Tag: Christian

“The Gift of Psalms, with devotionals” by Lori Jones

~ Bob Hayton

Thomas Nelson, published this delightful devotional. The Gift of Psalms, is a book printed on special paper and with a deluxe smooth leather-ish cover. Included are three audio CDs with a reading from The Word of Promise Audio Bible coupled with a reading of the devotional thought from the book for that particular psalm.

The Word of Promise readings are from the New King James Version, which has a majestic quality about it when read aloud. The readings are done by various actors such as Sean Astin, Richard Dreyfuss, Joan Allen, and a variety of other names. The quality of the recordings are excellent, with some background majestic sounding classical music.

In the book, one page includes an excerpt from the psalm for that day, and the opposite page contains Lori Jones’ devotional. The devotionals focus on the theme found in the psalm for that day, but don’t hesitate to reference other Scriptures. At the end of each devotional is a short prayer in response to the reading.

The CDs include the entire Psalm, not just an excerpt, and fit nicely into the back cover of the book, in special slots. The book covers 50 Psalms, while the CDs cover 30. Even so, the book would make a great companion to a personal reading through the Psalms.

The only thing the book really lacks is a nice bookmark similar to what one would find in a Bible. It seems like it cries out for something like that, with each page being so glossy and thick, and with the fine finish.

This book is an excellent gift book, and I enjoyed reading it.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is still available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Quotes to Note 10: On Parenting and Prayer

~ Bob Hayton ~ 5 Comments

I’ve been reading through Paul Miller’s new book A Praying Life (NavPress). Its a great read that challenges me concerning my prayer life. He’s giving real life examples of how prayer shapes his parenting. I found this extended quote on the relationship between prayer and parenting very helpful.

It is surprising how seldom books on parenting talk about prayer. We instinctively believe that if we have the right biblical principles and apply them consistently, our kids will turn out right. But that didn’t work for God in the Garden of Eden. Perfect environment. Perfect relationships. And still God’s two children went bad.

Many parents, including myself, are initially confident we can change our child. We don’t surrender to our child’s will (which is good), but we try to dominate the child with our own (which is bad). Without realizing it, we become demanding. We are driven by the hope of real change, but the change occurs because we make the right moves.

Until we become convinced we can’t change our child’s heart, we will not take prayer seriously. Consequently, repentance is often missing. When we see, for example, our son’s self-will, we usually don’t ask, How am I self-willed? or How am I angry? We want God’s help so we can dominate our son. We forget that God is not a genie but a person who wants to shape us in the image of his Son as much as he wants to answer our prayers.

Increasingly, parents in our culture are moving to the opposite extreme and becoming passive. Parents say things like “My son has always been angry” or “Even when he was a kid, he was throwing temper tantrums.” This passivity is reinforced by pop psychology’s tendency to make descriptions of childhood stages into rules. For instance, if a two-year-old is bad, the mom may shrug her shoulders and say, “She’s going through the terrible twos.” This mom is trapped by psychological descriptions. Her passivity is further reinforced because she’s talked to her little girl and even disciplined her, but nothing worked. This mom pushed against reality, but it didn’t budge. She tried praying, but nothing much happened. She ran into the power of another person’s self-will and surrendered. She has passively accepted the world as it is. Like the ancient Greeks, she is trapped by the Fates. When we do this, life takes on a fixed, given quality. Payer becomes pointless….

If you are on the road of Good Asking, you have also given up “” but in a good way. You’ve given up on your ability to change other people. Instead, you cling to God and watch him weave his story. Frankly, Jill and I do our best parenting by prayer.

From A Praying Life by Paul Miller  © 2009, 166-167, 168. Used with permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. www.navpress.com.

Remembering Calvin on His 500th Birthday

~ Bob Hayton ~ 7 Comments

55122_j-calvin_md1Today marks 500 years since the birth of John Calvin. Although Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenburg when Calvin was just 8 years old, it is John Calvin who is arguably the most famous (some might say, infamous) of the Reformers. His work in Geneva has an abiding relevance and lasting influence down to today in both the church and the state. Two hundred years before Montesquieu’s doctrine of the “separation of powers” (which was later adopted by our US Constitution), Geneva adopted political reforms operating on the same principle. In fact several historians have argued that Calvin is in large part responsible for the democratic experiment that is the United States of America.

Today, I wanted to collect some helpful links for the study of Calvin. His influence and legacy deserve attention. The closer you look into the life of this man Calvin, the more absurd modern caricatures of him as a power-hungry, harsh, domineering and unfeeling leader will become. In truth, he was a humble man who was thrust into leadership often against his will. He sought to follow Scripture in all he did, and gave his life to the cause of living the Bible out in all spheres of life for God’s glory. He preached an average of 20 sermons a month, and wrote commentaries on almost every book of the Bible. His Institutes of the Christian Religion is still a treasured and worthy systematic theology book, studied with benefit by many.

Before I provide some links to other posts on Calvin today, let me offer an excerpt from the introduction to his commentary on Psalms. Here Calvin offers a rare autobiographical sketch which gives us insight into his soul. The section I quote here will reveal a bit of the real Calvin’s motives, I hope.

