An Army of Ordinary People by Felicity Dale

I requested this book thinking that it was about how God uses ordinary people to plant churches.  Unfortunately their definition of a church was not Biblically-based.  This book actually gives a bunch of examples of people starting what should be called Bible studies.

Dale talked about the "simple church" or "home church."  No one is the primary teacher.  There is not governmental structure.  The Bible is clear that churches are to have pastors (i.e. elders) and deacons.  Pastors are responsible as under-shepherds to care for the flock and the flock is responsible to obey those that have the rule over them (Heb. 13:17).  Pastors have the responsibility to study the Word and feed the flock (I Peter 5:2).  Dale however deemphasized the need for Biblical training or careful teaching of the Word.  

There also are times throughout the book where verses were taken out of context in order to promote the "simple church" idea.  One example is when Matthew 18:20 was used as a definition of the church.  This verse however is meant to encourage those that are in the middle of carrying out church discipline.  It is not definitive of what a church is.

There were some good points in the book.  Dale explained the need for more personal relationships within the church family as well as the need for more time and energy given to evangelism and discipleship.  I would heartily agree.  In conclusion, I have no problem with churches that meet in homes, however, what Dale described as a "simple church" lacks structure and key elements that the Bible emphasizes.
(Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair critique).

My rating:  1 out of 5 stars

Popchips Giveaway!! (expired, Congrats to the winner: Jay)

    Popchips just sent me a special free chipment of their chips to try!  We were sent one of each of their flavors except parmesan garlic.  Here are some things I like about them...they are made with all natural ingredients, they're not greasy, and they're tasty.  My two favorites are cheddar and sour cream & onion.  My husband really liked the BBQ and salt & vinegar. Our kids loved them too.  I asked our 5 yr. old what was her favorite and she said all of them :o)  
    Would you like to get some sent to you?  Great!  Popchips wants to send a special free chipment to one random reader of my blog.

Here's all you have to do:
1. Check out the Popchips credo here.
2. Leave a comment on my blog stating what you like about Popchips (even if you haven't tried them before, you might see something that you like about them on their website), write your own credo, or tell me what you enjoy doing while eating Popchips.
3. Be sure to leave your email address with your comment or become one of my followers so that I can contact you if you win.

I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby

This book is a 226 page biography / autobiography of the lives of Mary-Ann and her family.  First, let me explain that Hutterites are a branch of the Anabaptists and they live in communities that share everything.  Kirkby begins the book by depicting the lives of her parents and how they met and started a family.  Then we see the tension build as her family experienced tremendous difficulties and conflict within the colony.  Finally, when the decision to leave is made, we witness the financial, emotional, and social changes that challenged them for the coming years. 

My thoughts about the book: The book was interesting and read more like a novel than an autobiography.  I appreciated the detail that drew you in and made you feel empathetic for the characters.  However, I didn't appreciate God's name being taken in vain several times throughout the book and some other inappropriate language that was included.  In addition, the ending seemed abrupt and left the reader with questions.
(Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair critique.)


My rating:   3 out of 5 stars

Webrangers: Cool learning tool for kids!

   When I was a kid, I remember going to a park and doing some activities to earn a special patch.  You can still do that today and maybe I'll talk about that sometime in another post.  For today, I wanted to share with you about how the National Park Service has a website where kids can sign in for free and do lots of neat activities online.  It's a great supplemental science and history learning tool.  A couple days ago, we learned about the railroad.  Click here to check it out.  Have fun!

Plan B by Pete Wilson

     In this book Pastor Pete Wilson talked about trials and what to do when we're faced with them.  Throughout the book he gave real life examples of friends and church family that faced very difficult circumstances.  It's 226 pages plus an extra section with questions for each chapter.
     First of all, this book was very easy to read and the stories were engaging and relatable to trials that I've faced.  However, I generally was disappointed with the book. 
     1.  Inappropriate language-  There were several spots with bathroom humor and a couple times with insinuated bad language.  It seemed that he was trying too hard to gather a wide reader audience.
     2.  He quoted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Rick Warren, and Mother Teresa as though they are biblically sound sources.  Space does not permit me to explain why these and other sources are generally not biblically sound.
     3.  He did not always interpret Scripture accurately.  I'll give just two examples.
           a.)  He discussed a passage in Ezekiel in which God is referring to the people of Israel and said that the passage is dealing with the Church.
           b.)  Toward the end of the book, he talked about how the fall of man "was the original Plan B...But immediately after the Fall, God went to work on a plan to bring redemption to each of us..."    With God there are no Plan B's and He planned the cross before man was even created.
     4.  When he discussed salvation, little was said about God's judgment and wrath, our sinfulness, and the need for repentance.

