Category: Book Recommendations

Great New Resource on Battling Schizophrenia from P&R Publishing

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends Them: Schizophrenia Through a Mother's Eyes by Simonetta CarrNext week, P&R Publishing will be launching a helpful resource on understanding and dealing with schizophrenia. Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends Them: Schizophrenia Through a Mother’s Eyes is written by Simonetta Carr who shares a moving account of her son’s experience with schizophrenia. I’ve just finished reading an advance reader’s copy and was deeply affected by her story and encouraged by her faith in the midst of such dark storms. Not only does she recount the tragic story of her son, but she brings together a wealth of resources from a Christian perspective. Look for my full review to come closer to the official launch date (Feb. 1).

Here are some of the recommendations included in the book’s front pages:

Book Blurbs:

“The most honest and deeply moving Christian book I’ve read in a long time. Simonetta opens up her broken heart to show us the painful darkness and agonizing tragedy of serious mental illness. But she also opens the door of hope and help for other families by sharing the hard-won knowledge and resources she discovered both in the common grace of God and in the church of God. May this book transform her beloved son Jonathan’s death into life for many others.” ~ David Murray, Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids; Author, Christians Get Depressed Too

“Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends Them is the poignant story of a mother’s emotional and spiritual journey alongside her son as he battles with cannabis abuse and schizophrenia. Simonetta Carr writes powerfully and movingly as she chronicles her son’s decline into mental illness, his change of character, her daily anxiety and guilt, and the effects of his illness on the rest of the family. The book is not only a medical voyage down the corridors of doctors, psychiatrists, and hospitals but also a spiritual pilgrimage through the Gospels. With the help of her church and Christian friends, the author leads us down an important path of how to come to terms with mental illness on many levels. This book is an essential resource and guide for anyone living with or around schizophrenia.” ~ Jonathan Aitken, Former UK Cabinet Minister; Author, John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace

“The most inspiring story I’ve ever read. Here is a woman who has suffered the greatest pain a woman can be said to suffer—the loss of her child. And yet that loss has refined and beautified her in a way that leaves the beholder awestruck at the mercy and goodness of God. This is a story of how God’s grace and love really can and do sustain his people through even the most agonizing times—even redeeming them to sanctify and glorify.” ~ Brooke Ventura, Assistant Editor, Modern Reformation

“A Christian mother’s moving, practical, courageous, and eloquent reflections on the emotional turmoil involved in caring for a son with schizophrenia. She takes the reader deep into wrestling with all the emotions and questions that are raised by such a devastating illness. This is by far the best book I have encountered that combines wise personal, medical, psychological, historical, and deeply theological insights on a controversial topic. A great resource for families, students, and professionals.” ~ Richard Winter, Psychotherapist; Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Counseling, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis

You can pre-order this book at any of the following sites and learn more from perusing the sample pages included (as pointed out below):

Where to Pre-order:

UPDATE: It is also available for order now from Westminster Bookstore.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

UPDATE: Read my review of this book here.

“CSB Day by Day Chronological Bible” with Daily Readings by George Guthrie

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

Holman Bible Publishers will soon be releasing the Day by Day Chronological Bible. The brown imitation leather edition is being launched later this month. Now through January 25, there is an opportunity for one of my readers to win a free copy of this Bible, compliments of the publisher. Enter the giveaway here.

Have you ever read the Bible through in a chronological order? You may not know that the books of our English Bibles are not arranged chronologically. Genesis through 2 Kings are mostly in chronological order, and Ezra through Esther are from roughly the same time-frame: but the arrangement of the Old Testament books are made by type (law, history, poetry and prophecy) rather than time. Daniel comes before Hosea, but was written later. Ezra comes a few books before Isaiah, but is closer to Haggai and Malachi’s era. The Gospels often tell the same story three (or four) different times, and are followed by Acts: but the rest of the New Testament is composed of letters grouped according to author.

