The Return

Review: No Fear in Love: Loving Others the Way God Loves Us Andy Braner Baker Books 2015 What do love and fear have in common that they end up together in a book title?   Yes, you know the verse from 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”   But what about ridding yourselves of the fear that keeps love from acting and being complete?   That’s pretty much what this book is about. Braner looks at overcoming that fear through examples from his own life.   He never professes to be perfect though and tells his readers how that worked out for him.   And could also work for you and me. Divided into three sections Braner’s book the basic fear package that most of us haul around, then drills down more looking into world views that are different, and finally cultural factors that can cause fear.   The first section covers some...

Review: God in Slow Motion: Reflections on Jesus and the Unexpected Lessons You Can See in His Life Mike Nappa Thomas Nelson 2013 This is probably the freshest breath of air I have read in quite a while.   Really, truly, it is.   The subtitle talks about reflections on Jesus and this is what this author has done.   No scholar talk or the usual stuff here.   These are reflections.   He has taken the time to look and think about 10 different moments recorded in the Gospels.   The author enters the moment, lives it, and presents his thoughts to us.   My favorite moment comes from chapter 4, Frightening Wonder .   This one looks at Jesus calming the storm.   Nice placid little lake goes berserk while all the disciples and Jesus are trying to get across it.   You know the story, if not it’s in Mark 4.   The subheading for the scene where the disciples witness Jesus speak to the storm is Jesus is One Scary Dude.   This...

Review: Revealing Jesus: A 365 Day Devotional Darlene Zschech Bethany House Publishers 2013 What struck me first was the clarity and depth of these devotional readings and, yes, I was surprised by that.   I severely underestimated her ability and maturity in this area.   So for those who don't like her brand of music, give this author a chance.   It really is that good and I genuinely look forward to the time I read these devotionals.  Each day's reading is concise, thoughtful, thought provoking, and the entrance to a real time of worship and prayer.   This will become the new standard for devotional writers of today.   At least, I hope so. The readings are divided into monthly themes.   Faithful, Solid Rock, Holy One are a few examples of the themes. They are introduced with lyrics from hymns, and the graphics used to highlight them added to the appeal of this book.   Most of the devotionals have been written by t...

Review: Fixing My Eyes on Jesus: Daily Moments in His Word Anne Graham Lotz Zondervan 2012 The introduction to this devotional series provides a wonderful illustration of what this author intends for the rest of this book, to point the reader toward the true north of life, Jesus.   Each day then seeks to continue in that course.   There’s encouragement, correction, teaching, and even reproof if the reader cares to look that deeply.   She does not shy away revealing some of her own “teachable moments.”   The tone is always gentle and infused with love.    Good way to start your day, or lift up a day that’s not going the way you’d hoped, or to prepare for the next day.   It reads well any time of the day.  The author draws from the entire Bible for this series, primarily New Testament, but given the focus that is not unexpected or a flaw, but shows a balanced breadth of Scripture use, in my opinion.  A few comments about ...