A Year In Review: Book Reading List 2023

We finally crossed the year 2023 over to 2024. Last year was an intense year for me on many fronts and I am glad to have survived it. As I have done each year, I have continued my regular weekly Bible studies with the Living Word Association (LWA) which is an inter-denominational association which strive at understanding the Bible and practice its precepts. This year marked an important shift in our bible study protocol. A new study method was introduced that has enriched everybody's learning curve. The method is coined, C.O.C.A. This acronym stands for Context, Observation, Comprehension, Application. Yes, it is easy to remember and even easier to apply. This method was introduced into our local scenery by Father Raphael Manikiza, the Dominican Vicar Provincial of the Provincial Vicariate of Rwanda and Burundi. 

This method, COCA, was initially introduced in our monthly Bible Study at the Dominican Chapel where I have been honoured to work alongside with Father Raphael and the lay theologian Tigana Birasa as we offered our reflection on the Gospel of Matthew for the Liturgical Year-A to the Community. For 2024, we will continue our study and focus on the Gospel of Mark.

Half a dozen year ago, I went into a quest to better understand my Christian faith as a Catholic and I have come enriched and better for it. After completing the reading of the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I turned to the official teaching documents of Vatican II. I have made a slow inroad this last year, after reading the 4 Dogmatic constitutions (Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum, Sacrosanctum Concilium and Gaudium et Spes) and read the 3 Declarations of the council Vatican II:

1. Gravissimum Educationis, it is the Declaration on Christian Education
2. Dignitatis Humanae, it is the Declaration on Religious Freedom
3. Nostra Aetate*, it is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (this one was read the year prior*).

I also started reading the list of Vatican II Decrees. So far, I have read two of them and I am slowly going through the rest:

1. Apostolicam Actuositatem, it is a Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity
2. Ad Gentes, it is a Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church

As I said in my last review, "reading what the Church says in its own words is so refreshing and so encouraging and it sounds at time quite different from what people out there says about the Church teaching", I would now add, it is also so different from what some Catholic clergies have said about the Church teaching, 100% different. I remember in the year 2000 and 2001 when I had first read my whole bible systematically from Genesis to Revelation, I was in shock. The initial shock was not what I found but what I didn't found in it. Things I have heard so many times in popular platform, TVs, Radio, Conferences, etc., about what "the bible say's" but were nowhere to be found in the Bible. Neither did I find them in my second reading, nor the third time I read it. It became clear there are many things' people passes for biblical teaching which can't be found in the Bible itself. It is the same with the official Church teachings. I will dare, even challenge, anyone who has an issue with the Catholic Church teachings to first stop and ask themselves, where did I get these views about the Catholic Church teachings? And then after such honest introspection, I invite you to read the Church OFFICIAL teachings for yourself, either doctrinal or moral or social and find out the truth for yourself. You ought it to yourself!

For example, in Gaudium et Spes, I was gladly surprised, two years ago, to see that the Church takes her evangelistic mission seriously to the point of including it into one of its 4 Constitutions. And this aren't a unique occurrence, similar texts can be read in its Declarations and Decrees:

"It is necessary never to lose sight of the fact that the objective of the Church is to evangelize, not to civilize. If it civilizes, it is for the sake of evangelization." - Footnote Part II, Chapter II, No.7. 

In the same effort to strengthen my understanding of Christianity, I completed a Certification course with Harvard Divinity School on "Christianity through Its Scriptures". There are many reasons I pursued such endeavour, and one of them was to get a neutral view about my faith and to be challenged, and it was challenging to say the least. In our introduction, the professor clearly let us know that we would be studying the Christian sacred scriptures from a standpoint of Academia and not from a Devotional starting point. The message was clear, and we found out soon enough that not only we studied the Canonical texts found in our Bibles, but the Academic view of the Christian scriptures included also other early writings not found in the Bible such as the Gnostic writings of the earlier Centuries. We read them and made dissertations about them. Overall, it was a stimulating intellectual experience, and inadvertently despite the exposure to other competing writings presented to us as Scriptures, I came out of it more convinced of the Christian faith as it is articulated in its orthodoxy.

There is one important item that I should add to my list of memorable activities, namely 'The Strength of Witnesses' conference. It was a 3-day Charismatic Conference organized and hosted at the St. Dominique Parish ahead of the Feast of Pentecost and it was animated by our guests, Dr. Thierry Luhandjula, Sister Olivia Jani and Brother Nesbert Muzamba. This was followed by The Philip Course, a 3-day retreat in October 2023 at the Convent of the Dominican Sister, this retreat delved deeper into the meaning of the Christian Life. It was animated by Brother Nesbert Muzamba and Brother Giovanni Valerio Svegliati. These two events have left participants with no voice and deeply moved both emotionally, spiritually and in some cases bodily. We have come out of these events, better Christians, and more committed as Christians. It is hard to properly describe what transpired without causing misunderstanding so I would simply recommend for a better understanding of what was experienced by participants, both Catholic and non-Catholic Christians, please do refer to Encounter Ministries which is the Catholic apostolate which was our inspiration in the design of this charismatic event.

I will end with my yearly tradition which consist in sharing the list of books I read during the previous year. Each book comes with a scoring metric. This scoring doesn't necessarily mean that the book was either perfect or poor. It simply reflects my enthusiasm at the moment of reading it based on the book content and the appeal of the writing style. These are the books that I read in 2023: 

Religious Books

Catholic Authors

1. "Hostile Witnesses: How the Historic Enemies of the Church Prove Christianity" by Gary Michuta (5/5)
2. "Introduction to Spiritual Life: Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus" by Brant Pitre (4/5)
3. "Supernal Saints: A School of Ministry from the Saints" by Patrick Reis (4.5/5)

Protestant Authors

1. "Why I Am Still Surprised by the Voice of God: How God Speaks Today through Prophecies, Dreams, and Visions" by Jack Deere (4/5)
2. "Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit: Discovering How God Speaks and Heal Today" by Jack Deere (4/5)
3. "Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? - Four Views" - Edited by Stanley N. Gundry and Wayne A. Grudem (4/5)
4. "The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural" by Lee Strobel (5/5)
5. "Investigating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: A New Transdisciplinary Approach" by Andrew Loke (4.5/5)

Non-Religious Books

1. "Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Healing" by Candy Gunther (Oxford University Press) (5/5)
2. "Reconciliation Is My Lifestyle: A Life's Lesson on Forgiving and Loving Those Who Have Hated You" by Antoine Rutayisire (5/5)
3. "Even in Our Darkness: A Story of Beauty in a Broken Life" by Jack Deere (5/5)

Note: These last 3 books can hardly be labelled as religious books even though their authors may be known for their religious convictions.

