BookPastor >> "In Search of the Real Spirit of Christmas" (Dan Schaeffer)

TITLE: In Search of the Real Spirit of Christmas
AUTHOR: Dan Schaeffer
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 2003, (208 pages).

What is the Christmas Spirit? Is it about giving presents or seeing the sign of Santa and reindeers? What about decorating Christmas trees and the food around the dinner table? Is that what Christmas is all about? Intrigued with all the big shopping frenzy and the numerous arguments back and forth about the religious significance of this annual day, author and pastor Dan Schaeffer helps us to reflect more meaningfully on the different symbols and purposes of Christmas. At the heart of the book is the conviction that without a real sense of Christmas and what it is all about, we will all be impoverished year on year, going through the motions of trying to make Christmas meaningful, but regretfully always falling short. Any fun-filled expectation seems busy on the outside but empty on the inside. Even Christians are not immune. In the search for the real Spirit of Christmas, Schaeffer has the following to say:

• We should not just read about the story of Christmas. We ought to "put ourselves" into it.
• Learn to imagine how Jesus laid in the dirty manger while our modern babies are delivered in a posh and modern hospitals;
• Think of the humble and simple way Jesus was born, and compare it to the huge medical facilities we enjoy.
• As we remember the nativity image, think of what it all means.
• Christmas is not so much our search for God, but God's search for us!
• Christmas is not just for friends or family. It is for all, just like Christ came for the whole world.
• Think about the Christmas gifts and the persons behind the gift. Compare the giving to the way God gives us Jesus.
• If Jesus is coming to our modern city and lifestyle, how would he be treated?
• Are we more receivers or givers? Think how love can be the background of receiving and giving.
• Beware of the Christmas grinches, and learn to pray for them, and not despise them
• The world presents a wooden, a plastic, a cloth, or an artificial Jesus. God gives us a real person.
• The Spirit of Christmas may not be a material thing. It is something much more. It is the giving our ourselves and our gifts are to reflect a part of us that we want to share.
• ...

Observing the festival year on year has kept Schaeffer himself searching for a deeper meaning behind the increasingly commercialized and secularized day. While arguments continue to mount for and against the use of Christ in Christmas, it is important to remember that God is able to defend himself. God is able to make himself known to anyone at anytime. As we try to put back "Christ" in the word "Christmas," we must not forget to put "Christ" back in the word "Christian."

Schaeffer has eloquently put together a great set of reflections and questions to help us appreciate the real spirit of Christmas. For too long, we have focused on attention on the temporal instead of the eternal. Some of us see Christmas and the rituals surrounding the shopping spree as some kind of a magical potion to keep ourselves fulfilled. Sadly we have forgotten that Christmas is about an Omnipotent God in Christ. Christmas is about Jesus who is Omniscient, who is Omnipresent, who is all righteous and holy. Whether we sing carols, go to Church, buy gifts for the poor, treat our family well, or enjoying some Christmas program, we need to learn to think back on that beautiful day when the baby was born in a manger. This act of remembrance is an annual ritual that will increase in meaning as we learn to train our minds on the Giver behind any giving or receiving of gifts.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

BookPastor >> "Doing Well at Being Sick" (Wendy Wallace)

Have you ever encountered the helplessness when a loved one is sick, or chronically ill? Have you wondered if there is some guide to go through the tough times? Maybe, you are personally going through some physically tough time. Let this book help as a guide on how to do well while being sick. It is written by one who has personally endured painful illness. Not one, but many. Not once, but many times. This review was first published at "Panorama of a Book Saint" in March 20th, 2013. 

 conrade

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TITLE: Doing Well at Being Sick: Living with Chronic and Acute Illness
AUTHOR: Wendy Wallace
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 2010, (240 pages).

We have all experienced terrible illness from time to time. It can be a simple bout of flu, or a tummy ache. It can also be due to some accidental fall or a crazy migraine. Usually we get well. With medication, we can often deal with the symptoms and with rest, to let our bodies take care of the longer term healing. What if chronic illness hits us? What if the cherished recovery takes so long time to come, that we fear it may never ever come? What if the sickness is so bad that we not only struggle with pain and depression, we lose our hope to live? What if you get not just one sickness, but multiple problems plaguing you over and over again? By the age of 47, Wendy Wallace has gone through heart attacks, lung cancer, chemotherapy, lupus, arthritis, colon cancer, multiple surgeries, and several more ills. It seems too terrible to be even true, but yes. Wallace lived through it all and from the depths of her despair and the heights of her hope through faith in God, she has given us a book to share her journey with. In this book, she deals with questions like:

• Where and how do we find strength in our weakest moments? 
• What about the guilt that patients feel when they see their family members, loved ones, and caregivers suffer because of them?
• Where is God when everything seems to be going wrong?
• How can family members cope?
• What about cases when medical professionals make mistakes?
• What can we do to assist the healthcare given to us?

