39. Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of John

39. [Expository Thoughts on the] Gospel of John. J.C. Ryle. 1879. 353 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, Christian nonfiction, commentaries]

First sentence: The Gospel of John, which begins with these verses, is in many respects very unlike the other three Gospels. It contains many things which they omit. It omits many things which they contain. 

It has been a long time since I reviewed J.C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew. It was a GREAT read. John being my particular favorite gospel, I decided to read J.C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of John in anticipation of Lent/Easter season. It was a WONDERFUL read. 

This one is essentially a commentary on a single book of the Bible, the gospel of John. The book divides each chapter into sections. It will print the Scripture itself [not just a reference] AND then provide expository commentary on Scripture. I love it when commentaries take the time to share the Scripture itself instead of just expecting you to have your Bible open as well. Being printed in the nineteenth century--originally--I'm guessing that it is likely the King James Version being used.

J.C. Ryle was a GREAT preacher and teacher. I love his work. I agree with most of what I've read. His work can be convicting for sure. 

Quotes from John 1 commentary:

• If no one less than the Eternal God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, could take away the sin of the world, sin must be a far more abominable thing in the sight of God than most men suppose. The right measure of sin's sinfulness is the dignity of Him who came into the world to save sinners. If Christ is so great, then sin must indeed be sinful!
• When He rose again, as the Head of the body of believers, He rose not as a mere man, but as God. Let these things sink deeply into our hearts. The second Adam is far greater than the first Adam was. The first Adam was only man, and so he fell. The second Adam was God as well as man, and so He completely conquered.
• No man ever errs on the side of giving too much honor to God the Son. Christ is the meeting-point between the Trinity and the sinner's soul. "He that honors not the Son, honors not the Father which sent Him." (John 5: 23.)
• Let us take heed that in all our thoughts of Christ, we first think of Him as John the Baptist here represents Him. Let us serve him faithfully as our Master. Let us obey Him loyally as our King. Let us study His teaching as our Prophet. Let us walk diligently after Him as our Example. Let us look anxiously for Him as our coming Redeemer of body as well as soul. But above all, let us prize Him as our Sacrifice, and rest our whole weight on His death as an atonement for sin. Let His blood be more precious in our eyes every year we live. Whatever else we glory in about Christ, let us glory above all things in His cross. This is the corner-stone, this is the citadel, this is the rule of true Christian theology. We know nothing rightly about Christ, until we see him with John the Baptist's eyes, and can rejoice in Him as "the Lamb that was slain."
• Christ is a COMPLETE savior. He "takes away sin." He did not merely make vague proclamations of pardon, mercy, and forgiveness. He "took" our sins upon Himself, and carried them away. He allowed them to be laid upon Himself, and "bore them in His own body on the tree." (1 Pet. 2: 24.) The sins of every one that believes on Jesus are made as though they had never been sinned at all. The Lamb of God has taken them clean away.
• Christ is a PERPETUAL and UNWEARIED Savior. He "takes away" sin. He is daily taking it away from every one that believes on Him--daily purging, daily cleansing, daily washing the souls of His people, daily granting and applying fresh supplies of mercy. He did not cease to work for His saints, when He died for them on the cross. He lives in heaven as a Priest, to present His sacrifice continually before God. In grace as well as is providence, Christ works still. He is ever taking away sin.
• Christ must be set forth again and again, as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The story of grace must be told repeatedly--line upon line, and precept upon precept. It is the constant dropping which wears away the stone. The promise shall never be broken, that "God's word shall not return unto him void." (Isaiah. 55:11.)
• Do we find it hard to see Christ in the Old Testament, because we do not see His name? Let us be sure that the fault is all our own. It is our spiritual vision which is to blame, and not the book. The eyes of our understanding need to be enlightened. The veil has yet to be taken away. Let us pray for a more humble, childlike, and teachable spirit, and let us take up "Moses and the prophets" again. Christ is there, though our eyes may not yet have seen Him. May we never rest until we can subscribe to our Lord's words about the Old Testament Scriptures, "They are they which testify of me." (John 5: 39.)

Commentary on John 3

• No man is the author of his own existence, and no man can quicken his own soul. We might as well expect a dead man to give himself life, as expect a natural man to make himself spiritual. A power from above must be put in exercise, even that same power which created the world. (2 Cor. 4:6.)
• Let us take heed that our views of the love of God are Scriptural and well-defined. The subject is one on which error abounds on either side. On the one hand we must beware of vague and exaggerated opinions. We must maintain firmly that God hates wickedness, and that the end of all who persist in wickedness will be destruction. It is not true that God's love is "lower than hell." It is not true that God so loved the world that all mankind will be finally saved, but that He so loved the world that He gave His Son to be the Savior of all who believe. His love is offered to all men freely, fully, honestly, and unreservedly, but it is only through the one channel of Christ's redemption. He that rejects Christ cuts himself off from God's love, and will perish everlastingly. On the other hand, we must beware of narrow and contracted opinions. We must not hesitate to tell any sinner that God loves him. It is not true that God cares for none but His own elect, or that Christ is not offered to any but those who are ordained to eternal life. There is a "kindness and love" in God towards all mankind. It was in consequence of that love that Christ came into the world, and died upon the cross. Let us not be wise above that which is written, or more systematic in our statements than Scripture itself. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God is not willing that any should perish. God would have all men to be saved. God loves the world. (John 6:32; Titus 3:4; 1 John 4:10; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4; Ezek. 33:11.)
• When Christ died upon the cross, our many sins were laid upon Him. He was made "sin" for us. He was made "a curse" for us. (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13.) By His death He purchased pardon and complete redemption for sinners. The bronze serpent, lifted up in the camp of Israel, brought health and cure within the reach of all who were bitten by the snakes. Christ crucified, in like manner, brought eternal life within reach of lost mankind. Christ has been lifted up on the cross, and man looking to Him by faith may be saved. The truth before us is the very foundation-stone of the Christian religion.
• It is true that we are sinners--but Christ has suffered for us. It is true that we deserve death--but Christ has died for us. It is true that we are guilty debtors--but Christ has paid our debts with His own blood. This is the real Gospel! This is the good news! On this let us lean while we live. To this let us cling when we die. Christ has been "lifted up" on the cross, and has thrown open the gates of heaven to all believers.
• "He that believes on the Son has everlasting life." He is not intended to look forward with a sick heart to a far distant privilege. He "has" everlasting life as soon as he believes. Pardon, peace, and a complete title to Heaven, are an immediate possession. They become a believer's own, from the very moment he puts faith in Christ. They will not be more completely his own, if he lives to the age of Methuselah.

