Sunday Salon #13

Bible Reading

KJV

• Psalms 110-150
• Acts
• Romans
• 1 Corinthians

NASB 1977

• 1 Kings 3-22
• 2 Kings 
• Isaiah 54-66
• Jeremiah 
• Lamentations
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah

NKJV

• 1 Samuel 21-27
• Psalms 91, 7, 27, 31, 34, 52, 56, 120, 140, 141, 142, 17, 73

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

29. The Big Picture Story Bible

29. The Big Picture Story Bible. David R. Helm. Illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker. 2004. Crossway Books. 451 pages. [Source: Review copy] [5 stars]

First sentence from the Old Testament section: The Bible is God's story, and it begins with these big words: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Do you know how God created everything? Simply by speaking words. Imagine, making the world with words! Strong words. Powerful words. With words God created everything!

First sentence from the New Testament section: Years passed without a single word from God. And the years turned into many years, and the many years turned into hundreds of years. And the great promises of God seemed to fade away. Israel became less important in the world. Other nations became great--strong nations, powerful nations, whose kings ruled over God's people. One such king...was Caesar Augustus.

The Big Picture Story Bible is one of my favorite bible story books. Why? Because it presents the Bible not as a series of entertaining, informational, educational, inspirational stories but as a unified story. The Bible does in fact have a big picture. If you miss the big picture, you miss the point. By understanding--grasping, appreciating--the big picture, you are enabling yourself to appreciate the smaller as well because you can see how everything fits, everything belongs.

The Big Picture Story Bible has twenty-six illustrated stories. Together they tell one big story. These stories build upon one another. They are interconnected. Everything is building up to the big climax--the appearance of Jesus Christ. The first eleven stories cover the Old Testament. The remaining fifteen stories cover the New Testament.

The Bible is for believers young and old. The story it tells is grand, glorious, but above all TRUE and TRUSTWORTHY. Yet people of all ages can struggle to read the Word for themselves. Perhaps because it seems so strange and otherworldly. Perhaps because it is intimidating. Perhaps because they don't know where to begin. A familiarity with the BIG PICTURE of the Bible could be the very boost one needs to begin to ACTUALLY read the Bible.

The Big Picture Story Bible gives readers of all ages the orientation they need to grasp not only the story but the theology behind the story. It covers the basics of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. It is not so thorough and comprehensive that it would ever--could ever--take the place of the Word itself. That would be silly. But by showing you the structure of the Word, how everything fits together, how every story belongs to the whole, it can be a considerable help.

I think this one is for readers of all ages. I definitely think parents with children should have this one in their homes. (Christian parents and grandparents). Parents have an awesome responsibility to teach and instruct their children in the faith. It isn't anyone else's responsibility to do so for you. It is a great task, but it isn't an impossible one. It's never too early. It's never too late. You might feel overwhelmed, but you can learn alongside your children. You can go on this glorious, wonderful journey together.

But I also think adults without children could benefit from this one as well. There are a million excuses why believers don't read the Bible. Grasping the big picture and holding onto the big picture could be a great stepping stone into actually reading the Bible and tasting for yourself the sweetness of the Lord.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

28. Remember Heaven

28. Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in The Meantime. Matthew McCullough. 2025. [May] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy] [christian living, christian nonfiction, 5 stars]

First sentence (from the introduction): Another Christmas just came and went, along with a wonderful week away with our extended family. 

Matthew McCullough shares 'meditations' on WHY remembering heaven helps us to live 'in the meantime' with hope, peace, and joy--even in the midst of troubles and hard circumstances. These meditations are not daily meditations--like a devotional book--but instead a series of longer chapters. Each chapter is a different way of looking at the subject. The book is not meant--and the author discloses this--to be an exhaustive book of reasons to remember heaven in light of our 'groans and moans.' 

A few of his reasons to remember heaven:

• grounds our lives as Christians
• reframes our dissatisfaction in the meantime
• overcomes our feelings of inadequacy in the meantime
• empowers our battle with sin in the meantime
• relieves our anxiety in the meantime
• makes our suffering meaningful in the meantime
• makes our grief bearable
• sets our mission in the church 

I found the book helpful and encouraging. It didn't always go in the direction of my preconceived notions, HOWEVER it always went in a direction that surprised me and ultimately proved engaging. I had not pieced together how HOPE in heaven or 'remembering heaven' could be connected with inadequacy and anxiety. So there were chapters that were JUST the medicine I needed. I think the book will be relevant for just that reason. I think each reader will have his or her own 'favorite' chapter(s) that speak to them in their need. The Holy Spirit is good like that.

I would definitely recommend this one.

Quotes:

• Hope matters. We can't live without it. But what we hope in matters even more. We need a hope strong enough to bear the weight of our lives in the meantime. And that is precisely what we have in the hope of heaven.
• Many Christians simply aren't thinking about heaven at all and, if asked, couldn't say why they should be.
• Meditating on heaven, Richard Baxter argues, is how we use our understanding to warm our affections. It throws open 'the door between the head and the heart.' 
• How we spend our moments is how we spend our lives.
• The only way to long for a place you've never been is to long for the person whose presence makes that place what it is to you.
• Love for Christ anchors us to the future we've been promised, and it reshapes how we live here in the present.
• Pride is the poison our culture doles out as medicine. 
• We are anxious when we feel responsible, as if all the outcomes depend upon us. But God is responsible for this future. Everything depends on him. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

27. Praying the Bible

27. Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Since prayer is talking with God, why don’t people pray more?

Donald S. Whitney argues that Christians struggle with praying because prayer is boring. Why is prayer boring? Because Christians tend to pray for the same old things in the same old way--in other words, their prayers use the same words, same patterns, day after day, week after week, etc. He writes, "Prayers without variety eventually become words without meaning."

Christians tend to treat prayer not as a two-way conversation but as a one-way conversation.

Of course, another reason people struggle--and Whitney acknowledges as well--is distraction.

