Insights on 1 & 2 Thessalonians by Charles R. Swindoll

Insights on 1 & 2 Thessalonians by Charles R. Swindoll ISBN-13: 978-1414393728 Hardcover: 176 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: Oct. 1, 2016

Source: Bought from Amazon.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Thessalonian church was young yet vibrant in faith. In this volume, Chuck Swindoll explores Paul's encouragement, exhortation, and correction to the church he had started but had to leave soon after. Paul's encouragement to remain faithful, full of hope and love in spite of trials--and his correction of distorted teachings about the end times--retains its crucial importance for today.


My Review:
Insights on 1 & 2 Thessalonians is a Bible commentary on 1 & 2 Thessalonians. The author explained the meaning of various key Greek words to help the reader understand confusing passages and to bring out the full meaning of the text. He also provided information on the cultural and historical background and quoted similar statements made elsewhere in the Bible to help the reader fully understand the verses.

The author gave a paragraph or two of Scripture and then studied through that verse-by-verse. At the end of each section, he discussed how we can apply the writer's message to our own lives. He also included occasional "journal" pages were he talked about how those verses had been applied or worked out in his life.

Some sections focused on clarifying what the verses meant so the reader could better understand them. Others were more of a sermon where he told the reader what to understand from it. He spent a lot of time on the verses referring to rapture and the end times. He'd point out what the verses actually say (which I agreed with), then he explained how he fit those verses into his beliefs about the pre-Trib rapture and the Tribulation. As I don't agree with much of his overall Rapture and Tribulation beliefs, I found this commentary less helpful than many of his others.


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.


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The Strength You Need by Robert Morgan

The Strength You Need by Robert Morgan ISBN-13: 9780718079598 Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Aug. 16,2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through BookLook.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Pastor Robert Morgan leads a busy life as a pastor and is also a multitasking caregiver to his disabled wife. He has learned to fully embrace Psalm 84, as he moves from strength to strength. The valleys and the weaknesses are inevitable. Our task is to embrace these as we wait for God to take us to our next time of strength. After reviewing the 232 occurrences of the word strength in Scripture, Pastor Robert discovered twelve clear passages that drop anchor in God’s Sea of Strength. Among the kinds of strength available to every believer are:

Your strength will equal your days (Deuteronomy 33:25)

They go from strength to strength (Psalm 84:5-7)

The eyes of The Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9)

The joy of The Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

God is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1)

In quietness and trust is your strength (Isaiah 30:15)

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden (Isaiah 58:11)

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights (Habakkuk 3:19)

Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God (Romans 4:20)

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16)

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)


My Review:
The Strength You Need is a study on 12 verses that refer to strength: Deuteronomy 33:25, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 84:5-7, Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah 58:11, Habakkuk 3:19, Romans 4:20, Ephesians 3:16, Philippians 4:13. The author talked about people who found the verse inspirational, about the context of the verse, and about what lessons we can learn from all that. His wife also described how these verses have helped her.

As I'm still building up my physical strength after a recent illness that left me very weak for months, I thought this would be a helpful book. Unfortunately, I didn't really find it so. First, the author sometimes interpreted the verse in a way I'm not sure was what was really meant given the context. Plus some of these verses were spoken to a specific person in a specific circumstance, yet the author acted like it's a promise given by God to every believer. Second, he sometimes turned the lesson into a Christian living sermon--how to avoid Asa's mistake, for example--which just left me feeling more burdened with "ought to be doing" lists rather than feeling strengthened.

I do like some of these verses and have felt comforted by what they say about God's character and how He helps us. But I don't particularly feel a surge of energy (like the author apparently does) after having meditated on these verses. If these verses are particularly meaningful to you, then you might enjoy reading about what he (and others) get out of these verses.


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.


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The Master's Mind by Lance Hahn

The Master's Mind by Lance Hahn ISBN-13: 9780718035433 Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Sept. 19, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through BookLook.