Commentary on John 4

• If we let ignorant people fancy that we think we are doing them a great favor in talking to them about religion, there is little hope of doing good to their souls.

Commentary on John 5

• Sin was the original root, and cause, and fountain of every disease in the world. God did not create man to be full of aches, and pains, and infirmities. These things are the fruits of the Fall. There would have been no sickness, if there had been no sin.
• Simple, regular reading of our Bibles is the grand secret of establishment in the faith. Ignorance of the Scriptures is the root of all error.

Commentary on John 6

• We must read our Bibles, like men digging for hidden treasure. We must wrestle earnestly in prayer, like men contending with a deadly enemy for life. We must take our whole heart to the house of God, and worship and hear like those who listen to the reading of a benefactor's will. We must fight daily against sin, the world, and the devil, like those who fight for liberty, and must conquer, or be slaves. These are the ways we must walk in if we would find Christ, and be found of Him.

Commentary on John 8

• Let us never suppose that there is any lack of charity in speaking of hell. Let us rather maintain that it is the highest love to warn men plainly of danger, and to beseech them to "flee from the wrath to come." It was Satan, the deceiver, murderer, and liar, who said to Eve in the beginning, "You shall not surely die." (Gen. 3: 4.) To shrink from telling men, that except they believe they will "die in their sins," may please the devil, but surely it cannot please God.

Commentary on John 9/10

• We must never suppose for a moment that our Lord had no power to prevent His sufferings, and that He was delivered up to His enemies and crucified because He could not help it. Nothing could be further from the truth than such an idea.
• Let us grasp it firmly, and never let it go. Let us maintain boldly the complete inspiration of every word of the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. Let us believe that not only every book of the Bible, but every chapter--and not only every chapter, but every verse, and not only every verse, but every word, was originally given by inspiration of God. Inspiration, we must never shrink from asserting, extends not only to the thoughts and ideas of Scripture, but to the least words.

Commentary on John 11

• The highest degree of faith is to be able to wait, sit still, and not complain.

Commentary on John 13

• Once let a man begin tampering with the devil, and he never knows how far he may fall. Trifling with the first thoughts of sin--making light of evil ideas when first offered to our hearts--allowing Satan to talk to us, and flatter us, and put bad notions into our hearts--all this may seem a small matter to many. It is precisely at this point that the road to ruin often begins. He that allows Satan to sow wicked thoughts will soon find within his heart a crop of wicked habits. Happy is he who really believes that there is a devil, and believing, watches and prays daily that he may be kept from his temptations.

Commentary on John 14

• Heaven is "a Father's house,"--the house of that God of whom Jesus says, "I go to my Father, and your Father." It is, in a word, HOME--the home of Christ and Christians. This is a sweet and touching expression. Home, as we all know, is the place where we are generally loved for our own sakes, and not for our gifts or possessions; the place where we are loved to the end, never forgotten, and always welcome. This is one idea of heaven.
• Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people--a place which we shall find Christ Himself has made ready for true Christians. He has prepared it by procuring a right for every sinner who believes to enter in. None can stop us, and say we have no business there. He has prepared it by going before us as our Head and Representative, and taking possession of it for all the members of His mystical body.
• Christ is "the WAY,"--the way to heaven and peace with God. He is not only the guide, and teacher, and lawgiver, like Moses; He is Himself the door, the ladder, and the road, through whom we must draw near to God. He has opened the way to the tree of life, which was closed when Adam and Eve fell, by the satisfaction He made for us on the cross. Through His blood we may draw near with boldness, and have access with confidence into God's presence.
• Christ is "the TRUTH,"--the whole substance of true religion which the mind of man requires.
• Christ is "the LIFE,"--the sinner's title to eternal life and pardon, the believer's root of spiritual life and holiness, the surety of the Christian's resurrection life. He that believes on Christ has everlasting life. He that abides in Him, as the branch abides in the vine, shall bring forth much fruit. He that believes on Him, though he were dead, yet shall he live. The root of all life, for soul and for body, is Christ.

Commentary on John 15

• He would have us know that we can never think too highly of love, attach too much weight to it, labor too much to practice it. Truths which our Master thinks it needful to enforce on us by repetition, must needs be of first-class importance.
• To see light and not use it, to possess knowledge and yet not turn it to account, to he able to say "I know," and yet not to say "I believe," will place us at the lowest place on Christ's left hand, in the great day of judgment.