...

The year 2023 was an intense year both in my workplace and in my family with its share of challenges. My family has known series of illnesses with different degrees of intensity, from major surgery for my boy earlier in the year to a medical trip at the end of the year. Sickness and Illness became a permanent feature of our household from the beginning of the year to the end. So much so that my wife once told me with an aggravated tone that pharmacists in our neighbourhood now know who we are. It is a miracle that with all these health constraints and intense workload in my job, I was able to read this much and done so much in my community. I guess it comes with the territory, I aggressively attacked the kingdom of darkness, and it expectedly struck back. 

Nevertheless, in all these, I praise the Lord that my wife and I never went through this fire alone. The Lord was always there comforting my family during those long sleepless night with kids fighting with uncontrollable fevers, bizarre diseases and those long hours at the hospitals' queues. 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, stand firm and immovable, devoting yourselves completely to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians15:58

A Year In Review: Book Reading List 2022

The year 2022 is behind us. A new year has now dawned on us. The year 2022 has been filled with joy and pain, but in all these we express our gratitude to God for having been right there with us. Last year also marked a distinctive rite of passage for me to adulthood as I turned 40. I suppose in some way, I still looked at myself as a Young-Adult but I guess there is now no more reason to add any prefix to the word adult.

I have had the continuous opportunity to have my regular weekly Bible studies with the Living Word Association (LWA) which is an inter-denominational association which strive at understanding the Bible and practice its precepts. Since the advent of COVID, we have never been able to transit back to an in-persons gathering, we are still meeting virtually. This format has its share of challenges. But on the up side, we e-meet with people joining us from different regions including someone from a different continent. 

In my quest to better understand my faith, after completing the reading of the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I turned to the official teaching documents of Vatican II. This came at the right time as the Church was celebrating in 2022 the 60th anniversary of the council Vatican II. One milestone I was able to achieve was the reading of the Four Constitutions of Vatican II, namely:

1. Lumen Gentium which means 'Light of Nations'. It is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. 
2. Dei Verbum which means 'The Word of God'. It is the Dogmatic Constitution of Divine Revelation.
3. Sacrosanctum Concilium which means 'The Sacred Council'. It is the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
4. Gaudium et Spes which means 'Joy and Hope'. It is the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.

Now that I completed the reading of the constitution, I have the foundational understanding by which I will be reading the remaining Vatican II documents for this year which include: 3 Decrees and 9 Declarations. I have already read one declaration, Nostra Aetate, and I will be bulldozing through the remaining ones in due time, God willing. Reading what the Church says in its own words is so refreshing and so encouraging and it sounds at time quite different from what people out there says about the Church teaching. For example in Gaudium et Spes, I was gladly surprise to see the focus that the Church has of its own mission on earth while waiting for the return of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ:

"It is necessary never to lose sight of the fact that the objective of the Church is to evangelize, not to civilize. If it civilizes, it is for the sake of evangelization." - Footnote Part II, Chapter II, No.7. 

Now, back to the purpose of this post. As I do each year, I will be sharing the list of books I read in the year 2022. I have unfortunately been a bit undisciplined in my reading hence I read less book than in previous years, but there is also a human reason to it, I have been quite busy, in-ordinarily busy this year and It took me a bit by surprise. I will do better this year in organizing myself with the help of the Lord and be better focus this time in my priorities. Each book comes with a scoring metric. This scoring doesn't necessarily mean that the book was either perfect or poor. It simply reflects my enthusiasm at the moment of reading it based on the book content and the appeal of the writing style. These are the books that I read in 2022: 

Religious Books

Catholic Authors

1. "The Early Church Was the Catholic Church: The Catholic Witness of the Fathers in Christianity's First Two Centuries" by Joe Heschmeyer - (5/5)

2. "A Mighty Current of Grace: The Story of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal" by Alan Schrek - (5/5)

3. "Overcome By The Spirit: The Extraordinary Phenomenon That Is Happening To Ordinary People" by Francis MacNutt - (5/5)

4. "Deliverance from Evil Spirits: A Practical Manual" by Francis MacNutt - (5/5)

5. "The Healing Reawakening: Reclaiming Our Lost Inheritance" by Francis MacNutt - (4.5/5)

6. "The Practice of Healing Prayer: A How-To Guide For Catholics" by Francis MacNutt - (4/5)

7. "Pope Peter: Defending the Church's Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crisis" by Joe Heschmeyer - (4/5)

8. "Four More Witnesses In The Early Church: Further Testimony from Christians before Constantine" by Rod Bennet - (3.5/5)

Protestant Authors

9. "Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History" by Rodney Stark - (5/5)

10. "Preparing for the Glory: Getting Ready for the Next Wave of the Holy Spirit Outpouring" by John & Carol Arnott - (4.5/5)

11. "A Study of Effects of Christian Prayer on Pain or Mobility Restrictions from Surgeries involving Implanted Materials" by Randy Clark - (4/5)

12. "Strangers to Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scriptures" by Robert W. Graves - (3.5/5)

13. "Two Paradigms for Divine Healing: Fred F. Bosworth, Kenneth E. Hagin, Agnes Sanford and Francis MacNutt in Dialogue" by Pavel Hejzlar - (3/5)

Non-Religious Book

14. "Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing" by Ryan T. Anderson & Alexandra DeSanctis - (5/5)

....

Overall, the year 2022 was a good year, though not without its share of challenges. See you for the next list in one year time, God willing.

A Year In Review: Book Reading List 2021

 

Another year is gone and there is much to be grateful to the Lord despite the many hardship and uncertainties from our world (post?) COVID. On a personal note though, I have been growing both professionally and spiritually. I also discovered a new hobby - the game of Chess thanks to the TV Series 'Queen's Gambit'. 

