Fresh Start by Doug Fields

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 16:15:26 -0600

Fresh Start by Doug Fields was an amazing book. I always love Doug’s writing but this was even beyond my expectations. The book talks about making a fresh start and I believe that is something that we all need. This book was not an easy read by the fire book. There were times that I could not get off of a single page because the information was so hard hitting. My favorite chapter was chapter six: conflict, an unimagined adventure. It talked about how we view different kinds of conflict and how to overcome obstacles. This book covers a lot of different aspects of starting fresh. From not allowing your past to cause you to become stagnate to being able to go out into the world boldly. The chapter on pride vs. God sized dreams. That chapter really put a lot of things in perspective for me. This book was a stepping stone for me dislodge my foot where I was stuck and once unstuck it gave me guidance on what to do next. It truly was a great read. There are plenty of scripture references that helps you plunge right into the Bible and back to the amazing story that God has for your life.

The Expanded Bible

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:48:57 -0500

This is the first Bible that I have ever seen like this. It is definitely a study Bible. The tag line is “Study the Bible While you Read.” It is a catchy title, but I wonder how else you would study the Bible if you don’t read it. Even so the tag line does say a lot about this particular version. With lots of brackets all of the study material you would need is there in the verse, which I really do like. I also love the way that it references other verses; for example, in Hebrews 11(The Faith Hall of Fame) The Expanded Bible gives you the location of the scripture that the verse refers too, right there in the verse it self. I find this Bible to be an amazing study asset; however, as a youth minister I would not preach out of this Bible for two reasons. These are the two reasons that caused me to give this Bible a 4 out of 5 and not a 5 out of 5.

1. It is only the New Testament.
a. I love to preach out of and reference the Old Testament.

1. It is a little hard to just read out of with all of the study material in the verses.

I am very glad I have this Bible. It is, like I said, an amazing study tool, and is now the first Bible that I pull off my shelf when working on a new sermon. I almost forgot my favorite part. The pages or not very thin like the usually Bible pages. They are like the pages in a regular book. The hardcover and the thick pages means that I will be able to use this Bible for countless years.