Deus Misereatur

  “My First 123 Book of Bible Numbers: Big Sums for Little Thumbs” is a simple, colorful, readable, fun little book of numbers. It is authored by Jonathan Gibson and illustrated by Michael Mullan. Each installment in the book has the main number, and then a related Bible detail, with multicolored graphic. Then there are questions to help the kids to go to the picture, hunt down that number and count. For example, the number 1, “There is only 1 God who made the universe and everything in it.” Then it asks, “Can you find: 1 moon? 1 star? 1 mountain?” and they go back to the creation picture and find the “1” items.   When our kids were little, we found such books where the kids had to hunt and search really kept them engaged. And it opened up all kinds of little Dad and kid talks about some aspect of our faith. That’s the style of “My First 123 Book of Bible Numbers: Big Sums for Little Thumbs.”   The whole book opens with a theme from Psalm 139:17–18, “How precious ...

  Long ago I stumbled on the New England Primer of 1690. As it goes through the alphabet for young minds, it has a specific letter and then a short ditty. For example, under “A” it has, “In Adam’s fall, we sinned all.” Very catchy for both teaching letters and Protestant theology. In a similar way, Jonathan Gibson, minister in the International Presbyterian Church (UK), Associate Professor of Old Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, and author, has compiled a snazzy kid’s book, “My First ABC Book of Bible Verses: Big Truths for Little Minds”. It is brightly illustrated by Mike Mullan. As the title indicates, the book follows the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, one letter per page. But instead of using cute ditties the letters are attended by a Bible verse at the top of the page. It’s all very simple. For example, the radiantly displayed letter “A” has Isaiah 53:6 attending it, “ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way ...

Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present Ed. by Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey New Growth Press 1301 Carolina St., Suite L-101 Greensboro, NC 27401 ISBN: 978-1-948130-21-9; 23 April 2018; $69.99 Many American Presbyterian and Reformed believers are either out of touch with their Reformation roots, or have only snippets of information. One area where this is glaringly clear is in regard to worship, and specifically liturgy. Jonathan Gibson, assistant professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary,   and Mark Earngey, doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, have accomplish a yoeman’s job in their new 736 page hardback “Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the past for the Present”.   This weighty tome is ideal for liturgists, worship leaders, pastors, seminary professors, and highly interested parties. It is a reference work that “aims to recover and reaffirm the significant part that worship played in the Magisteria...