Book Review: Taking God At His Word by Kevin DeYoung

Kevin DeYoung is becoming one of my most enjoyable authors. This year, I have read two of his books (this being the second) and I simply enjoy his content and structure. Earlier this summer, I reviewed Just Do Something and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you'd like to read that review before jumping into this one, then click HERE. 

One of my favorite things about Kevin is that he is very clear about what you should expect out of his books. Much like his other books, he doesn't stray from that in this one. In the opening pages, he tells you exactly what this book is going to be about and where you'll be parked most of your time. I chose to read this book because I'll be teaching a class in October on "Understanding the Bible" at Logos Community Church and recently, several people have surrendered their lives to Jesus in addition to having many Christians who just began their walk with the Lord a few months ago. This class will serve a great start at opening their bible because for a new believer, the Word of God can be quite intimidating on top of not knowing where to begin. 

My first impression of this book was that Kevin was going to expand on the subject matter of my class--an easy way to understand the Bible and he doesn't quite start there. In fact, in the opening chapter he tells his readers to not expect deep theological content or bible study plans and content. Instead, he begins with Psalm 119; serving as the crux of the book in an effort to paint a picture of an individual is completely in love with the word of God and His law. I absolutely loved this! It forced me to slow down my previous notions because he is essentially beginning with the gospel and his intention is to get you to capture the joy that is found in God's Word because it was God who breathed it out (2 Timothy 3:16). 

Once he establishes and reminds you of the gospel as the foundation for this book, then he goes on expand on the doctrines of the sufficiency of Scripture, the clarity of Scripture, the authority of Scripture, and the necessity of Scripture (SCAN). What I enjoyed about his explanation on each of these doctrines is that they were clear and easy to understand while at the same time providing some challenging thoughts to process and opportunity for the reader to dive deeper into the meaning. 

Remember, I read this book to determine if it was good content for a class filled with several new believers. For some, I believe the content will be just the right amount--confirming their thoughts on the Word of God or helping them to better understand Spiritual Disciplines because they hunger for God. For others, it will serve the previously mentioned reason and will open doors to further education as they walk faithfully with the Lord. 

What About Grudem's Systematic Theology? 

Elliot Grudem's edited version of his fathers book, Systematic Theology is definitely a great book. I think everyone should own a copy because it's clear, concise, and appropriate for a doctrine class. I decided not to go with Grudem on this class for two reasons: 

(1) the content available by Grudem can be very intensive and many not be a great place for our people to start. Many of them do not come from a church background, much less had set foot in church before. I don't want to overload them.

(2) While I love Grudem's book, it does jump right into information regarding doctrine rather than beginning with the gospel. Again, our class is filled where the majority have heard the gospel for the first time several months ago; they're still on milk. In fact, our first day of class will simply be a preaching of the gospel as our foundation. I'm looking (not dismissing Grudem) to see transformation in light of the gospel not simply information provided. 

Final Thoughts

If you find yourself wanting to check out a short read with great insight and enough depth that may leave you desiring more, then I definitely recommend Taking God At His Word. It will be a great reminder to the truth that is the gospel and it will be a great encouragement to you in light of evaluating where you stand--is the Bible enough? Check the book out and tell me what you think. 

Recommended Reading: Just Do Something and Taking God At His Word by Kevin DeYoung; 20 Christian Beliefs by Wayne and Elliot Grudem; Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. 

Review: Cigar Saveur | September 2016

September is upon us and the first of the month is like Christmas to me because I get a box of really good cigars. To many, it doesn't sound like much, but to me it means that at some point during the day whether it's while I'm working on a project and taking a break, I'm going to have a really good stick to smoke. 

Now, many may soon come to find out that I live in the great country of Texas (south Texas to be exact) and it gets hot here. Really hot. So, it's true, Texans have to find creativity when it comes to smoking cigars. My method was simple: I have a small private gym and we recently bought a big fan--an industrial one. All I'm saying is that it saves lives.

For me, having that big fan over a cold drink and good smoke makes all the difference. 

