Books Read in 2013*

Happy New Year!

Listed in no particular order here is a list of the best books I read in 2013.


The Hour That Changes The World

This book was first published in 1978 but I was not familiar with the book. The title caught my eye on a vendor's table at the Georgia Home Education Conference in 2013. I downloaded it to my tablet and immediately wondered why I had never heard of the excellent book on prayer.


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And When You Pray: The Deeper Meaning of the Lord's Prayer

A closer look at the prayer Jesus gives in the first 5 verses of Matthew 6 written by Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries 



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Through The Eyes of C.H. Spurgeon

This book is a collection of powerful quotes from C.H. Spurgeon.



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Ten Indictments Against the Modern Church

This message was preached on October 22, 2008 by Paul Washer who served as a missionary in Peru for ten years. Powerful word for the Church.


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Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart: How to Know For Sure You Are Saved

Don't let the title fool you, this is an excellent book on the assurance of salvation based on the finished work of Christ not on praying a one time prayer. Easy-believism is a blight on the modern church. This book can help a lot of people: saved and lost.



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Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions Volume 1 & 2

Edited by Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis, has provided Christians with an excellent resource to help equip them be able to "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you"



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The Insanity of God

Powerful! See how God is working through His Church around the world. Persecution and suffering is a very real and normal part for many around the world. God is faithful. Their faith is strong and vibrant. Would our "faith" here in America stand or would it be exposed as a shallow fake?



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Total Truth

Addresses how Christians have developed a wrong way of looking at life.  In the culture war your worldview does matter.



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The Masculine Mandate

A book that calls men back to biblical manhood - masculinity.  Not very popular in 21st century America but very much needed in a the confused culture of our day.



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Discover the Mystery of Faith

How worship shapes believing.



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Walking East to West: God in the Shadows

Ravi Zacharias, distinguished Christian apologist, tells his story.



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50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning From Spiritual Giants of the Faith

Warren Wiersbe provides brief biographies from church history.



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*  I am not including the Bible in this list. I strive to read through the Bible every year.  I agree with Tony Reinke (author of Lit!), there are two genres of books:  genre A - The Bible and  genre B - All other books.  The books included in this list are from genre B.

2 PRINCIPLES, 1 PARADOX (3 Great Books From Randy Alcorn)

LIFECHANGE BOOKS by Multnomah

small books BIG CHANGE

These books live up to the their billing.  LIFECHANGE BOOKS & small books BIG CHANGE!

These small books from Randy Alcorn address three key areas: Money or Finances, Purity and Christlikeness (Grace & Truth). Each book is packed full of biblical truth. Money, Purity and Christlikeness, who doesn't need to be challenged and encouraged from God's word in these areas. If you invest a small amount of time and read these books, you will find that your investment will pay great dividends in your life and in the life of your family.  I highly recommend you make the investment. _ ah

The Treasure Principle

Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving

DISCOVER A JOY MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD!

The Purity Principle

God's Safeguards for Life's Dangerous Roads

A Higher Pleasure Is Within Reach!

The Grace and Truth Paradox

Responding with Christlike Balance

 

GRACE OR TRUTH... OR BOTH?

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Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries and the author of many award-winning and bestselling books. He and his wife, Nanci, live in Gresham, Oregon, and have two grown daughters, Karina and Angela. 

ARE YOUR PRIORITIES IN ORDER?

Are your priorities in order? A good question to ask anytime, but especially at the beginning of a new year. 

Below is a resource I came across in the book "Confident Parenting" that provides a guideline for reflecting on the different components of your life. Are you being intentional about the Legacy you are leaving behind? Do you want more of Jesus in 2012?  MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR PRIORITIES IN ORDER IN 2012!

Soli Deo Gloria,
ah
"Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." William Carey

_____________________________________________________

Keeping all of the different components of your life in order is no easy task.  For your sake – and for the sake of your family – evaluating your priorities is an important step in keeping your life on track.

1. Relationship with God

Are you loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind?  (Matthew 22:37,38)

Are you seeking first His kingdom and righteousness?  (Matthew 6:33)

Are you spending regular time in prayer and in His word?

Are you growing in Christ-like character? Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

2. Relationship with your spouse

Are you loving your spouse sacrificially and unconditionally as Christ loved the church? (Ephesians 5:25-28)

Are you meeting your spouses’ needs?

*          Emotional

*          Physical

*          Spiritual

*          Romantic

What would your spouses’ answer be?

3. Family

How often does your family only receive your leftover emotional scraps?

Do you view your children as gifts from the Lord? (Ps. 127:3)

Are you encouraging your children, are you comforting them, are you urging them to live lives worthy of the Lord? (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

Are you taking the responsibility and privilege of mentoring your children in their faith? (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Are you loving, enjoying, and spending sufficient time with your children? How about your extended family?

