5 comments about Duncan's War (Crown and Covenant #1).

1. When I first got Duncan's War, I had no idea about what to expect. It turned out to be a breath of fresh air from the vast inflow of objectionable fiction that is usually sold today. In less than a week I had read it from cover to cover. Along with a fast-paced, excellent plot, this book offers a very Christian worldview, shows clearly the differences between good and evil, and shows how hard it is to obey the Biblical command of loving your enemies. It makes us keenly aware that Christians in the United States today have it easy compared to the fierce persecutions the devout Scots endured and encourages all Christians to stay in the battle.



2. We started reading Duncan's War by Douglas Bond together as a family sometime during the fall. We became so excited about the story that we had to put the children under strict orders not to touch the book during the day, but they had to wait until family reading hour. "No Peeking!" was the command they would hear when their hand would reach slyly for the book on the end table.
   
   Duncan's War is followed by The King's Arrow and then finally Rebel's Keep. This series, called the Crown and Covenant, follows the lives of the M'Kethe family during 17th Century Scotland as they endured brutal persecution at the hand of King James and King Charles. Those that remained loyal to King Jesus called themselves the Scottish Covenanters. This is the story of those who must wrestle with honoring God and applying His word while living amidst a government that is trying to obliterate Christianity.
   
   As a reader, I was particularly struck with what I would do if I were in this situation with my own family. While reading these stories, I had to grapple with the scriptures as I put myself in their shoes. As a father and a Christian, I want to honor God and obey His word above all else. And yet I desire desperately to protect my children from all outside harm. In the story, the children watch their father's actions as he attempts to obey King Jesus above all others, and while they do not fully understand them at the time, they come to appreciate them more fully later as they grow and mature. The father never compromises his integrity in the midst of war. He clearly keeps the perspective that this life on earth is not the only one we live for. There is one to come. How we live and die here will show Whom it is we honor. This is how I want to live. I want to set a strong example for my children as I live out God's word even during difficult times. While reading these stories, I was struck once again that how we live in this life has implications in the next. We are to live for the Audience of One.



3. These are great books!!!!!! There's three in this series, DUNCANS WAR, KINGS ARROW, AND REBELS KEEP. I read them all in six days,and altogether there are over seven hundred pages. This one's about duncan M'Kethe who helps the covenanters fight the cruel British soldiers. When they capture the British Dragoons leader, what will they do with him? Some say shoot him... You'll have to read it yourself to find out. I highly reccomend these books, and if anyone gives them less than five stars, they surprise me a whole lot.
   
   
   
   
   William Andrews



4. I bought this for my Scottish history enthusiast child, but after reading them myself, it turned into a must read to the whole family of eight, including Dad. Since then, we have purchsed every Douglas Bond book we can acquire. This is a time of Scotland and Scottish Covenanters that I have found few people are familiar with. It is an important addition to a study of the American Revolution in that so many Scottish Covenanters fought in that in Europe it is also referred to as the Presbyterian Rebellion. Mr. Bond also lines out for the reader at the end which characters are documented nonfiction, and which are not, what of the story is fiction, and what is clearly not, and how he changed them. A very valuable addition to our large family library, and to the education of our children. It also shares principles and values that we very much want to instill in our 6 children.



5. Inspiring Scottish heroes, cruel English villains, a courageous uprising, and a secret tunnel will draw readers of all ages into this engaging story. We first meet an immature fourteen-year-old Duncan M'Kethe as he is, in his father Sandy's terms, "playacting" rather than watching their sheep. However, increasing oppression of Presbyterian families like Duncan's forces peace-loving Sandy M'Kethe, along with his son, into a bloody conflict that ends in disaster. Duncan must grow up quickly as he sees the price others have paid for their devotion to the Covenant and Jesus, the only true Head of the Church. And in the end he must take an extreme risk to keep his father from paying that same price. Infused with historical fact, "Duncan's War" makes us believe, for a short time, that we are truly in early Scotland. And it accurately depicts the struggles our predecessors faced to follow Christ.