I have had the continuous pleasure last year to still be part of a Bible study group from the Living Word Association (LWA) which gathers weekly to reflect and share the word of God from the Holy Scripture. One major milestone achievement for the year 2021 was the completion of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). With a group of friends, we set our mind to read the Catechism through and through in a year and I am glad that I was able to finally read it through and learn much about the official Church teaching. The reading led to some surprising discoveries about what the Catholic Church really believes and teach in her own words. It reminded me of the first time I read the Bible through and through, at the end of it as I was closing the book of Revelation I wondered where did some people (or even some preachers) get some of their teachings they attribute to the Bible? I had the same feeling reading the Catechism. I highly recommend people to read for themselves what the Catholic Church says about itself from the source. You might just be gladly surprised as I was.

Following the yearly tradition, I will put below the list of books I read during the year 2021. Among the books, I will omit the Catechism since I have already mentioned it above. Each book come with a scoring. This scoring doesn't necessarily mean that the content was perfect or poor. It reflects simply my enthusiasm at the moment I was reading it based on information content and writing style that I found appealing. These are the books that I read and which have contributed to shape my thoughts in 2021:

I. Religious Books

A) Catholic Authors:

1. "Demonic Foes: My 25 years As A Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal" by Richard Gallager -- (5/5)

2. "Jesus, the Tribulation and the End of the Exile: Restoration Eschatology and the Origin of the Atonement" by Brant Pitre (PhD Thesis) -- (5/5)

3. "Renouvelle Tes Merveilles: Des dons spirituels pour aujourdhui" par Damian Stayne -- (5/5)

4. "Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines" by Tim Staples -- (4.5/5)

5. "Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Powerful Love of Jesus in Your Life" by Bob Schuchts -- (4/5)

6. "The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections" by Trent Horn -- (4/5)

7. "Reclaiming Vatican II: What it (Really) Said, What it Means, and How It calls Us to Renew the Church" by Father Blake Britton -- (4/5)

8. "Daughter Zion: Medictations on the Church's Marian Belief" by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) -- (3.5/5)

9. "Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father's love" by Father Thomas Acklin and Father Boniface Hocks -- (3.5/5)

B) Protestant Authors:

10. "The Potter's Promise: A Biblical Defense of Traditional Soteriology" by Leighton Flowers -- (4.5/5)

11. "Atonement and the Death of Christ: An Exegetical, Historical, and Philosophical Exploration" by William Lane Craig -- (4.5/5)

12. "Do What Jesus Did: A real-life field guide to healing the sick, routing demons and changing lives forever" by Robby Dawkins -- (4.5/5)

13. "There is More: The Secret to Experiencing God's Power to Change Your Life" by Randy Clark -- (4.5/5)

14. "Marchons par l'Esprit" by Elie et Denis Yapoundjian -- (4/5)

II. NON-Religious Books

15. "The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid isn't Working" by Robert Calderisi -- (5/5)

16. "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" by Bobby Fischer, Dr. Stuart Margulies and Donn Mosenfelder -- (5/5)

17. "CHESS 101: Everything a new chess player needs to know" by Dave Schloss -- (4/5)

18. "One Bright Star to Guide Them" by John C. Wright -- (4.5/5)

19. "Business Strategy" by Brian Tracy -- (4/5) 

....

Overall, the year 2021 was filled with surprises both pleasant and unpleasant but we continue pressing forward with God's grace with hope that the year 2022 will be better than its predecessor and filled with favourable divine appointments for all of us.

A Year In Review: Book Reading List 2020

The year 2020 was quite an unusual year for many. The great unforeseen event was the apparition of the COVID-19 pandemic that has disturbed nations and adversely affected individuals around the world. During this difficult period for many, I managed to focus my reading on some literature of interest that I had always wanted to read. As I have started to do each year, I will be posting below the books that I read and their ranking. One special mention though, with a team of friends from the Living Word Association (LWA), we were able to finally complete our reading of the Bible.

I. Religious Books

A) Catholic Authors:

1. "Scripture Wars: Justin Martyr's Battle to Save the Old Testament for Christians" by Rod BENNETT -- (5/5)

2. "PAUL, A New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology" by Brant PITRE, Michael P. BARBER and John A. KINCAID -- (5/5)

3. "Rapture: The End-Time Error that Leaves the Bible Behind" by David B. CURRIE -- (5/5)

4. "Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on 'Romanism' by Bible Christian" by Karl KEATING -- (5/5)

5. "The Rite: The Making of A Modern Exorcist" by Matt BAGLIO -- (4.5/5)

6. "The Catholic Case for Trump" by Austin Ruse -- (4.5/5)

7. "Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God" by Scott HAHN -- (4/5)

8. "Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation and Applying its Lessons Today" by Michael BARBER -- (4/5)

9. "Healing: Bringing the Gift of God's Mercy to the World" by Mary HEALY -- (4/5)

10. "The Catholic Church Saved My Marriage: Discovering Hidden Grace in the Sacrament of Matrimony" by David ANDERS -- (3.5/5)

11. "The Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Feminity" by Carrie GRESS -- (3.5/5)

B) OEUCUMINACAL (Catholic and Protestant Authors):

12. "The Spiritual Gifts Handbook: Using Your Gifts to Build the Kingdom" by Randy CLARK and Mary HEALEY -- 4/5

C) Protestant Authors:

13. "Authentic FIRE: A Response to John MacArthur's Strange Fire" by Michael BROWN -- (5/5)

14. "The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus" by Sean MCDOWELL -- (5/5)

15. "John Wimber: His Life and Ministry" by Connie DAWSON -- (5/5)

16. "Translating God: Hearing God's Voice for Yourself and the World Around You" by Shawn BOLZ -- (4/5)

17. "Tactics: A Game Plan to Discuss your Christian Convictions" by Gregory KOUKL -- (3.5/5)

18. "Growing in the Prophetic: A practical, biblical guide to dreams, visions, and spiritual gifts" by Mike BICKLE -- (3/5)

19. "The Essential Guide to Healing" by Bill JOHNSON and Randy CLARK -- (3/5)

II. NON-Religious Books

20. "God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science" by James HANNAM -- (5/5)

21. "Case Interview Secrets: A Former McKinsey Interviewer Reveals How to Get Multiple Job Offers in Consulting" by Victor CHENG -- (4.5/5)

Overall, the year 2020 was a time for greater clarity for me, in terms of spirituality, family, socio-political issues, and professionally. The only unfortunate aspect of this clarity is that it came with some economical hardship for many people. May the Lord grants us peace and true freedom!

