The Hum of Angels by Scot McKnight There is an ever-present commentary running through the lives of many we meet about angels. Whether it's guardian angels, our relationship to angels when we die, or some other inquiry about angelic beings, we are somewhat obsessed with these divine creations. Yet, we often have misguided and wrongheaded beliefs and thoughts about angels that give more credence to New Age thought than to a biblical picture of angels. In steps Professor Scot McKnight, who are written many books on the New Testament, Jesus, and the church. His new book, The Hum of Angels , presents an engaging portrait of angels in the Bible, and how every Christian should relate to these beings. Scot opens his book with a foray into providing a rational or defense of belief in angels. Often, ordinary folks don't want to tell anyone they've seen an angel or had an angelic visitation because they might be thought of as stupid or ignorant. Sc...
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Paraclete Press has just launched a new Esubscription service that sends daily devotional emails to your inbox. These messages tell the story, history, and theology of both Leng and Easter. Taken from two books, God with Us and According to Your Mercy, these authors give readers a broad glimpse into the heart of each liturgical season. Take a look at http://www.paracletepress.com/Products/7107/god-for-us-esubscription.aspx
Love Him Anyway by Abby Banks The story of Abby and Jason Banks is a remarkable one at that. From finding out their 3 rd child Wyatt is paralyzed to both Abby and Jason having different surgeries, including Austin having two hernias removed, the road of life has been a bumpy one at that. Yet, there are these glimpses of grace in this book that are evident throughout the pages. It would be easy to go through the life of this family and become jaded, cynical, and downright pessimistic about life and God, but they have been able to work through much pain in faith, not letting those around them be pushed away by their experiences. One moment of God’s grace shining through when Abby writes, “A short time later, the doctor called Jason and me into the counseling room. The surgery was over, and Austin had done great. The doctor said she did indeed have two hernias that needed to be repaired. He told us they would call us back shortly to be with Austin in r...
I am accustomed by now to the onslaught of specific oriented Bibles, from the men's devotional to the archaeology Bible and the word study Bible, all have something to offer for the student of the Bible. The My Holy Bible for Girls is no different. This new Bible put out by Zondervan is beautiful in its appearance and looks much like a personal journal would. The turquoise color and the elastic band going around the Bible makes it a welcome addition to the growing number of individualized Bibles. The margins on the sides of the Scripture are full of room for notes, drawings, or anything that comes to mind when reading a particular passage. My daughter really likes this Bible and its journaling feature because she's always wanting to put her own thoughts on paper. The entire NIV text is big enough to read and comes with an easy to read font. The Bible is designed for younger girls but I think the appeal of this type of journaling Bible is much...
You Carried Me is a poignant story about a young girl who finds out at 14 that she is a living survivor of a botched abortion. In our world which comprises of individual choice and freedom, we often don't heart the stories of those who most need to tell their story. Melissa Ohden tells her personal story that is both moving and alarming in these pages. Melissa tells the beginning of her story in the first chapter of the book by outlining the details she came to no later on in life. She writes, "Like other babies born prematurely, I had a host of serious medical problems including low birth weight (2 pounds 14.5 ounces), jaundice, and respiratory stress. But my troubles were complicated by the after effects of the poisonous saline solution I had endured in my mother's womb." (3) Into the arms of a loving family, both Ron and Linda Cross welcomed little Melissa with all the tenderness they could muster. Life was not all easy as she grew up in the Cross hou...
Preaching Old Testament Narratives by Benjamin Walton How does a minister faithfully preach God’s Word from the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament? How must he be faithful to the original intent of the text but bring it to today’s audience? These questions are answered in Dr.Benjamin Walton’s new book, Preaching Old Testament Narratives. Walton, president of PreachingWorks, a company designed to help pastors faithfully and consistently preach God’s Word, delivers the goods in this book by carefully bringing us along in his journey. One of the aspects of this book that is very valuable is Benjamin’s insistence that we preach CUT’s or Complete Units of Thought, identify historical and theological contexts, and finally at the end craft the take home truth (steps 3-4 include studying the plot and the original theological message). Why is it important first to preach complete unit of thoughts? For one, “a poorly chose preaching text can doo...
The Travelers by Chris Pavone What makes a good spy book come to life? How does a writer of suspense and intrigue bring out the subtleties of his characters? These questions are answered with honesty and creativity in Chris Pavone's new novel, The Travelers. Many know of Chris' other works such as The Accident and The Expats, but his work is new to me. While I was a little unsure about what to expect in this novel, I was caught up in the story line and the characters. The novel is broken up into various parts aligned with the different characters. The main story follows Will Rhodes, a travel writer for the magazine The Traveler. Will takes his writing to new levels as he visits Ireland, Great Britain, France and other international destinations. Little does he know that at one venture, after a steam night with a lady named Elle, not his wife, that his life would never be the same. He is thus ushered into a new li...