Commentary on John 16

• Then let us never forget, in reading the Bible, to pray for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. We must not wonder if we find the Bible a dark and difficult book, if we do not regularly seek light from Him by whom it was first inspired. In this, as in many other things, "we have not because we ask not."
• The storms of trial and persecution may sometimes beat heavily on us; but let them only drive us closer to Christ. The sorrows, and losses, and crosses, and disappointments of our life may often make us feel sorely cast down; but let them only make us tighten our hold on Christ. Armed with this very promise let us, under every cross, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Commentary on John 20

• Where sin is not felt at all, nothing is done; and where sin is little felt, little is done. The man who is deeply conscious of his own guilt and corruption, and deeply convinced that without the death and intercession of Christ he would sink deservedly into the lowest hell, this is the man who will spend and be spent for Jesus, and think that he can never do enough to show forth His praise.
• Let us daily pray that we may see the sinfulness of sin, and the amazing grace of Christ, more clearly and distinctly. Then, and then only, shall we cease to be cool, and lukewarm, and slovenly in our work for Jesus.
• Let us love all who love Christ in sincerity, and thank God that they love Him at all. The great thing is to love Jesus.
• Let us believe that things are often working together for our peace and joy, which seem at one time to contain nothing but bitterness and sorrow.

Commentary on John 21

• There is no such thing as luck, chance, or accident, in the journey of our life. Everything from beginning to end is foreseen--arranged by One who is too wise to err, and too loving to do us harm.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #17

Bible Reading

KJV (Clarion)

• Deuteronomy 21-34
• Joshua
• Judges
• 1 Chronicles 13-29
• 2 Chronicles

NASB 77

• John 8-21
• Acts

NKJV

• Psalms 97, 98, 99, 30, 108, 109, 131, 138, 139, 143, 144, 145, 68, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 37, 71, 94, 
• 2 Samuel 24
• 1 Kings 1-2
• 1 Chronicles 23-29

ESV

• 2 Chronicles 17-24

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

38. When I Talk To God, I Talk About Feelings

38. When I Talk To God, I Talk About Feelings. Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins. Illustrated by Lisa Fields. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [picture book]

First sentence: When I talk to God every day, there are so many things I want to say. Each day has its own special meaning. When I talk to God, I talk about feelings.

This one is a follow up to When I Talk To God, I Talk About You. It is primarily a concept book teaching children HOW to identify feelings and [a] way to express their feelings. The God of the picture book is 'generic' and 'nonoffensive.' For better or worse. 

It is not an exhaustive guide teaching children how to pray. 

There are ANIMAL characters throughout. Readers don't follow *one* set of animals, but many. 

The book is written in rhyme. 

ONE great thing about this one is that I found while the 'God' is more generic than not, the Bible provides ample--150 to be more precise--examples of people praying to God and expressing their feelings. The book of Psalms is packed full of emotions and feelings. Here we have human authors expressing many, many, many, many, many emotions and taking them to God. Some psalms even display MANY emotions. Because praying to God often led to a change of emotions/feelings. So the concept of talking to God about your feelings is not a foreign concept--at least not entirely. 

Again if you only ever talk to God about yourself, your feelings, your emotions, and you just keep it focused on you, you, you, you, and you, then it might not be the best prayer ever. (The Psalms are always God-centered as well.) But this book doesn't have to be a instructional guide on HOW specifically to pray to God. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

37. When I Talk To God, I Talk About You

37. When I Talk To God, I Talk About You. Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins. Illustrated by Lisa Fields. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [picture book]

First sentence: When I talk to God, goes what I do? It's really quite simple: I talk about you. I prayed for the day that you would arrive. I dreamt of your smile and the color of your eyes. You're sprouting like a weed kissed by the sun. I love hearing your giggles. You're so silly and fun.

Premise/plot: Two things to keep in mind--mostly for me to keep in mind. A) This is generic, non-offensive God. Don't expect more than that. B) This is a picture book that exists to celebrate a parent's love for a child. Don't expect more than that. 

There are ANIMAL characters throughout. Readers don't follow *one* set of animals, but many. 

The book is written in rhyme. 

The 'plot' or 'story' is talking about the many different ways one might 'pray' or 'talk to God' about his/her child through many stages and ages of life. Again animal characters make this slightly weird in places if you're an overthinker. 

My thoughts: When compared to other books celebrating parenthood like GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU or LOVE YOU FOREVER, it certainly holds up well. Very similar in tone and theme. Yes, the book mentions God, but, not specifically THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, the trinitarian God,  the God that might offend. I had to keep reminding myself of the limited nature of this book. Obviously not meant to be an exhaustive book on what to pray and how to pray.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

36. God's Masterpiece

36. God's Masterpiece: An Adventure in Discovering Your Worth. Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Illustrated by Julia Seal. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars; picture book]

First sentence: Come along with me, my friend. I can't wait for you to see some of the most famous art made for you and me. 

God's Masterpiece is an odd picture book. Half of the text is art appreciation--written in [forced] rhyme, unfortunately--and the second half of the book (also written in rhyme) is about how you are God's true masterpiece. The book concludes with a mirror so you can admire God's masterpiece--you, of course.

