Ryan's Personal Library of Christian Resources

Institutes of the Christian Religion

Ryan — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:46:34 +0000

John Calvin, a theological giant from the seventeenth century, created this book as a summary of all his understanding of the Christian religion. It is considered by most to be his lifetime masterpiece and is a requirement at most theological seminaries. Written originally in Latin and translated into English several times throughout the years, there are various versions using older English as well as one with more modern English. Below are my notes on a chapter by chapter basis:

Book 1

In order to know God, you have to know how sinful you are as a man. Additionally, in order to know how unrighteous you are, you have to know how wonderful God is. If all you ever see is black (man’s failings) then brown will look like white, but if you see the true white of God, then you will know how black you really are.
If we truly know God and understand his power and how everything good in our lives comes from him, we will be better able to obey, reverence, and give true worship to him. Otherwise we honor him with our words only, in a cheapened way.

Mere Christianity

Ryan — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:33:28 +0000

Mere Christianity is a C.S. Lewis classic on his philosophical thoughts about the Christian religion. He was a former atheist who, using reasoning and logic, came to belief in God and that Jesus Christ and Christianity was the best explanation for all the questions we humans have. This book is a quick read and starts out providing the reasoning used for a belief in God and then moves into more depth about the truths of Christianity. Below are my notes I made while reading the book:

Book 1

Throughout all of history human beings have had a feeling of how they are supposed to behave. While not all civilizations have had the same moral rules, all have share some of the basic rules like helping out those you care about. Additionally, throughout history, all humans have failed at perfectly living up to those standards.

C.S. Lewis, HarperOne, 1952

Seismic Shifts

Ryan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:06:22 +0000

Seismic Shift

“Seismic Shifts – The Little Changes that Make a Big Difference in Your Life” by Kevin G. Harney is probably the best christian book I’ve read that offers simple changes that will help a person grow into the person God desires. Based on Biblical teachings, it provides specific examples of changes a person can make that will generate seismic shifts in their life.

The book is broken into 6 parts, each consisting of three chapters with the breadth of content ranging from controlling appetite to keeping the sabath to managing money. The book is written in such a way as to be a great book for a small group to read; each chapter stands alone in teaching an important aspect of life that people need to comprehend. I found the book to be a great reminder of many of the things I already knew, but sometimes don’t remember (know what I mean). For instance, the chapter on taking a Sabath day really spoke to me. As a member of a church meeting in a school, my Sunday is filled with setting up and tearing down the sanctuary (a true Levite), but leaves me always exhausted on Monday. I realized how important it is to set up a large chunk of time each week to rest and spend time with God and family.

Part 1: Shifts that Bring Greater Joy than You Can Imagine

Chapter 1: From Infancy to Adulthood

Hebrews 5:12 – 6:1 – For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity

God expects Christians to grow in their spiritual maturity, but far too many Christians remain spiritual babies
The Seven Indicators of Growth include: learning to feed ourselves (read the Bible, listen to sermons online, etc), learning to talk and listen, sharing, helping others (not always desiring to be served in church), loving people, loving God, and living in a bigger world (having a heart for missions)
This chapter spoke directly to an issue I have with many Christians I have seen in churches around me, they think that by accepting Christ in their heart they have finished the race when in fact they have only just begun.

Chapter 2: From Doing to Being

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him

Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Chapter 3: From Somberness to Celebration

Being joyful is a choice we make – and God desires that we have joy no matter what our situation is

Our churches should be overflowing with joy for one another and for our time to meet with God

Part 2: Shifts that Expand Your Faith

Chapter 4: From Me to God

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him

Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Chapter 5: From Snacking to Feasting

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him
Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Chapter 6: From Monologue to Dialogue

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him
Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Part 3: Shifts that Bring Health and Rest

Chapter 7: From Rushing to Slowing

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him
Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Chapter 8: From Stuffed to Satisfied

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him
Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Chapter 9: From Anxiety to Peace

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him
Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Part 4: Shifts that Build Dynamic and Lasting Relationships

Chapter 10: From Burning to Building

God does not demand or require anything from us other than relationship with him
Too many of us try to do things for God when in fact we need to slow down and focus more on just spending time with him

Chapter 11: From Served to Serving

Chapter 12: From Flattery to Truth-Telling

Part 5: Shifts that Open the Floodgates of True Riches

Chapter 13: From Mine to God’s

Chapter 14: From Hamsters to Sharers

Chapter 15: From Fleeting Wealth to True Wealth

Part 6: Shifts that Will Help You Impact Your Community and the World

Chapter 16: From Us to Them

Chapter 17: From “One Size Fits All” to Your Outreach Style

Chapter 18: From Closing the Deal to Making a Journey

Kevin G. Harney, Zondervan, 2005

The Naked Christian

Ryan — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:49:25 +0000

The Naked Christian by Craig Borlase

Craig Borlase, in his book “The Naked Christian – Taking off Religion to Find True Relationship”, tries to strip the Christianity most people have been raised in to a more pure form without the traditions and biases added through the centuries. Written with an obvious bend for the emerging church, some of his points are too liberal for my taste (he thinks the Church was wrong to counsel his Christian friend to not get divorced when his friend’s wife became depressed and manic?!?), but the majority of his message is of value to people who want to be a part of the solution of making the church relevant again.