He has a solution for both 'problems'. That solution is praying the Bible. In this little book, he teaches readers how to pray through the Psalms and passages of the New Testament. Though any passage can be prayed--Genesis through Revelation. His goal is to get you started and the easiest--the best--place to start is the book of Psalms.

To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. See how easy that is? Anyone can do that. Just speak to the Lord about everything that occurs to you as you slowly read his Word. What does the text of Scripture tell us to pray about? Everything, right?  Every person, every object, every issue, every circumstance, every fear, every situation—everything in the universe is something we may bring before God. So every thought that enters your mind as you are reading a passage of Scripture—even if that thought has nothing to do with the text before you at the moment—is something you may bring to God...
If you are praying through a psalm, you simply read that psalm line by line, talking to God about whatever thoughts are prompted by the inspired words you read. If your mind wanders from the subject of the text, take those wandering thoughts Godward, then return to the text. If you come to a verse you don’t understand, just skip it and go to the next verse. If you don’t understand that one, move on. If you do understand it but nothing comes to mind to pray about, go to the next verse. If sinful thoughts enter in, pray about them and go on.
You may read twenty or thirty verses in that psalm, and yet on a given day have only five or six things come to mind. No problem. Nothing says you have to pray over every verse. Nothing says you have to finish the psalm...
Talk to God about the words you read in the Bible, and you’ll never again pray the same old things about the same old things. 

He makes distinctions between reading the Bible, praying the Bible, and studying the Bible. The methods you use for praying the Bible are not necessarily sound methods for teaching or preaching through the Bible.  

Correctly handling the Word of God does not permit making the text say what we want. To understand the Bible accurately—which is essential for right belief and living, for truthful sharing with others, and for authoritative teaching and preaching—we must do whatever is necessary to discover (or “exegete”) the single, God-inspired meaning of every verse before us. The text of the Bible means what God inspired it to mean, not “what it means to me.”
Bible reading is secondary in this process [of praying the Bible]. Our focus is on God through prayer; our glance is at the Bible. And we turn Godward and pray about every matter that occurs to us as we read. Do you see the distinction?

I have enough confidence in the Word and the Spirit of God to believe that if people will pray in this way, in the long run their prayers will be far more biblical than if they just make up their own prayers.

Without the Scripture to shape our prayers, we are far more likely to pray in unbiblical ways than if we pray the thoughts that occur to us as we read the Scripture.

The book is practical. He has a plan in mind for you to put this into practice.

With the Psalms of the Day you take thirty seconds or so to quickly scan five specific psalms and pick the one that best leads you to prayer on that occasion. While reading five psalms a day is a great practice that many enjoy, that’s not what I’m advocating here. What I’m suggesting is that you take half a minute to quickly scan five psalms and pick one of those five to pray through. Here’s how it works. The first psalm is the one that corresponds with the day of the month. 

Day of the Month	Psalms to Skim
1	1, 31, 61, 91, 121
2	2, 32, 62, 92, 122
3	3, 33, 63, 93, 123
4	4, 34, 64, 94, 124
5	5, 35, 65, 95, 125
6	6, 36, 66, 96, 126
7	7, 37, 67, 97, 127
8	8, 38, 68, 98, 128
9	9, 39, 69, 99, 129
10	10, 40, 70, 100, 130
11	11, 41, 71, 101, 131
12	12, 42, 72, 102, 132,
13	13, 43, 73, 103, 133
14	14, 44, 74, 104, 134
15	15, 45, 75, 105, 135
16	16, 46, 76, 106, 136
17	17, 47, 77, 107, 137
18	18, 48, 78, 108, 138
19	19, 49, 79, 109, 139
20	20, 50, 80, 110, 140
21	21, 51, 81, 111, 141
22	22, 52, 82, 112, 142,
23	23, 53, 83, 113, 143
24	24, 54, 84, 114, 144
25	25, 55, 85, 115, 145
26	26, 56, 86, 116, 146
27	27, 57, 87, 117, 147
28	28, 58, 88, 118, 148
29	29, 59, 89, 119, 149
30	30, 60, 90, 120, 150
31	Psalm 119

And if you will take thirty seconds to review five psalms every day, it is uncanny how one of them will express something that is looking for expression in your heart.

I love how Whitney guides you through this method. I love how he encourages you to try it. I definitely got a Green Eggs With Ham vibe! His passionate pleas to actually pray were compelling and persuasive.

I also love how he quotes some great theologians throughout the book--men, for the most part, who have learned that praying the Bible is transformative in their lives.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #12

Bible Reading

KJV 

Psalms 79-109

Luke 3-24

John

1611 KJV (I finished!!!!!)

Ezekiel 19-48

James

NASB 1977

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings 1-2

Isaiah 1-53

NKJV

1 Samuel 13-20; Psalms 59

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

26. Adventure Bible: Read through the Bible: 8 Bible Stories for Early Readers

26. 8 Bible Stories for Early Readers (Adventure Bible) Illustrations by David Miles. 2025. Zondervan. 248 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

First sentence: God spent six days creating his world. That first day, God made light. He said, "Let there be light," and there it was. He made sure the light was separate from the dark. He called the light "day" and the dark he called "night."

This collection of early reader Bible stories (from The Adventure Bible, I believe) is a level 2 'I Can Read' reader. It features eight--presumably previously published and available as individual titles--stories. 

The featured stories are: 

God's Great Creation

Noah's Voyage

Moses Leads the People

Joseph the Dreamer

Ruth and Naomi

Brave Queen Esther

Miracles of Jesus

Paul Meets Jesus

What I like: Bible story books are good. It's good to have big, thick collections to read aloud with children of varying ages. It is good to have individual stories. (I grew up on the ARCH Bible story books.) There's a need for board books and early readers as well. 

