Review: THE JOURNEY OF DESIRE by John Eldredge

After the death of Bret Curtis, John Eldredge could have quit writing. After all, Curtis was his best friend, as well as his partner in almost everything. Instead, he has become very prolific.

This book was one of Eldredge's earliest solo books, and the lack of confidence shows. It is a well-written book, and all of Eldredge's major themes are here, some still unfinished.

I wish I could recommend this book, but especially in light of the more mature work Eldredge would later produce, I can't.

2Samuel 6

Dignity is overrated, anyway.

Michal's complaint was basically that David was undignified and the servants would talk. David just didn't care. He wasn't dancing for her or the servants anyway. He was dancing because he was happy, and he was dancing for God. God didn't seem to mind a little Indignity, so neither did David.

God is love?

Of course. It says it right there in the Bible. In those exact words. In 1John. End of post.

Except actually not. As C. S. Lewis wrote, a lot of people say "God is love" when what they mean is "Love is god." Even worse, we think our 21st century Western view of love is god.

The current version of love is largely negative; we can't say anything about someone's "choices" -- which are immutable -- and we can't push our religion on anyone, which is defined as bringing it up or letting it affect our opinions.

In contrast, the Bible sees this as terribly unloving. There, love is seen as a positive motivation; it makes people do things. In the Bible, love equals action.

Think about that for a moment. To the world, love basically equals sex. You can do whatever you want with whomever you want provided you "love" them. The biblical definition of love includes wanting the best for a person, not just for now but for the long haul ... and according to the Bible, the long haul is very, very long.

The simple fact is that revelations about God are meant to do one thing first and foremost: reveal something about God. "God is love" tells us that God is love. It does not provide a convenient loophole that allows you to do all kinds of things the rest of the Bible condemns.

2Samuel 5

David was finally anointed king over all Israel.

Of course, God had had Samuel anoint him king years before, but it sometimes takes a long time for people to catch up to what God is doing.

Review: JESUS: THE ONLY WAY TO GOD by John Piper

Pluralism is the belief that there are many paths to God. It says that no matter which religion you choose, they all lead to the same place.

Frankly, it's insulting, not just to Christianity but to every other major religion as well. Since they all make conflicting claims, by saying they're all true, pluralism says that none of them are.

Piper's book is a broadside against all that.

He takes Jesus' claim to be the way, the truth, and the life at face value and examines what it means in today's world. It's sobering for those outside the visible Church, and even more so for professing Christians within it.

I recommend this book, with all the usual caveats about Piper's work.

2Samuel 4

David's respect for Saul extended to his family. The brothers thought David would be happy with Ish-Bosheth's death. After all, he had peeled off most of the kingdom, and was David's chief rival for the throne. Instead, David had the assassins killed and the remains of the false king honorably buried.

Wait 'til you see how he treats Jonathan's son Mephibosheth.

Review: HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN VOTE? by Tony Evans

The answer, unfortunately, is "like he always has". 

This book came out just before the 2012 presidential election, ostensibly to convince people to vote for the Republican candidate. But how do you convince people who have been taught their whole lives not to vote for a Democrat no matter what?

The fact is that, down here in Alabama at least, there were no undecided voters to convince. Some groups always vote for Democrats while the others always vote for Republicans. There are exceptions, but they're rare, and since there's no point in campaigning among people who already know how they'll vote, both groups have effectively taken themselves out of the electoral process.

I'm most definitely not trying to win votes for the Democratic Party. I just want people to think before they vote.

Regardless, this is supposed to be a book review, not a rant about voting. I don't recommend this book, because I don't agree with Mr. Evans' conclusions. Doing more of the same while expecting different results is just insane.

2Samuel 3

Be nice to people, because you just don't know,

Abner was a great general, even if he was on the wrong side. Through Ish-Bosheth's jealousy, Abner defected to the other side. unfortunately for him, Joab got his revenge for the death of his brother. David had his people mourn Abner, which only made them love him more.

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into Hell

The Romans were good at three things above all else: making laws, building roads, and killing people.

Modern law is still based on Roman codes. All over Europe are roads the Romans built that are still in use. And when a Roman soldier told you somebody was dead, you could pretty much count on it.

So let's not have any nonsense about how Jesus just fainted and the soldiers thought he was dead. I've seen people who have fainted, and I'm fairly certain that a spear thrust into his side, piercing his heart, would have at least woken him up.

So he suffered under Pontius Pillate, the Roman governor at the time (helping to establish his historicity) and was crucified, died, and was buried.

The only part that gives some people trouble is the thing about the Savior descending to Hell. If it makes you feel better, call it Sheol, the Land of the Dead, or whatever floats your boat.

2Samuel 2

This is where the divided kingdom began.

Not for good; there were three kings of the united monarchy, and so far we've only seen one. But it's funny how things broke down.

Review: HEARING GOD by Dallas Willard

Willard is that rare and strange creature popular with both Pentecostals and Baptists. This book, though it seems based on the title would have a Pentecostal focus, is actually much more about prayer.

It's a truism that prayer is a conversation with God, but too often the conversation is completely one-sided. We present our wish lists to God and leave, not caring what the Maker and Sustainer of the Universe might have to say to us.

Willard's book is about the other side of the conversation; it's basically about learning shut up and listen to God is saying to us. It's a message we evanjellyfish need to hear, but unfortunately Willard's style is sufficiently bland that the message slips the mind.

I recommend this book for its arguments, but I don't for its presentation. It's an easy book to admire, but a hard one to love.

2Samuel 1

There are two things you should know about David: he meant to eliminate the Amalekites, and he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Saul, the Lord's anointed.