Of the two halves I prefer the focus on art. I enjoy the introduction of particular art pieces by particular artists. Some are extremely famous and will likely be familiar to adults. Others perhaps not as much. I think a definite argument could be made that a) God IS a creative God. b) man who is made in the image of God is creative too. That would be a worthwhile message to share with little ones. 

The second half takes a little more liberty with theology. It is not all the way off. Psalm 139 is proof of that. But it is more like a crazy fun house mirror type of interpreting scripture. I think there are definite true statements and statements that push things all the way down the slippery slope. I think God can absolutely LOVE us and be our Creator without making it so absurdly all about us. The mirror was a little over the top for me. 

I think ALL of creation--think Genesis 1 and 2, as well as many psalms--was pronounced good, very good. That God was pleased with his creation. I think one could definitely argue that ALL humans have worth and value because they were made in the image of God. Though the 'image of God' is fractured since the fall. Still *all* humanity has worth, value, etc. 

But what is missing in this book is JESUS. Perhaps because "God" especially a "Master Painter" God is infinitely less offensive than Jesus--a Savior, a Deliverer, the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS. Does God love us? YES. Absolutely. That is why he sent JESUS to save us from our sins. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #16

Bible Reading

KJV (Clarion)

• Numbers 
• Deuteronomy 1-20
• Isaiah 17-66
• 1 Chronicles 1-12

NASB 1977

• Luke 4-24
• John 1-7

NKJV 

• 2 Samuel 13-23
• Psalms 3, 4, 13, 28, 55, 5, 38, 42, 57, 26, 40, 41, 58, 61, 62, 64

ESV

• 2 Chronicles 1-16

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

35. Short-Straw Bride

35. Short-Straw Bride. Karen Witemeyer. 2012. Bethany House. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

ETA: I listened to Short-Straw Bride on audio book. The narrator is Pilar Witherspoon. Her narration was WONDERFUL. I was SO PLEASED that the narration didn't take away from the awesomeness that is Karen Witemeyer's book. I love, love, love, love Karen Witemeyer. I do. I can't hide the fact. I hoped that the audio book would do her book justice...and it did. I was ALWAYS glad to get back to my audio book. That isn't always the case. Sometimes a book can be great and the audio book not as great because of the narrator chosen. HIGHLY recommend this one. 

From the prologue: Ten-year-old Meredith Hayes balled her hands into fists as she faced her tormentor, "Hiram Ellis! Give me back my lunch bucket this instant!"

From chapter one: "I don't think I can do it, Cass." Meredith peered up at her cousin through the reflection in the vanity mirror. Cassandra pulled the hairpin from her mouth and secured another section of Meredith's braided chignon. "Do what?" "Marry a man who wants me only for the land I can bring him." 

Short-Straw Bride is one of my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite books. I absolutely love this marriage-of-convenience. Is it a true marriage of convenience? Maybe. Maybe not. The two marry due to circumstances, close to a "shot-gun wedding" if you will. (Though our hero and heroine are innocent of any impropriety.) 

Meredith Hayes, our wonderful heroine, overhears a terrible-horrible plot. She's being "courted" by a villain (though she didn't know it at the time). She rides out to the Archer ranch to warn the four Archer brothers....and her time there on the ranch becomes extended after she suffers an injury....her guardian/uncle demands that one of the Archer brothers steps up and does the right thing and marry Meredith.

I really love this super-sweet and delightful romance. I loved Travis Archer. I loved Meredith. I loved ALL of the Archer brothers. I loved everything about this one.

My original review:

This isn't my first Karen Witemeyer book; however, it is the first Karen Witemeyer book that I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. Short-Straw Bride is a Christian historical romance; it is set in Palestine, Texas in the 1880s.

In the prologue, Travis Archer saves the then-ten-year-old Meredith, her leg having gotten trapped in a hunting trap. The incident stays with her, as you might imagine. First, because she can't forget Travis Archer, he is forever her hero, the stuff of her dreams, despite the fact that that isolated incident is the only time she's seen him. Second, because it left a scar on her leg and the damage to the bone prevented it from growing as it should; one leg being slightly longer than the other. 

The novel opens with Meredith all grown up and living with her aunt and uncle who are her guardians. They have arranged a marriage for her with an up-and-coming businessman, Roy Mitchell. Meredith prays for a sign, an indication one way or another if she should marry the man her guardians have chosen for her, or, if she should be stubborn and refuse their choice. And the sign, when it comes, is definite: she not only overhears him calling her a cripple, she overhears him making unethical arrangements to acquire land. He WANTS the Archer land, and since the Archer brothers won't sell, won't negotiate, won't budge, he's decided that if he burns their barn down, it will be a good first step to getting what he wants.

So what's a woman to do? Well, she does try going to the sheriff--or the deputy?--but when she's not taken seriously, when she's instead ridiculed for being a silly woman with a vivid imagination, she does what she must: she rides out to the Archer land herself to warn them. The problem? She doesn't have the time to ride out there and back before nightfall. And she wasn't counting on her cousin giving into the pressure of revealing her whereabouts. So her heroic ride to warn them just in time turns into a compromising reputation-killer. Her uncle demanding that one of the four Archer brothers step forward to marry her....

I admit this one could sound a bit silly to some readers, but, oh how I loved it!!!! I loved Meredith! I loved Travis! I loved their relationship, their marriage, their courtship-coming-after-marriage. I loved seeing how Meredith's presence on the Archer farm transforms the place, transforms the brothers. I loved just about everything in this one!!! There were quite a few giddy-making scenes!