Book Description, Modified from BookLook:
If what we think determines who we are, then why are so many of us insecure, depressed, and confused? This is not the condition God has in mind for us. In fact, the Master’s overwhelming desire is to see us full of hope, strength, peace, joy, and love. So where do we go wrong?

Someone is running the show in our minds and it’s not us—at least not the real us, nor the real owner. When we lose our identity, we become tossed about on the sea of a million random influences. Between the world, the flesh, and the devil, we don’t know what to think, and therefore our lives are filled with hurt, pain, and regret.

Pastor Lance knows first-hand the power that comes from a mind at rest, trusting God’s goodness despite the voices in our head. Jesus died to set us free. He made a way for our souls to be rescued from our enemies. It’s time for us to take back control of our minds, to master them and bring them back in alignment with the Master’s will.


My Review:
The Master's Mind explores how what we think and believe shapes our behavior. "Transformation always begins in our thoughts." By studying what God teaches us to be true about ourselves and Him and aligning our thoughts to these truths, we will change our emotions and behaviors. The author quoted Scripture or provided Scriptures in the footnotes to support or illustrate his points. He stayed focused (so no filler) and clearly explained his points. Overall, I thought the author did an excellent job of explaining the battle for our minds and how to find victory.

He talked about the influences that can lead to wrong thinking and common lies that we believe. If we learn to identify lies and Satan's strategies, then we can reject them and replace them with God's truths and right thinking. Of course, this means that we need to learn God's true and good things to replace them. He talked about temptations to addictions and issues like anger, anxiety, and depression. He also explained how to resist attacks by Satan.

The author didn't spend much time on personal stories, but he did provide advice on what helps from people who struggle with depression, anxiety, and such. He suggested practical steps like regularly engaging with a supportive community (especially with those who understand your struggles and can give good advice), daily reading of the Bible to learn the truth of God and thinking about these truths, engaging with God through prayer, and avoiding the situations that usually lead to wrong thoughts or emotions. Don't expect a quick solution. It's a process of learning to make right choices, which makes it easier to make right choices in the future.


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.


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Stones of Remembrance by Daniel G. Amen

Stones of Remembrance by Daniel G. Amen ISBN-13: 9781496426673 Hardback: 128 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: Nov. 14, 2017

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
An invitation to discover the healing power of Scripture meditation and memorization. There is a reason the Bible calls us over and over again to "remember." Remembering God's acts, promises, and guidelines for living is essential to a healthy spiritual life. Scripture meditation and memorization can also contribute to a healthier mind and body--reducing stress, increasing brain capacity, and even helping to reverse problems like memory loss. Stones of Remembrance includes key Scriptures to memorize and meditate on and tips for incorporating Scripture meditation and memorization into your life.


My Review:
Stones of Remembrance is a book of Scripture verses to read when afraid, angry, etc., or to memorize to strengthen your memory. In the first section, the author very briefly talked about the benefits of sleep, exercise, meditation and prayer, eating healthy, meaningful labor, close relationships, relaxation, forgiveness, learning new things, concentration, a positive focus, and being a part of a community. Under each of these subsections, he included several verses relating to that topic. Since topics like exercise aren't directly addressed in the Bible, some verses were a bit of a stretch. For exercise, he suggested verses about running the race or God giving us strength.

The second section contained 12 Scripture verses each "to remember when" you're anxious, grateful, afraid, depressed, happy, lonely, sick, angry, tired, impatient, unsure of yourself, experience doubt, need hope, need comfort, or need strength. The third section had 12 Scripture verses that "every Christian should know."

At the back of the book, the author included a list of tips for memorizing verses, a list of healthy snacks for boosting your memory, and a list of activities that can help improve your memory (like doing crossword puzzles or learning something new). I'd expected information about studies on how Scripture memorization helps your brain, so I was disappointed that he only included a few sentences about this. But I'd recommend this book to people who enjoy collections of verses for reference or memorization.


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.