The Amalekite should have known what he was getting into.

W. D. J. K.?

Back in the late 1990s got used to seeing W. W. J. D on everything. It stood for "What Would Jesus Do", which was derived from the central question of Charles Sheldon's novel, In His Steps.

On one hand, it's a good question. We should try to act like our Savior in every situation. On the other, it's not a good question at all, because by asking what Jesus would do, it opens the door to all kinds of speculation.

A better guide to behavior is Ray Comfort's WDJD?: What Did Jesus Do? This has the double advantage of preventing speculation and encouraging people to read the Gospels to see what he did,

For the purposes of this post, though, I'm not asking What Did Jesus Do.?, but rather Who Did Jesus Kill? The church in which I was baptized was in love with the military; it held a Uniform Honor Sunday every year, and acted like my joining the Navy was the best thing to happen in years. For all I know, to their way of thinking, it was.

I've seen this in every church of which I've been a part. Why do we love the military so much? Why do people who claim to worship the Prince of Peace think that it's better to put a bullet in someone's face than to give that person a reason for the hope that lies within us?

So who did Jesus kill? According to the New Testament, no one. I can't think of a single time he retaliated against anyone who hurt him. Someone will no doubt come back with Jesus' appearance at the Battle of Armageddon. Two things should be remembered about that, though.

First, it will be less a battle than a slaughter. The enemies of God will see it as a final chance to rebel, but the Bible depicts it as a way to get all of Christ's enemies in one place. Second, we're not invited. As I recall, it isn't so much between two armies as between an army and Jesus Christ.

And whatever you do don't throw Romans 13 at me. I'm very tired of people so desperate to justify themselves that they allow a poor understanding of a single chapter to trump everything else the NT says.

In closing (a meaningless phrase preachers use) I want to share with everyone something a good friend once asked me. "Should we hope some people remain unsaved so they can be soldiers? I didn't know how to answer then, but I think I do now:

No, we should try to make everyone a Christian so we don't need soldiers anymore.

Review: HE WINS, SHE WINS by Willard F. Harley, Jr.

it's a little-known fact that I have a minor in Christian counseling. This is worth less than nothing; all it did was waste a lot of my time and your money (since I got my degree with the GI Bill) and make me very suspicious of psychology.

This book does nothing to alleviate those suspicions. It was a free download from Christianaudio, which is strange because it's not a Christian book. It not only isn't based on Scriptrure, it is directly contradictory to it.

If a book doesn't claim to be written from a Christian perspective it can only be judged on its own merits, but if it does, it has to be compared with the Bible, and with nearly two millennia of Christian thought. I can't recommend this book because it just isn't up to the standard.

Review: FORGOTTEN GOD by Francis Chan

Francis Chan has been good at finding the thin points of the wall to build up. This book is no exception.

In a very biblical and readable  book,Chan lays out who the Holy Spirit is and why we should care. I admit that outside of Pentecostal churches, I've heard little about the Holy Spirit. Most professing Christians would say they believe in him, but few would claim to know much about him.

I recommend this book, because of the good information Chan provides in his free, easy style.

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary

Jesus Christ was both God and man. This line is just an affirmation of that.

Jesus was God because he was the Son of God. Like begets like. The child of a shark is a shark. The child of a dog is a dog. And the child of God is God. Since God was his father, he partook of the divine nature.

But he also had a human parent, Mary. From her Jesus got a human nature. I'm not sure how the divine and human coexisted in him, but some things you just have to take on faith.

One thing we should never have any nonsense about it being easy for him because he was really God. From his birth, when there  was no place for him but a stable in the world he made, to his death, during which the Father with whom he'd had eternal communion turned his back on the Son he'd always loved, divinity made it harder, not easier,

Why so many book reviews?

Simply put. I'm reviewing every book I read, and I'm trying hard to catch up. I started them late, and I usually read more than one book a week.

In addition, several of the things I've read are very short, and I generally read more than one at a time. It keeps me busy too.

Review: 50 REASONS WHY JEWS CAME TO DIE by John Piper

This is a typical Piper book: very well-researched, very well-written, and with enough Calvinism to keep me from recommending it without reservations.

Honestly, that's what I should write whenever I'm reviewing his work. I like Piper's books. I don't like his Calvinism. Both of these apply here 

1Samuel 31

It wasn't David who killed Saul.  It wasn't even the Philistines. It was himself.

Remember that David had the chance but refused to take it. When it became clear that the Philistines were going to either torture him before death or defile his body after, Saul thought it better to be killed by an Israelite than by an 'uncircumcised Philistine'. When his armor-bearer wouldn't do it, he did it himself, thus ending the sad tale of King Saul.

2Samuel starts next Monday.

This is what I believe really happened to me

I was taken out, plain and simple.

Let me be clear. I am not a Calvinist; I don't think my stroke was ordained by God in time immemorial as a part of his plan to bring himself the greatest amount of glory. I do believe God knew about it, and allowed it to happen, but didn't actually cause it, which I admit sounds a little like hair-splitting, but you're just going to have to trust me.

At any rate, I was trying to do something for the kingdom of God, and Satan saw me as a threat. So he tried to get rid of me.

Unfortunately for him, it didn't work. I still have an outlet for saying what I want, I still have the ability to type -- though more slowly than I used to-- and I'm still dedicated to reaching the world for Jesus Christ. So, from his point of view, it was an abject failure.

Anyway, that's what I believe happened. If it turns out I'm wrong, I promise to apologize.

1Samuel 30

Be good to those under you, because you just never know.

David and his men were led to those who had despoiled them by a servant the Amalekites had left behind to die. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't?

