Category: Books

all about books

Book Briefs: “The Promise of Heaven” by Randy Alcorn

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

As we approach Christmas, I wanted to highlight some books which would make good gift items. I realize I’m a bit late with this, & I’m late on my shopping, too! But some of you may be in possession of a gift card soon, and wondering what to spend it on… For other gift ideas, you may want to check a new category I’ve created called “ideal gift books“.

The Promise of Heaven: Reflections on Our Eternal Home by Randy Alcorn is an absolutely beautiful book. It is filled with full color, photographs of nature scenes from the West taken by professional nature photographer, John MacMurray.

As one pages through the book, they are struck by the beauty of God’s earth, and then Randy Alcorn fills their minds with thoughts of the New Earth to come. Answering a host of questions about heaven, the book is interesting, informative and delightful. Randy shares the Gospel clearly and encourages us to worship our Lord for the Earth we have, and our future “Heaven on Earth” to come.

The production of this book is top notch. While it isn’t quite a full coffee-table sized book, it deserves a spot on anyone’s coffee table. It would make a great gift for loved ones this Christmas. If someone you know likes Mountains and nature photography, they would absolutely love this fine book. I highly recommend this.

Preview this remarkable book here. And pick up a copy of this book from any of the following online retailers: Christianbook.com, Amazon, or direct from Harvest House.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Harvest House Publishers. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

About Book Briefs: With limited time available to give every book sent my way a full review, I’ll be offering short-form book reviews called Book Briefs. Book Briefs are book notes, or my impression and informed evaluation of a book, but they stop short of being a full book review.

Book Briefs: “The Praise of Folly: The Enigmatic Life and Theology of C.I. Scofield” by David Lutzweiler

~ Bob Hayton ~ 16 Comments

The Praise of Folly: The Enigmatic Life and Theology of C.I. Scofield is a title that may raise some eyebrows. Scofield, of course, is most famous for his Scofield Reference Bible, with its doctrinal notes.

The book is a fascinating read, no matter what side of the dispensational-covenantal divide you find yourself on. Lutzweiler presents a well-researched, historical account of Scofield’s life, and sprinkles in some thoughts on the rise of dispensationalism and its deficiencies as a theological system, to boot.

At times, I felt that Lutzweiler may have been encouraging his readers to jump to conclusions too quickly. And it is also quite true that even if Scofield is shown to be a dishonorable man, in certain respects (such as his treatment of his ex-wife and his children), still that should not necessarily invalidate the teaching of dispensationalism. Still at the end of the day, I think Lutzweiler’s depiction of Scofield and the history of the Plymouth Brethren movement should give a reason to pause in one’s evaluation of dispensational theology. A modernistic, self-centered, everyone-can-do-their-own-theology may be behind the rise of this system of thought. And while ultimately the arguments have to go to Scripture, this nevertheless weakens the dispensational claims to historic support for their particular doctrinal emphases.

In any case, this book by Lutzweiler deserves to be read and considered. You can pick up a hard copy of the book direct from Apologetics Media Group (a division of, The Nicene Council), or from one of the following online retailers: Christianbook.com, or Amazon. There is also a DVD available based on this book (get it at the publisher). You can also purchase the ebook at a low price here.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Apologetics Media Group. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

About Book Briefs: With limited time available to give every book sent my way a full review, I’ll be offering short-form book reviews called Book Briefs. Book Briefs are book notes, or my impression and informed evaluation of a book, but they stop short of being a full book review.

12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway: Day 2 Winners

~ Bob Hayton

Before I announce the winners of the Day 2 contest, I want to be sure you all realize we are doing one giveaway each day from now until Christmas Eve. So go over to CrossFocusedReviews.com for another chance to win in today’s giveaway.

Yesterday, we had just under 100 people sign up for the Day 2 giveaway; and we had to narrow them down to just four winners! The winners were chosen randomly, using a random sequence generator. And so, without further ado, the winners are:

Winner #1 — William Kessel

Winner #2 — Guerite Harrell (www.boldlion.blogspot.com)

Winner #3 — Elizabeth Hankins (www.hankinsfamily.com)

Winner #4 — Micah Tanis

The 12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway: Day 2

~ Bob Hayton ~ 7 Comments

Today is day 2 of the 4th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway! Today’s giveaway is sponsored by New Growth Press, Reformation Heritage Books, and P & R Publishing. We will have four winners today, who will win a combined total of 15 books. The prizes will be spelled out below. First, I want to highlight the various books available in today’s giveaway.