5 comments about A Children's Guide to Worship.

1. As a pastor of a church with many young children, I find this an excellent resource for families. We give copies to families as a way of helping prepare children for attending worship. I highly recommend this book to churches, families, and as a gift. Well done!



2. When my first grade daughter began to express real/serious interest in taking communion, I knew I had to get on the stick and think about what to do. (In the Presbyterian church baptised children may take communion.)

   My thinking was I was OK with her taking communion, if she could convince me that she understood that it was not a "snack" and really understood at least the idea tbat communion is a rememberance of Jesus.

   I started looking about for books to assist me (and her) in talking about the subject. This book is really oriented to assisting kids in understanding a typical Presbyterian (traditional)Sunday service. Each page or two explains a different element of worhsip, for example the creed, Lord's Prayer, Gloria, hymns and sermon. The sacraments of baptism and communion are covered in the same brief fashion.

   The illustrations are apppealing and the explanations of each part of a typical worhship service were simple and engaging. The language is right for reading to a 1st grader. Some second or third graders could probably read it (mostly)unaided.

   I see this as a very good book for parents to use with their kids in talking about the different parts of worship and their meaning. The brief discussion of communion was very helpful in talking with my daughter.

   This book is focused on "traditional" worship styles. Families who attend "contemporary" services might not find it as useful. While the book is written by a Presbyterian author as an aid to Presbyterian families, I suspect that members of other protestant churches would also find it useful.

   I can highly recommend this book to parents of young school age children.




3. Along with Susan Hunt's Big Truths for Little Kids, this is my favorite book lately to give to parents whose kids have just been baptized.

   The illustrations and packaging are attractive and inviting,and the teaching is solid. My 4 yera old loves it. It really shows the meaning and value behind the church calendar and symbols, in a lucid manner. It seems to me that while Catholics overemphasize these things (and sometimes are tempted to confuse the symbols with the reality itself), 21st century Evangelicals have overcorrected -- throwing the calendar and symbols and ritual out all together. Its like the Catholics seem to confuse the sign with the destination, and we contemporary evangelicals (more Anabaptist now than Reformational) throw away the sign all together making it harder to get to the destination. Boling's work is a loving labor of 'sign-building!' C.S. Lewis said that the danger for Catholics at their worst is to become like every other religion (superstituous folk religion; syncretism), but the danger for Protestants at our worst is to become like no religion at all! Contemporary evangelcialism -- throwing away or relegating the sacraments to meer memorials, building chucrhes without symbols or even crosses, stripping away all of the church calendar except Christmas and Easter (rescued there, only by Hallmark!), dispensing with all vetsments and mystery in worship -- is becoming Lewis' nightmare. And utterly rootless to boot.

   And I think of Bunyan's allegory of there being 5 gates into Man-Soul: Eye-Gate, Ear-Gate, Nose-Gate, Mouth-Gate, Touch-Gate. We evangelicals (liek Bunyan's Puritans) often close every gate except Ear-Gate in worship. In good Reformational fashion, eveanglecila Presbyterian Boling tries to open up Eye-Gate for us, with a rich, beautifully illustrated glossary of Christian symbols in the back.

   Anyway, my [children]loves the book, and now can tell us why Lent reminds us to repent, why Advent gets us ready for Christmas, and that when he sees the Alpha Omega it means God is with us from the beginning end.




4. As a Lutheran pastor, I bought this hoping that it would be something we could give to parents and children in the congregation to help guide them through worship. Because it is very specifically geared to a Presbyterian service, it's not that helpful for explaining our Lutheran liturgy.



5. Ruth has managed to put the "high church" language and theology into child-friendly material. We distribute these books to children to read during worship. It is thought-provoking for the child, and helpful for the parent.