Review: CRAZY LOVE by Francis Chan

I'm comfortable with a God who makes rules. I've never had a problem with them,or at least never had a problem getting around them, I've always thought I would've made a good Pharisee.

What I've always been less comfortable with is a God who loves me. That's because I know, deep down, that I'm not lovable.

Guess what? I'm right, and God loves me anyway.

That's the premise of this, Chan's first book. God loves you, not only more than you know but more than you can know. God loves his children with all of his heart, and his heart is infinite. He has crazy love for you.

For a first book, this is very accomplished. It is straightforward, focused tightly on its theme. Too often,a pastor's first book feels like a collection of sermons hammered to fit into a central theme, because that's often what it is. This book feels ... like a book. I'm not sure how to explain it.

At any rate, I'd recommend it. It's very good, and Chan has only gotten better.

1Samuel 29

Even if Acish was fooled, the other kings of the Philistines weren't. They knew David was dangerous. A wild animal on a leash is still a wild animal. Acish didn't understand that, and it was in David's best interest to make sure he didn't.

Would David have turned on the Philistines if he had gone to war with theim? I don't know; we can only knew what did happen, not what might have happened.

Review: BACK ON MURDER by J. Mark Bertrand

Crime fiction isn't my preferred gene, but JMB is one of only two actual published authors with whom I've corresponded, and I've learned a great deal from his Bible Design Blog over the years, so it just seemed rude not to read one of his books. Also, it was free, and I'm not one to turn down a free book,

In addition to crime, this book falls under the umbrella of "Christian" fiction, an artificial classification I genuinely hate. Too often, books sold as Christian are just watered-down versions of whatever's popular outside our little ghetto. Far too often, "Christian" is used as an excuse for a book being simply bad.

So you understand why I approached this with some trepidation,

I shouldn't have worried about the genre. Bertrand writes very well, and only brings up cliches to shoot them down. There is no sex or foul language, and that makes sense because the story doesn't need them. I was quickly drawn in, and when it was over I wanted to read more. As far as I'm concerned, that's the mark of a good book, and of a good author.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre. Even if you don't, you might be pleasantly surprised. I certainly was.

1Samuel 28

Of course the woman was afraid. She was trapped between the king and a ghost.

This chapter shows how far Saul had fallen. He had gone from being a proud king to bring a man in disguise consulting a necromancer. In a sense, the book of 1Samuel is about Saul's downward slide. As David increased, Saul had to decrease.

And in his only begotten Son, our Lord

This is it. This is what makes Christians different from both Jews and Muslims.

We believe that God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not three gods; one God in three persons.. I don't understand it, and anyone who says he does is probably lying.

It was the Son who lived a perfect life as Jesus of Nazareth. The Son died on the cross as an atonement for our sins. He was the one who defeated death and rose again. He's our savior.

Just like the Creed says.

1Samuel 27

By living among the Philistines, David found a way to get away from Saul. Of course, the disadvantage to living among the Philistines is that you have to live among the Philistines. David got around that by getting his own city, with two results. First, he was able to use it to destroy Canaanites. Second, because David wasn't directly under this king's eye, he could lie and say he was attacking Israelite villages.

David was a great warlord and psalmist, but he was also extremely smart.

Review: THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

There are very few blocks I'd recommend without reservation. This is one.

It's hard, but it's worth it. It literally changed my life.

1Samuel 26

David once again had Said in his power, and once again refused to strike.

He wasn't afraid of hurting Said. Saul had tried to kill him numerous times. Taking Saul out just made sense. But David would not attack the Lord's anointed.

But what about the Jews?

What about them? They aren't Christians, so they need to be evangeliized.

Some people think otherwise., because the book of Romans says that all Israel will be saved. If people are going to Heaven just for having Jewish blood, then the Pharisees were right and Jesus was wrong.

I believe the Biblie. If it says that all Jews in the end times will be saved because they're Jews, then I believe it. In the meantime, though, every Christian has a responsibility to present the Gospel to every non-Christian, and that includes the Jews.

1Samuel 25

When you're dealing with a man named "fool", you know it's not going to end well. David made a reasonable request given everything his men had done. Nabal refused, though, and in the end paid for his foolishness.

"Nabal" means "fool", after all.

Review: THINK by John Piper

John Piper may be the pope of modern Calvinism, but he's also a good writer and a careful scholar. With this book, it turns out he's an intellectual too.

This book is a call to Christians to use the brains God gave them to build up the Church. Because of this focus, it's not only harder to get into, but it's a more difficult book in general than most of Piper's.

I found it worthwhile anyway. The mind is an area that has been largely overlooked by evangelicalism, with the exception of apologetics. In that sense, this is a step in the right direction.

1Samuel 24

No matter what Saul did to him, David would not take action against his master, the Lord's anointed King.

If there were nothing else to learn from David's life, there's this: doing right doesn't always mean you'll be treated right. You may be slandered. You may be run out. You may even be chased by an insane king. Do right anyway.

Review: THE SACRED ROMANCE by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge

This is the only book Eldredge co-authored with his friend Brent Curtis. Perhaps not coincidentally, it's also his best one. 

The premise of the book is simple: Christianity is less a system of doctrines to learn than it is a romance between God and the Christian. It's a timely message, even though the book itself is going on 20 years old at this point. 

Unfortunately, we tend to look at what people say they believe. As long as they can okay a list of beliefs, we welcome them into fellowship, regardless of the effect or lack thereof of their professed relationship with God. 

I don't blame pastors. Many are overworked, and almost all are under pressure to add members. They just don't have time to run after people to see if the love of God is growing within them. It's not their job anyway. 

