Philippians by Mark Batterson

Philippians
by Mark Batterson

ISBN-13: 9780593197882
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Zondervan
Released: August 31st 2021

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The 40 Days Through the Book series has been designed to help believers more actively engage with God's Word. Each study encourages participants to read through one book in the New Testament at least once during the course of 40 days (approximately 6 weeks of meetings) and will provide them with a clear understanding of the background and culture in which the book was written, insights into key passages of Scripture, and clear applications and takeaways from the particular book that participants can apply to their lives. Each study will be recorded in the author's place of residence and will highlight stories and applications that are relevant to his or her ministry in that area.


My Review:
Philippians is a scripture guide on Philippians featuring 6 sessions and can be used for group or individual study. Each session started with viewing a streaming video (about 20 minutes long) with about 6 discussion questions. You then have 7 days worth of guided meditation on the verses: you read a verse or two and think about what it means for your life (using the author's paragraph to guide you). Usually, you're also given a few journaling questions (which you answer in a notebook or journal) and prompts on what to pray about.

The book provided a way to access the streaming video associated with this book, but the viewing privilege's will expire (though they don't tell you when). The first video mostly re-hashed what was already provided in the book. You get a clear idea of the substance of what was said in the other videos just from the group discussion questions, so it's not a complete loss if you can't watch the video for some reason. Each video covered a topic inspired by the verses and was full of short, pity sayings. Video 4 mentioned the saving work of Jesus and Video 5 meantioned following the example of Jesus, but the book didn't really deepen your relationship with Jesus. I was disappointed that many of the meditation and journaling prompts focused on 'where are you failing and what efforts can you make to change this?' though the prayer prompts at least remind you to ask for God's help. So many Christians are discouraged by this focus on not measuring up with little balancing focus on the one who does and who loves us. There were also a few odd prompts, like "List Christians that you know and care about that need to grow in wisdom and insight as they follow Jesus?" Since Paul was praying that for every believer and we should all want to grow in wisdom and insight, why single people out? And then there's Day 17 where the author implies that the Holy Spirit leaks out of us or something so that we need to keep asking for a new filling with the Holy Spirit. My church certainly wouldn't teach this, and I don't think it's consistant with NT teachings. I didn't gain any new insights into the Bible from this, so I'm not very enthusiastic about this study.


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.

The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God by David S. Schrock

The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God
by David S. Schrock

ISBN-13: 9781433564314
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Crossway Books
Released: February 8th 2022

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
From Genesis to Revelation, the theme of the royal priesthood is a silver thread running through the biblical story from the garden of Eden through the priesthood of Israel to Jesus Christ--the true and better priest. The theme of priesthood culminates with the creation of God's covenant people, called out of the nations to be his priests to the nations. In this concise treatment, David Schrock traces this theme of priesthood throughout the Bible and displays to readers how Jesus is the great high priest.


My Review:
The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God is a look at what actions a priest of God did in the Bible, which people acted as priests from Genesis to Revelation, and how kingship and priesthood combined in Jesus. Some of these connections were ones pointed out in the Bible, but others were more speculative. While interesting, I wasn't always convinced that there were connections. For example, when talking about the Gospels and how some of Jesus' words connected to words in the Prophets, the author used a man calling his friend away from sitting under his fig tree as fulfillment of prophecy about a man calling his neighbor to join him under his fig tree. Doesn't seem to quite fit to me. While I usually enjoy this type of book, the writing was academic enough that it was more of a classroom experience than a series of enjoyable "ah ha!" insights. It was worth reading but not something I'd recommend to a layman unless they were really interested in the topic.


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.

Holy Bible ESV, Spanish/English Parallel Bible

Holy Bible ESV, Spanish/English Parallel Bible

ISBN-13: 978-1433579660
Hardcover: 1792 pages
Publisher: Crossway Bibles
Released: January 3rd 2008

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Spanish and English are two of the five most-spoken languages in the world. This new edition of the ESV honors the diversity and relevance of God's Word in a way that is ideal for not only native speakers of either language but also bilingual readers. This Bible positions two columns of Scripture on each page: the beloved Reina-Valera 1960 Spanish text on the left, and the ESV English language text alongside it on the right. It also features textual notes for both translations in the back, and is contained in a durable, gold-foil stamped cover.

Size: 6.5" x 9.1875"
8-point type


My Review:
Holy Bible ESV, Spanish/English Parallel Bible has two columns on each page, with the left column in Spanish (RVR version) and the right in English (ESV). The text is small and the pages so thin that the text from the other side shows through, so I sometimes have trouble reading the words (at 45 year old). The cover is (fake?) leather, the edges gilt, and there's a ribbon for marking your place, so the outside looks nice. I've been improving my intermediate-level Spanish by reading Spanish verses every day by e-mail, so I thought this would be a great way to continue that learning method. So far, it does look like I can read the Spanish and just glance over at the English when I'm not sure of a word and see what it means in English. I think both had similar translation styles and used the same text so the wording is close enough that I can use it for language learning.


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.

The Greek New Testament by Crossway Books

The Greek New Testament
by Crossway Books

ISBN-13: 9781433579646
Hardcover: 720 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Released: November 4th 2021

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Groundbreaking Tyndale House Greek New Testament, Complete with Comprehensive Dictionary

Reflecting decades of scholarly advances, The Greek New Testament, Produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge was created under the oversight of editors Dr. Dirk Jongkind (St. Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge) and Dr. Peter Williams (Tyndale House, Cambridge). Their team took a rigorously philological approach to reevaluating the standard text―reexamining spelling and paragraph decisions as well as allowing more recent discoveries related to scribal habits to inform editorial decisions.

This edition features an exhaustive dictionary, giving readers a tool for rewarding study. Eliminating the need to frequently reference other materials, this resource with the added dictionary is ideal for students, pastors, and those who are less familiar with Greek.


My Review:
The Greek New Testament is the New Testament text entirely in Greek. There's a dictionary in the back giving the English for the Greek words. The text size is decent, not large print nor small or tiny print. I'm only just starting to learn biblical Greek, but I thought a Greek New Testament would be useful to have. It's a hardback and the paper it's printed on is thick enough to endure use (not tissue-thin). The text is described as from "the standard text."


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.