Book Review: My ABC Bible Verses by Susan Hunt

I bought this book in 1998 when our youngest children (of five) where aged 3 and 5. This was one of their favorite books – now our oldest children are having their own children and I picked up this book to read again to my two grandchildren (and counting). Our family loves this book because it contains stories starting with A-Z and has a Bible verse starting with a new letter of the alpha bet for each story.

My wife and I would read the stories to our kids – oftentimes on the way to school, or at the dinner table – and then we would all quiz one another, “What’s the ‘A’ verse, or what’s the ‘d’ verse. There are several benefits to reading this book and discussing it with your children:

  1. You get to learn 26 verses that delineate great truths about the Gospel, Christ, and godly values.
  2. You and your children get to memorize 26 verses of the Bible.
  3. The verses are made practical in each story – so your children get to learn how applicable and relevant the Bible is to their own young lives.
  4. The gospel is taught, explained, and calls for a response in this book. All of our children have made a profession of faith in Christ, and it is very possible that the seeds planted from this book contributed to their salvation.
  5. The stories are excellent for kids – it worked out really well for our kids because it always involved a boy and girl (and we had a boy and girl) that were curious to see who the hero of each story was.
  6. There are good discussion questions for each story and it lends itself well to prayer and a personal response time of repentance, or encouragement.
  7. Susan Hunt is not only a good children’s writer, but a very good theologian – she weaves the story line together with Biblical Theology in such a way that the book is not moralistic, but Christ Centered and gospel driven.
  8. Having all the verses start with a letter of the alphabet is a brilliant mnemonic device that we still use even with our children today at the ages of 15 and 17. As a matter of fact – probably not a month goes by where one of us in the family doesn’t quiz each other on the “A-Z” verses. Sometimes we can even recall the story that went with the verse.

Since 1998 I’ve probably bought at least twenty of these books to give away to parents and at baby dedications in our church. I highly recommend it. I believe that my wife and I have benefited as much (maybe more) than our kids have. Now we are excited to read this book again and again to our grandkids. I highly recommend it for parents of young children, for grandparents, and for Sunday school teachers.

 

*Susan Hunt’s Bio:


Susan Hunt is a former director and a current consultant for the Presbyterian Church in America’s Women in the Church ministry. She has written Sunday school and discipleship curricula and Bible study series, as well as a number of books for women and children. Her published titles for women include:Leadership for Women in the Church (co-authored with Peggy Hutcheson),Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Mandate for Women Mentoring Women, Women’s Ministry in the Local Church (co-authored with Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III), and Heirs of the Covenant. Her children’s books include My ABC Bible Verses, and three titles co-authored with her son Richie Hunt: Big Truths for Little Kids, Discovering Jesus in Genesis, and Discovering Jesus in Exodus. She has spoken in women s conferences across the United States and in several other countries. Susan is married to Gene Hunt, a retired Presbyterian Church in America pastor. They have three adult children and twelve grandchildren.

Book Review: God Wins by Mark Galli

The Antidote to Rob Bell’s “Love Wins”

 Mark Galli is uniquely qualified as a journalist, historian, pastor, and leadership expert to write this cogent reply to “Love Wins” by Rob Bell. In this short book that covers the same territory as “Love Wins,” I couldn’t help but think that God was so pleased with Galli’s treatment of the same material. It was charitable, exegetically sound, and God glorifying. I found myself thinking about how great our God is as I turned each page. As a matter of fact – the song “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin kept popping up in my mind as I was reading this book.

The Way Mark Galli Breaks this Book Down is as Following:

Chapter 1: The Really Important Question – In this chapter he discusses the importance of asking good questions and addresses some of the most important questions and answers that we need to be asking in the 21st century. His key point is that until we comprehend the nature and character of God that all of our questions are a “chasing after the wind.”

Chapter 2: Who Is This God? – A Brief Biblical Theology of the character and nature of God. He includes an excellent discussion of how to have our joy and satisfaction in God.

Chapter 3: Becoming One Again – An exceptional discussion of how the atonement of Christ is the perfect solution to seven deadly realities that all humans face before a Holy and Perfect God.

Chapter 4: The Wonder of Faith – What God has done for us in Christ and what our response should be toward His provision for us.

Chapter 5: The Point of Heaven – A very good summary of a God focused (not activities focused or man-centered) Heaven as detailed in the Scriptures.

Chapter 6: Hell and Judgment – Excellent exegetical discussion of these two topics.

Chapter 7: The Bad News: Universalism – Very good historical and biblical discussion of the issues related to those inside and outside of a relationship with Christ.

Chapter 8: The Victory of a Personal God – Brings the whole book together and concludes: “The God of Scripture is fuller, richer, deeper, and more real than the picture painted in “Love Wins,” and that God invites us to know him as he truly is.”

Appendix 1: Discussion Guide – Well done guide: it includes a key verse for each chapter; some key ideas and questions based on the key ideas from the chapter; and some key Scripture passages to read and discuss to bring clarity to each topic of discussion.

Appendix 2: Further Reading – Galli recommends a few books in the following categories: on the Atonement; Faith; Grace; Heaven; and Life in God.

