Listening to the Giants

This reviewer has been a dad for 12 years now and yet I have consistently struggled in finding the right time, place and devotional content for my daughters (ages: 12, 9). This is the primary reason why I took the opportunity to review, The One Year Father –Daughter Devotions . The Good Each day begins with a title and 2-3 paragraphs of interesting facts and/or appealing anecdotes, which relates to the verse of the day. The author’s uses of entertaining and original facts are vital to grabbing the daily interest of the female progeny. Surprisingly, the authors never reveal the intended ages of their audience, but I would assert daughters from the ages of 6-12 would find it relevant. Another element is the use of creative, hands-on ideas in the section called Daddy-Daughter Time . This part of the devotional is normally used for applicational questions, but frequently the authors used it to conduct science experiments (April 29 th ), culinary moments (Feb. 27 th ) or

This book is a collection of essays, focused on the Decalogue, its interpretations and devotional usage throughout the centuries. Many of the great Christian thinkers are examined such as, Calvin, Luther, Owen, Aquinas and Karl Barth. The book is edited by Jeffrey P. Greenman, who is the Associate Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies and Professor of Christian Ethics at Wheaton College and Timothy Larsen who functions as the Carolyn and Fred McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College. I will admit from the start that this type of book is difficult to review. Each chapter interacts with a “giant” of the Christian thought and boiling down his or her musings on the Decalogue is a challenging task for each of the 14 contributors. Therefore, I am striving to highlight certain chapters, which grabbed my attention for either positive or negative reasons. Please forgive my trendy, categorical approach to this review.  The Most Interesting Chapter To its credi

Is setting resolutions for 2013 wrong? Did the men/women of old participate in a similar activity? Well, to be honest, no they didn't. The reason is New Year's Day is originally based on a pagan holiday and therefore, Christians of old didn't celebrate such days. Does that mean we shouldn't have a party or make resolutions? Ultimately, each Christian must act according to their conscience. That being established, America is not Rome (where New Year's Day originated) and there is no church/state government-regulated worship. Therefore, it is apples and oranges, as the saying goes. Actually, I strongly agree with the sentiment of Burk Parsons (editor of Tabletalk magazine and co-pastor at St. Andrews Chapel), who states that Christians should be resolving to be resolved . In his post, he encourages Christians to be   resolving sensibly, dependently, humbly and for the sake of Christ . To read the whole article, click on  http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles

Facts about John Knox:  He remarried a woman named Margaret Stewart (age 17), who was 33 years younger than Knox . 1/5 of his writings were about predestination . John Calvin was his primary mentor. Knox wrote none of his sermons down (only two sermons survived). He was his spiritual father’s bodyguard and carried a broadsword . His son-in-law was in prison for insubordination to the throne. The king asked Elizabeth (Knox’s daughter) to persuade her husband to submit to his authority. Her response: “Please your Majesty, I’d rather have his head here.” Knox is one of the four reformers on the wall of Geneva. The words next to the Scottish reformer, “One man with God is always in the majority.” 

He was a minister of the Christian gospel who advocated violent revolution. He was considered one of the most powerful preachers of his day, but only two of the hundreds of sermons he preached were ever published. He is a key figure in the formation of modern Scotland, yet there is only one monument erected to him in Scotland, and his grave lies beneath a parking lot. John Knox was indeed a man of many paradoxes, a Hebrew Jeremiah set down on Scottish soil. In a relentless campaign of fiery oratory, he sought to destroy what he felt was idolatry and to purify Scotland's religion. Biography  John Knox was born around 1514, at Haddington, a small town south of Edinburgh. Around 1529 he entered the University of St. Andrews and went on to study theology. He was ordained in 1536, but became a notary, then a tutor to the sons of local lairds (lower ranking Scottish nobility). Dramatic events were unfolding in Scotland during Knox's youth. Many were angry with the Cath

Dr. John D. Currid is Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has a PhD in archaeology and has authored several commentaries (e.g. The Pentateuch, Habakkuk). In his introduction, Dr. Currid breaks up the book of Ruth into five sections: Part one—Setting the scene (1:1-5), Part two—Naomi and her Moabite daughter-in-laws (1:6-22), Part three—In the fields of Bethlehem (2:1-23), Part four—The scene at the Threshing Floor (3:1-18) and Part five—Redemption (4:1-22). These sections encompass the majority of the commentaries’ brief 136 pages. Also, the introduction contains the author’s valuable thesis statement, “Thus the book is serving a greater purpose than merely being a moral story of human goodness: it points to the future reality of the coming King ”. I would label Professor Currid’s commentary somewhere between an exegetical commentary and a devotional one. To be clear, both elements are beautifully integrated throughout. T