‘Living with Unmet Desires: Exposing the Many Faces of Jealousy’ by Shawn Lantz – Book Review

I have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted recently recently with a wonderful family – the Smith Family.  The offspring of Jim and Nancy Smith has done wonderfully well for themselves.  Todd Smith is a member of the Christian music trio, Selah.  Nicol Sponberg has a successful solo career after her departure from Selah.  Their little brother, Jack, is a worship leader at a church here in the Metro Detroit area.  I had the pleasure of attending a Women’s Tea for Jim and Nancy’s ministry, Laban Ministries, in January; you can read my blog post here.

The oldest sibling, Shawn Lantz, is successful in her own right.  I had the pleasure of meeting her at that Tea; she was a lovely lady!  She is the author of two books; the first is ‘Congo Vignettes: Stories of God’s Faithfulness to Three Generations in the Heart of Africa’ (you can see my review here).   Her second book is a Women’s Bible Study Workbook entitled ‘Living with Unmet Desires: Exposing the Many Faces of Jealousy.’  Here is her biography from the back cover of that book:

Shawn’s passion is to encourage women to develop a love for the Scriptures.  Shawn has had the privilege of sharing the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ through her daily blog, a weekly Bible study, and various women’s retreats.  Shawn and Rob have three children and reside in Nashville, Tennessee.  Her blog and contact information are found on her website at www.esengoministries.com.

Here is the description of this Bible study from the back cover:

Has living with unmet desires ever frustrated you?  Perhaps you have puzzled over the underlying cause of anger, bitterness, or strife within your personal relationships, not recognizing jealousy’s disguised face.  In a culture which tells us we must have more to be accepted, have you ever been a victim of jealousy’s lies, either as its perpetrator or its casualty?  Join Shawn Lantz as we explore this topic in an in-depth Bible study of the life of King Saul.  We will examine the downward spiral of an individual who has everything and threw it all away.  Hope abounds as we encounter individuals within the story of Saul who found a way to live victoriously with their unmet desires by making Godly choices along the way.

Shawn shares with us in Week One that there are four core issues of a jealous heart (p. 21):

1.   God, can I trust You?

2.   God, do You love me?

3.   God, are You good?

4.   God, are You just?

Saul’s story is a character study warning all of us where rebellion, disobedience and jealousy can lead.  Samuel, the judge and prophet, rebuked Saul in 1 Samuel 15:23:

“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

Bouncing off that verse, Shawn asserts:

The kingdom has been torn away, and Saul has failed to recognize that, “the wounds from a friend [Samuel] can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6).  Samuel and Saul never saw each other again while Samuel was alive, although Samuel continued to pray for Saul.  Saul had lost his authority by refusing to be under authority.  The slippery descent into the pit of destruction, caused by Saul’s rebellion, had begun. (p. 99)

Fortunately, Week Nine focuses on ‘Antidotes for Jealousy’s Poison;’ there are Godly solutions to these character issues!  Shawn closes out the week by sharing with us this promise:

The freedom we will have to live at peace with our unmet desires will come as we allow Jesus to remove the veil of jealousy from our hearts, making us more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.  Now that, my dear friend, is something to be jealous for! (p. 240)

I really learned a lot from this study; introspection with the guidance of the Holy Spirit is always healing!  He showed me some areas in my life in which jealousy reigned – areas of which I was not consciously aware.  I think women in particular struggle with discontent, dissatisfaction and jealously; I know those are some of my personal internal (and sometimes external…) struggles.  Shawn writes in a warm and personal style; she comes across as someone you would enjoy spending time with over a hot beverage at a favorite coffee shop!  I thank Shawn for writing such an incisive and insightful study, which also is encouraging and loving!

Shawn taught this Bible study and the sessions were recorded; all nine session are posted online here.  I would encourage you to purchase the study to work through individually or with a small group, and use Shawn’s sessions as part of your study.

You can order this book here.

This book was generously provided by Shawn Lantz.