Appendix 3: Charitable Engagement – Great advice here on how to engage with people that hold different opinions than you do – worth repeating here:

1)    Try to listen carefully, and read and reread their arguments.

2)    Listen in particular for the motive.

3)    Aim to use the Bible as a guide to discern the truth of the person’s argument – and of your own argument.

4)    Disagree with ideas, not with the person.

5)    Be teachable.

6)    Try to apply the truths of Scripture not merely as you understand them but as the historic church has held them.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I will be using it in a small group setting and I hope that this book receives a wide reading to reflect on the incredibly important topics of eternal significance that have been brought to the forefront of thinking biblically in order to impact culture for God’s glory and the supremacy of Christ.

 

 

Book Review: Leadership Essentials by Greg Ogden and Daniel Meyer

Excellent Tool For Developing Maturing Christ Centered Leaders

Ogden in Meyer have done a great service to the church by putting together this helpful leadership mentoring workbook in order to bring bonding and multiplying influence to ministry oriented leadership teams. I have personally used the book for several years know with church staff, elders, deacons, interns, and in order to train budding leaders. I have found that each environment I’ve used it in, (one on one, triads, and groups up to 12) there has been good discussion, accountability, and encouragement towards Christ-like development.

The workbook is broken down into four sections with three chapters in each section:

Part One: The Character of a Leader

1)    Holy – Developing a vision of Christ-like Character

2)    Habitual – Cultivating spiritual disciplines to sustain leadership

3)    Humble – Keeping watch over your souls

Part Two: The Posture of a Leader

4)    Kneeling – Embracing servant love as our primary model

5)    Teaming – Building teams to accomplish our corporate mission

6)    Stewardship – Stewarding gifts, passions and personality

Part Three: The Vision of Leaders

7)    The Compelling Christ – Loving passionately the compelling Christ

8)    Embracing the Kingdom – Engaging people in mission

9)    Helping Others See – Lifting people out of lethargy and inertia

Part Four: The Shaping of a Leader

10) Taming Temptation – Facing the Dangers of money, sex, and power

11) Conquering Criticism – Handling criticism with humility and fortitude

12) Defeating Discouragement – Addressing disappointment, frustration, anger, and depression

Each chapter contains a core truth which flows from the Bible; a memory verse (there are actually several verses to memorize per chapter); an Inductive Bible Study with questions based on the specific topic being discussed; a classic reading on the topic; and leadership exercises or applications for each topic.

Overall it’s an excellent tool to use with current leaders; potential leaders; or even for any small group that wants to grow in the area of leadership and Christ-likeness. I have found it to be one of the best leadership development tools I have used in ministry and therefore, recommend it highly. It also makes a terrific sequel to Ogden’s previous workbook on Discipleship called Discipleship Essentials.

On Walking With God

“Walk with God and you cannot mistake the road; you have infallible wisdom to direct you, permanent love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you.” – Charles Spurgeon

Book Review: Fathering Like The Father by Kenneth O. Gangel and Jeffrey S. Gangel

Father and Son team up in this book seeking to accomplish three goals: to help Christian dads communicate God’s Word, to become better conversationalists with our Heavenly Father, and to provide resources in producing godly fathering.

Each chapter takes one of 15 attributes (humor, grace and mercy, forgiveness, love, jealousy, truthfulness, friendship, communication, holiness, discipline, faithfulness, wisdom, intimacy, trustworthiness, and goodness) of God’s “fathering” behavior and hones in on a key Biblical passage to show how earthly father’s can learn from God’s ways of fathering us; provides a real life story, or example related to each topic from Ken and Jeff; a section offering principles, applications, and action steps; questions for discussion; and helpful suggestions for Father/child dialogue.

I found the book to be Biblically based; clear; concise; illuminating; insightful; deepened my appreciation for how God “fathers” us, and encouraging in helping me to become a better father, and grandfather to my kids and their kids. I hope that many dads will read this book and apply its principles so that we can spread the fragrance of Christ in our families and influence our culture by reflecting God’s glory by being more like His Son.

Book Review: The Legacy By Steven J. Lawson

How To Leave A Godly Legacy for Your Children Starting Today

During the Promise Keepers Movement in the 1990’s a swarm of books were published for men to be better husbands and fathers. I read a few of them – and most of them were very good, but this is the only book I’ve come to again and again – especially for help in raising my five children (and now – two grandchildren).

Lawson grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning with thinking about the importance of what we are leaving behind with our children with a gripping story of Max Jukes’ and Jonathan Edwards’ amazing legacy. Two men who lived in the same time period – one left a legacy of ruined lives; and the other a legacy of godliness that continues until this very day.

Steve Lawson is an excellent Bible teacher and preacher – and has made it a practice in his pastorates to train, equip, and spend time with men. As a father, pastor, and man’s man – he does an outstanding job of equipping men to be outstanding leaders – especially with their families.

In Part One he writes two chapters on demonstrating the fact that we all leave legacies – the only question is whether it will be a good one, or a poor one.