What I am meh about: The stories are extremely simplified. Presumably again 'for the audience' or because it is an early reader? But some times vital details that make the story make sense are left out. It almost feels like we're getting the George of the Jungle "they just get really big boo-boos" treatment. This may not annoy a young child. Probably wouldn't. For example, out of all the healing stories in the Bible, they chose the one with the woman who had bled for twelve years--and spent all she had on doctors. She sought Jesus out and touched him. They, of course, did not include any details of her story. Just a woman who touched Jesus and was healed. Is the story fine? Sure. It's fine. But there are other stories that could have been included perhaps that they wouldn't have felt the need to edit so much? Or did they include it just because she is a woman???? Who knows. 

The stories selected felt slightly odd to me. Just slightly. It was like they felt the need to push Esther and Ruth just because they were women. Was that their intent? Maybe. Maybe not. I do *love, love, love* the book of Ruth. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Ruth. But if you are just going to share eight stories--six from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament, then I am not sure they picked the absolute best six. (They could have picked four from the Old Testament and four from the New Testament and included stories about the cross or the resurrection.) 

What I definitely did not like: I thought it was horrible oversight to put MOSES before Joseph. Such a thing just should not be. Will this bother anyone but me? Maybe. Surely I'm not alone in wanting the stories to actually come together as a big picture and make sense. But probably not. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

2. 1611 King James Version

2. The Holy Bible, 1611 Edition, King James Version, 400th Anniversary, Hendrickson Publishers. 1611/2003. God. 1536 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the Heauen and the Earth. And the earth was without forme, and voyd, and darkenesse was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the waters. And God said,  Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God diuided the light from the darkenesse.

I first read the 1611 KJV in digital format in 2021. I was SO thrilled to find a print copy still at a physical store last December. I'd given up hope of finding one. Yes, I could have ordered online. But you can't be discerning about if the layout, the print, the ghosting, the weight, etc., will be *right for you* until you hold it in your hands. Was it? Yes and no. In a perfect world, the font size would be a smidgen bigger--not a horrendous amount. 

I started this one December 25, 2024. I finished this one--minus the apocrypha--on March 18, 2025. 

I absolutely should have remembered that the 1611 KJV included the apocrypha. I didn't. I therefore didn't calculate the time into my reading plan/schedule to include the apocrypha. To be fair, reading it in early-modern English isn't at the top of my to do list. I've read the apocrypha in the KJV, RSV, the NRSV, and I believe the New English Bible? Regardless, I've read it a handful of times in my life. 

I did want the original spelling. I don't know exactly what it is about reading the original spelling that engages and delights me. You might think it would be super difficult or tricky, but your mind can get the hang of it fairly quickly. And the spelling even starts to make some sense if you sound it out in your head. I imagine someone with a drawl. 

The print edition does NOT feature page numbers. I found at least one typo, yet there may be more. (The top of each left hand page includes the title of the book as a header, one of Micah's pages had JOEL substituted. Or to be more accurate, Ioel. It is double column, black letter. Is it a facsimile? No. Yes. Maybe. It is a facsimile of a nineteeth century roman typeface 1611 KJV. It is not a facsimile of the first-first-first ever 1611. It claims to be--and I have no true reason to doubt--that it is word for word, page for page, including the original marginal notes and introductory materials a copy of the original 1611. 

Quotes:

Psalm 34:3 O magnifie the Lord with me, and let vs exalt his name together. 34:4 I sought the Lord, and hee heard me; and deliuered mee from all my feares.

Psalm 37:4 Delight thy selfe also in the Lord; and he shall giue thee the desires of thine heart. 

Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way vnto the Lord: trust also in him, and he shall bring it to passe.

Isaiah 9:6 For vnto vs a child is borne, vnto vs a Sonne is giuen, and the gouernment shalbe vpon his shoulder: and his name shalbe called, Wonderfull, Counseller, The mightie God, The euerlasting Father, The Prince of peace. 

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his gouernment and peace there shall be no end, vpon the throne of Dauid & vpon his kingdome, to order it, and to stablish it with iudgement and with iustice, from henceforth euen for euer: the zeale of the Lord of hostes will performe this.

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feede his flocke like a shepheard: he shall gather the lambes with his arme; and carie them in his bosome, and shall gently lead those that are with yoong.

John 3:16 For God so loued ye world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life. 

John 3:17 For God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world: but that the world through him might be saued.

Romans 12:15 Reioyce with them that doe reioice, and weepe with them that weepe.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

25. Sing

25. Sing!: How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church. Keith and Kristyn Getty. 2017. B&H Books. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: We are a singing people because it is how God has created us. It’s what we do. And when we do, we’re simply joining in with what the rest of creation is doing.

It's September. The year isn't over yet. But I'm thinking Sing! may be my favorite book of the year. We'll see. What is it about? Why should you read it? Why should you read it with others? I hope to do the book justice and answer your questions.

Intended Audience: Any believer. Also: Pastors. Elders. Worship Leaders. Band Musicians. Fathers and mothers. Sunday school teachers. Song writers. Anyone who has ever suffered at any time. Anyone who has ever struggled with depression at any time. Anyone who wants to be happy.

What is it about? It's about singing. It's about congregational singing in local churches. It's about singing at home with our families. It's about individual and corporate singing. Chances are you haven't thought of singing as a spiritual discipline. Yet IT IS. So just as you'd read a book about how to pray or how to read the Bible, the Gettys have given us a book on how to sing.

Why was it written? The Gettys' five point aim in writing Sing!

1. To discover why we sing and the overwhelming joy and holy privilege that comes with singing.
2. To consider how singing impacts our hearts and minds and all of our lives.
3. To cultivate a culture of family singing in our daily home life.
4. To equip our churches for wholeheartedly singing to the Lord and one another as an expression of unity.
5. To inspire us to see congregational singing as a radical witness to the world. 

Why should you read it? God designed us to sing praises. Singing praise to the Lord is one of God's ultimate purposes for our lives. Singing is so intimately connected with joy; we are to delight in the Lord and find our satisfaction, our happiness IN HIM.

