Mary Vogelsong's Blog, page 11
June 22, 2019
Review of Final Word: Why We Need the Bible, by John MacArthur.
John MacArthur has written a strong defense of the Bible as
God’s Word. He lays out a very clear argument that the Bible is under attack in
today’s world, but the Bible is Truth and it is Authoritative.
Throughout the book MacArthur repeats his view that God
speaks to His people only through the Bible. Hunches, intuition, words of
prophesy, and words of wisdom are not – according to MacArthur – valid ways to
hear from God.
MacArthur condemns the Charismatic Movement for relying on
the above methods “while the Christian in the pew has the Bible unopened beside
him,” a phrase MacArthur repeats at least half a dozen times.
I wholeheartedly agree with MacArthur on the inerrancy of
Scripture, and that the Bible is Truth. But not every Christian who seeks
extra-Biblical means of obtaining God’s direction leaves his Bible closed. Not
everyone who identifies as a Charismatic is Biblically illiterate.
Otherwise I believe MacArthur has written a fine book. He
uses multiple scriptures and is well-versed in the Word of God.
#FinalWord #NetGalley @johnmacarthur @RefTrust
June 19, 2019
Review of Joyful Surrender: 7 Disciplines for the Believer’s Life, by Elisabeth Elliot
I remember attending a conference in
the early 80s in which Elisabeth Elliot was one of the speakers. Do I really remember her delivering a
condensed version of this book in her talk, some 38 years ago, or do I just
want to think I remember?
Regardless, this book has stood the test of time. Joyful Surrender was originally penned in 1982 by Elisabeth Elliot, under the title Discipline: the glad surrender.
The title and the cover have been changed, but I believe just about everything else has been kept as it was. The Scripture versions are all the original ones Elliot used, and some are rarely listed as modern references: The New English Bible, The Jerusalem Bible, and J. B. Phillips translation of the New Testament.
The seven disciplines Elliot examines are of the Body, Mind, Place, Time, Possessions, Work, and Feelings. Elliot speaks some hard truths, calling fat, fat (even gluttony); and lazy, lazy.
She related an incident in which a woman asked her to pray she would get a job. Elliot asked her how long she had been out of work. The woman replied she had been out of work, and on government assistance, for two years. Elliot asked her what type of work she was looking for and the lady wanted a job in the television industry.
Elliot told her she could surely find a job cleaning, and be able to get off of government assistance. But the woman was offended at the suggestion, because she had a Master’s degree, and only wanted to work in that field.
Elliot reminded her of Paul’s words that those who do not work will not eat. Elliot suggested that if she got busy doing the most menial work, God may be inclined to provide a job more in keeping with her education.
#JoyfulSurrender
#NetGalley @RevellBooks
June 18, 2019
Review of Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Format: Audiobook
How does a teen
with mental illness cope with the recent death of her father? How does Aza
maintain top grades in school, and continue to be a good friend? Can Aza open
herself up to a romantic relationship? Can she stand all the pressure?
John Green
is able to capture the tension and attraction in teen relationships like few
other authors. Add to that the minefield of mental illness, and I think Green
either did a tremendous amount of research for this book, or he already had a
close knowledge of someone with similar symptoms. It is a complex and engaging
scenario, and Green pulls it off with aplomb.
Turtles All
the Way Down will appeal not just to the YA readers, it can easily draw out the
empathy of a parent. Thankfully Aza’s mom has a good job with insurance, so
when Aza’s world spirals out of control she is already established with a
mental health professional. Thankfully when she needs in-patient treatment she
isn’t shuffled out the door. Her own doctor sees her and has input in managing
her case.
Is Aza cured? No. Most mental health illnesses are chronic. So it is likely that even with the best of treatment these same hospital staff will see Aza again. And again. There’s always worry when a child goes off to college. When your child has a mental illness any illusions of your control in their lives are removed from your grasp.
This can be a gut-wrenching read. Or, someone used to dealing with a chronic mental or physical disease may see it another way. Aza, her mom, and Daisy have taken a step toward being happy with “stable”.
#TurtlesAlltheWayDown @johngreen
June 13, 2019
Review of Heavy: An American Memoir, by Kiese Laymon
Format: Audiobook narrated by the author.
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Heavy is an unveiled, first-person account of a Black male
growing up in a single parent family, in poverty, in Jackson, Mississippi in
the 1980s. Kiese Laymon is tall and overweight for his twelve years. He’s
obsessed with his weight and self conscious. Laymon is supposed to be watched
while his mother is at work, but there is no supervision. He deeply empathizes
with a young teen girl who is forced into sexual acts by older boys. This helps
to shape Laymon’s values.
