Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

I first learned of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in John Piper’s book This Momentary Marriage, and after reading This Momentary Marriage, I wanted to know more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. So, when Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas came available on BookSneeze (Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program), I could not pass up on the opportunity to read Eric Metaxas’ latest book. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is a well-written biography that contains an abundance of information on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the history of Germany during the time of Bonheoffer’s life.

Since I enjoy learning about history and Christian theology this book was pleasant surprise. There was no lack of information, and in certain sections, I was astounded by how much research must have been done to write this book. Additionally, Eric Metaxas seamlessly integrates world history and the life of Bonhoeffer throughout the book.  I highly recommend this book to every Christian because the faith Bonhoeffer had is encouraging, and the history of the Christian church in Germany gives us warnings of what could happen when we abandon the Word of God for the goals of men. Additionally, after reading this book, it made me more passionate to study the Word of God and apply the Word to my life.

* Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for being a member of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze (http://BookSneeze.com) Book Review Blogger program.

The Chronological Guide to the Bible

The Chronological Guide to the Bible by Thomas Nelson is an adaptation of The Chronological Study Bible. Therefore, if you own that book you most likely will not see any new info in this guide. The Chronological Guide to the Bible lists nine different ages or epochs of the Bible. It gives timelines, short articles, maps, outlines and scripture reading lists in chronological order for each epoch.

Putting together the Bible text in chronological order would be a daunting task especially in the Old Testament. This is where The Chronological Guide to the Bible helps your Bible study the most. For example, if you are studying 1, 2 Samuel and want to read all biblical accounts during that time this guide is helpful. In addition, the timelines and maps are also beneficial. The articles are lacking depth but they fulfill their purpose. If you enjoy Biblical history and want a starting point to study the Scriptures in chronological order then look no further. However, as with all Bible study resources I would recommend using discernment while reading.

* Disclosure: I received a free copy of this Bible for being a member of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com (http://BookSneeze.com) Book Review Blogger program.

The Word of Promise New Testament

The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible by Thomas Nelson Is the NKJV Translation read by Actors such as Jim Caviezel, Louis Gossett Jr., Richard Dreyfuss and others. The Word of Promise New Testament has added music and sound effects like birds chirping, footsteps, waves in the sea hitting a boat and voice effects to provide a dramatic effect.

The Word of Promise New Testament is produced well; the voices are deep, clear, and warm the background sound effects added depth to the audio. I enjoyed listening to God’s Word especially while driving home from work. Sometimes I thought the commute was too short because I wanted to continue to listen. There are a few moments when they added more voice effects than what was needed. Other than that, it is a great way to hear God’s Word. This will never replace reading the Bible but is a good way to be washed by God’s Word when working out, driving or at work. Therefore, if you do not have an Audio Bible yet I recommend you go out and get yourself a copy of The Word of Promise New Testament.

* Disclosure: I received a free copy of this Bible for being a member of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com (http://BookSneeze.com) Book Review Blogger program.

NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible

NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible by Thomas Nelson is a collection of 250 Bible stories taken from the New King James Version (NKJV). Since the stories are from the NKJV Bible text makes this book a reliable resource but the down side is that you already have these stories in your Bible. So is there any use for this book? I believe there is. The NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible reliable text and nice layout makes it great for daily devotions and bedtime stories for the children. In addition, the stories should remind us all of how GREAT are God is.

* Disclosure: I received a free copy of this Bible for being a member of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com (http://BookSneeze.com) Book Review Blogger program.

Five Cities that Ruled the World

In Douglas Wilsons, book Five Cities that Ruled the World. He briefly discusses the history and impact of five majestic cities: Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London and New York. In addition, he introduces us to their nation’s history and the world during the time that the city ruled.

I enjoyed reading this book. Besides from liking history it was easy to read and understand and at times mildly humorous. As with any other good book it should make you think and this one made me think about how the five cities shaped our current world. It covers a lot of ground in 200 pages so do not expect a lot of in depth information. This is great for those who enjoy history and want something that will not take a lot of time to read. When reading history it should remind us that God is sovereign over all things and this book precisely did that.

* Disclosure: I received a free copy of this Bible for being a member of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com (http://BookSneeze.com) Book Review Blogger program.

The Expanded Bible, New Testament

The Expanded Bible, New Testament by Thomas Nelson is simple to read and the expanded material gives a deeper meaning to the text. However, it is not a new concept. Although similar to The Lockman Foundation’s, Amplified Bible, The Expanded Bible is not a new translation it uses the New Century Version translation as its base text, which is an easy to read and understand Bible version. The Contributing Scholars then expanded upon the meaning of the text.  For instance, look at my example for the word dog [canine, four-legged animal].

What use does this Bible have?  Since this is not a literal translation, I would not recommend it for serious Bible study.  With that said it is still a useful tool for personal devotional study. In addition, The Expanded Bible would be useful to a new believer due to the clarity of the translation and easy to read notes.

* Disclosure: I received a free copy of this Bible for being a member of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com (http://BookSneeze.com) Book Review Blogger program.

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ!

“What the big deal about this good news?”

First, we (humankind) are sinners from the start we were tempted and failed (Genesis 3:1-7). That affected our relationship with God (Genesis 3:8-13). You might say, “I am a good person” according to world standards, we may be. God does not judge us on those standards He judges by his Law (Deuteronomy 5:5-23) and every one of us has broken at least one or more, I know I have. When judgment occurs with Gods Law, we are guilty and we would deserve the punishment we receive which is death.

Therefore, here is the good news God loves us (John 3:16). God became flesh (John 1:1-18) to save us from are sinful nature. Jesus Christ was sinless, holy and God. Still he loved us so much he came to us, showed us the truth, sacrificed his life by suffering a horrible death on the cross, and raised himself from the dead. We did not do anything to deserve this kind of love. However, by Gods grace, we can believe In Jesus Christ and are be free from the punishment that we would have received.