5 comments about Mr. Jones, Meet the Master: Sermons and Prayers of Peter Marshall.

1. This collection of Peter Marshall's sermons is thought provoking and deepening for those who would grow in their Christian faith! I found the sermon labeled "By Invitation of Jesus" to be excellent. This is not a dry series of discourses, but a living breathing set of gems! Highly recommended.



2. A book to be kept near during your life. Dynamic presentations of thoughts brought out by stories of our everyday lives. If you feel removed from The Lord, this book will point the way, and give you a very gentle push in that direction. I truly regret the fact Peter Marshall left to be with the "Chief" so early in his life. I wish I could have heard him preach, and meet him.

   I am planning on buying five additional copies for my children to keep in their homes.

   Thank you Rev. and Mrs. Marshall




3. In 'Mr. Jones meet the Master', you are allowed the privelege of reading just a few of Dr. Marshall's sermons. Being only sixteen, I have not found many friends my age ready to read this book, and that is awful. When most people (Especially teenagers) hear that you're reading 'a book of sermons', they think 'boring!' Not so with this book. Last summer, I decided to read 'Mr. Jones, meet the Master', and I literally could not put it down. Dr. Marshall has a captivating writing style that keeps you reading and keeps you thinking. I really love the way he pricks your conscience and lays it on the line. I really got things right with God after reading 'Mr. Jones, Meet the Master'. If you're looking for something to boost your Christian walk, please, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can safely promise you won't be dissapointed. I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and now I recommend it to you! And if you enjoy this book, I also recommend 'A man called Peter', which is the biography of Peter Marshall. Though he went home to the 'Chief' years before I was born, I can't wait to meet him in Heaven! Beg, borrow, or buy a copy of this book TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!



4. This collection of selected sermons and prayers of Peter Marshall (prepared by his wife the extraordinary Catherine Marshall) is for Christians and non-Christians alike. It was far too often that I have been forced to look to scriptures and commentaries of other faiths to find spiritual works of both faith and imagination. like his fellow Scotsman George MacDonald, and also C.S. Lewis, Peter Marshall is among the rare exceptions. Not that I have any problem with authors, scriptures, and artists of other faith traditions, its just a rare find in Christian writers on the Gospel. It takes imagination to take a thousands year old text, and breath life into it to make real, relevant and alive for a totally new time and place, but all three of these authors, MacDonald, Lewis, and Marshall do it beautifully. Perhaps those of the Orient and Middle east are usually better at seeing scripture and religion through the prism of the artist's imagination because their cultures are often less focused on the printed word as an end in itslef, and more involved in spoken word, storytelling, and the poetic imagination, at least with regards to religious texts. Whatever the reasons, this scarcity in the Christian tradition makes a collection like this all the more rewarding. I won't try and describe the way Marshall imagines what it would be like to walk with Christ, to live as a disciple of a living Christ. I wouldn't do it justice. Enough to say I suppose, that this book is a rare treasure for any seeker of spiritual sustainance of any faith. Have the courage to imagine that Jesus is real, that the gospel is indeed truth and feel yourself swept away in a torrent of faith. Words of wisdom from one of the spiritual masters of our times. Like all spiritual masterworks, these sermons are an important resource for all mankind, regardless of faith. People forget that Mohammed spoke with reverence of the Hebrew prophets, just as Christ did. Mohammed also spoke of Christ and his Mother. Imagine how many islamist extremists and fundamentalists don't even consider this simple truth. Even Guru Nanak is part of a long tradition of prophets who spoke of unity of Islam and Hinduim, and yet Sikhs started a third religion in his name! But I digress, if you find what I'm saying blasphemous, don't worry, these are my own reflections not those of mr Marshall. My point is this only: If you are a non Christian, and you want to understand the spirit of Christ or learn from his teachings, besides going to the gospel itself, at least read someone who believes Christ, and who has the courage to imagine that his is not just and institution or a collections of ideas, but a living reality -now as ever. Don't forget to check out George MacDonald (try "Life Essential" to start) and of course C.S. Lewis.



