Deus Misereatur

Fill the Earth by Matthew Newkirk My rating: 5 of 5 stars Why in the world do Christians and churches support and get involved in missions? There are a handful of answers to that question, mostly revolving around saving humans or hastening the return of Jesus. But a few thinkers have pointed out that there are God-centered reasons for proclaiming the Gospel. Those God-centered motives include drawing peoples of every tribe and tongue into the worship of God; and proclaiming the reign of God over the cosmos. Matthew Newkirk, author, President of Christ Bible Seminary in Nagoya, Japan, and professor of Old Testament, has compiled a well-reasoned dossier on how the entire Bible “provides compelling rationale for the work of missions” (2) in his newly published 348-page softback, “Fill the Earth: The Creation Mandate and the Church’s call to Mission”. In this detailed manuscript the author hammers home the theocentric purpose of missions. As he states early on, “ God’s mission in the w...

Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury: 4 Complete Stories in 1 Volume! by Arnold Lobel My rating: 5 of 5 stars Who would have thought? Here we are in the middle of a pandemic and quarantine, with all of the "shelter-in-place" directives, and I decide to read children's stories via live video on Facebook for the kids in my church, and my grandchildren in another state. I land on "Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury," written in 1976, to launch this endeavor. Lo-and-behold, it's a hit! Kids are watching me read the stories before bedtime, parents are grateful for the relief after an exhausting day working from home, etc., and even adults are tuning in. The stories are readable, and quite fun, and the illustrations (drawn by the author) are just right. These are tales of two friends who enjoy sharing various aspects of life together as friends. Each story stands alone on its own. They relate the friendship of two amphibians with personalities that complement each...

Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages. For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses (Psalm 135:13, 5-7). We rejoice in your might and goodness and ask you to attend to our prayers as we seek your face and intercede on behalf of your Church and world. We lift up our hands, hearts and heads to you, Mighty God, for hearing and answering our prayers, for sustaining us day-in-and-day-out, and for the gift of a new day. Glory to you, Mighty Lord! Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages. We pray for this congregation, for these churches: Edmond Connect UMC; Epworth UMC; Grace UMC; and Hillcrest UMC; and we pray for your Church world over. As a Master Gar...

The Temple and the Church's Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God by G.K. Beale My rating: 5 of 5 stars "The Temple and the Church's Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God" is an extended study that shows exactly what the title claims. Beale traces out the roadways that lead from Eden to Revelation 21-22. If you've never considered how Eden was a Temple, with Adam and Eve fulfilling the priestly roles of working and keeping it (Genesis 2:15); or how the Tabernacle and Temple were a renewed Garden of Eden; or how the final Temple of the New Heavens and New Earth are pictured as an expanded and intensified Eden, then this is the book to get. In Beale's own words, "the eschatological goal of the temple of the Garden of Eden dominating the entire creation will be finally fulfilled...Hence, eschatology not only recapitulates the protology of Eden but escalates it" (368). And yes, the author masterfully shows how t...

O God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; O God, who has created us and formed us; O God, who has called us by name so that we are yours! Glory to you, O God! You have told us to fear not, because you have redeemed us. You have promised that when we pass through the waters and rivers you will be with us and not allow them to overwhelm us. You have promised that even as we walk through the fire and flame, you shall preserve us that we are not consumed. You are the LORD our God, the Holy One of Israel our Savior! And so, we believe that what the reliable God says, the reliable God does! Aid us now, we pray, that we may lay down our worries and fears at your feet. Aid us now, we pray, that we may look up to you and be strengthened and saved. Aid us now, we pray, that we may worship you in Spirit and truth, wherever we are. And aid us now as we join our hearts and voices together to pray as Jesus taught us, saying; “ Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy w...

Our Good Crisis: Overcoming Moral Chaos with the Beatitudes by Jonathan K. Dodson My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s young, thoughtful, biblical and to the point. “Our Good Crisis: Overcoming Moral Chaos with the Beatitudes” is a 192-page softback nicely written and highly germane given our present culture of polarizing and partisanship. Johnathan K. Dodson, lead pastor of City Life Church in Austin, founder of Gospel-Centered Discipleship, and author of several books, has delivered a homerun in this discussion of the Beatitudes “breaking into the crisis of our everyday lives” (x). And by everyday lives, he especially means, our lives right now, in this environment, in this antagonistic context. Anyone from 16 to 86 will gain immensely from the material between these covers. Dodson launches into his deliberations defining the word crisis, with its ancient roots in Aristotle and in the Greek New Testament. Crisis is the Greek word for judgment, when Jesus will return to judge (krisis) t...

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fascinating rehearsal of the adventures and personality of Percy Harrison Fawcett. The development of his explorer's ways, slide into the occult, and obsession with "Z" is gripping. The ending is quite the pleasant surprise, not quite were you expect it to end. Grann, who doesn't need my accolades, is an attention-grabbing writer, and draws the reader into the story for pages and chapters on end. I highly recommend the book. View all my reviews