Thursday Book Review – The Rescue

The past few weeks Kayliegh and I have been reading through the six-part book series The Truth Chronicles. I’ve been reading ahead, as I usually do, as I’ve found there are parts of any book that a 7-year-old is not ready for. This week I finished the third book, titled The Rescue. I’ve found that this book series just gets better and better, filled with excitement, adventure, science, apologetics, and evangelism.

In the third book, the friends make a daring rescue and bring a fifth person along with them on their next trip back in time. A third member of the four-person teen team comes to faith in Christ, leaving one lone friend still holding out. This book brings apologetics face to face with evangelism, while bringing the flood of Noah into the mix. There’s also more discussion of astronomy, which is yet another scientific field where Creationists have made some pretty fantastic points against evolutionism.

With a surprise ending that warms the heart, this is my favorite book so far in the book series. I’m so thankful that the writers put the Gospel into each book, while also answers more and more of the questions and refutations against the Bible. It’s as if they took the Answers Book series and turned it into a grand adventure! I can imagine no better way for young people to be encouraged to share their faith, educated about Creation, and equipped to answer evolutionists. I highly recommend this book to all youth groups, young people, or adults who work with children. This would be a great summer read for teens and preteens, or mature younger children. I haven’t had this much fun reading since my first time through Pilgrims Progress. You can find book three here, and the full set here. I pray these books are a blessing to you, beloved! As always, dear brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

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Thursday Book Review – The Contest

Last week, dear ones, I reviewed a book series Kayliegh and I had started. We managed to finish the second book this week, they’re not very long. The Contest is the second book in the six book series ‘The Truth Chronicles’ written by AiG’s Tim Chaffey and Joe Westbrook. The book series centers around four teens, one of which is a creationist.

In book two one of the three unbelieving friends becomes a Christian, and I particularly liked how the fruit of their salvation was focused on. While the teen has now bowed the knee to Christ, they still aren’t sure about creationism. In this book the four teens come up with a contest that involves returning to the same time period in the past as they did in the first book. There they’ll review what they would expect to find if Evolution or Creation were true.

The book ends in a cliff hanger, and we’re very excited to start the third book. One thing that I commented about last week was the puppy love in the first book. There was next to none of that in the second book so there were no googalie-eyed paragraphs that needed to be skipped for Kayliegh’s sake. However, what was present in this second book was more apologetics, particularly in regards to Jax’s anger at God due to the death of his father. They also answer more questions often brought up by evolutionism. I highly recommend this book series to youth groups, or any young adult in your life. It has a high focus on science, integrity, hard work, and Christian Creationism. You can find the full series here or this book here. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Thursday Book Review – The Truth Chronicles Book I

Beloved, I want to tell you about a book series I’m reading with Kayliegh right now. The Truth Chronicles by AiG’s Tim Chaffey and Joe Westbrook is a six book series. Kayliegh’s always looking for an adventurous book, and this series certainly provides that. We’re on the second book, so I’ll just be reviewing the first book. The Time Machine is the first book in this series, and it deals mainly with one of the youths anger towards God for the death of his father. All the while the teens challenge themselves to invent something amazing for a science fair, where their adventures begin.

This book is apologetically designed, creation centered, with moments of evangelization happening between the four youths. Only one of the four is a Christian, and throughout the book she’s praying for wisdom on how to lead her friends to Christ. There are moments of fearful excitement, a few of which might be too frightening for younger audiences. I read this book to Kayleigh, and skip the moments of puppy love between the characters. If you are, like me, a proponent of courtship as apposed to the unbiblical practice of dating, then there will be some contention with this book series. While no one is currently dating, there’s a lot of youthful talk of it.

All in all this book series has been a great find, truly one of a kind! It has opened up more conversations with Kayleigh about apologetics than any other book she’s read. It’s funny and adventurous enough not to become a cheesy storyline, and any youth you know that’s interested in science is going to adore these books. I would mostly recommend this book for preteens and teens, or youth groups to read together, although a mature child of a slightly younger age is still going to love it. Dear friends, if you have any books you’d like to recommend for me, or Kayliegh, we always love to add more to our lists! You can find this book on Amazon or as a set at the AiG’s site. As always, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Wednesday Testimony – Excerpt from Mystery of Providence

Quite a while ago, while reading a wonderful post from our sister in faith, Maria, about John Flavel, our brother Pastor Jim recommended this book to me. Since then Kayliegh and I have added it to our nightly reading, so we read a portion of it before bed. The puritans wrote in such a beautiful style that reading to her from them always puts her in the mind to dream of missionary adventures, days without electricity, and horse drawn carriages. It doesn’t particularly help her with feeling sleepy, but it’s still a fun way to finish the day. This excerpt from the book shares multiple testimonies, including the Biblical account of the Samaritan woman, from the perspective of Providence.