My readers, too, if I mistake not, will observe, that in unfolding the internal affections both of David and of others, I discourse upon them as matters of which I have familiar experience. Moreover, since I have labored faithfully to open up this treasure for the use of all the people of God, although what I have done has not been equal to my wishes, yet the attempt which I have made deserves to be received with some measure of favor. Still I only ask that each may judge of my labors with justice and candor, according to the advantage and fruit which he shall derive from them. Certainly, as I have said before, in reading these commentaries, it will be clearly seen that I have not sought to please, unless insofar as I might at the same time be profitable to others. And, therefore, I have not only observed throughout a simple syle of teaching, but in order to be removed the farther from all ostentation, I have also generally abstained from refuting the opinions of others…. I have never touched upon opposite opinions, unless where there was reason to fear, that by being silent respecting them, I might leave my readers in doubt and perplexity. At the same time, I am sensible that it would have been much more agreeable to the taste of many, had I heaped together a great mass of materials which has great show, and acquires fame for the writer; but I have felt nothing to be of more importance than to have a regard to the edification of the church. May God, who has implanted this desire in my heart, grant by his grace that the success may correspond thereto! [quoted in A Reformation Reader: Primary Texts with Introductions edited by Denis Janz, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008), pg. 254]

Other posts on Calvin’s 500th Birthday, from around the web:

“Keoni’s Big Question” by Patti Ogden

~ Bob Hayton

Authors: Patti B. Ogden, illustrated by Mary Manning
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Productions
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 9780981678368
Rating: 2 of 5 stars

As the father of four young girls, I have to pay attention to kid’s books. As a Christian, I look for good Christian literature that is age-appropriate for my children to read.

Keoni’s Big Question (by Patti B. Ogden, and illustrated by Mary Manning) is a large, colorful, and very attractive book. It has an old fisherman, a boat, fish and animals, a young boy, family, church and home pictures, it is sure to grab the attention of many a young inquiring mind. The story contained in the book is good as well.

A young boy wants to know if anyone can see God. He is frequently let down when various adults evade his question. Along the way he has an adventure with his friend the old fisherman. The fisherman finally answers his question and Keoni begins to understand what it is to know God.

Such a story provides ample opportunities for Christian parents to ask (and answer) questions of their children about spiritual matters. Children will certainly identify with the boy and his quest to get a “straight answer” from adults. They too have wondered why we can’t see God physically.

I would guess this book to be appropriate for children from ages 3 through 12, and it really is produced well. The only drawback of the book comes on the last page. There we discover that this book and others were “inspired and written using stories excerpts and actual sentences from the sermons of William Branham”. Who we are later told “received revelation and visions from the Lord Jesus Christ of what actually happened down throughout Bible history.” Branham’s personal stories are told, they believe, “to inspire spiritual growth so that we would personally know the character and loveliness of our savior”.

I can agree with that last line. That purpose and aim is worthy. But setting Mr. Branham up on a pedestal as if he is uniquely inspired by God is troubling to me. I don’t know much about Branham or his teachings, but such undue admiration for and devotion to one man should be cause for strong caution and concern. Because of this unqualified promotion of a man, and implied belief in extrabiblical revelation of “what actually happened” in Biblical history, I cannot unreservedly give my recommendation to this book. It gets only 2 out of 5 stars from me.

All in all, its a great book for kids. The theology and message of the book is not at all troubling. I was quite surprised when I read the above sentiments on the last page. Parents can discerningly take advantage of this book, but they would need to be careful not to blindly follow the teachings of Brother Branham however, and use the book with caution.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

You can still pick up a copy of this book at Amazon.com.

On My Shelf: Books I’m Reading Now-2

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

The books are stacking up around here. I thought I’d give a brief update on what I’m reading, and what I’m looking forward to reading in the near future.

I’m nearly finished with The Witness of Jesus, Paul and John: An Exploration in Biblical Theology by Larry Helyer (IVP Academic). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the book. It’s designed as a textbook, and so I could probably have had my review up already. It’s such a good book, however, that I want to read the book in its entirety, not just skim through it and give a good recommendation.

I’m also about half way through Joel Beeke’s Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism (Reformation Trust). Since my copy is a .pdf file (until I post my review), I’m finding it hard to stick with the book. I forget about it, and I really don’t enjoy reading e-Books on my PC. I don’t have a Kindle or something like that, so I’ll keep plugging away at this one.

I’m about done with 101 Portraits of Jesus in the Hebrew Scriptures by Bob Beasley (Living Stone Books), and I just need to find time to crank out my review of Philip Comfort’s New Testament Text and Translation Commentary (Tyndale House). On a similar note, I was thrilled to get my review copy of The King James Only Controversy, revised edition by James White (Bethany House) today. It will be hard to keep that book on the bottom of my review pile. I read the first edition about 10 years ago, and much has changed in my position with respect to that issue since then. I look forward to reading it again from a new perspective.

I’m now working my way through Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough by Michael Wittmer (Zondervan). I’ll post about this book in conjunction with Zondervan’s book blog tour on May 12th. It’s an interesting book, especially as Wittmer hails from fundamentalist circles. I’ve found it thus far (1/3 through it) to be a good critique of the Emerging phenomenon, from a careful and charitable perspective.

Recently I was given two more books to add to my growing review pile. I’m thrilled that P & R Publishing has given me the chance to review Keith Mathison’s new book: From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology. This book is massive–750 pages! Despite its length, it seems to be a very approachable work, surveying the entire Bible in a readable way. I’ll post more on this as I start working through it. The other book is my first copy of P & R’s new commentary series: the Reformed Expository Commentary. The commentary on James by Daniel Doriani now sits on my shelf. It looks very good.

I shouldn’t jump too quickly to my new books, however. Beside the one’s I’m working on now, I still have quite a few more on my review list. My review of Ron Rhodes’ Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses: Clear Explanations for the Difficult Passages (Harvest House) will be ready soon. And we’ll see where we go from there.

If my blogging slows down from time to time, know I probably have my nose in some good books!