In the Day by Day Chronological Bible, the Old Testament books are given in their chronological order (with respect to the historical unfolding of God’s dealings with Israel). Psalms and Proverbs are interspersed throughout (where their theme complements that day’s reading). The prophetic books appear in the time periods when the prophet was ministering. For example, Isaiah has some sections which describe King Hezekiah’s interactions with the Assyrians. These sections are parallel with similar accounts in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The three accounts appear together in this Bible. Also, since Isaiah had a long ministry which overlapped with other prophets, the book of Micah is found in its entirety within the Isaiah readings in this Bible. (On another note, Isaiah 40-66 is treated as written by Isaiah in the same time period – which is in line with most conservative interpreters). For the New Testament, the Gospel accounts that describe the same events are arranged together, and the epistles are interspersed with Acts in the order of when they were likely written.

Reading the Bible chronologically gives a fresh perspective and is quite enjoyable. This endeavor is made much easier when you use a “day by day” Bible like this one. The chronological arrangement of the books of the Bible is spread out and divided into daily readings. Each reading is numbered in two separate ways. First, there are 52 weeks of readings, with 7 days per week. (The Bible text is actually divided into just 6 textual readings per week, so if you miss a reading it is easy to catch up.) Then the readings are also arranged according to acts and scenes. There are three acts: God’s Plan for All People (Gen. 1 – 11), God’s Covenant People (Gen. 12 – Mal. 4), and God’s New Covenant People (Matt. 1 – Rev. 22). The acts are further divided into scenes, with readings making up the content of those scenes. A final word about the arrangement: the readings are numbered and not dated. This means you can pick up this new Bible in February or June and start reading it then (no need to wait for January 1).

What makes this particular edition especially helpful are the guided readings by Dr. George Guthrie (Professor of New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver and author of several commentaries – learn more about him here). Guthrie introduces each week’s reading plan, and each individual day’s reading – highlighting themes to be looking for and points to pray or meditate over. His thoughts are typically a short paragraph or two to get you going with that day’s reading. He provides somewhat longer introductions for each act and brief introductions for each scene as well. Aside from these introductions, there are no additional study helps outside of a Scripture index and a few maps in the back.

The look and feel of this Bible is really nice, and the text is uncluttered and easy to read (9 point font). Often daily reading Bibles don’t get the royal treatment. And while this is not actually leather, the brown imitation “leathertouch” feels like the real thing and is nice enough to bring along on Sunday morning. There are two ribbon bookmarks which is nice (but do you need two if you are following the daily reading?). I absolutely love the single column text with a nice wide margin. My main critique is that there are no footnotes or cross references. The CSB Bible normally comes with footnotes that provide additional information about the Greek text and alternative renderings, and many editions have cross references. Perhaps it was determined that notes and references get in the way of just reading the text day by day. I can sympathize with that, and a Bible like this may be aimed more for those new to Bible reading. But I still miss the notes, and feel that readers miss out on the inter-textual parallels that the cross references provide.

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) text is noticeably improved from the earlier Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) of which it is a revision. I never liked the free use of “Yahweh” to refer to the LORD, and it seems the translation “Messiah” was inconsistently applied (used only in Jewish contexts). These idiosyncrasies have been abandoned for more mainstream translation choices, and the publisher’s name was removed from the work as well. This translation aims to be both readable and literal (using “optimal equivalence“) and compares well with the ESV, my translation of choice.

I highly recommend this exceptional Bible. It provides a user-friendly tool for reading the Bible chronologically with understanding. May it encourage people to read the Bible more and enlighten them on the big picture of what the Bible is really all about.

For more information on the Day by Day Chronological Bible, see this interview with George Guthrie on reading the Bible chronologically, and check out the sample daily readings in the images included in the ChristianBook.com product page. For more information on the CSB Bible translation, see this interview with the publisher (Trevin Wax), check out the FAQ page at CSBible.com, or read this helpful review.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

Where to Buy:

In the Box: New Titles from InterVarsity Press

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

“In the Box” posts highlight new books I’ve received in the mail.

In this post, I want to showcase a few of the titles that arrived at my doorstep in the last few weeks. I’m truly blessed to be able to read so many great books, and Christian publishers seem to never let up in their race to get high quality materials out the door. We are truly blessed with an abundance of Christian resources to help us in our walk with Christ.