     There were some things in the book that were great and biblical, but he seemed to spend too little time on what mattered most and too much time on things that could have been left out of the book completely. 

     Obviously, what we need most is God's Word.  I'd suggest starting a journal and writing down what God teaches you about Himself.  Also a good book/DVD set is Quieting a Noisy Soul which you can get here.  There are also some good sermons that you can listen to here for free.
(Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair critique.)

My rating for Plan B:  1 out of 5 stars

The Lightlings by R. C. Sproul

     Charlie Cobb, like most boys and girls, did not like the dark.  So he asked his grandpa why he and so many other people are afraid of the dark.  Grandpa answered his question with a story about the King of Light and His people called the lightlings.  This allegorical story portrays the creation, fall, the incarnation of Christ and salvation through Him.
     This is another great children's book by Sproul.  I personally did not like the illustrations in this one as much, but the book is definitely one that will spark their interest and encourage them to desire to know more about God especially when followed with the questions and verses at the end of the book.  My two children (ages 2 and almost 5) have enjoyed this story as well as the Prince's Poison Cup.    You can purchase The Lightlings here. 
(Reformation Trust Publishing will be providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair critique.)

My rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

The Prince's Poison Cup by R. C. Sproul

    This story begins with a little girl who is sick and must take some medicine.  This causes her to wonder why something that is supposed to make you better tastes awful.  Her grandfather answers her question by telling her a story about a prince who had to drink a terrible poison.  As the story unfolds children can see that like Jesus this prince is obedient to his father even to death and they can see the wonderful gift of salvation that is offered.
     I would highly recommend this book.  It is very difficult to find children's books like this one that accurately portray the truths of Scripture.  The story is interesting and the illustrations which are by Justin Gerard are captivating.  In addition, at the end of the book are great questions with Bible verses that will help parents teach their children the Scriptural truths that are presented in this story.  You can purchase a copy (of the book, audio, or DVD) here. 
(Reformation Trust Publishing will be providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair critique.)

     My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A Memory Verse Bible

  Our daughter started memorizing Bible verses when she was two.  I remember one of her first verses being "God is great."  It was cute because she couldn't pronounce great and it always sounded like grape.  It's amazing how much they can soak up.  She's a little older now and is starting to read so we decided to give her a Bible that has highlighted all the verses she has memorized.  Now whenever she works on a new passage it is marked in her Bible and hopefully will be an encouragement to her for years to come to continue hiding God's Word in her heart.

Free Meal Planner

     About a year ago, I was hunting for a way to easily begin meal planning.  Finally, I found a website that allowed you to create your own on-line cookbook, meal planning calendar and grocery lists.  You can incorporate recipes from others on the site or add your own (and you can keep your entries private if desired).  I've tried a lot of other sites and this really seems like one of the best.  It's a great tool and best of all it's free!  Check it out and tell me what you think:  http://www.mealsmatter.org/

If I Could Ask God Anything by Kathryn Slattery

   This book is filled with over 175 questions and answers for kids.  Topics include God, the Bible, prayer, and the Church.  The author attempts to give kids and their parents Biblically-based answers to questions that are key to understanding Christianity.
   I was pleased with the wide selection of questions that were chosen, however, I was mostly disappointed with the book.  The author answered the questions in such a way as to appeal to "Christians" in a very broad sense of the word rather than giving answers that are strictly Biblical.  She referred to all people as God's children and overemphasized God's love (very little was said about his holiness).  At times, she took promises from the Bible that are for Christians and applied them to anyone.  I would not recommend this book since it was not doctrinally sound and could be very misleading for a child.
(Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair critique.)

My rating:  1 out of 5 stars