‘Praying God’s Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds’ by Beth Moore – Book Review

One of my favorite teachers of the Bible is Beth Moore.  I have done several of her Bible studies, and they have all left me spiritually enriched and closer to God.  The latest book of hers that I have read is ‘Praying God’s Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds.’  As with all of the materials of hers which I have studied or read, this one is anointed and totally scriptural.

Here is the biography of Mrs. Moore from the back of the book:

Beth Moore is a writer and teacher of best-selling books and Bible studies whose public speaking engagements carry her all over the United States.  She is a dedicated wife and mother of two adult daughters.  Beth lives in Houston, Texas, where she is president and founder of Living Proof Ministries.

And here is the description of this book from the back cover:

Tear down the strongholds in your life by learning to pray with the power of God’s Word.

A topical prayer guide addressing fourteen common strongholds and what Scripture reveals about each of them.  Praying God’s Word presents Scriptures in prayer form to be incorporated into your daily prayer life.

God’s Word, through prayer, helps you overcome bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness, setting you free from each and every stronghold which claims your life, and replacing it with the mind of Christ.

In the introduction, Mrs. Moore defines the word ‘stronghold,’ as explained in the Bible:

The apostle, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did a masterful job of explaining it in 2 Corinthians 10:5.  Basically, a stronghold is any argument or pretension that “sets itself up against the knowledge of God.”  The wording of the King James Version draws a clearer image of a stronghold: “every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.”  A stronghold is anything that that exalts itself in our minds, “pretending” to be bigger or more powerful than God.  It steals much of our focus and causes us to feel overpowered.  Controlled.  Mastered.  (p. 3)

Fortunately, we have weapons to combat these strongholds.  Here is Beth (p. 4):

According to the 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 passage, we have four vital pieces of information identifying the weapons of our warfare:

1.   They are not the weapons of the world.

2.   They have divine power.

3.   They are associated with the “knowledge of God.”

4.   Their purpose in warfare is to take our thoughts captive.

Beth points out that, in Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul listed the whole armor of God.  Of all the pieces – the belt, the shield, the breastplate, the shoes, and the helmet, the only one that is an offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Beth is convinced there is one more offensive weapon:

I am utterly convinced that the other two major weapons with divine power in our warfare are the Word of God and Spirit-empowered prayer. (p.5)

Beth also tells us that we definitely have to declare war on strongholds:

Virtually nothing we come up against in our individual Christian lives is more formidable than a stronghold.  The very nature of the term tells us that whatever it is, it has a “strong hold” on us… Strongholds are broken only one way: they have to be demolished. (p. 5)

And she goes on to say that satan is a defeated foe:

So, do we run scared?  God forbid!  We put on the full armor of God, take or stand, and fight the good fight.  Satan’s already been defeated.  Most of the power he wields is from pure deception and bluffing.  Greater is He who is in us! (1 John 4:4).  But we’ve got to learn how to live like the overcomer we are. (p. 15)

Beth devotes individual chapters to each of the following strongholds:

1.    Idolatry

2.    Unbelief

3.    Pride

4.    Deception

5.    The Insecurity of Feeling Unloved

6.    Feelings of Rejection

7.    Addiction

8.    Food-Related Strongholds

9.    Ongoing Feelings of Guilt

10. Despair Resulting from Loss

11.  Unforgiveness

12.  Depression

13.  Sexual Strongholds

14.  The Enemy

Each chapter opens discussing the particular stronghold.  Beth then provides some specific prayers, with scriptural references.  In the chapter on unforgiveness, Mrs. Moore describes what can happen as a result of this stronghold:

Innumerable strongholds are connected to an unwillingness to forgive.  Left untreated, unforgiveness becomes spiritual cancer.  Bitterness takes root, and since the root, and since the root feeds the rest of the tree, every branch of our lives and every fruit on each limb ultimately become poisoned.  Beloved sister or brother, the bottom line is…unforgiveness makes us sick.  Always spiritually.  Often emotionally.  And, surprisingly often, physically. (p. 220)

This paragraph reminds me of something I’ve heard in the past: “unforgiveness is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.”  The Lord expects us to forgive, and it is in everyone’s best interest.