In Part Two there are 14 chapters on where to focus your time and teaching with your family. He shows how to build a legacy by growing, developing, modeling, and teaching in the following areas in order to leave a legacy for years to come in: godliness, love, obedience, respect, gentleness, maturity, discipline, wisdom, responsibility, strength, and prayer. The ultimate goal is to leave behind a godly legacy like Jonathan Edwards that continues on for generations. However, you can’t expect your children to be – what you are not. They will follow in your footsteps.

Lawson’s book is convicting, challenging, and very encouraging. He bases all his points on Scripture, hammers the principles on the anvil of real life experience, and gives many practical ways to start leaving behind a godly legacy today. If you are a dad – read this book and do what it says. You will be grateful to our Lord for Lawson’s advice – and so will your future generations!

Book Review: Discipleship Essentials By Greg Ogden

I have used this workbook with men one on one; in a triad; and in a group of four. In all three groups the participants have enjoyed the study, the group time, and have gone on to make more disciples by using the book to disciple others. As a pastor and life Coach I have used this tool for a few years now, and still think it’s the best tool to get Christians together and grounded in the Christian basics – theologically, philosophically, and with a Christo-centric focus for all of life.

In Ogden’s own words he says he designed this discipleship workbook as a tool to accomplish these three elements to create a climate for the Holy Spirit to bring accelerated growth:

1)    “The first element is the unchanging truth of God’s word” (each chapter contains a core truth based on a memory verse, and includes an inductive bible study with discussion questions based on the passage for study, discussion, and application).

2)    “The second element in the Holy Spirit’s laboratory is transparent relationships…Transformation occurs when we grapple with the truth of God’s Word in the context of transparent relationships. It is a biblical axiom that the Holy Spirit will have free sway in our lives to the extent to which we open ourselves up to one another. Honesty with God is not sufficient. We give God permission to reshape our lives when we risk self-evaluation and confession to others. We can’t grow in Christ by ourselves. We are people made for community” (each chapter has a selected reading after the inductive Bible study on the topic of discussion – these selections are short and very good).

3)    “The third element that creates the climate for transformation is mutual accountability…Accountability means giving your discipling partners authority to call you to keep the commitments you have made to one another.”

The book includes 25 Chapters and takes about 2-4 hours to work through between the lesson and discussion time (it goes faster if everyone works on their lesson first – my recommendation). Here is how the lessons are arranged:

Part One: Growing Up In Christ (C1 Making Disciples; C2 Being a Disciple; C3 Quiet Time; C4 Bible Study; C5 Prayer; and C6 Worship)

Part Two: Understanding the Message of Christ (C7 The Three-Person God; C8 Made in God’s Image; C9 Sin; C10 Grace; C11 Redemption; C12 Justification; C13 Adoption)

Part Three: Becoming Like Christ (C14 Filled with the Holy Spirit; C15 Fruit of the Holy Spirit; C16 Trust; C17 Love; C18 Justice; C19 Witness)

Part Four: Serving Christ (C20 The Church; C21 Ministry Gifts; C22 Spiritual Warfare; C23 Walking in Obedience; C24 Sharing the Wealth; C25 Money – and the Appendix on Building a Discipleship Ministry)

In meeting with several different groups (and counting) I have found all three of the above elements taking place. This book fosters deep theological discussion, fosters healthy accountability, and leads to numerous new Christ-like habits that benefit the individuals in the discipleship group, and the lives that they touch on a daily basis.

I think out of all the resources that I have used over the last 25 years of discipleship making that this is the best I’ve used. I highly recommend it.

God’s Greatness

“If you go to church with a to-do list, you will exhaust your people. Teach them about God’s greatness.” – John Piper

Book Review: More Than Ordinary by Doug Sherman

Motivating You to Become God Enthralled

 What a fantastic book! The whole time I was reading it – I was thinking to myself “Why didn’t I write this book?” As a pastor and life coach everything the author talks about in this book is exactly in a nutshell what I want followers of Jesus  to know. I will definitely be buying this book and giving it away, and recommending it to others. As a matter of fact, I am preaching through the book of Colossians right now on Sunday’s but was so impacted by this book – that with Father’s Day coming up this Sunday – I’m going to use some of the Scripture passages in this book and the principles and suggestions that the author brings out to share with my flock – to remind them of what an Awesome Heavenly Father we have.

This book essentially has it all – excellent theology, wonderful Bible passages, great stories, personal and authentic, excellent applications, and flows very well. I read it in about three hours – and I’m not a fast reader, but I simply couldn’t put the book down!

The essence of this book is that God created us to know Him intimately and that He is our ultimate satisfaction in life. Doug does a fantastic job of weaving the Biblical story of the creation, fall, redemption, and restoration throughout the book. He weaves the Biblical story with his story and our story – making practical connections throughout the book. If you are having a dry spell in your walk with God, or He seems distant to you – or even if you think you are very close to Him – this book will motivate you and give you great practical ways to enjoy Him even more.

I especially recommend it for those who didn’t have a good relationship (or currently) with their earthly father – as the author relays his own testimony in regard to this. Also, as a father myself, it really motivated me to become a better father and reflect God practically to my children and grandchildren. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Christ – The Reason for Our Hope!

“Do not look to your hope, but to Christ, the source of your hope.” Spurgeon