Endurance: A Year In Review (2019)

The year 2019 was an unexpectedly difficult year for me and my loved ones (family and friends). My family went through a heart-wrenching experience with the quasi-sudden death of my beloved Mother. How sudden you may wonder? Well, in the month of March 2019 we were discussing an important document to present to an interested third party investor who had confirmed to meet with us during the month of July 2019. The very first week of July, she had passed away from this life into the Eternal City, and we never had that planned meeting. Her sickness was a traumatic short-lived illness to all who were close to her. The wound left behind by her sudden departure hasn't been healed. It is too soon. And yet, the faith I have learned from her has carried me through this difficult past year, and I still cling to it to carry me throughout the year 2020. My Mother's death has put many of my personal projects on a halt and slowed down others. Despite the deep sadness experienced when She passed away to eternity, my family was comforted by the birth of two awesome and cute little Boys (Noah B. and Josh G.). The timing couldn't be more awkward but we received them as divine signs, as a rumor from another World which reached out to our hearts to appease our sorrows and anoint our hurting wounds!

Much more had happened in 2019 but this is no place nor the right time to speak about them. Nevertheless, I'd like to make an exception by pointing out one particular thing though. Something that I have learned from my parents, especially from my late Mother - the habit to learn through reading. She loved reading, especially Her Bible. Her favorite book of the Bible was the book of Psalm. I have developed a similar reading habit from my beloved Mother and I read the Bible and study it on a weekly basis with a group of dear friends from the Living Word Association (LWA).

To my regular bible reading, I also do some additional readings. Last year, I gave my 2018 reading list of books that shaped my mind and invigorated my spiritual commitment to the Lord. I want to follow on that new tradition and list the 2019 list of books that have reinforced my understanding of Christianity. The year 2019 also introduced me to a series of online debates with atheists and agnostic(s)? on different aspects of science, ethics, spirituality, politics, and other themes that intersected with religion. The debates have been spirited and at time pleasant, saved for some unavoidable toxic exchanges which are expected from the most virulent and militant atheists. These unexpected encounters led me to diversify some of the reading materials I was exposing my mind to. Below is the list of books I read and which I would also recommend with different degrees of enthusiasm. The rating simply reflects the way the book contents moved me at the time I read them. It is not an indictment of the quality of its content, but simply a reflection of my emotional response to the way it intrigued me.

Catholic authors:
1. "Evangelical Exodus: Evangelical Seminarians and Their Paths to Rome" by Douglas M. Beaumont (5/5)
2. "Diabolical" by Milo Yiannopolous (3.5/5)
3. "Christian Initiation & Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Evidence from the First Eight Centuries" by Kilian McDonnell & George T. Montague (4/5)
4. "Bad Shepherds: The Dark Years in which the Faithful thrived while Bishops did the Devil's work" by Rod Bennett (4/5)
5. "Jesus the Bridegroom: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told" by Brant Pitre (4/5)
6. "Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic" by David B. Currie (5/5)
7. "Teaching with Authority: How to Cut through Doctrinal Confusion and Understand what the Church really says" by Jimmy Akin (3.5/5)
8. "Making Sense of Mary" by Gary G. Michuta (4/5)
9. "Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know" by Michael Patrick Barber (4.5/5)
10. "The Salvation Controversy" by Jimmy Akin (3/5)
11. "Answering Atheism: How to Make the Case for God with Logic and Charity" by Trent Horn (3.5/5)
12. "The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflicts" by William T. Cavanaugh (4/5)

Protestant authors:
13. "Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology" by Roger E. Olson (5/5)
14. "Stealing From God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case" by Frank Turek (4/5)

Non-Christian author:
15. "Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth" by Bart D. Ehrman (4/5)

As I look back to the year 2019, I am full of gratitude to all who have contacted me (international calls), wrote to me and visited me during my beloved Mother's funeral. God has shown His goodness toward me through family and friends. God had given me a fantastic support system that I didn't even know existed until tragedy struck home!

Thank you to all from the bottom of my heart for your love, friendship, words of affirmation and comforts, spiritual counsel and heartfelt prayers during those terrible moments. When my heart will be a little bit lighter and the wounds a little bit painless, I will write some more about my Mother and give Her a fuller tribute! Until then, God Speed!

My Mother was a Heroine of faith, and now She surrounds us with all the other Heros of faith. Though She is gone to Her Lord, I know by God's grace She is also still with us, surrounding us and witnessing my race and the good fight I continue to fight in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ whether in favorable or unfavorable time (Jeremiah 42.6)!

Hebrews 12:1-3;

"1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Has Jesus Ever Saved His People From Sins?

A question was asked by B. on behalf of his/her friend:

"Since the bible says that 'he will save people from their sins', should we await another savior or should we maintain that Jesus is the one who is the savior despite the obvious fact that sins has not yet disappeared in the lives of people?"

Dear B, this is an interesting question. It seems that it arose from this beautiful verse:

"And she shall bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21  

The question that your friend is asking is, 'since we still sin or experience sin - isn't it then the proof that we are not yet saved from sin and that we should look for another savior who can save us from sin?'

Fair question. I would try to answer it in two approach.

I/ What does it mean "He shall save His people from their sins"?

The angel Gabriel introduced Jesus mission as 'save his people from their sin'. His people were initially only referring to the Jews (Israel) and subsequently the rest of the world. However the Angel Gabriel didn't explain what he meant by that statement. So in order to avoid off the chart speculation, we can look at other passages of how Jesus is also introduced in he bible and that might help your friend get some form of an answer:

*. "The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

Here John doesn't use the word 'save from their sins' but the statement 'take away the sin'. So it could be reasonably argued that Jesus saved his people from sins, by taking their sins away from them.

Let me use a fictitious example, it is like saying, this Harvard professor will save people from HIV. And if someone else come and said, this Harvard professor has taken away the HIV. We would conclude that they meant the same thing. Since HIV could kill the people, and by taking it away - people who would have died of AIDS (as a result of HIV) would be saved.

Back to our bible. Jesus saved his people (Israel and the rest of us) from their sins by the mechanism of taking away their sins. He took it away from them.

II/ How did Jesus do that? How did He saved his people from their sins and took them away?

