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Kayla's Only Heart

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Kayla's Only Heart

Tag Archives: Baker Books Bloggers

Book Review: The Baker Compact Dictionary of Biblical Studies

30 Saturday Mar 2019

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book, book review, Christian, dictionary, faith, history, theology

I received The Baker Compact Dictionary of Biblical Studies by Tremper Longman III and Mark L. Strauss from BakerBooks in exchange for a review.

This mass market paper sized dictionary makes a useful, non cumbersome addition to a theologian’s or person of faith’s shelf. It includes entries for important people, literary devices, historical periods and more. Easy to understand, each definition gives a starting point for understanding the context of biblical concepts. Sometimes it works like a dictionary giving a definition of a literary devices, and other times it has a longer paragraph moreso resembling an encyclopedia entry. I enjoyed reading through this to glean a little more information and learned a lot about various historical perspectives and movements regarding interpretation of the bible. I recommend it as an accompaniment for studying the bible.

Book Review: One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church

17 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, church, community, dating, One by One, single, single life

I received a copy of One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church by Gina Dalfonzo.

Gina Dalfonzo approaches a highly important topic in today’s culture in her new book One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church. As a single adult, Dalfonzo has spent numerous years observing and experiencing the church’s approach to its single members. As a young adult single, I could relate to most of what she said. Dalfonzo tackles her topic from numerous angles, ranging from sharing singles’ feelings of being left out of a generally family oriented culture to suggesting how the church might incorporate singles into ministry.

At first I disliked the way she shared so many paragraphs of examples taken from her surveys of singles. I didn’t want to read a bunch of seemingly unconnected, brief notes from numerous people. It also didn’t seem like they were incorporated in the expected manner (an introduction to the person and the quote), but after a while I grew to appreciate the thoughts of so many singles. I found they didn’t necessitate high credentials to represent the plight of everyday people found in every church. It kept it on a realistic level, allowing me to continue to find myself amongst those singles.

Overall, the points made stayed spot on. Dalfonzo captured the negative feelings a lot of singles have felt as an unintentional effect of how some people approach them (even with good intentions) and how the church steers their belonging in groups and ministry. It brought to light a lot of disappointment and how people can unintentionally compound the pain of searching for a mate. Hopefully it helps people see how to better approach how they “help” singles in their quest for a mate and how they understand their unique set of difficulties. For example, Dalfonzo points out how many married folks may quickly think to themselves that a single doesn’t know the true meaning of busyness since they don’t have kids, etc; however, as Dalfonzo points out, married people might forget that a single person still has a household with an equal amount of chores that they must do alone since they don’t have a mate to assist with the work. Most importantly, she shares that people tend to forget that finding a mate isn’t as simple as believing in God and creating an online dating profile.

Dalfonzo highlights the plight of the often overlooked singles in the church, but she also points out positive ways the church has viewed singles. She goes further to suggest ways to deepen their involvement in the church, thus keeping them strong in their faith as they wait for a mate and as they serve in the church. As she points out, a single person can balance out perspectives and have a lot to offer the church in ministry.

I enjoyed this book, and it gave me hope as a single person seeking deeper involvement and community in church. I could see this benefitting anyone in the church as it shares an understanding of the experience of the single person and how the singles and married folks can contribute to a community incorporating singles.

Book Review: Real Love In An Angry World

08 Wednesday Nov 2017

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, conversation, Real Love In An Angry World, relationships, Rick Bezet

I received a copy of Real Love In An Angry World: How To Stick To Your Convictions Without Alienating People by Rick Bezet in exchange for a review.

This book seems fitting for today’s society where so many opinions get tossed around on a daily basis. Without fail, these topics enter into our everyday discussions, potentially leaving us wondering how to share appropriately differing viewpoints. Overall, Bezet focuses on staying rooted in the Word and faith. From there we can ensure what we say flows from a godly perspective rather than from our personal feelings.

As an example of these roots, Bezet illustrates the story of Moses and the Israelites fleeing Egypt. He reminds us how daily they had to collect their bread in the form of manna. We too have to collect our physical bread and Word bread from Jesus, again on a daily basis. This shapes our minds and hearts and allows us to share love as we reflect and grow.

Bezet maintains a casual style, which I mostly enjoy. He comes across as someone having a conversation with you, a fitting approach for the topic. However, a couple of the jokes distract me from the professional tone a book still should uphold. The book overall makes the information accessible and easily applicable.

I have enjoyed this book and may revisit points again in the future. The point to stay rooted in daily scripture serves as an important reminder. I also want to reflect how I talk to people and ensure that I maintain approachability, compassion and understanding in my encounters and discussions with people.

The Breaker Anointing: Book Review

22 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by KaylasOnlyHeart in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book review, books, Chosen

I received a copy of The Breaker Anointing: How God Breaks Open the Way to Victory by Barbara J. Yoder in exchange for an honest review.

Yoder’s book highlights an important message: God will break through to deliver us. God breaks through to do this on numerous levels. These range from bringing us healing to getting us to a point where we can fulfill the purpose for which He created us. As Yoder points out, we can see examples of this throughout history. He did it for Moses, and He does it for us. However, I would have enjoyed a little more descriptive depth to connect to these illustrations on a more personal level. Yoder describes truth but doesn’t paint an emotional picture like most Christian living books tend to do. She does know her message though, and she makes her point with scripture and experience to back it up.

Book Review: The Perfect You

22 Friday Sep 2017

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, identity, thoughts

I received a copy of Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book The Perfect You: A Blueprint for Identity in exchange for an honest review.

This selection reads like an easily accessible textbook. While that may conjure an image of a boring book, it provides a lot of insight. The idea of understanding how your thoughts work and how you can shape them to improve your life gives you not only knowledge but hope. As Leaf explains, a lot of people feel stuck in their negative thought patterns, and she shares understanding and guidance to alter those for the better.

Leaf divides the book into sections, separating the parts that explain how the thought processes work and the biblical bases she uses with the assessment tool and explanations on how to apply it. The flow generally made sense as it gave a foundation for the information so you could have a strong base to use the assessment rather than simply take the assessment and have no background for it. I preferred the first two sections most as they provided all the information. However, the assessment could be used as a workbook for further reflection. I would like to spend more time on nit to use it as an ongoing source of encouragement and growth. The assessment has a lot of questions and depth to it, so it seems like this can be used over a lengthy time for best results.

I enjoyed the book overall, both for its insight as well as its tools for improvement. Leaf knows her brain as well as her bible. I particularly liked how she ties them together. She makes the information accessible and relatable to real life by pointing out how people feel when they do good and how we tend to steer our thoughts. Then she anchors the hope for improvement using biblical principles on how God created us and continues to shape us.

 

“But, as I have emphasized throughout this book, you do not have to let your thoughts control you. You are not a victim of your thoughts and their biology; you are a victor over them. This means you can change these thoughts! You may have been nursing these negative mindsets for so long that they are so familiar to you that you think they are normal. This mistake is often made. However, only the thoughts formed when you are in your Perfect You, from God’s perspective, are normal, while the rest need redesigning or, to use the scientific term, reconceptualization. You can analyze your thoughts and, because of the neuroplasticity of the brain, redesign and rewire them. This is ‘renewing the mind’ in action, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit it is an essential part of a healthy, good life. Indeed, it is grace meeting science, since research shows that conscious awareness of thoughts makes the thoughts amenable to change because they are physically weakened!” (page 257)

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