What did I love about it? I loved, loved, loved everything about this one. I thought it was packed with truth and insight. I thought it was biblical. I thought the authors were persuasive. I loved the passion and enthusiasm. I loved the organization and layout. I loved how practical it was. Also how concise the book was. And I really LOVED the discussion questions. There's also four additional bonus tracks--chapters.

Some of my favorite discussion questions:

1. How has singing played a role in your spiritual development?
2. Can you recall an example of a memorable occasion where you enjoyed singing in church? What about that event made an impact on you?
3. What is the link between thankfulness and singing?
4. What psalm or other Scripture passage resonates with you as your “Song of Salvation”? Why?
5. What song would you consider to be your personal “testimony” song?
6. Is there a hymn, or hymns, from your past that acts as a “milestone marker” for your walk with Christ? Why is it still significant and how does it speak to your heart today?
7. What modern song (new to you in the past few years) has connected with you in such a way that you believe it may become a “milestone” hymn for you in the future?
8. If you grew up in a Christian home, what songs from your childhood do you most remember? What hymns do you know? What Bible verses and stories do you know because of songs? What hymns do you want to pass down to your children?
9. If I were a visitor to your church and knew nothing of the gospel, what would your church music (selections, presentation, and congregational engagement) convey to me about your faith and understanding of the gospel?
10. Do your favorite songs that you love to sing give a broad and deep picture of the character and nature of God? Can the same be said of how we think about God and how we pray to Him? 

The book wasn't just about singing in church--at church. It was about singing seven days a week and really living out what you're singing. 
Favorite quotes:

• We are commanded to sing the Word of God—the truth revealed in the Scriptures, the story of redemption. Fundamentally, we’re to sing about God, revealed in Christ and supremely in His suffering and His glory, since that’s what the Word of God is all about (Luke 24:26–27).
• The songs we sing should not brush along the surface, or pluck phrases out of context, or focus exclusively on ourselves, or describe Jesus in a way His Word does not (or, still worse, to speak in contradiction to His Word). Every part of a lyric should link together to bring a wonderful, thoughtful, deep expression of Scripture to every singer. 
• Worship comes as a response to revelation. Praise is prompted by—compelled by—the revelation of something glorious. And the gospel is the revelation of the most glorious truth in history. 
• Singing gives voice to a heart that deeply knows the gospel of grace. It is the overflow of a heart captivated by the gospel. In as many voices that join together to sing there are as many hearts that are called to know Christ as Lord and Savior. From that place there is a genuine and rich overflow of praise.
• People say you are what you eat. Well, songs are food for the soul. What you sing, and don’t sing, changes you. Your heart and mind require a good, balanced diet of gospel truth that will build you up for your working week, your times of trial, and for each season of life.
• If we are to be prepared to live for Christ in the whole of life, we need to be singing about the whole of life.
• If our songs are not giving us a balanced, rich, nutritious diet, we will not be spiritually healthy people. 
• Our singing can prepare us for every season of life, and sustain us through every season of life. We don’t need a musical escape from our lives; we need to gaze on the Savior of our lives—our refuge and help and comfort. 
• We need to make singing Bible truths second nature to our children, a “second language” in our homes. Sing about those truths when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Sing with your kids as you put them to bed at night, or you sit down for dinner, or as you drive in the car with a CD on. Sooner or later, they’ll start singing unprompted. Join in with them.
• Songs help us train children in the “language” of the Christian faith. What we want to teach our kids travels deeper inside them when we sing it rather than only speak it to them. 
• While our faith must be taught, it is also “caught” in our homes, through what our kids see and hear from us. And singing is catchy. So sing with your kids. You don’t need to be able to sing well. Our singing always remains more important than the sound it makes.  
•  There may never be a perfect day to start singing truths with your kids. But there is today. They are not too old. They are not too young—we have been surprised that even our two-year-old knows several songs well.
• Our singing casts a light after we are gone. We each bear responsibility in the singing legacy we leave behind us. We should sing with a mind toward those younger than us who are listening in and learning from us.
• Someone took the time to share hymns of faith with us and we are to be faithful in doing the same. 
• As you stand and sing in your church this Sunday, you do not know who is listening, and you can never imagine what the Lord might be doing. 
• As you wake each day, and as you walk through your day, we pray that the lyrics and melodies of your faith will ring around the spaces where you live your life.  

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #11

Bible reading

KJV

• Psalms 44-78
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke 1-2

1611 KJV

• Jeremiah 17-52
• Lamentations
• Ezekiel 1-18
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews

NASB 77

• Joshua 4-24
• Judges
• Ruth
• Ecclesiastes 6-12
• Song of Solomon

NKJV

• Ruth
• 1 Samuel 1-12

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

24. The Wages of Cinema

24. The Wages of Cinema: A Christian Aesthetic of Film in Conversation with Dorothy L. Sayers. Crystal L. Downing. 2025. 256 pages. [Source: Review copy] [philosophy, film history, biography; 3 stars]

First sentence: The cultural power of narrative cinema has long captured the attention of priests, pastors, and professors who write books assessing film through the lens of Christian faith. 

What is it about? The short answer, of course, is movies. The real answer, however, can best be shared from the book's introduction, "It emphasizes the history of film as well as the development of secular theories about the artistry of its form." 

Sounds simple and straight-forward enough, right? Wrong. Mostly. It complicates the subject--for better or worse. The book theoretically offers a look at film--its past and present. It theoretically offers various summaries of different philosophies or schools of how films are interpreted or critiqued. It theoretically explores how directors and screenwriters relate to their creations--their vision, intent, energy, passion, etc. It theoretically explores film as art and film as philosophy. How what we see on the screen shapes or world views--impacts who we are as human beings. Theoretically. 

Where it is at its messiest--from my personal perspective--is the introduction of this super-analogy (all-encompassing) between cinema and theology. I think this could have been done in a clearer way if the book hadn't spread its focus so thin. 