It's all of ours.. That's why this book was written for laymen. Just as importantly, it was written by laymen. As in all of Eldredge's books, mountains and the West are overemphasized, but readers willing to look past that will find a great deal of good here. 

1Samuel 23

The difference between Saul and David can be seen in the sentence "David inquired of the Lord."

Saul didn't. He did what he thought he had to, but he isn't known for seeking God's will. David is, and it made all the difference.

I believe in God the father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth

The Apostles' Creed begins here, with a statement that not  only proclaims belief in God, but belief in the God of the Bible.

How so? By claiming a belief in God, it stands against the various forms of secular and humanistic thoughts that dominate in the West. It also opposes those forms of Buddism that are atheistic. Belief in God the Father means a repudiation of Judaism and Islam, which deny that God can beget a child. Calling him Maker of heaven and earth is a contradiction of Hinduism and other polytheistic religions, all of which hold that the universe is either eternal or formed from preexisting matter.

That may seem to be a lot to get out of one line, but it's there.

1Samuel 22

Notice that though the entire chapter the king trying to kill David, David never retaliates. Nor does he allow anyone else to.

For all his faults Saul was still the Lord's anointed.

Review: PARADISE REGAINED by John Milton

Both less-known and shorter than the author's Paradise Lost, this is a poetic retelling of the temptation of Christ.

I just reviewed the earlier work on Friday. Everything I said there applies here as well.

1Samuel 21

"Do I lack madmen?"

For some reason, that's always been funny to me. Like someone would just open a door say, "No sir, Your Majesty, get a whole closet of 'em right here." A lot more happens in this chapter, but what stuck out was a line about madmen.

I'm tired

I'm tired of not having control of anything but my eyes.

I'm tired of my wife worrying herself to death over me.

I'm tired people saying one thing and doing another,

I'm tired of being just a head attached to a useless body.

I'm tired of biting my lip and/or cheek every single time I (involuntarily) close my mouth, which is about a hundred times a day.

I'm tired of reassuring other people.

I'm tired of nurses being afraid they'll break me or my computer.

I'm tired of watching Lora work herself into an early grave trying to do everything.

I'm tired of my daughters not having a daddy who can do things with them.

I'm tired of being this way.

I'm just tired.

1Samuel 20

In this chapter, there are an insane king , a crown prince whose best friend is secretly the next king, a plot to murdrer and one to avoid being murdered, ..

Why don't more people read the Bible?

Review: PARADISE LOST by John Milton

 This is one of the Big Books, a classic, thoroughly review-proof. Of course, many people would say that about The Iliad, and look what I did to that.

This book is a retelling of the Fall of Man, in black verse. Milton was accused of giving the Devil all the best  lines, and his Devil is possibly the best I've ever seen. This epic is nearly 400 years old,  so it's hard to understand in places, but it's really not noticeable after a while.

The book surprised me. I didn't expect to like it, but I did.

Review: THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL by Brennan Manning

I don't reread a lot of books, and I pay full price for each fewer, so a book I'd do both for music be special. The Ragamuffin Gospel is.

Strangely, it's not a book I enjoy reading all that much. The basic message of the book is that we're all useless. God doesn't need any of up, and there isn't a single one of us who can add more a little bit of luter to his perfection. We all come to God as beggars, or to use Manning's term, as ragamuffins.

I'm not going to lie: it's a hard book. Not because the vocabulary is advanced or because the arguments are difficult to understand; neither is true. Instead, it's hard because it draws heavily from Manning's own experience in alcohol rehab. 

There aren't many books I'd recommend everyone read once. This is one.

1Samuel 19

Saul was a very changeable man.

In one chance, he changes his mind about killing David several times and was overcome by the Holy Spirit so that he prophesied. That's why you don't want someone without a firm foundation in God as your king.

1Samuel 18

A lot of people have read more into David and Jonathan's relationship than the Bible says.

What a sad, cynical would in which men can't be friends without someone makings things up about them.

Two down, one to go. Then what?

Martin Luther and that no one should be considered a Christian who didn't know at least the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Apostles' Creed. I've tried to cover this the first time in my Wednesday point on this blog, and I hope to start the third next week. After that, I don't have any plans.

What do you think is essential for new Christians to keep? Since it's apparently hard to leave comments here, please feel free to email me at lrchroom at icloud dot com.

1Samuel 17

"Do what you can with what you have where you are."

Teddy Roosevelt said that, and while he isn't in this chapter, David and Goliath are. Most of us have heard the story but we seldom ask how David got so good with a sling. All that time in the wilderness with this sheep wasn't wasted; he was doing what he called with what he had where he was.

Review: FIFTY-ONE TALES by Lord Dunsany

The earliest works of Lord Dunsany were very short fantasy stories about the land and myths of the fictional world of Pegana. These were written around the turn of the last century.

I found this to be a very quick read. I like Dunsany's style, and thought he managed the form of the very short story well. I like old, weird fantasy, and recommend it for anyone else who does.

1Samuel 16

Even after seeing the damage that an incompetent man who happened to look kingly, Samuel was still looking for anoint.

But when God chooses a king, he looks at the heart.

Why do we trust a little kid more than we do God?

The last I heard, Heaven Is For Real was a genuine phenomenon. It's been adapted as a film, and my local Lifway has hundreds of copies in several different versions. I've already seen Heaven Is For Real for Kids and Heaven Is For Real for Teens. Can a version aimed at illiterate left-handed Moroccan golfer grannies possibly be far behind?

I've heard from a lot of people that this child's experience has really strengthened their faith. I always think the same thing: "What faith?"

