Christian books looking for believers at the book sale

 Bernstein, Carl and Politi, Marco.  His holiness; John Paul II and the hidden history of our time. Doubleday,1996.

Smedes, Lewis B. Forgive and forget; healing the hurts we don't deserve. Guideposts, 1984. 

A heavy load--I hate to give them up, but they are going to the UAPL sale.

Jeremiah, David.  Revealing the mysteries of heaven. Study guide. Turning point. 2017,

Sullivan, Francis A. Magisterium; teaching authority in the Catholic Church. Paulist Press, 1983.

McKenzie, John L. Authority in the church. Sheed and Ward, 1966.

Nordman, Paul. Christ in me. 48 daily Reflections. Xulon Press. 2016.

William Tyndale's New Testament. Wordsworth Classics. 2002.

Streams in the desert.  366 Daily Devotional readings.     Zondervan, 1997.

Stedman, Rick. Praying the armor of God.  Harvest House.2015.

Bible stories. 2009,

Bibliia [Russian].Trinitarian Bible Society, n.d.

1001 ideas that changed the way we think. Atria books. 2013.

Hallesby, O. Prayer. Augsburg,1994

Letters to President Clinton

There are a number of adoption stories in the Bible. Moses' name was given to him by his adoptive mother, the daughter of Pharoah who "drew him out of the water." The Bible doesn't say what his Hebrew name was, but according to the Midrash it was Tuvia. He kept his Egyptian name even after he knew he was a Hebrew. Rabbi Genack writes that as an Egyptian royal and not a Hebrew slave he asserted the then-unknown principle of the freedom and dignity of man. "It is therefore, Moses the Egyptian, and not Tuvia the Hebrew, who is destined to be the giver of the Law and the "father of Prophets" who will mouth the Divine imperative", (Deut. 16:20) "Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord you God is giving you." p. 12, Letters to President Clinton, (Sterling Ethos, 2013)

This book recommendation might surprise you, but hear me out. "Letters to President Clinton; Biblical lessons on faith and leadership," edited by Rabbi Menachem Genack, Sterling Ethos, 2013. Bill Clinton was a Southern Baptist who became friends with Rabbi Genack in 1992; they began a written dialogue that continues to the present. Genack also recruited other Jewish friends to join in the Biblical  reflections/commentary. These have been compiled and edited by him with comments dealing with the context and setting. Each essay is only a page or two, easily finished in one reading and organized by general topic, the largest probably being "Leadership," but also including "Sin and Repentance," "Creation," "Community," "Faith," "Dreams and Vision," and "Holidays." Protestants tend to cherry pick slections of the Old Testament to fit either "end times," or their denomination's teaching on Jesus. This is a fresh and delightful look at how Jews see those same stories and passages, along with the scholarship they've developed over thousands of years.

Rabbi Genack is rabbinic administrator and CEO of the Orthodox Union's Kosher Division, overseeing the certification program of some 7,000 food-production facilities in 80 countries. OU is America's oldest Orthodox Jewish communal organization, embracing over 400 synagogues across North America (from publicist). Whether you buy it or get it from your library, you'll enjoy this book (just don't expect to agree with everything, but that should be the case with all books about the Bible).

Letters to President Clinton: Biblical Lessons on Faith and Leadership Edited by Rabbi Menachem Genack, Sterling Ethos/OU Press, New York, 2013. 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-4549-0791-6

This would be an excellent Christmas gift, Christian or Jew, Democrat or Republican.

Reviewed: http://www.ou.org/jewish_action/11/2013/letters-president-clinton-biblical-lessons-faith-leadership/

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary

The only thing more fun than poking around a Lakeside yard sale is finding a bargain for one dollar. This book, purchased on Oak Street near 5th on May 23, 2009 looks new. I did find some papers in it, so it has been used. When new it retails for about $25, but on used book sites it's quite a bit less.