5. William Wallace would have loved Dr. Marshall! I first read these sermons as a teen. I loved them because they were ( and still are ) so real. I loved them because they spoke of a Jewish Carpenter; directly to my Scottish heart. But, If you're a Christian, no matter what your culture you can hear your heart's cry for closness to the Savior in these simple yet deep words. Not for the " know-it-alls " But, for the struggling- Saint of rank and file.

1 comments about The Puritans in America: A Narrative Anthology.

1. This is a great collection of primary sources such as speeches, sermons, etc. produced by the Puritan leadership during crucial moments in their society's development. The only unfortunate thing is that many of the sections are only excerpts--understandable since the book would be much, much bigger if the works were published word-for-word. Plus, nothing is prohibiting you, the reader, from seeking out the sources that grab your attention. Overall this is a terrific introduction to Puritan thought.

2 comments about Guide to the Reformed Tradition Worship That Is Reformed According to Scripture (Guides to the Reformed Tradition).

1. Review by Rev. George van Popta
   
   In this book, the author introduces all the different aspects of Reformed worship. He treats the following parts: baptism; the Lord's day; the ministry of praise; the ministry of the Word; the ministry of prayer; the Lord's supper; daily prayer; alms. In each case he discusses Old and New Testament roots, development in the synagogue, the early church and the middle ages, and reformation. Old has clearly mastered his topic on both the large and small scales. His bibliography is extensive.
   
   In the final chapter," Tradition and Practice," the author enumerates a 15-point program for the renewal of worship in American Protestantism. He wants to avoid two extremes: the first is a sort of archaeological reconstruction in the English language of classic Reformed liturgies that do no more than mechanically and unthinkingly reproduce the tradition; the second is an ignoring of our traditions and of giving ourselves to perpetual liturgical revision (or revolution) thereby losing sight of the great value and importance of having a set liturgy. A tradition radically changed every generation is not a tradition.
   
   This is a good book and very pleasant to read. The one who reads it will learn much about the biblical and church-historical roots of the different parts of the worship of the Reformed churches and be led to reflect on why we do things the way we do.
   
   Here are two interesting quotations from the book. This first one (p. 148) is in the context of an argument to renew the classical Reformed practice of daily household worship:
   
   "For classical Reformed spirituality, morning and evening family prayer was one of the foundations of piety. It was at the heart of the day to day exercising of Christian faith. This made sense to those for whom Covenant theology was so formative. The unity of the family was a significant feature of Covenant theology. With the coming of pietism, daily family prayer was unfortunately replaced with private devotions.
   
   "Pietism was very individualistic and many of this persuasion had a hard time understanding why children should be baptized. There was no sacred unity in the family. Each single human being stood before God alone. With the demise of pietism, private devotions began to develop atrophy. They finally became not much more than "five minutes a day." Today as we seek to recover a Reformed spirituality, we need to reach behind pietism and recover the older classical Protestant discipline of daily morning and evening prayer."
   
   I'm confident Old is not advancing an either-or dilemma between family worship and private devotion. Surely both are important. He is writing in a North American context that eschews the corporate for the individualistic in matters of relationship to God and neighbour.
   
   What follows is the concluding paragraph after the author has put forward his 15-point renewal program for (North) American Protestantism:
   
   "This program for the renewal of worship in American Protestant churches of today may not be just exactly what everyone is looking for. In our evangelistic zeal we are looking for programs that will attract people. We think we have to put honey on the lip of the bitter cup of salvation. It is the story of the wedding of Cana all over again but with this difference. At the crucial moment when the wine failed, we took matters into our own hands and used those five stone jars to mix up a batch of Kool-Aid instead. It seemed like a good solution in terms of our American culture. Unfortunately, all too soon the guests discovered the fraud. Alas! What are we to do now? How can we possibly minister to those who thirst for the real thing? There is but one thing to do, as Mary the mother of Jesus, understood so very well. You remember how the story goes. After presenting the problem to Jesus, Mary turned to the servants and said to them, "Do whatever he tells you." The servants did just that and the water was turned to wine, wine rich and mellow beyond anything they had ever tasted before."



2. The author traces the historical bases of Reformed worship from the Jewish Temple through the Reformation, thereby connecting the Old and New Testament practices. His explanations of the many facets of worship; e.g. ministries of praise, prayer, word, and sacraments, and the cited examples are clearly stated and readily understandable. Where scripture references are appropriate, they are given and serve to enhance and amplify the reading. The entire book is enriching, serving to make the Reformed worship more meaningful.

4 comments about Presbyterian Hymnal Hymns Psalms and Spiritual Songs.

1. This is a great hymnal, that was thoughtfully produced, and obviously had a huge amount of time dedicated to its production. Presbyterians now have a hymnal that goes straight through the liturgical year, from Advent to Pentecost/Whitsunday, and beyond. This hymnal also contains all the Psalms, so essential to tradition Presbyterian/Reformed Worship, set to music.

   The redeeming quality of the Psalms offsets the fact that many words were to changed for "inclusiveness". I do not always have a problem with accepting everyone into the church, but when great hymns are changed from their original text I wonder... For example hymn 262 reads "God of the Ages, Whose Almighty Hand", when D.C. Roberts wrote "God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand" in 1876 as our National Hymn. Little things like this make me wonder how true other less-well known hymns were translated.

   Also included are a number of hymns in foreign tongues, such as Native American Languages, and Korean. This are wonderful additions to congregations with large numbers of members who are of different ethnic origins, but I attend an all-white church, not because we do not welcome people of other races but simply because the community in which I live is close to 99% white, and minorities have teir own strong churches locally, therefore these hymns are useless to us, and could have been replaced by some older hymns that are trditional favorites.

   All in all, this is a good hymnal and does remain true to God's will, but I much prefer "The Hymnbook" of 1955 or "The Hymnal" of 1933 or "The Trinity Hymnal". These books contain many more common hymns that many of us who were reared in the Presbyterian Church, or any other Protestant denomination, would recognize.

   I guess that if we were truly Presbyterian we would only sing Psalms- acapella, but I think hymnwriters, offer everyone a better chance to praise and worship God.




2. 
   We understand that the Presbyterian Church is at the start of making a new hymnal (due to debut in 2014) to replace this one. Their theory is that every generation needs a new hymnal and if you look at the preceding hymnals (the blue or green hymnal of 1933, the maroon hymnal of 1955 and the ill-fated Worshipbook of the 70s), you see their point.
   
   Even so, this one gets most things right and will be hard to beat.
   
   The second half of the 20th century experienced what has been called the Hymn Explosion, and many of the best hymns of that time are represented in this book which is still called the "new" hymnal in most Presbyterian churches. There are some works that were hard to introduce to congregations that are now among their most beloved hymns represented: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ, Here I Am Lord, etc. Fred Pratt Green, Timothy Dudley-Smith, Jane Parker Huber and Hal Hopson are all represented here, as well they ought to be.
   
   There are also some under-utilized gems in it as well, songs like "Come O Spirit" (for Pentecost) and "God Bless Your Church" (for an anniversary) that have also found their way into other denominational hymnals.
   
   All in all it is a great hymnal for expanding the congregations "Favorites" repertoire without being too jarring.
   
   LindaJo McKim and company did yeoman's work in creating it. The layout is according to the liturgical year. The indexes are thorough and easy to use. The print is clear; the size is comfortable to hold while singing. There is a non-denominational version of this hymnal available too, from the publisher, for non-Presbyterian congregations who find it to their liking.



