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Have you ever read a book in which you thought, “That was a good book!” and yet the subject matter was so sobering that you felt funny thinking that? That is my reaction to Think No Evil by Jonas Beiler and Shawn Smucker. This book is well worth reading, I wholeheartedly recommend it. October 2, 2006 is a date that will be etched into the minds of the Amish living in Nickel Mines and the larger community of “English” that surrounds it. For it was on that day that a lone gunman, someone that a good number of them knew, sent five girls into eternity, five others into life-threatening injuries and then shot himself at an Amish schoolhouse. Blasting away at ten young to little girls and then turning the weapon on himself, Charles Roberts victimized those girls, their families, his own family, the Amish as a whole community, emergency responders and so many more. The tragedy got our attention but what happened next gripped the nation. The Amish immediately began the process o...

I am sure that nearly everyone has heard the story of Gideon, the reluctant judge in Israel who led his nation to victory against the Midianites. What may be less familiar to you is the rest of the story. Gideon had seventy sons by various wives and another son named Abimelech by a concubine. Abimelech approached the people of Shechem with a proposition. Why should they have seventy sons of Gideon rule over them when they could have one of their own? The Shechemites agreed and Abimelech slaughtered sixty-nine of his seventy half-brothers. Jotham, the only remaining brother, got away. From Mt. Gerizim, Jotham put a curse, so to speak, on Abimelech and the people of Shechem. He stated that if they did well with his father and his house, especially considering all that he had done for them in rescuing them from the Midianites, then may it go well with them. Yet if it weren’t deserved, may Abimelech and Shechem turn on each other. What struck me about this passage was the ve...

For Men Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn is not just another book on the male-female relationship, guys. It is a humorous, thoroughly researched book on understanding women, specifically the woman in your life. Many times along the way, I found myself breaking out into laughter. Using a scientific survey method and hundreds of interviews, the Feldhahns seek to inform men as to how to improve their relationship. As an added plus, men, the book is a compact size and easy to read. Inside, you will find some things you knew but lots of other things that may be eye-opening. The key to understanding your mate is as elementary as can be: men and women are different so stop projecting your likes and dislikes onto her guys! Did you ever wonder . . . 1) Why she is so insecure and what you can do about it? 2) How you can help her clear those distractions from her mind so that she can relax with you? 3) What security means to her and how to help her feel it? 4) Why your trying t...

I just now finished this book by Robertson McQuilkin. Last month the evangelical world was abuzz about Pat Robertson’s comments regarding Alzheimer’s Disease in a spouse. See http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/pat-robertson-infuriates-faithful-with-alzheimers-comments.html for one example. My response was to condemn Rev. Robertson’s comments but then to go to www.amazon.com and purchase a copy of A Promise Kept. A number of years ago, I heard McQuilkin's story and was so inspired that I call him one of my modern heroes. Thanks to Pat Robertson’s foolishness, I was motivated to look up and purchase the book. A small yet delightful book is how I would describe it. The cover has a picture of his dear wife Muriel who developed Alzheimer’s at the tender age of 55. When the reader opens it, he discovers that the chapters are cleverly and lovingly entitled by traditional marital vows. “In Sickness and in Health,” “To Love and to Cherish,” “For Better, for Wo...

This article is incredibly informative. What a great read and an inspiration. John Wesley’s Church Planting Movement: : When John Wesley was born in 1703, four million out of Britain’s five million people lived in absolute poverty—unless they found enough food for that day, they would begin to starve to death. When John Wesley launched a Church Planting Movement in this context, he not only changed the eternal destinies of an estimated one million people who came to Christ through his ministry, he changed their economic status as well. Not only did the Methodists he led get saved, they got out of poverty and became a powerful influence in discipling their nation. Wilberforce and other “spiritual sons” of Wesley honored him as the “greatest man of his time.”

Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterson by Patrick O’Connor is a book about missions. However, its insights are also helpful to anyone who is either starting a church or seeking to see it grow. Patrick O’Connor dives into the wisdom of George Patterson and presents it in an intelligent way. Various topics are explained in the text. How does one reach a culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is better, door-to-door evangelism or another technique? Is it best to begin with a multi-cultural church or to start with one culture? How does one utilize contacts for the sake of the Gospel? Also, how does one prevent establishing a foreign church rather than a native one? Furthermore, the author goes into issues like how leaders are trained and when they should begin serving. I found myself revisiting preconceived notions of what is done in Western churches and thus is considered to be biblical. For instance, the d...

Student Suspended for Saying Gay Is Wrong: MyFoxDFW.com