This book is soaked with the author's experience through her own physical ailments. Just seeing how Wallace was able to overcome the many struggles through illnesses from A-Z already humbles any reader. Yet, she points out that although she is a person with many illnesses, these illnesses do not define her. It is God who defines her. With that knowledge, she is able to develop an attitude of gratitude away from self-pity to other-centered; to spend whatever gifts and time she has wisely, instead of complaining about the things that she does not have. Readers will learn about the relationship with our caregivers and our families. Sometimes, it is our own family members who are having a harder time grappling with our own illnesses. The part about shifting our trust from self to God is soul warming. While humans tend to think short term, God is mindful of all terms. Whatever God does, is always for the eternal good. In illnesses, we learn what being broken and trusting in a more unique way.

The book also deals with how patients can relate to their doctors, even though some doctors are downright arrogant, to the point that their actions may endanger their very patients they are supposed to help. The key is to work together, and not totally (or foolishly) think that doctors are our saviours. They are not. They make mistakes too. By working with them, patients can take responsibility for their own health too. She even goes through a list of the different kinds of doctors who are specialized in very specific areas. Know what is an Otolaryngologist or Nephrologist? There is also a chapter on how to work with hospitals, and to be prepared with a medical list of essential information so that medical professionals can react rapidly to time-sensitive emergencies. The last three chapters of the book will be helpful to those who are going through pain and physical suffering. Physically and practically, Wallace shows us how to live with pain, from pain relief to self-care; from preparation to actual implementation; from moaning about our pain to trusting in God. Mentally, she gives tips on approaching life with a more positive attitude, one that is mature and life-giving not just to self but also to others. Spiritually, she shows us what she has done in her journey of faith and trust, meditating on Scripture.

There are many precious gems in the book.

• "Most medical personnel work extremely hard to keep us as healthy as possible. But they all make mistakes along the way, and we need to forgive them.."
• "Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of what you already have."
• "One of our tasks in learning to live well is to learn the truths that will set us free to be well in sickness."
• "In all of life’s difficult situations, God often allows us to stew in these stages until we are ready to accept the fact that He has been in control all of the time."
• "If I had simply acknowledged that God was in control of my life and looked for His lesson in the situation, I would have moved more quickly out of my grief to a place of contentment. Instead of asking, “Why did this happen?” I should have been asking, “What do you want to teach me now, Lord?” I had no way of knowing God’s plan for my future, but I could have simply trusted that He had one that was being worked out."
• "We search for happiness through fame, fortune, serial relationships, and acclaim. Yet daily we read reports of the suicides of rich people, the painful ending of yet another celebrity marriage, or the downward spiral of someone who was once at the top of whatever game he or she played. The “saints and poets” Wilder writes about have the opportunity to “realize life” because they see their lives through God’s eyes. God clearly teaches us that “me first” always leads to despair, and the only important thing we do with our lives on earth is to love God and others."
• ...

If you are sick, or know someone who is sick, this is one book that you must pick up. Wallace covers a lot of areas, but one big area that will need more coverage is in the area of finance. As many societies around the world age, and with the costs of healthcare going up every year, chances are, financial pressures are going to impact our overall state of health too. Sometimes, the lack of money or the stress of it all only goes to make one more ill. Health is a big area of concern for many. In the Bible, healing is understood more of being made whole rather than just a specific area of cure. Healing is about the whole person, not just a discrete part of our body. This book, though not a full healing manual, points us to a wide variety of areas that we can pay attention to. Ultimately, there is a need for hope, that is regardless of positive or negative prognosis. Even if one has only a few months left to live, if one can make these remaining months count, that will be a life more well spent. A healthy person may have many more years to live, but if his life is without purpose or hope, without meaning or love, is that life a better one? 

Let me close with a quote from Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie."

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Discovery House Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

BookPastor >> "Adventuring Through the Bible"

For this week, I recommend Ray Stedman's book not only because it gives us a great survey of each book of the Bible, it makes one desires to read the Bible more. This review was first published at the Panorama of a Book Saint on November 29th, 2012 here.

conrade 

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TITLE: Adventuring Through the Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to the Entire Bible
AUTHOR: Ray C. Stedman
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 2012, new enhanced edition, (941 pages).