La Herencia Cubana The Core
Alec Bradley Prensado
Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970
Warped La Colmena

Here they are. The September 4. Before moving forward, if you're new or wonder why I promote Cigar Saveur, well it's because they provide excellent cigars at affordable prices. And if you're raising your eye brow on the curiosity of just how excellent they are, check out my previous reviews: June | July | August

However, there's only so much to say when it comes to receiving a great box of cigars so I'm looking to you for feedback: would you like to get simple and clear reviews on the cigars from Cigar Saveur? If so, let me know and I'll do it because I love helping others out--especially if you're new to the cigar world. 

As for the September 4 cigars, if you're asking me which to start with, I would very much encourage you to go with the Alec Bradley Prensado. It's a great stick; rich with lots of flavor output (right from the first draw) and plenty of smoke. You can't go wrong with a Prensado. 

Generation Adulting

When I was a kid, my mom used to have me make my bed a certain way every morning. The sheets under the comforter had to be tucked in and the pillows needed to be aligned neatly. The comforter had to be even on all sides and any additional pillows needed to be aesthetically pleasing. This was every single morning, including weekends. I hated it. 

Today, I have my son make his bed a certain way starting with his sheets and pillows followed by the aesthetics of the comforter and additional pillows. He does this every single morning at 6:00 (including weekends). Maybe my mom was a little OCD (or maybe I am), but here's one big lesson I am teaching my son that I was taught: responsibility. To many in my generation, this is a scary word and I am frankly tired of hearing about it. 

I remember cooking my own breakfast when I was in the 4th grade and by cooking, I mean taking out ingredients and putting them together to make a dish not pouring cereal in a bowl. I remember dusting and mopping our house and I vividly remember working on my Uncle's ranch, waking up in the early parts of the morning to feed all of the animals and handling several other chores. Today, my son cooks his own breakfast and washes his dishes and knows how to cut certain kinds of meat. 

This isn't a post about manhood (though it can be) and this isn't a post to suggest how awesome my mom is (even though she's pretty legit). This isn't even about how much cooler my 11 year old is than you. This is about adulthood and responsibility. 

It saddens me that we have established a word that defines the difficulty of ordinary life: adulting. "Adulting" is defined as "doing grown up things and hold responsibilities." Unfortunately, this term is not only comical, but accepted. While some may think that I am strict with my son on making a bed, the truth is I'm providing him with a job that entails responsibility. I really don't care if he makes his bed when he has his own home and family, but I do care about how he handles responsibility. 

The word "responsibility" doesn't scare him because it's an expectation; whether as a son or student. He understands that work ethic in the ordinary helps to develop him. He said he wants his first job in high school to be at In-N-Out because the burgers are amazing (which they are!). When you read through the general responsibilities on working at a restaurant, they include bussing tables, washing dishes, taking out the trash, and wiping tables down. What do you think he does when he's at home? Responsibility at home creates ownership. 

He wants to be a writer when he grows up so what does he do? Read. He loves to read books and this past year made it to the Multi-Million Word club at school for reading so many books. Responsibility doesn't scare this young man. Yet, there are boys and girls who are in their 20's and 30's who have no idea how to live in the ordinary. Sure, let's blame our parents for not being there and not being enough or point fingers elsewhere, but before doing that, remember you're an adult now. You don't have time to blame mom or dad because the eggs you're cooking are about to burn and you can't pay your light bill in complaints.

We've come so far with technology and communication that we are utterly self absorbed. If you're ready to write me off, save your energy and figure out how to wash your laundry. If you're pissed off at me, then relax by learning to clean your bathroom (please). 

I know far too many husbands who use "date night" as an excuse to take their wives out to dinner every night but forget to budget and balance their checking account. Way to go, bro. 

I know wives who live in homes that are filled with dirty clothes and sinks filled with dishes and complain about being tired after doing one load of laundry. Seriously? 

While I have appreciated the compliments about my son being a little man by many, I'm often confused and asking myself why is that impressive? It's what he's supposed to do. The ordinary is now supernatural.

