![Hope Always: How to Be a Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide [Book Review]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_0042-1080x675.jpeg)
I first discovered this book when I heard the author, Dr. Matthew Sleeth, speak at a critical thinking summit here in Petoskey. His message was so powerful I knew I wanted to read his work – and when I arrived at his booth, he was GIVING his books away. I may have grabbed this book for free, but it is certainly worth your money and this review will detail why.
![Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities [Book Review]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG-0041-1080x675.jpg)
People who want to know about libertarian free will, how to understand biblical predestination if you’re not a Calvinist, and whether Arminians are indeed “false teachers” on the verge of theological liberalism gather each Ask Anything Monday to pose questions about this theology. That’s why I am so delighted to offer this book review! I think it will give readers – Arminian, Calvinist and undecided – the push to understand Wesleyan-Arminian history accurately and argue for/against it rightly.
I’ve talked about bible reading plan options, why bible study matters, how to create a bible study spot in your home – but what about when to QUIT a bible plan that isn’t serving you? Did you know that was even an option? Because it is! Believe it or not, bible reading plans that worked in one season might not work in another. Even plans we’ve loved in the past can stop being enjoyable or effective in the present. Here are three reasons to quit a Bible reading plan and what to do instead.
During the first season of Verity podcast I shared podcast versions of each chapter in my book Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul Deep Strength in a Skin Deep World. Two thirds of this book is “applied theology”: how the gospel directly impacts our struggles with sex, legalism, shame, and – in this episode particularly – anxiety.
![Salvation By Allegiance Alone [Book Review]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/Image-from-iOS-1-1-scaled-e1630689936743-1080x675.jpg)
Salvation by Allegiance Alone probably makes a few people a bit wiggly when they see the title because we’re used to the Five Solas (grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone, etc.) and none of those Solas mention the word “allegiance”. But actually… one does. Sola Fide, or “faith alone”, links us to Matthew Bates’ topic. He argues that how we define “faith” results in either an authentic Christian life or one riddled by uncertainty and lack of fruit. If “faith” is just a vague mental assent (“I asked Jesus into my heart” or “I believe in Jesus”), nominal “Christians” should not surprise us. But what if faith – as Jesus and Paul and Peter describe it – isn’t just “belief”? What if it’s more than that?
In between posts about theology, critical thinking and my latest book review, I talk a lot about creating a family culture that is biblical, joyful, and fulfilling. If you’ve never heard the term “family culture”, you’re not alone – I pretty much made it up. Ha! But it’s not a new concept with me (Jefferson Bethke has been talking about similar things for a while!) and it’s one that will serve families well if they take it to heart.
There are few topics that divide Christians with such ferocity as baptism. This sacrament – necessary to the Christian faith – is modeled in Scripture by Jesus as well as His disciples in the early church. But when it comes to how we practice baptism, Christians are divided. Some churches practice infant baptism (paedobaptism) while others practice believer’s baptism (credo-baptism). Some believe you are saved through baptism, others believe it is a symbol of salvation, and others think it is somewhere between.
Christian grief does not require pretending everything’s okay. It does not mean we cease to feel or to hurt or wonder if the void will never again be filled. It does not mean we’ll be healed, but it does mean that we face all the pain and loss with the presence of a loving and faithful God.
![Don’t Miss Out [Book Review]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/Image-from-iOS-scaled-e1630686894496-1080x675.jpg)
I love a good book on the Holy Spirit.
He is, as Francis Chan put it, “Forgotten God” – often overlooked and misinterpreted, either ignored in our churches or emphasized beyond what Scripture says. That’s why so many Christians struggle either to embrace the Spirit’s role or to understand Him outside of sensationalism. When Jeannie Cunnion released this book, I was thrilled to provide a resource for my community.
Dear Grieving Christian,
You think you have time to prepare. Sometimes you do. But all the preparation in the world can’t stop the way it overwhelms you. When that photo falls out from the album, or the world stops at the party where they should have been, the hollow carved by their absence cannot be ignored.