Laymon’s relationship with his divorced mother is unhealthy
for both of them, emotionally and physically as well. His mother is intelligent
and holds a doctorate degree, yet it seems she can’t pay the bills and keep
food in the house on her teacher’s salary. She insists that Laymon read books
and write reports, which usually must contain an element of overcoming White
oppression. Laymon is constantly told he must rise up against the White man,
and during the highly charged atmosphere of the race riots surrounding the
Rodney King beating, both Laymon and the rest of society seem primed to erupt.
There’s so much dysfunction in Laymon’s life it is easier to
ask, what’s right with this picture?
This is a difficult book to read, because it is
heartbreakingly honest. How many millions of Black youth are trying to survive
in those same conditions – or worse – right now?
June 11, 2019
Review of the CSB Study Bible, Large Print Edition, Mahogany LeatherTouch, Indexed
I had been using the NIV Study
Bible for nearly forty years, and I was ready for a change. I wanted Scripture
to feel fresh and alive as I read it.
I’d be the last person to call
myself a Bible scholar, but I love digging deeper when something sparks my
interest. I also write for publication on Christian topics, and it is important
to be accurate.
Some translations go back to the
original language to begin, while others start with an English translation. My
thought was the closer to the source, the fewer man-made errors. I also hoped
that as time passed, study of Biblical languages was advancing and allowing for
a more accurate translation. The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) started
from scratch with the original language, published in 2004. Since then the translators
have updated the text with corrections, better word choices, and revisions. The
result is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).
A few translations attempt to match the original language word-for-word, resulting in an often awkward English phrasing or sentence structure. On the other end of the spectrum from word-for-word translation is thought-for-thought. This more closely captures the meaning of what is said, and results in a more reader-friendly text. One of the best examples of this type of translation is The Message, by Eugene Peterson. The CSB falls right in the middle.
It is important to me that the
translation be accurate and faithful to the original language. I didn’t want a
new Bible that was going to suddenly challenge traditional Christian doctrine!
Although I wanted a translation that was different from my familiar NIV, I didn’t want one so vastly different it sounded foreign to me.
The presenter at a women’s conference I attended a couple months ago was using the CSB. When she read a passage from the Psalms that I was familiar with from the NIV, whole phrases matched what I had committed to memory. Yet, there was a difference too. As the conference progressed I could see that these differences might just be the fresh and alive elements I was looking for in a new translation!
This study Bible contains not just the Scripture, but word studies, photographs, paintings, timelines, maps, charts, an introduction to each book, outlines, theological themes and insights, and notes. In this study Bible, it is all right there on the page of the verse it relates to, which is a huge improvement over the e-Bible I was using! Sometimes the size of the type is made small to cram all that information. I ordered a large print edition, and the 10 pt font makes it easier on my aging eyes. This significantly increases the size of the Bible; it is big enough, as we used to say, to choke a mule.
I reasoned that I wouldn’t be
carrying this heavy book back and forth to church. I have long since switched
to my tablet or phone for following the pastor as he reads Scripture. The CSB
would remain on my desk as a study tool.
Old habits die hard. The first time
after my CSB arrived that I needed to look up a passage in a study Bible, I
reached for my phone. Then I caught myself and thumbed through the CSB. I read
the passage, a related note, and then skipped back to the introduction of that
book. I kept going deeper and getting a more complete picture of my subject.
The CSB Study Bible offers a lot of information, and would be up to the task for a minister who does in-depth study for sermon or Bible study preparation. A Bible scholar, writer like me, researcher, or the serious layman could all benefit from the CSB Study Bible.
Aesthetically, it’s a beautiful
book. The leather-like cover is soft and appears durable. The page edges are
golden and uniformly coated, and I was pleased to note the gold did not come
off on my fingers. The two place-finder ribbons can be positioned in the Old or
New Testaments. I got the indexed version, but I’m not sure that’s such an
important feature for me. If I were to order again, I wouldn’t include it. But
I don’t think I’ll need to order for another thirty years or so. This CSB
should do fine.
June 10, 2019
A Review of Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times, by Scott Pelley. Audiobook, narrated by the author.
Scott Pelley, former anchor of the CBS evening news and part of the current 60 Minutes reporting team, has written a memoir of his storied career.