3. This CD is a great way to copy and paste the songs of the Presbyterian Hymnal into Word documents, Powerpoint, etc. We also use it to import hymns into Mediashout for projection. One thing - to get it to work with Vista requires that two files be manually copied - dirdib.drv and macromix.dll into your c:\windows folder. Otherwise, you'll get error messages saying that the files can not be copied because the disk is full. What's happening is that the new Vista security features are preventing the files from being copied.
   
   So where do you get these two files? Install and run the hymnal CD on a Windows XP computer. The files are only available while the program is running. They are removed when the program is closed. So - while the program is running, copy them to a floppy disk, flash drive or whatever and then manually copy them into the c:\windows folder on your Vista computer. You'll need administrator priveleges to do so.
   
   After that, the CD runs as well on a Vista computer as on our XP computer.



4. The hymnal is a decent resource, but isn't extremely useful in determining the original reading of various hymns. The older texts have been altered to reflect contemporary concerns of feminist theology, even in removing certain references to God being Father (for one example, see "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," #276, footnote). The hymns are not mangled as a general rule, but I see the irritating "alt." designation next to more older texts than not. The type is clear and the musical settings are sound, so if egalitarian/feminist theology doesn't bother you, this is a fine hymnal.

No comments about A Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith: Commentary.

2 comments about After "I Believe": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living.

1. I sometimes liken what passes for Christianity today as a process of administering the equivalent of a religious vaccine--they introduce a watered down shadow of Christianity that has the effect of rendering the recipient immune to the real thing, should he ever see it. Although I suppose this is not just a modern day phenomenon--as C. S. Lewis noted long ago, the reason so few fail at Christianity is because do few try it.

   I have my own ideas as to why this is, but more on that in a moment. First, the book.

   This is a great book. It provides a basic overview of what I'd call the "how's and why's" of daily Christian life.

   So many seem to think so much of what is discussed here is unimportant and/or optional--prayer, worship, fellowship, religious study and so forth are, for some reason, too often seen as minor adjuncts to "the Christian Life". The book looks at each of these--and other--topics and explains why they are vital to the daily life of Christians and need to be performed/observed/pursued. The church has lasted over 2000 years in large part because these actions were developed as a means of communicating, enriching and protecting the faith and its followers. Roberts does an admirable job of explaining the roots of these activities, their history and their importance both to the church in general and to the individual specifically.

   I particularly like the subtitle of this book--Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. I believe there are two factors that undermine the Christian faith in general these days. One is shallowness derived from Christianity as marketing as opposed to Christianity as religion. Success seems in all too many cases to be based solely on the number of bodies that come through the door. Entertainment and marketing thus replace faith and evangelism. The other is Christianity as politics. The radical right and left seem to have decided that the church pulpit is primarily a political pulpit.

   This book works because it focuses on Christianity as a faith--not an entertainment or a political medium. It is not about getting right with your karma or right with a political agenda--it's about getting right with God, complete with an array of actions that will facilitate and strengthen that activity.

   If you're worried about your temporal life, go to a mega church and join the softball team. If you are concerned about your spiritual and eternal life, read this book.




2. This is a book that I have been yearning for many years. A book for all Christians in that all true believers yearn for more real spiritual teaching to edify. The writer uses the teaching of the Apostle Paul predominately that brings "new insight" which is definitely beneficial in two major ways, higher educating of the faith and faith strengthening. This is something all real believers seek, bringing us closer to gods spirit. Also a book for persons flagging in their faith and on the verge of making a decision to convert. I wish to recommend a great spiritual book, SB 1 or God by Karl Maddox.

1 comments about Why Do We Baptize Infants? (Basics of the Reformed Faith).

1. Dr. Chapell's presentation for infant baptism is Biblical, balanced and classic. He makes his case without making enemies. It is now the standard I use for discussing and preparing families to understand the Biblical case for infant baptism. I commend this great book to pastors and others wholeheartedly.

No comments about Presbyterian Polity for Church Officers.