It only took about 20 pages into this book before I was thinking, "Ho-hum, do I really need to finish this thing?"  But yes, this looked like something one of my readers might pick up in a Christian bookstore, or even a used bookstore, so I made myself get through it.  Happily, once I hit Part 2 (page 57), things improved in a hurry.
            The biggest thing this book has going for it is its practicality, including detailed lists.  When I write blog posts, many comment that lists help them keep things organized in their minds, so I occasionally use one.  Well, this extremely organized author shares with you every single practical detail in several lists showing how she changed herself from an idle, let-life-happen-around-you wife and mother to someone who does her best to make every minute count toward her goal of becoming like King David—"after God's own heart."  As she says, "I am on assignment from God to—" be a submissive wife, support my husband, teach my children, manage my home, and on and on.  If anything will give you motivation, that mindset certainly will.
            Here is my biggest problem with this book:  Mrs. George seems to think that only by following her rigorous methods can we become women after God's own heart.  Unfortunately, even looking back on my younger years, I can tell immediately that not every one of these specific methods would have worked for me in our home and with my family.  I do highly recommend that you look at her method, but then adapt it to your life, your husband, your children.  I think you can find enough in it to help you do that.
            As for theology, since it is not a theological treatise, not too much bears watching out for.  Here and there I wonder if she even knows what she believes theologically about some things.  From what I could find out about her, she is an evangelical something or other, yet some of her statements don't quite match that.  The only thing that really made me sit up and notice was her list of priorities—family first, then God…  Wait a minute!  Whatever happened to "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me?"  So do be on guard just as policy when you read something.
            My copy is the first edition of this book.  There is an updated version.  Mine includes a study guide at the end, and I cannot imagine that a newer version would not.  With care, it might make a decent discussion group or class. 

A Woman after God's Own Heart is published by Harvest House Publishing.
 
Dene Ward

I received this book as a gift and when I saw the author's name I was so excited that I read it immediately.  Brother Hall is a virtual legend and anything he writes is worth reading.
            First, recognize that this was written as a tribute to his late wife Caneta, "mother of five and wife of 69 years."  That makes everything in it that much more poignant.
            Second, I believe that this should be approached as a classbook.  Brother Hall has added discussion questions after each of the thirteen lessons (see? a teaching quarter) that could keep a class going far more than the requisite 45 minutes most allow and well into the hour that ladies' classes on weekdays usually allot. 
            Third, it is not just a young mothers' book.  Any mother or grandmother can gain from it, as well as others who serve as mentors and counselors for the women who approach them for advice.  We are all mothers our whole lives if we are willing to serve that way.
            The book also contains two appendices.  The first one, written by a teenager (I assume) about how she values her virginity, should be required reading for every teenage Christian, male or female.  Whoever and wherever this young woman is (brother Hall could not find her), she deserves our thanks for her frank and touching essay.
            As I first read through the table of contents on this book I was amazed.  I knew that we have a fair amount of material about Mary, including some logical inferences we can make, but I would have been hard-pressed to come up with 13 lessons.  Brother Hall in his vast experience and knowledge of the scriptures has done far more than I would have thought possible.
            Mary, Model of Motherhood was published by Mount Bethel Publishing.
 
Dene Ward

Tom Gilson has written a modern day version of Atticus Haygood's Man of Galilee.  He certainly gives Haygood plenty of credit, along with several other writers who have used the very personality of Jesus as evidence of his veracity, or as the subtitle states "How Jesus' Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality."  Gilson seems to take things a step further, in an easy-to-read conversational style.
            First, he studies the personality of Jesus in all areas, covering passages you have heard all your life but never thought of that way.  Then he takes on the skeptics, using his method to answer all their challenges.  And finally, he meets head-on the inescapable conclusion of all of this:  Jesus is the only way to God and deserves our complete devotion.  If you have never studied the gospels through this lens, you will be even more convinced of who and what Jesus is after you read this book.
            The end of the book includes study questions for those who want to use it in classes, as well as an eye-opening section on the apocryphal gospels, the so-called missing gospels, which were neither missing nor gospels.  You will agree.
            Too Good to Be False is published by DeWard Publishing.
 