Chapter 1: What do I Want to Look Like

Many people think that they need to be more “spiritual” to please God and are constantly trying to do the right things not as the natural fruit of love for Christ but in almost a competition to be the best Christian.

An interesting viewpoint on the importance Christians put on Sunday’s service and other large conferences, expecting God to show up bigger and bigger.

“we may be tempted to believe that one day we will arrive and claim we’ve ‘made it’, but true Godly success comes with no absolutes, no finishing posts.”

Chapter 2: Why do I Want to Look this Way

People want to be like the “strong Christians” they see at church, the problem is that the strong Christians tend to be so insulated from the world and so wrapped up in church activities, that they make for unrealistic role models to people who don’t desire that life.

Provides an analogy of church being like a watering hole, an oasis in the desert, where all the animals gather around to get a drink, crowding out the new animals trying to get to the water.

Describes how church services tend to be confusing to outsiders but are the meat for the whole week for insiders, and how church would be more relevant, and more like its original form (think Acts), if the focus wasn’t on a single service, but on serving the community and telling them about Jesus.

Chapter 3: How do I Look at Others

Do we view outsiders as people who need to be evangelized and try to get them to “say the prayer” or do we view them as unique individuals who we need to authentically share our faith with.

“Is there really a ‘save-by’ date on every Christian/non-Christian relationship?”

Jesus looked at people through eyes of compassion, selflessness, and integrity, he didn’t draw people to himself through large evangelistic outreaches and slick program-based services.

Chapter 4: How do Others Actually See Me

Some Christians are seen as having big egos, thinking that Christians are the only people who do good works in the community and that Christians are ‘right’ so the world must be ‘wrong’.

Other Christians are seen as being too self-loathing, having the opinion that humans screwed everything up and that is why God has to start with a new Earth.

God can work and speak through Christians and non-Christians to accomplish his purposes (OT examples cited).

When we are reaching out to people do they see Jonah or Jesus?

Chapter 5: What does the World Look Like to Me

Some people are short-sighted and see everything as the march of the enemy against everything that was good and Holy while others are long-sighted and try to see the good in everything around them, to their detrement.

The Church must understand its relationship to culture, without fitting in the culture, it will be perceived as irrelevant, but by getting to immersed in culture, it can drift from God’s law.

Chapter 6: What do we Look Like Together

Borlase provides several stories of non-Christians feeling uncomfortable or unimportant when attending Church.

Many churches have the unwritten expectation that everybody will be the same, same doctrine, same appearance, same beliefs; so when funny looking non-Christians or Christians with different doctrinal beliefs show up, they are not welcomed.

The church needs to be open to accept people after their failings or mistakes the same way Jesus was (this is where Borlase tells the story of a Christian friend who got married, found out his new wife was manic, and was upset that the church didn’t think divorce was the right choice – there is a difference, however, between accepting a non-believers mistakes and accepting a Christians actions which knowingly go against God’s law).

Chapter 7: Why am I Looking in this Mirror Anyway

We need to live a Christian life according to the Word of God, not by our emotions, spiritual experiences, or feelings.

Borlase tells about his time in a charismatic church where his ups and downs were too closely tied with his spiritual experiences.

We need to be focused on doing the good work of Jesus like the Good Samaritan and let that be our witness to the world around us.

Craig Borlase, Relevent Books, 2005

Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods

Ryan — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:59:10 +0000

Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods

This book is a great starter book for somebody who has never been taught how to study the Word of God on their own. Too many people know that they should read the Bible daily and pray, but very few people go the step further and actually STUDY the Bible. In this book, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and author of Purpose Driven Life provides 12 Bible study methods. Nine of the twelve methods are great for beginners and the other three methods go hand-in-hand with one another when studying an entire book of the Bible.

The book is an easy read and gives step by step instruction on how to complete each study type. Additionally the book offers a completed study and blank template for each study explained. If you have never tried to actually study the Bible but would like to find out where to start, I think this book would be of great help to you. Simply ready one chapter and do that type of study for 3 weeks, then read the next chapter and perform that type of study. The book is not meant to be read in one sitting without doing the studies yourself to actually learn how to do them.

