Review: Authentic Living by Richard Exley

Authentic Living: 365 Devotions for Deliberate Faith. 

I liked the sound of the title. I liked the description. Unfortunately, the content didn’t match up.


The Amazon description says:

To live an authentic, fulfilled life we need to both understand and practice the core beliefs of the Christian faith. Being intentional about pursuing Christ is often challenging in our confusing, messy world, but like the biblical character Daniel who did not compromise his values, we must take small, deliberate steps to grow in spiritual integrity. The short, inspirational devotions in Authentic Living illustrate how we can be more deliberate in our faith each and every day through small actions like asking forgiveness, offering guidance, praying specifically, and more. With these simple yet profound readings, we can realize a more fulfilling life and faith one thought, one action, one day at a time.

Well, the devotions are certainly short. And simple. Profound? Not so much. At least, not for anyone who has read the Bible and has anything more than a basic understanding of the core beliefs of Christianity. And I certainly didn’t see it illustrating how to be more intentional or deliberate or authentic in my faith … which was what I was interested in.

I haven’t read the whole book, and I’m unlikely to. I can’t tell you how far I’ve got, because all the days run together in my review copy, with no dates or even ‘Day 1’, ‘Day 2’ etc. to separate them (which got a little confusing at times, as he often speaks on the same theme for several consecutive days. And that got a little repetitive).

It’s not bad. It’s all good, solid stuff. It’s biblical. It’s preaching God, not man. It’s just not what I was looking for.

Thanks to Worthy Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

ARCBA Blog Tour: The Warrior Lord's Sword by Ray Hawkins

4 - 8 July

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Warrior Lord's Sword

(April 2016)

by  Ray Hawkins

About the Book:

'The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword ...'That is one of the ways the Bible defines itself. This Devotional takes you into 30 other of its definitions. Your confidence in and appreciation of God's word will be strengthened as you understand its claims.The author's hope is that this book will enrich your love for and understanding of God's unchanging scriptures. For God has expressed Himself within them so you will know Him in a personal way.Scripture is God's breath in print with power to declare His glory. It is His sword to strike against ungodliness. He has given it to us also to guide, guard and govern our relationship of faith in Him.

About the Author

Ray Hawkins, retired after over 40 years as a Churches of Christ minister, enjoys sharing themes from the Scriptures through Devotional writing. Married to Mary, multi-published inspirational romance author, they have three children and five grandchildren. Ray shares his insights in his first two books on Marriage and Children with more ideas to come about ministry and much more. Living in Beauty Point Tasmania Ray heads up a new Christian Fellowship as well as doing relief preaching, community work and writing.

My Review

The Warrior Lord’s Sword is a thirty-day Bible personal study which could also be used in a group setting. Each day begins with a Sword Thrust, a Bible verse to set the theme. It then discusses the point, and closes with a Sword Drill, a memory verse.

As you might guess from the title, the central theme of the study is the importance of the Bible, the inspired Word of God—both logos and rhema, written and spoken. He looks at different types of swords and their uses, both physical and allegorical.

I will admit that I haven’t yet finished this study (logic says it takes thirty days to complete a thirty-day study, and I just didn’t get it started in time). I’ve read some of Ray Hawkins’ other Bible study books and recommend them for their sensible use and application of scripture, and for Ray’s personal insights based on years as a Christian minister.

The Warrior Lord’s Sword is more of the same: sensible and intelligent teaching from a man worth listening to, with plenty of quotable thoughts to ponder (like the one above). Recommended.

You can read the introduction below:

Review: 40 Day Devotional Challenge by Kathi Macias

Solid Biblical Devotional

The stated purpose of 40 Day Devotional Challenge  is to draw the reader closer to the heart of God, and to encourage us.

Each day is short devotional reading based on short passage, usually one or two verses. The devotional for the day then discusses the chosen verse, with the author applying it to her life in some way, then inviting the reader to make it personal, to seek the heart of God and how it applies in our lives. There is space to write down these personal thoughts (although that’s more applicable for the paperback than the ebook version!).

The devotionals were well-written and consistent with scripture. However, there didn’t seem to be any pattern to the readings. I think this was the one weakness, as I prefer to either work through a book or the Bible, or to have a series of readings based around a theme. However, that’s merely my personal preference. A solid devotional for anyone looking for some guidance in their study of the Bible, or anyone seeking to better know and understand the heart of God.

Thanks to Bookcrash for providing a free book for review. You can find out more about Kathi Macias at her website.