Dene Ward
           

This is, obviously, a work of fiction. Not only that but, as the author freely admits, a woman in Mary's day and time could never have kept a journal.  You didn't go to the store and buy a bound volume of blank paper, let alone a handy ball point pen!  Despite that, the idea of looking into Mary's heart as she lived her remarkable life, full of joy, excitement, bewilderment, fear, and abject sorrow is probably something we have all thought about.  What was it like for this specially chosen young woman to see an angel, to experience a virgin birth, and then to raise the Messiah?  We have all wondered.
            Ms. Bence has done excellent research.  Her little book includes Jewish lore, first century customs in Palestine (yes, that business about the kataluma is correct), and extra-Biblical history that, as far as I could find out, is on the money.  Naturally, she has to make up some of the details.  She gives definite ages for both Mary and Joseph, but both are highly probable.  She makes up names for their parents and siblings, only two of which we know for certain from the Bible (Joseph's father, Jacob, and Mary's sister, Salome).  She also imagines circumstances for Mary's other children—twin sons, an adopted son, and a definite number of two daughters.  Her depiction of John the Baptist as a little boy is humorous, but could be apt.
            More than that, she imagines the conversations and consequences of God's blessing on Mary as she struggles to tell her parents, and then Joseph, about Gabriel's visit, and the things they both must have gone through with villagers who could count to nine and had very long memories.  Then she covers the things you might not have thought about—like Joseph raising a child he knows is not his and how it effects the marriage, Jesus' not marrying which carried ramifications in that culture, and other items too numerous to list.  No, it is not perfect.  Finding a couple of Biblical errors was disappointing after the careful research, but they were indeed few and far between.  A few things seemed far-fetched, even considering the different cultures—like Joseph burying the wise men's gifts in the backyard for a couple of decades when certainly they needed it on the trip to Egypt.  But then you have the heart-wrenching tale (which might very well have happened) of a family member in Bethlehem losing an eighteen month old son to the Roman swords while Mary and Joseph were warned to flee, and the guilt Mary might have carried with her forever since it was her child they were looking for.
            This book is a page-turner and a quick read.  Do not treat it as truth, but as something to consider when you read about Mary and Joseph and all the unrecorded events they might have experienced.  These people were marvels of faith in every way possible.
            Mary's Journal is published by Zondervan Publishing, but you can also find good used copies on all the used book sites.
 
Dene Ward

Maybe it will say a lot if I tell you that the cover of this book looks like something you would pick up on the bookstand at the grocery store.  Both the title and the picture, a decidedly naughty looking woman peering at you over her veil upon which the title is printed, would grab the attention of anyone who thinks they are spiritual but wants an easy read to prove it.
            Let's give Ms. Higgs her due.  As she tells us in her introduction, she researched all these women—you can name them yourself and not miss a one—in over fifty commentaries and used 10 translations of the Bible.  She did work at it.  But it seems to me that she is more an entertainer than a teacher.  Each chapter begins with a fictional account that is supposed to be a modern day equivalent of that particular woman in the Bible.  Immediately following, is her commentary on the Biblical narrative, often interspersed with humor or sarcasm.  She does keep your interest even when, as I did not one fourth of the way through it, you wish you didn't have to finish it.
            Here is my problem with her fictional introductions:  absolutely none of them is applicable to me or anyone I know.  These made-up situations are hardly commonplace.  A couple are downright ridiculous.  And they are too long.  The first one takes up 12 pages when the Biblical narrative itself only takes 17.  A few more run 8 and 12, or thereabouts.  At least one is actually longer than the Biblical portion.  I would far prefer her to use those pages giving me several different modern, everyday applications in the same amount of pages, situations that people are a whole lot more likely to face.  That way she would have come much closer to touching everyone's life.   She does offer discussion questions at the end of each chapter, some good, some so-so.
            Another plus for her:  she got a few of the trivial things correct that many do not.  On the other hand, all those commentaries have led her to make some speculations that she then treats as fact.  I make speculations all the time when I teach, carefully labelling them as such and always saying, "We just don't know for sure."  I do this to make the characters real people with real reactions and real emotions, not some spiritual super-hero(ines) about whom I can then excuse myself by saying, "I could never do that."  When you speculate, you must be very, very careful, and I do not feel she was careful enough.
            My bottom line is:  if you are interested in real Bible study, do not buy this book.
            Bad Girls of the Bible is published by Waterbrook Press.
 
