by Kimberly | Sep 21, 2011 | Books
This is definitely a concept I am learning so much about as I am about to get married. When living that closely in relationship with someone else, life has to be lived in the Spirit. I wish I could say I’ve always thought about living in the spirit every day of my life, but I haven’t. We get in “I can do this” mode and forget that we must engage and submit to the Spirit every moment of our livs.
Kenneth Berding has written a helpful and deliberate book to show us how to do this and what this looks like in our daily lives. With study questions at the end of each readable, short(er) chapter, this book would be great in engaging study with a small group of women or possibly reading through it with your spouse, or maybe a teenager son or daughter during family devotions.
Berding walks through Romans 8, such a powerful chapter of the Bible, and what this Scripture passage says and what is looks like in the every-day world. Berding not only gives great insight into the passage from a Biblical studies aspect, but also from a personal aspect – with antecdotes and personal application.
Here is one ending paragraph:
“How are your spiritual ankle muscles? Have they atrophied due to inactivity? It will take time to get accustomed to a moment-by-moment, day-by-day walk in the Spirit if this is not the regular pattern of your life. But is this not what you most deeply desire? Can you hear the Spirit calling you to journey with Him? My prayer and hope for you is that you will respond to the Spirit’s invitation to live a life of dependence and hope and wisdom and courage and holiness and prayer…all empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.” (pg 27)
May your whole life and all your relationships look and be difference after you read this book. May the Spirit use it mightily in your life.
by Kimberly | Sep 13, 2011 | Bible, Books, Women
Are your quiet times ever dry?
Do you feel like the Bible should be more nourishing to you than what you are currently receiving?
Do you need some “juice” to get your daily walk with God into a run?
My friend Lara and her writing partner and friend, Katie, have written a helpful and readable e-book to help answer these such questions. There are times when every woman feels like that their quiet times just aren’t what they should be. Maybe you are a mother of young children and its hard for you to even get in 5 minutes a day (while you are taking a shower, usually). Or maybe you a mom of teenagers and you pray for them constantly. Maybe you are married and you find your role as a wife to be overwhelming. Maybe you are single and you are looking for direction.
God’s Word has the answers to all of these life situations and you CAN get the most out of God’s Word. God’s Word is sufficient for all your needs and His Word is true.
Maybe, you are reading this, and you’ve never had a quiet time. You don’t know how. Katie and Lara address this issue – then take that deeper. Its not just a scheduling how-to, its a heart how-to. So, this book is good for you – wherever you are in your journey with Christ.
Hear these words: “I wake up wanting to hold the reigns of control and set my agenda. Before my feet hit the floor my mind takes off. I have to start the day low. I am the needy one – empty-handed and thirsty for His presence. I arise from my slumber into His day – His plan. I’m the one who slept all night while He never wearied.”
Ladies – this book has great insight, honest feelings, and great resources to help you journey on and savor the Living Water of Christ through the Words of the Bible.
Savor. Win a free e-copy of this by leaving a comment about your favorite Bible verse and what it means to you! Thanks Lara and Katie!
by Kimberly | Sep 6, 2011 | Books
I like going into a book with low expectations – because then when it far exceeds what you think – you are wowed and pleasantly surprised.
I was able to both read/look at the pictures and listen to the CD (of John Piper reading) of The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God yesterday – at a quiet serene lake-front house after a very relaxing day. Something about books and lakes – could stay there for.ev.er.
Anyway, back to the book at hand.
Pictures: compelling – makes the story/poem come alive
Reading: if you like listening to Piper’s sermons – you will love this as he reads one of his poems.
Grace Factor: I don’t think I ever really noticed Job as a type of Christ in the OT. What an amazing Gospel- picture. At the end of each book, Piper put in a section about Grace. The Gospel. Jesus in the OT. Thank you Pastor John for pointing that out to us.
“Andnow come, broken, to the cross,
Where Christ embraced all human loss,
And let us bow before the throne
Of God, who gives and takes his own,
And promises – whatever toll
He takes – to satisfy our soul.
Come, learn the lesson of the rod:
The treasure that we have in God.
He is not poor nor much enticed
Who loses everything but Christ.” (pg 26)
Thoughts:
1. Job believed in the plan of God and how it was already made (past tense). “I yield to what you have decreed.” (p 18)
2. Love James 5:11
3. The reading: poetry (not a great big fan) but hearing him read it and the rightly placed words and hearing each part of the words read succinctly. Good stuff. Made it more pointed.
In my top 5 Piper books of all time!
by Kimberly | Aug 31, 2011 | Books
Suffering. Why? The book of Job in the Bible answers some questions. Jesus Himself says we will definitely suffer in this world because He suffered.
But, how are we to respond to suffering and disability within the church? What does the Bible have to say about our lives and our response to suffering?
In a book edited by Larry Waters and Roy Zuck (I love his teaching/education books that I picked up in seminary) – many authors are brought together to answer some tough questions. Their attempt to shepherd their readers (pastors, teachers, lay leaders, parents) through these heavy, weighty topics, is biblically-centered and pastorally rich.
I work with a volunteer couple at our church whose desire is to see the disabled children in our church have as much access to the Gospel as those who do not have disabilities. As we have figured out through recent lectures or books: we all need the Gospel. We need to make the gospel accessible to all: those with disabilities, those who are suffering, those who are orphaned, those who make 100k a year and are living the American dream. The Gospel is needed for all!
