Excerpts from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship"

If there is ever one phrase to sum up Dietrich Bonhoeffer's classic book, it will be this. "When Christ calls a man, he bids hum come and die."

Here is a great video put together with snippets of memorable words by the late German pastor, martyr, brother, and friend.





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Midweek Meditation - One Thing

The Psalmist says,

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (Ps 27:4)

As we move into 2013, what is the one thing you like to ask of God? Maybe, you can pray with me the following?

Lord, it is a New Year, a new start, a new opportunity to put the past aside, to consider the future, and to live out the present. Help me to seek You more dearly. Help me to see You more clearly. Help me to share about You more passionately. Show me the one life that You can touch through me. Show me the one thought that You can encourage in me. Show me the one action that You can empower me to do. Show me the one friend that You like me to call this year, this month, this week, or today. Show me the one part of Scripture that You like me to memorize. Show me the one family member that I can reach out to. Show me the one book that I should be reading or meditating upon. Show me the one special way this year on how I can be more faithful to You, to be more fruitful for You, and to be more freely Yours. In the Power and Name of Your Son, Jesus we ask. Amen.

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"How Do We Read the Bible?" (NT Wright)

How do we read the Bible? Thoroughly, regularly, and patiently to discover the full sweep of Scripture. According the NT Wright, the Bible is not meant to be read in bits and pieces. Many of us have cut the Bible down to piece size, and we become unable to see the big picture at all. Here is an excellent video clip on Wright's take of how to read the Holy Bible.




The Whole Sweep Of Scripture from The Work Of The People on Vimeo.
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BookPastor >> "Special Intentions" (Claire Coleman)

In any culture that is self-serving, self-seeking, and self-supplying, there will be a constant asking of "What's in it for me?" That is not the way to build a caring and sharing society. In order to break the kingdom of self that revolves everything around self, we need a big does of other-centered actions. If you are looking to break your cycle of self, why not consider picking up this book? This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on September 1st, 2012.

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TITLE: Special Intentions: Remembering Others in Personal Prayer
AUTHOR: Claire Coleman
PUBLISHER: Bloomingdon, IN: Westbow Press, 2012, (226 pages).

Big hearts come in small prayers. Gracious hearts go out to others more than self. The dual pronged approach laces this unique book on prayers for others. In a delightful display of Philippians 2:4 in action, Coleman puts her prayers into writing, her care for others in praying, and her love for God through caring and sharing for a world in need.

This is not a book of prayers. Neither is it about prayer or how to pray. It is about keeping others in our thoughts, and in our care. It is about remembering the oft ignored, and caring for others. As sinful people, we all have a tendency toward selfishness, toward self-seeking endeavors. This book seeks to buck this trend intentionally. Instead of "good intentions," the title of the book is geared toward seeing people as unique and precious. The front paints a very meaningful reflecting of needs as best as we can. The more we can observe with our various senses of the needs around us, the better we can pray. The little drop of water at the end of the leaf resembles a tear drop. For me, it means authenticity and a deepening connection with the people being prayed for. I love this image.

There are reflections of life and of prayers about loving one another. There is an empathetic ear toward listening for the burdens for others. There is a growing awareness of gratitude and an encouragement to persevere when the times are tough. Coleman remembers the very public figures like politicians, the law-enforcement officers, the public servants, to the very private moments with personal friends. She observes buildings and structures with gratitude. She echoes the cries of people in dire straits. She prays over the ups and downs of people from different walks of life. She even covers the emotional turmoil over the dying of pet animals. From people in hospices and hospitals, to busy executives in the office, from the school classrooms to prisoners in a lonely cell, Coleman's capacity to think deeply and care widely is amazing. It takes an observant eye to see beyond the obvious. It takes a meditative heart to pray continually. Above all, it demonstrates a love for people, the way that God loves people. Thank God for authors like Claire Coleman, who shows us through "Special Intentions," that it is not only possible to love beyond ourselves and our own needs, it is a delight and a privilege to do so.

The biggest benefit in reading this book is to learn from Coleman a very unique way of plumbing human needs and emotions beyond the superficial layer of a Hi-Bye society. It will cause us to pause our busyness, and to remember a higher cause for good. For Christians, this cause will always be love. Use this book for group prayers. Use it for personal praying. Not only will it be a small step to make the world a better place, it is a big step to grow our inner hearts to be a more loving grace.


Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

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This book is provided to me free by the author and Maryglenn McCombs book publicist without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Free NLT Study Bible Download

The New Living Translation is one of my favourite thought-for-thought translations. Sometimes, I call it a paraphrase, or an idea-for-idea translation. For people who like a modern rendition of the ancient Scriptures, and still faithful to the original meaning, this translation is hard to beat. In fact, for anyone intending to read through the Bible, or want to embark on an intensive 1-year, 2-year, or 3-years, Read-Through-The-Bible project, I highly recommend the NLT.