It makes a good amount of sense to make the connections of ANCIENT THEATRE with the Greek language the New Testament is written in.  It makes sense to share verses where the language/imagery being used to express theological ideas, concepts, doctrines, etc. were drawn from the theatre. However, it isn't satisfied with the historical elements. It persists in this extremely convoluted, intimately connected--joined at the hip--idea that cinema AND Christianity are still just as integral to one another. Which if the author's train of thought was slowed down a couple hundred times, might make sense if properly explained. 

The element that will either make or break the book for readers, however, may be the presence of Dorothy Sayers. The author persists in having Sayers as tour-guide and host for the duration of the book. Sayers being long, long dead, of course, this is done artistically using her nonfiction and fiction. The author sees Sayers as both being qualified as an expert (to borrow a court term) in both FILM and in THEOLOGY. (But was she either???) Sayers words--ideas, concepts, perceived views--are used as a lens to analyze films made long after her death. 

The films being offered as examples are more often than not obscure and far from pop culture. (Not that I expected Sayers to analyze Captain America or Star Wars.) This is to be expected in a book about the history of cinema. Nothing terribly surprising. But what was surprising is that most of the examples come not from the history of film--but from more "contemporary" times. Films whose trailers I would have come across--reviews I would have come across--if not so incredibly obscure and out of the way. I personally wanted more HISTORY and less present day. I wanted a deeper dive into the first thirty years of cinema and not just a deep dive into the past fifteen to twenty years. The focus, for better or worse, was rarely American films--particularly in the history section. The author seems only to care about Russian, Italian, French, German directors in the history of cinema. Same with the film theorists. Again, the movies being discussed throughout are taste-specific, perhaps out of necessity. 

This is without a doubt a book that focuses centrally on ART and being ARTY and ARTSY. About wearing exclusive little genius caps.

What the book truly lacked, in my opinion, was a clear introductory chapter or two about HOW to talk about film, in other words HOW to assess what you are watching and HOW to talk about it. SIMPLE vocabulary lessons with ACCESSIBLE down-to-earth examples that just about anyone/everyone could understand BEFORE progressing into the deep depths of the ocean. 

So the book felt substantively deep--for better or worse. You're deep-diving into THEOLOGIANS from the past and present--from ancient church fathers through the twentieth century. You're deep-diving into film theorists, into philosophers, into directors. You're expected to unpack all of Sayers' philosophy as well. And to make sense of how her thoughts on ARTY-ART directly relate to humanity's connection with God himself. Her theology is tough on its own. But you're not only having to interpret her theology as theology but also her theology as a way to make sense of film. 

I think there has to be a better way for Christians to understand films and film theory. Do I know that such a book exists? No. No, I don't. Do I wish there was a book within reach that is CLEAR and accessible and relatable that would help me unpack more details of what I'm watching--very much so. I would LOVE to learn how to better talk about movies, to more intelligently assess what works or doesn't in a film. 

The one thing I definitely took away from the book was that Sayers truly appreciated when films have consequences AND she didn't really care for sappy happy endings. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

23. A Book of Comfort For Those In Sickness

23. A Book of Comfort for Those In Sickness. Philip Bennett Power. 1876/2018. Banner of Truth. 97 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]

From the introduction: AMONGST the many wonderful truths which are spoken of God in the Bible, one of the most wonderful and beautiful is that He is a ‘God of comfort.’

A Book of Comfort For Those in Sickness is a gem of a book. It was originally published in 1876, it has since been reprinted a few times--most recently in 2018 by Banner of Truth.

Whether your sickness or suffering leaves you in bed or a not-so-easy easy chair, this book is for you.

There are twelve chapters:

Is God a God of Comfort at All?
Hindrances to Our Believing that God is a God of Comfort
Helps to Our Believing That God is a God of Comfort
Comfort In Pain
Comfort as to Our Being Useless
Comfort in Felt Unworthiness
Comfort To Counter Envious Thoughts About Others
Comfort In Our Being a Trouble to Others
Comfort In Death That the Affliction Will Be Long
Comfort in the Thought That We Shall Have to Be Alone
Comfort In Our Fears that We Shall Dishonor God At the Last
Comfort in the Thought of Our Departure Hence

While a few chapters really stick out as being MARVELOUS AND all kinds of WONDERFUL. Each chapter is a gem. A few chapters would even be super-relevant even if you weren't enduring pain and suffering.

I have lived with chronic pain for over twenty years. Some days are more painful than others. Some days I am more functioning than others. But pain is a constant in my life. A pain-free day is something that just doesn't seem possible this side of eternity. If by pain-free you mean totally and completely free from pain everywhere. This pain has filled me with hope and longing--longing for more of Christ, longing for his Coming, longing for the days when there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more suffering, no more trials, no more temptations.

I found this book to be EXCELLENT. I loved, loved, loved it.

From chapter one, "Is God a God of Comfort At All?"

• Some people speak of God as though there is no comfort in Him at all; and that Jesus is to comfort us by enabling us to escape from God.
• (1) Get firmly convinced that God, God Himself, God the Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our Father, is a God of comfort.
• (2) Do not look anywhere else for your prime and first comfort. I do not deny that there is much comfort in friends, in happy feelings, in books, in many of the surrounding circumstances which prove alleviations in illness, but I want you to gather in your thoughts, and feel that the only sure comfort is with God.
• (3) Expect comfort from God. Man’s expectation is generally a prelude to God’s action. We must first open our mouth, and then he will fill it.