Will Short-Straw Bride appeal to every reader? I doubt it. It's definitely for those that love Christian fiction, those that love Christian historical romance. I could see it having some appeal to non-Christians who love and seek out clean romance novels (smut-free romance novels).

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

34. Cries from the Cross

34. Cries from the Cross. Erwin Lutzer. 2002. Moody. 170 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, christian nonfiction]

First sentence: Were you there when they crucified my Lord? As a child I wondered what those words could possibly mean. Obviously, the author of the hymn intended that we answer yes to the question. And yet, what could be clearer than the fact that I was not there when they crucified my Lord? 

Cries from the Cross is a wonderful book--whether you are reading it for the first time or treating yourself to a reread. In this one, Lutzer is examining Jesus' words spoken from the cross. There is a chapter for each of Jesus' seven statements or 'cries.' There's also a preface, introduction, and epilogue that help set the book into context. 

Do you know what Jesus' seven cries from the cross were? Have you considered how they can speak into your life--how they relate to you personally? If you haven't--or even if you have--it's worth pondering (again). I know that 'pondering' or 'meditating' or 'reflecting' takes time and that the average person prioritizes just about everything else over silence or quiet--but at what costs to our souls? 

Here they are in the order in which he writes about them:

• A Cry for Pardon: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
• A Cry of Assurance: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)
• A Cry of Compassion: "Dear woman, here is your son...Here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)
• A Cry of Anguish: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
• A Cry of Suffering: "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)
• A Cry of Victory: "It is finished." (John 19:30)
• A Cry of Submission: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

Lutzer clearly and passionately shares the gospel message--that old, old story--that gospel message that when empowered by the Spirit--through the Spirit--can transform lives and take people out of darkness and into the light.

I love, love, love, love, LOVE this one. It is a thrilling read. This was my second or perhaps third time to read it.

Quotes:

To stand at the foot fo the cross is to witness the purpose for which God created the world. Here we see the attributes of God on display; and if we look carefully, we will see ourselves, with all of our needs, sins, and self-deceptions. Thankfully, it is at the cross that God chose to remove His wrath from those who would humbly trust Christ as their sin-bearer. (11)

The cross properly understood exalts no one whom it first does not humble; it gives life only to those whom it first "puts to death." The cross exposes the futility of our self-righteousness; it reminds us that we are sinners, incapable of bringing about our own reconciliation with God. Before the cross we can only stand with bowed heads and a broken spirit. (16)

Unless we see ourselves as deserving of the verdict that Pilate gave to Jesus, unless we see ourselves as worthy of hell, we will never understand the Cross. Someone has said that it is difficult for us to embrace the cross in a day when personal enjoyment is king. Contrary to popular belief, the central message of Christianity is not the Sermon on the Mount or Jesus' parables about love toward one's neighbor. The message that changed the first-century world was that human beings are guilty, helplessly guilty of sins for which they cannot atone. The cross shatters all pride and undercuts the ultimate value of self-effort. The cross stands as proof of God's great love but also reveals our own ugliness. (17)

The church can only live and breathe at the cross; without it, there is no life and no reason to exist. Properly proclaimed, it is "the power of God unto salvation." (19)

Jesus' suffering was terrible for the simple reason that our sin is terrible. (20)

No one can experience the eternal favor of God if they bypass the cross. (25)

Christ was forsaken that we might not be; He experienced hell that we might experience heaven. (28)

Forgiveness sounds like a marvelous idea until you are the one who has to do it. (33)

Words of forgiveness came from His lips when the nails were being driven into His body, when the pain was fiercest, when the jolts of anguish were the sharpest; He prayed as the cross was lowered into the hole with a thud. It was then, when His nerves were yet the most tender, when the pain was the most unfathomable, He who was the victim of history's greatest crime prayed for the criminals. He could forgive because He was about His Father's business. (36-7)

God never lowers His standard of justice to the level of our ignorance. Sins committed in ignorance are still sins. The guilt of those who crucified Jesus was real and objective regardless of how much they understood or did not understand. (41)

We have no idea of the greatness of our sin because we do not understand the greatness of our God. But we have fewer excuses today than ever; we have no reason to turn away from the savior who left us powerful witnesses to His authenticity. (42)

The prayer was not for those who did not want to be forgiven, but for those who would seek it. (45)

Are some sins "unpardonable"? The answer is no, for if the murder of the Son of God was "forgivable" for those who sought forgiveness, then all sins can be forgiven. (46)

There is no unpardonable sin for those who come to Christ for forgiveness. For those who refuse Him, all sins are unpardonable. (46)

He who needed no forgiveness died for those of us who are condemned without it. (47)

Although God forgives us because of Christ, it is neither His job nor His obligation to do so. He forgives us because of undeserved mercy toward us whose just punishment is hell. The cross is the bridge of redeeming love; on it, we walk across the chasm to God, who graciously provided forgiveness for those who believe. If we do not understand this, we do not understand the gospel. (47)

At His birth He was surrounded by beasts, and, now in His death, with criminals. Let no one say God has stayed aloof from the brokenness of our fallen world. He descended that we might ascend with Him to newness of life. (54)

Helplessness is not a curse if it draws us to the only One who can help us. Indeed, if we are not helpless, we cannot be saved. (56)

Jesus was numbered with the transgressors so that you and I could be numbered with the redeemed. Though personally sinless, He was counted as a transgressor by both God and man. He got what He didn't deserve, namely, our sin; and we got what we didn't deserve, namely, His righteousness. (66)

