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James E. Beitler III is an associate professor of English at Wheaton College, so it isn’t surprising that he should write a book on rhetoric, or persuasive speaking. Beitler looks at rhetoric in the church as he examines five prominent Christian thinkers and writers of the last hundred years (C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Desmond Tutu, Marilynne Robinson, plus worship). Beitler matches each of those thinkers with a season of the church calendar from Advent to Pentecost.

The title of Seasoned Speech was likely inspired by Colossians 4:6 English Standard Version: Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Seasoned Speech is replete with footnotes and content notes, the notes sometimes taking up more space than the text which the note is referencing.

Beitler spends a great deal of time in the beginning of the book defining rhetoric, and discussing how he is using it in this book. In society today, and especially in the news media, rhetoric has taken on a decidedly negative connotation. Beitler uses it in a positive sense, as persuasive speech that may cause one to choose to become a Christian.

My personal favorite master of rhetoric examined in Seasoned Speech is Desmond Tutu. He boldly proclaimed his faith at a place and time when racial tensions put his life in jeopardy. His words were persuasive and his personality charismatic. In a church where armed soldiers lined the walls, Tutu was able to rouse the frightened congregants into a worshiping, dancing crowd that made the soldiers feel no threat.

Beitler believes rhetoric is rarely used in the church, and if it is used at all it is by the clergy. He hopes that will change. Rather than the lay-person using a simplified formula and failing at witnessing, Beitler would like to see all Christians trained in the use of rhetoric; for aren’t all Christians called to witness?

#SeasonedSpeech #NetGalley @ivpress @ivpacademic @WheatonCollege @WheatonExperts

 When I saw the title of this book, I thought it would be a rehash of a little booklet I read decades ago called Tyranny of the Urgent. Some of the principles may be the same, but Burton brings everything into present-day context. She examines some issues that weren’t even dreamed of in the 1960s when Tyranny of the Urgent was written.

Burton is a busy wife, mom, speaker, life coach, and author with a background in psychology and motivation. With all that going on, she certainly needs to be able to master her time!

Writing from a Christian perspective, Burton uses personal stories from her family as well as examples from the lives of friends to illustrate her points.   Burton introduces the idea of thinking about time in the same terms we use to think about and discuss money. We can be in time debt, be time poor, and even build time wealth.

For those who want to get the most out of this book and start to apply Burton’s lessons, she gives meaningful assignments and exercises to help you realize how you are spending your time and discover the motivation for the choices you are making.

Burton’s writing is clear and the book is well organized. It’s About Time offers a significant value in a small package. Is it time to reorder your priorities?

#ItsAboutTime #NetGalley @valorieburton ‏ @ThomasNelson @HarperCollins

Animal-lover Melissa Loomis was seeing to her two barking dogs one early morning, in hopes she could quiet them before they woke the neighbors. She discovered their barking was incited by a raccoon climbing over the fence into the back yard. One of the dogs went for its tail pulling the raccoon from the fence and into the yard.

Melissa knew she had to separate the raccoon from her dogs, as much for the raccoon’s safety as the wellbeing of her dogs. She reached into the fray to grab the dogs’ collars, and it was then that the raccoon bit her hard on the right wrist and scratched her left arm. Using both hands, Melissa grabbed the wild animal and hurled it back over the fence.

Thus begins the story of the injury that cost Melissa her hand and lower arm, opening the way for what the doctor treating Melissa calls a series of miraculous happenings to align just right so that in 2016 Melissa could become the most advanced bionic woman on the planet.

The groundbreaking medicine in this case was not just a prosthetic hand that could grasp and hold in a surprisingly helpful way. The new breakthrough was an artificial hand that could send signals to the brain mimicking feeling.

This was great news for Melissa in her tragic circumstances, of course. Although it was experimental at the time Melissa went through it, Dr. Seth closed the book by describing efforts to bring the same technology to the amputees at Walter Reed Hospital, which treats wounded American soldiers.

This is an inspirational book if you can look for the many positives that come out of the story. If you are prone to stand with your mouth agape when the amputation occurs, not able to move past that point, Rewired may not be for you. For the rest of us, let’s follow Melissa’s example of rolling with life’s punches and looking for the good that comes our way.

@ThomasNelson @DrAjayKSeth1 #Rewired #NetGalley

Format:  Paperback

The 5-Minute Bible Study for the Anxious Heart follows this formula:  

Read – the short scripture passage selected for the study.   

Understand – by pondering the provided prompts throughout your day.

Apply – what you have learned with further thoughts from the brief devotion.

Pray – with help from the author’s provided prayer. Allow time to hear from God.

Following Thompson’s formula, you should be able to hurry your anxiety through each one of these devotions in five minutes flat. If you are that pressed for time, I can see why you are anxious.

I’m sure the ultra busy person loves the condensed “5-minute” Bible studies. No doubt this one can calm your anxious heart, because God’s Word always accomplishes what it is sent out to do. But I believe if you linger a little longer over the scripture, prompts, and application; and take time to add your heartfelt sentiments with Thompson’s prayer, you will receive much more benefit from these studies.

The scripture passages have been wisely selected and the rest of the study’s words carefully chosen. Thompson wasn’t rushed when she put this Bible study together. Do yourself a favor and stretch these studies until you perceive God’s Word taking root in your heart. At some point you will realize it is no longer an anxious heart!

#The5minuteBibleStudyForTheAnxiousHeart #NetGalley @Barbour @BarbourBuzz @booksbyjanice

John MacArthur has written a strong defense of the Bible as God’s Word. He lays out a very clear argument that the Bible is under attack in today’s world, but the Bible is Truth and it is Authoritative.

