Monday, April 29, 2013

The Visual Bible: Matthew DVD

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The Visual Bible: Matthew DVD

UPC: 804671519393
Runtime: 4 hours 20 minutes
Publisher: Visual International
Released: 1997

Source: Bought from Christianbook.com.

DVD Description from Christianbook.com:
This powerful and entertaining film is taken word for word from the text of the 1984 New International Version translation. This multimillion dollar production appeals to all ages, and it offers educational, spiritual, and entertainment value. Filmed on location in Tunisia, Morocco, and South Africa, Matthew features a cast of thousands, historically accurate costuming, and award-winning directing. The film stars Emmy award-winning actor Richard Kiley as Matthew, and introduces Bruce Marchiano as Jesus.


My Review:
The Visual Bible: Matthew DVD is a visual Bible using the 1984 New International Version translation of the gospel of Matthew. The dialogue and narration are directly from the gospel of Matthew, like an audio Bible, which means that events that Matthew didn't write about aren't shown. The costumes, settings, and actions attempt to give a visual idea of what it all might have looked like.

I liked that the actors played Jesus and the disciples like real people would act. The actor played Jesus as laughing and joyful when someone is healed, sad when people reject His message, playful when teaching (as some of his teachings contain humor!), and serious when appropriate. This is the type of Jesus that would draw crowds--the Jesus I know from the Bible. It's not perfect, but I really enjoyed watching it.

I bought the DVD because I plan to watch it once a year. However, you can watch the entire movie on YouTube if you like. I'd recommend this resource as an enjoyable and thought-provoking way to "read" Matthew.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Watch the Movie: Matthew on YouTube.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Reclaiming Love by Ajith Fernando

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Reclaiming Love
by Ajith Fernando


ISBN-13: 978-0310492788
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Zondervan
Released: April 2, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Booksneeze.com.

Book Description from Back Cover:
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul places love at the very center of what it means to embrace life in Christ. All other spiritual gifts are worth nothing in comparison. But the love explained in those verses is nothing short of radical.

Fernando's pastoral work---in the midst of the cultural and ethnic tensions of Sri Lanka---often brought up a very real and honest question: 'Can the biblical teaching about love actually be practiced?' The answer he discovered is a resounding 'yes.' The radical love of God is not only real, but it is the key to experiencing joy in the pain and suffering of this world.

Believers must look to the Scriptures for God's teaching on the true nature of love, its divine origins, and its power for those who trust in Christ. This book offers reflections on the Bible's consistent teaching on love and shares real-life experiences of learning to love in difficult situations.


My Review:
Reclaiming Love is a Bible study on 1 Corinthians 13 and can be used as a devotional. It's written like a sermon (as in, you don't have to look anything up), and it's easy to read and understand. The author looked at each verse or group of ideas in 1 Corinthians 13, explained any Greek words that don't translate well into English, and brought in related Scripture to round out our understanding.

The real life examples that he used came from his life and work in Sri Lanka, but the focus was on the Bible verses rather than details about Sri Lanka. From the book description, I had thought the book would talk more about Sri Lanka in the context of 1 Corinthians 13 love being lived out.

Though not quite what I expected, I was challenge by this book and felt it helped me to better understood 1 Corinthians 13. I plan to read this book once a year as a devotional. I've taken to reading 1 Corinthians 13 each morning and asking God to live that type of love out through me. I've been surprised at the difference this has made. I'd highly recommend this insightful, important book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt at Christianbook.com.

Monday, April 15, 2013

The Gospel of John DVD

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The Gospel of John DVD

UPC: 183892000157
Runtime: 3 hours
Publisher: Casscom Media
Released: June 5, 2012

Source: Bought from Christianbook.com.

DVD Description from Christianbook.com:
Featuring word-for-word dialogue from the Good News Bible, this critically acclaimed presentation meticulously re-creates the tumultuous first century, bringing John's Gospel vividly to life. Stars Henry Ian Cusik as Jesus. Narrated by Christopher Plummer. Hungarian and Romanian subtitles. (PG-13). Closed-captioned. Approx. 3 hours.


My Review:
The Gospel of John DVD is a visual Bible using the Good News Bible translation of the gospel of John. The dialogue and narration are directly from gospel of John, like an audio Bible, which means that events that John didn't talk about aren't shown. The costumes, settings, and actions attempt to give a visual idea of what it all might have looked like.

There were a number of small things that I suspect are more modern Western rather than what it actually would have been like in Jesus life, but I think they did the major things very nicely. The actor played Jesus as mostly solemn and serious.