Warren Wiersbe points out that this man was not saved at his last opportunity, but at his first opportunity. (68)

The thief's forgiveness reminds us that there is more grace in God's heart than sin in our past. (69)

If we had been there, how close would we have stood to the cross? Nearby or at a comfortable distance? Would we have been intimidated by the mob, or would we have gladly let the angry rabble-rousers know that we were followers of the Man hanging on the middle cross? Would we stand nearby even if the cross cost us as much as it cost Christ? (82)

Christ did not die to make the Father loving, for He loved us from the foundation of the world. (89)

The first purpose of the cross was not for us, but for God. Yes, Jesus shed His blood for us, but it is even more true to say that He shed His blood for the Father. When the blood was sprinkled on the doorposts of the houses in Egypt, it was put there for the benefit of the families, but it was also put there for God. Jehovah said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). (100)

Let us remember that He was forsaken by God that we might be accepted by Him... Jesus went through darkness that we might have light. He was cursed that we might be blessed. He was condemned that we might be able to say, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). He suffered hell for us so that we can enjoy heaven with Him. (103)

Either Jesus bears our sin, or we do. If the Father turned His face away from His beloved Son when He was regarded as a sinner, we can be sure that the Father will turn away from every sinner who stands before the Judgement Bar on his own merits. We are either saved by His rejection, or we must bear our own rejection for all of eternity. If those who are in hell should cry, "Why have You forsaken me?" heaven shall remain silent, for they receive the just recompense for their deeds. (103-4)

As Matthew Henry put it, "The torments of hell are represented by a violent thirst, in the complaint of the rich man who begged for a drop of water to cool his tongue. To that everlasting thirst we had all been condemned, if Christ had not suffered on the cross." Hell is heightened desires with decreased satisfaction. Hell is the inflamed desires of the body, with no possibility of a drink. Hell is remembering the Living Water we could have enjoyed on earth that would have taken us to heaven. Hell is a lake of fire, a place of endless, unquenchable thirst. Thankfully, Jesus suffered parched lips that we might be able to drink from the wells of salvation. He endured the thirst of hell, so that its fires might be quenched for us. Of those in heaven we read, "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:16-17). (115)

Jesus drank from the cup of death that we might be able to drink from the cup of life. (116)

If your spirit does not go into the hands of God for sakekeeping, it will go into the hands of God for judgment. (146)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

33. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple

33. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple. Joanna Davidson Politano. 2024. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical fiction, historical romance, Christian fiction]

First sentence: I hadn't decided if I'd tell the whole truth or not, when the men arrived. Peter would have, because he's Peter. I, however, never let facts hinder the power of a good story. 

Set in England in 1903, The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple stars a silent actress--stage name Lily Temple--and a private investigator, Peter Driscoll. Peter meets Lily when he's investigating a stolen gem--a gem that's been missing for many years. He finds it in the possession of an actress, Lily Temple, however, he feels strongly that she is not the thief--or at least not the original thief. Soon these two are slowly, reservedly entering each other's worlds and having mini-adventures as she becomes involved in Peter's other current cases. Still there is something....elusive...about her and her past. Peter finds her mesmerizing, but, he has a good head on his shoulders. Lily has no reason to trust anyone--even if that someone is Peter. Still she finds herself opening up more to Peter than she has any other human being in years and years. Life hasn't been kind--plenty of disappointments and betrayals in the past. 

Solving one case may just lead Peter into terrible trouble that he can't escape. If Lily tells him all, then she knows--even if he does not--that his life would be in danger. Could he survive the truth? 

I loved, loved, loved this one. I did. I LOVED the writing. I did. The narration was fabulous. I cared about Lily *and* Peter. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #15

Bible Reading

NKJV 

• 1 Chronicles 6-20
• 2 Samuel 5-12
• Psalms 36, 39, 77, 78, 81, 88, 92, 93, 133, 15, 23, 24, 25, 47, 89, 96, 100, 101, 107, 1, 2, 33, 127, 132, 20, 53, 60, 75, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70

KJV (Clarion)

• Exodus 
• Leviticus
• Matthew 19-28
• Isaiah 1-16

NASB 77

• Matthew 19-28
• Mark
• Luke 1-3

ESV

• 1 Chronicles

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

32. And the Beagles and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together

32. And the Beagles and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together. Charles M. Schulz. 1984. 100ish pages. [Source: Gift] [4 stars, comic strips, theology]

Confession: I love Linus. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Linus. I know I have some competition because every girl wants Linus to be their own Sweet Baboo. One of my favorite things about Linus is that he's a theologian, a true thinker, a true observer.

This book is a collection of Peanuts comic strips that deal--in one way or another--with theology. At the very least, it shares comic strips that quote Scripture. At its best, it shares comic strips which reflect Scripture.

The book doesn't focus on Linus exclusively. There's plenty of Lucy, Charlie Brown, Linus, and Sally. (Plus Snoopy, of course. Let's not forget that Snoopy KNOWS Scripture too and uses it quite well to get what he wants from Charlie Brown.)

Early on, readers see that Linus identifies himself as a prophet. On the copyright page, you'll see Linus carrying a sign that says PROPHET. And one of the earliest comic strips in this one is about how he wants to be a prophet when he grows up.

Linus: When I grow up, I think I'll be a great prophet. I'll speak profound truths but no one will listen to me…
Charlie Brown: If you known ahead of time that no one is going to listen to you, why speak?
Linus: We prophets are very stubborn.

