Author: pastorjonathan

Christian,Husband, Dad, Pastor, Mentor, Volunteer.

“Sammy and His Shepherd” (A Children’s Book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, Fiction1 Comment

Sammy and His Shepherd written by Susan Hunt and Illustrated by Corey Godbey is one of the best children’s books I have read in a long time (though its great for adults too) .  It is an illustrated look at Psalm 23 through the eyes of a little lamb named Sammy.  Sammy gets to know another nameless sheep on the other side of the fence and share about his Good Shepherd.

The book is divided into several short and teachable sections.  Ending with a reference to the “Talk about it” section in the back of the book where parents can ask engaging questions about the story.  The “Talk about it” reverences and section are the best integration of story and spiritual application I have seen in a children’s book.  Especially relevant is the “something to do” portion of each “talk about it” section where children are challenged think about their own actions and ask God to work in their lives to help them better reflect His Character.

This was a great book and I would highly recommend it for parents and children alike.  The book can easily be read over several nights.  Though I imagine the book is geared for kids a little older, I read it to my 4-year-old daughter in one sitting (we will of course go back through it time and again at a slower pace).Sammy and His Shepherd is an excellent resource. The retail price is $17.00 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $11.56. I gave it five stars.

Disclaimer: A PDF of this book was provided for review by Reformation Trust Publishing. They will send me a complimentary copy after they see my reviews.  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.

7 Benefits to Blogging

On By pastorjonathanIn About JonathanLeave a comment

I started blogging a little over a year ago.  At first my attempt was just to develop a habit of keeping people informed.  God’s done some really cool things in my life and I thought that blogging would be a great way to share.  Since then I have discovered many other benefits to blogging.  Below is my list.

1. To share about what God has done and is doing in my life

2. To provide a place to share resources I have found along the way

3. To record my thoughts on a particular topic (like forgiveness)

4. To become better at reading and writing

5. To get free books and share my thoughts (like books from publishing companies)

6. To give away free books (because they were free for me)

7. To share my response to Movies and Cultural Events

That is me.  What about you?  If you have a blog, what benefits do you get (or hope to get) from blogging?  I would love to know.  Weigh in.  Leave a comment.

“The Lightlings” (A Children’s book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, Fiction, parentingLeave a comment

The Lightlings by R.C. Sproul and Illustrated by Justin Gerard is a great book for parents to read to their children.  The story is a deep and rich allegory that plays on the theme of being scared of the dark.  The grandfather in this story shares about how some people are scared of the light and begins to tell his grandson about a race of people known as the Lightlings.

The book gets really interesting at this point as the story shifts from the comfort of a grandfather telling a story in a home to the magical world of the Lightlings.  However the world of enchantment is short lived as the Lightlings disobey their king and run to the darkness to cover their shame.  The story of grace and redemption in coming to the light then unfolds.

I really liked this book and where it was headed.  The book has a lot of strengths and can open the door for deeper discussion with your children.  Perhaps the greatest strength to this book is the list of 13 questions to ask your kids and scripture references that come at the end of this book.  This helps ensure that its not only a bed time story, but a teaching moment.

That being said, there are a few things that jumped out at me.  I was puzzled why the Lightling creatures needed to be created as fairy like creatures.  My daughter already gets fairies and angels a little confused. I think its the wings that do it for her.  All allegory breaks down at some point.  And while illustrating the run to the darkness, Sproul leaves much unsaid about how or why the Lightlings disobey the Light King.  In my opinion, as an allegory this is where the story is the weakest. That being said, all allegory breaks down at some point.

Over all it was a great book and I would recommend it for parents with young children.   The Lightlings is an excellent resource. The retail price is $18.00 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $12.24. I gave it four stars.

Disclaimer: A PDF of this book was provided for review by Reformation Trust Publishing. They will send me a complimentary copy after they see my revies.  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.

