Book Review: Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham

Ah Billy Graham, always so full of insight! I have read several devotionals over the years and enjoyed most of them, but Hope for Each Day is quite a new level of refreshing! The devotional covers a full year, and each day contains a Bible verse, the main devotion, and a box at the bottom with some application of the message (entitled “Hope for Today”). 

The book itself is bonded leather and is beautiful and nice to handle. There is a ribbon bookmark as well, which gives it a feel similar to a lightweight Bible. The devotions are clear, concise, and easy to read while still being full of depth and insight. I have really never been as encouraged by a devotional as I am when reading them! The questions asked at the end incite reflection on my life as pertaining to the rest of the short message. I truly believe that God gifted Billy Graham with a way to reach people through both spoken and written word. I love to read his books and have never been anything but happy with them.

I recommend this devotional to any Christian no matter where in your Christian walk you are. It really has something for everybody!

I received this book for free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Book Review: Long Before Luther by Nathan Busenitz

With the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation came the release of the excellent treatise on reformation Soteriology as expressed by its forerunners. The book covers three specific areas of Reformation doctrine in its survey of theologians dating back to the time of the New Testament: forensic justification, justification distinguished from sanctification, and the imputed righteousness of Christ. If none of that made sense, don’t worry! The author explains what all of those terms are.

The reasoning behind this book is that many claim that the Reformation understanding of justification by faith alone (sola fide) was a new invention by Reformers, and that we should go back to the “mother church” of Catholicism. By the end of the book I was rather encouraged that what I believe as a Protestant Christian is Biblical and also taught is some form by the early Church fathers.

I would recommend this book for any Christian seeking to understand Reformation doctrine and how far back it reaches. It may be slow reading for those who aren’t used to reading books that cover theology, but for the more advanced reader of theology, it’s pretty easy to get through.

I received this book for free from the publisher through the Moody Publishers blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255