As a missionary, I have four options for reading material.  I can buy books for my Kindle.  These are the books hot off the press (okay, fresh pixels).  The downside is that I tend to like to “study” with physical books.  I don’t mind reading on the Kindle, but I find that I do more studying with a paper edition I can hold, mull over with a cup of coffee, etc.

I can also go to the Banco de la Republica’s library.  I’d never been a patron to a library that is also a museum and a work of architectural beauty.  The problem there is that the selection is very limited.

The third option is to buy books at a book store.  The problem with this option is that Santa Marta is obviously not a reader’s paradise because there is not a single larger bookstore in the whole city.  Not to mention that books are very expensive here.

The last option I have is to read books I already own.  I’ve been working with this option lately and came across two books that I really liked in seminary.  I’ve always enjoyed church history, especially when it’s presented in an interesting way.  For me, one of the best methods to learn church history is to read the original documents.

I want to first suggest a great volume that has allowed me to get back into some of the original source material of church history: Documents of the Christian Church edited by Henry Bettenson (on Amazon it’s now a new edition with another editor, but I have the second edition).  I just started this book up this week and have really been enjoying it.

The other book that I really enjoy about church history is  Creeds of the Churches: A Reader in Christian Doctrine, from the Bible to the Present.

Now, these two books are not the easiest books to read, but I personally find the reading of the source documents to be very helpful.  Instead of simply taking someone else’s word for it, I can read for myself what Clement said, or how Polycarp’s martyrdom was originally chronicled.

These types of works have been invaluable for me because here in Santa Marta we have an unbelievable number of cult groups and churches gone astray.  If I have a good understanding of church history, I’ll be able to share with people in a more helpful way about where these groups have gone wrong.  Often their errors go all the way back to the 2nd Century.

I just finished reading D.A. Carson’s new book The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story on my Kindle.  I wanted to mention just a few quick impressions the book gave me.

• This book offers an interesting overview of the whole message of the Bible, written for a wide-range of people.  Someone who has never read the Bible would find it very interesting as well as a seminary grad.
• Each chapter is titled with “The God who…”  To mention a few examples: The God Who Made Everything, The God Who Reigns, The God Who Dies—and Lives Again.  I think this format is helpful because it allows the reader to easily understand a main point about God.
• Since we have been using ABWE’s The Story of Hope materials for over two years, this book is a great supplement.  I was interested in his inclusion of a chapter on the wisdom material of the Bible (“The God Who Is Unfathomably Wise”).
• I was initially disappointed by the first chapters of the book because I found myself getting a little bored with the reading, but the pace (or the interpretation) picked up, and I learned many new things through reading this book.
• If you have a reading friend who doesn’t know Christ, this may be a great gift, or better yet, just buy the book and loan it.  That way you will have a good reason to get together and talk about it when the person returns the book.

Proverbs for Kids from the Book

I don’t normally review children’s books because I don’t have a lot of exposure to them, but this book is an exception.  What do you read with your kids for their devotional time?  We have tried a number of different books, but this one has provided the most profitable instruction to this point.

Here’s an example of the text from one page (p. 63):

The Facts

[Imagine a nice cartoon here of Mr. Wisdom showing two boys where to build a tree fort.  In the background, B.A. (Bad Attitude) is pointing to a tree that will obviously not hold the fort up.]

Any enterprise is built by wise planning.  It becomes strong through common sense and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.  The fool is only fooling himself when he doesn’t care about the facts and therefore won’t face them.  What a shame–yes, how stupid!–to decide before knowing the facts!  So get the facts, at any price.

Proverbs 14:8 / 18:1, 2, 13 / 23:22, 23 / 24:3, 4

What do I like about this book?

• It is completely biblically based.  No fluffy stories with a Bible verse tacked on here.
• It challenges us as parents.  This book provides a summary of the main principles that come out of the Proverbs.  I actually think that adults benefit from this book as much as kids.
• It has cartoons.  What kid doesn’t like cartoons?  And especially when they challenge the kids to think about the Bible and their lives.  Each page has one cartoon that applies the principle from Proverbs.  The message of the cartoon requires thinking to understand.  This is where the learning takes place as the kids have to think about the cartoon and apply it to their lives.
• Each page is short in content but long in discussion-starting potential.  If we don’t have much time for our devotional we read only one page which takes about 3 minutes.  If we have more time, we read two pages and discuss them.  This can lead to 15 minute discussions of the teaching of Proverbs.

What might you not like about this book?

• The translation (paraphrase) of the Proverbs used at the back of the book is the Living Bible.  You may or may not like the Living Bible, but I personally don’t think it takes away from the book because you could read the proverbs from whatever translation you wanted when you reached the end of the book.
• It’s out of print, so you may struggle to find it in the future (but check out the Amazon link to see if it’s available).

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism

I have begun to take notes about the books that I read. This is not a “review” per se, but rather my notes from the book. I hope that you find them profitable.

Core concepts:
The gospel should captivate our hearts and motivate us to share the good news with others.

Apologetics and personal testimony are not evangelism. Telling the good news is. We should consistently share with people the need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

The sovereignty of God is a crucial doctrine in our understanding of evangelism. It guards us from discouragement and trying to force decisions.

Twelve steps to more faithfully evangelize:
pray, plan, accept the responsibility, understand it is our responsibility, be faithful, risk, prepare, look, love, fear God not man, stop excusing ourselves, consider what God has done in Christ

Key issues and questions:

Evangelism should be a part of the church culture.
How can we build evangelism into the culture at church?
How should I be spending my time each week in evangelism?
How can we train others in evangelism? It seems to me it has to be intentional and practical, not just a “program.”

We should constantly be growing in our evangelism.
What should I be doing on a daily basis to grow in evangelism?

Significant quotes:
“Simply put, we don’t pray for opportunities to share the gospel, so how surprised should we be when they don’t come?” (p. 24).

“Maybe we are too polite to be faithful to God in this area. Maybe we are more concerned about people’s response than God’s glory. Maybe we are more concerned about their feelings than God’s” (p. 25).

“If we would be more faithful in evangelism, we should fuel the flame of love toward God within us, and the flame of gratitude and of hope. A fire so inflamed by God will have no trouble igniting our tongue” (p. 29).

“According to the Bible, evangelism is simply telling the good news. It’s not making sure that the other person responds to it correctly” (p. 70).

“Certainly, we pastors sacrifice personal opportunities to do evangelism when we work full-time in ministry” (p. 118).