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East White Oak
Bible Church
11922 E. 2000 North Rd.
Carlock, IL 61725-9684
Voice: 309.454.3833
309.376.6771
Fax:309.376.1208 |
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Book Reviews
"31 Days with the Master Fisherman: A Daily Devotional on Bringing Christ to Others"
By R. Larry Moyer
Kregel Publications, 1997
93 pages
Cost - about $8
Reviewed by those on the Operation Friendship Team
John Coughlan
Larry Moyer gives us thirty-one short snippets about our willingness to spread the Gospel. He gives insights as to how to overcome the common rationalizations of why we so often are unwilling to do so. He adds in to each devotional an encouragement for the reader to gear up, get out, and live the day for the Lord.
Justin Michels
I am not a big reader, so the book has to be just right in order for me to get into it. The 31 Days with the Master Fisherman was a great find. I read it each morning as I ate breakfast. It has small and to the point chapters. This allows me to get the most information in a short amount of time. It also is a great way to start your day by focusing on reaching others. Some days it motivates me to be forward with the Gospel at work and other days it reveals my own weaknesses that God can help shore up. I would recommend this book because it helps bring focus back to reaching others through Christ.
Donna Osenga
31 Days with the Master Fisherman is a very interesting and challenging one-month daily devotional. What I most enjoyed about it is that it meets us right where we are. It poses questions, feelings and fears that we all have about sharing our faith. It helps us realize that these things are all very normal and just gives practical suggestions on ways that we can begin to develop a heart for the lost and little things that we can do to reach the lost people around us. It also gives us strong encouragement to walk with God on a daily basis. It is worth spending a few minutes a day for the next month reading this book!
Alan and Sharryn Swanson
We liked this book as a daily devotional with an emphasis on evangelism. It was easy to read and applicable to our lives today. Each day was no more than a couple of pages but packed with useful information, insights, and practical ways to step out and witness for Christ. Each day was divided up into a scripture verse to read, a section of insights about that verse's application to evangelism, and a practical illustration to apply to ourselves. That last two sections involved thinking more deeply about how the topic might be applied in our lives, and then specific ways to pray concerning what was discussed. This format drew us into messages that encouraged a personal application process and commitment to become more involved in the work that Christ has commissioned us to do - carry the Gospel to those who do not know Christ as Savior.
Larry and Kerry Van Gundy
We enjoyed reading 31 Days with the Master Fisherman as a family at meals together. Each day's reading was based on Scripture, clearly stated, thought-provoking and challenged us in practical ways. It addressed common - but conquerable - hindrances to sharing the Good News. Larry Moyer emphasized consistent credible Christian living and confidence in God to do His work. I would recommend this to individuals or families. Although it is not geared to young children, the simple principles could be shared and taught. It's also good enough to review and re-read.
"A Martyr's Grace"
By Marvin J. Newell
Moody Press, 2006
208 pages
Cost - about $14
Reviewed by Larry Van Gundy
A Martyr's Grace is the story of 21 students who had studied at Moody Bible Institute, and all of whom were serving as missionaries when their lives were taken, and were officially declared martyrs, according to MBI's definition of a "martyr," by the school's executive cabinet in March of 2001.
Why is the Director of Outreach giving a book review on what appears to be a mission's book? How does this fit into outreach and evangelism? Well, I'm glad you asked.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus informed His disciples that "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jeruselem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." A witness is someone who tells the truth, based on what they know, have heard, or have seen. Thus a witness of Jesus Christ is someone who tells the truth about Jesus Christ.
The word "witness" in the New Testament is the Greek word for "one who dies for his faith," because that was commonly the price for witnessing. So you see the connection.
This book reminded me that there is a cost to being a witness of Jesus Christ, and many have paid the ultimate price. I found myself asking the following questions, "Do I see myself as a daily witness for Jesus Christ?" I may not be taking an oath in a court of law before a judge and jury, but am I regularly sharing with others what I know, and what I've read about Jesus Christ?
"What has it cost me to be a witness for Christ?" I experienced a little bit of criticism and rejection recently in NYC, but in most of those cases I never even got a chance to mention the name of Jesus, so I may have been viewed simply as some religoius nut. Not really a high price.
However, we can be sure today that to mention the name of Jesus is to invite an assault of disparaging remarks. It may be okay to refer to God (more generally), but utter the name of "Jesus," and you make people uncomfortable and you will be attacked.
