Financial Peace. Dave Ramsey built a wealth portfolio of $4million by the time he was 26 years old. By age 30 he had lost it all! He and his wife started applying basic money principles and eventually dug themselves out of debt. Now, an author and successful radio show host, Dave spends his life helping others learn how to manage their money. This book is a result of his struggles and success in recovering from financial loss.
Laced with Scripture and short notes written by his wife, Sharon, at the end of each chapter, beyond the obvious money theme, it is also a story of this families faith in God through the hard process of rebuilding their lives.
Encouraging and practical, Dave deals with issues that most money books do not consider. For example, he makes very clear the fact that if a person is willing to sacrifice his integrity in seemingly small ways, such as cutting corners, stealing time from employers, hiding receipts from spouses, etc… becoming wealthy will only accentuate that lack of integrity, not eliminate it!
He also covers topics such as investing, debt elimination, saving money and giving, as well as money management specifically for marriages, singles and children. Overall, the book is a great resource for those wanting to eliminate debt and create a plan for staying debt free.
One word of caution is in order. Dave does not claim to be a theologian, and it shows. His expertise is in finance. Some of the recommendations for reading that he makes in regard to other areas such as marriage, children, etc… are troublesome. Occasionally, he mentions resources for his readers to help them develop areas other than money; resources such as Boundaries, Wild at Heart, The Five Love Languages and others.
If you want a book to help you with debt elimination and money management, my opinion is that Financial Peace is the best. If in reading this book you recognize another area of your life that needs some help, disregard Dave’s recommendations and see what The Discerning Reader recommends.
I’ll agree with Dave’s tag line for ending his radio show each day; “There is ultimately only one way to financial peace and that is through the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus.
The history of the church has never lacked controversy. From day one Satan has mounted a full scale attack on the veracity of God’s Word. In fact, from creation this has been his agenda.
So, it shouldn’t surprise us today when we hear of men and women conjuring up movements or ideas that throw the truth of Scripture into question. However, as John MacArthur’s latest book suggests, it should call us to arms!
The book of Jude tells us that ungodly men will sneak into the church and undermine the truth of Scripture. To show that this has been happening since the founding of the church, MacArthur unpacks Jude’s statements as revealed in such heresies as Gnosticism, Sebellianism and Arianism. Looking back on these episodes in church history, it is clear that they constituted a clear attack on the Bible and precious doctrines that we hold dear. At the time, though, it was a subtle twisting of truths that resulted in many believers and non-believers being sorely deceived.
The problem is that these heresies never really went away. They are being repackaged and reintroduced to the Church today. Open Theism, NPP, Emergent – these and other postmodernists have blurred the lines between truth and lie. Subtle nuances of falsehood added to otherwise true doctrines that are considered foundational to Christianity are once again leading many believers astray and giving false hope to many who have yet to believe. In this present war on the Truth, there is much at stake!
The Truth War reveals many things about this latest attack on Scripture. For one thing, it exposes those who are mounting this attack. The leaders of the Emergent church have bought into postmodernism and have now brought it into the church. MacArthur reveals the pitfalls associated with this way of thinking and why the movement is inherently flawed. He also discusses the importance of truth and certainty in an age when the culture has pushed everything that resembles an absolute under the rug.
The postmodern mindset is opposed to certainty, but we have the Word of God, which is certain. MacArthur shows us that we as believers must be able to identify and address the errors and false teachings that are being smuggled into our churches.
The theory of Evolution is caving in on itself. The lack of evidence, the falsified documentation, the fabricated reconstruction of supposed fossils, etc…is starting to catch up with the promoters of this unscientific theory. In addition, with some recent events, formations and processes which were once thought to take place over millions and billions of years is being witnessed in an extremely short period of time (Mt. St. Helens & Spirit Lake).
Even with this stack of evidence against evolution, many Christians are still committed to trying to make this pseudo-science mesh with the Bible. Jobe Martin was one of them. As a committed theistic evolutionist, he was challenged by a couple of students to study the assumptions of evolution. After several years of researching the evidence, he finally had to conclude that the only credible method of creation is stated in Genesis 1 and 2 and was completed in six 24 hour days.
This book is his testimony. Each chapter deals with different aspects of the inherent conflicts between evolution and Christianity. A few of those aspects include the 6 day creation week, the DNA record, age of the earth, monkeys to man and the missing links. It is well documented, but not only from Creation Scientists. Dr. Martin draws from resources of committed evolutionists who are honest enough in their writings to admit that the lack of evidence is a serious flaw in the system. The tragedy of that honesty is that even though the evidence speaks volumes to the reality of an Intelligent Designer, these committed evolutionists refuse to accept that premise. Dr. Martin is convinced the only reason is that it would force them to submit to the Creator, which their sinful pride will not allow.
Another fun feature of the book includes a short sketch at the end of each chapter of various creatures that are incompatible with evolution. The structure of these fabulous animals inarguably refutes the theory that parts evolved. In reality, none of these animals would exist if ALL the parts were not fully formed and functioning in the very FIRST one.
