With a growing selection of e-books of all kinds and e-book readers continuing to drop in price, it’s inevitable that some of us will begin using e-books for home eduction. One of the series that we have become familiar with as a part of our Tapestry of Grace curriculum is the History Lives series by Mindy and Brandon Withrow, published under Christian Focus Publications CF4K imprint. The series contains five volumes ,covering church history from 3 BC all the way to the modern church. This entire set has recently been made available for kindle and is on sale this week for $2 each.  Visit Amazon.com to take advantage of this special price while it lasts.

I recently was blessed by the opportunity to put together a written interview with theologian and author Robert Duncan Culver for Christian Focus Publications. Believe it or not, Dr. Culver is in his 90s! I appreciated the candidness of his responses in our e-mail exchanges and his answers the interview questions. It’s not very often you get to sit at the feet of a man of his years and Christian experience.

The interview focuses on his early years and conversion, the importance of studying systematic theology, advice for aspiring pastors and a couple of his literary influences.  Now that I’ve gotten to know Dr. Culver a bit more, I’m digging deeper into his Systematic Theology: Biblical & Historical (Mentor, 2005). Something worth noting that I learned in the course of the interview is that it took him nearly 30 years to complete this book.  At 1280 pages, it’s going to be a long-term reading commitment.  You can read the interview in its entirety at the Christian Focus Booknotes blog:  LINK.

Be sure to swing by the Christian Focus Booknotes blog this week for a chance to win a copy of The Earthly Career of Jesus, the Christ by Robert Duncan Culver. The sign up page is here: Link.

Book Details:
Author: Helen Roseveare
Publisher: Christian Focus Publications (2011)
Binding: Paperback
Page count: 80
ISBN: 9781845507510

Recommendation:
Review Date: 11/7/2011 by Shaun Tabatt
Rating: Recommended

Review:

The old adage of he who dies with the most toys wins is a mantra that seems to be growing stronger and stronger in today’s culture. Many people are filled with a general unhappiness and dissatisfaction that they try to overcome by filling their lives with more possessions, activities, entertainment, and the like. The problem for many of us is that we never are quite happy. After all, how much is actually enough? What will it take to make you or me truly happy. These are questions we should seriously ask ourselves as we struggle to understand how to effectively live within and deal with a culture that promises us pleasure, fulfillment, and satisfaction around every corner, but sadly often leaves us more wanting and less fulfilled than we were when we started in the first place. What should we do?

A likely answer to this question is that we should begins searching for who or what will actually fulfill us.  Helen Roseveare feels she has an answer to this question, which she delivers in her new book from Christian Focus Publications titled Enough. Enough is written by Dr. Helen Roseveare, who went to what is now the Democratic Republic ofCongo in 1953, dedicating her life to serving others and pioneering vital medical work in the rain forests. Drawing on biographical sketches from her own life, Helen explores the idea of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ showing that He is enough for salvation, assurance, emotional support, pleasing God, and is enough for our happiness and contentment. Readers can get a good idea of what they will find in this book from the following quotation found in the prologue:

“Just as there are many ways of using the word ‘enough’ in our everyday lives, so there are many ways of understanding this in our spiritual lives. There is a wonderful truth that God has enough to supply all our needs. Enough for salvation, enough for forgiveness, enough to overcome temptations, enough to persevere in adversities, enough to calm our fears and anxieties. Enough grace, enough love, enough power. His supply is sufficient to meet not only all our needs, but the needs of everyone else in the world, now and at all times.”

Readers will likely see their own stories and experiences reflected in those Helen shares from here own life as she recounts how she dealt with her own struggles of feeling assured of the sufficiency of Christ for all of her needs.

I would recommend this book for somebody looking to further explore the idea of the sufficiency of Christ through the lens of a dear saint who has dealt long and hard with this concept in the midst of her many years of ministry and service. At only eighty pages, this book can be completed in one or two sittings. I suspect that readers who are largely familiar with Helen’s other biographical works may find some of the content in the book redundant. However, this is the first book I have read by Helen Roseveare, so I am unable to confirm whether or not that is the case.

Author Information:
Dr. Helen Roseveare went to the Congo in 1953. She has dedicated her life to serving others even in the deep trials of life. She pioneered vital medical work in the rainforests of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is an internationally respected speaker with WEC ministries.

Where to Buy:

• Amazon
• WTS Books
• CBD

Related Media:

• Interview

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Christian Focus Publications for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Christian Focus Publications is giving away three copies of His Blood Works: The Meaning of the Word ‘blood’ in Scripture by Alan Stibbs this week on the Christian Focus Booknotes blog.  They will be accepting entries through end of day October 31st.  You can visit the related blog post to learn more: LINK.

Christian Focus Publications is giving away two copies of The Trials of Theology this week on the Christian Focus Booknotes blog.  Details for the giveaway can be found here:  LINK.

One of the books I’ve been reading recently is Reformation:  Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by Carl R. Trueman (Christian Focus, 2011).  In this book Dr. Trueman examines the origins of contemporary Reformed theology in the Reformation world of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  This is the first of his books I’ve read and it has been quite enjoyable.  My review will be coming very soon.  Reformation:  Yesterday Today and Tomorrow is available from Amazon, WTSBooks and other internet book retailers.

My children love biographies.  One of the books we’ve recently been reading aloud to our kids is David Brainerd:  A Love for the Lost by Brian Cosby.  This latest book in the Trail Blazers series chronicles the life of David Brainerd.  Here’s the description of the book from Christian Focus Publications’ web site:

Life on the American frontier in the early 1700s was very difficult – continually threatened by disease, attack, and brutally cold winters. The English and Native Americans lived side by side, which often led to conflict. David Brainerd arose as a compassionate and fearless missionary to the various Indian tribes in America. Riding on his horse across rivers, over mountains, and through towns, Brainerd carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost, the hurting, and the broken. Notable pastors and missionaries like John Wesley, William Carey, Adoniram Judson and Jim Elliot were all influenced by the life, passion, and dedication of David Brainerd. In this book, Brian Cosby takes the reader on a journey from Brainerd’s teenage years on the farm to his expulsion from Yale; from preaching on the frontier to his death in his late 20s. The reader will be encouraged, inspired, and challenged by the perseverance and single-minded devotion of the early American missionary to the Indians, David Brainerd.

David Brainerd:  A Love for the Lost is available from Amazon, WTSBooks, and other book retailers.  If you’d like to learn more about the book and its author, check out the interview with Brian Cosby that was recently featured on the Christian Focus BookNotes blog.

The July book giveaway on the Christian Focus BookNotes blog features 3 books by Westminster professor Carl R. Trueman. Entries will be accepted through July 31st.  Be sure to submit your entry here:  LINK

Brandon Phillips at the TheEssentialOwen.com is giving away a copy of John Owen’s The Glory of Christ (Christian Heritage, 2005).  A winner will be announced on June 10th.  Click the book cover to learn how to enter.