Book Give Away (Living Life in the Zone)

On By pastorjonathanIn Uncategorized8 Comments

Last month I wrote a brief book  review of Living Life In The Zone, written by Kyle Rote, Jr. and Dr. Joe Pettigrew.  This month I have decided to give away a copy on the blog.  To enter for a chance to win all you need to do is read my review and then come back here and provide a comment on why you want the book (even if you want it to give to someone else).  I’ll randomly draw a name on Monday (February 8th, 2010) and announce the winner in the comments section here.  If you win I will also contact you via e-mail so I can make arrangements to get you the book (so make sure you fill that part out when leaving a comment).

Free Resources to Study the Bible Study

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional, spiritual disciplinesLeave a comment

Over the years I have found several free resources for studying the Bible that work as well or sometimes better than paid programs.  I know of several more than I have listed here, but these are the 3 Bible study programs I use the most.  I hope they bless you as much as they have been a blessing to me.

1. E-sword

E-Sword is a great Bible study program.  You can download the main program to your computer and latter add on Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries, books, and devotional material.  The great strength to this program is that you pick and choose which bible study materials you want to use and those you don’t.

2. Blue Letter Bible

Blueletterbible.org is the place that I go when I am on a different computer and I need to look up some information.  You can search several versions of the Bible on line as well as a few commentaries.

3. Pocket Sword

I recently downloaded this program to my iphone.  It is a great Bible app that works much like e-sword.  You begin with a KJV bible and a commentary.  Once the program is downloaded you can go back and add several other versions of the bible and commentaries.

Review:”5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow”

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow by R.C. Sproul is a great book.  Sproul does a great job of introducing 5 comon “means of grace” or tools that God uses to help us grow.  Each chapter is written in an engaging style.  Sproul uses an insightful story to draw the reader in, puts forth a solid case based on Scriputre, while pointedly drawing out application for Western believers.

The book is quite brief at 135 pages, but the content serves as a great introduction for new believers and a compassionate reminder for those of us who may have lost track.  This book seems like a great discipleship tool and aid to those who are longing to grow deeper.  The Sproul’s writing style is simple yet engaging.  This is a great book to give someone who wants to grow in their faith.  The books brevity and engaging style ensure that you don’t have to be an accomplished reader to get through it in a timely manner.

I suggest using this book as a discipleship tool. Maybe reading it for yourself and then passing it on to someone else.  I highly recommend it to anyone interested in growing deeper in their faith.  5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow is an excellent resource. The retail price is $15.00 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $11.70. I gave it four stars.

Disclaimer: A PDF of this book was provided for review by Reformation Trust Publishing. They will send me a complimentary copy after they see my revies.  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.

5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow – Book Give Away

Short: The Path

On By pastorjonathanIn FictionLeave a comment

One of the reasons I began this blog was to become more proficient at writing.  So far its been book reviews, thoughts on famiy, etc.  Today I am launching out in a new direction.  I have found that writing fiction has sometimes help me solidify my thoughts or even bring new insights.  I will sporatically be including short fictional naratives in blog posts.  I have no desire to actually write any kind of fictional work, but to grow as a writer and a thinker.  Your feedback and comments are especially welcome.  This area is new for me and I can always improve.

This is the beginning of a thought on Indwelling sin and Sanctification.

The Path

Her feet raced down the way, her mind ahead of her body tracing every step she would take along the path.  Steps she once took lightly, steps that were once quiet and silent now pounded out a loud rythm through the forest.  The once unfamilar path through the forest was now a well worn trail.  She had been this way many times before.  The undergrowth that had once impeaded her journey was now dead under the continued wear of her feet.  The journey was once tread with fear and trepidation over hours.  Now she easily covered the distance in a few minutes with boldness and practiced agility.

She hated this path. She hated the place that it took her.  She hated herself for running this way again.  She had wished in vain that the path would be forgotten and grow over, yet now she found herself on the path again.  She knew the despair that this path would bring.  Never the less she pressed on, a victum held hostage by her own behavior and choice.  She was a slave running back to a master.