In Truth Worth Telling, Pelley gives us glimpses of his coverage of the White House, battle zones around the world, and the selection of Pope Francis; interviews with Nadia Murad who was kidnapped and raped by ISIS and would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for bravely telling her story, parents of slain Sandy Hook Elementary children, and Ben Bernanke in the midst of the Great Recession.
As a teen in Lubbock, TX, Pelley was developed an interest in photography, and lied about his age to get hired as a copy boy, hoping to one day be promoted to photographer. An editor conspiring to keep reporters’ wages low snagged the teen and set him to work as a reporter, and into a 40-some-year career as a news journalist.
Pelley was able to make his
way to Ground Zero on 9/11 before the second plane hit, and he gives a riveting
account of his on-the-ground experience, the first-responder radio chatter, and
who was where as the horrific events evolved. Eighteen years after that awful
day, I thought I had seen and heard all the 9/11 stories from every
perspective. But Pelley pulls it off; I was transfixed.
Pelley makes no secret of
his disapproval of Bill Clinton’s extra-presidential activities involving
Monica Lewinsky or what he calls Clinton’s hubris, but his comments regarding
Donald Trump are vitriolic. This is the
only section where the book is truly acerbic.
I’ve only been able to
mention a few of the highlights covered in Pelley’s book. He’s a great
storyteller, and this is well worth the read. I listened to the audiobook
narrated by the author, and I think Pelley’s inflections add another layer of
“being there”. Don’t miss this one.
@ScottPelley @Hanover_Square
@HarperAudio @HarlequinBooks @HarperCollins @60Minutes #truthworthtelling
June 8, 2019
Review of Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde.
The latest book from multiple best-selling author Catherine
Ryan Hyde, Have You Seen Luis Velez?, is one of her best, and I’ve
read several.
We meet Raymond, a studious older teen with a soft spot for a stray cat, rushing from his apartment on the day before his best (and only) friend moves across the country. Before he can get out the door an ancient woman calls out to him, “Have you seen Luis Velez?” The woman – Mildred Gutermann – is blind, and Luis Velez had been coming to help her navigate to the bank and grocery, but Luis had inexplicably stopped showing up.
Raymond is the only
child of his white mother’s first marriage to a black man, and he now feels out
of place in a white family. His step-father’s income is less than that of his
biological father, a dentist, but he isn’t allowed to accept expensive things
from his dad. His dad’s second wife seems to despise him, so he doesn’t fit in
there either.
Raymond determines Mildred needs help, and steps in where Luis disappeared. Raymond encounters extreme danger for his stray cat, and he begins a search for Luis. Do you know how many Luis Velezes live in the city?
Hyde uses a
predictable formula. She takes a kid who needs help, adds an animal, and she
weaves a story around them. Hyde is also known for including a thread in her
books to promote acceptance of an alternate sexual orientation.
The addition
of the older woman adds a refreshing element which is key to the success of Have You Seen Luis Velez?. Mildred’s back
story incorporates references to the Holocaust, an important topic.
If you are going to choose one of Hyde’s books to read, this would be a good choice. Believe it or not, even with a slow-moving old blind woman there is suspense. Raymond meets some interesting people named Luis Velez in his search for the one who used to help his neighbor. Five stars!
#HaveYouSeenLuisVelez
#NetGalley @cryanhyde
June 6, 2019
Review of Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best – Commemorative Edition, by Eugene Peterson
Run with the Horses is Eugene Peterson’s commentary on selected passages from Jeremiah.
Peterson, best known for his paraphrase of the Bible into modern language – The Message, uses that text as his
platform. I say platform instead of starting point, because in many instances
in Run with the Horses Peterson
returns to scripture’s original language to tease out not just the definition
of a word, but the intent of the meaning as it is used in a passage.
The book’s title comes from
the twelfth chapter of Jeremiah. Jeremiah starts by complaining that the wicked
have it better than the righteous. In verse 5 God begins his answer to
Jeremiah:
So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with
men, what makes you think you can race against horses?
It reminds me of when my
daughter was in middle school, whining about the difficulty of her homework. I nonchalantly said, “Oh. I thought you could
do it,” as if to imply she couldn’t.
This made her angry and she
started telling me she could do anything she wanted; she could become a doctor
if she wanted to. I told her that doctors don’t get there by whining and
saying, “This is too hard.” That stopped the whining, mostly.