Dene Ward

This was a more interesting read than I ever expected it to be, primarily because it approaches the subject in a way I have never heard before. 
            First, the sub-title, discipline as a gift, came completely out of the blue for me.  A gift, really?  It had always seemed to be, mainly from the way I had seen it handled before, an odious chore that most completely ignored.  But the author makes you see it from a completely different perspective.  Discipline defines the church by setting boundaries, something every child psychologist should readily recognize.  Children who know the limits are happier children because they have a sense of security.  It also helps define who we really are.  As Mr. South says, "Any group, religious or otherwise, which claims unique status must have and maintain clearly-demarcated boundaries so all can recognize who is not in the group…No discipline, no church."
           He also shows discipline as a command that must be obeyed just like any other if we dare to call ourselves a New Testament Church.  "In spite of an abundance of New Testament teaching, churches today are largely negligent in the practice of corrective discipline, which is nothing less than disobedience."
Then we see that our negligence in this is not just disobedience, but a lack of trust in God who has told us to practice it.  Presumably, He thinks it works, and who are we to question Him?  It also shows a lack of love for those in sin, and a "tendency to accommodate ourselves to our pluralistic society."  Okay, now he has my attention.
           But in doing these things, he carefully sets forth his arguments with far more scripture about church discipline than I was ever aware of, and with a sense of sorrow for those who are lost and could be saved if we followed God's plan.  Covering each passage from every angle, he makes the point that the Bible writers discuss more than one type of discipline which are each dealt with in a different way.  "One size fits all" does not work in such a delicate, yet momentous, topic. 
           I have hardly done this book justice with this review.  It should probably be read by every Christian in the country, certainly every elder and preacher.  Don't waste any time getting to it!
            Church Discipline:  God's Gift for a Healthier, Holier Church is published by DeWard Publishing Company.
 
Dene Ward

Many of us know Matt Bassford from the hymns he has written for us to sing and has explained on his blog.  That he understands both music and poetry is obvious.  "Exalted," which we sing fairly often, is one of my favorites of his, and never fails to send chills down my spine and make my hair stand on end.  Now he has done us all a monumental service by paraphrasing the entire Psalter and choosing tunes to sing them with.  As he says in his introduction we are commanded to sing psalms and we seldom if ever do.
            Speaking of that introduction, it should be preached from every pulpit in the country.  Our culture has taught us that the songs we sing in worship should all be songs of praise or thanksgiving.  Look through the inspired songbook (Psalms) and you will find out that we are leaving out the majority of things we should be singing about.  My own study of the Psalms several years ago left me shocked to discover that only 30% of the psalms were praise psalms.  The largest majority were psalms of lament.  Even when we do use a psalm, we "cherrypick" as Matt calls it, the cheerful parts and leave the rest untouched.  I remember a song leader introducing a new song and boasting, "It's straight from the Bible.  No one should complain."  But that song took one verse of a much longer psalm, repeated that verse almost endlessly, and completely ignored the rest.  Another quote from Matt's introduction:  "Though this neglect of the more challenging psalms may make our assemblies less demanding, it leaves us woefully unprepared to face the sorrows of life under the sun."
            Matt has given us beautifully worded paraphrases for each psalm.  For the longer psalms, he divides them into two, three, or more separate psalms (such as Psalm 119).  Then he suggests a tune to sing it by, usually a well-known standard hymn.  I have tried several of them and they always work out, unlike some of the modern praise songs that throw six words on one or two notes and just expect you to fit them in somehow.  He also includes other ways to change the tune if it is one you don't know, with his metrical descriptions.  As long as you find a tune with the same metrical description (many hymnals have them now), it will fit.  From my own experience with these psalms, practice at home first.  If the tune is one you barely know, find it in the hymnal and sing it a few times first to cement the tune in your mind.  Then try it with Matt's words.  And don't do too many at once.  I found myself suddenly switching to another tune right in the middle of the fourth one.  But I could handle three in a row with little trouble.
            Several churches have begun studying the Psalms with the aid of this book.  After it has been thoroughly dissected, they then sing the psalm with the suggested tune, or one they have found that matches the meter and which their group is more familiar with.  Matt has done us a great service.  This is truly a labor of love for his brethren, and one of devotion to the God he serves.  Well done, Matt.
            Worshiping with the Psalms comes from Truth Publications.

Dene Ward

Peter Williams has written a book both enlightening and encouraging to the believer.  Even skeptics should appreciate this evenhanded approach to the question in the title.  Dr Williams very carefully avoids coming across as either liberal or conservative in his theology as he gives us fact after fact, along with charts and tables to validate his points. 
            He even begins with Non-Christians to establish the confirmation of the Gospels in their basic historical facts.  Next he examines early Christian sources, proving that their natural bias does not mean that their basic information is incorrect.  He then surveys the four books in question to establish whether they are correct in things like geography, bodies of water, roads and means of travel, gardens, and several other things, ending with an interesting discussion of names that this reviewer found intriguing as well as persuasive. 
            The author continues in this vein through several other issues, all credible and easy to comprehend.  Only at the end does he finally try to persuade us that Jesus is real, which means he is worth listening to and following.  It is well worth your time, which will be short but also rewarding.
            Can We Trust the Gospels? is published by Crossway.
 