My absolute FAVORITE, FAVORITE strip features Lucy and Linus. It's RAINING heavily.

Lucy: Boy, look at it rain…What if it floods the whole world?
Linus: It will never do that…in the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow…
Lucy: You've taken a great load off my mind…
Linus: Sound theology has a way of doing that!

This one is definitely recommended. Not every strip is WONDERFUL. But many are worth a smile at least. And some are truly worth treasuring!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

31. Faith

31. Faith (Brides of the West #1) Lori Copeland. 1998/2020. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book, christian fiction, historical romance, two stars]

First sentence from prologue: "You're what?" The tip of Thalia Grayson's cane hit the floor with a whack. 

First sentence from chapter one: "She's late." Liza Shepherd slipped a pinch of snuff into the corner of her mouth, then fanned herself with a scented hankie. Nicholas checked his pocket watch a fourth time, flipping it closed. Mother was right. His bride-to-be was late. Any other day the stage would be on time. 

Premise/plot: Faith (and her sisters Hope and June) respond to advertisements for mail order brides. Faith, our heroine, agrees to marry Nicholas Shepherd a rancher from Deliverance, Texas, who lives with his mother, Liza. She comes with ideas: she'll wear overalls and essentially fulfill her role as a helpmeet by being a ranch hand. His mother, Liza, can surely keep on keeping house. Nicholas has ideas of his own: his wife will be feminine, respectful, kind, nurturing, sweet. Not brash (in-your-face), argumentative, and unreasonable. These two clash from the start. Make that these THREE clash from the start. Liza is gruff, grizzly, mean-tempered. Faith is uppity, entitled, unreasonable. (I *hate, hate, hate* to use that word. But in this case I think it fits.) Nicholas is, well, insensitive and logical. (Is logical the best fit? No. Probably not. He is realistic and has common sense and knows what's what.) Faith, meanwhile, seems to have little to no decorum, no respect for the way things are, or common sense. 

The wedding doesn't happen for various reasons. Days go by. Weeks go by. Still no moving forward--though she's living in their house--with the wedding. Then it's time for him to go on a cattle drive. Liza makes no hesitation to throw Faith out when she's having one of her ultimatum tantrums. (To be fair, Liza seems just as likely to have a tantrum without a moment's notice.) Nicholas returns to find "his" bride living with another family and spending most of her days (though not her nights) with a widower and his family. He refuses to talk to her believing her to be courted by this widower. 

Will these two ever get together? 

My thoughts: This was a 'bonus borrow' at my library. I listened on audio; it was narrated by Holly Adams. 

Am I a fan of the narrator? NO. No. A thousand times no. I found her pretending to be male voices tortuously painful. Until she started narrating a three year old child, then I learned what true torture was. Her narration of Faith was not pleasant--my impression of Faith's attitude might have been influenced by the narrator's tone of voice. But it wasn't awful. Liza's voice was an impression of Thelma Harper (aka Mama from Mama's Family). Except Liza was never funny. 

I will say this for Liza. She wasn't in the wrong all the time. I thought she had some good insights about Faith. I could see exactly why Liza found Faith so annoying and obnoxious. And for better or worse, I thought the way the town assumed the Shepherd family should donate EVERYTHING (in this case a church steeple but later a school for the blind because there is one blind child in town) to the town because they have money in the bank to be OBNOXIOUS and stupid. 

Nicholas' view of Faith also seemed to make sense to me. Faith did some incredibly dim/stupid things. That being said, Nicholas could be insensitive and inconsiderate in how he handled situations. 

Am I a fan of the romance? Do I think Nicholas and Faith suited one another? Honestly I'm conflicted. I think BOTH have a lot of raw edges that would need to be softened in order to be harmonious together. I think Faith is extremely immature and needs to calm down most of the time. If I got paid a dime for every time she cried, I would have enough money to BUY a book--probably a hardback. It's a wonder that she's not in a constant state of dehydration the way she cries every single day. Nicholas has his own issues. I could see a few red flags if you are looking for perfection. I think he probably has a temper. I think he doesn't choose his words well. I think he speaks without thinking. I think even when he's technically in the right, the words and mannerisms he uses makes him wrong, or partly wrong. We see these two bicker and fight and fuss every time they are together....mostly. Yet the resolution that they are madly in love comes swiftly. Neither one particularly changes or adapts or compromises. Just suddenly they are IN LOVE. I think Nicholas and Faith have different love languages, have difficulty communicating, and both are prone to thinking themselves justified and right. 

Am I a fan of the writing? the dialogue? the description? Not really. No. Particularly the dialogue and description. Though the descriptions are usually the worse of the two. Her scenarios can be....well....stupid. For example, HOW COULD ANYONE AND I MEAN ANYONE find it believable that Faith would intentionally SEEK REFUGE IN THE OUTHOUSE FOR HOURS (and have to be sought out by Nicholas) to avoid doing housework. Seriously. AN OUTHOUSE. Use your imagination or common sense. Does that seem likely? Or how about instead of a snowball fight, having a fight with SAWDUST and flinging it in each other's faces as a flirting technique. SAWDUST. This someone isn't Nicholas, by the way, but the widower. Nicholas sees his future wife slinging/flinging sawdust at another man, giggling and foolish, and says WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING? Those aren't his words. But he is not wrong. In this situation, his face is described as turning black as a witch's hat? maybe cap? It was an audio book and I was a little bit thrown by the description. (Do people's faces turn *black* in anger?) Not to be outdone, later Faith's LIPS turn BLUE while praying. 