The Messiah Comes to Middle Earth: Images of Christ’s Threefold Office in the Lord of the Rings by Philip Ryken (IVP)

This book promises to be a treat to read. I devoured The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien in my youth, and as I’ve aged I’ve only grown more appreciative of the rich literary treasure that Tolkien crafted. There is much that is Christian in LOTR, but it resists simple moralistic or allegorical analyses. Philip Ryken follows Peter Kreeft and others in seeing images of Christ in a wide range of LOTR characters, and in this book, he focuses on three “Christ figures:” Gandalf, Frodo and Aragorn.

For more about this book, visit this link to learn more about the Wheaton College lecture series that birthed it, or check out the book’s product page at Amazon, Christianbook.com or InterVarsity Press.

Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief by John H. Walton (IVP)

I first encountered John Walton through his sensational book The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Since then I have read most of his Lost World books, as well as his contributions to other books, and his influential Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (which I reviewed here).  Walton has helped me greatly as I’ve navigated the waters of Ancient Near Eastern parallels with the Bible, and I appreciate his careful and confessional approach. This book looks to be his effort to apply his lifelong academic study for the benefit of the average evangelical church goer. I’m definitely looking forward to this work.

To learn more about this book, check out the book’s product page at Amazon, Christianbook.com or InterVarsity Press.

Great Deal on 2 Excellent Guides to Understanding & Applying the Bible

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

Westminster Bookstore has a great deal on a pair of highly recommended resources for Bible study. How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament by Jason S. DeRouchie and How to Understand and Apply the New Testament by Andrew D. Naselli are new titles from P & R Publishing.

This pair of books both include forewords by D.A. Carson, and each author is a professor at Bethlehem College and Seminary, Minneapolis, MN, founded by John Piper. DeRouchie is Professor of OT and Biblical Theology, and Naselli is Assistant Professor of NT and Theology.

These tools cover everything needed to go from biblical text to Bible lesson or Sunday morning sermon: understanding genre and literary units, delving into textual variants and Bible translation, diagramming/bracketing the passage looking for semantic relationships, word and concept studies, understanding historical and literary contexts, and reviewing biblical and systematic theology implications. The books are written with lay church leaders in mind, avoiding technical jargon wherever possible.

Here is a full description of the books with many of the numerous book endorsements from church leaders. The sale is 45% off individual volumes ($22) and 50% off the set ($40). This fantastic deal ends April 11, 2017.

In the Box: New Titles from Broadman & Holman and Baker Academic

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

“In the Box” posts highlight new books I’ve received in the mail.

It is time to showcase a few of the titles to arrive at my doorstep in the last few weeks. I’m truly blessed to be able to read so many great books, and Christian publishers seem to never let up in their race to get high quality materials out the door. We are truly blessed with an abundance of Christian resources to help us in our walk with Christ.

Apologetics Study Bible for Students edited by Sean McDowell (Broadman & Holman)

This study Bible promises to “ground Christian students in the truths of Scripture by equipping them with thoughtful and practical responses to difficult and heartfelt challenges to core issues of faith and life.” . The format is attractive and handy, with tabs for finding Bible books and attractive knowledge articles for exploration. Study Notes, “Twisted Scripture” snippets, archaeological notes, notable quotes, apologetic tactics/strategies, and personal stories are some of the features that may equip young readers. With a few preteens of my own, I’m hoping this resource will be a benefit to my children and look forward to examining this more closely in the weeks to come.

To learn more about this book, visit apologeticsbible.com and click on “Student Edition ASB,” or check out the preview available at , Amazon, Christianbook.com or Broadman & Holman.

The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision by Kevin J. VanHoozer and Owen Strachan (Baker Academic)

A book endorsed by both Tim Keller and Eugene Peterson deserves your attention. The theme of this book backs up Peterson’s assessment: “This is a timely, more than timely–urgent–book.” Reuniting theology and pastoring certainly seems like an urgent task today and the blueprint provided in this book by one of the foremost evangelical theologians is both optimistic and helpful. The personal comments by twelve pastors sprinkled throughout the book add a special poignancy and bring the vision down to earth. This looks good and I can’t wait to delve in deeper.

To learn more about this book, visit the book detail page at Baker Academic, or check out the preview available at Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, or Christianbook.com.