The Lightlings

The newest book that I have been reading is The Lightlings by R.C. Sproul. It is a short children's story based on I Jn. 1:5, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." The story is well illustrated and has many pictures to entertain smaller kids.
The story's main character is Charlie, a little boy who finds he has a terrible fear of the dark. He asks his Grandpa to explain how he can conquer his fear of the dark. Quickly, he finds that not only are some people afraid of the dark, but that many people are afraid of- the light! This is where are story takes a twist and spiritual truths begin to appear in the story of the creatures called lightlings.
In R.C. Sproul's unique way, he begins to weave out the truth of redemption in a way that children can understand. He talks about the King of the Light and the creatures that he created. However, his creation would turn against him and disobey. Their action of disobedience would cause them to lose their light and be left in horrible darkness. However, their fear of the King would keep them hiding and stumbling in the darkness.
Will the lightlings ever be able to regain their light or will their fear and shame of their disobedience keep them paralyzed in the darkness? and will Charlie ever learn how he can overcome his fear of the darkness? As Grandpa continues his story you will be able to find the answer to these questions.
At the end of the story there are multiple questions to discuss further with children and verses from scripture that help to draw out the spiritual truths that are present in this delightful children's story.

*I will receive a hard copy of this book for writing a blog post.

Feed My Sheep: A passionate plea for preaching

The newest book on my blogging list is Feed my Sheep: a passionate plea for preaching. It is a compilation of various speakers, such as: John Piper, R.C. Sproul, and John MacArthur. It is written specifically for those in a Pastoral role and is an encouragement to continue in the role that God has called them.
The theme of the book can be seen in the first chapter with a quote by Martin Luther, "And even if there were no other sign than this alone, it would still suffice to prove that a Christian, holy people must exist there, for God’s Word cannot be without God’s people and, conversely, God’s people cannot be with- out God’s Word."
R. Albert Mohler, Jr. expresses that the first duty of a Pastor is to be a "servant of the word" he brings about a good point that usually when one describes a church the first things mentioned are various ministries, the missions program, the music, but rarely mentioned is the actually preaching. Yet, the preaching is the first priority of the Pastor. Christ will build his church but he will do it through His Word.
James Montgomery Boice reminds us that unbelievers think of preaching as "foolishness". They look at someone preaching the word of God and think of him as a fool because he has put himself into the box of absolute truth. He has closed his mind because he acknowledges that there is a Higher Being who has preserved His words to every generation, that He has a moral law and that man has broken his law and therefore are already condemned. Yet, the preacher also believes that there is hope because of the God Man, Christ Jesus who came to redeem those who were already condemned and through his death and resurrection that many would be brought to life through belief in this absolute and marvelous truth.
Derek W. H. Thomas writes about preaching using the expository method. His advice is practical and he offers a quote by John Calvin to summarize why preaching the word of God in this fashion is extremely necessary, "We owe to the Scriptures the same reverence as we owe to God, since it has its only source in Him and has nothing of human origin mixed with it."
R.C. Sproul stresses the aspect of the "teaching preacher" since this is a requirement of the pastoral office. However, many would rather have a Pastor who preaches entertaining sermons rather than one who teaches them the truth and doctrine of scripture. In order for the Pastor to faithfully teach the word of God then he must know it himself and also continue to be a constant learner.
I found this book extremely interesting to read because it reminds me how much we need to pray for those who are preaching in our churches. We must pray for the Pastor as he feeds the sheep that God has brought to Him. The job the Pastor has is extremely difficult because as we so most of the world looks at him as a fool and to often those in the church are looking for him to entertain them rather than to feed them. This book can easily be read by those who are not in a Pastoral role to remember to pray for their Pastor and then after reading it they can give it to their Pastor so it will encourage him to continue teaching and preaching the word of God.

*I will receive a hard copy of this book for writing a blog post.

Peace: Classic Readings for Christmas

The newest book that I have read recently is Peace: Classic Readings for Christmas by Stephen J. Nichols. With the holiday season soon approaching it seemed fitting to read a book with a Nativity theme. The writing is extremely creative and enjoyable. The book itself is a collection of small excerpts from writers, such as, Martin Luther, Augustine, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul.
The book begins with an introduction of the ideas, hopes, and wishes that many of us have during the Holiday Season. However, we are soon reminded that Christmas is just for a moment and that in just a few weeks January will begin and with it are left many of our unfulfilled expectations. The fact is the "peace" that so many search for is a peace that is only temporary and if we are to find a permanent peace, than as Stephen Nichols writes, "We must look to no other place than to a manger." (pg. 17)
The next part of the book brings us to the search of this permanent peace divided into three acts. The first act is the Promise. This chapter includes multiple excerpts from scripture that tell us of the Promised Redeemer. The second act is the Fulfillment. This chapter shows us in scripture how all the promises were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The final act is the Reflection. This chapter causes us to meditate and consider on what this promised Savior means to the world. This Promised Redeemer who was the only child to be born King.
The rest of the book contains two historical ways of celebrating the Christmas season- the first included is The Nine Lessons & Carols and the second included is the classic tradition of Advent. The section on Advent contains readings and prayers for the four Sundays before Christmas to contemplate and remember the only One who can bring us permanent peace.
The final section of this book contains a section for the reader to write his own family traditions for celebrating and keeping Christmas. Overall, the book is filled with beautiful pictures, hymns, historical writings, and passages from scripture. It is extremely enjoyable to read and also to have the opportunity to record your own holiday traditions to then pass them along to future generations. I also think it could be used for the four weeks of Advent to read small portions daily and meditate on each of the three acts that were accomplished by the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

*I will be receiving a free hard copy of this book for writing a book review.

A Life- a Legacy...

Recently, I have begun re-reading one of my favorite books, "A Chance to Die" by Elisabeth Elliot, which is a biography about the life of Amy Carmichael. The writing style is not necessarily my favorite but the amount of information and insight that can be learned about Amy Carmichael is fantastic and engaging. Included in the book are many personal accounts and letters from Amy, helping one to see clearly what she was thinking and contemplating throughout different experiences in her life.
While reading I kept thinking, "What has happened to all the strong women?" Where are the women like our mother's, like our grandmother's, and like our grandmother's mothers? There is a strength that can be seen throughout tragedies and difficult circumstances in Amy's life but I have to wonder- where are women like Amy in my generation? Where are the women who will claim as their motto in every difficult situation that it is a chance to die to myself and a chance to live for Christ? This was Amy's theme and I think in many ways it was also the author, Elisabeth Elliot's theme because she suffered through the loss of her husband but later would find that God is strong enough to finish the plan He had begun. He used the death of her husband to bring many people to the knowledge of our beautiful Savior- Jesus Christ.
There is also a sweet lady in our church here in Costa Rica who told me a story about when she was carrying loads of laundry down to the river to wash with all of her children and while pregnant. When she got to the river she slipped and began to experience incredible pain in her abdomen, she hid herself behind a tree, gave birth to a tiny little baby that would never have a chance to take his first breath, wrapped him in a towel- finished washing the laundry and then would later bury the child with the help of her mother. After hearing such a story- how can one not pause and contemplate what great pain but what great strength?
Over and over I could recount stories from my Mother and from my Grandmother's generation- my Grandmother who had to struggle through the Great Depression and wonder how she and her family would eat with food being so scarce. Where, Where are the strong women of my generation? I'm so happy that facebook didn't exist when I was child or I can only imagine the amount of stories my mother could have posted about me- from splitting my lip open when I was little- and on Mother's Day of all days, to the fighting that would go on between the three of us as children. I have no doubt that my mother was exhausted or that there were days when she probably felt like breaking down but I can't name one- why? because all I knew as a child was that my mom loved me. I knew an incredible amount of security from my mother because I never heard her complain about me. Certainly there were exclamations of - "Danielle, why haven't you washed the dishes yet, like I asked you to do an hour ago?"- but even in that she was teaching me to help and be a servant to my family, to be willing to help others. My mother knew something that many women I think are missing in my generation, she knew an inner strength and peace. In times of doubt there wasn't a website to google or a post to put on facebook to ask hundreds of "friends" for their opinion. The only opinion they had was their own- and maybe a Doctor's advice but mostly they had to trust the inner wisdom that God gave them as mothers.
So where are the strong women of my generation? Women like Mary the mother of Jesus who had to carry an incredible amount of pain throughout her life as many believed she had birthed a child out of wedlock, that she had been unfaithful to her espoused husband, Joseph. You try explaining the miracle of the virgin birth to your friends and then think about how Mary must have felt. Yet, Mary had an inner strength just like great women of the faith before her, such as, Ruth, Esther, Bathsheeba.
So here is my challenge- why not read about these strong women and pray that God will begin to strengthen our generation. Let's not give in so easily to the philosophy of this age- that there are no absolute truths and that every problem we have is because of the environment we lived or were raised in. Certainly, many have experienced difficulties but let's look once again for the strength that can come only from Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate example and it is through him that we must receive this strength and peace.

The Donkey Who Carried a King

Today is a rainy day, the perfect kind of day to drink a delicious cup of coffee and grab a good book to read. Recently, I have begun teaching English classes to some younger students. So with that in mind- I decided to read a children's book. (I think all of us deep down inside still love to read children's book with all the colorful pictures and illustrations.)
The story I chose is called, "The Donkey Who Carried a King" by R.C. Sproul. I was extremely interested to read this book because some of my favorite books contain a theological theme so I was curious as to what a book written for children would look like by the renowned theologian, R.C. Sproul. First- the illustrations for the book were fantastic, from cover to cover it was filled with delightful pictures that would help to keep any child entertained. Second, the content- or story itself was well-written and also enjoyable. I was even surprised by a few twists and turns that the story took so it was far from the usual Bible story for children.
The main character of the story was Reilly, a little boy who was incredibly sad that he was being picked last for every game he wanted to play with his friends. The theme of course is something that many children could relate with so it is easy to follow along. Then Reilly's Grandpa begins to tell him a story about Davey the donkey and the disappoints this little donkey had to endure. Through twists and turns we follow the life of little Davey and learn a great spiritual truth in the process.
The theological content is very good and also written in a simple manner. Also a unique feature of the book is that at the end it contains questions for the parent to ask their child to discuss further the truth of Jesus Christ on a level that a child would be able to understand and to converse about.
I would recommend this book for any parent interested in teaching their child about spiritual truths- not just moral ones that you can find in any children's book. This book helps to point children to the most important book they can ever read- the Bible and the most important person they can ever hope to know- Jesus Christ.


- I will receive a physical copy of the book for writing a blog post.

Everyone's a Theologian- whether you think so or not

Coffee and a book review seem like two things that are made to go together. Recently, I was reading "Everyone's a Theologian" by R.C. Sproul. It was one of those books that you wish you would've had in your library when... I'll let you fill in the blank. My personal experience was one of growing up in church and being surrounded by Christianity- yet, having a hard time accepting it for myself.

The problem was that I had so many questions and no idea where to go to get those questions answered. To ask the question, "Well, how do you know God is actually real?" or "How do you know the Bible is the Word of God?" to a leader at church just didn't seem like a good idea to a teenager. Ultimately, those are just the basic questions because the more you read what is actually in the Bible, you start to come up with more questions. Finally, you start to meet people from every walk of life whether religious or non-religious and you start to wonder- well what really is the difference between Christianity and everything else?

Amidst all those questions- Jesus brought me to himself and humbled the sinner to bring me to himself and to justify what I could not make right with my own strength. Justify or Justified these were the words I used to skip past in Bible reading and not understand the significance of what it was declaring. Then I went to University and took a class called Systematic Theology, there was never a class that changed my life more than this one. It gave me the chance to ask my questions and to find the place I could go for the answers- the Word of God. It even helped me understand multiple reasons why we can have assurance that the Scripture we read and study truly are the Words of God. 

In this book, R.C. Sproul lines out basic Systematic Theology- he does it in a straightforward and simple manner. You might think a work like this would be boring or unnecessary but it may be of vital importance for your life. This is the kind of book that you read and find yourself worshipping Jesus Christ with a renewed spirit and understanding of what He accomplished when He died, was buried, and rose again. I would encourage anyone to read this book, study it, and enjoying a renewed and refreshed view of the mighty power of God.

~For writing a review I will be given a free copy of the book. 

A Short Reflection

Reflection is good for the soul- and with a cup of coffee it can't get any more refreshing, well maybe with a piece of chocolate cake it could be a little better... There are moments in life where I enjoy to sit, put music on, and write. It has been a long time since I sat down to write, to think, to reflect on things, but recently after a trip to the States there was something said that has come to mind repeatedly and I felt the need to write it down before I forgot which then caused a whole stream more of other thoughts so if you have the time and the desire to read my reflections, grab your cup of coffee and read on...

It all began in the midst of a sermon while the Preacher was giving an illustration of mercy, he told a story about a little child who was afraid of a thunder storm and she ran to her parent's room to crawl into their bed, her mother began to tell her that she didn't need to be afraid because Jesus was with her and the little girl replied, "I know but right now I need a Jesus with skin on..." 
This is the thought that caused all that reflecting, because number one how much do I contemplate the fact of the incarnation of Christ. That Jesus was willing to humble himself and take upon the form, the flesh of man. That the Creator became as the creatures that He had created, the ones who were made to bring glory to him and yet had rejected Him, the ones who had gone astray as sheep and were turned to their own way. Yet, he became as man so that He could be oppressed, afflicted, to literally have all the wrath of a Holy God against sinful man poured out on himself, and for what purpose? That he would bear man's iniquities that many might be accounted righteous (Is. 53). 
The next thought that comes, what does it mean to be a Jesus with skin on? This brought me to I Jn. 4 where we find a powerful passage on all that the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection accomplished for sinful man and showed to us the love of God. In the midst of this we are told- "no one has ever seen God" and then following directly after is the statement that "if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." It is almost to say that by loving one another we get a glimpse of the God that no one has ever seen. Perhaps a little of the idea of being a Jesus with skin on...
Then in reading I Jn. 4, I was brought to further reflection as often happens as I'm thinking and writing... I was so touched by the strength that is found in verse 4 in the middle of a passage filled with warning, "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 
Yes my Father- we are children, we are your children. How powerful that we are justified in the blood of Jesus Christ and now am come from God when once we were a slave to the sin and deceitfulness in our heart. You said that we have overcome them and yet often we feel the opposite. How often is it that the feelings inside are seemingly more stronger than the opposition that comes from outside? The pangs of jealousy when you view other's lives that seem easier than yours and you call out to God and ask him why can't he do this for you? why couldn't you have followed in the ordinary? why can't you rest in what you think is security? and then you struggle and war against the feelings you know are wrong and ask God to give you the faith to believe and the ears to hear His Word. 
Then in His time- the Grand Weaver, the infinite and sovereign one gives you a glimpse of what He knew all along and you simply couldn't see in that moment. And now you fall to your knees weeping in gratitude because you catch a glimpse of how the Weaver was protecting you from the very thing that you had wanted, that thing that you would've put your trust in if you could have- but He was weaving that thread out of your life and now in sincere humility you weep at the feet of Jesus because He is far greater than the heart within us.