From chapter two, "Hindrances To Our Believing that God is a God of Comfort"

• The brighter any truth of God, the more does Satan endeavour to gather about it such mists as will obscure it, if indeed he cannot extinguish it altogether.
• We must not be always suspecting God. If He says one thing to us, we must not think that He means another.
• The past is dead and gone, and let the dead bury their dead. We cannot alter the bad and foolish past. It will always remain what it was. But what we are concerned with is that it should not carry itself on into the present, that it should not hurt us now, that it should be indeed ‘a past.’ Now, say to yourself: That is a bad old habit of mine, not looking to God. I must break with it altogether. Let Him now make all things new with me.
• A discouraged man is always a weak man. This Satan knows very well, and therefore, he puts all sorts of discouragements in the way of our going to God for comfort.
• I do not believe that God is well pleased with a man’s spending all his time in self-condemnation. 
• I think God might well say to us, ‘What! all looking at self, and never a look at Me! What! look at Me, and never a bit of comfort out of it!
• Are your sins of more importance than My grace? are they to occupy all the ground, and no room to be left for Me to act in comfort and blessing, the way in which I love to act?’
• He will be more glorified by your being comforted than by your continually refusing to be comforted, or crying out that you are unworthy to be comforted.
• Self-condemnation is very good in its place, but it is very bad out of its place; and it is out of its place, when we make it so big that it can blot out the comfort of God.
• We may put a penny piece so close to our eyes as to hide out the sun itself; and we may put our little selves into such a position as to blot out God.

From chapter three, "Helps To Our Believing that God is a God of Comfort."

• We must keep close to thoughts of God. We must meet Satan’s dark thoughts and suggestions about God with bright thoughts about Him.
• I consider then God’s character as my great help to believing Him to be a God of comfort.
• Bathe your thoughts then in God. Be rich in God – poor in yourselves, but rich in Him.

From chapter four, "A Comfort in Pain"

• WE must not undervalue pain. It is a folly to say that we should be above being moved by it – that, as it is only for a time, we ought not to make anything of it.  So far from making nothing of pain, I make a great deal of it. I believe it to be a very real trouble, a very great trial, something which makes a great demand upon my faith and patience, and all my powers of body and mind too. I consider it an insult to anyone suffering pain to make light of his suffering.
• Be persuaded, then, that God does not make light of your pain. I am comforted in my suffering in the thought that God knows all about it, and feels for it too.
• Sympathy is a great balm; and you have the sympathy of God.
• Therefore, be comforted in every pain with the thought that it has not escaped the observation of God, but has been noted by Him, has been felt for by Him. ‘My groaning is not hid from Thee.’
• Pain is no vulgar thing when we bring it into connection with the sympathy of God.
• Then, we come to the thought that Jesus suffered pain. Put that down as a second comfort; put it down as a great comfort.
• Christ (God and man) in His human nature, made of nerves and flesh and blood, just like yours, every nerve the same, every muscle the same, actually felt great pain; probably greater than any you have ever felt. 
• No doubt you have no pain but that He felt one like it, probably that very pain in its highest form upon the cross. I think it will help you to bear your pain, and will comfort you in it, if you come into fellowship with Christ in regard to it.
• Another comfort in pain is the thought that all this shall have an end.
• Every pain borne, is one pain less to bear.
• And God would have us think of the end. He sets all the future blessedness before us, telling us of it before we attain to it, in order that it may cheer and encourage us on our way.
• But no pain is aimless, if only we will see that it has a design. God means it to work blessing. He means that it should leave something behind it.
• In pain, if properly borne, God can be pleased. But perhaps our pain may be so sharp, or may have worn us down so much that we cannot get the mind to work actively;
• it is a comfort to think that God does not require us to think. He is no hard taskmaster. He only wills us to resign ourselves into His hands.
• We may do that, and lean back in our chairs, or on our pillows, and feel that we are pleasing Him, though we can have no active thoughts about Him.

From chapter five, "A Comfort To Our Being Useless"

• Many of the most pitiable forms of illness and suffering will be found not on beds at all, but on sofas, in arm-chairs. 
• Yes! many of the sick ones who may claim this book as their own are even walking about, but they are hit sore, and can do nothing that looks worth much.
• God has not taken away all opportunities of usefulness from you by setting you in a useless place.
• God has something for you to do, and to be, in His kingdom.
• Sometimes, we must look at things in relation to God and man; and sometimes to God alone.
• Your patience, your resignation, your glorifying God in the fires, your word of good to others, all are useful, inestimably precious in the sphere of His kingdom in which He has now appointed you to act.
• Sick man, you have a place of usefulness for God, not the old place, but His place – the place which is best in the eyes of the all-wise One.
• Under any circumstances you may be of great use by being contented and cheerful in your trouble.
• Those around you will see that God sustains you, and will bless Him and glorify Him, and perhaps learn to trust Him too.

From chapter six, "A Comfort in Felt Unworthiness"

• ‘He is empty, then there is room for Me, and Mine – I will fill him.’
• Christ will fill you with Himself, and when the Father sees the Son in you – all the Son – His own beloved Son, and not a bit of your own poor fallen self, and your own poor perishing things, He will be well pleased.
• You shall never learn anything bad about yourself, without learning something correspondingly good about Christ.
• Humble yourself – the lower the better; but always, with Christ before you. Humility without Christ will make you weak; with Him, it will make you strong. Our own unworthiness would crush us.

From chapter seven, "A Comfort to Counter Envious Thoughts..."

• When I think how I am to be comforted under these circumstances, I ask myself, ‘Who has appointed me my present lot? Who has sent me my illness? Is God in this matter? Have I distinct views upon this subject?’
• It is very unsafe to survey the lot of others, except in the light of God.
• O my God, I will behold Thee in the sanctuary, not in the glass of my poor evil heart, where I would distort Thy image, but where Thou showest Thyself, and I believe that Thou art good, and good in the highest way to me. 
• But that would not be enough. I must believe that infinite wisdom has been at work, to give me the thing best for me.
• Why it is best for me I know not; enough that, if it come from God, it must be so.
• I am comforted, because Thou who art all-wise and good hast settled my lot for me.
• We stand before Him in our individuality; and He deals with us one by one. Therefore, if I believe in God, I comfort myself, in the assurance that I have the lot that is best for me. Why it should be best, as I have said, I cannot tell; that I must leave to God.
• I comfort myself, O my God, with the belief that Thou appointest what is best for me – for me!
• Very often, we have to hunt for our blessings to find them. They are none the worse for that;
• In sickness, little mercies are as sweet and as really great to you, as very great things are to other people in health. 
• Ask God to show you the good things incidental to your lot. Believe that there are some, and look for them.

