If you are a regular blog reader, you know that I post book reviews about once a month. Keith has been reading these sorts of things for nearly all our married life as part of his Bible study. He seldom has a book out without his Bible next to it. I decided that if he could handle this sort of reading so could I. However, I did ask for his recommendations. If a book is too heavily into theology and requires a dictionary as well as a Bible in order to understand it, it probably isn't meant to be helpful in a practical, daily way. Those I wanted to avoid. So he has passed along the ones he thought that not only I could read and benefit from, but things my readers could benefit from as well.
In case something in you shies away from any reading except your Bible, please consider this. The Apostle Paul quotes the poet Aratus of Cilicia in Acts 17:28. He quotes Epimenides in Titus 1:12. He quotes Menander, a comic poet (so he had a sense of humor, too) in 1 Cor 15:33: "Bad company corrupts good morals," which might actually have been a quote from a play by Euripides. These are not religious writings, but Paul was able to use them in that way and relate to people of all sorts of backgrounds with them. Yes, we must all be careful of bad influences and things that are just plain wrong. But it is foolish to ignore the things of our culture and somehow think we can refute them.
So I would like to challenge you. Go to my book reviews category. Read through a few and pick two or three books to read this year. I believe I have given you enough information to make a good choice. Then go to the "Contact Dene" page and send me a thought or two about what you have read. Beginning about August or September, I will start rerunning the reviews of the books I have received the most comments on, copying and pasting your comments at the bottom. I hope this will encourage others to broaden their reading as well. Please give me an identifier of your choice which I will honor when I post your comments, perhaps a first name only, a set of initials, or something like, "Susan from Dallas." If you don't mind using your whole name, I will do that, but only if you say so.
Believe me when I say that I am not trying to sell books. As the author of 7 or 8, I can tell you that no one writes religious books to make money. Generally you are lucky to break even. I tell you in each of my reviews how to get the book, the publisher and some outlets as well, and if you have a well-read preacher in your family, perhaps you can borrow some of them. Please help me make this an encouraging venture this year.
The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. (2Tim 4:13). Even Paul traveled with books to read!
Dene Ward
In case something in you shies away from any reading except your Bible, please consider this. The Apostle Paul quotes the poet Aratus of Cilicia in Acts 17:28. He quotes Epimenides in Titus 1:12. He quotes Menander, a comic poet (so he had a sense of humor, too) in 1 Cor 15:33: "Bad company corrupts good morals," which might actually have been a quote from a play by Euripides. These are not religious writings, but Paul was able to use them in that way and relate to people of all sorts of backgrounds with them. Yes, we must all be careful of bad influences and things that are just plain wrong. But it is foolish to ignore the things of our culture and somehow think we can refute them.
So I would like to challenge you. Go to my book reviews category. Read through a few and pick two or three books to read this year. I believe I have given you enough information to make a good choice. Then go to the "Contact Dene" page and send me a thought or two about what you have read. Beginning about August or September, I will start rerunning the reviews of the books I have received the most comments on, copying and pasting your comments at the bottom. I hope this will encourage others to broaden their reading as well. Please give me an identifier of your choice which I will honor when I post your comments, perhaps a first name only, a set of initials, or something like, "Susan from Dallas." If you don't mind using your whole name, I will do that, but only if you say so.
Believe me when I say that I am not trying to sell books. As the author of 7 or 8, I can tell you that no one writes religious books to make money. Generally you are lucky to break even. I tell you in each of my reviews how to get the book, the publisher and some outlets as well, and if you have a well-read preacher in your family, perhaps you can borrow some of them. Please help me make this an encouraging venture this year.
The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. (2Tim 4:13). Even Paul traveled with books to read!
Dene Ward
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