Recommended Reading

Monthly book reviews

Monthly book reviews by various authors.

SELECTED MESSAGES, BOOK 3

Ellen G. White, Review and Herald Publishing Assn., Washington, D.C., 1980, 496 pages, $5.95.

In 1958 two volumes of general testimony counsels from the pen of Ellen White were drawn together and published as Selected Messages, books 1 and 2. These materials came from periodical articles, out-of-print books, and manuscript sources. Their continuing popularity attests to the helpfulness of this counsel.

Now joining these initial volumes, Selected Messages, book 3, makes available counsel particularly appropriate to some of the situations and problems Seventh-day Adventist Christians currently face.

Some of the material in book 3 has been published previously but is no longer readily available; however, much of the book's contents appear for the first time in print. In addition to the cloth-bound edition, an economical paperback copy is offered.

Russell Holt

THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH

J. J. Shuler, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1979, 141 pages, $3.95.

There are thousands who have listened to Adventist radio and TV programs, taken Bible courses, read our missionary journals and books, attended evangelistic meetings, and who within their hearts believe the message, but who have never made the decision to unite with the Advent Movement. This is just the book for these individuals, although also appropriate for those without this background. Shuler, a veteran evangelist, stresses the importance of truth and the necessity of searching for it with an open mind in order to help the reader to discover God's special message for these last days and to make a decision to accept it. Written in an appealing and simple style, this book will be useful to every evangelist and pastor. Churches would do well, also, to have extra copies on hand for use by members in their soul-winning efforts.

Orley Berg

I WAS AN OVERCOMMITTED CHRISTIAN

Nyla Jane Whit more, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, 1979, 63 pages, $1.25, paper.

Nyla Jane Whitmore was eyebrow deep in church responsibilities and loved every minute of it. When her husband and friends asked, "Don't you think you're doing too much?" she argued that many people depended on her and that she was personally fulfilled by service and sharing. Not until she realized how disorganized her home had become, and how chronically exhausted she felt, was she forced to chart her commitments and discover that 80 percent of her waking hours was spent in religious or spiritual endeavors.

She came to see that even Christian work can become idolatry if it usurps time for listening to God and accepting changes and cancellations He might want to direct. Though she had consistently maintained a daily quiet time for personal prayer and Bible study, she had to admit that Bible studies, prayer groups, and committees had become a treadmill.

Now she seeks to please God, testing her attitude by asking: (1) Do I feel strain or a nagging sense of pressure? (2) Is my calendar lopsided? (3) Am I away from the family more nights than I'm home? (4) Are the children asking, "Who's the baby-sitter this time?" Jesus' words "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" can apply only if we're not taking on more burdens than He intends.

At a crisis, Whitmore searched Christian bookstores for something about stewardship of life style. Finding nothing, she groped for guidelines and developed a Biblical perspective for the use of time and talents. There is some digression and unnecessary description in the large-print booklet, but a committed Christian man or woman will find answers toward achieving a balanced life. The checklist in chapter ten is worth the price of the book, and Whitmore's frank, humorous style makes for easy reading.

Cherry B. Habenicht

DECISIONS

John Brunt, Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tennessee 37202, 1979, 96 pages, $4.50.

In Decisions, John Brunt deals with the question of Biblical relevancy in the process of modern decision-making. While Brunt realizes the importance of the Scriptures in making sound choices, he warns against regarding the Bible as a reference book to be consulted for answers to the decisions of life. To do so, he feels, is to rob God's Word of its primary purpose in our lives: to transform "the character or the kind of person we are. for that, in turn, conditions all of the future decisions we make."

One of the most important observations made by the author concerns the "framework in which we stand as we make decisions." That framework is the grace of God, which provides the atmosphere of forgiveness and acceptance needed to relieve the individual of the fear of making wrong choices. The knowledge that God has saved, not on the basis of our actions, but of His love, allows us to face the complexities of decision-making with confidence.

Decisions is lively reading for any Christian struggling to understand the relation of the Bible to the process of making choices. It reinforces the Biblical teaching that God's grace frees us from blind obedience in order that we may respond in a thoughtful way to the responsibilities of Christian decision-making.

Dennis W. Radford

Monthly book reviews by various authors.

December 1980

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A sizable portion of your congregation uses the church service to read Sabbath school papers, draw, play with felts, or fidget. An effective story can make worship something they look forward to.

Was Moses Wrong?

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