From chapter eight, "A Comfort In Our Being a Trouble to Others"

• Very often, our illness makes us sad on account of dear ones on whom we are made dependent, upon whom this illness must exercise some pressure.
• To you, my sick friend, it may be a great burden even to hold up a book; it may tire you very much to walk a few steps; you cannot talk for five minutes at a time. But you must not measure your friends round about you by yourself. You and they are under different circumstances altogether;
• Now, love makes no account of trouble; on the other hand, it rejoices in opportunities of showing itself, and counts many a thing which is troublesome in itself, no trouble at all because of the one for whom it is done.
• God will reward those who minister to us, for what they do for His sake.
• There is One who notes all they do, and who in His own time and way will reward them.
• Faith is not always wanting to know.
• God has appointed you to be the one to depend, even as He has appointed your kind friends to be the ones to be depended on.

From chapter nine, "A Comfort In Fear That The Affliction Will Be Long"

• The first grand comfort will come from living by the day.
• God meant us to live by the day. It was sin that brought in ‘trouble about the future,’ and distrust of God; and conjured up all sorts of fears and doubts and disbeliefs, to people the long weary time that it brings before the mind.
• God has mercifully cut up life into short pieces, into days; if He had not done so, we must have been overwhelmed.
• ‘God is often better to us than our fears,’
• From the habit of being on the sofa, or in bed, or being confined to the house, all these trials will be far less than they would have been, if they came only at intervals, and for short periods.
• It is also a comfort to think that, no matter how long our trial may be, it will never be too long for God’s intention.
• Comfort yourself also with the assurance that the trial will not be too long for your blessing.
• God will not send trial without the intention of blessing; therefore, where the trial is great, we may be sure that the blessing intended is great also.
• Your trial cannot be longer than the lasting power of God’s faithfulness, and mercy, and patience, and power.
• Believe that long afflictions have their peculiar meaning and blessing.
• But come what may, my God will be faithful to me all through; and will hold me by my right hand, even to the end.

From chapter ten, "A Comfort in the Thought That We Shall Have To Be Alone"

• Strengthen yourself in the honour of being in some small measure even as Christ was.
• Human applause did not carry Jesus through anything; what He did, He did without it; and we may do the like.
• Your circumstances are like His, He will make you, in your measure, like Himself.
• Depend upon it, however little sympathy you may have, you have more than He had; however often you may be misunderstood, you are not misunderstood as often as He was.
• Though we cannot enter into the depths of His suffering in any one form of it, still we can be in fellowship with it as regards ‘kind,’ and to be in fellowship with Him will brighten any lonely hour.
• Encourage yourself in the thought of ‘a presence’, and that presence – your Father’s. And that presence you will never have without His voice speaking to you, and without your voice being drawn out to respond to His.
• Our bodies, no doubt, are kept in the chamber of weakness; but our bodies are not ourselves.

From chapter eleven, "A Comfort In Our Fears That We Shall Fail and Dishonor God at the Last"

• The unknown we almost always fear. And yet, with the unknown before us, we must always live.
• There are two ways of meeting the unknown – either by not thinking about it at all, or by thinking and leaving it all to God.
• God sees the future both of our weakness and of our temptation, and when they come, we shall find that He has come with them.
• The Word of God is intended to be, not a fear-creating, but a fear-dispelling Word.
• No doubt it warns us about ourselves – our own weakness, and nothingness, and entire liability to fall – but this is only to prevent our being set on the wrong basis of self and our own strength.
• One of the uses of ‘the Word’ is to lift us out of self-strength, to put us on new standing-ground altogether, to take us out of the land of fears, and set our feet in the land of faith.
• We must leave the future to God – our future must be a God-made, God-wrought one.

From chapter twelve, "A Comfort in the Thought Of Our Departure Hence"

• One great comfort will be to believe that the best arrangement is made for everything connected with it. 
• Not arrangement by ourselves, or any near and dear to us, but by the One who from the beginning has arranged all things.
• He who is so active in all things connected with life, is equally active in all things connected with what we call Death.
• We are going to our Father. We are provided for by our Father. Our Father is in all. We are going to a place, to friends, to life. A home, and not a grave, is the true ending of our earthly life; we depart not to be, as we say, ‘dead,’ but really to live.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #10

Bible reading 

NASB 77

• Proverbs 10-31
• Ecclesiastes 1-5
• Deuteronomy 14-34
• Joshua 1-3

KJV

• Psalms 9-43
• Daniel
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi

1611 KJV

• Isaiah 45-66
• Jeremiah 1-16
• Philippians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians

NKJV

• Judges 2-21

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

22. How Can I Begin to Teach the Bible?

22. How Can I Begin to Teach the Bible (9Marks) (Church Questions) David Helm. 2024. 64 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars]

First sentence: This book is for anyone who wants to teach the Bible but doesn't know how to begin. It's also for those who are already teaching the Bible but don't know if they are doing it well. 

This book is short. There's short, and then there's extremely short. As in why does this exist as a book instead of a free tract or blog article short. 

The advice or tips are somewhat obvious and just common sense. For example you need to be confident. Confident that God is God is God. Confident that the Bible is the Word of God. Confident that the Holy Spirit will use you--even you--to accomplish his will. Confident that whatever happens, God's will will be done. Confident that God will answer prayers and that prayers are a must--for teacher and students.

Are there people teaching the Bible who needs these basic refreshers???? Probably. But those are the very people unlikely to pick up a book by Crossway. 

