The Scribe's Portion

"The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines  Of The New Testament Books" by Patrick Schreiner  Illustrated by Anthony M. Benedetto This is a wonderful resource! In the words of the author, this book is unlike any other Bible study resource I own. It is very unique, helpful, creative, engaging, and easy to follow.  I am always disappointed with the book introductions in Bibles because I don't usually find the information helpful and is easily forgotten. For that reason, I now just skip the introductions. I realize that I find charts more helpful and interesting. This is why this book is so great.  Using, icons, color codes, charts, and thorough discussions, the author goes through each book of the NT and gives you the ultimate summary. Each book has the main topic as the subtitle followed by the main idea in a sentence, an introductory paragraph, an interactive chart with icons breaking down the book into sections, and short descriptions. The following 2-3 pages contain ea...

  "The Extraordinary Power Of Praise: A Study of the Psalms For The Anxious Heart" by Becky Harling This is an excellent study! I requested this study from Moody because I wanted to study Psalms, as it's one of my favorite books in the OT. I was surprised by how much good stuff it has and reads a lot like a devotional plus some space for writing your thoughts. It is a six-week study focused for the anxious heart to learn to praise God in the midst of worry and fear. I think we can all benefit from this-who hasn't been worried and afraid?  I love the content for each day and every activity is very helpful. Each week is broken down into 5 days and follows a theme or topic. The daily portion starts with a morning prayer based on a Psalm followed by a devotional paragraph or a few sentences. Then it contains an "explore" section which assigns a chapter or a couple verses for reading then there's a space to write out the verses and will ask you to circle key ...

  "What If Jesus Was Serious About Prayer? A Visual Guide to the Spiritual Practice  Most of Us Get Wrong by Skye Jethani I see many 5 star reviews for this book and the previous book in the series by Jethani and I can understand why. It is simple, engaging, fun but at the same time chock-full of Biblical wisdom. This little book can especially be helpful for new believers and teens. The pictures are entertaining and light-hearted while conveying powerful truths about prayer. I found the bits of wisdom to be convicting and true. All in all, it is a great book that makes for a great gift. However, I was disappointed with how short each section is. It contains 53 points on prayer divided up into 6 parts. But each point is only about 1.5 pages so only a few lines long. Many of the points he makes are very good and crucial that I personally believe need a lot more page space, I'd say even whole books can be written about just that one point. I know that this book is aimed at simpl...

  "The Gift of Tongues: What Is, What It Isn't and Why You Need It" by Robert Henderson This is a well-rounded book on the gift of tongues. I found the information and discussions to be level-headed, graceful, but also thought-provoking. There is an ongoing debate about cessation vs continuation among Christians, the author is a continuationist. I share the author's view but this book could be beneficial for those on the other side as well. Henderson addresses Biblically the arguments cessationists make about speaking in tongues and refutes them gracefully. He explains how tongues are spiritually edifying for the practicing individual and the body of Christ. I personally believe that tongues are earthly languages, I don't agree that it's gibberish, the author seems to have a different view on this.  Henderson discusses how tongues benefit the church and the importance of it. I haven't read other books on this topic but this one contains Biblical truths tha...

  "A Lady in Attendance" by Rachel Fordham Readers who enjoy light romance will love this one! The synopsis intrigued me and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it even though light romance doesn't particularly interest me. Hazel, a young woman with a tainted past gets a job with a dentist as a lady in attendance (now known as a dental assistant). She is outgoing, social, and sometimes loud. Gilbert, the dentist, is quiet, reserved, awkward, and is content with his uneventful life. Hazel has just finished serving 5 years in a reformatory for a crime she did not commit and at first keeps it a secret, for fear of rejection. She lives in deep regret for her younger self's infamous, reckless flirtatious past-the time she served in prison has helped to change and mature her. But will her friends accept her? Will she be able to prove her innocence and will her family and friends believe her? This is a sweet, light romance with a bit of mystery and crime-solving...