There is plenty of scriptures that speaks of that. But for the sake of brevity and clarity, i will touch one which is multiply attested in the Holy Scriptures.

a. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Act 5:31

In this scripture, St. Peter is pointing at Jesus' saving work in two domains: 1) giving repentance to Israel (his people) and 2) giving forgiveness of sins.

It seems that St. Peter saw Jesus saving works through people's repentance and people's forgiveness of sins. This fits well with what St. Gabriel the angle said about the savior's work:

"And she shall bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

b. "But that ye may know that the Son of man [Jesus] hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)" Mark 2:10  

It seems to me that Jesus' way in dealing with sins on earth was to forgive sins, just like Peter commented about Jesus' saviorhood. So forgiving sins, is the way Jesus take away sins. Hence it is the way he saves people from their sins. A savior needs power in order to save. And Jesus's power among other, is His power on earth to forgive sins. That is how he saves people from theirs sins. He saves them by giving them forgiveness of sins.

Jesus used the parallel of forgiving sins and forgiving debts in the Gospel of Mathew. When we forgive financial debts, we take away the debt from the debtor. Hence when sins are forgiven, it means that sins are taken away from the sinner. Exactly the way John the Baptist introduced Jesus' work in John 1:29.

This leads us into the next point!

c. "[God] Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" Colossians 1:13-14

When we speak of being saved from something, we also mean that we have been delivered from something. And St. Paul coming from a similar angle as St. Gabriel and St. Peter, informed his readers that God has saved them from the power of darkness by the procedure of the forgiveness of sins. Forgiving sins is the way we have been delivered or saved.

Then the normal question comes, if we have been saved of our pass transgression by the blood - so what will happen to my new transgressions and sins? The bible give the same answers. Just like you were saved from all your past sins, you will be saved from all your new sins in the same way, by the forgiveness of those sins.

How does it work? The same way it worked the first time in the believers' life and going back to the first century. The access to the benefit of God's forgiveness is free. All one has to do to benefit of that saving power of the forgiveness of sins is to do what the Apostle John did and encouraged all other believers to do - it is to confess one's sins.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1John 1:9.

The formula has never changed. It has always been free to all who need forgiveness through the precious blood of Christ, they just have to humble themselves and confess their sins. This is how they are saved from sins or forgiven of their sins.

Hence, beware of people who are discouraging people to confess their sins. For they are standing in between those who need to be saved from their sins and the savior who is saving them of their sins and forgiving them from their sins.

And the answer is no. We do not need to wait for another savior. Jesus is the lamb of God that deliver us from our sins!

UPDATE:

By 'deliver us fro ours sins', I mean believers included. Jesus savior role doesn't stop when we believe. He continues to be our savior. St. Paul recognize as much:

"we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." - 1Timothy 4:10 ESV

Jesus saving action in saving us from our sins still continues even after our conversion. He still forgive us and cleanse us from any sins and unrighteousness:

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." 1John 2:2   

The Value of Prophetic Ministry

I wish you all a great new year 2012 in Jesus' name. Since we are at the beginning of the year I thought to regale you with this true story from the book "Surprised By The Voice of God". The author of the book, is a Theologian who taught at the Dallas Theological seminary as a professor of Hebrew and more for ten years. I really enjoyed both of his books: the first 'Surprised by the Holy Spirit' (which is kind of autobiographical) and the second 'Surprised by the Voice of God'. These books have been uniquely instrumental in teaching me about the understand of the spiritual realm and the supernatural activities of God throughout Church history up to modern time. Breath-taking! I highly recommend both of Dr. Deere's impressive popular theological works about God.

Here is an extract that you don't wanna miss and i hope that it will revive something in you! Enjoy the reading.
....
Years ago, I was on the pastoral staff at Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Anaheim, California. One Sunday evening instead of going to our adult service, I took one of the staff prophetic ministers with me and went to spend the evening with our ten to twelve-year-old kids in their version of children's church. There were about 150-200 of these kids in a large room in the back of the church. When we got them all seated, I told them they could ask me any question they wanted to ask. I hadn't even thought to pray or ask God for special direction that evening. After all, they were just kids. Obviously, what they needed most was knowledge of the Bible, and I was sure I was qualified for that task. Truthfully, I felt overqualified, awesomely overqualified. How hard could it be to answer the questions of ten to twelve-year-old church kids?

The first raised his hands. "Pastor," he said, "why is it that bad things happen to people who love God and try to follow him?"

Hmm, I thought. Why do bad things happen to good people? Theologians have been grappling with the problem of suffering for two thousand years, and no one has really solved its mystery. Even the book of Job never tells the ultimate reason why God permitted all Job's suffering. I mumbled some sort of answer about God not wanting robots but rather friends with freedom and dignity. It didn't impress the kids all that much. They looked a little bored. A second hand went up. "Pastor, why did God create the devil?" Hmm, why did God create the devil? Again, I mumbled some sort of answer about God not wanting robots but rather friends with freedom and dignity. They were less impressed than before and looked more bored. It went on like this for forty-five minutes. I had begun to think that some demon from hell had smuggled the kids a list of all the unresolved theological problems for the last twenty centuries and said, "Here kids, ask him these." I decided to retire from the theological question-answering business. I looked over at the prophetically gifted pastor I had brought in with me and said, "Has the Lord shown you anything about these kids? He sure isn't showing me much."

"Yes he has," he said.
"He has shown me something about this young lady right here," with that he pointed to a young, cute twelve-year- old girl sitting in the front row, "about that young man back there," he pointed to a twelve-year-old boy sitting in the middle of the room, "and about this lady in the back," he pointed to one of the Sunday school teachers in the back of the room.

He looked at the young girl. "What's your name?" he asked. "J-J-Julie." Julie was not sure she wanted someone giving her a prophetic word in front of two hundred of her peers. "Julie, while Jack was speaking I had a vision of you. It was Tuesday night. That's five nights ago. You went to your bedroom and shut the door. You were crying. You looked up to heaven and said, `God, do you really love me? I have to know-do you really love me?' God didn't say anything to you on Tuesday night, Julie. He sent me here tonight to tell you he really loves you. He really loves you. He also told me to tell you that the trouble going on around you is not your fault. He didn't tell me if he is going to change the trouble, but he wants you to know you aren't the cause of it." Then he went on to say something about the young man and something about the lady. After it was all over, I called those three people up to the front so we could talk privately. I wanted to make sure of two things – one, that there were no misunderstandings between the people and the prophetic minister, and two, that everything that had been said was true. If part of the messages given to these people was false, then we wanted to own up to it and clear up any misconceptions.