Here is one example of a prayer from the unforgiveness chapter:

Lord, as hard as this may be for me to comprehend or rationalize, Your Word is clear: if I forgive others when they sin against me, You, my heavenly Father will also forgive me. (Matt. 6:14) (p. 222)

I found this book to be so valuable!  We all have at least a few strongholds.  This book provides valuable tools which will help us, with the Lord’s strength and Spirit-inspired prayers, to overcome these strongholds which have imprisoned many of us for years, if not decades.  This book can be picked up again and again, and will help us to move toward living victorious lives.  I thank Mrs. Moore for providing another useful tool in our spiritual journey.  Her mansion in heaven will indeed be large!

You can order this book here.

This book was provided by B&H Publishing Group for review purposes.

‘Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge’ by Dallas Willard – Book Review

Dallas Willard has had a huge influence on the evangelical Christian community over the last couple decades.  He has written some very important books during that time.  His latest, ‘Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge’ is the first book that I have read by this author.  Reading a book by Dr. Willard by me is long overdue!

Here is the biography of Dr. Willard from the book cover flap:

Dallas Willard is a bestselling author and professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Philosophy, and has held visiting appointments at UCLA and the University of Colorado.  His groundbreaking book The Divine Conspiracy and The Spirit of the Disciplines forever changed the way thousands of Christians experience their faith.  Willard won the Christianity Today book award in 2007 for The Great Omission.  He lives in Chatsworth, California.

Dr. Willard explains the purpose for this book in the Introduction:

This book is about knowledge and about claims to knowledge in relationship to life and to Christian faith.  It is concerned, more precisely, with the trivialization of faith apart from knowledge and with the disastrous effects of a repositioning of faith in Jesus Christ, and of life as his students, outside the category of knowledge.  This is one result of the novel and politically restricted understanding of knowledge that has captured our social institutions and the popular mind over the last two centuries in the Western world.

At some point in time, it became a popular notion that believing in Jesus and knowledge are not necessarily compatible; that thought has even been accepted by Christians.  Dr. Willard posits that knowledge matters:

Knowledge, but not mere belief or commitment, confers on its possessor an authority or right – even a responsibility – to act, to direct action, to establish and supervise policy, and to teach. (p. 17)

Dr. Willard expands upon a particular passage of scripture which deals with knowledge, Hosea 4:6:

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me.  And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Dr. Willard asserts:

To say that “the righteous (or just) shall live by faith” does not mean that they live by blind and irresponsible leaps in total absence, or even in defiance, of knowledge.  It does not mean that the “just” live in a state of ignorance or stupidity.  They do on occasion act in specific ways beyond what they know, but only within a framework of knowledge that makes such action reasonable.  (p. 37)

Dr. Willard points out that Jesus answers five worldview questions (pp. 50-55):

Question # 1: What is real? What is reality?

Answer # 1:   God and his kingdom

Question # 2: Who is well-off, blessed?

Answer # 2:   Anyone who is alive in the kingdom of God

Question # 3: Who is a really good person?

Answer # 3:   Anyone who is pervaded with love.

Question # 4: How do you become a really good person?

Answer # 4:   You place your confidence in Jesus Christ and become his student or apprentice in kingdom living.

Dr. Willard asserts that there are currently three competing worldviews (p. 62):

1.   Theistic story – consists of Christianity’s four answers of Jesus and his tradition to the four worldview questions.

2.   Nirvana story – most familiar today through current presentations of the teaching of Buddhism and through many of the popular arts along with “New Age” presentations of various kinds.

3.   Naturalistic/secularist story – often tries to present itself as the findings of science.  This one now attempts to dominate our main social and political institutions.