I have always been a fan of this book. Since its publication of the first edition, this book has been one of my prized references whenever I do any Bible survey classes or teaching curriculum.This new edition presents more publisher initiatives like:

• new Bible reading plans;
• additional timelines of major Bible events;
• Topical lists for study;
• Discussion guides
• Personal application questions
• Maps, images, and many more.

It is essentially an updated look of the original edition without changing much of the late Stedman's content. Part One brings together the series of sermons Stedman had given in the years 1963-1964. It shows readers the goal of the Bible. The purpose is knowing God, our life's purpose, and faith through the good news. From Genesis to Revelation, Stedman leads readers through a panorama of the Old Testament and New Testament, with stories and examples from contemporary life to highlight the relevance to our world. The conviction is that God has spoken in the past as well as in the New Testament present. God is always speaking. The question is, are we listening?

Part Two encourages readers to take the five steps to maturity using the first five books of the Old Testament, or commonly known as the Pentateuch. Genesis represents the beginning of faith, after the fatal act of disobedience by Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden. The essence of Genesis is that man can do nothing without God. Man need God more than the other way round. Exodus represents God's attempt to deliver Israel from slavery. The redemption theme is strong. Leviticus focuses on purity and wholeness, where the laws, the rituals, and the disciplines, are meant to help, not harm the people. Numbers points the reader to see the victory amid the disciplines and the setbacks faced. Deuteronomy wraps up the chronology of the entire redemption plan, with the law the strongest evidence yet of God's love.

Part Three covers the history of Israel and its neighbours through Joshua, Judges, Ruth, l and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, nehemiah, and Esther. One motivation to read and learn from the horrible events, the historical tragedies and sad events, is to make sure that readers do not repeat the mistakes made. It is also to give thanks to God for being the consistent rescuer despite the rebellion of the people.

Part Four introduces the wisdom books. Calling it a "music to live by," it goes through five poetical books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Relationships are not things that can be solved. Sometimes, they need to be expressed through lament, through music, through singing, through poetry. It is the "heart cry of humanity." Above all, the gist is that no matter what, humans can call out to God in purely ordinary human expressions.

Part Five is the part on the prophetical books. Called the "promises of God," it gives readers a fresh lens to see the major and minor prophets from the eyes of promise. The greatest promise of all, is of course the coming of the Messiah, of Jesus. What is remarkable is that despite the bleak events that Israel had suffered, the exiles, the persecutions, and the endless losing battles, there is a promise of hope in one Saviour.

Part Six begins the survey of the New Testament. It takes a look at the Apocrypha, the gospels and Acts, to show us the person of Jesus Christ. The conviction is that the focus person in both the Old and the New Testament is Jesus Christ. The reason why the Apocrypha has been excluded from the Protestant canon is because it does not fit into the overall theme of the Bible.

Part Seven details the letters of Paul, how the Church is encouraged to hang on to the faith amid the persecutions and the false teachers. The purpose of divine revelation is essentially the transformation of human lives. Stedman affirms Paul's epistles as letters that not only bring together the theological themes of the Bible, but it leads Christians to experience the grace of God in Jesus Christ personally, and with one another in the Christian community.

Part Eight is about "keeping the faith," through Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, the letters of John and Jude. Here is when the going gets tough, faith keeps the faithful going. It is a time to encourage the people to be living stones for God, to put faith into action, to live authentically, to stand up for the faith, and to be counted for God.

Part Nine is specially reserved for Revelation. It too brings together the beginning as well as the end, showing readers again that God has revealed Jesus, and will continue to reveal as the end times approach. 



My Thoughts

As with the title of the book, this is about "adventuring" through the ancient Bible, about the Living Word made even more alive in our modern contexts.  Clearly written, coupled with lots of diagrams, illustrations, summary boxes, it encourages readers to want to read the Bible more. One of the strong points in this book is the frequent summaries of different Bible contexts, movemenets, timelines, cultural nuances, and stories. It gives readers additional tools to use when it comes to analyze, to study, and to apply the Word of God. It is useful as a teaching tool to guide new believers and eager students to understand the overall focus of the Bible. Sometimes, it is hard to tell which part of the book is written by Ray Stedman, which by Elaine his wife, or by unnamed individual(s) in the publishing house. For example, since Ray died in 1992, there is no way he had written about the story of 9/11 in the book. Books of this nature can also suffer from reductionistic tendencies. This is the inherent weakness in any attempt to summarize anything.

That said, if this book can drive one to study the Bible more for themselves, it would have worth the price of the book. Stedman says it well. The Bible is an adventure of faith. That is why, adventuring through the Bible is an apt title that will stick. I thank the Lord for this servant, who has given the Christian world a valuable asset to use, in the study of the Bible. With this book in hand, there is no way Bible study can be boring.


Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Discovery House Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.