Guiltless Living - A Review

"It's not that we focus on sinning so much as it is that we focus on the glory and grace of God." - Guiltless Living, Ginger Hubbard

Guiltless Living is an honest, realistic, hopeful narrative dealing with the aspect of remaining sin in our lives.  The answer, however, isn't necessarily what one might expect, based on the title.

This book isn't normally one I'd choose to read.  First, it's written by a women; I tend to read books written by men for men.  Second - and, yes, I know we're not supposed to judge by this - but the cover image is a woman, from the waste down, standing barefoot on a beach...in a polka-dotted dress; it looks more like a "chick lit" book than one with some deep spiritual truths.

I'm glad I ignored all of my preconceived ideas. I found some great nuggets of truth hidden behind the cover. While written from a woman's perspective, there is much that anyone reader - male or female, teen or adult, single or married - can glean from these pages.

I like that Hubbard shares personal stores, some her own and some of people close to her, to illustrate her point. By sharing these stories (some rather recent) disarms the reader by not feeling this is written by someone "who's arrived" but rather a fellow beggar sharing where to find bread.

Some topics covered are a critical spirit, pride, selfishness, control (as in controlling others), hoarding/miserly behavior, being self-focused, and religiosity. In light of what some of us view as "big sins," we may breeze past these topics, but Mrs. Hubbard highlights why these are particularly troubling sins, as most have idolatry at the core.

The pattern of the book is to reveal the sin - both in terms of a theological definition and practical examples.  Hubbard effectively reveals what these traits look like in the paces of life - aggressive driving, manipulative behaviors toward our children or spouses, our treatment of the server at the restaurant, etc.

I like that, while diagnosing the problem as sin, Hubbard's solution is the cross.  To "work harder" or "try more" would merely devolve into moralism.

One quote that sums up the book:

"All that we need to overcome sin has been provided to you.  The cure for sin is the cross.  Only through the power of Christ can sin's call be resisted.  When we set our attention on the power of the sacrificial atoning work of Christ, our hearts become filled with his love for us and our love for him.  Sin is crucified.  It weakens, becomes unattractive, and eventually loses its pull. It's not that we focus on not sinning so much as it is that we focus on the glory and grace of God.  As our hearts become more filled with God, there is less and less room for sin."

One point of caution to the guys reading this: if you're like me, since the book is written from a woman's perspective, you may be tempted to say, "Aha! I get it! THAT'S what my wife is doing!"  Don't fall into the temptation of finding your wife's failings in the pages of this book. 

May we all view our lives through the finished work of the cross - living from that place of victory and residing in the grace found at foot of our Savior.  


Note: I received a review copy of the book from the publisher.  I was required to provide an honest, not necessarily favorable, review, and the opinions expressed are mine.

Spritual Warfare: A Biblical & Balanced Perspective - A Review

Many books on spiritual warfare either greatly emphasize Satan or completely ignore his operation in the life of believers.  Either ditch poses grave danger to the believer.  Brian Borgman and Rob Ventura navigate this thorny, yet very important, topic. 

I was a bit skeptical about this book, and I'm glad I gave it a shot.  This is one of the best books I've read in the past two years (ranking, for sure, in the top 3, and it contends for the top spot).  I've read others on the topic of spiritual warfare, much to my detriment. Some overly emphasize the role of the demonic.  Some emphasize the believer's walk.  In the forward, Steven Lawson states, "there are three formidable foes with which we contend - the world, the flesh and the devil."  Borgman and Ventura lay out a model for fighting, regardless of the front.

I was impressed with the expository approach they take to the topic.  The book is anchored on Ephesians 6:10-20, and they take one topic per chapter.  Each topic is explained, sometimes from several viewpoints, and then practical ways to employ the topic are expressed.

One unusual aspect to the book is notable: the enemy isn't given much print space.  He is not ignored, but, starting from the position that we fight from a place of victory in Christ, the adversary isn't given the press he gets in other books.

As I stated, Spiritual Warfare quickly rose to the top of the books I've read, both on this topic and others.  The principles expressed I'm employing immediately.  If you are in a spiritual battle (hint: if you're breathing and have a pulse, you are), I cannot commend this book to you enough. 

Thank you, Pastors Borgman and Ventura.  This book has been a true gift to me.


Note: I received a review copy of the book from the publisher.  I was required to provide an honest, not necessarily favorable, review, and the opinions expressed are mine.

Why I'm Unfriending Facebook (even for a time)

I'm unfriending Facebook. This may be for a time, and it may be for good.  That decision will come later.  For the time being, however, I'm leaving Facebook.  Why I'm leaving will take some explanation.

I don't know when it happened, but there was a decided shift in our culture. Somewhere along the line we confused disagreement with dislike, and we substituted debate for hatred.  In the wider culture, if someone disagreed, it was a sign the person didn't like the other person.  To engage in debate is now considered hatred, and, depending upon the topic, it's labeled as "hate speech" and can be a crime.