So for the conversion of the Samaritans, it is observed that Christ must needs go that way (John 4: 4) -it lay just in the road between Judea and Galilee -and at the sixth hour, i.e., high noon, he rests himself upon Jacob’s well, still seeming to have no other design but his own refreshment by sitting and drinking there. But O what a train of blessed providences follow this which seemed but an accidental thing! First the woman of Samaria and then many more in that city are brought to believe in Christ (verses 29 and 41). It is noted by Melchior Adams in the Life of Junius how much of an atheist he was in his younger years; but in order to bring about his conversion to God, first, a wonderful preservation of his life in a public tumult at Lyons in France must take place, which forces from him the acknowledgment of a Deity. Then his father sends for him home and with much gentleness persuades him to read the Scriptures. He lights upon the first of John, and with it he feels a divine supernatural majesty and power seizing his soul, which brought him over by a complete conversion to Jesus Christ. Thus, as the woman of Tekoa told David, does God devise means to bring back His banished (2 Samuel 14: 14). Lavater tells us that many Spanish soldiers, going into the wars of Germany, were there converted to Christ, by going into the cities and towns where godly ministers and Christians were. Robert Bolton, though an excellent scholar, yet in his younger years he was a very irreligious person and a jeerer of holy men; but being cast into the company of godly Mr Peacock was by him brought to repentance and proved a famous instrument in the Church of Christ. A scrap of paper, accidentally coming to view, has been used as an occasion of conversion. This was the case of a minister in Wales, who had two livings, but took little care of either. Being at a fair he bought something at a pedlar’s stall, and tore off a leaf of Mr Perkins’ Catechism to wrap it in, and reading a line or two in it, God sent it home so as it did the work.

I absolutely love reading about the individual people mentioned here, like Franciscus Junius who studies under Calvin. What I hope this points to is the many ways God saves the lost. Whether it’s missed boats, wrong turns, or the abandoned Gospel tracts, God is sovereign and has mercy upon those whom He will have mercy on. Pray, saints, pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers. And as always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Thursday Book Review- Second Apology of Justin Martyr

Friends, as I was beginning to write a review this morning about Justin Martyrs Dialogue with Trypho I realized I had never finished my review of his Apologies. My review of his First Apology can be seen here.

The Second Apology, written some time between 150-157 AD, is a short book addressing Christian persecution from Urbicus. While it is important for us, as believers, to read the early church writings, they can be difficult. When we become saved God gives us this beautiful gift, love for the brethren. When one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. That’s what makes Foxes Book of Martyrs so difficult to read. It’s often the same with these early writings, as the church was being hotly persecuted at the time.

Justin’s Second Apology is also beneficial from a historical viewpoint, which is why I would recommend it for anyone who is not a Christian as well. If you are learning about Rome, or teaching that era in homeschooling, these Apologies are excellent resources. Although I would suggest they be read to older, more mature, students being that they contain persecution which might be frightening for younger ones. For example, Kayliegh is 7-years-old, and while she’s very mature for her age, I’m waiting until she’s older to give her these books as lessons.

One last thought, just as an aside, if you have lost friends or family who love history I think these Apologies could be a great springboard into the Gospel. People love to hear about gladiators and other secular facts which happened around the same time as the early church. Just an idea, if anyone has some of those more difficult folks in their lives to share with, the ones who love learning but never come to the Truth. Because these books are so very old they are in the public domain, yay! This means, of course, that you can find it in Online, Audiobook, kindle version, and a very inexpensive paperback. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Thursday Book Review – The Didache

Beloved, let’s go way back again to some late first century, early second century, church writing. It’s amazing to me that we still have these types of books after all these years. The Didache, also known as The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, is an anonymous treatise which quotes the New Testament heavily.

I love these types of documents, as it not only gives us a look into the early church fathers, but also clearly shows the New Testament was understood to be Holy Spirit inspired previous to the fourth century. The Didache also shows that Christians have historically been against abortion and infanticide. Obviously the Didache, along with other patristic era writings, are not inspired. However, they are a wonderful look into the early church.

I think the Didache would be the perfect introduction for anyone beginning to study the history of the church. It has been said that, should we lose the New Testament, we could put it back together with the writings of the patristic fathers. The Didache is a prime example of that fact, thus I must highly recommend this short book to all believers young and old. Being 1,900 years old, it’s in the public domain, which means it’s free, yay!

Here is the audio version, kindle version, paperback, and last but not least a PDF. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.

Thursday Book Review – According to the Promise

Hello, beloved brethren! Today I want to bring to your attention a book which would be excellent for evangelism. C. H. Spurgeon’s According to the Promise is a book outlining the difference between true and false conversion. He used the comparison of Isaac and Ishmael throughout the book to highlight certain characteristics of believers and legalistic church goers. I love how relevant this book is today, although it was written so long ago. So many of the Prince of Preachers words have stood the test of time, because he stuck to Biblical principles.

One of the things, I think, that made Spurgeon such a winner of souls was that he never presumed upon the salvation of others. He loved the lost enough to question whether they were in the faith. He challenged all he met to work through their salvation with fear and trembling. The end result, like he says in this book, is that the truly saved rejoice and find great peace and joy in the assurance of their salvation. At the same time, those deceived into believing they can work their way into heaven become aware of their danger.

I would recommend this book to anyone, believer or nonbeliever. Spurgeon details the path to salvation, accurately depicting the Gospel, while giving all the warning signs of coming up short. I spent so long trying to work my way into heaven, the harder I tried the harder it got, until I was overrun by sin. Finally I gave up all my efforts and humbled myself before God Almighty, my plight was great, my need was infinite, my ability was futile. I needed a savior, I could not save myself. We can save our friends, family, coworkers, and fellow church members, a lot of pain and suffering by being honest with them like Spurgeon is in this book.

I pray this book will be a blessing to you all, dear friends, as it was to me. If you have any books you’d like me to review please feel free to let me know. As always, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.