I typically enjoy marriage of convenience and/or mail order bride stories. I typically enjoy books set in Texas. I thought I would enjoy this one more than I did. But I am too much of an overthinker to accept that ANYONE would seek to hide out in an outhouse for hours just to avoid doing a chore--in this case darning socks. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #14

Bible Reading

This week I finished the KJV Large Print Journal the Word Bible and I began a new KJV Bible (Cambridge Clarion). 

KJV LP Journaling

• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude
• Revelation

NASB 77

• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi
• Daniel
• Ezekiel
• Matthew 1-18

KJV (Clarion) 

• Genesis
• Matthew 1-18

NKJV

• Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18, 121-130, 6, 9, 10, 14, 16, 21, 43, 44, 49, 84, 85, 87, 
• 1 Samuel 28-31
• 2 Samuel 1-4
• 1 Chronicles 10, 1-2, 3-5; 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

30. Screwtape Letters

30. The Screwtape Letters. C.S. Lewis. 1942. HarperCollins. 224 pages. [Source: Bought]

First paragraph: I note what you say about guiding your patient’s reading and taking care that he sees a good deal of his materialist friend. But are you not being a trifle naïf? It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him out of the Enemy’s clutches. That might have been so if he had lived a few centuries earlier. At that time the humans still knew pretty well when a thing was proved and when it was not; and if it was proved they really believed it. They still connected thinking with doing and were prepared to alter their way of life as the result of a chain of reasoning. But what with the weekly press and other such weapons we have largely altered that. Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn’t think of doctrines as primarily “true” or “false”, but as “academic” or “practical”, “outworn” or “contemporary”, “conventional” or “ruthless”. Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church. Don’t waste time trying to make him think that materialism is true! Make him think it is strong, or stark, or courageous—that it is the philosophy of the future. That’s the sort of thing he cares about.

I definitely enjoy rereading C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters every few years. These 'letters' are from 'Uncle Screwtape' to his nephew 'Wormwood.' Both Wormwood and Screwtape are demons. That should tell you a little something about this topsy-turvy Christian fantasy. 

Wormwood's human has just become a Christian. But with a little help from his uncle, Wormwood hopes to change that, to reverse the damage, to keep him *his*. Readers only view Screwtape's letters to Wormwood, so, we have to piece together the rest of the story, in a way. Readers can piece together that there is a world war going on. Also perhaps that Wormwood's human dies in a bomb raid. 

Screwtape's letters are packed with advice on how to keep Wormwood's human from being an effective Christian. How to keep him from praying, for example, to name just one. What Screwtape and Wormwood fail to understand is the futility of their efforts. True, C.S. Lewis may not have known how futile himself. Since Lewis most likely believed that one could 'fall from grace' and 'lose salvation.' But. Putting all that aside, one knows from Scripture that isn't the case.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:39-40

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

Can believers benefit from reading Screwtape Letters? I think so. The letters are engaging, and, give readers plenty to think about. 

From the first letter: "Your business is to fix his attention on the stream. [The stream of immediate sense experiences]. Teach him to call it 'real life' and don't let him ask you what he means by 'real.'" (2)

From the second letter: "He has not been anything like long enough with the Enemy to have any real humility yet. What he says, even on his knees, about his own sinfulness, is all parrot talk. At bottom, he still believes he has run up a very favorable credit balance in the Enemy's ledger by allowing himself to be converted, and thinks that he is showing great humility and condescension in going to church with these 'smug' commonplace neighbors at all. Keep him in that state of mind as long as you can." (6)

From the third letter: "You must bring him to a condition in which he can practise self-examination for an hour without discovering any of those facts about himself which are perfectly clear to anyone who has ever lived in the same house with him or worked in the same office." (7)
"It is, no doubt, impossible to prevent his praying for his mother, but we have means of rendering the prayers innocuous. Make sure that they are always very "spiritual," that he is always concerned with the state of her soul and never with her rheumatism. Two advantages will follow. In the first place, his attention will be kept on what he regards as her sins, by which, with a little guidance from you, he can be induced to mean any of her actions which are inconvenient or irritating to himself. In the second place, since his ideas about her soul will be very crude and often erroneous, he will, in some degree, be praying for an imaginary person, and it will be your task to make that imaginary person daily less and less like the real mother--the sharp-tongued old lady at the breakfast table." (8)

From the fourth letter: "It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out" (11).
"The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves." (11)

From the fifth letter: "In wartime not even a human can believe that he is going to live forever." (15)

From the seventh letter: "All extremes except devotion to the Enemy are to be encouraged" (20).

From the ninth letter: "Never forget that when we are dealing with pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy's ground." (26)

From the twelfth letter: "Do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing....Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." (36)

From the sixteenth letter: "Surely you know that if a man can't be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that 'suits' him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches." (46)

From the nineteenth letter: "Nothing matters at all except the tendency of a given state of mind, in given circumstances, to move a particular patient at a particular moment nearer to the Enemy or nearer to us." (56-7)

From the twenty-first letter: "Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours." (61)

From the twenty-fifth letter: "What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call 'Christianity And...' (73)

From the twenty-seventh letter: "Anything, even a sin, which has the total effect of moving him close up to the Enemy makes against us in the long run." (79)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible