Surrender to Love Review

Surrender to Love

Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality

By David G. Benner

Reviewed by Pat Beaty

The author says, “this book is about love – not the soft sentimental kind but the strong spirit-transforming kind.” And this one sentence description is more than accurate.  It is a short, simple read, but within its simplicity is more beautifully written truth than one can find in several similar long-winded expositions all together.  Don’t get me wrong – it is not the Bible; but words and thoughts from that precious book are found throughout this offering.  It is a phenomenal book, possibly rarer than I thought.  It was written in 2003.

Would you argue with this description of the way God feels about you, “ God is head-over-heels in love with you. God is simply giddy about you. And He loves you  deeply, recklessly and extravagantly – just the way you are.  God knows that you are a sinner, but your sins do not surprise him, nor do they reduce in the slightest his love for you”?

Picture this: It would make me happy to read aloud to you this entire book – and I feel that we both would receive joy and fulfillment as a result of my crazy behavior. This book is that good!  Perhaps because it is so wonderfully written, I found it difficult to review. Suffice it to say, I attempted to underline the prominent phrases and thoughts as I read it; but, as I look back, I feel like I could have underlined most of this work.  I enjoyed it that much.

Although “Christians often focus on obedience more than surrender,” the author states that “Christ does not simply want our compliance, he wants our heart.”  In the preface, “Surrender, love, and spirituality,” the writer explains the meaning and manifestations of these terms.  He says, “to be human is to have been designed for intimate relationship with the divine.”

In the chapter, “It All Begins with Love,” the author begins a fascinating chapter, replete with examples you will easily understand, as he asks, “What do you assume God feels when you come to mind?”  Believe me, from this point on, you will not want to put this book down until you finish it.

The Christian psychologist in the author easily comes out when he asks, “Does it seem hard to believe that, when God thinks of you, love swells in his heart and a smile comes to his face?”

This writer makes you think, often deeply, but you will find the exercise pleasant.  He makes it something you really want to do.  “The Cross invites us to take the risk of losing our life so that we will truly find it” (Mark 8:35).  You will enjoy reading this book and dwelling on it in your heart and mind.

Read previous reviews at http://patbeaty.blogspot.com  

June 21, 2013

Review of Flight Path

Flight Path

A Biography of Frank Barker, Jr.

By : Janie Buck and Mary Lou Davis

Reviewed by Pat Beaty

This book is historical.  Yes, it is history.  You may have flunked history in school from a lack of interest, but I urge you to read this account of church and personal happenings.  You will not believe how quickly you will find yourself enmeshed in the tale of someone who gave up his lifestyle reluctantly and found the freedom that belief in Christ offers.

The text is written as if Dr. Barker was penning it himself, although two other authors wrote it.  This made it very interesting for the reader.

Dr. Barker went to seminary (after a long battle with the Lord and his conscience) without knowing what “being saved” meant. But first, he went through a number of experiences as a pilot flying off flat tops. Later, he had to give up drinking and partying, and a number of other bad habits that he learned in the service, I’m sure.  He was guided throughout his early years by what he called stars – like the one that guided the wise men to Jesus.  These were the instances and circumstances that he felt “God used to get my attention and woo me to him.” Virtually all of these were life-threatening events. “I knew I couldn’t change myself. Only God could change me from the inside-out.”

Dr. Barker did very well in seminary and was determined to get his Ph.D. after graduation; and he believed he was meant to be a pastor.  “Then why do you want your Ph.D.?” he was asked.  He answered that he was speaking to a sophisticated audience; and he felt that if he added a Ph.D. after his name, it would give more credibility to what he preached. The seminary professor he was speaking to said, “young man, the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, not your degrees!”

Much of the remainder of this fascinating work deals with Dr. Barker’s work with his four thousand member church – the beginning of it, the love he had for it, his passion with which he preached Christ in it, and his determination to keep the worship place and teachings God-breathed and truthful.

The reader will be amazed at how complete this biography is.  One of the most dramatic occurrences was when 800 pastors, Dr. Barker included, met together and signed a commitment to the doctrine of the Westminster Confession of Faith, the catechisms and historic Presbyterian policy. This ultimately led to the founding of our own Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

“The wages of sin is death.” This sign was on a tree that almost ended this man’s life and was the beginning of a noted life completely devoted to God.

Previous book reviews available at : http://patbeaty.blogspot.com

Review of Sailing Between the Stars

Sailing Between the Stars

(Musings on the Mysteries of Faith)

by Steven James

Reviewed by Pat Beaty (patbeaty.blogspot.com)

Once again, I am having an extremely difficult time finding an adjective best suited to describe what, to me, is a beautifully written book by an unusually innovative member of God’s family.  To say it is unusual does not even begin to do it justice.  Entertaining, thought provoking, and filled with a variety of topics that will gain any reader’s interest; my vote is; “joyful” and you will find it to be just that.  This pleasing collection of thoughts from a believer about the mysteries, paradoxes, and other fascinating aspects of Christianity and the Holy Bible will catch you off guard.  You will find that the intermixing of the points he makes with experiences and utterances of his small children will charm you to a happy remembrance of your own children at an early age.

The author brings self-denigration to its highest degree as he describes his own failures and inabilities; and he discusses the identify of God, who God is, in a manner you will find disturbing at first, then absolutely wonderful. A friend of my daughter’s read this book and then bought several copies to give to others.  It’s “delightful” – take my word for it.

“Our God is a God of joy, and he wants to pour that joy into your life.  Psalm 30:11 says God clothes us with joy. Psalm 45:7 says he anoints our heads with the oil of joy – he clothes us with oil, he drenches us with joy! Psalm 126:3 says he fills us with joy. Isaiah 35:10 says he overwhelms us with joy and crowns our heads with it.  How would you like to be clothed, drenched, filled, overwhelmed, and crowned with joy?” 

“No one is old who sees the world through a child’s God-shaped eyes.” The author’s delightful stories give you a glimpse into the way that he gets to view God through his daughters’ eyes.

o   “My daughter Ariel told her hamster that he needed to believe in Jesus, and she prayed with him so that he would be able to go to heaven.”

o   “Great. I’ve managed to raise a three-year-old suicidal q-tip-eating stripper!” (You have to read the book to find out the full implication of this statement.)

o   My daughter likes to pray, “God, I love you so, so, so, so much!” and “I can’t wait until I die, because then I get to be with Jesus.”

This delightful describer feels “she’s not only my child – but his daughter, too, tugging on the pants leg of the divine.

This is not a book you cannot put down until you finish it, however, it is one you will not WANT to put down until you finish it.

You may learn a few things along the way, like crux is cross in Latin. I bet you don’t know what agathokakological means? Surprise your pastor and tell him that it means consisting of both good and evil. 

The Church Awakening

-->

The Church Awakening

(An Urgent Call for Renewal)

By Charles R. Swindoll

Reviewed by Pat Beaty

“I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18.  Jesus said this in such an emphatic way that every Christian knows He means business.  However, are we turning our churches into businesses in this post-modern era, the author of this book asks?

This has happened or is happening, he feels.  He states that “Jesus was the originator of the church.  It was His idea. He protects it. He leads it. He alone is its head.”

“The church is a body of people called out from among the world for the distinct and unique purpose of glorifying their Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.” The author feels that this purpose is being eroded but this erosion does not have to occur. He feels we must “wake up and devote ourselves to doing God’s work God’s way.  He feels we must devote ourselves to the four essentials of a church: “the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

The author does not mince words as he strongly emphasizes that we, as a church, must think “spiritually”, “stay Biblical,” and “be flexible.” He believes that these three principles must be foremost in our minds as we seek to counteract any sign of erosion in our church (each individual church). He explains these principles with very good examples, as well as references to the Bible.

In his comparison of today’s church with the first church he points out that we, today, don’t face persecution; we haven’t’ been asked to die for our faith…yet. This writer concentrates his remarks on Paul and Peter at one point in his discussion and gives a very fascinating description of their activities, feelings, and accomplishments.  He discusses the way the “adversary” assaulted the early church on a number of fronts. The reader will find this enlightening.  “The adversary will stop at nothing to disrupt and, if possible, destroy the church.” “Always remember that.”  If you read nothing else in this excellent work, you must read the section: “Distinctives of a Contagious Church.”

There is so much in this treatise that I cannot possibly describe all the illustrations, examples, and other things.  Trust me, this book is a must-read for everyone; it is written in a clear understandable fashion and is a joy to read.  You will enjoy reading “Scaffolding,” an excerpt by Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, in the conclusion.

This book is a timely and well thought-out essay on some very serious issues regarding every church.  Hopefully, and I agree with author of this, it will inspire the reader to discuss these matters with his minister, his Sunday School class, and leaders of his church.  I don’t feel it would be a bad idea to discuss with the entire congregation. 

Review of No Greater Love

No Greater Love

By Levi Benker and Candy Chand

Review by Pat Beaty

Christian, do you love widows and orphans? God does.  Read the Holy Bible and you will see. The man who wrote this book does too. He speaks briefly but wonderfully about widows; and this book speaks volumes about loving orphans.  But this isn’t all – not by any means.  This book is about God and his forever love for all of us, all of the time.

