In Constant Prayer: A Challenge For Your Life of Prayer

I do not come from a liturgical church background.  I do not serve in a church that would be considered to be liturgical.  And maybe I would be categorized by these words of Robert Benson in his book In Constant Prayer:

One of the obstacles of embracing this way of prayer is our ignorance of and our fear of the ancient, our fear of anything that is too close to the Catholic Church.  We are afraid that such prayer will lead us astray somehow, and that such liturgical prayer is dead and lifeless and rote (p.71).

But I had the chance to review this book and it resulted in challenging my thoughts and practices of prayer.  Benson’s book is an argument for the practice of the daily office, a historical way of liturgical prayer.  I have never heard of this type of prayer before now.  So in the least, Benson educated me in some Christian tradition and history.  More than that, Benson challenged me to be more of a person of prayer.

The daily office is rooted in scripture–Psalm 119:164–which says: Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.  Benson claims that ancient Christians applied that literally in their lives, praying seven times a day.  He claims that this sustained them as a community of faith.  But in the post-Reformation world of Europe, some parts of the Church ended up with “professionals” who were responsible for the daily office.  Eventually, it seemed that the common person forgot the responsibility of prayer.

Benson outlined the 9 parts that make up these prayers, and he discusses the different books of prayer that anyone could get as a guide.

What I appreciate about Benson’s book:

Family Life Marriage Bible– Great Family Resource!

I wish I had this resource before now!  I had the opportunity to review the Family Life Marriage Bible that is edited by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.  It is a full Bible in the New King James Version, and I am certainly not reviewing the Biblical content, but focusing on the “extras” that the editors included.

This Bible would be a great resource for any family to have.  I could see it being used for family devotions, for devotional readings, and as a practical resource for advice in specific situations.

Here’s what I love about it:

• The Introduction.  Seriously?  Yes, because the Raineys detail exactly how our lives and families must be built on the foundation of God’s Word.  It’s an excellent intro to know what you’re getting into with this Bible.
• The Family Manifesto.  This is almost like a statement of faith at the beginning of the Bible.  It details Biblical beliefs that the extra content of this Bible adhere to.  This is perfect for families to understand scripture in light of topics like The Bible, Family, Marriage, Husbands, Wives, and more.
• Romantic Quotes.  These are practical sections on many different topics of relationships that are full of Biblical application.  There are also Romance FAQ’s throughout the Bible that discuss some topics that might be on someone’s mind but not think that God has answers for it all.
• Intimate Moments.  Nestled away in some of the pages are these surprising ideas!  They don’t even appear to be linked to any Biblical text, but are just incredible ideas for a couple to be loving to each other.  An example:  feed your wife chocolate covered strawberries that you prepared yourself (p.561). Wouldn’t it be incredible to read the Bible and come out of it with some ideas like that too??!!
• Parenting Matters.  This is where this Bible is like a practical guide book for parents.  The index for the parenting matters section is in the back of the Bible, so parents can quickly find Biblically-based advice on many topics.
• Biblical Insights.  This Bible would not be a good study Bible, but the Biblical Insights sections throughout different parts of the Bible are nice explanations of the text you’re reading.  They are devotional in nature, but might make more sense of the scripture you are reading.

 

I often will give away a book that I review if I don’t think it will play an active role in my library.  But this is not one of those resources!  I think I’ll be using it quite a bit over time, and I think you should too.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Plan B: A Great Burst of Hope for Those Unsure of What’s Next

Reading Pete Wilson’s Plan B was actually better than I expected it to be.  Some books labeled Christian life/spiritual growth are sometime more the opinions of the author than actual Scriptural relevance.  Wilson shared many life stories but they all were rooted in Scripture and applied to the life of someone who is dealing with unexpected events in his life.

This book is extremely relevant for many people today because it talks about anxiety in and fear of changing life situations.  Many people are looking for guidance, and Wilson uses the Bible to relate to these people.  Parts of this book are almost like a commentary on Biblical characters and situations like David, Joshua, and Mary.  The application of the text to real life is exceptional.

Wilson’s writing style is very transparent and proves helpful for a reader who is looking for a frank discussion on God’s timing in His activity.  The book speaks of the emotions involved in persevering through tough times and makes sense of these emotions through personal stories.

The best feature of this book is that it’s not a bunch of psychological ideals masked by a Christian book.  It’s an honest book that talks about real life, but ends with telling the reader how to have real hope in life through Jesus.  This is a practical book for anyone who is stuck in an unexpected situation, wondering if God is still at work and still loves him.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Booksneeze Review: Change Your Church For Good

This book is a good synthesis of ideas you could find in many other types of books.  An advantage to this book might be Powell’s creativity in applying these changes to his church.

I had mixed emotions in reading Change Your Church For Good by Brad Powell.  I was excited to learn some new ideas for leading the church, but I was hesitant to read a book of ideas because these types of books often seem to build up the author’s church and the ideas must be sifted through to see if they relate to your ministry context.

Powell’s desire is immediately expressed:  “I believe that the church is the hope of the world…when it’s working right. And therein lies the problem. Most aren’t! (pg. 20)”  This statement was encouraging for me because Powell didn’t write in an angry tone about the church—something many writers are prone to do these days.  He genuinely cares about the church and wants it to be effective.

I thought this book was very long.  Most of the chapters could be condensed and still be effective.  But if a reader is unfamiliar with some of what Powell is writing about, they might find the detail given to be effective.

I didn’t find this book to be extremely helpful in my current situation.  But at worse, this is a good book to have on the shelf and reference as needed.  At best, it could actually speak to a current need and be instrumental in bringing about needed change in a reader’s church.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

BookSneeze Book Review: “From Peanuts to the Pressbox”

I was excited to read “From Peanuts to the Pressbox” because it was a different genre than I’m used to.  It’s a collection of sports-related stories in a somewhat autobiographical format from sportscaster legend Eli Gold.

The positive: Eli Gold’s life is one of great determination as he set out to achieve his goals, no matter how impossible they seemed.  This was a valuable lesson to encourage people to work hard to achieve goals even when the odds seem to be against them.

Eli Gold took advantage of opportunities.  Whether it was jumping in to do a broadcast in a pinch, or attempting to commentate a sport he didn’t have experience with, he tried.

A final positive element of this book is the fact that it is entertaining to read.  He tells stories of meeting and interviewing sports celebrities, so it gives a very interesting look into the sporting world and into some details about sports celebrities.

The negative: The book could seem monotonous to some by the way it tells story after story.  It was east at times to lose interest because he would continue to tell stories that sometimes were not connected to each other.  If someone is not a sports enthusiast, he probably would  not like this book.

Overall, “From Peanuts to the Pressbox” is a good book.  It’s entertaining and gives insight to a profession that is often seen but not often understood.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“BookSneeze” Book Reviewing Program

I’ll now be reviewing books as part of the BookSneeze program of Thomas Nelson publishers.  This is a great program because I can read books, write reviews, and hopefully help someone make a good decision to read or not read something.  I will be reviewing Bibles (pretty sure it will be for the extra stuff in them, not critiquing the Words of God!), Spiritual Growth & Christian Thought, and Practical Living.

Why did I choose to do this?