This should not surprise us. In the early chapters in the Acts of the Apostles, the people were incensed at the mention of the name of Jesus, and the apostles experienced trouble for being exactly what Jesus instructed them to be. The individuals mentioned in A Martyr's Grace were ordinary people who were following God's calling in their life to be witnesses where He had called them. All of us are called to be witnesses today; we don't have to be on foreign soil, or have attended Bible College. We are to be His witnesses wherever we live, work, and play. We are not to be promoting a church, or propping up a preacher, or pushing some program; we are to be preaching Jesus Christ. Peter took the witness stand before the Jewish leaders in Acts 4 and made it crystal clear that, "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
This book has short chapters and is an easy read. However, it might just cause you to ask long and hard questions. "Am I as committed a follower of Christ?" "What does it cost me to be a witness for Jesus Christ?"
"Evangelism Explosion 4th Edition"
By D. James Kennedy
Tyndale House Publishing, Inc., 1996
228 pages
Cost - about $15
Reviewed by Larry Van Gundy
The NYC Ministries training is based on the method and approach of Evangelism Explosion. I decided that it would be helpful to read this book in preparation for going to NYC. This book is about equipping individuals and churches for friendship, evangelism, discipleship and healthy growth. I would like to begin by simply giving you the chapter headings from the book as a means of whetting your appetite for further investigation.
Chapter Headings
(1) Equipping Laypeople
(2) Witnessing as a Way of Life
(3) Sharing the Good News
(4) Making Friends
(5) Sharing Your Testimony
(6) Asking Diagnostic Questions
(7) Analyzing the Gospel Presentation
(8) Calling for Commitment
(9) Discipling New Believers
(10) Folding into the Church
(11) Enlisting and Enlarging
(12) Handling Objections
(13) Adding Illustrations
(14) Screening Contacts
(15) Developing Leaders
(16) Discipling All Nations
(17) Questionnaires
(18) Suggestions for Trainers
(19) Public Report Board
Evangelism Explosion is a time-proven means of training believers to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. It has been estimated that approximately 100,000 churches in 211 countries are training their lay people to witness using the principles and methods of Evangelism Explosion. Wow! I would heartily recommend this book to all believers. In fact, I think it should be required reading for those in leadership, those that serve in any kind of church ministry at church, well, maybe for every church member.
You will find this book to be practical, and comprehensive, and deeply rooted in the essence of what the Gospel is. It is very readable and a book that you will keep referring to as you move from reading it to living out the principles and methods found in this manual on witnessing. We are called to do the possible (witness, share our faith) and leave the impossible to God (convicting, drawing, opening the eyes of the blind), so why not take that first step by equipping yourself to be a winsome and ready witness for Jesus Christ?
"Season of Life"
By Jeffrey Marx
Simon & Schuster, August 2004
177 pages
Cost - about $14
Reviewed by Larry Van Gundy
Jon Berry, the area director of the North Central Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes, gave me a copy of this book and encouraged me to read it. His vision is to get this book into the hands of as many youth coaches, parents of athletes, and student athletes as possible. So I agreed to read it and give him my opinion of the book.
I love sports; I have myself enjoyed playing high school football and baseball for Grand Rapids School of the Bible in Music after high school. While a member, and President, of the Dallas City School Board, we hired coaches and also chose not to rehire coaches. This was NEVER based on the win-lose record, but on their character and coaching style. I also had the opportunity to coach for one season the 5th and 6th grade boys elementary school team in Dallas City, Illinois. It was a great experience, but I must confess that both teams did not do very well, record wise. I also played on a club hockey team for one year during my time in Bible school. I am a die-hard Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots' fan and and absolutely love the NCAA basketball tournament and college football. I enjoy watching youth of all ages and both sexes play basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, and football. All this to say, that I had no trouble reading this book because I have many different perspectives from many different vantage points, as an athlete, as a parent watching both my children who participated in numerous sports, to being a coach myself, to being a fan, and involved in the hiring of high school, junior high and elementary school coaches.
From the inside jacket of the book
Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL football star and voluteer coach for the Gilman High School football team, teaches his players the keys to sucessful defense: penetrate, pursue, punish, love. Love? A former captain of the Baltimore Colts and now an ordained minister, Ehrmann, is serious about the game of football, but even more serious about the purpose of life. Season of Life is his inspirational story as told by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, who was a ball-boy for the Colts when he first met Ehrmann.