I bought the DVD because I plan to watch it once a year. However, you can watch the entire movie on YouTube if you like. I'd recommend this resource as an enjoyable and thought-provoking way to "read" John.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Watch the Movie: The Gospel of John on YouTube.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Permission Granted by Margot Starbuck

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Permission Granted
by Margot Starbuck


ISBN-13: 9780801014932
Trade Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Baker Books
Released: March 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Scouring the Gospels for the Jesus who felt as uncomfortable as she did around disreputable sinners, Margot Starbuck was surprised to find no record of him there. Instead she found the kind of grace that would actually be received by those in bars, in strip clubs, and at drag queen bingo. Starbuck explains how there are no "Special Sinners" who are more deserving of contempt than others and challenges us to a radical acceptance of the ones God loves and receives.


My Review:
When I read the book description and the first chapter, I thought this book would look deeper into how Jesus interacted with those that the religious looked on as especially sinful and explore how different people are following Jesus' example. I was expecting the focus to mainly be on examples of people "doing things right," but instead it was primarily on criticizing people who are "doing things wrong."

While I'd agree that the people in her examples weren't approaching people in a very loving way, I also didn't feel comfortable with the language she used. It invited the reader to mock the people she criticized and categorize them as an "other" that aren't worthy of being understood or loved--the exact thing she'd been saying we shouldn't do to people. Near the end of the book, she talked about loving those we don't agree with yet she didn't seem to realize that she wasn't acting very loving toward certain people in the proceeding chapters. By the end of the book, I was left feeling deeply troubled by the difference between how she believes we should behave and how she was actually behaving. Will readers do as she says or what she's demonstrating by example?

The first few chapters were actually pretty good and did include looking at the gospels to see how Jesus interacted with sinners. Each chapter was on a different topic rather than building directly on each other. Most of each chapter was a modern story that illustrated her main point for that chapter. About a third of the way in, the tone of the book shifted: her arguments started to be based more on her opinions than on what Jesus did or said, and her tone toward Christians that she didn't agree with got harsher.

Thinking over how she decided Jesus would act today, I don't think Jesus really would go to a Gay Pride parade or into a strip bar or into a porn convention. To use passages she looked at: we don't see Jesus sitting down with the tax collector as he collected more money for taxes than he had to (for his own gain) to show His love. We don't see Jesus telling the Jews to not hate what the tax collector was doing or supporting laws to force people to act like they support the tax collector's behavior.

Even if Jesus would go into strip bars and porn conventions, I doubt that this is a good idea for the rest of us if for no other reason than we're more prone to give into temptation...even if we think we won't be. I was disappointed that she didn't talk more about the many ways to show God's love that don't involve putting yourself in a position of temptation.

I visit prisoners, mentor at-risk kids, and generally try to reach out to the forgotten. Showing a genuine love and concern for a person often creates a trust that opens the way to talk about Jesus and how He can make our lives whole and abundant--things that everyone wants. I appreciate that the author was trying to steer people toward showing genuine love as an effective way to reach "Sinners."


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Fool for Books Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 10 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:

bn100
who won "The Light and the Glory"


Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 10 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:

Ruth Hill
who won "Matthew" by Michael J. Wilkins


Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.

Monday, April 1, 2013

The Attributes of God, Volume 2 by A.W. Tozer

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The Attributes of God, Volume 2
by A.W. Tozer


ISBN-13: 9781600661389
Trade Paperback: 114 pages
Publisher: Wingspread Publishers
Released: February 14, 2007

Source: Bought through Christianbook.com.

Book Description from Goodreads:
What is God like? For A.W. Tozer (1897-1963), there is no question more important. In fact, Tozer's desire to know God and His fullness consumed his entire life and ministry. Originally preached as sermons at Southside Alliance Church in Chicago, this first volume of the Attributes of God examines ten attributes: God's self-existence, transcendence, eternalness, omnipotence, immutability, omniscience, wisdom, sovereignty, faithfulness, and love. A study guide is included for an in depth look at each attribute.


My Review:
The Attributes of God, Volume 2 is a sermon series/Bible study on the attributes of God. The writing style was casual and very easy to read and understand. A Bible study was included at the back of the book for those desiring to use this book as a group Bible study. The content is fully relevant to today's world.

Tozer looked to Scripture to answer "What is God like? What does God say about Himself?" He came to balanced, Bible-based conclusions. He didn't let one attribute dominate the others but viewed them as being in perfect harmony with each other. He made some excellent, thought-provoking points. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, and I'd recommend it to others. Perhaps as a devotional reading?

The attributes covered in this volume were: God's self-existence, transcendence, eternalness, omnipotence, immutability, omniscience, wisdom, sovereignty, faithfulness, and love.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt at Christianbook.com (click on "Excerpt" link).