It's not like God has left us in the dark about this nature of the afterlife. This Bible and especially the New Testament tells the Christian whatever he needs to know.

The Heaven described in Heaven Is For Real isn't that of the Bible. Todd Burpo is at best an extremely gullible man, and at worst an extremely evil one. Either way, Chrtistians should know better.

1Samuel 15

Does God repent? Yes, but not the way we do.

When we do it, we recognize our sin for what it is and turn from it, intending in God's power to never do it again. None of that sentence applies to God, though. I think the answer is that God loved his children (and still does) but knew they needed enough rope to hang themselves. He hated the pain it caused, but he knew Israel wouldn't any other way.

Review: KING LEAR by William Shakespeare

This is considered one of Shakespeare's greatest works, and one of the greatest plays in the English language, so it doesn't much matter if I liked it or not. I did though.

Lear begins by fishing for compliments from his daughters, dividing his kingdom among them based on the extravagance of their declarations of love for him. He only goes downhill from there. In a few words, the play is about the descent of the King into madness.

It's not always pretty, but it's always interesting. The archaic language is a hurdle, but not as large a hurdle as you might think. I recommend this, for its realism. The situations may be unfamiliar, but they're handled in a very real way.

1Samuel 14

Saul made a couple of rash vows, and was too much a coward to follow through when it was his family at stake.

The amazing thing is that he mentioned his son Jonathan by name. When it came down to it, though, he couldn't keep his vows.

Review: THE PURITAN BIBLE PRIMER by Jon J. Cardwell

Cardwell, if I'm not mistaken, is a pastor in Anniston, Alabama. He has compiled several books, largely from public domain sources. This one is geared toward training children.

Though Cardwell is a Calvinist --as were the Puritans --and the Primer is written that way, it's easily adapted for a non-Calvinist perspective. Even as it stands, though, it's a great book, and I'm thankful that Cardwell has made it available.

I recommend this to anyone who speaks time with children.

1Samuel 13

Saul lost his kingdom because he tried to usurp power that wasn't he.

He was already king, which gave him near-absolute power over the Hebrews, and he was occasionally a prophet, when the power of the Holy Spirit came on him. One type of power he didn't have was the power to offer sacrifices, which belonged to the priesthood alone. Only one person held the officers of prophet, priest, and King, and his name wasn't Saul.

And lead us not into temptation

The book of James tells us that God can't be tempted, and doesn't tempt anyone else. That's good to know, but then what's this line doing in the Lord's Prayer?

The first thing to notice is that we don't ask God not to tempt us, but not to lead us into temptation. Sometimes God will allow us to be tempted, for our good or that of someone watching.

The second thing we should be aware of is that there is a difference between temptation and testing. The Lord will not tempt you, but he will test you, as he does all his children. That sounds like a fine distinction, and it feels that way sometimes. I can only tell you my way of looking at it; if it helps, you're welcome to it and if not, you're welcome to throw it away.

God tests us to see us succeed and grow stronger. Satan tempts us so we'll fail and grow weaker,

Simplistic, maybe, but it's worked for me.

1Samuel 12

Samuel was unusual among the judges. He was the last one, and bridged the gap between rule by God through the judges and rule by kings. He led from the tabernacle rather than leading an army.

And though he was chosen by God, like the other judges, he had to spend half his farewell speech proving his own honestly. How sad.

Review: HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE? by Francis Schaeffer

I probably misspelled his name, but I'm not concerned enough to look it up, and that's not the important part anyway.

The important part is that every professing Christian should read this book immediately. Not instead of a Bible, but with a Bible. Check Schaeffer's book against Scripture. Then act like it.

At the surface, it's a book about art, contrasting older works with newer ones. If you never get past that, it's still a very good book, and you'll likely learn to good deal about art and art criticism. It doesn't take a lot of digging to find out it's really a book about worldview.

Worldview is basically the lenses through which we look at the world . An American sees the world very differently than an Australian, though there will be similarities as well. A Han looks at the world differently from a Uyghur, though they both live in China. Men and women have different worldviews. In this book, Schaeffer makes the point that the Christian worldview is different than the non-Christian one, and draws that seemingly simple observation out to its logical conclusion: that Christians should be different from other people.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I really can't.

1Samuel 11

the people of Israel were ready to kill whoever had put Saul forth as king. 

They were the same ones who demanded a king and loved Saul because he was taller than everyone else. Seems kind of dumb in hindsight, doesn't it?

Please forgive me

I think I've figured out my defining sins: lust and pride.

By defining sins I mean the ones that have always been with me. They're the ones that were there when I thought I'd rooted everything out. They're what I see when I look at myself.

Unfortunately. I learned to lust early. By the time I got to high school, where every girl had something to look at, I was in the habit of checking  them out. And that's how I did it: habitually. Even if I didn't like the girl, my mind was still racing. I owe a much greater apology to the few I physically defiled, but I did more a hundred times a day in my head. I believe God's forgiven me, and I hope you will, too.

As for pride, I've been told for as long as I can remember that I'm smart. Add to that the fact that we have everything when we're young, and I was an arrogant little snot. If I ever made anyone feel stupid or said or did hurtful things, I'm very sorry and can only beg your forgiveness.

It's been a long time, and I should have apologized sooner. Sorry about that.

1Samuel 10

As I said, Israel got the king it deserved. 

Saul's first official act, his own coronation, was something he tried to hide from. Tall as he was, Saul was in over his head trying to rule Israel. He was a man trying to do God's job, and I can almost feel sorry for him. Almost.

