James by Joyce Meyer

James by Joyce Meyer ISBN-13: 9781546026068 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: FaithWords Released: March 5, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
James has so much to say about living a powerful and effective life in Christ. The book addresses a variety of topics important to growing your faith and teaches that you not only need to read the Word of God and know what it says, but you also need to act on it. In this comprehensive biblical commentary, Joyce Meyer offers you practical insights for studying the book of James, with room for personal reflections that will help you grasp the truths in God's Word. You'll discover how to identify life-changing wisdom and get a better understanding of God's plan and purpose for your life.

Part of her first-ever biblical commentary series, Joyce's book on James will stir your faith in God and inspire you to live it out in practical ways because of your love for Him and desire to glorify Him in your life.


My Review:
James is a Bible commentary on James that can be used for personal Bible study or even as a devotional. The author provided an amplified version of the verses, doing one to seven verses at a time and working her way through James. She talked about each group of verses and brought out insights to improve our understanding. She stayed focused on the verses rather than telling funny stories, but it wasn't highly academic or difficult to follow. It's written at a layman's level and contained short enough sections that it could be used for daily devotional reading. She included questions for personal reflection along with space to write in your answer. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to better understand James.


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.

Breaking the Power of Negative Words by Mary C. Busha

Breaking the Power of Negative Words by Mary C. Busha ISBN-13: 9780800734749 Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Revell Released: Feb. 19, 2019

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The spoken word has immense potential for either building up or tearing down. Too often, it's the latter. Many of us are daily carrying around hurtful words, sometimes without even knowing it. These negative words have great influence over our lives and the lives of those around us.

Mary Busha speaks to the hurting and guides them toward victory over the harmful, demeaning, or insulting words of their past. She shows readers how to understand the emotions and circumstances behind the words, choose to want to forgive their offenders, embrace the truth about who they are created to be, recognize the effect of both negative and positive self-talk, pray effectively to break the power of negative words, and walk in the freedom God provides in his Word. She also encourages readers to find ways to use their own words to lift up the people God places in their path.


My Review:
Breaking the Power of Negative Words talked about the impact of using positive and negative words. The author used a lot of stories about individuals who struggled with the things she was talking about in that section. She started by talking about negative words we've heard, especially as a child. She talked about understanding the background of a person who said hurtful words to us and forgiving them for what they said. She talked about believing what Scripture says about us and using prayer to help break free of hurtful words.

She talked about not complaining or blaming others for your own words and actions. There was a chapter on finding out what your unique gifts and such are. Another chapter was about committing to using positive self talk. She then moved on to the words we say to others, especially children. She urged us to be aware of the words we're saying and to speak positive words into people's lives. She repeatedly talked about basing our view of ourselves on Scripture (so go search the Bible!), to have an attitude of gratitude rather than focusing on what's wrong, and forgiveness as a way to freedom from past hurt. It's a decent book, but I have previously read a lot of what she said, so I didn't get many new insights from it.


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.

Proverbs- Everyday Bible Commentary by Irving Jensen

Proverbs- Everyday Bible Commentary by Irving Jensen ISBN-13: 9780802418968 Paperback: 120 pages Publisher: Moody Publishers Released: March 5, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The wisdom of Proverbs sometimes comforts and sometimes confuses. It contains some of our most cherished verses, as well as odd metaphors, and strange pronouncements that can feel cold or even cruel. What we need is a guide—someone who can explain the confusing bits and bring familiar passages to life. This is what the best preachers do, but you don’t have to wait until Sunday’s sermon. Encounter the beautiful depth of Proverbs through an enlightening verse-by-verse commentary from Irving Jensen that’s both straightforward and insightful.


My Review:
Proverbs--Everyday Bible Commentary is a commentary on Proverbs. The author started by providing an overview of Proverbs by looking at key themes, main topics, background and setting, and an outline. He followed this by working verse by verse through each section, explaining what Solomon was saying. The author didn't provide any insights that I haven't already gotten just from reading Proverbs in my Study Bible. Sometimes, his interpretation of the verse didn't agree with what I've read elsewhere. He occasionally speculated about things not necessary to understanding the verses, and I often found myself disagreeing with what he proposed. I was disappointed that I didn't really get much out of this. However, it was easy to follow what the author was saying.


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.

Ephesians by Joyce Meyer

Ephesians by Joyce Meyer ISBN-13: 9781546025993 Hardcover: 176 pages Publisher: FaithWords Released: March 5, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Paul's letter to the Ephesians is a well-loved book of the Bible that teaches some of the most important lessons of faith: who you are in Christ, how you are to live as His follower, and how to gain victory in the spiritual battles you face. In this study tool, Joyce Meyer takes a close look at the meaning of those beloved verses, identifying key truths and incorporating room for personal reflection.

Joyce's first-ever biblical commentary series provides teachings that will help you develop a stronger relationship with God. As you take the time to study His Word, you'll see how much He loves you and who you are in His image. Change will come, and your life will bear the good fruit that God intends!


My Review:
Ephesians is a Bible commentary on Ephesians that can be used for personal Bible study or even as a devotional. The author provided an amplified version of the verses, doing one to seven verses at a time and working her way through Ephesians. She talked about each group of verses and brought out insights to improve our understanding. She stayed focused on the verses rather than telling funny stories, but it wasn't highly academic or difficult to follow. It's written at a layman's level and contained short enough sections that it could be used for daily devotional reading. She included questions for personal reflection along with space to write in your answer. I have read several commentaries on Ephesians lately, and this is one of the better ones, in my opinion. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to better understand Ephesians.


