Book Review - Loving Jesus More (30/9)

I don't know about you, but as a christian growing up, I often wrestle with the questions of why I’m unable to love God more? Why is my love for Him so lacking? Why aren't I growing as much as I hope to in my love for Jesus? If you’re like me, then this book is for you and for me.

In a series of 9 sermons, Phil Ryken takes the readers through various aspects of what a christians need to know and understand so that we can grow to love Jesus our Saviour more. Phil first takes the readers to the source of love, both our love towards God and more importantly, His love towards us. Phil then rakes the readers through many struggles a christian might face in the journey of being a christians. I felt that as i read, many of the sermons addresses real needs and questions for myself and for other christians and he always directs and reminds us of the love Christ has for us.

This book is also written very pastorally, Phil shows what is written in God’s word fearlessly and tells the readers to struggle alongside with him, he does not need or want to act as if he has reached sinless perfection. Although Phil is the president of Wheaton College, yet he is too is in the trenches with us, struggling and wanting to love Jesus more.

If you find yourself struggling or lax in your love for Christ, read this, be encouraged and I believe you’ll walk away wanting to love Jesus more. I foresee myself turning to this book time and again in the future, just to be encouraged to love Jesus more and more.

Rating: 4.25/5

If you're interested, you can get it here, and here (free international shipping), Kindle.

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. (I've also bought a personal copy)

Book Review - The Living God (The Heart of Christian Faith) (28/8)

Other than the book ‘Knowing God’ by J. I. Packer, can you think of another book that talks about who God is (that’s not a part of a systematic theology textbook) and that’s targeted for the everyday christian? I think you’ll have to think rather hard about that. But that’s why this book is so needed!

This is the 2nd book in this series, and in this book Alister McGrath seeks to teach the reader in 5 chapters some basic truth about who God is. The format of this book is not like akin to other christian books that’s currently on the shelf, rather it’s formatted very nicely to be similar to lectures given by the author to the reader. The reader seemingly encouraged to take a seat and ‘listen in’ to the series of 5 ‘lectures’.

Building on from his previous book on Creeds in the series, McGrath logically moves on to the important topic of the identity of God — Who God is. McGrath moves through the Old and New Testament with ease, bringing the readers to attention about what the Bible tells us about who God is. Within the first chapter, he expands on 2 metaphors that describes about God, God as the Rock and God as the Shepherd.

In the second and third chapter, McGrath ‘personalised' God, God is not just one who’s wholly other, He is a personal God, one who is loving and faithful, and one who has power, compassion and understands suffering. Within this 2 chapters, McGrath introduces to the readers what the Bible means when it says God is our Father. Next, he explains what christians mean when we say God is able to do all things, and how only the God of the Bible is able to understand our suffering fully, because He is one who has suffered — in person — alongside with us.

Next, McGrath explains what it means when we say God is a Creator, within this chapter is a very interesting part on how he deals with people often say they would have done a much better job than God had they been in-charge. Also McGrath highlights in this chapter how science and the Bible does not contradicts each other, rather it complements each other as they are each answering a different question.

The last chapter McGrath tackles the hardest topic within the God, Trinity. This chapter is really worth the price of the book. I find this chapter exceptionally well-written, in it he humbly tells us that it is really impossible for us to fully comprehend how God can be triune yet one. Yet, he gives us hope that even if we do not understand it fully in a simple formulae (as life often is), it is okay, we are merely finite creatures. Then McGrath moves on to the practicable aspects of this doctrine.

What I hope could be improved in this book would be the inclusion of discussion questions at the end of each other or at the end of the book, there’s so much in each chapter that they would be enough to sustain one discussion session.

I would recommended this book for new believer who wants to really grow in their knowledge of who God is, or for older believers who are intimidated by systematic theology textbooks. This will be a good place to start!

Rating: 4/5

If you're interested you can get it here, and here (free international shipping), Kindle.

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review - Yawning At Tigers (5/8)

When was the last time you heard a sermon or read something remotely close to God’s holiness? How about the last time prior to that? I bet that will probably leave you scratching your head for a little while. Now compare that with the love of God, i’m sure that would be an easy question to answer, but wouldn’t it surprise you that God is far more often praised for his holiness in the bible? What’s with this skewness in our churches today?

With this concern in mind, Drew Dyck hopes to remind today’s christians that God is holy, and a untameable God. Dyck introduces God as a being who’s holy, one who’s set apart, one who’s the ‘other’, and fully worthy of praise. He mentions the importance of having the vision, the vision of God’s holiness which no doubt will shape and mould our lives. I agree with him on this point, as the common aphorism states ‘your attitude determines your altitude’, so much of weaknesses in today’s christianity often lies in the low, trifling view of God.

Dyck also brings out the point of the relief of holiness in this book. RELIEF you say? How can holiness be relieving? Well, it can, because you and I are meant to be holy, and by being holiness we will find relief from our greatest enemy: sin. (You have to read the book for this and many more! I shall not reveal too much)

Often as I read, I find my self thinking, have I have too low a view of God? Have I been worshipping a puppet God? And this is the strength of the book, it help us to reflect on what kind of God we’ve been worshipping, is that the same God as the God described in the bible? Far too often we want a tame down version of the God of the bible, but that will only be to our detriment. We need to recover a right of God, and soon, because God is far, far too valuable to be tamed.

This is a great book for all christians, but especially preachers or small group leaders. Ask yourself this, does your church treat God as holy? If not, read, be enthralled and repent.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you're interested, you can get it here, and here (free international shipping), Kindle.

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Heavens Flimed For 7 Days (5/6)

This was filmed over the course of 7 days at El Teide, Spain’s highest mountain. It's a beautiful time lapsed video of how wonderful God's creation is.

[embed]http://vimeo.com/22439234[/embed]

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
  the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
  and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

MH370 Missing: My thoughts so far

This is a sobering news and I've been shaken since this is something that happened close to home. I do remember when I heard this news on Sat morning and i remembered that one of my colleagues flew overseas the night before. I imagined with if my colleague was one of them who were lost, or what if I was one of the persons on the place, what would be like? And how would I response?

Sobering, because man is put at his rightful place where he belongs, a minute creature who is not in control of many things (though he may wish and try with all his might). God is still seated enthroned on his throne

"God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne." Psalm 47:8

A good reminder for me to ask myself, where have I placed my trust? In Man or in God?

 

Praying that they will find the plane soon and find out the truth of what has happened.