The Evolution of a Creationist includes some complex scientific ideas (DNA structures, methods of carbon dating, components of elements, etc…), but is written on a level that most anyone can understand and enjoy. If you have a struggle accepting the Genesis account of creation as being completed in six 24 hour days in light of the so-called scientific evidence, please read this book! It will strengthen your faith in our marvelous Creator! It is highly recommended.Read ‘em & Reap!
Humility: The Forgotten Virtue – Wayne Mack and Josh Mack
There are many virtues in the Christian life that we like to focus on, try to develop and establish as a habitual lifestyle. We strive to be honest, loving, non-judgmental, etc… How often do we strive to be humble? It is indeed the forgotten virtue.
Humility strikes a direct blow to our pride and so-called self-esteem. It cuts against the grain of what the world strives for. It swims upstream to the current flow of society. However, for the Christian it should mark our lives.
Wayne and Josh Mack have written about this forgotten virtue in their latest book. In typical Mack fashion, the depths of Scripture are plumbed to bring to the surface what God has to say about this important aspect of the Christian life. They reveal the ugliness and putrescence of pride, which is the enemy of humility, while establishing a portrait of what humility should look like in the life of a believer.
For a definition of humility, the Mack’s say that it “consists in an attitude wherein we recognize our own insignificance and unworthiness before God and attribute to Him the supreme honor, praise, prerogatives, rights, privileges, worship, devotion, authority, submission and obedience that He alone deserves. It also involves a natural, habitual tendency to think and behave in a manner that appropriately expresses this attitude” (p.26). After presenting this working definition of humility, they go on to present the display of humility as well as the development of humility.
The display of humility is in how it manifests itself toward God and toward other people. Toward God, humility is manifested by the “free and sincere confession of one’s insignificance and sinfulness” (p.34), and “by a complete lack of trust in one’s own heart and complete dependence on God for all things” (p.35). This display of humility toward God is presented in eight more ways throughout this chapter.
The display of humility toward other people is given two chapters in order to examine the various ways it is manifested. Toward man, humility is displayed by not being “selfishly ambitious and greedy of honor among or over other people” (p.62), or by “being ostentatious” (a show-off) (p.71).
The development of humility begins with an understanding of its sinister nemesis, pride and the folly thereof. The Mack’s give us six reasons why it is foolish for believers to be proud, which include God’s attitude toward it, what it produces, the consequences of it and because of Jesus’ humility. With this examination of the foolishness of pride, the book concludes with two chapters on how to develop humility in the life of a believer.
Of course, this is where the rubber hits the road. All the knowledge of humility and pride can itself become a source of pride. The Mack’s warn at the beginning of the book that a study of humility is useless unless it is followed by practice. The last two chapters are dedicated to helping the believer develop this forgotten virtue. In addition, along the way, each chapter includes a self-test for the reader to examine himself to help identify and weaken pride while at the same time laying a foundation for developing humility.
This is, in my opinion, the best book on humility that I’ve seen. It is thorough and thoroughly biblical. Jim Elliff reflects my opinion precisely when he says of this book, “Sometimes a book reads you while you are reading it. This is that kind of book.”(back cover) Also, John Sale of Valley Center Community Church says, “every Christian should read this book, especially those in the ministry or preparing for ministry. It will help you deal with the painful problem of pride and point you to the loveliness of Christ, where you will meet humility in all of its glory.”(back cover) Read ‘em & Reap!
Humility: True Greatness – C.J. Mahaney
There is an inherent paradox in humility. As believers in Christ Jesus, we are in the pursuit of humility. God says that He will give grace to the humble (James 4:6). Certainly we long to experience more of God’s grace, so we pursue humility.
On the other hand, the very fact that we are seeking to be humble seems to undermine humility. Our tendency is to brag about how humble we are. So, it is a somewhat elusive pursuit.
C.J Mahaney’s new book is about this elusive character trait. According to Mahaney, humility is true greatness. We usually think of super-talented sports stars, successful businessmen or celebrities as great. But Scripture paints a very different picture of what constitutes true greatness.
Mahaney constructs a definition of humility as: honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. He goes on to say, “That’s the twin reality that all genuine humility is rooted in: God’s holiness and our sinfulness. Without an honest awareness of both these realities, all self-evaluation will be skewed and we’ll fail to either understand or practice true humility”.
This Little Church went to Market – Gary Gilley
This Little Church went to Market is a timely wakeup call to evangelical churches. The modern phenomenon of marketing the church has become the dominant game plan for the majority of churches with the goal of numerical growth. The success of Willowcreek and Saddleback have added fuel to the fire and provided a method for other churches to realize their goals.
Just as a clothes designer or delivery service will attempt to meet the needs of its target audience, so the modern church seeks to do, also. In fact, there seems to little regard for any other method or issue.
The history of the church has never lacked controversy. From day one Satan has mounted a full scale attack on the veracity of God’s Word. In fact, from creation this has been his agenda.
here!
Humility: The Forgotten Virtue – Wayne Mack and Josh Mack
here. Thanks.
Humility: True Greatness – C.J. Mahaney
This Little Church went to Market – Gary Gilley 
