.

Many of these essays are mere summarizations each author’s work in that particular area, but each chapter digs deep enough to give the reader a significant understanding of the topic. Covering many different subjects, from evidences of a young earth in the geologic column to the oceans to the atmosphere and beyond, and a deeper look at many different facets of Noah’s flood, The Genesis Factor is a great starting point for understanding the massive amount of detailed evidence available that shores up the foundations of God’s Word, beginning in Genesis.

Many often ask why such topics matter. Isn’t it enough to believe in a Creator, regardless of how he created? The answer is that it does matter, tremendously. If we allow compromise or even outright reject God’s Word as he revealed it concerning our origins, what else might we reject or compromise that we dislike? Rejecting the literal truth of Genesis starts us down a slippery slope that will eventually lead us to a point of no return. We must accept Genesis as literal history. One of the final chapters gives multiple reasons why this is so crucial.

While a lot of these essays were deep and weighty, reading like the technical scientific information that they are, this book is full of incredible resources that can help you defend your faith, and the historicity of Genesis.

I fully recommend that you add this to your library today!

Do you have any major questions about creation and Noah’s flood? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading The Genesis Factor: Myths and Realities, edited by Ron J. Bigalke, Jr., you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Book Review – One Perfect Life by John MacArthur

One Perfect LifeThere are certain resources that you have to keep close at hand. There are certain resources that you simply use a lot.

One Perfect Life is one of those resources.

One Perfect Life is a harmony of the four gospels. Where most harmonies use a column format, showing the events and occurrences of each of the four gospels in separate columns, One Perfect Life has blended the four gospels into one continuous story.

This is immensely helpful, especially as you read through the gospels, and allows you to see just how the life and ministry of Jesus unfolded.

Included in One Perfect Life are a harmony of study notes from the John MacArthur Study Bible. I’ve been using this Bible for the past couple of years and have found these notes to be amazingly helpful.

Not only does One Perfect Life contain the life and ministry of Jesus, it also bookends the life of Christ with several key passages that anticipate the Messiah, as well as reflections from the rest of the New Testament that further reveal God’s purposes in Christ.

This book will be a tool that I keep handy as I study and teach the gospel in my ministry. In fact, I’ve already found it to be incredibly helpful in just the few short days I’ve had it.

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of One Perfect Life and read it. It will help you understand the flow and order of Christ’s life and ministry more fully, both for yourself and for those you may teach.

Have you ever used a harmony of the gospels? How did you find it helpful? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading One Perfect Life, by John MacArthur, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze 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.