Review: ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy

This is a long book. More correctly, it sprawls. The title character is only one of many foci in the book, and while her adultery is a major plot, the book spends as much time on several members of her extended family.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky noted that Tolstoy concocted long, detailed histories for even minor characters, and that shows in the life that infuses such characters. The downside to this obsessive detail is long books that move very slowly.

I'm glad I made it through this once, but I can't see doing it again. I recommend it if you like the idea of several interconnected romance novels. If that doesn't sound good to you, just be glad I read it so you don't have to.

1Samuel 9

Israel wanted a king with which to impress the other nations. Saul looked like a king; he was tall, handsome, and very impressive.

Israel got exactly the king it deserved.

Review: THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING by Anonymous

We don't know exactly who wrote this, other than that it was an English monastic who wrote it almost 800 years ago. Now it's considered a classic of Christian mysticism.

The heart of the book is its approach to meditation. In essence, it is this: whatever is good and thus aligned with God, ultimately comes from God. Anything that doesn't is by definition sin. Therefore, thinking about God includes everything good, and thinking about sin includes everything bad. 

As someone deeply interested in these practices, I recommend this book, with one caveat: read it with a Bible in your hand.

1Samuel 8

Just so you know, the people already had a king: God.

God had Samuel tell them the downside of having a human King. They didn't care; they still wanted to go like be the the other nations. So God did the worst possible thing he could do to his people. He gave them what they wanted.

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us

I can tell you what this doesn't mean. It doesn't mean that you won't be forgiven until you forgive everyone who ever wronged you, as I was first taught. However, it also doesn't mean that it's just filler, to be safely ignored.

In fact, the only way you can ignore it is to be perfect and require no forgiveness. If that's the case, then not only do I have nothing to say to you, but neither does Christianity. Try Hinduism or Buddhism; I hear they're looking for perfect people.

If there are any people left and you want to know what Jesus meant, just look at what he said. The Church has tried to allegorize and spiritualize his words for 2000 years, but precious few have read them and tried to follow them.

To be forgiven requires that you be willing to forgive. In that way it's just another way of saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

1Samuel 7

Have you ever heard the song "Come Thou Fount"? There's a line that says, "Here I raise my Ebenezer", which doesn't make sense without some context.

Here's the context.

Review: JULIUS CAESAR by William Shakespeare

Like Shakespeare's other plays, this one has a decent story rendered more difficult than it has to be by the antiquated language.

For the record, this is the only Shakespearean play I've memorized a large chunk of. In my 10th grade English class, Mrs Atchison had us memorize  something like 100 lines of this. Going on 30 years later, I still remember a lot of it.

1Samuel 6

The Philistines got rid of this ark, buy God didn't lower his standards any.

The ark was sacred. It was to be handled, moved, and even looked at in a certain way, and there were consequences for those who didn't follow the law. 

Three verses always misquoted

Everyone gets things wrong every now and then. However, here are three Bible verses I've never seen or heard as they appear in Scriptrure:

Matthew 3.16: this one is interesting because all four Gospels use the exact same words to describe the way they Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism: "like a dove." Did he come down in the form of a dove? Maybe; the Bible doesn't say. That's never  stopped anyone, though.

Luke 22.44: I couldn't tell you the number of times I've heard about the great drops of blood Jesus sweat the night before his crucifixion. I've even learned about a medical condition in which great stress makes me body sweat blood. The only problem is that the Bible only says that his sweat was like great drops of blood. I'm not saying all those people were wrong. I'm just saying they read more than was there.

2Corinthians 5.8: This is the verse that started me thinking this way. Someone said "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord",  and I looked it up. Paul actually wrote, "I am willing to be absent from the body and present with the Lord." So am I. It's hard to imagine a Christian who isn't.

Let's be more careful with Scriptrure. We don't need to make it more interesting than it already is.

1Samuel 5

In this last chapter the worst happened.

The ark of the covenant, used as a good-luck charm, was lost to the Philistines. In this one, they are taught to be careful what they wish for. Really, does anyone still need proof that the Hebrews needed God, and not the other way around?

Review: FAMILY-DRIVEN FAITH by Voddie Baucham, Jr.

If Part Washed were to get trampled by marmosets on one of his South American missionary trips, Voddie Baucham would be my favorite preacher. Since that's unlikely to happen, though, he's going to have the settle for this number two spot. I think he'll survive.

That said, I really liked this book. Throwing aside all the marketing jargon, this is a book on how to do married and raise children according to this Bible. Baucham builds a solid case, basing everything on the two pillars of Scriptures and his own experience.

The first makes it right. The Bible is at this point nearly 2000 years old, and people still have it for  guidelines in raising concerns. The reason is simple: its truths are timeless. They've been proven, the newest of them for almost two millennia.

Baucham's book is based on his experience in that in many places he simplly tells what he and his wife did. Since everything has been tested and is based on Scripture anyway, the reader can have a sense of confidence he doesn't always get from books like this.

I highly recommend it to married people and pretty much everybody else. I really liked this book.

1Samuel 4

The solution, if you think you're angered God, is not to ignore him again.

The Hebrews were never told to carry the ark into battle. In fact, the instructions for it were very specific. There was a web of rules around it, most of which were broken by the priests Hophni and Phinehas, who should've known better.

Review: DEEP DOCTRINES -- BRIEFLY EXPLAINED by Brian Coltharp

This is a collection of quotation. I'm left critiquing not so much Coltharp's ability as his library. 

It's apparently very Calvinist. Coltharp has used exclusively Calvinist authors to briefly explain his deep doctrines. If you hold to that particular theological position, you'll no doubt find this book helpful.