4. Work

Are you being a good steward of the gifts, opportunities, and resources God has entrusted you with in your work for the benefit of God's kingdom? (Matt. 25:14-30)

Are you enjoying your work as a gift from God?  (Ecclesiastes. 3:22)

5. Ministry

Is your involvement in ministry …

*          Appropriate to your giftedness?

*          Sufficient (too little/ too much)?

*          Fruitful?

*          Rewarding? (Ephesians. 4:11-12 & 16)

Are you active in reaching the lost world for Christ? (Matt. 28:18-20)

6. Friends

Are you spending and enjoying time with good friends?

7. Personal

Do you like the person you are becoming?

How is your health and physical fitness?

Are you continuing to grow mentally?

Are you spending time and developing personal interests or hobbies?

Are your priorities in order?

by Jim Burns, Ph.D.

More resources from Jim Burns, Ph.D. available at HomeWord.com

The Dash Between Your Dates

Charles Spurgeon said "Dying is but going home. Indeed, there is no dying for the saints." Six years ago today my Daddy went home.  This post is in memory of him.  He made his dash count. I will see him on the other side when it is my time to go home. - ah

 

"A beginning and an ending, dates upon a stone

But the moment in the middle is how we will be known

Cause what defines us can be found within a line

Finding reason for our time"

... What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes

James 4:14 (ESV)

What will you do with the dash between your dates?

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

only what's done for Christ will last."

- C.T. Studd

"The measure of life is not its duration but its donation." - Peter Marshall

"Great beginnings are not as important as the way one finishes." - Dr. James Dobson

We must be intentional if we want to finish well. Remember Luke 9:23:

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

chorus:

And the years go by, how they seem to fly

They’ll all be over soon

When our life is done, did we live and love

The way we wanted to

Cause everyday that we leave behind

Goes on to tell the truth

Of how we lived in the line between the two

The line between the two

So teach us to number out days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalms 90:12 (ESV)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,   making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:15-16 (ESV)

"Will I walk straight, will I be true

Will I finish strong

Will I stand up for the moment

When I could right a wrong

Because the legacy we have will never change

It’s how we spend our days"

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

1 Cor 16:13 (ESV)

In 2 Chronicles 26 we read about the life of King Uzziah.  Uzziah started strong. In verses 1-5 we find him seeking the Lord. In verses 6-15 we see the Lord giving him success, but in verse 16 his life takes a tragic turn. Through all of his success and blessings from the Lord "when he was strong" Uzziah grew proud and it led to his downfall in verses 16-23. 

But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

2 Chron 26:16 (ESV)

"I could live a life for just myself

Or I could live a life for someone else

But I’ll live and die just to hear

You say

Well done my son come and be with Me"

 

The question is less "what is God's plan for my life?" and more "how does my life best fit into God's plan?" - Alvin Reid

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.
Psalms 71:17-18 (ESV)

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

2 Tim 4:6-8 (ESV)

Be determined to make your dash count! Have a battle plan and be intentional about finishing strong.  Be able to say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Don't be like Uzziah. Remember it is not how you start but how you finish. FINISH STRONG!

The song "The Line Between The Two" was written by Mark Harris, Jeff Moseley & Pete Kipley. 

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

Influential Anglican John Stott (April 27, 1921 - July 27, 2011)

"The Rev. John Stott dies at 90; influential Anglican evangelist

Unassuming but erudite, the pastor was considered a mentor to Billy Graham and Rick Warren. He was a principal framer of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant that launched the global evangelical movement.

The Rev. John Stott did not fill stadiums with the faithful like his longtime friend, Billy Graham, or give the invocation at a presidential inauguration, as megachurch pastor Rick Warren did for Barack Obama. Yet he was a giant of the evangelical world — perhaps the most influential evangelist most people have never heard of."  - Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times

John Stott wrote 50 books including Basic Christianity, The Cross of Christ, The Birds, Our Teachers, and his last book The Radical Disciple.

Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2005.

Below are some John Stott quotes and a tribute video.

"The church has a double responsibility in relation to the world around us. On the one hand we are to live, serve and witness in the world. On the other hand we to avoid becoming contaminated by the world. So we are neither to seek to preserve our holiness by escaping from the world nor to sacrifice our holiness by conforming to the world.  Escapism and conformism are thus both forbidden to us. 

from The Radical Disciple

"So faith in God is not incompatible with co-operation with God.

We acknowledge that our food comes ultimately from God, and we

rightly thank him for our daily bread. But we are still dependent on

farmers and fishermen, and on the wholesale and retail trade. Again,

when we are ill, we rightly pray to God to heal us. But if we are

wise, we also consult our doctor and accept whatever treatment he

recommends. ....

Faith and works go together. Not indeed in salvation, which is by faith alone.

But in everything else we both trust God and take appropriate action."

from The Birds, Our Teachers

ChristianPost.com list 10 Memorable Quotes from John Stott

• His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us leaves us with no other choice.

• The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them.

• Every Christian should be both conservative and radical; conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it.

• Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.

• We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather we should ask, "What has happened to salt and light?"

• Social responsibility becomes an aspect not of Christian mission only, but also of Christian conversion. It is impossible to be truly converted to God without being thereby converted to our neighbor.

• Sin and child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.

• Good conduct arises out of good doctrine.

• The very first thing which needs to be said about Christian ministers of all kinds is that they are "under" people as their servants rather than "over" them (as their leaders, let alone their lords). Jesus made this absolutely plain. The chief characteristic of Christian leaders, he insisted, is humility not authority, and gentleness not power.

• We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

When Father Reads the Book

Happy Father's Day!
Father's Day Checkup:  Are you protecting your family?  Are you providing for your family? Are you leading your family spirtually?  Are you standing on the Word of God?  Fathers Day can be a good time to evaluate and make adjustments in how you are leading your family. Stay Strong & Stay in the Word!

When Father Reads the Book
by G. E. Foster

In these days of rush and bustle
When we hurry off to work,
I’m reminded of those early times
When father read the Book.
When father read the Book.
As we each our places took
Round the dear old family altar
When father read the Book.

O those dear old Bible stories,
Psalms that flowed like rippling brook;
Warnings, promises, and precepts
Lived, as father read that Book.
As father read the Book.
Satan’s kingdom round us shook,
And our Savior early claimed us
Because father read the Book.

O they say it was old-fashioned,
And what waste of time ‘twould look
To now take half-an-hour
To let father read the Book.
But as father read the Book,
Blessed thought in our minds stuck;
And the day went so much better
Just ‘cause father read the Book.

Oft I’m troubled as I journey
On toward heav’n with upward look,
To see families all about me
Grow up without father’s Book.
Let father read the Book,
Kneel and pray and read the Book;
Your home will be so different
If your father reads the Book.

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Thankful that my Daddy was a man who read the Book! Thankful that God and family were priorities for him. Thankful for his example, for his sacrifice, for his love for his wife and his children. I could go on and on for he was a great father. He went home to heaven in 2005 and I still miss him. Looking forward to seeing him again some sweet day! 

Soli Deo Gloria
ah


Psalm 119 - All 176 verses in Psalm 119 stress the written Word of God.  The Holy Scriptures are profitable in every way and able to meet every need in time and eternity.


All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Tim 3:16-17 (ESV)

Are Your Priorities In Order?

How are you doing?  Are you fininshing 2010 strong or are you limping to the finish line?
The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on the year that is ending and make adjustments for the new year.  Below is a resource I came across in the book "Confident Parenting" that provides a guideline for reflecting on the different components of your life. Are you being intentional about the Legacy you are leaving behind?

Soli Deo Gloria
ah

_______________________________________________

Keeping all of the different components of your life in order is no easy task.  For your sake – and for the sake of your family – evaluating your priorities is an important step in keeping your life on track.

1. Relationship with God

Are you loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind?  (Matthew 22:37,38)

Are you seeking first His kingdom and righteousness?  (Matthew 6:33)

Are you spending regular time in prayer and in His word?

Are you growing in Christ-like character? Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

2. Relationship with your spouse

Are you loving your spouse sacrificially and unconditionally as Christ loved the church? (Ephesians 5:25-28)

Are you meeting your spouses’ needs?

*          Emotional

*          Physical

*          Spiritual

*          Romantic

What would your spouses’ answer be?

3. Family

How often does your family only receive your leftover emotional scraps?

Do you view your children as gifts from the Lord? (Ps. 127:3)

Are you encouraging your children, are you comforting them, are you urging them to live lives worthy of the Lord? (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

Are you taking the responsibility and privilege of mentoring your children in their faith? (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Are you loving, enjoying, and spending sufficient time with your children? How about your extended family?

4. Work

Are you being a good steward of the gifts, opportunities, and resources God has entrusted you with in your work for the benefit of God's kingdom? (Matt. 25:14-30)

Are you enjoying your work as a gift from God?  (Ecclesiastes. 3:22)

5. Ministry

Is your involvement in ministry …

*          Appropriate to your giftedness?

*          Sufficient (too little/ too much)?

*          Fruitful?

*          Rewarding? (Ephesians. 4:11-12 & 16)

Are you active in reaching the lost world for Christ? (Matt. 28:18-20)

6. Friends

Are you spending and enjoying time with good friends?

7. Personal

Do you like the person you are becoming?

How is your health and physical fitness?

Are you continuing to grow mentally?

Are you spending time and developing personal interests or hobbies?

Are your priorities in order?

by Jim Burns, Ph.D.

More resources from Jim Burns, Ph.D. available at HomeWord.com