This fine author explains that law is now more important than morality in the United States:

What is permissible and what is done, much less what is required in social and governmental institutions and policies, are no longer to be decided by reference to what is morally good, admissible, or right, but ultimately in the United States by reference to the Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court. (p. 69)

Dr. Willard uncovered four major causes of the elimination of moral knowledge from the knowledge institutions of our society (p. 79):

1.   The failure of the church to guide the development of modern societies into the ways of Jesus Christ

2.   The failure of modern thinkers and scholars to find a secular basis for Christian moral principles

3.   The emergence of many “moralities” at the hands of anthropological “research”

4.   The disappearance of the human self at the hands of the “advances” in psychology

Dr. Willard brings up the important subject of the resurrection of Jesus, and how it relates to knowledge:

Can we know that Christ rose from the dead? Yes, if we will but “do the math.”  That he arose is the only plausible explanation for what happened after his death and what still exists today as a consequence.  The established mental habit of many people today is to say with no thought, no hesitation, that he did not arise.  There are numerous causes of this.  For one thing, to many people this is a “religious” question, and therefore it automatically falls outside the domain of facts and knowledge. (p. 134)

I loved how Dr. Willard explains our interaction with Jesus and His Kingdom:

To know Christ in the modern world us to know him in your world now.  To know him in your world now is to live interactively with him right where you are in your daily activities.  This is the spiritual life in Christ.  He is, in fact, your contemporary, and he is now about his business of moving humanity along toward its destiny in this amazing universe.  You don’t want to miss out on being a part – your part – of that great project.  You want to be sure to take your life into his life, and in that way to find your life to be “eternal,” as God intended it. (p. 139)

That’s the most exciting news I have read in a long time!

One of the most important sections of this book is found in Chapter 8: Pastors as Teachers of the Nations:

To make “disciples” of Jesus is to bring knowledge of him to people in such a way that they want to know his answers to these questions, and the roles of pastors is to help them attain the knowledge they seek.  Their task is not to get people to believe things, to share “Christian” feelings or rituals, to join Christian groups… The task of Christian pastors and leaders is to present Christ’s answers to the basic questions of life and to bring those answers forward as knowledge – primarily to those who are seeking and are open to following him, but also to all who may happen to hear, in the public arenas of a world in desperate need of knowledge of what is real and what is good. (p. 198)

I found this to be a very valuable work; it lived up to my expectations of what a Dallas Willard book would be.  Dr. Willard has the credentials that will be respected by Christians and non-Christians alike, and should be read by everyone, regardless of one’s worldview.  He writes on a scholarly level; this is not easy reading, but it’s worth the effort.  In addition to the valuable content, which chapter also concludes with Discussion Questions; therefore, it could work for individuals or small groups.   

You can order this book here.

This book was provided by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, for review purposes.

‘A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years’ with Diarmaid MacCulloch – Q & A and DVD Review

'The First Christianity' is episode one from the series 'A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Year,' which is based on the book with the same name as the series title.  This very informative DVD (the first in the series) is hosted by Diarmaid MacCulloch, a Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford (since 1997) and Fellow (formerly Senior Tutor) of St Cross College, Oxford (since 1995).  

Here is the video trailer for this series:

Q: A History of Christianity corrects several misconceptions regarding Christianity’s past and traditions, beginning with the earliest days of the fledgling religion. How does the true history of Christianity’s origins differ from the version most of us know?


 A:  Today, Christianity is seen as a Western faith. Indeed, many in the Muslim world would see Western lifestyles as Christian lifestyles. But Christianity is not by origin a Western religion. Its beginnings are in the Middle East, where there still exist churches which have been Eastern since the earliest Christian era. For centuries, Christianity flourished in the East, and indeed, at one point, it was poised to triumph in Asia, maybe even in China. The headquarters of Christianity might well have been Baghdad rather than Rome, and if that had happened, Western Christianity would have been very different. The story of the first Christianity tells us the Christian faith is, in fact, hugely diverse with many identities. The history of Christianity has been the never-ending rebirth of a meeting with Jesus Christ, the resurrected son of God. For some, like the Oriental and Orthodox churches, the meeting has been through ritual and tradition, or the inner life of the mystic. For Western Catholics, through obedience to the Church. In Protestant churches, through the Bible. And it’s the variety that is so remarkable in Christianity’s journey. It’s reached into every continent and adapted to new cultures. That’s the hallmark of a world religion.


Q:  Why does Christian history fascinate you?


A:  When I was a small boy, my parents used to drive me around historic churches searching out whatever looked interesting, but soon, they realized they had created a monster. The history of the church became my life’s work. For me, no other subject can rival its scale and drama. For 2,000 years, Christianity has been one of the great players in world history, inspiring faith but also squalid politics. It is an epic story starring a cast of extraordinary people—from Jesus himself and the first apostles to empresses, kings, and popes, from reformers and champions of human conscience to crusaders and sadists. Religious belief can transform us for good or ill. It has brought human beings to acts of criminal folly as well as the highest achievements of goodness and creativity. I will tell the story of both extremes. Christianity has survived persecution, splits, wars of religion, mockery, hatred. Today there are two billion Christians, a third of humanity—Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and many more. Deep down, the Christian faith boasts a shared core—but what is it? This is something I wanted to explore on a truly global scale.


Q:  Your search for Christianity’s true history begins with a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Why does this location tell us about the Christianity’s global roots?

A:  The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is said to have been built where Jesus was crucified and buried. At its heart is what’s believed to be his tomb. The church built around the tomb of Jesus is the starting point for a forgotten story, a story that may overturn your preconceptions about early Christianity. Pride of place in this building goes to two churches—the Greek Orthodox church and the Roman Catholic church. It’s true that Orthodoxy and Catholicism dominated Christianity in Europe, in the West, for its first 1,500 years. But as you walk around the edges of the church, you can’t fail to notice other curious little chapels. They’re not Western or European. They’re Middle Eastern and African, and they tell a very different story about the origins of Christianity. Around the back of Jesus’ tomb is Egypt’s Coptic church. There are plenty of other churches at this location, but you need to know where to look: the Syriac Orthodox church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, to name a few. Many versions of Christian history would make these churches unorthodox, yet they are far older than better known versions of Christianity like Protestantism. It’s easy for tourists to dismiss these ancient churches as quaint or even irrelevant. But that would be a big mistake.


Q: What are some general differences between the expansion ofWestern and Eastern Christianity?


A:  In the West, Christianity became the religion of an entire empire. This meant the end of persecution. It brought power and wealth. It gave the Christian faith a chance at becoming a universal religion. In theory, it embraced Christians in the Eastern Empire as well as in the West.
But in the east, many Christians were unimpressed by the new alliance—even hostile. At stake were fundamental disagreements about the direction the faith should take. Jesus had told people to abandon wealth, not to ally with the rich and powerful. It was Eastern Christians in Syria who led the way, showing Western Christianity a pattern for spiritual life. We call this pattern monasticism, a way of life involving isolation from the world, austerity, and suffering. The expansion of expansion of Eastern Christianity has often taken place apart from any empire. It has often been a religion of dialogue, not conquest.


My Review 

I learned a lot from this DVD, and was intrigued by what Professor MacCulloch revealed about the history of Christianity.  My only concern is that he is a little too sympathetic to Islam, in my opinion.  I wasn’t necessarily surprised by that, considering that he does live in Great Britain, and there is a large population of Muslims there.  He seemed to consider them to be equal; in fact, he stated:

          “There is more in common than you think between Islam and Christianity.”  

That is certainly an opinion, and subject to interpretation, but I personally do not agree with that statement.

I also take issue with a comment he made on the DVD:

“Later leaders forced Christians to wear distinctive yellow clothing.  Much later, European Christians would do that to Jews.” 

Assuming that he is referring to the yellow Star of David that Jewish people were forced by the Nazis to wear during World War II, I certainly take issue with Professor MacCulloch referring to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis as ‘European Christians.’  They were not Christians if Christians are defined as followers of Jesus Christ.

I watched this DVD with the spirit of discernment with which we are to interpret all media, and came away finding it informative yet flawed.  Professor MacCulloch is a professor of history, not a professor of theology, so he is viewing Christianity and its history through his own worldview – just as in fact I am doing while viewing it.  Overall, I did find it to be valuable.  

You can order the DVD series here.  You can order the book here.

This DVD was produced by Ambrose DVD and provided by B&B Media Group for review purposes.