I don't and didn't. I can't recommend it, for that reason.

1Samuel 3

The Lord called to Samuel when he was a little boy. Obviously. It's what I've heard my whole life. It's weird that picture in my Children's Bible had shown.

They only problem is this chapter says nothing about him being a child. In fact, it refers to him as a young man.

Give us today our daily bread

Give us what we need for each day what we need, in other words.

Someone once said that it's hard to depend on God for each day's food when we have a month's worth in our cabinets. That's true; we've done such a good job of insulating ourselves from adversity that we don't realize that we've insulated ourselves from God as well.

The only solution is to treat everything as a blessing. It is anyway. Every piece of food you eat, every sip you drink, every molecule you breathe in ... even life itself comes ultimately from God.

It's when we don't acknowledge that that we have problems.

1Samuel 2

Like Mary, Hannah celebrated her miraculous child with a song. Like Mary's, Hannah's song was in praise of God and went far afield from her son.

Unlike Mary's, Hannah's has never been given a name, so far as I know.

Review: THE CHAPLAIN's ROLE by Tery Morgan

This is a little different. I'm going to try and review a book I haven't actually read,

I actually read this first few chapters. The book was written to describe  what chaplains do and to help them do it. Suffice in to say that the author and I have very different ideas on certain subjects.

What I can't abide is willful twisting of Scripture. If I never see anyone use Romans 13 to justify a Christian's use of deadly force, it will still be too soon.

I can't recommend  this book because of this twisting. I doubt it got any better in the last 80%. 

1Samuel 1

Hey, we're in 1Samuel!

This chapter tells about the birth of Samuel and the faithfulness of his mother. As with many Scriptural characters, Samuel's birth was a miraculous answer to prayer. And Hannah kept up her end.

Once saved, always saved? Not the way you think

As a Bapist, I've heard that phrase a lot. I know what people think they mean by it. Unfortunately, I also know what they really mean 

It's said that Baptists have always believed that way, and in a series that's true. Baptists were strongly influenced by two very different streams in their early years: Anabaptism and Calvinism. From the Calvinists they took the idea that a believer will never fall away from the faith. In modern Calvinism, this is known as the perseverance of this same. It's also called eternal security, and it's a fundamental Bapist doctrine.

Something like that is what people think they make when they say "once saved, always saved". What they really mean is something like this:

My son/daughter came forward or said the Sinner's Prayer or asked Jesus into their heart when they were little. They might have lived like heathens for the last 40 years, but they're going to Heaven because they got their fire insurance when they were six.

Please know that I'm speaking with all the love I can muster when I say no he's not, and he didn't. Unfortunately, not only is nothing like that last paragraph in the Bible, nothing in it is remotely biblical. 

Open your Bible and read the New Testament. See what it says about salvation. It's too important to let a six-year-old take care of it.

Review: THE ARTHUR MACHEN MEGAPACK

The other Megapack I've read was mostly short stories. This one was almost all novels.it took a while to read.

It's a good thing Machen was such a good writer. How good? I've been reading compulsively for well over 30 years, and I can 

say confidentiality that he's the best writer I've ever read. An example: The Hill of Dreams is almost entirely description, with very little plot. Normally I'd prefer it the other way around, but I couldn't stop thinking about this book. It didn't leave me until I started the next Arthur Machen book.

Like the man said, your mileage may vary. I still highly recommend it.

Ruth 4

It's a sad commentary on our age that the actions of Boaz are surprisingly. He not only didn't take advantage of Ruth on the threshing floor, but he kept his promise he made there. Not only did he keep it, but he did so as soon as possible.

But Boaz was an honorable man.

Review: HAMLET by William Shakespeare

this is considered one of the high points of English literature, and I just don't get why. The story is okay, but the language is very stilted and old-fashioned.

Incidentally, I put all the blame on myself. Not caring for Shakespeare is probably my own character flaw.

Ruth 3

If the book of Ruth is a short story,as I've been told many times, this chapter is the climax.

Don't misunderstand me, I don't think anything untoward happened between them. However, a made-up woman doesn't lay down with a drunk man without some idea what she's doing. Boaz wanted a wife, and Ruth wanted a husband, and both of them ended up happy, and that's all we need to know.

Ruth 2

it's significant that Boaz already knew what Ruth was. Not because she was a foreigner or especially beautiful, both of those would have gotten her noticed.

Boaz had heard of her because she took care of Naomi.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven

First off, kingdom come isn't it place. It's used that way a lot, but that isn't correct.

Secondly, think about what it says for a minute. This prayer is asking that God's will be done here just like it is in the very kingdom of God. In Heaven his will is done immediately, perfectly, and unquestioningly, if you're not willing to do that, it's a dangerous thing its pray.

It will happen one day. Of that I have absolutely no doubt. Will you be ready?

Ruth 1

A lot happens in this chapter,

You can't blame Orpah for staying. Naomi had nothing to offer her. When you get down to it, Ruth was the crazy one for going with her. It only made sense in light of Ruth's faithfulness.

Review: AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare

I have a confession to make: I've never much liked Shakespeare.

This play didn't change things. Actually, it's not so much that I don't like Shakespeare as that I didn't understand why he's considered the greatest author in the English language.

All that to say the: this is one of Shakespeare's mistaken-identity comedies. It's amusing, but I suspect that it would be a good deal funnier if I understood it better.

My recommendation doesn't really matter anyway, if I'm not smart enough to give it.

Judges 21

The cure for genocide a kidnapping. Obviously.

One reason I don't like Judges is that it is a book of failure. There are great heroes in it, but they  were always raised up by God in response to the people's failure to obey. We should always remember, though. That whenever they feel, Get well there to pick them up.