The tragedy is that she had been set free.  Yet, she had figured out a way to create a path back to the bonds she once wore.  It is true that her former master had no legal hold over her, she felt at times a longing to be back under his yoke of slavery.  She had never known freedom before and it frightened her.  So she formed this path through the woods to be in a place that she hated because somehow the comfort of the familiar was more important to her than her freedom or the one who had freed her.

To be continued…

Review: “Using Old Testament Hebrew in Preaching”

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

Ok to be perfectly clear on this and up front.  I do not enjoy Hebrew, but I enjoyed reading this book.  Using Old Tesament Hebrew in Preaching did challenge me to be dilligent in continuing my Hebrew studies as well as give me hope that I might use my Hebrew skills for years to come.  It is a very down to earth, practical and motivating book.  I applaud author Paul D. Wegner for bringing  such a relavent and timely book to my aid when I was doubting the relavance of Hebrew in my future ministry.

The book is made up of five brief chapters that are full of encouragement and motivation for Hebrew students to press on in learning the language.  All along the way Wegner is sure to provide tools, references, and recomendations to support and encourage the student in his or her pursuits.  Above all else, he challenges the reader to press forward in studying and using a language that can be very confusing and tricky (at least to this student).  He does a great job of taking a very large challenge and stripping it to bite sized chunks.

The retail price is $17.99 (Paperback). It is also available at places like Amazon.com for $7.70 (Which is a great deal). I give it 4 stars.

How to Get Free Books (Part 2)

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

If you are a blogger there are several publishing companies through which you can get free books. I will share my experiences with a few of these companies and how you too can get free books in exchange for a book review.

I first learned about the Blogging for Books Program through a random blog that I found while surfing the web for book reviews on books by one of my favorite authors.  I saw the banner above and followed the link to the blogger page.  I signed up but wasn’t contacted until a month or two had passed.  I had all but forgotten about it when finally I received an e-mail letting know that I would soon be notified about upcoming books.

The Blogging for Books Program by WaterBrook Multnomah, in my opinion, is by far the superior book review program.  Basically you log on to the main page, enter in your information and your interest.  A month or two later you may be invited to a blog tour via e-mail.  If you accept you generally receive a review copy a few weeks before the book comes out.  You write a review and post on your blog.  Write a consumer review like for Amazon.com.  Then you will need to send an e-mail back to the person who invited you to the tour letting them know where they can find the review.

Strengths to the Program:

You Get free books

You Get to choose which books you will review

You can review more than one book at a time

You get the books before the release date (you get to read it before the rest of the world)

You can often request a review copy to give away on your blog

Weaknesses

You only have a few weeks to read and review each book.  Its really not a weakness for me, but may be if it typically takes you longer to read a book.

WaterBrook Multnomah has streamlined the process and made it easy for bloggers to log in and figure out how things work.  I highly recommend the Blogging for Books program if you are an avid reader.  So far I have received and written reviews for 2 books through WaterBrook Multnomah. Compared to the other programs I give it a 5 out of 5.

Review: “Smart Faith” by J.P. Moreland & Mark Matlock

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

Smart Faith: Loving God With All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland and Mark Matlock is a great book geared towards students.  I really wish the book had been around when I was a teenager.  The aim of the book is to challenge young men and women to think about the Christian Faith and not just live off their parents faith or emotion.  The book is full of keen insights and practical challenges to help teens grow deeper in their capacity to think about the things of God.

The book is a great blend of Philosophy, Theology, and application.  The later chapters in the book are especially relevent as the authors move the reader from the realm of deliberate thought to the realm of living a fully integrated life.  This book is a great read for any teenager with a desire to grow or for adults with teenagers in their life.  I just wish it had been around when I was fifteen.

This is a very well written book that challenges the reader to dig deeper every step of the way. The retail price is $12.99 (Paperback). It is also available at places like Amazon.com for $10.39. I give it 5 stars.

Disclaimer: This book was provided for review by NavPress. There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.