Children’s Book Review: “Known” Psalms 139 (Sally Lloyd-Jones & Jago)

Psalms 139 talks about the omniscience of God on a personal level. David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes how God knows his every step, word and the truth that He is inescapable. Then he goes further by saying that before he was born, God created him in the womb of his mother.

Knowing this truth there are ways to express such awe and admiration for this God of the Bible that leads us to fall down and worship him. For author Sally Lloyd-Jones and artist Jago, expressing such wonder is done by knowing He is our Father.

Children’s Book Review: Christmas Releases of The Good Book Company This October

The Good Book Company recently dropped some Christmas treats for kids. It’s one jolly bunch of books about the birth of Jesus Christ. So today, I’ll be reviewing them here, including sample pages of each book. Click on the title to get yourself a copy.

The Christmas Surprise (Stephanie Williams) – What I like about this book is that it didn’t quickly dive into the birth of Jesus. Rather it starts with a brief look on the “promise” made by God in the Garden of Eden and Israel. It revolves around people being surprised by Christ coming. The ending would be a good springboard to explain the gospel message to kids. The art is nice, it goes along with the story and appeals for the young reader. But the scene with the angel telling Mary about having a baby is a bit exaggerated. Still a good read for you and your kids.

Book Review: “The StoryChanger” (David Murray)

The redemption story never gets old. It’s the essential story that is not just for the unbelievers but for us who are the elect. It’s the story that we see also in secular movies and books (good vs. evil). This story, God’s story is not just a feel good narrative. It has the power of transformation. David Murray’s new book, The StoryChanger shows us this power that changes lives.

Book Review: “Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times” (Luke H. Davis)

For the past years, I’ve been devouring books on church history. It’s not just out of curiosity nor being a marites that makes me want to pick up a book on this kind of topic. I received review copies that have this topic and this year had interesting new releases of church history. The treatment of the authors varies, but I usually get historical fiction and factual narratives. But in Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times brings the best of two worlds that will make kids open the book and dig in.

8 Favorite Quotes From The Book “The Biblical World of Gender” (Celina Durgin, Dru Johnson, Editors)

Good day! Here’s some great quotes I would like to share from a book I recently finished, The Biblical World of Gender, a collection of essays by today’s respected Bible scholars, edited by Celina Durgin and Dru Johnson, published by Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. You can get your copy, both physical and digital by following this link.

“In Israel’s world an individual’s legal status did not derive from an abstract universal notion of personhood but rather from an individual’s particular position within the household. As a result, the Bible betrays little if any awareness of individual human rights. Rather, the mutual obligations, duties, and claims that characterize the kinship circle are the focus. In our world, the individual is variously endowed with power and privilege to act in the individual’s self-interest.”— Sandra Richter

Book Review: “Authentic Ministry” (Michael Reeves)

No one wants something fake.

Well, we do sometimes fall for those things. We know there are plenty of counterfeits in the world. That’s why it’s easy to settle for it. It’s because there are plenty and readily available for use. But all things fake have something in common: it won’t last. It will soon bend and break. Fakes are not something for the long haul.

In the ministry, men and women shouldn’t settle for something that will not last. When everything is caving in to us in the ministry, what do we do? What could help us be ready for the ministry that will sustain us to the very end?

Children’s Book Review: “The Magnificent Time Machine” (Sinclair B. Ferguson)

A time travelling plot is a staple in children’s books. Like what I reviewed last January, there is always room for this kind of story. Stories like these embrace the unknown that give such thrill to our little ones.

In the case of Christian children’s books, time travelling is not the end of itself. The story must lead to the gospel. Speaking the gospel in the story shouldn’t be just an afterthought. It must be the center. We must always show the essentiality of the gospel or else we might lessen its importance to our children. I’m happy that this new book by Bible teacher, Sinclair Ferguson brings the gospel to the center. How? By going back to the beginning.

Book Review: “Cultural Contextualization of Apologetics” (Matt W. Lee)

Ad fontes might be a call by the Reformation to go back to the Scriptures to find affirmation of what doctrines we should live by. As our culture goes farther and farther from the Judeo-Christian influence, we need to guard and defend it. I think ad fontes should and with much gusto that we apply this also in apolgetics. Cultural Contextualization of Apologetics authored by Matt Lee, helps us get into this matter by going back to the Scriptures and zooming in with the Apostle Paul’s apologetic approach.

Comicbook Review: “Perpetua” (Art Ayris and Jeff Slemons)

Summary: Perpetua is a story of one of the earliest Christian women recorded outside of Scriptures that suffered persecution because of her faith. Little was known of her but here death under the hand of Rome is an incredible story.

Cover Art: Similar to cover the of Martyrs comicbook but Slemons gives a sweeping cinematic look that you’ll always want to stare at. While that comic is minimalist cover, this one is masterpiece in itself. If this comic is on the shelf with other comics, surely this is an eye grabbing cover and you’ll be picking it up and read it on the spot. Slemon rendered his art on the cover (and interior) that can only be called epic.

8 Favorite Quotes From The Book “How The Church Fathers Read the Bible” (Gerald Bray)

It’s been a while since I posted some quotes from the book I recently finished. The reasons are I’m busy and the book is long or technical too read. But anyways, here’s s some great quotes I got from a book I recently finished, How The Church Fathers Read the Bible by Gerald Bray published by Lexham Press. You can get your copy, both physical and digital by following this link.

“The fathers of the church could not know that we would still be reading their works today, nor could they have had any idea of how the gospel would spread across the world and take root in places of which they had never heard. Their faith has been vindicated in ways that they could not have known or suspected. We are called to learn from their example and to take heart in the fact that God has not changed, that his promises remain fi rm, and that in his good time he will reveal the fruits of our faith in the life of his people.”