I have a small f

I've seen  the past that I could be considered a fundamentalist,because  believing that Bible is fundamental to the Christian faiith. Still, people seem to misunderstand that, some willfully.

Here's an analogy that might help. I'm a libertarian, but not a member of the Liberation Party. I believe in a very limited government, but there are a number of things in the Party's official platform with which I don't agree. I'm a small-l libertarian.

In the same way, I hold to the fundamentals of Christianity without being a Fundamentalist. I'm a small-f fundamentalist.

I hope that made sense.

Judges 20

At lest they asked the win of God before the bat.

The sight of eleven tribes of God's people trying to destroy another was bad enough. Forgetting to seek after God's wisdom would be en worse.

Review: ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM by Margaret Landon

This book is typical of many 1940s biographies: it's fairly short, somewhat fictionalized, and highly episodic. Though billed as a Christiam boy, Christianity in the book is much less real than the Buddhism. This makes sense, given the setting, but it's sttill disappointing, especially when the reader is told the main character has kept two Muslim servants for years s without shariing tha Gospel with them.

I'm not saying she should have converted all Indochim. I personally don't like that kind of boring. Her religion should have been more more than just a character trait.

She seems to be Christian im the same way shhe' British, and for the smee treason. She was born amd raised in Britain, so therefore she was Britisd. She was born and rraaised in Britain, so therefore she was a Cristian . Her Christinity appears to have been strictly culturall.

Maybe I'm reading the much into a book that really can't take it. But that's one reason I don't recommend it.

Judges 19

This is the beginning of the worst part of the Bible, period.

It's important to remember that just because something's in the Bible it doesn't mean that God approves of it. Sometimes, like this chapter, it just records what happened.

Review : KJV APOCRYPHA by KJV Translators

Let's get this thing cleared up right up front. Regardless of your feelings about the King James Version (or Authorized Version if you're British), it's not as easy to use as it used to be. There's no point putting another barrier between people and the Gospel, especially when there are several good options available.

As for the content, I thought it was good, unobjectionable reading, but nothing that jumped out as something that belonged in the Bible. To be fair, though, I don't always get impression from the canonical books either.

One thing that struck me as very strange: though they are said to be part of the Old Testament, the KJV Apocrypha follow the New Testament example of putting proper names in their Latin forms. I never understood it in the NT, and I don't get it here.

As far as I can tell, the Apocrypha isn't necessary, but not something to be afraid of, either. I'd recommend it as good reading, but get it in a version that's easier to understand.

Judges 18

This chapter explains why Dan ended up in the far north of Canaan, instead of in the land they were given. It's also a follow-up to the previous chapter.

By the way, Dan had an inheritance. They were just too afraid to take it.

Hallowed be your name

"Hallowed" just means holy or sacred. It's telling God that we value his name, and asking him to make sure everybody else does too.

Unfortunately, this world loves to blaspheme. Blasphemy is just taking his name in vain. It's taking the name of the God who gave you the gift of life and using it as a cuss word.

Most of us wouldn't put up with hearing our moms' names used that way. Why do we let God's name get dragged down like that?

God's name is holy. It's sacred. It should be hallowed.

Judges 17

From here to the end of this book is the worst part of Scripture. Verse 6 tells us why.

Here's something that you can think about instead: in the last chapter Phinehas gave Delilah 1100 pieces of silver to betray Samson, in this one, Micah's mother had exactly that much . Coincidentally?

Review: WHEN HELPING HURTS by Steve Corbett said Brian Fikkert

The premise of this book is that the Church in America too often hears of a need and writes in check to fill it. This office leads to two tragic results: burned on the giving end and a culture of dependency on the receiving end. In the final analysis, they gift hurts more than it helps.

The message resonates with me; I've long believed that you can't solve a problem by throwing money at it. At the same time, we're responsible for what has been entrusted to us. We're to use our relationship wisely, using them for solve problems, not make them worse.

I'd recommend this book even if all it did was cause me to think about where my money goes. Like the man said, if you give a man a fish, you'll feed him for a day, and if you teach a man to fish, you'll  feed him for life.

Judges 16

Samson had a thing for Philistine girls, apparently. He also liked breaking the law and lying at least when the Spirit of God wasn't on him, he was dumb as a bag of hammers.

It took prison to cure him of that.

More about a competing religion

the U. S. doesn't have an official religion,

That's by design. The Founding Fathers knew the dangers of a state church and took great pains to leave any reference to a national faith out of the new nation's founding documents. Personally, I've seen how well government does everything else and am glad it didn't try to handle God, too.

Despite all this, we do have a national religion. It's naturalistic evolution. Its proponents would argue that it's science, rather than religion, but it's an unprovable assumption about God, which sounds like a religion to me.

That's right, it's unproven and unprovable. You can't recreate naturalistic evolution under laboratory conditions, and you can't observe it in nature, so you can't prove it by scientific means. That's the reason scientists give for discounting God, so it is only fair to use the same criticism.

The problem isn't that it's all unproven hypothesis, but that it's treated as a fact. It's been said to be sure by the late paleontologist Steven Jay Gould, possibly the greatest popularizer of science since Isaac Asimov 

Whenever a quote is needed from a "scientist", an evolutionist is chosen, usually because they're irreligious and thus unbiased. The only thing wrong with that is that no one is unbiased. Scientists are people, not robots, and they have bones to pick like everyone else.

Naturalistic evolution is an untested, untestable hypothesis. It is, in fact, a religion,one whose chief virtue is that it protects its adherents from having to believe in any God at all. Until they die.