"Julie, last Tuesday night were you in your bedroom crying really hard and did you ask God if he really loved you?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Are your parents fighting now?"
"Yes."
"Do you think that's your fault?"
She looked up at me, smiled, and said, "Not any more."

I walked out of church that night thinking, who in the world could be against this ministry? Why wouldn't anyone want the voice of the Lord to speak like this in their church? I know what it is like to carry the guilt for something a parent did. My father "divorced" my mother by committing suicide when I was twelve years old. I know how hard it is for a twelve-year-old mind to understand something like that. I know what it is like to feel guilty for not treating my father better, especially in his last weeks. I know what it's like to grow
up thinking if I had been a better son, perhaps my dad wouldn't have left us. I was thinking about my dad and my own sense of guilt when I walked out of church that night.

Then I thought about a little twelve-year-old girl in Anaheim, California, who won't be sitting in some psychiatrist's office when she is thirty years old, trying to get rid of guilt she has carried around for the last twenty years. Even if her parents divorce, she will never blame herself for it. The prophetic word of the Lord came to her and delivered her from that guilt. The prophetic word of the Lord convinced her that God really does love her. And the prophetic word of the Lord convinced about two hundred of her friends that night that the God they talk about in church really does know everything about their lives and loves them in spite of it.

Excerpt from Dr. Jack Deere's Book: Surprised by the Voice of God. Chap.5: Presbyterian Prophets? Page 64-66).

P.S: An excerpt of my book can now be read online. Click here. 

Help Me Understand Jesus - Help Rwanda street children

10 % of the book royalty will go to vulnerable children of Hope For Life Ministry (HFLM). 
Have a Merry Christmas in Jesus' name.

How to Bringing Something New in Your Life in 2012

Sometime back, a lady friend (Yvette Denise) of mine made a comment that gave me a good laugh. She remarked once that people who read books like 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' are broke people. She was kidding of course trying to indirectly encourage people we were together to commit themselves in the reading of a more vast arrays of literature and not only books telling the readers how to become rich.

I just want to point out that reading 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' or similar financial oriented books from either Robert Kiyosaki or other writers (Donald Trump, etc.) is not necessarily a sign of being financial broke. I mean, sometime, we may really be in an acceptable financial situation however we may at the same time be keenly aware of our lack of financial education. So reading these books and booklets coming from financial authorities (not necessarily academic authorities in economics) might help in enhancing ones financial knowledge or even sometime bringing a new knowledge to someone who had a non-working or a non-existent financial knowledge. I am not sure that this will guarantee that those who read it will necessarily have a financial makeover at the Bank account, just like reading the bible will not guarantee that you'll be able to experience everything you read in it. However it may well bring something new in your life and the accumulated knowledge (if correct) will have a favorable outcome to the reader in the short or the long run.

Armel Nouatin (a fellow member of J.C) once made a comment to me and other folks that reading is like an investment or to be blunt, it is an investment. Just as for any other good investment, there will be a time when you'll dearly appreciate the 'Investment return' of your long hours of investment in readings.

May the Lord bless you all in Jesus name, and may you make this coming year a year where you'll commit yourself to read at least one more book in addition of-course to your bible about any given subject that interest you. Who knows? maybe and hopefully you'll consider among your reading list my book "Help Me Understand Jesus". Smile

Have a Merry Christmas Season in Jesus' name!

Why Great Men Fall - A Review

Few months ago, I read Wayde Goodall's magnificent book - Why Great Men Fall. His view is balanced and persuasive. It touches many aspects of a leader's life. The full book title, "WHY GREAT MEN FALL: 15 Winning Strategies To Rise Above It All" says it all.

The basic question found in the book is this one: Why do leaders derail? One said: "He didn't have any fences in life – safety measures." Another said, "He could not believe it was possible that he would fall." When a broken leader was asked what he felt was the reason for his fall, he said, "I didn't give anyone permission to tell me about my blind spots, I only gave them permission to tell me what I wanted to hear." One pastor said, "I didn't listen to my wife."

The author defends in his work that it is dangerous for anyone to live without accountability. Ted Engstrom said, "An unaccountable spouse is living on the edge of risk; an unaccountable CEO is in danger of taking his company down a wrong road; an unaccountable pastor has too much authority; an unaccountable counselor has too much responsibility and needs too much wisdom to be able to handle it on his own."

He make the assertion that 'Accountability is friend'. He strongly advise successful people, "So keep your ego in check and find a group of guys that like you but are willing to shoot straight with you." He believe that in life you'll always get hurt. The worst one is the hurt of falling so he recommend then to be instead hurt the right way, the biblical hurt, `Wounds from a friend can be trusted' (Prov. 27:6)"

He remarks that in his investigation that "The thought that 'I can do one more thing', 'go a little further' and 'risk a little more' is the common denominator with all who think they can get away with `whatever'."

The author encourage virtue and listening to one conscious but he also caution the blind following of conscience. He believe that conscience is the most important thing in avoiding falling so long that the person has a good basis on which his conscious can work on. The reason is that the author believes like H.C. Trunbull that there is something greater than conscience that need to be in priory firmly established.

H.C. Trunbull said, "Conscience is not given to a man to instruct him in the right, but to prompt him to choose the right instead of the wrong when he has been instructed as to what is right. It tells a man that he ought to do right, but it does not tell him what is right. And if a man has made up his mind that a certain wrong course is the right one, the more he follows his conscience the more helpless he is as a wrongdoer."

So he believe in the famous saying, 'Follow your conscience', as long as the person following his/her conscience has not corrupted his/her understanding of what is right or wrong. Since he is a Christian, he recommend the Bible teaching as the basis to ground one's view of what is right and wrong.

I really found his view fascinating and quite compelling. I give this book a two thumbs up in the category of Applied Ethics and Morality. Here is the Book Contents:

1. Why Great Men Fall; 2. Entitlement (I Deserve This ...); 3. Entrepreneurs without Balance; 
4. Compartmentalization; 5. Expectation of Silence; 6. The Sex Issue - A Magnet for Women; 7. Integrity; 8. Anger; 9. Accountability - Ego in check; 10. Conscience - Compromise; 11. Mentors and Coaches; 12. Ethics; 13. Stress and Pressure; 14. Money; 15. Depression and Moods; 16. The one who can keep you from Falling.