Have we allowed the pride of our accomplishments to antiquate every day responsibility? 

If you think the mentioned examples are domestic activities then stop wondering why you're single or your wife is fed up.

My brother David once told me, "the older you get, the more responsibility you have." Friends, instead of complaining, do something. And if you don't know how then ask and learn so that you can then teach others. Mom and dad aren't here anymore to clean up after you. YOU wanted this so step up to the plate. 

Review: Cigar Saveur (August 2016)

It's officially August and the beginning of the month is always a great treat. Each month, the guys at Cigar Saveur mail out shipments of 4 premium cigars. Now, what tends to separate Cigar Saveur from a general "cigar club" is the fact that they make it personal. In other words, the cigars they have selected aren't necessarily in abundance, but are kind of hard to find, limited edition cigars, or they are a featured company producing really good cigars. 

In the end, the purpose of this experience to is to open you to the bigger world of cigars. By receiving 4 great cigars, you're exposed to a different perspective of flavors, blends and transitions, and art. When you find a stick that you enjoy from the monthly selection (and believe me, you will), it should prompt you to head over to your local cigar shop and potentially buy more of the same cigar, if not a box! 

Above are this month's featured cigars and I can't wait to smoke each one of them. If you're not a member at Cigar Saveur, then head over to their website to sign up and check out my reviews on the cigars from previous months. 

Cheers! 

Adoption Fundraiser Recap!

This weekend was all sorts of crazy and excitement. On Saturday, we held our first fundraiser for a family (who's name should be implied, but cannot be said legally...yet) who is in the final stages of the adoption process for their son. And things got pretty intense! 

But before I jump into all of the details, I wish to start with one big honorable mention: our community group. 

FRIDAY COMMUNITY

Our community group was such an incredible help this past weekend! And as the cherry on top, friends from Denton, TX made the 8 hour drive down to McAllen to help support the fundraiser. While it's only been a day, simply looking back puts tears in my eyes because so many people came out to help and give up of their time and energy to put this fundraiser together.

Every person sacrificed their time to help load and unload furniture and appliances on Friday and we had several people hang out with us on Friday evening as we organized and priced everything out. I learned that pricing is a lot more trickier than I expected! At the end of the night on Friday, pizza was the greatest call in the entire world and we shared a table with laughs and exhaustion. To those of you who were there to help us organize, manage, and haul- THANK YOU! You did an amazing work and your support means the world. 

SATURDAY MADNESS

The fundraiser began at 7:00 a.m. and by 6:30 a.m. we had about 15 people outside waiting and several trucks parked, ready to be loaded. And let me say, there are some serious garage sale shoppers in the Valley! I saw people who were very intentional about the area they wanted to scope out first and rushed to it the minute the doors opened. I even saw a lady double hop on her way to the shoes! It was interesting to say the least. We learned that people came in waves and they had an agenda. After the 15 people cleared out their findings, things were pretty quiet for about 20 minutes. And then around 9:30 a.m. it picked up again and then quieted down. It gave us a chance to post on social media what we still had, new "deals" that we thought of, and reorganized our "departments." I felt like I was working at the mall all over again. 

We knew people would be looking for a bargain and some would talk it up! And they didn't disappoint. There was this odd line of thinking where my wife would process "we really need to sell this, but how badly do I want to get rid of it? Should I lower the price that much?" 

In short, it was great and such a learning experience. I managed all of the social media on the fundraiser and people came from all over with questions, negotiations, and quirks. But despite all of the bargaining and helping to load furniture, God was gracious and met our financial goal- even passing it for the day! It was wonderful, exhausting, and it has opened our heart in moving forward with an adoption ministry in the Fall. 

We have an incredible heart for adoption and many families lack information and resources. This fundraiser became a small catalyst for the beginning of something much larger. More details on that later on.

I write all of this after preaching two services, running on fumes, and after a long week so I apologize for the brevity, but please know to all of you who supported physically, financially, and prayerfully Thank You! As we move along, we will give you more details on how things pan out.

Have a great Sunday!