Throughout the book MacArthur repeats his view that God speaks to His people only through the Bible. Hunches, intuition, words of prophesy, and words of wisdom are not – according to MacArthur – valid ways to hear from God.

MacArthur condemns the Charismatic Movement for relying on the above methods “while the Christian in the pew has the Bible unopened beside him,” a phrase MacArthur repeats at least half a dozen times.

I wholeheartedly agree with MacArthur on the inerrancy of Scripture, and that the Bible is Truth. But not every Christian who seeks extra-Biblical means of obtaining God’s direction leaves his Bible closed. Not everyone who identifies as a Charismatic is Biblically illiterate.

Otherwise I believe MacArthur has written a fine book. He uses multiple scriptures and is well-versed in the Word of God.

#FinalWord #NetGalley @johnmacarthur @RefTrust

I remember attending a conference in the early 80s in which Elisabeth Elliot was one of the speakers.  Do I really remember her delivering a condensed version of this book in her talk, some 38 years ago, or do I just want to think I remember?

Regardless, this book has stood the test of time. Joyful Surrender was originally penned in 1982 by Elisabeth Elliot, under the title Discipline: the glad surrender.

The title and the cover have been changed, but I believe just about everything else has been kept as it was. The Scripture versions are all the original ones Elliot used, and some are rarely listed as modern references: The New English Bible, The Jerusalem Bible, and J. B. Phillips translation of the New Testament.

The seven disciplines Elliot examines are of the Body, Mind, Place, Time, Possessions, Work, and Feelings. Elliot speaks some hard truths, calling fat, fat (even gluttony); and lazy, lazy.

She related an incident in which a woman asked her to pray she would get a job. Elliot asked her how long she had been out of work. The woman replied she had been out of work, and on government assistance, for two years. Elliot asked her what type of work she was looking for and the lady wanted a job in the television industry.

Elliot told her she could surely find a job cleaning, and be able to get off of government assistance. But the woman was offended at the suggestion, because she had a Master’s degree, and only wanted to work in that field.

Elliot reminded her of Paul’s words that those who do not work will not eat. Elliot suggested that if she got busy doing the most menial work, God may be inclined to provide a job more in keeping with her education.

#JoyfulSurrender #NetGalley @RevellBooks

I had been using the NIV Study Bible for nearly forty years, and I was ready for a change. I wanted Scripture to feel fresh and alive as I read it.

I’d be the last person to call myself a Bible scholar, but I love digging deeper when something sparks my interest. I also write for publication on Christian topics, and it is important to be accurate.

Some translations go back to the original language to begin, while others start with an English translation. My thought was the closer to the source, the fewer man-made errors. I also hoped that as time passed, study of Biblical languages was advancing and allowing for a more accurate translation. The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) started from scratch with the original language, published in 2004. Since then the translators have updated the text with corrections, better word choices, and revisions. The result is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

A few translations attempt to match the original language word-for-word, resulting in an often awkward English phrasing or sentence structure. On the other end of the spectrum from word-for-word translation is thought-for-thought. This more closely captures the meaning of what is said, and results in a more reader-friendly text. One of the best examples of this type of translation is The Message, by Eugene Peterson. The CSB falls right in the middle.

It is important to me that the translation be accurate and faithful to the original language. I didn’t want a new Bible that was going to suddenly challenge traditional Christian doctrine!

Although I wanted a translation that was different from my familiar NIV, I didn’t want one so vastly different it sounded foreign to me.

The presenter at a women’s conference I attended a couple months ago was using the CSB. When she read a passage from the Psalms that I was familiar with from the NIV, whole phrases matched what I had committed to memory. Yet, there was a difference too. As the conference progressed I could see that these differences might just be the fresh and alive elements I was looking for in a new translation!

This study Bible contains not just the Scripture, but word studies, photographs, paintings, timelines, maps, charts, an introduction to each book, outlines, theological themes and insights, and notes. In this study Bible, it is all right there on the page of the verse it relates to, which is a huge improvement over the e-Bible I was using! Sometimes the size of the type is made small to cram all that information. I ordered a large print edition, and the 10 pt font makes it easier on my aging eyes. This significantly increases the size of the Bible; it is big enough, as we used to say, to choke a mule.

I reasoned that I wouldn’t be carrying this heavy book back and forth to church. I have long since switched to my tablet or phone for following the pastor as he reads Scripture. The CSB would remain on my desk as a study tool.

Old habits die hard. The first time after my CSB arrived that I needed to look up a passage in a study Bible, I reached for my phone. Then I caught myself and thumbed through the CSB. I read the passage, a related note, and then skipped back to the introduction of that book. I kept going deeper and getting a more complete picture of my subject.

The CSB Study Bible offers a lot of information, and would be up to the task for a minister who does in-depth study for sermon or Bible study preparation. A Bible scholar, writer like me, researcher, or the serious layman could all benefit from the CSB Study Bible.

Aesthetically, it’s a beautiful book. The leather-like cover is soft and appears durable. The page edges are golden and uniformly coated, and I was pleased to note the gold did not come off on my fingers. The two place-finder ribbons can be positioned in the Old or New Testaments. I got the indexed version, but I’m not sure that’s such an important feature for me. If I were to order again, I wouldn’t include it. But I don’t think I’ll need to order for another thirty years or so. This CSB should do fine.

@BHpub bhpublishinggroup.com @LifeWay @CSBible