Is everything super basic? Yes and no. The section on preparation is more practical and helpful, perhaps. But it is also the most challenging--the one that will require the most work for you to apply. The principles seem solid enough but will require you to put in six to eight hours of effort each week for whatever Scripture passage you'll be teaching. It is relatively easy to read the how-to basics of how to study Scripture and less easy to start actually digging *that* deep into Scripture. 

The book concludes with a great message: You must always, always, always keep your listeners in mind. Have a precise goal in mind, follow an outline, and don't forget applications. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

21. Five Things Every Christian Needs to Grow

21. Five Things Every Christian Needs To Grow. R.C. Sproul. 2002/2008. Reformation Trust. 135 pages. [Source: Free Download? Bought?]

First sentence: It is a worldwide phenomenon. Every four years, the world pauses and holds its collective breath while the Olympic Games take place.

Premise/plot: The Christian life is a disciplined life. Sproul writes, "like Olympic athletes, Christians are called upon to train, to make sacrifices, and to embrace certain disciplines in order to give God "our utmost for His highest." This book deals with five of those disciplines: Bible study, prayer, worship, service, and stewardship." There is a chapter dedicated to each discipline or grace. Through the disciplines, grace flows and abounds.

My thoughts: This is a solidly biblical book.

I enjoy spending time with R.C. Sproul. It is good for my soul. I enjoy his stories. For example, "As a new Christian I was infatuated with Scripture. I wanted to spend almost every waking moment reading it. As a result, I made the dean's list in my first semester of college. It was not the list of academic achievement, however; it was the list of students placed on academic probation." OR "At seminars, I often ask for a show of hands indicating ing how many people have read the entire Bible. Rarely do even 50 percent of the people answer "yes." I ask, "How many of you have read the book of Genesis?" Almost everyone raises his hand. Then I say, "Keep your hand up if you've also read Exodus." Only a few hands are lowered. "Leviticus?" That's when hands start dropping quickly. With Numbers it's even worse."

I enjoy his practical teaching. For example, "I suggest that you put a question mark in the margin beside every passage that you find unclear or hard to understand. Likewise, put an X beside every passage that offends you or makes you uncomfortable. Afterward, you can focus on the areas you struggle with, especially the texts marked with an X. This can be a guide to holiness, as the Xs show us quickly where our thinking is out of line with the mind of Christ." Further: "If I don't like something I read in Scripture, perhaps I simply don't understand it. If so, studying it again may help. If, in fact, I do understand the passage and still don't like it, this is not an indication there is something wrong with the Bible. It's an indication that something is wrong with me, something that needs to change. Often, before we can get something right, we need to first discover what we're doing wrong."

I enjoy his honesty. "I don't think there is any area of the Christian life in which people are more weighed down by guilt than in the area of their prayer lives. Most Christians will readily confess that their prayer lives are not what they should be. And one major reason for this problem is that Christians don't really know how to pray effectively." Another favorite of mine is, "I hear people say, "Doctrine divides." Of course doctrine divides, but it also unites. It unites the ones who love God's truth and are willing to worship Him according to that truth. God wants people to worship Him from the heart and from a mind that is informed of who He is by His Word."

His works are full of gems and insights. For example, "I think one of the reasons many Christians never get to the meat of the Word but remain at the milk level is because they never really learned how to drink the milk."

Quotes: 

• Though sin often brings immediate pleasure, it gives no lasting joy. If we understand the difference, we can avoid the pitfalls that entice the believer.
• Deception through distortion of the truth of God is a major problem that confronts every generation and every Christian community.
• The value of the Bible lies, first of all, in the fact that it teaches sound doctrine. Though we live in a time when sound teaching is denigrated, the Bible places a high value on it. Much of the New Testament is concerned with doctrine. The teaching ministry is given to the church for building up its people. Paul said, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12).

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

20. A Promise to Love

20. A Promise to Love. Serena B. Miller. 2012. Revell. 332 pages. [Source: Bought]

A Promise to Love is set in Michigan in 1870-1871. It stars an unforgettable, oh-so-lovable heroine named Ingrid. When readers first meet Ingrid she is a Swedish immigrant working as a servant. She is not being treated fairly; her mistress is very cruel and harsh. But she won't remain in service for long.

Joshua Hunter, our hero, is a widower with five children. His in-laws are accusing him of murder. If they have their way in court, he'll be charged with murder or at the very least lose custody of his children. (They've assumed custody of the youngest, a baby boy just a few months old.) Ingrid sees Joshua (for only the second time) at the inquest. When she sees his four daughters, when she hears the judge say that he will lose his children because he can't provide the care they need, her heart compels her to stand up and speak. She comes close to proposing to him right then and there! She knows she can be a good mother to those kids, and she knows that she can take good care of him too. If he'll let her that is!

Within the first month, Ingrid has taken on the responsibility of a house, a husband, five children, and a mother-in-law. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ingrid's relationship with her mother-in-law. I love how happy she is to welcome her mother into their small home, not as a burden, not as a responsibility, not as a duty, but as pleasure.

I love the characterization. I love all the major characters and plenty of the minor characters too! I loved the story; it was oh-so-satisfying. If you enjoy historical fiction, or, historical romance, then this is a MUST read.

I first read this one in 2012. I reread it in 2013. I am revisiting this year--2025. I don't know why I waited so long to reread. Within a few chapters I knew I would read it in one sitting. It was just that good. 

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that the melodrama--which I can complain about in some books--has historical basis. There was a HUGE WILDFIRE that hit this specific region in 1871. So it wasn't just an "obstacle" in the path of love's declaration. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #9

Bible reading 

1611 KJV

• Isaiah 1-44
• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians

NASB 77

• Psalms 119-150
• Leviticus 13-27
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy 1-13
• Proverbs 1-9

KJV

• Jeremiah 32-52
• Lamentations
• Ezekiel
• Psalms 1-8

NKJV

• Deuteronomy 28-34
• Joshua
• Judges 1
• Psalms 105

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible