Top 10 Tuesday: Books To Read

I’ve been reading OhAmanda’s blog for a while now (she’s the author of Truth in the Tinsel that I recently reviewed) and reading her Top Ten list each Tuesday, but this week I finally decided to join in, since I wanted to share with you all the books that are waiting for me on my to-read list. Some of these have been sitting on my night table for months already, while others are new ones I just discovered and are waiting for me on my iPhone in electronic form. So, without further ado, here are my Top 10 Books to Read in the near future, in no particular order…

 

1. One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider ($5 e-book)

2. Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian by John Piper (free download)

3. Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well by Randy Newman (free download)

4. The No Brainer Wardrobe: Get Dressed With More Confidence and Less Fuss by Hayley Morgan ($7.99 e-book)

5. Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider ($6.88 – $11.55 on Amazon.com for Hardcover-spiral or free Kindle download for a limited time)

6. The Spirit of Adoption: Winning the Battle for the Children by Randy & Kelsey Bohlender ($12)

7. The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell ($10 on Amazon.com)

8. The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian ($3.84-$10.98 on Amazon.com)

9. Any of the Books on Prayer by E. M. Bounds (free downloads – public domain)

    

10. A God-Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards by John Piper and Justin Taylor (free download)

Since it’s going to take me a LONG time to read all of these, let me know if you have read any of them or if you decide to read any of them and how you liked them!

 

Book Review: Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff

Using the memorable acronym MAPS, radio host and Bible scholar Hank Hanegraaff masterfully reveals four proofs that confirm the divine origin of the Bible:

M represents the strength of the manuscript itself as many actual fragments have been located
A stands for the archaeological proofs that have been uncovered
P is for the prophecy that has accurately predicted events
S represents the scriptural synergy found in the unity, consistency, and harmony of the sixty-six books

These clearly presented proofs provide powerful indicators that confirm the trustworthiness and divine nature of Scripture, that God has indeed spoken, and that the Bible is the reliable repository of His words.

Several months ago, I received the book Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff for my review. I was very interested in discovering the proofs for the validity of the Bible, for though I have always believed it to be the infallible Word of God and to be Divinely inspired, I didn’t really have any facts to back up that belief. As you can see, this book took me a long time to read, as it is rather lengthy and uses a lot of theological and literary terms and language that doesn’t always make for easy reading. Despite that, though, I did find it to be helpful in many ways to educate myself on why the Bible really is a trustworthy source of both historical information and spiritual guidance.

Hanegraaff has a very obvious love for acronyms, as MAPS is only one of many that he uses throughout the book, which I think he implements to try and help you remember the key points of his book. While these are possibly useful for retaining the information he presents, I think I would still need to make notes and be intentional about trying to memorize those key points if I ever hoped to use this information in an intelligent way in a discussion with somebody. Though I feel better educated on the subject, it would still take some studying to become familiar and confident with these evidences in order to try and present a convincing argument to somebody who doubts the validity and trustworthiness of the Bible.

Having said that, I think Hanegraaff makes an excellent point in his book – in many cases, even presenting the most educated, fact-filled, clear debate on this subject will often not be enough to convince a skeptic – what people really need is revelation from God and for Him to open their eyes. So while I am thankful for this resource and I hope to find it helpful in being able to prove the Bible’s accuracy, I think I am even more convinced of the need for prayer and for divine revelation from the Holy Spirit to convince the unbeliever. There are many lies of the enemy that have been used to shake people’s confidence in the Bible, many of which can be answered in this book, but we also need God to break in with His light and truth to illuminate people’s minds and hearts!

Lastly, while I think I would recommend this book to any believer who wants to have a more solid foundation for their belief in the inerrancy of scripture, I also need to mention that I did not agree with everything Hanegraaff said about his interpretations of certain Biblical passages. In this, I believe it’s also important to recognize that while the Bible is in fact completely accurate, our interpretations of it may not always be. We all need to read and study the Word for ourselves and realize that none of us has the full picture. We need the entire Body of Christ working together to search out His Word and seek the truth of what He is saying to us through it. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us, to show us our errors, and to lead us to Jesus through it.

This book was provided to me by Booksneeze.com for my honest and unbiased review.

Butterfly Princess

We gave our kids their presents this morning and one of Rayah’s gifts was a butterfly fairy dress and a jewelry set to go with it, complete with shoes, crown, earrings, rings, and a wand. Her Royal Chubbiness could barely fit into the dress – lol – but that was part of what made her look so cute. I couldn’t resist posting a few pictures…

Our Advent Experience

Yesterday we finished our 24-Day Advent Experience using the eBook Truth in the Tinsel and I’m so glad we did it! Having never celebrated Advent before, it was a new experience for both me and the kids and we all loved it. Justice especially loved retrieving the daily clue, reading the scripture passage with daddy and doing the craft for that day. Each one helped solidify his knowledge and understanding of the birth of Jesus and it all culminated with the message of the Cross and how Jesus came to die for us to save us from our sins and give us the gift of eternal life.

While I don’t know exactly how much Justice and Rayah comprehend of the lessons we are teaching them, I believe that these seeds we are sowing will produce much good fruit. I eagerly look forward to the day when my kids will make their own personal decision to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for them and make him their Lord, but until then, I am simply enjoying the journey of telling them, and hopefully showing them, who Jesus is and how much He loves them.

I love seeing these seeds of truth being planting in their hearts.

I love hearing them sing songs of worship to Jesus in the wee hours of the morning.

I love watching them pour over the Bible and becoming familiar with its stories.

I love hearing Justice drum to worship music and watching Rayah dance or lift her hands.

I love listening to these early, innocent, creative and sincere prayers that they offer up to God.

I love seeing and experiencing the story of Jesus’ birth through their eyes.

This Christmas, I am just so thankful for how much we have been given and for the opportunity to share with my kids what God has so graciously and abundantly given to me. My prayer is that this Christmas, my kids will receive revelation of who Jesus is and how He feels about them and that His love will go deep into their hearts in a way that will root them and ground them in Him for the rest of their lives. My heart is full.

  
  
  
  

The Essential Jesus – Isaiah 9:6-7 – His Government and Peace

You can read about the origins of this blog series on The Essential Jesus here and catch up on previous posts here.

Though I wasn’t due to write about Isaiah 9 for quite some time, I figured it was fitting to write about it during the month of December, as it is a key prophecy about the birth of Jesus. Since there was simply so much contained in just these 2 verses, I split it up into several posts that each focus on a certain phrase, with the last one being “His Government and Peace”. Merry Christmas!!

Isaiah 9:6-7

When I come into my Kingdom, the government of the earth will rest on my shoulders. I will gladly shoulder this responsibility and I am, in fact, the only one capable of doing so. I am the perfect leader and the burden of leadership over all of mankind is no burden at all for me!

My government is also an increasing one that began thousands of years ago and which is growing daily. The bounds of my Kingdom are ever expanding and its glory is ever shining brighter and brighter until it reaches its perfection.

The gates of hell will not prevail against my Church – it will keep reaching out and taking territory from my enemy. What joy I take in rescuing souls from the kingdom of darkness and conveying them into my Kingdom of light! My government and peace are relentless in their expansion, for I am relentless in my pursuit of the hearts of mankind! I am forever wooing and winning the love of my subjects and conquering sin and wickedness, that I might rule and reign in their hearts.

The more you submit to my leadership and rule, the more peace you will experience, for as my government increases, so does my peace. Allow me to govern your day, your thoughts, your emotions, your actions, your time, your words and watch the result of peace that will flood into your life! The more you say, “yes” to my Holy Spirit within you, the more you will be set free from fear and doubt and anxiety and striving.

As both the Root and Offspring of David, I will rule and reign upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, for my Father has given it to me and has set me on His holy hill in Zion. Where there has been chaos, I will order it and establish it, setting all things in their rightful place. I will be both a King and Judge and I will judge all things rightly with true justice.

In fact, I am the only one worthy to take the scroll from my Father, the title deed to the earth, and to open it and unleash its judgments. I am the only one able to judge the earth and its inhabitants perfectly with righteousness and equity, for I am the only one who was slain and who gave my very own life for mankind. I shed my blood and bore the wrath of my Father in order to redeem you to Him, which makes me the only one worthy to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.

Just and true are all my ways, as King of the saints, for I alone am holy. I will reign from that time forward, even forever. My Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and my dominion will never pass away or be destroyed. All peoples, nations and languages will serve and worship me, for it is from every tribe and tongue and people and nation that I have redeemed my chosen ones.

Not only will I reign as King of kings, but I will make my subjects kings and priests who will also reign with me on the earth. For in addition to being a King and a Judge, I am also a Bridegroom and you are my Bride and I desire to have you seated with me, ruling together with me, partnering with me in bringing my purposes to pass.

The zeal of my Father, the Lord of hosts, will perform this! My Father, who is the Lord Almighty, the Lord of the Armies of Heaven – He is jealous for His own honor, to bring to pass His word and to accomplish His purposes. The One who holds the heavenly hosts in His hands, who created all things, who has ultimate power and who commands an angelic army - He is passionate and filled with zeal to see me established on my throne. He trusts me explicitly to rule and reign in accordance to the desires of His heart and He is committed and determined to bring this to fulfillment.

All of this and more was being proclaimed and prophesied in my first advent and you will see it all unfold to its completion at my second advent. Surely I am coming quickly!

** This post was influenced by Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Isaiah 9 and David Guzik’s Study Guide for Isaiah 9 as well as the following scriptures: Isaiah 60; Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:12-14; Revelation 22:16; Revelation 5:1-14; Revelation 15:3-4; Daniel 7:13-14; Ephesians 2:6-7; Revelation 22:20 **

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