It tells us about a man whom God allowed to fail in what he felt was his life’s work before being called by our Lord to the career he was meant to follow.  This book is a true story that catalogs many of the moving encounters that one man and his family have with some of the most sweet and engaging children in the world: youngsters and newborns in Ethiopia.  In a secondary plot, the reader is witness to the author’s disappointment with, and then deep faith in, God.

You will have to have a heart of stone to keep from being touched by the author’s exhilaration when he finally understands that he does not have to do it on his own strength – that God is here to help and has been all the time.  You will not be able to overlook the way his compassion for the Ethiopian people, and especially the plight of the newborns that our Lord has given him to care for, is so beautifully expressed.

You cannot help but react to this book. It will not leave you in peace.  If you are anything like this reviewer, when you finish this work, you will sit quietly for a few minutes and think about what you have just read.  It is unlikely you will ever forget the journey you have taken with this author over the difficult trails of the African jungle to save the lives of a host of little folks that God has put here.

Do you remember the words of the song: “Jesus Loves the Little Children – All the Children of the World”? Read this challenging book of love and trust, and then answer my earlier question – do you love widows and orphans?

For more reviews by Pat Beaty, go to http://patbeaty.blogspot.com/

Review of No Greater Love

No Greater Love

By Levi Benker and Candy Chand

Review by Pat Beaty

Christian, do you love widows and orphans? God does.  Read the Holy Bible and you will see. The man who wrote this book does too. He speaks briefly but wonderfully about widows; and this book speaks volumes about loving orphans.  But this isn’t all – not by any means.  This book is about God and his forever love for all of us, all of the time.

It tells us about a man whom God allowed to fail in what he felt was his life’s work before being called by our Lord to the career he was meant to follow.  This book is a true story that catalogs many of the moving encounters that one man and his family have with some of the most sweet and engaging children in the world: youngsters and newborns in Ethiopia.  In a secondary plot, the reader is witness to the author’s disappointment with, and then deep faith in, God.

You will have to have a heart of stone to keep from being touched by the author’s exhilaration when he finally understands that he does not have to do it on his own strength – that God is here to help and has been all the time.  You will not be able to overlook the way his compassion for the Ethiopian people, and especially the plight of the newborns that our Lord has given him to care for, is so beautifully expressed.

You cannot help but react to this book. It will not leave you in peace.  If you are anything like this reviewer, when you finish this work, you will sit quietly for a few minutes and think about what you have just read.  It is unlikely you will ever forget the journey you have taken with this author over the difficult trails of the African jungle to save the lives of a host of little folks that God has put here.

Do you remember the words of the song: “Jesus Loves the Little Children – All the Children of the World”? Read this challenging book of love and trust, and then answer my earlier question – do you love widows and orphans?

For more reviews by Pat Beaty, go to http://patbeaty.blogspot.com/

Review of Directed Verdict

-->

Directed Verdict

By Randy Singer

Reviewed by Pat Beaty

This is a story of the persecuted church.  It is extremely well written by a storyteller who intends to bring his principal message to everyone via a fast moving and hard-hitting work of fiction.  The reader will be surprised at the skill and passion of this writer as he carefully weaves several plots into what I would call a timely, “educational” and remarkable work.

In the beginning of this far-reaching, intriguing story, the reader is introduced to most of the main characters, including a missionary couple and an attorney – who must be considered the hero.  During this section, and later, as the action continues, we come to know a variety of peoples both of admiral and questionable morals.

There is agony and suffering during a portion of Mr. Singer’s writing, but he does not cause distress to the reader for long as action and rapid movement carries the reader’s’ interest through a series of happenings which both entertain and gather the concern of Christians (and others, it would be hoped).  The events occur in the Middle East, America, and back and forth between the two areas, but this does not take one’s concentration away from the central theme – one of good and evil, one of love for others, and ingrained hatred for others.

Although I would call this a modern Christian murder mystery, the murderer is obvious.  However, there is a real “who-dunnit” that occurs as you wind your way through this exciting book.  Take this reviewers advice: if you are a reader who normally reads the end of the novel first, you would do well to abandon this habit this time.  This is a murder mystery, but not in the sense of Earl Stanley Gardner or Agatha Christie, and a legal thriller in the genre of John Grisham.

This novel has all the elements of a work you will enjoy and from which you will benefit: mystery, fascinating characters, intrigue, and a Christian premise.  The reader will enjoy this one immensely!