G.O.S.P.E.L.

I recently posted a video that has swept the net. I've been spending some time thinking about the message of the video and have, perhaps, more questions that come to mind the more I think about it. I still admire the passion of it, but am not sure I wholeheartedly would agree with the underlying message of it. I don't think Jesus and religion pose an either/or situation. (If you read my review of Viola's Revive Us Again the portions about experiencing Christ through the body are connected to that train of though.) And, I will confess, my inner editor saw a few hiccups the first time through. But that's nitpicking ...

This one, however, never ceases to amaze me. Both in message and in craft, it is exceptionally well done.



Some powerful language for a powerful God of redemption:

"Give God His breath back. You owe Him."

The Gospel Story Bible (a review)

In this cross between Bible and storybook, Marty Machowski has taken 156 stories from both the Old and New Testament and presented them in a simple, one-page format, both colorfully illustrated and with simple questions to help prompt a little deeper understanding of the story. Where Machowski differs from most children's Bible-based storybooks is that each story points clearly and intentionally to the story of Jesus - the gospel story.

In The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments Machowski chooses stories that can be read by any age group - simple enough for parents to share with younger children or beginning readers - and ends them with a short thought about how each story connects to God's larger plan of salvation through Jesus. Machowski also provides the relevant Bible passage for further reading, and 3 questions to help think through the story presented. The introduction also includes suggestions for using the Gospel Story Bible with different age groups. The publisher, New Growth Press,also has published a children's ministry curriculum as a companion to this book (not reviewed).

Beginning with creation (of course), Machowski moves through the Old and New Testament even into the epistles to show the plan of God unfolding, from the need for salvation right through to the effects of salvation in the early church stories. And each faithfully points to the person of Jesus as the culmination of God's plan. While a few statements like "Today, Jesus is our ark" may need some explanation, overall the connection is clearly and simply made.

The overall visual appeal of the book is wonderful. Full vividly colored pages with retro-feel illustrations by A.E. Macha give lots for the pre-reader to explore, and excitement to the turning pages.

While it may appear focused towards children, the Gospel Story Bible is really applicable to any age group or level of Christian believer. It makes connections through out Scripture in a rather unique way that can introduce Jesus to the new believer, or can prompt further study for the long-time Christian. It's a unique telling of the gospel story.


Review copy provided by The B&B Media Group.

Religion vs. Jesus (Spoken Word)

Turbulent Days

In looking at the life of Absalom this morning, I was directed to several of the Psalms that King David (Absalom's father) is thought to have written during the time when Absalom was rebelling against his father's leadership. Keep in mind, that this didn't just mean arguing about his curfew - Absalom was deliberately working to undermine David's position as king and to take the kingdom from him. Absalom wanted to be king, even at the cost of his dad's life. The story can be found in 2 Samuel 15 & 16.

While reading through the Psalms listed, I came across this statement in my Bible's footnotes for Psalm 63:

"His [David's] actions closely paralleled his beliefs during those turbulent days."

(NIV Life Application Study Bible, p. 891)

"Turbulent days" seems like a bit of an understatement. Rebellion on both a familial and a national level, personal and professional betrayal, running for his life - days were indeed "turbulent" for David. His own sins with Bathsheba (adultery and murder) were still bringing daily consequences to both his family and his nation.

But then this thought occurred to me - turbulent times will always reveal our true beliefs. Our actions can't NOT parallel our beliefs because under pressure, we become less aware of the facade and more focused on survival. And what we do to survive will always be based on our deepest beliefs.

We're beginning a new year. For many, 2012 is a year they are facing with real apprehension - whether because of Mayan prophecies or presidential elections or the economic situation, they are anticipating bad things in the weeks and months ahead.

And I think people's actions, just like in 2 Samuel, will reveal what they truly believe. Those who believe they are on their own and control their own destiny will be scrambling to be sure they are "okay". Whether that means bettering their financial position (money will save me) or seeking relationships (it's not what you know, it's who you know), these people will be looking for external safety.

Those that truly believe that God is sovereign will also be acting on that belief, trusting God to provide, to know what's best and to lead them day by day. You will see them step out in faith, rest in His promises and talk to Him when they don't know what else to do. And I believe you'll see both types of people within the church and outside of it. Because sometimes it takes turbulent days to reveal what you truly believe.

"Those turbulent days" revealed in the end that David fully trusted God to be his source of provision, safety and peace. They also revealed the Absalom, in spite of being popular, was foolish, self-centered and weak.

What will 2012 reveal about you?

Triple Dog Dare/Truth & Dare - devotionals for kids (a review)

As parents, we want our children to learn for themselves the habit of reading God's Word and for putting what they learn into practice. Two new devotionals aim to do just that - Truth or Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls by Ann-Margaret Hovsepian, and Triple Dog Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Boys by Jeremy V. Jones.

Both published by David C. Cook, these books aim to not just encourage the habit of devotions but also to encourage the living of devotion. Each includes a Scripture passage for the day, a short application idea, a place for response or thoughts, and a couple tips for making it happen. Some of these are entertaining, like "Tell your buddies to punch you in the arm if you complain about a teacher" in the devotional about respecting authority, others are more involved like the Weekend project ideas that include art, activities or action ideas. Both versions include fun graphics, pages marked with days of the week to help stay on track and an interesting range of topics that are applied to every day situations.

Truth or Dare, the girls' edition, makes more use of visual elements, like puzzles, graphs or charts that can be filled in, the boys' less so. A non-reader may find the boy's version a little less compelling in this respect because it looks more word-heavy, and the font on the devotionals is quite small in comparison to the rest of the page. But if used with some parental involvement, the ideas are definitely geared to boys. Another small consideration is that while there is plenty of room to write responses and ideas, the paperback binding makes putting this into practice a little awkward as the book doesn't want to lay open.

Both devotionals cover a range of topics and all are handled discreetly and appropriately for the age groups. Overall, I give them two thumbs up!

Review copies provided by The B&B Media Group.

Hallelujah Chorus from Quinhagak, Alaska

Having grown up in a place with decided winters, this project makes me smile for a multitude of reasons!

Mixed greens for a healthy diet

In my career as a freelance writer, I've interviewed a number of dieticians and nutritionists, and when talking about healthy living, a topic that comes up often is vegetables. In fact, the very first article I ever wrote was called "Is Salad Ruining Your Diet?".

Did you know that 1 cup of iceberg lettuce only has 8 calories? But eating only iceberg lettuce won't give you all the nutrition you need for a healthy body. Mixed greens (and, of course, other food groups) may have more calories but they also carry a variety of trace minerals for better overall health. And in my opinion, some of the other varieties of lettuce taste better too.

How does that relate to my spiritual health?

I was reading in Hebrews 10 and came across this passage where the author (generally assumed to be the apostle Paul) is encouraging the church to persevere in their faith. And it struck me as a funny co-incidence that much of his advice begins with "let us". (I don't think it's much of a strain to hear this as "lettuce", do you?)

So what are the "let us"s that Paul recommends? Is there a mixed greens component to the Christian life?

1. "Let us draw near to God ..." (vs. 22)

This should be so obvious it doesn't need explaining but let me just expand a little. As a Christ-follower, we need to be near to Christ so that we see who we are following, where He is leading us, and what He is leading us to do. Being near to God is being in close communication with Him so that we are attuned to His voice and direction. How do we draw near to God? Through regular time with Him - reading His word (the Bible), talking to Him through prayer, and listening for what He has to say.

2. "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess ... " (vs. 23)

God is faithful and when we hold on to His promises for us, we hold onto the God that made them, too. Which in turn helps us draw near - see how this works? :)

3. "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds ... " (vs. 24)

I like this section - Paul is saying "Let's be deliberate about encouraging each other to live the life Christ called us to." Let's think about how we can prompt each other forward in living out our faith. And I think one of the ways we do that is in the section that follows:

4. "Let us not give up meeting together ... " (vs. 25)

We can't be "spurring one another on" if we're not spending time with one another. Paul goes on to mention some people of his time that were "in the habit" of not getting together. I doubt he meant just getting together for lunch a couple times a year. I think it includes church on Sunday (or Wednesday or whatever day your church meets) too.

Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? No. But you lose some of those "trace minerals" of the Christian life by not being there. No church is perfect but every Bible-teaching church builds qualities of Christ that we can't experience anywhere else.

Author Frank Viola makes an interesting discussion of the ways God communicates, one of which is through His body (the church). He paraphrases 1 Corinthians 12:6 as follows: "The one true God speaks through a variety of different ways via His one body." Viola goes on to say "...Christ never reveals his whole mind through an individual. It takes a body of believers to lay hold of his mind together." (Revive Us Again, p. 23) Imagine all we benefit from worshiping and learning and doing life together.

5. "Let us encourage one another ... " (vs. 25b)

I find it interesting that Paul says we should be together at the starting point (spurring each other on) and at the finish line. As believers together, we are asked to keep each other focused on the task of "love and good deeds" (vs. 24) but also be there to cheer each other on as they happen. Yet another benefit that we would never get alone.

So, if our goal is a healthy and vibrant Christian life, Paul provides the "grocery list" of things that will help us grow in our faith and grow together as Christ's body. It's a matter of not just surviving as a Christian but of choosing to thrive as a Christian. "Lettuce" do our best to keep these things in mind as we work through each day.