Category: Christian Focus

“Appointed to Preach: Assessing a Call to Ministry” by David W. Hegg

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

“A strong case can be made that we presently have too many men in pastoral ministry; too many who have taken the mantle of leadership upon themselves without having been selected and formed by God for that purpose.” (pg. 23)

“Isn’t it about time that we expected more from those who would stand before us as God’s ministers?” (pg. 51)

When is the last time you read anything like the two statements above? Following the lead of such great men as Charles Spurgeon and Richard Baxter, David W. Hegg displays a holy zeal to protect the office of the pastor. In his book Appointed to Preach: Assessing a Call to Ministry (a recent re-release from Christian Focus Publications), Hegg raises the bar for pastoral ministry and recovers the lost art of a thorough ordination process.

An experienced pastor who serves on the regional ordination council of his denomination, Hegg has seen the good and the bad when it comes to ordinations. Too often, the process becomes an empty formality or an opportunity for cranky old men to ridicule a youngster in public. Avoiding either extreme, Hegg envisions ordination as a careful and slow process whereby unworthy candidates for ministry are weeded out and faithful men of God approved and affirmed to their calling.

The book addresses the role of ordination, the character qualities the Bible expects of a pastor, and the path for a man seeking ordination. Wise advice is given both to aspiring ministers and those who would seat the ordination council. A blueprint is also furnished that can be adapted to fit the particulars of a variety of conservative denominations. A helpful appendix of recommended reading rounds out this handy volume.

At a mere 154 pages, the book can be read in one sitting. Yet Hegg’s practical wisdom and insightful comments deserve more extended reflection. Useful as a handbook for all involved in the ordination process, it also offers a wake-up call to the church at large. How we view the pastoral task matters both for how we practice ordination and how well our churches are pastored. We need faithful men behind our sacred desks. May many men and churches be blessed through the counsel David W. Hegg shares in this book. I recommend this book highly.

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

Learn more about this book at the Christian Focus BookNotes blog. You can purchase a copy from Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com, or direct from Christian Focus Publications.

“My First Book of Questions and Answers” by Carine MacKenzie

~ Bob Hayton ~ 7 Comments

For hundreds of years, the training of Christian young people involved the learning of a catechism. A catechism was a set of instructions on Christian doctrine. Essentially, it was a list of questions and answers used to instill the fundamentals of the faith in the hearts of children. Many of the Reformed confessions, such as the Westminster Confession, included catechisms. Martin Luther considered his short catechism to be one of his two most important books. Even the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, wrote a catechism for young children.

Being an American and a Baptist, the very notion of a catechism seems incredibly foreign to me. But as I’ve studied church history and learned of the important role catechisms have played since the Reformation, I’ve actually been on the lookout for a simple catechism to employ with my own children. Since I’ve never used a catechism before, I was looking for something easy to use and also quite simple — as my daughters who I’d be teaching, are between the ages of 4 and 7.

Carine MacKenzie’s My First Book of Questions and Answers is what I found and so far, my children are eating it up. MacKenzie’s book is based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It consists of 114 questions broken up into 26 topics. The questions are direct and the answers are short and to the point. A Scripture reference is supplied for each answer.

The following topics are covered by the questions and answers. Who God is. Creation and sin. What the consequences of sin is. Salvation. Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King. The Ten Commandments — what they are and what they mean for us. Keeping God’s Laws. The Way to be Saved. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Prayer and Bible Reading. Death, Hell and Heaven.

The book is pocket sized with large font and catchy graphics. It’s a bright, cheery book that young readers will like to read. My 7 year old has been reading some of the questions and answers we haven’t yet covered.

I’ve found the catechism format works well as a tool for parents wanting to teach their children. You can easily use the questions to probe how well they understand the answers given in the book. You will be able to have a pulse on what questions your children have when it comes to the gospel. And on another level, my kids think the questions and answers are a lot of fun. It’s a game to them, and they are excited about some small incentives my wife and I have planned for them as they learn these questions.

I should add a word about the theology behind this book. The baptism and Lord’s Supper section is generic enough to be accepted by Presbyterians and Baptists alike. There is a Reformed bent to the questions throughout, which I appreciate. However, any of the questions and answers could easily be edited by a conscientious parent.

My First Book of Questions and Answers is an ideal “first book” for parents seeking to use a catechism (like myself). You will find it to be a great little tool for instilling biblical teaching into the hearts and minds of your young children. Even though this book is quite small, if used by prayerful parents, it promises to have an eternal impact. May God bless the use of this book in the lives of many Christian parents and their children!

This book is part of a line up that Carine MacKenzie has of 7 “My First” books. The other titles are My First Book of Bible Prayers, My First Book of Christian Values, My First Book of Memory Verses, My First Book of Bible Promises, My First Book about Jesus, and My First Book about the Church. I encourage you to check them all out.

Pick up a copy of this book at Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com or direct from Christian Focus Publications.

Westminster Bookstore also has a deal on the entire set of 7 “My First” books.

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

“Matthew Henry: Daily Readings” edited by Randall Peterson

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

Perhaps no other pastor has bequeathed a greater treasure to the church, than Matthew Henry and his commentary on the entire Bible. Since 1710 his commentary has blessed generations with a clear explanation and devotional treatment of Scripture. His work set the bar for future commentaries with its blend of accessibility, practicality, spiritual warmth and doctrinal depth. It is truly a classic which should continue to endure for years to come.

Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher from the 19th Century, recommended that ministers read through Henry’s 6 volume commentary once a year. Few pastors today have done so. Many churchgoers today, have an abridged Henry on their shelf or access to his entire work in a Bible study computer program or online, but few of them have read significant portions of his work. I must confess myself to be in the number of those who haven’t read enough of Matthew Henry.

Randall Peterson has offered a wonderful introduction to Henry’s writing, through a selection of daily devotional readings excerpted from his commentary. Matthew Henry: Daily Readings is nicely published and presented in a leather bound, conveniently sized edition, complete with a ribbon bookmark like you would find in most Bibles.

Each reading includes the day’s date, a title for the selection, a Scripture verse from the ESV, and at the bottom of the page, the section of Henry’s commentary where the selection is to be found. Selections cover the wide range of the Bible with a special emphasis on Psalms.
Henry has a firm grasp of the Gospel and will not lead the believer wrong. An excerpt from his May 21st entry illustrates how challenging this devotional can be:

We know not his riches and our own poverty, therefore we run not to him; we perceive not that we are lost and perishing, therefore a Savior is a word of little relish. Were we convinced of the huge mass of guilt that lies upon us, and the wrath that hangs over us for it, ready to fall upon us, it would be our continual thought, Is the Savior mine? And that we might find him so, we should trample on all that hinders our way to him.

This devotional will not be as easy to read as Our Daily Bread, but its nutritional content will be a balm to your soul. I highly recommend this excellent work which is suitable for a special gift or a lifelong treasure.

Pick up a copy of this book at Amazon.com, Westminster Bookstore, or directly from Christian Focus Publications.

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

“With One Voice: Singleness, Dating & Marriage to the Glory of God” by Alex & Marni Chediak

~ Bob Hayton ~ 11 Comments

I’ll get right to it. With One Voice: Singleness, Dating and Marriage to the Glory of God by Alex & Marni Chediak is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. Aside from skillful wordsmithing and intuitive organization, the book hits a home run when it comes to addressing the topic at hand.

There are not too many books out there which deal with how to find a mate, yet are written from a wholly Christian and Biblical perspective. And even then, some of the books which qualify as Biblical and Christian major on a specific dating (or anti-dating) method to the detriment of a well-rounded Christian philosophy of dating in general. This book provides just that: a distinctly Christian approach to the philosophy of singleness, dating, and marriage.

Alex Chediak, with the help of his wife Marni, begins the book by detailing the pervasive cultural changes which influence our view of dating. He shows how a changing job market has spread out families, and focused on the value of individuals in the marketplace. Technological and commercial advances have coupled with the increasingly personalized society to lure courtship from the parents’ front porch to the drive-in movie theater and eventually to live-in relationships. The Chediaks also highlight how the new concept of delayed adolescence gave room for today’s entertainment and me-oriented culture. One widespread result of these cultural changes is the tendency for young adults to remain single until they are almost 30. Confronted with these changes, which certainly threaten a Christian view of marriage and sexuality, Alex doesn’t just settle for an appeal to bring back the golden days of yesteryear. He calls such nostalgic responses “unwarranted and misplaced”, which often “fall short of addressing the heart issues”. Men have always been sinful. The Christian response should be to study culture with a view of applying Biblical principles in such a way as to redeem and confront it.

After setting the stage, the book goes on to emphasize that marriage should be normal. Excepting those gifted for lifelong singleness, marriage is God’s will for the Christian young person. That being the case, cross-gender relationships should not be all about fun and enjoyment, rather they should be intentionally focused on the reality of marriage. Before detailing how a single adult should go about finding a mate, Alex & Marni lay an important foundation by discussing a Biblical view of masculinity and femininity, and the concepts of leading and submitting. They do this, because one of the book’s primary themes is for singles to focus on becoming the right kind of person first, before looking for the right potential mate.

The wisdom of the Chediaks shine through in the final two chapters detailing how to “choose [a mate] wisely” and “proceed carefully” with your relationship. There is a wealth of wisdom available as they discuss objective and subjective considerations necessary in a prospective mate, and the intentional and careful progression of a relationship. There couldn’t be a more practical “how to” book for this process, yet at the same time the book gives plenty of space for a variety of methods to be used. Instead of a detailed prescription, the book offers an undergirding framework of Bibilical principles upon which to erect a healthy and successful, Biblically faithful relationship.

This book comes at the marriage issue from a Biblically faithful, conservative theology. It does not offer a theological defense of a complementarian view of masculinity and femininity. Nor does it defend the Biblical priority of marriage and denial of extra-marital sexual activity. Instead it assumes these views and aims to be very practical. This in good part forms the strength of the book. It helps you think Biblically about marriage and dating, and supports you in your quest for a godly mate. I wish I had such a book when I was thinking through my own dating philosophy. It would have saved me much time and grief in thinking through such things on my own!

There isn’t much to say by way of criticizing the book. Perhaps it could have brought up the influence of the romantic movement in the 1800s on society’s present view of dating and marriage. Also some of the statistics on page 22 are a little hard to follow. But all in all, this is a fantastic book. It is extremely easy to read, with large font and a well-written, fast moving arrangement. It is a short read, being only about 140 pages long; yet it will be an incredibly profitable read. I recommend the book to singles everywhere of any age, and also to youth pastors, pastors and parents. Indeed, there is much wisdom available even for those singles who feel especially frustrated in finding a mate. So by all means get this book, you’ll thank me later!

Note: you can learn more about the authors and the book here.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com, or direct from Christian Focus.