Things were about to get a
lot worse for Jeremiah, and I think God was challenging him, asking if he would
be up for the task ahead.
This is the Commemorative Edition released not long
after Peterson’s death. This newer version uses The Message for scripture quotations, and it contains the text of Peterson’s
funeral homily delivered by his son Eric Peterson.
Peterson was a great
communicator. Even so, one pass through this book left me just skimming the
surface. I believe that’s owing to the complexity of the Book of Jeremiah. I
wouldn’t recommend Run with the Horses
as this summer’s beach read, but if you are a serious Bible scholar, it should be
on your list!
By the way, my daughter is
now entering her third year at a top college in their honors program. **SPOILER
ALERT** Jeremiah was faithful to God until the end.
#RunWithTheHorses
#NetGalley @ivpress @PetersonDaily
June 2, 2019
Review of The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather
Witold
Pilecki was a patriotic Polish farmer in 1939, and an officer in the cavalry
reserves. Pilecki lost most of his men in their first battle. He and another
Polish officer, Jan Wlodarkiewicz, decided to form an underground resistance
cell. The underground mainly did “hit-and-run” warfare against Soviet troops.
Pilecki and
Wlodarkiewicz started out as good friends, but Pilecki started to distance
himself when Wlodarkiewicz began incorporating anti-Semitic sentiment into his
leadership of the resistance cell. Eventually Wlodarkiewicz proposed that
Pilecki allow himself to be captured and sent to Auschwitz to start an
underground within the camp and to report on conditions within the camp.
Pilecki
accepted the dangerous assignment. If you have read horrific accounts of Auschwitz
before, this is no different. Pilecki could have been killed at any time, just
randomly. Upon arriving and disembarking from the train, soldiers were shoving
the men with their gun butts, beating or shooting them if they didn’t move fast
enough. One group of soldiers told a prisoner to run toward the fence. When he
did, he was shot for trying to escape, while the soldiers laughed.
Then there was
the gas chamber, crematorium, lice, typhus, and more random killing from the
guards. Some days prisoners’ numbers were read out and they were marched to a
wall where they were shot.
I won’t say
if Pilecki ever got out of Auschwitz alive, if he was able to send any messages
to the underground outside the prison, or if he was able to establish a working
underground resistance within the prison.
The
Volunteer is a well researched, riveting read. Because of the content, it’s not
an easy read. I have read a few books about Auschwitz this year and the cumulative
effect is causing warning bells inside my head to go off. I need to give this
graphic history a break.
But if you
haven’t reached your quota of explicit wartime violence, this is an important
read to preserve history, and hopefully teach us which path of evil to avoid.
@jackfairweather @HarperCollins @AuschwitzMuseum @HolocaustMuseum #witoldpilecki #thevolunteer #auschwitz #NetGalley
May 30, 2019
Review of “God Will Make a Way” by Don Moen
Review of God Will Make a Way by Don Moen with Robert Noland
Don Moen has
had an incredible life of following God. That’s not to say it has been an easy
life – far from it. But as Moen has been faithful, God has used his life to
yield much fruit.
Moen was
raised in a very strict religious home. He was made to take piano lessons, but
was told that any music with a beat was sinful. Moen studied music in college
and at the same time played professionally for area symphonies almost every
night. But his fear that he was sinning – based on the theology he was taught
as a child – caused Moen quit school to return to Minnesota to become a
lumberjack.
Read this
book to find out how God led Moen out of the woods to attend Oral Roberts
University, meet his wife-to-be, and begin a long-term association with Terry
Law and Living Sound to minister all over the world.
Moen is
perhaps best known as a pioneer of the modern Praise and Worship movement. As part Hosanna! Integrity Music, Moen
visited churches around the world to collect the latest praise and worship
music, which was shared on a global level.
While with Integrity, Moen signed now well-known song writers and
worship leaders like Paul Baloche, Ron Kenoly, and Darlene Zschech.
The tragic
death of Moen’s nephew caused the spiritual wilderness or desert, which in fact
became the fertile ground for Moen to write what he describes as the defining
song of his music career, “God Will Make a Way”.
Moen uses
the story of how “God Will Make a Way” was written to encourage others who are
feeling despondent, like they’ve prayed but nothing will change. If you need a
shot of encouragement, this will be a good read for you. If you get excited
reading about the miraculous ways God leads and works through His people,
you’ll love this book!
@HarperCollins @ThomasNelson @donmoen @RNolandAuthor #GodWillMakeAway #NetGalley
