AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING! (Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps and Timelines Tenth Anniversary edition)

My reaction, as I went through the amazing tables and charts and timelines in the first part of the book, was a combination of "Hallelujah," and, probably, also, a sanctified "Triple-Wow!"   I was so happy to see facts immediately at hand.  Probably, if someone is preparing a Sunday School lesson, as I often am, or a preaching message, as so many others are, it is not so much the major facts of it that are the puzzle, since we study those assiduously.  It is the supporting facts, or supporting settings, and, since one studies those secondarily, it can take a lot of time looking them up and verifying them.  This, I think, is one place that the Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps and Timelines Tenth Anniversary edition, comes in.   There is quick verification, right at hand, with no need to spend valuable time better spent on the main theme, on the supporting details.  

This might, of course, be but one of the functions of this book.   I am sure that a person who is simply browsing might also learn a great deal in that process.  To tell the truth, were there not preschoolers present around my coffee table quite frequently – I sort of remember some small damage I did to a Bible Dictionary, at the age of four or five – I might even want something like this as a coffee table book.  I am sure sales of it would soar, since all my believing friends would want one of their own.  I believe, however, that my unchurched friends would be quite taken with some of the sections, such as those about proofs of the Bible, or, perhaps, those about the different translations.

And, what about apologetics, generally?   If you are like me, the facts of apologetics tend to float around in a nebulous mass in my mind, unless I am, during that precise week, involved in reading something like "Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” by Josh McDowell.   I remember the evidence, but, at the same time, somehow do NOT remember it -- a look at some of these charts, however, brings it back! 

And, what about the timelines?   If we have the tendency to place our Hebrews building pyramids in Egypt, that idea is quickly changed as we look at timelines, isn't it?  Or, if we are confused by the various Herods, we can become less confused.   Maps are fine, but in most books, we have an ancient map on one page, and a modern one on another.  Rose Publishing has helped us by sometimes combining them.

There is another problem with knowledge that we have garnered from various sources:  we vaguely remember such-and-such a fact, but, was it in that course we once took, or was it in a tome we afterwards read, or, was it in a magazine article that came out after that?   How can we look up that fact, or, worse, how will we be able to cite it?  Having this one-stop volume means that we can cite the information from this work, or, if we need access to the original source, can verify exactly which source it, in fact, was.

The book abounds with all kinds of information that might be needed by almost anyone studying the Bible.  There are very helpful sections on church history from the first century onwards, on denominations and on various cults and religions.  Different stances on the End Times are explained and charted.  There are helpful charts about the kings of Israel and Judah.  There is the genealogy of our Lord.  There are illustrations of such structures as the Tabernacle and the Temple.  And, if you are like me, and have memorized the prophets, the people to whom they spoke, and other such details, only to forget or only partly remember, not so long afterwards, there are fine charts on these, as well.

And on it goes.  I truly recommend buying this book for yourself or for some Bible-studying family member or friend.  I am quite amazed at the modest price:  the book is abundantly and colorfully illustrated, and, in fact, I am planning to show my three-year-old grandchild, a Noah’s ark enthusiast, the picture found in this book, since he was sorely disappointed with a recent animation of that story, which lacked animals.  And,  as if all of the other features are not truly amazing,  the fact that pages of this volume can be reproduced, for classroom use only, is a very unusual feature in a book of this dimension, and, especially, of this price.

This is a book, if not for all seasons, at least, then, for all ages.  And I believe it will prove to be a delightfully helpful one, indeed. 

BOOKLET REVIEW: "The Prodigal Son," by ROSE PUBLISHING

Understanding the Father's Heart

Come high or low, rise or fall, our Heavenly Father loves us.  We may well misunderstand the love of the Father, however, and the family member that demonstrates this misunderstanding most overtly may not be the one who misunderstands it most profoundly.

In the Holy Bible, we find an example, given by our Lord, of a two family members that did not appear to understand a particular father’s love.

The pamphlet, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Jesus’ Story of the Lost Son,” by Rose Publishing, looks at the various aspects of this story told by Jesus in the New Testament, reminding us of the unconditional love of the father; the unappreciative response, initially, of his younger son, followed by his eventual sincere repentance; and the complete misunderstanding, on the part of a legalistic and self-righteous older brother, of what a father’s heart is all about.

 In our own times, this booklet encourages the parents of prodigal children to trust the Lord to work in their children’s lives, and to do His own unique work in His own unique time in the lives of them all.  It also encourages all of us to recognize that His love is vast, unmerited and free, and reaches out to all His children, including those who, for a time, go astray.

Personally, I find this a helpful booklet.  I am glad that the writer gives the Jewish context in which Jesus speaks, and, as well, notes the other parables adjacent to this one in the Biblical text that emphasize a similar message.  I am happy, likewise, that the Holy Bible is allowed to speak for itself, in that small, but entire passages are cited. In dire situations, we often ask “What can I do?” or, “What should I not do?”  Two very practical sections of the pamphlet are “Invitation to Trust,” and “Avoid Giving In To Anger.”  The booklet also includes helpful psalms, and various prayers, including a prayer for prodigals.  Some comparisons are, helpfully, charted.

The booklet demonstrates a very sympathetic grasp of the dilemma of parents who have a wandering loved one, and who do not know how to deal with the angst as they await his or her return. 

This story may not appear connected to the booklet, above, but, I happen to know a family in which the youngest brother took a brief foray into the world of unbelief.  It was, by no means, as flagrant a journey as that of the Biblical prodigal son; the young man was, nonetheless, for a time, out-of-fellowship with Christian norms.   What I observed on the part of his older siblings in his absence, was a manifest yearning for his return, and great joy when it finally happened.  They had not feared that his return would diminish any of their own familial joys, because their parents loved them all as much as they loved the absent younger brother; and they realized that that same love was strong enough to weather some vicissitudes, including the possibility that the son might have to learn, perhaps, through hard experience.

The mother, in one statement, later, wrote, “Thank you to all my beautiful kids who are always a blessing, never a disappointment and my greatest joy. I am so proud of all of you.”

Surely, that is the heart of a true parent, whose initial response to the newborn infant was not based on merit, but on love, and, if that is so in the earthly realm, how much more in the Heavenly. 

And the end of the story can be truly surprising – only today, I read the obituary of a missionary who had spent a lifetime serving the Lord in a foreign field, an answer to his godly mother’s prayers:  in his teens, though, her faith must have been sorely tested, as, prior to his conversion, he stood before the juvenile courts….

The topic is both timely, and needed, and will undoubtedly find appreciation from many readers.  Rose Publishing has provided me with an advanced reader copy.