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Can God Be Trusted?

Trusting God, Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges “No detail of your life is too insignificant for your heavenly Father’s attention; no circumstance is so big that He cannot control it.” “An unreserved trust of God , when we don’t understand what is happening or why, is the only road to peace and comfort and joy.” I’ve read and reviewed several books by Jerry Bridges, and like his others,…

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Frankenstein: A Contrast in Creators

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley “I saw—with shut eyes, but acute mental vision— the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be, for supremely…

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The First Thanksgiving: The Back Story

The First Thanksgiving: The Back Story

Of Plimoth Plantation by William Bradford “In this precious volume…is told the noble, simple story ‘of Plimoth Plantation.’ In the midst of suffering and privation and anxiety the pious hand of William Bradford here set down in ample detail the history of the enterprise from its inception to the year 1647. From him we may learn ‘that all great and honourable actions are accompanied with great…

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The God Even of Ravensbruck: The Hiding Place

The God Even of Ravensbruck: The Hiding Place

The Hiding Place (1971) by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill “I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do.” (Corrie ten Boom) “If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love. We must find the way, you and I, no matter how long it takes…” (Betsie ten Boom) At my…

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The Leaf of Lorien in The Lord of the Rings

The Leaf of Lorien in The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien “Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall.“ “One who cannot cast away a treasure at need is in fetters.” This past weekend I did something I never thought I would do: I got a tattoo (my first and most-likely last!). My daughter has quite a few, and we had talked for a couple of years about getting one together as a mother-daughter thing, but we…

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The Comfort of Revelation: We are More Than Conquerors!

The Comfort of Revelation: We are More Than Conquerors!

More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation by William Hendricksen (1939) “Throughout the prophecies of this wonderful book Christ is pictured as the Victor, the Conqueror… He conquers death, Hades, the dragon, the beast, the false prophet, and the men who worship the beast. He is victorious; as a result, so are we, even when we seem to be hopelessly defeated.“ Have you…

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The Grace & Truth Paradox

The Grace & Truth Paradox

The Grace and Truth Paradox: Responding with Christlike Balance by Randy Alcorn “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). What an insightful, helpful little book! Randy Alcorn points out that most Christians struggle with balancing two traits of Christ-likeness: grace and truth…

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A Hymn for our Nation: O God, Give Peace Again

A Hymn for our Nation: O God, Give Peace Again

At my church we sing hymns, specifically those found in the Trinity Hymnal (Baptist Edition). The original edition was published by a Presbyterian church in 1961. The Baptist edition was published in 1995 as a collaborative effort of several Reformed Baptist churches to make minor revisions in order to accommodate Baptist congregations. Having been a member at my church for about 25 years (not to…

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Holiness is Not Optional for the Christian

Holiness is Not Optional for the Christian

The Pursuit of Holiness and The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges “Pursue holiness…without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). “The pursuit of holiness must be anchored in the grace of God, otherwise it is doomed to failure.” “There is no higher compliment that can be paid to a Christian than to call him a godly person. He might be a conscientious parent, a zealous church…

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A Godly Person is a Thankful Person: The Godly Man's Picture

A Godly Man is a Thankful Man: Resharing my review of Thomas Watson's Puritan classic, The Godly Man's Picture

The Godly Man’s Picture Drawn with a Scripture Pencil by Thomas Watson “Praise and thanksgiving is the work of heaven and he begins that work here which he will always be doing in heaven…None but the godly can praise God aright.”   A painting of Watson by Gustavus Ellinthorpe Sintzenich The Puritan preacher/writer Thomas Watson (1620-1686) is considered one of our church’s honorary elders (in…

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The One Year Book of Poetry: A Year of Christian Verse

Here's a different type of book that I recommend for your consideration: a book of poetry selections.

The One Year Book of Poetry: 365 Devotional Readings Based on Classic Christian Verse, Compiled and Written by Philip Comfort and Daniel Partner “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good repute, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy –…

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Prince of Preachers: C. H. Spurgeon

A Biography of the Prince of Preachers: C. H. Spurgeon, by Arnold Dallimore

Spurgeon: A Biography by Arnold A. Dallimore “A man who has really within him the inspiration of the Holy Ghost calling him to preach, cannot help it – he must preach. As fire within his bones, so will that influence be, until it blazes forth…he must preach if he has the call of Heaven.” (Spurgeon’s Autobiography) It is clear that some men and women are set apart by God to accomplish great…

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Putting Faith into Practice: A Little Book on the Christian Life

Putting Faith into Practice: A Review of Little Book on the Christian Life, by John Calvin

A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin “There are two main parts to the instruction from Scripture on the Christian life that follow. The first is that a love of righteousness, to which we are not naturally prone, must be implanted and poured into our hearts. The second is that we need some model that will keep us from losing our way in our pursuit of righteousness.” This short book…

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God Preserving and Governing: The Mystery of Providence

God Preserving and Governing: The Mystery of Providence

The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel “The greatness of God is a glorious and unsearchable mystery. The condescension of the most high God to men is also a profound mystery. But when both these meet together, as they do in Psalm 57:2, they make up a matchless mystery. Here we find the most high God performing all things for a poor distressed creature.“ “O how ravishing and delectable a sight…

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A Time Such as This: Amazing Grace & William Wilberforce

A Time Such as This: Amazing Grace & William Wilberforce

Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas “God almighty has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.” “Because of his own good nature, Wilberforce could hardly believe that others wouldn’t leap to do what was right when they finally knew the facts. He was mistaken.” This past year I added…

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A Prayer for our Nation

A Prayer for our Nation

This past Sunday at church we sang a hymn that we don’t sing on a regular basis (#621 in the Baptist Trinity Hymnal) that was so appropriate given that this is the week of our national and local elections. There are several key thoughts and truths conveyed in the lyrics that I believe are important for people living in any country to be mindful of as they find themselves concerned about the…

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Liberating the Nations: Can a Nation Ever Truly by Free?

This is a book I recommend that outlines the founding principles of the U. S. and is very insightful and instructive for us today: Liberating the Nations: Can a Nation Ever Truly by Free?

Liberating the Nations: Biblical Principles of Government, Education, Economics, & Politics by Stephen K. McDowell & Mark A. Beliles

“To the degree that nations have applied the principles of the Bible, is the degree to which those nations have prospered, been free, and acted justly.”

With all that has been happening in our country and local communities in 2020, one of the questions being…