Facebook was different.  It was originally set up by college students for college students.  In the very early days (before I joined), it was a place for upcoming graduates to connect with employers.  It was a tool that was later replaced by LinkedIn (and others) as a method of networking.

It evolved from there to chronicle the lives of students (and maybe even record what the students couldn't remember).  This may not have been the healthiest of uses, and it was quickly replaced by likes of SnapChat and other, seedier, social media outlets.

Its further evolution took it into, what I term, a "Wild West college" phase; this was a time when Facebook was a place with few rules and lots of debate. Unlike the university system, honest debate happened. Sometimes it got ugly, but it was more open and honest.

As time went on, some of the culture's views on debate crept in.  I saw it from the faith community first. Disagreement on some theological issues was viewed as "unloving" or "divisive".  Disagreements were to be discounted; outright heresy was was to be ignored.  The only acceptable answers to anything theological was to praise the comment, regardless of its theological value.  Even a non-like on a re-post must be an indication of divisiveness.

Next, I saw this creep into social topics. It seemed the only topics and views allowed were those championed by the editorial board of the New York Times.  To disagree meant you must be one of a host of "-ophobe's".

My comments, and my responses to others' comments, have damaged relationships.  It's not that it was my goal, but it's the way of our society; to disagree with a comment apparently means I hate the person. My real-life relationships are more important to me than my online presence.

I'm unfriending Facebook, at least for a time.

Why Christ Came - A Review

"Our salvation does not depend on our performance but on Christ's." - Joel Beeke and William Boekestein, "Why Christ Came - 31 Meditations on the Incarnation"

I've read several books by Joel Beeke.  I've enjoyed all of them, but many are written with a college level in mind.  This book was different, but that doesn't mean it was a theological lightweight.

I was drawn to the concept.  Beeke and Boeestein explore 31 reasons Jesus came.  While timely for the advent season, this book is much deeper than the Baby in the Manger.  Much like John Piper's "Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die,"  this book explores topics outside of the normal meditations.

I really appreciate how scripture-soaked the book was.  Every topic is bathed in Bible passages.  This (1) adds credibility to the arguments, and (2) gives a starting point for further meditation. 

To give a little flavor of the Gospel-rich writings, I quote this from Chapter 26, "To Restore Human Nature to Holiness":

"Many people are quite satisfied with a religion of external rules and ceremonies because they have a superficial view of sin.  Perhaps they have fairly loose rules, such as a minimum requirement to attend public worship now and then. Or maybe they have stiff and complex rules consisting of behaviors almost as  intricate as a Japanese tea ceremony.  Either way, changes in behavior cannot purify the heart, for it is the seat of our corruption."


The authors continue to explain the Gospel in clear, concise terms.

This book would be great all year, although Advent or Lent would be great times to read.  The chapters are relatively short, which would make this a great devotional.  Fathers, if you're looking for a good family devotional for your older children (maybe 12+), this would be great; younger kids probably wouldn't grasp some of the ideas, but it's not inappropriate for that age group. 

I highly endorse this one.  Well done, Mr. Beeke and Mr. Boekestein.

Note: I received a review copy of the book from the publisher.  I was required to provide an honest, not necessarily favorable, review, and the opinions expressed are mine.

AsaSure

Now that ObamaCare is the law of the land, and now that the bill's been passed and we can now see what's in it, I've decided we need to propose something similar for auto insurance.  I hereby introduce AsaSure.

First of all, everyone will need to participate in AsaSure.  If anyone chooses to drive without insurance, it drives up the cost for everyone. If you don't drive, you'll still need AsaSure, in case you do. But don't worry, if you like your current insurance, you'll be able to keep your insurance, provided it meet some common-sense standards. 

Every policy will need to cover some basic, common-sense standards.  Body work, collision and routine maintenance will need to be covered.  So will window-tinting, filters, fluid changes and roadside assistance. Custom wheels and high-performance tire replacements will be covered under AsaSure.

Even though the very young drivers have traditionally cost more in claims, we cannot burden this very vulnerable age group.  Therefore we will switch to a community rating system, where everyone in a geographic area will pay the same, regardless of claim history.

Oh, and to protect drivers (and potential drivers) from those evil insurance companies, we'll preclude pre-existing incidents.  But don't worry; drivers are too honest to add AsaSurance after the accident.

Again, like I said at the outset, if you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance.  Unless, of course your policy is underinsurance (meaning you don't have roadside assistance or prepaid fuel); then, if your policy changes, even the premiums fluctuate a few cents, your policy will no longer be valid, and you'll have to purchase an AsaSure.

One final benefit of AsaSure.  We'll set up private exchanges for AsaSure-eligible companies to compete for your business.  Oh, sure, we'll collect ALL of your information in our secure (as we define secure) system and will know whether you purchase.  And we promise the exchange will be fully functional with no major outages.

AsaSure.  The better way to insure driving.