Kids Story Books and Devotionals from New Growth Press

The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering
Jesus in the Old and New Testaments		 Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God
OT preview and NT preview Watch an author interview or view sample
                   Visit GospelStoryforKids.com for more information.

Historical Fiction & Children’s Biographies from Simonetta Carr

Weight of a Flame: The Passion of Olympia Morata (Chosen Daughters) [P & R Publishing]

Preview the book here.

Learn more at prpbooks.com.

Bonus: for another chance to win this book, visit the Heavenly Springs blog.
Athanasius (Christian Biographies for Young Readers) [Reformation Heritage]

Preview the book here.

Read my review of this book.

You can also view a video clip produced by the illustrator of the book.
John Owen (Christian Biographies for Young Readers) [Reformation Heritage]

Preview the book here.

You can also view a video clip produced by the illustrator of the book.
                   Visit the author’s website for more information.

Additional Parenting Resources from Reformation Heritage Books

Parenting by God’s Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace

Preview the book here.
Family Worship (Family Guidance Series)

Preview the book here.

You can also view a video clip produced by the illustrator of the book.
                         Visit HeritageBooks.org for more information.

Today’s Prizes

Each winner will receive a free copy of the books listed below.

1st Prize 2nd Prize 3rd Prize 4th Prize
  • Gospel Story Bible
  • Long Story Short
  • Weight of a Flame
  • Athanasius
  • Gospel Story Bible
  • Long Story Short
  • Weight of a Flame
  • John Owen
  • Gospel Story Bible
  • Long Story Short
  • Weight of a Flame
  • Family Worship
  • Gospel Story Bible
  • Long Story Short
  • Parenting by God’s Promises

Enter Today’s Contest

The contest is now closed. Click to my home page and you’ll see a link at the top to the next day’s giveaway in our 12 Days Before Christmas Giveaway.

Book Briefs: “Holy Bible, 1611 King James Version (Anniversary Edition)”

~ Bob Hayton

As we approach Christmas, I wanted to highlight some books which would make good gift items. I realize I’m a bit late with this, & I’m late on my shopping, too! But some of you may be in possession of a gift card soon, and wondering what to spend it on… For other gift ideas, you may want to check a new category I’ve created called “ideal gift books“.

I have always been fascinated by the history of the English Bible. I remember being astonished when I first learned that the original 1611 King James Bible had marginal notes referencing variant readings, the literal Greek and Hebrew, and offering alternative renderings. Then came the day I got my hands on a reprint of an original 1611 King James Bible: I devoured my copy and enjoyed every minute I spent looking at it.

If you are looking for a good gift for the studious, theology geek in your life (or for any pastor or Bible teacher, for that matter), a new mass-market reprint edition of the 1611 King James Bible from Zondervan is sure to please. This edition, published in honor of the 400th anniversary this year of the King James Version, has a soft feel to its hardcover which mimics both the look and feel of the original leather. This Bible is a more handy size at 8″ x 5.4″ than the original 12″ x 16″. It comes with the original typeset – Gothic letters for the main text, and Roman for what modern Bibles have in italics. And all 7,400 plus original marginal notes are also preserved. In addition, this edition includes what some of the other reprints leave out, namely the decorative genealogies and maps that precede the book of Genesis.

The big omission of this book, is the Apocrypha. I guess since the volume is already 2.6″ thick, they didn’t want to make it even more bulky. And most Protestant readers won’t miss it. Unfortunately there are some King James Only advocates who seem to be unaware that the original KJV contained the Apocrypha, and if they don’t look too closely, this edition may bolster their mistaken assumption.

That being said, the original maps, decorations and typeset, and all the strange archaisms — like “ye” for “the”, “f”s for “s”s, and the interchange of “i” and “j” and “u” and “v” — will absolutely delight the lover of old books. It also illustrates that almost no one today truly uses a 1611 King James Bible.

This Bible is inexpensively priced if you can still find it. Walmart was selling this over the summer for around $7.99. You can still pick up a copy of this book from the following online retailers: Amazon.com. You may also be interested in A Visual History of the King James Bible by Donald Brake, if this title has caught your eye.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Zondervan. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

About Book Briefs: With limited time available to give every book sent my way a full review, I’ll be offering short-form book reviews called Book Briefs. Book Briefs are book notes, or my impression and informed evaluation of a book, but they stop short of being a full book review.