I can summarize his book with this word of his: "Don't let your character get lost in the confusion of what you do."

Excellent reading. I recommend it!

Have a nice day and weekend in Jesus' name.

When & How To Read Book(s)?

Here is my last post on book reading. I was traveling within the country again. I went to buy my trip ticket when i saw an unusual spectacle. The place was filled, no, swamped with high-school girls ... they were all looking for trip tickets to go back home for the Easter holiday.

Finally i got the ticket and went for the bus. And sure enough there were only 4 men and the rest were those intrepid girls. Oh la vie! :). They were just like i remember them in high school. OK, that's a story for another time. But something else caught my attention as we were traveling. The bus grew quiet for a while and then books started flying all over the place and within few minutes, everybody was reading. I was re-reading Dr. Ravi Zacharias' book: "Jesus among Other Gods" and the young lady by my side was reading a french romantic novel. As i looked around as far as my eyes could see, similar books mostly in french and few in English were the focus of the girls attention. That's when i got the confirmation of what i wanted to wrote but didn't get any independent confirmation.


WHEN TO READ:

1. Read whenever you can and if time permit. Like those girls did, take opportunity from the trips you make. I do read in Buses even if it is just for few minutes when i am not with someone. So start walking with a bag, or a stylish container or something like that. Just make sure that it can contain a book.

2. Read in restaurants. While waiting for your order to come, stop playing with the stupid cellphone and do some reading.

3. Read when you have some time free during the day or the evening. I like reading before i sleep.




HOW TO READ:

In the new movie the 'Mechanic' played by Jason Statham, a group of expert assassin lived by a strict code of success that made them dangerous. This code was written on their guns: "Victory Loves Preparation".

This code is indeed a good one for those struggling with finishing to read a given book. Since finishing what one starts is indeed a challenge that needs a definite victory, i have some suggestions to make in order to help wanna-be readers to be psychologically prepared to win this reading battle:

1. If you are a new reader, avoid reading book(s) with a discouraging thickness. Start with smaller book(s) not big book(s). When i started reading, i used to choose my readings from booklets. Some exception are listed in point 4 below.

2. What really helps me in launching myself in a reading program is to look how many pages the book have and also to know what type of book it is. For example, i am about to start reading a book having 452 pages if we take out the appendixes and if we include them it makes a total reading of 508 pages. Now to read such a book, it is usually easy if it is a novel or a biography, but when it is an academic book on science, you really better know why on earth you want to torture yourself with such endeavor. In knowing the number of pages and your reading speed, you can calculate how many pages you should read per day before you are able to finish it.

3. The number of pages in a book indicates to you the approximate amount of time the reading will take you before being completed. It gives you the opportunity to clear up your schedule in order to allow you to run your reading course uninterrupted. When reading, avoid interruption. For-example there are books that i don't read in a 10 min bus ride, because they demand a lot of attention and concentration hence being frequently interrupted will disrupt the reading flow as well as the reading comprehension of the document.

4. Like the high school girls on my story above, read books that not only interest you but are written in the format that attracts you. How i started reading those big books, started with my interest in spirituality and the desire to know if other people were actually living what i was reading in the Bible. Hence i started reading somehow thick books like: "He came to set the captive free" and "Un Vase d'honneur" - Rebbecca Brown; "The Fourth Dimension" - Paul Yonggi Cho; "Evagelism by Fire" - Renard Bonkhe; "Happiest People on Earth: The story of Demos Shakarian" - John & Elizabeth Sherill; and the Biography of T.L Osborn. I read them between 1996 and 1999. They all had an attractive feature, they were written in a story-like form. Their biographical format made the reading easier for me and captured me up to the last page.

5. Read with someone. This helps you to surmount your lack of discipline. In reading with someone a particular book, you can be encouraged to keep up with the reading. That is how i read systematically for the first time my whole Bible. We were reading it at three and though we didn't finish it at the same time, we all at least finished it. This works better when at least one partner is really committed. Look for committed friends and create a book club where you can share and discuss what you are currently reading. It can be for a specific book (like the Bible, etc) or it can be for a genre (ex: Fantasy - one may read 'The Golden Compass' and the other person 'Perelandra' and then both tell the story and discuss it. Whatever you do make it fun. With my brothers we discuss what we read or watch and it is fun.)


CONCLUSION

Preparation is the key in forming a successful habit in book reading. Take the opportunity that life hands to you and use it to learn. Know your timetable and start walking with a book in your bag. You might just be lucky a get some free time to read it. Choose well the book you read based on the genre that is easier for you to be attracted by before you transition to other book format. Make reading fun! Hence choose the format that will not burden you.

Remember: "VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION".

May the Lord teach you that which will help you grow and progress fast. Hope the few thing that i wrote up will help.

God bless you in Jesus' name and Merry Christmas!

What should you read?

Last week i have written a post on the value of reading, from a personal perspective. I wasn't ready to post another one so soon, i planed to do that after few weeks, due to personal consideration. However i received this email from one J.C member, which has encouraged me to write a follow up post!

"Love yr post about reading, so true. Someone famously said that our lives are too short to learn everything by experience, but we can learn from others' experiences and avoid the mistakes they have made, share their lessons..."

This short comment really bring the point I was looking for. The kind of book(s), I think we should read, should be those book(s) that a) is/are aligned with our personal life purpose or targets, b) are written by people we assume possess the right experiences that we currently need.

a) Do you know what you (really) want?

There are a lot of books out there. How to go about selecting the one that will benefit you the most? In selecting the kind of books you should read, i encourage that you considers - i) goals that you have, ii) goals that you think you have, and iii) the goals that (you know) you should have. In brief, draft in your mind or in your diary your priority or priorities. Look for blind spot in your knowledge, and commit yourself to enlighten it. You can't know everything, so choose the kind of knowledge that will respond to a specific need in your life, like: an intellectual need, or a spiritual need, or an emotional need or even a health related need; etc.