I spent several hours looking at it last night, and although I'd planned to leave it at our lake house, I'm going to take it home and remove some less satisfactory, less readable Bible sources. Why would anyone get rid of such a nice book? I think because it is conservative. Many of the editors and writers are Baptist. The illustrations are fabulous--particularly interesting (and worth a dollar by themselves) are the entries on Ephesus, which we just visited in March. But I really appreciate its fairness--something you never find in a liberal, scholarly compilation, who like to pretend that evangelicals and fundamentalists scholars don't exist or it's an oxymoron. Here's the product review:

The Holman Bible Dictionary edited by Trent C. Butler has become one of the best-selling Bible reference tools since its publication in 1991. Now this revised, updated and expanded edition called the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary offers even greater value to Bible students and teachers with over 250 new articles, new maps and charts, and 90 new contributors. This book is designed both for those who need information quickly and those who want in depth treatments of hundreds of topics. Each entry begins with a brief definition of the word followed by more detailed information. Through its more than 700 full-color graphics, this book brings readers right into the world of the Bible and enables them to better understand the Scriptures.

Features: Exhaustive definitions of people, places, things and events-dealing with every subject in the Bible

Over 700 full-color photos, illustrations and charts.

Unique scale drawings and reconstructions of biblical places and objects based on careful archaeological research.

Over 60 new, full-color maps with map index

Major articles on theological topics, collective articles on plants, animals, occupations, etc.

Pronunciation guide for all proper nouns and other hard-to-pronounce words.

Up-to-date archaeological information from excavations in Israel.

Timeline that compares biblical history to world history

Summary definitions that begin each entry for quick reference.

A variety of Bible translations used-the only dictionary that includes the HCSB, NIV, KJV, RSV, NRSV,REB, NASB, ESV, and TEV.

Many articles based on the original languages, but written in a user-friendly style. Technical language and abbreviations are avoided.

Extensive cross-referencing of related articles

"Quicktabs": marginal alphabetical guides for quick and easy location of information

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Revised and Expanded, Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England, general editors. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, 2003. (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0805428364
ISBN-13: 9780805428360
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

The Art of Reading Scripture

From the church library free box I selected "The art of reading scripture," (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003). The librarian puts withdrawals or donations not needed for members to take home. The Eerdmans title is a compilation of essays by scholars.

I took it to the coffee shop the next day and enjoyed the essay, "Reading scripture in light of the Resurrection" by Richard B. Hays, pp. 216-238. It confirmed what I've often thought. We need to hear about the Resurrection all year long, not just at Easter. I think it may be the most under-preached and under-discussed topic in Christian churches.

"Many preachers and New Testament scholars are unwitting partisans of the Sadducees. Because they deny the truth of Scripture's proclamation that God raised Jesus from the dead--or waffle about it--they leave the church in a state of uncertainty, lacking confidence in its mission, knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God." I've never heard a better description of why so many Mainline protestant churches are struggling to find an audience and a message!

I haven't attended a liberal church in 30 years, yet I think we evangelicals don't hear this message often enough. He specifically points out three texts, John 2:13-22 with Psalm 69, the identification between the temple and Jesus' own body; Mark 12:18-27 where Jesus goes to the heart of God's self-revelation in the Old Testament; and Luke 24:13-35 where Jesus opens the scriptures to his followers after the resurrection and points them to the prophets.

Hays then goes on to list nine implications of reading Scripture in light of the Resurrection, and points out again that most New Testament scholars are not believers--but would be if they'd open their eyes and hearts to reading Scripture this way.

I love it when someone agrees with me, don't you?

Wide as the Waters; the story of the English Bible

Wide as the waters by Benson Bobrick (Simon & Schuster, 2001) is one of the best books I've read. The sub-title "The story of the English Bible and the revolution it inspired" pretty much describes the theme. The book didn't do that well in sales, because several others with the same thesis appeared at that time, but I definitely think this one does the best job of showing that once the Bible was available in English, reading books of all types increased dramatically. There was an increase in the circulation and production of books (printing by then had been invented). "At the same time, once the people were free to interpret the word of God according to the light of their own understanding, they began to question the authority of all their inherited institutions, which led to reform within the Church." In short, it changed the world politically and socially, as well as spiritually. Another favorite which I did read cover to cover is The Story of English, a beautifully written and illustrated book that resulted from a TV program by the BBC. I bought it for $1.00 at a book sale (Viking, 1986), and I'll never let it go.