Introduction: How to Study the Bible

The purpose of Bible study is personal application

Schedule a time and place to study or it won’t happen

Get the right study tools so you are prepared

Description of various study tools (I dislike his choices of good study Bibles, check out my blogpost on translations I like)

Chapter 1: Devotional Method

Studying a single verse or small section of verses (the basis for many of the other study methods)

Primary focus of chapter is on how to take what you learn and create a personal application

Encourages memorizing the verse

Chapter 2: Chapter Summary Method

Studying the surface layer of an entire chapter

Identifies Caption, Contents, Chief People, Choice Verse, Crucial Words, Challenges, Cross-References, Chirst Seen, Central Lessons, and Conclusion

Chapter 3: Character Quality Method

Studying character qualities found in the Bible like humility or leadership

Looks at the quality and its opposite, and does a simply biographical study of a person in the Bible who exemplified the quality

Chapter 4: Thematic Method

Studying detailed themes in the Bible by groups of verses found in a concordance

Ask the same set of 3-5 questions of each verse

Chapter 5: Biographical Method

Studying a person of the Bible in depth

Identifies strengths, weaknesses, Biblical chronology, lessons you can learn from their life

Chapter 6: Topical Method

Studying a general topic in the Bible

Builds on perhaps several thematic studies of the same topic

Primarily looks at every occasion a topical word is found in the Bible

Chapter 7: Word Study Method

Studying a single word in the Bible

Focuses on the original meaning of the word and how it is used in the Bible (in specific instances)

Chapter 8: Book Background Method

Studing the geographical, political, and historical setting of a book in the Bible

Helps identify the outside things occuring that played a role in the primary story of the book

Chapter 9: Book Survery Method

Studying an entire book of the Bible at the surface level

Reread a book repeatedly and then create a summary outline of the book

Chapter 10: Chapter Analysis Method

Studying an entire book of the Bible one chapter at a time

Detailed, verse by verse study of each chapter, creating chapter outlines and identifying key information

Chapter 11: Book Synthesis Method

Studying an entire book of the Bible using the Book Survey and Chapter Analysis studies completed first

Creates a detailed outline of the entire book and a list of insights gained from the book

Chapter 12: Verse by Verse Analysis Method

Studying a portion of verses in depth

A shortened version of the Chapter Analysis Method for just a section of verses selected

Rick Warren, Zondervan, 2006

The Second Coming of the Church

Ryan — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:35:04 +0000

This book provides statistics about the current state of the church (book published in 1998), the current shift in American culture, and the author’s belief that if the church doesn’t make a major shift soon, the typical American church will shrink dramatically.

More detailed reveiw coming…

George Barna, Word Publishing, 1998

The God Chasers

Ryan — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:47:00 +0000

God Chasers by Tommey Tenney

There are those so hungry, so deperate for His Presence, that they become consumed with finding Him. Their longing for Him moves them to do what they would otherwise never do: Chase God. But what does it really mean to chase God? Can He be “caught?” Is there an end to the thirsting of man’s soul for Him? Meet Tommy Tenney–God chaser. Join him in his search for God. Follow him as he ignores the maze of religious tradition and finds himself, not chasing God, but to his utter amazement, caught by the One he had chased.

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0768420164

The Purpose Driven Life

Ryan — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:44:00 +0000

Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

Another Landmark Book by Rick Warren. You are not an accident. Even before the universe was created, God had you in mind, and he planned you for his purposes. These purposes will extend far beyond the few years you will spend on earth. You were made to last forever! Self-help books often suggest that you try to discover the meaning and purpose of your life by looking within yourself, but Rick Warren says that is the wrong place to start. You must begin with God, your Creator, and his reasons for creating you. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. This book will help you understand why you are alive and God’s amazing plan for you-both here and now, and for eternity. Rick Warren will guide you through a personal 40-day spiritual journey that will transform your answer to life’s most important question: What on earth am I here for? Knowing God’s purpose for creating you will reduce your stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity. The Purpose-DrivenT Life is a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century-a lifestyle based on God’s eternal purposes, not cultural values. Using over 1,200 scriptural quotes and references, it challenges the conventional definitions of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. In the tradition of Oswald Chambers, Rick Warren offers distilled wisdom on the essence of what life is all about. This is a book of hope and challenge that you will read and re-read, and it will be a classic treasured by generations to come.

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0310276993

Rick Warren, 2002

Dave Ramsey

Ryan — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:24:00 +0000

Dave Ramsey, born in 1960, is a Christian nationally syndicated talk radio host and New York Times best selling author. His syndicated radio program, The Dave Ramsey Show, is promoted with a tagline that it is about “Life and Money” and is heard on over 300 radio stations throughout the United States. Ramsey’s current company, The Lampo Group (www.daveramsey.com), oversees three divisions geared toward financial counseling. He has written over 14 books, three of which have been on the New York Times Best Seller list. He is also the creator of a 13-week video training series known as Financial Peace University and a school program known as Financial Peace for the Next Generation that has been offered in more than 1,200 schools in 46 states

His Books Include:

The Total Money Makeover
Finincial Peace
More than Enough

John Eldredge

Ryan — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:14:00 +0000

John Eldredge, is a bestselling author, counselor, and lecturer. For twelve years he was a writer and speaker for Focus on the Family, most recently serving on the faculty of the Focus on the Family Institute. Now John is director of Ransomed Heart™ Ministries (http://www.ransomedheart.com/), a teaching, counseling, and discipling fellowship devoted to helping people recover and live from their deep heart.

His Books include:

Wild at Heart
The Journey of Desire
Waking the Dead
The Sacred Romance