C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.”

Epic Grace: Chronicles of a Recovering Idiot

Epic Grace: Chronicles of a Recovering Idiot is the journey of Kurt Bubna, a recovering idiot, and his experiences. We all make mistake, we all do stupid things, but few of us write a book about it to share with the world so that others may learn from our mistakes. Well that’s exactly what Bubna has done. His experiences ranging from work problems, parental problems, church problems, marital problems and everything in between is bound to make you relate and help you avoid some serious mistakes in the future.

Bubna’s life is no glamour story; instead it’s an honest account that points always to Jesus. If you’ve fallen into the same potholes as Bubna then you’ll be able to find comfort, if not, then you’ll be able to learn valuable life lessons and how to turn any situation into a testimony and a way to grow a deeper relationship with Christ.

There may be other books like Bubna’s that tell of a life and how Jesus has used that life or transformed mistakes into testimonies but Bubna’s is unique to him. The way he presents his stories are comical but the lessons are life changing. A very nice, light read, I’d recommend to particularly young people and anyone that has ever messed up at some point sometime.

Thank you to Tyndale publishers for blessing me with a copy of this book.

The Chronological Study Bible NIV by Thomas Nelson

As one who owns other chronological study bibles and is currently more than half way through a one-year chronological bible reading plan I feel I can give an accurately opinion about this Chronological Study Bible by Thomas Nelson and compare it to others.

It’s a chronological bible, what does that mean? It means that rather being arranged in the traditional canonical way the books are integrated with each other, so for example you might see 1 Kings 2:36 followed by 1 Chronicles 21:1. The bible is rearranged to give a flow of the events as they happened. Rather than reading about King Hezekiah in 2 kings then reading Isaiah’s account on Hezekiah weeks or months later, the stories are put together giving a deeper, richer understanding to the stories. How accurate is the chronology? I’ll use the editor’s words to answer this: “…an honest effort has been made to acknowledge another plausible arrangement to present its case friendly. This allows readers to decide the issues for themselves… It takes with equal seriousness the views of traditional, conservative Bible students and those of Modern, critical scholarship.”

Among other chronological bibles and plans, I have to say the way this one is arranged is by far my favourite.

If I were to talk about all the other features in this bible (commentary, epoch introductions, historical overview, background notes, time panels, time capsules, time charts, maps, references, cultural and historical notes, glossary, concordance, and chronological plans) this review would end up being an essay. I will say this however, as a history student I love their notes and I love the mountain of contextual and cultural information throughout the pages. Did I mention its in colour?

This bible is stunning! I have around 20 bibles and this has got to be one of the best put together and informative bibles I have. I love it. Highly recommend it. If you’re looking for a new way to read the bible, if you’re looking to further learn and grow in you’re spiritual walk you wont be disappointed with this bible.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus has been one of the best book’s I’ve come across in a long time. I love learning about other religions, I love learning why others think and believe and how I could be a better representative of Christianity to them and this book has equipped me with far more than I expected.

Nabeel Qureshi shares his highly personal story, gives readers an insight into his struggles, family life, and Islam. Nabeel’s account gives Christians the opportunity to understand Islam like never before. It shows areas where Muslims and Christians are in contention and gives arguments why each believes they are correct.

Throughout Nabeel’s life, having lived all of it in either U.K. or the U.S., he’s been in contact with Christians; but it wasn't until David, a college classmate, appeared in his life that anyone has ever given him a valid argument for Christianity. Has simply not anyone cared about his salvation before? And why hasn’t anyone before David been able to defend their faith in Jesus to him? Despite teaching me a lot about Islam, these questions were a punch to my own gut, forcing me to wrestle with the thoughts whether I could defend my faith to a Muslim, and to what degree?

This book spells out all the reasons why Muslims have such a rock hard faith in their religion, but it also spills out all the problems they have in defending their faith and the cracks they have in their foundation compared to Christianity. Don’t misunderstand, this book is not only for Christians, it’s as much for Muslims, or anyone else that is seriously searching for answers. It does not bash Islam but it does ask the hard questions and shows that Jesus is the answer.

Few books do as great a job teaching about another faith, equipping the reader with verses, quotations, and findings that help in their own spiritual journey and prepare a defense for one’s faith in Christ. Nabeel is an inspiration and his story is spectacular. Thank you to Zondervan for blessing me with a copy of this book.

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. – Saint Augustine

Whatever our calling, regardless of our fears or anxieties, let us pray and then go and do. – Thomas S. Monson