This month, Tyndale and ebooks.com have teamed up to offer a FREE download of the best selling "Life Application Study Bible NLT" here. Yes, that's free! I think it is a time-limited download, so hurry and go there to get the offer.

Remember that the format is in EPUB format, so you will need a suitable eReader or an application that helps you to read that. Remember, if you have a computer, the one with lots of RAM definitely helps.

Enjoy!

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Midweek Meditation: "Prayer of Invitation"

This prayer is an invitation for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Pray the words slowly, but intentionally. Pray with holy expectation that God will do a wonderful work through you. Written by Jack Hayford, founder pastor of Church on the Way, the prayer does not end with an "Amen," but an invitation for our prayers to be open to the Holy Spirit.

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A Prayer of Invitation to the Holy Spirit 

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You and praise You for Your great love and faithfulness to me. My heart is filled with joy whenever I think of the great gift of salvation You have so freely given to me. And I humbly glorify You, Lord Jesus, for You have forgiven me all my sins and brought me to the Father.

Now I come in obedience to Your call.

I want to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. I do not come because I am worthy of myself, but because You have invited me to come. Because You have washed me from my sins, I thank You that You have made the vessel of my life a worthy one to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

I want to be overflowed with Your life, Your love and Your power, Lord Jesus. I want to show forth Your grace, Your words, Your goodness, and Your gifts to everyone I can.

And so with simply, childlike faith, I ask You, Lord, to fill me with the Holy Spirit. I open all of myself to You to receive all of Yourself in me.

I love You, Lord, and I lift up my voice in praise to You. I welcome Your might and Your miracles to be manifested in me for Your glory and unto Your praise.


(Jack Hayford, The Secrets of Intercessory Prayer, Bloomington, MN: Chosen Books, 2009, p166)

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Free Resources for Bible Reading (2013)

All over the world, people are wishing one another Happy New Year. It is the same year after year. Sometimes, I wonder what has happened to the year just ended. Has that been a happy year? Why are there some who seems more relieved than happy? Maybe, we have gotten it all wrong. Happiness is a condition that is utterly dependent on circumstances, feelings, and things temporal and fleeting. If that is the case, are we barking up the wrong tree of life in our relentless pursuit and wishes of 'Happy New Year?'

Psalm 119:105
(Picture Credit: http://thywordforever.web44.net)

For Christians, 'happy' is not the goal. Holiness is. One of the best ways to kick-off a new year is to begin a schedule of Bible reading that is consistent, purposeful, and disciplined. In order to provide some help, I list below some resources that you can get for FREE. Yes, that's free for you to use, in your personal and private capacity.

A) Free 1 Year Through the New Testament Schedule (DOWNLOAD)

I have put together a schedule that we can use to guide us through the New Testament and Isaiah in 1 year. Filled with pockets of 'catch-up' time, it gives us days in which we can either catch up on our missed reading days, or to read ahead if we anticipate periods of busy moments. The important thing is consistency. You can refer to my post about more Bible reading schedules here.

B) Free NIV Bible Downloads (IOS, Android, and others)

At least two sources are available for free Bible downloads. As the New International Version translation of the Bible is still the most popular edition, it has not been easy to find free downloads. From today till January 21st, 2013, Zondervan through their BibleGateway app, and LifeChurch.tv through their Youversion software have made available the NIV to be downloaded for free.

• BibleGateway App (download link)
  
• Youversion Software (download link)

Remember that for the Youversion software, you need to download the Youversion software first. After that, from within the software, select "BIBLE" and a list of Bible versions will pop up. Finally, remember that in case you do not have WiFi connection, you need what we call an OFFLINE version. This is where you need to download the offline version onto your mobile device. Once that is done, you will be able to read the Bible at any time, even when you do not have a WiFi connection. 

C) Online Bibles

If you have constant Internet connection, you may simply want to read the Bible online. Here are some online Bible editions you can use for your daily reading.

Paraphrase Bibles (Modern everyday language)

• The MESSAGE (link)
• New Living Translation (link)

Dynamic Equivalent (Balanced translation between literal and paraphrase)

• New International Version 2011 (link)
  
• Holman Christian Standard Bible (link)
  
• NIV 1984 - most popular NIV by far (link)

Literal Translations (as close to the original languages as possible)

• New American Standard Bible (link)
• English Standard Version (link)
  
• New Revised Standard Version (link)
  
• King James Version (link)
  

Let us make this year a Holy New Year!

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