Ehrmann now devotes his life to teaching young men a whole new meaning of masculinity. He teaches the boys at Gilman the precepts of his Building Men for Others program: Being a man means emphasizing relationships and having a cause bigger than yourself. It means accepting responsibility and leading courageously. It means that empathy, integrity, and living a life of service to others are more important than points on a scoreboard.
Review
Season of Life, for the most part, chronicles the 2001 football season of the Gilman Greyhounds. It is entertaining and enjoyable. It takes you behind the scenes, and you are able to identify with the characters of the book. It is a book more about developing character than it is about wins and losses. Integrity is more valued than statistics. You see healthy interaction between coaches and students. It is not about Joe Ehrmann's football career, but about his spiritual journey and the impact that his faith had in his life. The boak goes from the sidelines of the Baltimore Colts to the classroom at Dallas Theological Seminary. Then from the intensity of the playing field to impacting the inner city for the glory of God. From being a local pastor to volunteering as a high school football coach.
I do not want to give any more of this book away. If you are an athlete, I recommend this book to you. If you are the parent of an athlete, I would encourage you to read this book along with your son or daughter, and then discuss it. This book will be especially profitable for young men, due to the emphasis on the program Building Men for Others. If you are a coach at any level, this book should be required reading. I will heartily endorse and happily assist Jon Berry of FCA in any way I can, in his desire to put this book into the hands of parents, coaches, and student athletes.
"The Church of Irresistible Influence"
By Robert Lewis and Rob Wilkins
Published by Zondervan, May 2001
224 pages
Cost - about $10
Reviewed by Larry Van Gundy
Book Description
"An inspiring description and story showing how a church can become an irresistible influence on its neighborhood, community, and world by building bridges over troubled waters to a dying culture through showing the love of God in action" - amazon.com
From the Back Cover
A city on a hill, inescapably visible. A lit lamp brilliantly, illuminating the darkest room.
With compelling metaphors, Jesus described the church and its impact on the world. And indeed, filled with the Holy Spirit, the early church demonstrated a spiritual energy and depth that transformed the surrounding culture.
Yet today, instead of turning the world upside-down, we've largely turned it off. When people think of church at all, a sobering majority view it as big on ideals but short on reality. We have a choice. We can maintain our trajectory and descend into irrelevance. Or we can reclaim our incomparable birthright - the irresistible influence of a church vitally connected with God, each other, and the world around us.
The Church of Irresistible Influence is about church transformation, about a vision worth living for and changing for because it pulses with the very heartbeat of God. If you are a pastor or church leader, prepare to be inspired, challenged, and equipped with practical insights for making your church a strong, well-traveled link between heaven and earth in your community.
Using bridges as a metaphor for irresisible influence - or i2, as he calls it - Robert Lewis share the experiences and lessons of Fellowship Bible Church to show you:
Passionate, thought-provoking, and personal, this book will plant the want-to and pave the way for your church - no matter what size or location - to become a church of irresistible influence in your God-ordained corner of the world.
Review
Using the metaphor of a bridge throughout, Lewis effectively uses this imagery to communicate the impact a church can have in its community. He says, "Imagine a great city without bridges. Bridges give life through two-way movement! Without its own bridges to the world, church life in time fades into isolation, self-congratulation, and finally irrelevance." This book is very practical in its approach and biblical in its form. The principles and approaches introduced in this book are field tested at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Robert Lewis is the pastor. They have been applied by ordinary people who then greatly impacted their community for the glory of God.
The authors identify the issues and attitudes that are prevalent today which impact the church's approach to ministry. They then lay the foundation for ministry by looking at the example of Christ's ministry and the biblical principles which should govern our lives.
The remainder of the book shares in detail the steps to becoming a church of irresistible influence, as well as real life examples taken from individuals at Fellowship Bible Church.
For many readers, this book will require a paradigm shift as Lewis states, "...from being served to serving, from finding community in the church to impacting the community as the church, from retreating to influencing, from isolationt to engagement, from the church of my needs to the church of good deeds."
This book will challenge you to put feet to your faith, use your time, talents, experiences, resources and gifts to use all for the glory of God."
Recommendation
I highly recommend this book; it is an enjoyable and easy read.
-Larry Van Gundy, Director of Outreach
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