Joni Eareckson Tada says this truth plainly in her first chapter: “The greater one’s need, the greater will be his capacity. And the greater the capacity, the great will be one’s experience of the Savior.” (pg 19)
This book covers a wide variety of aspects regarding disability and suffering. From professional care to pastoral shepherding to personal experience: all wrapped up in how the Bible talks about suffering and disability. This is what I love about Zuck and Alcorn (who wrote the forward): handling life’s difficult situations with Biblical focus. The middle part of the book: walking through the parts of the Bible and how each handles suffering and disability: will help give every reader a biblical understanding, a look at God’s sovereignty in everything, and what our response should be.
My friend, Shannon, on her blog says it well: so that the works of God might be displayed.
by Kimberly | Jul 25, 2011 | Books, Women
I think that may be my strangest title yet for a blog post. But, hear me out.
I had the privilege of working for one of the authors of this book for almost 3 years. During those years, I heard him give many session talks at conferences and then got to transcribe those talks. This helped me remember them and learn them and pray for my future husband. Dr. Stinson not only can teach these principles and lifestyles, but he really does live them out.
The Guide to Biblical Manhood is based on a class that he and Dan Dumas taught together at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We had begged Dr. S to teach this class for a while, so I’m grateful that they put it in the lineup. I hope every male student at SBTS is required to take this class. Not only does it go through general concepts which apply to all men: but then they break the book down into sections for husbands, fathers, and pastors. And not all of this book has to do with baseball and hunting – though that is definitely included! I laughed aloud reading some of the illustrations because I could hear my boss saying them or knew them definitely to be true. I’m thankful for godly, wise, “older” men in my life, like Dr. Stinson and Dan Dumas, who live out what they teach.
Anyway, so why did I read it? Well, when I saw it come across Kindle for cheap, I one-clicked it. I wanted to read it to know how to pray for my now-known future husband.
Here are some principles if you are going to do what I did:
1. Pray: Don’t NAG. If you are going to read this and pray these traits for your husband/future husband – then pray, don’t nag. Many women are very good at nagging about one thing or another. Men usually don’t respond well to nagging. But, pray the Holy Spirit would be the agent of change in your spouse’s life and heart.
2. Encourage. If you see a trait that your husband lives out very well – thank him for it. Bless him – be a blessing in his life by affirming God-type things in his life. If he plans a date night (which this book suggests), don’t gripe because its not your idea of a romantic evening – give him kudos for planning a great night for the two of you. If he leads in saying prayer at night for the family – don’t fuss because it doesn’t work into your time schedule. Stop what you are doing and make prayer a priority.
3. Pray for yourself too. Pray that you would respond graciously and kindly to these attributes in your husband. Just as Genesis 3 talks about the woman wanting to gain control in the relationship with her husband…we need to be on guard against the sin of wanting to be in control.
Since I bought this book on Kindle, I don’t have page numbers – and there are too many quotes I “underlined”, but here are a few of my favorites:
“We need men who will shoulder the weight of manhood as God designed it, who will live it out day to day but will incline their manhood toward the Gospel.”
“The pattern and order of creation set in these chapters is for me to bear the authority and responsibility of leadership. And that hasn’t changed. If you’re a man, it’s not optional to be a leader.”
“The man will take the initiative to leave his family and go create a new family. And men have to lead in the initiation because once they form a family, they are responsible to lead the whole thing.”
As I talked a few times with Dr. Stinson about being single and wanting a man who was a leader, provider, and protector – his word of caution to me was that I can’t expect men who have been single their entire lives to be perfect at these three things. But, they all need to be pursuing these three traits – and the Gospel. I am grateful for the man that God provided me with. With God’s help – he is a tremendous leader, provider, and protector.
Thanks Dr. Stinson and Dan. I appreciate the time and candidness with which you both wrote this and taught this. I’m excited to see how marriages will change because of this little book.
by Kimberly | Jul 6, 2011 | Books
I truly believe that what you BELIEVE about the deity of Christ will determine if you accurately believe the Gospel. This book is a good start in helping understand that (outside the Bible of course).
Morgan and Peterson have put together an expert team, both of pastors and professors, who excel at knowing and studying the deity of Christ. The most incredible chapter is the first one: The Deity of Christ Today. This chapter could be used to lead a small group on a college campus or for a high school small group discussion in the summer. They highlight modern films that have a portrayal of Christ and how that lines up with Scripture. Nichols is skilled at taking the secular and helping the reader see the Christ in it (or not in it).
This book is significant in three areas:
1. For research. The last 17 pages are a huge asset to me, especially as I write curriculum: bibliography, subject index, and Scripture index. So needed – thank you!
2. For personal lordship. Christ must be Lord of a believer’s life. This is crucial to any understanding of salvation. This book helps you see who Christ is so you can take the accurate, real Christ (of the Bible) and change your life to mirror HIS! You must start with an accurate view of Christ.
3. For missions. I don’t know of any world religion that has a Biblically-accurate view of Christ at the center of its theology or worldview. Many believe in Jesus – just not the Jesus of the Bible. This book will help you, read along side Scripture, to know how to counter the views of false religions as you share Jesus with the world.
Christ is not the American Jesus.
