Given all that has been published on the Reformation, can one more book about it be helpful? This one is. Michael Massing is an accomplished writer: He is the former executive editor of Columbia Journalism Review, author of several celebrated books, and a fellow for both the MacArthur and Leon Levy Centers for writing. This successful […]
Read More »
The title of this book sums up nicely a key theme of Sabbath, which Brueggemann expounds upon in an easily understood manner: “[Sabbath] declares in bodily ways that … we will not be defined by busyness and by acquisitiveness and by the pursuit of more, in either our economics or our personal relationships or anywhere in our lives. Because our life does not consist in commodity.”
Read More »
You won’t find a better, shorter book on prayer; it’s refreshingly unique and potentially helpful for every Christian. Well written, insightful, inspirational, and devotional, it contains both theological depth and practical suggestions. Michael’s overall thoughts are launched from within the walls of Reformed theology and his main point is adapted from a quote from Calvin: “Prayer is the true exercise of faith.”
For Reeves, prayer is not a burdensome task that someone has to do but a delightful privilege, communion with God, the antithesis of self-dependence, and hopefully a joyful, life-giving part of our lives. “It’s exercising belief that the Almighty is my willing and kind Father
Read More »
Paul’s words in Romans 14:5-8 and Col 2:16-23 still ring true today: “Don’t let anyone judge you with respect to the Sabbath; some may practice it, others may not; let each person do so by faith and as unto the Lord.” For me, the act of leaving the daily work grind and resting before the Lord one day out of seven is a priceless and necessary gift from God that I ignore at my own peril.
I’ve read several book’s about the Christian Sabbath, each with a unique thought to contribute to my understanding on this teaching. This one can be easily understood by most believers, and it’s the most comprehensive one that I’ve read on this subject – it’s written by a pastor and professor…
Read More »
I don’t know Michael Reeves, but I picture him as outgoing, personable, and winsome – a gift of grace to us. He wants this book to be “about growing in our enjoyment of God and seeing how God’s triune being makes all his ways beautiful. [Reading it] is a chance to taste and see that the Lord is good, to have your heart won and yourself refreshed” (9), which, of course, are great goals. Towards this end, he writes with a wider audience in mind than theologians like Barth or Volf, but Reeves’s gifts are properly suited to his task at hand, and he’s able to make the thoughts of these major theologians digestible to the common person.
Read More »