Review: From Eden with Love by Ray Hawkins

17 - 21 February 2014

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

From Eden with Love 

Even Before Publishing

By

Ray Hawkins

About the Book

Be taken on a tour of the Majesty of Marriage through 31 days of 'From Eden with Love.'

Discover the Heavenly mystery underpinning the meaning of the Christian Marriage.


About the Author

Ray Hawkins, retired after over 40 years as a Churches of Christ minister, enjoys sharing themes from the Scriptures through Devotional writing. Married to Mary, multi-published inspirational romance author, they have three children and five grandchildren. Ray shares his insights in his first two books on Marriage and Children with more ideas to come about ministry and much more. Living in Beauty Point Tasmania Ray heads up a new Christian Fellowship as well as doing relief preaching, community work and writing.

My Review

From Eden with Love : 31 Biblical Devotions to Meditate on God's Heart for Marriage is a devotional based on love and marriage, and could be used by individuals, couples or small groups. Each devotional includes a short Bible reading, a discussion, a short question for personal reflection, and a prayer. The discussion passages are longer than in some devotionals, but I think the length is fitting with the seriousness of the subject: marriage is for the long haul, and problems can’t be fixed with a soundbite. Some of the readings don’t seem immediately relevant to the topic of the devotional, but the meaning does become clear.

There’s a lot of relationship and marriage advice around, and I have to admit that I take a lot of it with the proverbial grain of salt because it comes from people who (to me) don’t have sufficient credibility to comment. That’s the main reason I like this book of marriage devotions. Ray and Mary Hawkins have been married for almost fifty years, and that gives him the credibility to comment on what the recipe for a successful marriage might be. After all, it is obviously worked for him. Recommended.

Thanks to Even Before Publishing and ARCBA for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Expresso Your Faith by Rhonda Rhea

The author is apparently a well-known radio personality. Well, her personality shines in this book of coffee-themed devotionals. She comes across as intelligent and witty, and I found her musings on her coffee addiction to be eerily familiar.

Espresso Your Faith is a 30-day devotional. Each starts with some musings on coffee and life, then segues into a discussion of some aspect of Christianity and finishes with a short Bible reading. The writing is solid and the author has a definite voice (I imagine if I’d ever heard her on the radio that I’d easily be able to imagine her reading these devotions).

But it just didn’t work for me. I found some of the remarks overly flippant, and while the introductions were enjoyable enough, I found some of them didn’t ring true: the link between the coffee bit and the Christian bit felt strained, as though she was trying too hard. And the devotional section was hard to read - more paragraphing and white space would have helped (no paragraph should be more than a page long, even on a Kindle).

Some of the devotion titles sounded inane and had me wondering if they were typos (e.g. “Alert to a Connection with the Church —Will the Doughnut Be Unbroken?”), and while I enjoyed the froth, I found the meat (coffee?) hard to get in to. Things improved later, but the style was just not my cup of tea. Or coffee.

Thanks to the New Hope and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Rhonda Rhea at her website.

Review: Leading the Way Through Galatians by Michael Youssef

Dr Michael Youssef takes us through the book of Galatians a chapter at a time, discussing in detail what Paul is saying to the Galatian church, then applying that to the church today. His criticisms are generally aimed at the American church, but it’s not just America that is suffering from moral decline and an excess of greed. 

I like his style. The writing is easy to read and accessible – Michael Youssef might have a PhD, but you don’t need one to read it (unlike some Christian non-fiction books I have attempted to read). And he doesn’t confine himself to Galatians, but quotes from other books of the Bible to reinforce the key messages.

There is a lot of sense and wisdom in here, and I particularly like his approach to Christian self-help books: you don’t need them. Instead, he calls us to invest in a stronger faith by going deeper into God’s word, the Bible, and to be on our guard against anyone who preaches a gospel other than salvation through Jesus.

Michael Youssef has written three other books: Leading the Way Through Joshua, Daniel
and Ephesians. If Leading the Way Through Galatians is typical of his writing, I’d recommend any of them.

Thanks to Harvest House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Michael Youssef at his website.

Indie Review: The Discipleship Series by Taka Sande

The Discipleship Series is a series of lessons, all in this one book, about the fundamentals of Christianity—specifically, Pentecostal belief. Although it’s only 90-odd pages, it’s not a quick read. There is some real meat in here.

The strength of The Discipleship Series is that it is written in conversational English, using extensive Bible quotations to back up its arguments. It’s not an incomprehensible theological treatise. It’s simple , just like the gospel is meant to be, and reflects his view that “the decisive qualifications for profitable Bible study are spiritual rather than intellectual.”