Dene Ward

I was ready to tell you that this one might be difficult to find, that you might have to look on used book sites like Thriftbooks and Abebooks, or that you might have to scour used book stores, or perhaps the used book section in the Florida College Chatlos Library.  But guess what?  I found it on Amazon! 
            So what is it about?  The complete title might help:  Attitudes and Consequences in the Restoration Movement.  If, like me, you are a third generation Christian and wonder exactly how you got where you are, this book might answer the question.  It will also answer a few other questions you might have like, "Why have people called me a Campbellite?" and "Is the Christian Church related to us in any fashion at all?"  Yes, it is a history of the 19th century movement called, at first, the Reformation, but later, the Restoration Movement.  The point is, to not just reform Protestant religions, but to scrap everything and start over completely, restoring the New Testament Church and its pattern in worship, work, and living.
            The book does get bogged down occasionally with extensive quotations from various preachers, but no one can accuse the author of misrepresenting anyone that way.  He tells it warts and all, it seems to me.  In some cases I was a little aghast at statements those old fellows made, though they were not old when they made them.  These were zealous men in the prime of their lives who saw no religious group following the New Testament pattern and sought to change that in an effort to promote unity among everyone claiming to be a Christian, for the sake of spreading the Gospel.  But when people would not give up their cherished beliefs, no matter how wrong they were shown to be, they settled for gathering the ones who would and became a strong movement for the Truth of the Word.  They were ridiculed by many, but many others joined the choruses we have heard all our lives:  "Where the Scripture speaks, we speak; where the Scripture is silent we are silent," and "For every action we must have a 'Thus saith the Lord.'"  It is the development of that attitude that the book follows.
            As was even the case in the First Century, there was a falling away, and the author chronicles that as well.  Those who were born after the original printing of this book (1945) can tell of similar problems that have risen in their own lifetimes.  If nothing else, the book encourages us to stay faithful.  It may not be for everyone, but for those of us who "have always wondered," it could be a profitable read.
            Attitudes and Consequences was republished by Truth Publications in 2011.
 
Dene Ward
 

Everett Ferguson could very well be the most acclaimed Biblical scholar the Lord's body has ever produced.  Last year we reviewed the new edition of his Backgrounds of Early Christianity.  A mere look through that large volume will convince you that this man knows what he is talking about, especially when it comes to black and white facts.
            Here in this older work he has attempted to examine everything he can possibly find about the musical practices of the first century New Testament church.  He leaves no stone unturned as he delves into New Testament evidence, secular evidence, and historical evidence before even considering doctrinal ramifications.  He even does his best to find "Statements Favorable to Instruments" and can only find a very few, all of which deal with non-religious private functions. 
            He spends a good deal of time quoting the writers of the period who, when even mentioning instruments, by and large use them in figurative ways such as, "The psalterion is the pure mind moved by spiritual knowledge.  The kithara is the practical soul moved by the commandments of Christ" (Origen of Alexandria).  Quotes like that are plenteous.  He also mentions that the Greek Orthodox Christians, who divided from the Roman Catholic Church and certainly knew the Greek language better than any of us, objected to instrumental music accompanying the worship and still sing a capella.  (As an aside, they also know the Greek word baptizo and will not practice sprinkling for the same reason.)  The very term a capella means "in the style of the church," an open confession to the fact that everyone knew you did not have musical instruments in Christian worship.
            Another factor he discusses is the very nature of the worship in the church.  While Jewish worship in the Temple was all about ritual and physical show, the church became the spiritual Temple and its worship a spiritual worship.  Once synagogues began, even Judaism did away with the instruments.  Their worship had become centered on the Word of God rather than spectacle and they felt it no longer had a place.  Interesting, to say the least.
            A final section on doctrine should leave you convinced.  If nothing else matters, a capella singing will not lead to division while forcing an instrument into the worship will send those who feel they can no longer worship acceptably out the door. 
            I found this book listed by more than one publisher.  It is available on Amazon, Abebooks, Thriftbooks, and Ebay, and probably others.  Be sure you get the one by Everett Ferguson.
 
Dene Ward