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.

1 Corinthians- Everyday Bible Commentary by Robert Hughes

1 Corinthians- Everyday Bible Commentary by Robert Hughes ISBN-13: 9780802418999 Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Moody Publishers Released: March 5, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Divisions, immorality, marital strife, spiritual gifts, money, wisdom, folly, and holiness—these may have been Corinthian problems first, but we need Paul’s wisdom just as much today. But it can be confusing to read 1 Corinthians on our own. What we need is a guide—someone who can explain what’s going on in the world outside the letter and bring to life Paul’s words of exhortation. This is what the best preachers do, but you don’t have to wait until Sunday’s sermon. Encounter the beautiful depth of 1 Corinthians through an enlightening verse-by-verse commentary from Robert R. Hughes that’s both straightforward and insightful.


My Review:
1 Corinthians- Everyday Bible Commentary is a commentary on 1 Corinthians. The author started by explaining the key themes and main topics talked about in 1 Corinthians. He provided some background, an overview, and an outline of the letter. He then worked his way through 1 Corinthians by focusing on the next topic in the letter. He started by quoting some verses introducing the main problem and Paul's solution. He followed this by working verse by verse through that section, explaining in detail what Paul was saying, giving context to the problem, and explaining what Old Testament verses he was referring to. This is more of a sermon style than a traditional commentary. It was easy to follow what the author was saying, and it did help clarify what Paul meant and what the Corinthians were dealing with. Overall, I'd recommend this Bible commentary.


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 Lost World of the Torah by John H. Walton

The Lost World of the Torah by John H. Walton ISBN-13: 9780830852413 Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: IVP Academic Released: Feb. 26, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Walton and Walton offer in The Lost World of the Torah a restorative vision of the ancient genre of instruction for wisdom that makes up a significant portion of the Old Testament. In the ancient Near East, order was achieved through the wisdom of those who governed society. The objective of torah was to teach the Israelites to be wise about the kind of order needed to receive the blessings of God’s favor and presence with the context of the covenant.


My Review:
The Lost World of the Torah uses very academic language, which didn't serve to clearly communicate the author's ideas. Even the examples didn't clarify things. He argues that the Torah does not contain a legal code but was intended to teach wisdom so that those who made judgments would have a certain sense of what was a good and a bad judgment. After muddling through it, all I can say is that he didn't convince me with his arguments. Here are some examples, as I understand them:

1) The Torah is not comprehensive (covering every type of judgment or civil code needed to run a society), therefore it doesn't contain any actual laws that were intended to be obeyed and used when judging cases. 2) Even though the leaders were supposed to regularly read through the Torah and their rulings may match what is given in the Torah, they aren't actually referring to it since they don't specifically quote that law when making their ruling. (Talk about imposing modern Western standards on a different, ancient culture!) 3) Scholars currently believe that the Code of Hammurabi is a listing of judgments that were intended to show off what a just king he was, so all ancient "they sure look like laws" lists must be the same type of thing rather than an actual list of laws. 4) Because the Hebrew words for "obey" and "keep" [as in, keep my commandments] can be used in a different sense about wisdom sayings, they can't refer to actual keeping of laws even when the wording seems to indicate that.

And so on. The author seemed certain he is right and stated that anyone who disagrees must prove him wrong, but he twisted the clear intent of anything that might be used as proof against him so that he can dismiss it. Not impressed.


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.

What If It's True? by Charles Martin

What If It's True? by Charles Martin ISBN-13: 9780785221326 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Jan. 29, 2019

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook Bloggers.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Years ago, Martin cracked open his Bible and began wrestling with a few fundamental questions. He asked, “What if every single word of Scripture is absolutely true and I can trust it? How do I respond? Something in me should change, but what? How?” This book is the result of that exploration.

Writing as our guide, he uses a storyteller’s imagination to illuminate key moments from the Scriptures, primarily from the life and ministry of Jesus. In addition, Martin shares key moments from his own journey as a disciple—and bondservant—of Christ and a mentor to others. The result is a striking exploration of truth that helps us to live differently.


My Review:
What If It's True? was part story format and part commentary. The author started the chapters with a scene from Scripture in which he filled out the details with speculation. He was pretty clear about what was directly from the Bible, what was his speculation, and what he based that speculation on. Many of the scenes were about the crucifixion or events leading up to the crucifixion, but one was based on a parable and another on an experience he had. After the scene, the author talked about what impresses him about how Jesus acted in that moment. He drew in Old Testament references and cultural background information that provided insight into the events. He ended each chapter with a long prayer about the theme he talked about in that chapter, like forgiveness.

While I liked the first half of the book, I had some problems starting in chapter 8. He's earnest and means well, but the focus of the book started to shift at that point. He urged Christians to repent for your ancestor's sins. While I can see confessing (stating what is true, like "I and my ancestors have sinned against you, God"), I don't agree that people can repent (turn away from) sins committed by your ancestors unless you are also committing them. This is a very long chapter as he tries to convince people that his view is true, but I was not convinced. The next chapter centered around a semi-fictionalized conversation between him and God. Happily, he did get back to focusing on scenes from the Bible before the end.


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.