There is nothing new here, but that’s the point: it’s an explanation of the central views of Christianity (albeit from a Pentecostal viewpoint). Sande’s not trying to lead the church into a new revelation, but to solidify our understanding of our faith, and reignite (or ignite) our passion for worship and fellowship (I found those sections particularly inspiring). Importantly, I didn’t find any areas where it misrepresented or twisted Christian belief (which is more than I can say for some ‘Christian’ books I’ve read).

The weakness of The Discipleship Series is that while it is a solid discussion of belief, it’s not really clear who it is aimed at: the non-believer, the new believer or the Christian who is more established in their faith. There are also occasional typos or misused words, and some formatting bugs in the ebook, but these do not distract from the central message.

Overall, The Discipleship Series is a very readable work which would make an excellent Bible study for young adults, new Christians, or those who would like to understand evangelical or Pentecostal Christianity better. Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Taka Sande at his blog.

Review: It's Time to Fly by Linda C Davis

It's Time to Fly: Daily Devotionals for Families consists of daily devotionals for families. It’s designed so that each chapter in the book is related to one of the songs on Ka*Pop’s recording “It's Time To Fly” and there are seven devotionals - a week’s worth - related to each song. I’ve never heard of Ka*Pop, never heard any of their songs, and I really thought the devotionals really need the music to be appealing. Otherwise they are just a set of loosely-related discussions, although there were occasional gems, like “The more time I spend with God and read His word, the easier it is to feel His presence in my life.”

Each devotion has a short passage to read, a brief prayer, two or three related discussion questions and a relevant paraphrased Bible verse. The devotions would be most suited to families who own or know the songs, and who have small children, probably pre-schoolers. I think that older children would fine the devotions too juvenile, and that a week spent on a single song would be too long and boring.

I'm not convinced the author really knows what age group she is targeting these devotions at. The writing seems at a similar level to other grade school devotional books I have bought for my children, but then it talks about being rejected by a boyfriend or girlfriend, which I would have hoped was a high school problem. It reads as a family devotional, yet advice like “get involved in your local church” suggests it is trying to attract new Christians as well.

The best part is Ka*Pop's statement of belief at the end of the book. That would make a worthwhile topic for a series of family devotions. If you have young children who know and enjoy the Ka*Pop songs these devotionals are based on, then they would probably get something out of this book. Otherwise, go for something with a more Biblical base and a little more depth.

Thanks to Fields of Gold Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Ka*Pop at their website or online shop.

ACRBA Review: Bethlehem's Warrior by Ray Hawkins

This is another ACRBA blog tour review, this time for Bethlehem's Warrior Baby, a 31-day devotional by Ray Hawkins.

19 - 23 November

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is introducing

Bethlehem's Warrior (31 Day Devotional)

(Even Before Publishing November 2012)

by Ray Hawkins

Available from Light the dark this week for $7.95

About the Author:

Ray Hawkins

Ray Hawkins, retired after over 40 years as a Churches of Christ minister, enjoys sharing themes from the Scriptures through Devotional writing. Married to Mary, multi-published inspirational romance author, they have three children and five grandchildren. Ray shares his insights in his first two books on Marriage and Children with more ideas to come about ministry and much more. Living in Beauty Point Tasmania Ray heads up a new Christian Fellowship as well as doing relief preaching, community work and writing.

Book Description:

Bethlehem's Warrior (31 Day Devotional)

Short Book Description: In 31 daily devotional meditations Bethlehem's Warrior Baby takes you out of a sentimental nativity scene and into a contest with eternal significance.

It walks you through God's promise in Genesis 3:15 of Someone coming and the clues to His identity in the old Testament. You become aware that in the Christmas event that 'Someone' has come.

I believe Christmas is the culmination of Heaven's countdown to reclaim men, women and creation from the tyranny of sin, death and Satan. The cost involved to God to achieve this should make the reader bow in awe and gratitude.

Website - http://rayhawkinsauthor.blogspot.com.au/

My Review:

I haven't yet worked my way through all the devotions in Bethlehem's Warrior Baby, but I am impressed by what I have read, and I will get them finished well before Christmas! The overall theme is Jesus, the warrior baby, born to conquer sin, death and Satan on our behalf.

