Learning to Love - Heidi and Rolland Baker

I have known of Heidi and Rolland Baker's work in Mozambique for some time but never had a chance to read their words until Learning to Love Passion, Compassion and the Essence of the Gospel became available.  The back cover alone tempts and convicts:

• What does LOVE look like?
• Love is food and comfort to a ten-year-old amputee, abandoned on the side of the road
• Love is a new roof for an elderly widow installed before the rainy season
• Love is sharing hope with the homeless man on your street corner
• Love is not just an ideal. Love is action. Love looks like something.

Heidi and Rolland alternate telling the tale of how our mighty God has worked in the lives of those who need Him most.

Heidi reminds us that the message of the Gospel is simple:

Despite what many would have us believe, the Gospel is not complicated.  It is very simple.  Jesus has given us everything we need.  It is so simple that a child of three can get it:  Love God and love the one in front of you.

This book reads like both an action/adventure tale and a richly moving romance novel, heavy with love.  If you want to be moved by the things that move the heart of God, this is a must read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

Unashamed to Bear His Name by R. T. Kendall

I have appreciated the words and wisdom of R. T. Kendall since I watched him on my tiny computer screen as I caught a live transmission of a pastor's conference at the Toronto Airport Church.   He was speaking on forgiveness in a way that I know changed many lives.  When the opportunity arose to read and review his latest work Unashamed to Bear His Name Embracing the Stigma of Being a Christian, I couldn't refuse.

The publisher's page speaks of the book with these words:

In our increasingly secular society, being a Christian carries a cost. Whether through public criticism or the quiet loss of respect, it is hard--and becoming harder--to be known as a Christian. Even as believers try to follow the will of God, they are often misunderstood and left to deal with the awkward, sometimes painful results of feeling disconnected from their fellow man--or even stigmatized.

This past year the Lord has been speaking to me about "counting the cost" and choosing to stand for Him, and Kendall's words breathed confirmation into what I have been sensing.

The things we must avoid is destigmatizing the Gospel, that is taking the stigma out and still calling it the Gospel.  This I fear is what the Church at the present time, speaking generally, has done.  With the destigmatizing process has come a loss of the Church's power. I call upon every reader of these lines to be bold and uphold the pure, unembellished Gospel of Jesus Christ - precisely as it is taught in the New Testament. 

This book embraces the truth of scripture and engaged my mind and my spirit.  If you're seeking a closer walk with Christ and a life that will impact others, this book will encourage you to be both brave and bold.

If you are content with a pale and lukewarm Christian walk, these words may indeed sting, but I believe they will spur you on to higher ground!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The opinions I have shared are my own.
 

The Promise of Provision by Derek Prince

After too many years of receiving more teaching in church about finances and prosperity than about God Himself I am admittedly wary about reading, hearing and talking about abundance and provision. But I couldn’t resist Derek Prince’s promise of new revelation about the subject in The Promise of Provision: Living and Giving from God's Abundant Supply:

God longs for you to have fruitfulness in every area of your life. God is a God of abundance. I pray that He will grant that revelation to you as you read.

I know that Jesus said He came to give us abundant life:

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).  John 10:10 Amplified

I believe with all my mind, heart and spirit that Jesus was speaking about more than money, though too often this has been applied simply to finances. I appreciated Prince’s remark:

As we consider abundance, let’s take our focus away from the idea of having a lot of money in the bank. Abundance does not necessarily indicate possessions of large sums of money or property. But it does suggest something that is the opposite of poverty, want and failure.

Prince dives into scripture to show us what God has said about His promises and how we must claim them as our own, now, today. As I continued reading, I found myself asking the Lord to reveal His truth, His way, fearing once again the slant of human understanding.

I find myself wishing that God could erase the blackboard in my mind, giving me a clean slate that holds no bias one way or another about contrversial topics, that I could read His Word without recalling the various ways other people have interpreted it.

I cannot blame my discomfort on the author.  Derek Prince seems to genuinely desire his readers to receive fresh revelation from the Lord about a subject that has long been misunderstood.  I will return to this text many times, I'm sure, prayerfully requesting the Lord to speak.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Chosen Book a division of Baker Publishing Group.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 
 

The Essential Guide to Healing by B Johnson & R Clark

I have just completed two books that I received from Chosen Books a division of Baker Publishing Group. Both address issues I once thought I understood, but in the last couple of years I have found myself questioning.

The Essential Guide to Healing  Equipping All Christians to Pray for the Sick by Bill Johnson and Randy Clark contends that:

God’s miraculous healing is part of the Good News, and you, too, can become a powerful conduit for the healing power He loves to manifest.

Both Clark and Johnson share personal stories about witnessing God’s healing power.

The middle section of the book uses scripture to explain and at times defend that healing demonstrates the gospel of the Kingdom of God, as applicable today as it was two thousand years ago. I know this is true, and even though this covers a supernatural subject I can’t help sensing the bias of the author’s human understanding.  Far too often we interpret God's Word to suit our own beliefs instead of our beliefs being shaped by the Word itself.

The third part of the book is practical teaching on the practice of healing. Once again I found myself disturbed as I read about following patterns that have worked for others or that were successful in the past. I don’t believe that Jesus followed a particular set of rules or patterns when He healed, in fact scripture shows us that He healed the same ailments (blindness for example) in a variety of ways.

The idea that the ministry of healing is not reserved for a select few is appealing indeed. We all want to feel that God would choose to move through us. It is important however to remember that God is the only One Who heals even when He uses our hands.

I will return to this book again as I continue to seek God’s heart and understanding about this topic. I have much to learn, but desire that the majority of that teaching comes directly from the Master.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Chosen Books. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I shall be back soon with my review of The Promise of Provision by Derek Prince.