Napoleon Hill described the situation best:

"It is most appalling to know that ninety-five percent of the people of the world are drifting aimlessly through life, without the slightest conception of the work for which they are best fitted, and with no conception whatsoever of even the need of such a thing as a definite objective toward which to strive." - 1928 The Law of Success Lesson Two A DEFINITE CHIEF AIM

If you happen not to know what you need, turn to God and ask Him to let you know, what you need to know and be open minded when the answer comes. The primary way He might talk to you will be in your reading of the Biblical books such as the Gospels, epistles and so on. Let His words renew your mind so that you can find your purpose through His Will: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 (New International Version, ©2011)

b) Who should you read?

When I started to know where my gaps where in my spiritual knowledge, it was when i started debating sectarians. I read the Jehovah Witness book, magazines and journals as well as the Brahanamists books and booklets. And many other Christian books. At end i was confused! Plain and simple. Then one day, i bought
two medium size books by an unknown author. I was attracted by his name and his book titles. His name resembled mine, so i said to myself "not bad!" It is like that I came to know and started reading Derek Prince. The year was 1999. I never regretted reading him since. God used him to removed my spiritual confusion and since then i can't stop recommending him to every breathing soul that i meet in my Christian pilgrimage. And since that time, i made a personal commitment to never read a book written by someone who has less than 20 years of experience in the Christian ministry. I admit, you don't need to take that as a personal rule, i don't follow that rule anymore neither. But it really helped me a lot at the beginning to "listen" - i mean to read - those with extensive experiences. If you read those who have great experiences that they have harvested throughout their years, you might be surprised by what you might end up knowing after you finish reading them.

I also read books that are up-to-date. This may not be necessary if you read a theological book, but it is crucial if you read an apologetic book or scientific book. These last two are always changing, one needs to keep up with current knowledge in those fields if s/he wants that the new acquired knowledge may serve him/her better.

Thus when i buy books i look at the author, and at the date of publication. These two points are crucial for me. It doesn't have to be like that with you, especially if your interest is more on historical books, biographical books, Novels and so on. Your current interest and need will indicate you who you should read and if the document dates is relevant to take into account. Just an advise, diversify your authors even in the treatment of a specific topic. Read authorities from different school of thoughts. Each one has the ability to add value to your understanding. It helps not to be confined into a narrow understanding of a topic.

Conclusion

Know what you want and need, this will orient to you to be specific in what to read, just as the Apostle Paul knew what he needed the most when he wrote to Tymothy:

"When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, ESPECIALLY the parchments." 2 Timothy 4:13 (New International Version, ©2011)

For Paul to emphasis the need of the parchments over the scrolls - point to purpose driven man. He knew what he needed the most and he also know where to find them - in the parchments. Remember to learn your lesson from those who have demonstrated or are acclaimed to have a pretty good experience. Don't feel shy to discriminate in your readings, you need to do that if you ever wanna learn the good things and to learn it fast (Hebrew 13:7).

Have a good day in Jesus' name.

Why Should I read?

It was the last thing i was expecting. These two elderly folks holding their English bibles entered the warm living room where i was supposed to preach. This happened early this year at a Church Cell I was invited in. I was nervous and a little bit tense. I always feel better talking to young-adults but when the audience changes, i invariably do change too and not necessarily in the best way. Finally, the cell host led us into the introductory prayer and a brief self-introduction before we proceeded with the program. As the two elderly people introduced themselves, i realized that they were intellectuals. The woman told us that she works in the academy and the man didn't tell us that, or i missed it, by he sounded wise - you know, that kind of wisdom that is produced by a life long experience- and felt at ease using both French and English. I loved his introductory advise.

Then came the time to share the word. I was already given not only the theme but also the verse i was supposed to share. The audience, to my great comfort, looked friendly and supportive, since i was the youngest in their midst. I shared the word as best as i could in the allocated time i had and i gave time for questions after i was done. One of the old folks looked at me and asked? Are you a pastor? We all laughed and i did likewise as a mean to avoid answering. Before we all stopped laughing, he straighten up on his sofa and said it once more, more seriously this time in another way: "have you gone to Bible school or did you do so theology or something like that?" and before i was able to mumble some form of answer he made the comment that led me to write this post: "by listening to you i have the impression that i know nothing about the Bible." At this comment the whole room exploded in laughter and some in the audience joined him by nodding their heads. The grand surprise i guess came when the cell host informed them that i was a Catholic.

Finally the evening ended well, and the question and answer session went beyond the chosen subject of the day for we discussed about Christian history and Biblical archeology as well as a brief commentary on studies in comparative religion.

On my way home, i kept remembering how i was so afraid and tense as i started due to the presence of old and educated folks. However the elderly man reaction made me think about the knowledge that he believed made his, looked insufficient. And that's where i started to acknowledge now by experience what i had always known theoretically; reading books from knowledgeable folks gives you wisdom and increases your puny knowledge. The only reason i made sense to my audience, wasn't based on my personal experience - which was way below theirs. It was based on other people experiences and mature thinking that i had access to through all these years of readings. I had just accumulated it and made it my own, and when the time was propitious with the Lord grace, I just gave them back what i had received during my readings years.

King David noticed something similar but in a different way. He remarked in Psalm 119:99 that: "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation." What gave him that kind of a edge is the fact that he read and meditated on the testimonies of those knowledgeable and inspired people who came before him. These testimonies are identified in verse 98 as being God's commandments or if you will, God's precepts, ordinances and Laws. Here is the question, "where did he get those testimonies?" The answer is, from those who came before him. He didn't write them. But read them! It came through ancient folks such as Moses and other writers of old. As he kept reading those readings as verse 98 informs us, he had overwhelming sources from which to draw his information and hence his knowledge.

If i can reflect from the life of Kind David and try to make an application for us young-adults, i think that as we read more documents related to specific topics, the more likely we are to be knowledgeable about them. This is common sense, right? So why don't we read then, especially since we know that we've got a lot of blind spot in our knowledge about certain topics that troubles us and from which we desperately need answers? You only can answer that! With Alain - a friend, we have been thinking about this issue of reading books since last year and we thought on trying to help people who knows that they need to read but have difficulty to start doing so. This post is my modest contribution to what i spoke with Alain and i hope that it might encourage a person or two, to start integrating in his/her daily and weekly schedule some time for book reading .

Next time, i'll tentatively write about "what type of books" and "how you could proceed when you want to read a book"! There might be numerous way of approaching this, but to make things simple I'll just share my way of doing it!

Until then ... take care and may the Lord be favorable to you in Christ' name!