Each devotional starts with a Bible reading of up to one chapter, then a one to two page discussion of the reading, then a short prayer and a gift. This is quite unique, at least in my experience of reading devotionals. It is our gift to God: a promise of what we can (and should) do to bring us closer to God. As an example, the gift for Day 15 (The Time Has Arrived) is "My gift to you is to hang up my personal calendar and accept what you do and the time you choose to do it. I'll learn to wait and persevere until your time is ripe".

Ray Hawkins has an extensive background in Christian ministry, and this shows. The devotions are like the best sermons - easy to read and understand but not simplistic, yet covering some complex ideas and concepts without the language becoming so theological that the lay reader is lost. Recommended.

Review: A Hobbit Devotional by Ed Strauss

I have no idea if Tolkien intended for The Hobbit to have quite so many biblical parallels, but he was a Christian and a very educated man, so it is entirely likely. Regardless, each of the sixty daily devotionals are well thought out, providing a brief quote from The Hobbit, followed by some information around the background to the quote, then the biblical principle that is being illustrated. As the devotional progresses, we move with Bilbo and the dwarves through their journey, facing the trials along with them.

Yes, A Hobbit Devotional is a bit of a gimmick, a cash-in on the upcoming movie release. No, A Hobbit Devotional is not the most theological of devotionals. It's a devotional, not a heavy Bible study. But, for what it is, it's good - readable, entertaining and thought-provoking, and suitable to be used with children of all ages. Recommended for Tolkien fans, or anyone who wants to consider the Christian background to the movies.

Thanks to Barbour and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Making Life Matter by Shane Stanford

Making Life Matter: Embracing the Joy in the Everyday begins with the stories of three historical figures, and how they overcame significant personal challenges to achieve, to make their lives matter. In the same way, the author of this book, Shane Stanford has overcome his own challenges. He was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1986, having caught the disease from contaminated blood. Remember that at this time there was a huge stigma attached because AIDS was seen as a homosexual disease, God's punishment on the gay community. I first heard of AIDS in around 1984, and a diagnosis was seen as a death sentence. I am amazed that someone diagnosed that long ago is still alive.

I started reading this one Sunday afternoon. The theme of that Sunday’s sermon was to 'choose life' and that was exactly the choice that Slade was faced with after his diagnosis. His grandfather challenged him to choose life, “choosing to live each day to the fullest, choosing to make his life matter”. But this book is not about Pastor Shane Stanford (as inspiring a story as that would be). It is about you and me, working to improve our relationships, to change, to make our lives matter.

Why is this important? Stanford quotes a study from Willow Creek Community Church, famous for leading many changes the way church functions, from worship music to how people joined in community. They found that these changes “provided little to no impact” on whether or not people remained in the church. Put simply, “the people studied said they felt shortchanged by the glitz and glamour”, and “what they really wanted were ministries that drew them closer to God, closer to each other, and closer to who God had created us to be from the beginning. The real issues on their minds and on their hearts were about identity—about what really made life matter.”

While this is a short book, it is not intended to be a book that one reads and forgets in the hurry of reaching for the next book in the pile. Rather, it is meant to be read slowly, one chapter at a time, and to be meditated upon. This is not a long book - just an introduction and seven chapters and an epilogue that takes the message of the book for the indivdual and applies it to the organisation, the church (I’ve decided that I like reviewing non-fiction, because I can say what happens at the end without it being a spoiler).

At the end of each chapter is a weeks' worth of Bible readings, a Psalm, some questions for reflection or discussion and a prayer. Making Life Matter could therefore be used as the basis for personal devotions or for a weekly group study. Recommended.

Thanks to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Lent for Everyone by Nicholas Wright

As a Christian in a denomination that does not formally acknowledge Lent, I picked up Lent for Everyoneout of curiosity, and was very glad that I did. It is a devotional for the 40 days of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter, with the reading each day focussing on a different aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry. The New Testament quotations are from the authors' own translation (The New Testament for Everyone series by N. T. Wright). Some people won't like this because they are married to their own preferred translations; others find that reading an unfamiliar translation can bring out Bible truths in a new way. I would have appreciated knowing the date of Ash Wednesay (for those who are interested, it is 22 February).

This is my favourite kind of devotional, and one I often struggle to find. It has a scripture reference, with the key verses written out. This is followed by a relevant lesson based on the quoted verses, and a short prayer. The daily time commitment is no longer than ten minutes, and will leave the reader with a thought to ponder throughout the day. Overall, I like the format, I like the style and I really like his spiritual insights. I would certainly look for more devotionals by Nicholas Wright. Recommended.

Thanks to Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.