“Dad Cents”

Shane Barkley

Reviewed by Rob Mooney      

Local author Shane Barkley has succeeded in getting people to reexamine how they think about money in his new book, Dad Cents. The book centers around teaching children the value of money and how to handle your finances from a Biblical point of view.

            Barkley has created the DADS approach to money management which will no doubt teach not only children about money, but also their parents as well. After all, if parents do not understand how to properly manage money, how can they instill that into their kids?

            It’s nice to see a practical book that will not only help with money management, but also show us what God thinks of money and how we should, as Christians, handle it. God commands us time after time to be good stewards of what He has given us and Barkley helps us learn how to do just that!

            Barkley takes us step by step as he outlines his DADS approach to money management. He points out several times through colorful stories how he is teaching his own children about money. Every opportunity he gets to teach, he takes advantage of – from explaining why things in a convenience store tend to cost more than in a grocery store to teaching them about accountability and responsibility. From knowing the foundation on which things are built to learning all of the costs and requirements for buying a car, Barkley leaves no stone unturned. All through the book, Barkley quotes scripture which allows him to make his points.

            What impressed me the most about this book was the fact that Barkley teaches from the beginning that we should tithe and give offerings to God. That is a valuable lesson that children will not learn from “the world.”  It is a blessing to know that there are dads out there that are teaching their kids about the proper things and the proper order of things. It is imperative that Christian authors like Barkley continue to publish high quality books concerning the Christian walk. Let’s face it, managing your money in a God pleasing way requires a walk with God. It also requires quite a bit of “Dad Cents”. Trust me, this book will change the way you view money!

Dad Cents can be purchased at Barnes & Noble or at www.dadcents.com.

The God I Don't Understand

Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith

Paperback

Dr. Chris Wright

Why is there evil and suffering in creation? Can someone explain what the Cross really means and how what happened there saves me? What are we supposed to believe about the so- called end of the world?

There are few who can truthfully say they have never had questions about things God has done and said. Even the most beloved and devoted theological scholars and believers throughout the ages have had questions for which they've never found satisfying, understandable answers. So how can you have joyful, fulfilling faith where you find no answers to these and other of life's most puzzling questions? Dr. Chris Wright's revealing new book, The God I Don't Understand (Zondervan, January 2009), tackles those questions and more. Wright is the international director of the Langham Partnership International, a consortium of trusts founded by John Stott, including John Stott Ministries in the United States. With the kind of passion for which Dr. Wright has become well known, he opens his heart to non- believers, believers, and those who work in all kinds of ministry with an immediately engaging, less academic, more approachable style than many theologians. The questions on his heart are the questions on ours; his search for answers is our search as well.

In The God I Don't Understand, Wright confronts head-on issues including:

• The mystery, offence, and defeat of evil

• The destruction of the Canaanites and why it is such a stumbling block for Christians

• The embarrassment some Christians feel about the "God of the Old Testament"

• The incomprehensibility of the Cross and the misleading ways some Christians speak of it

• Why "the end of the world" is a very inadequate phrase for what the Bible teaches

• What the new creation will be like and what the future holds for believers

Each page offers a new, encouraging discovery as he examines every facet and nuance of some of the most puzzling questions in the Christian faith and shares with readers how to find and maintain a joyful, soul-calming faith even when no definitive answers can be found.

More Christian than African-American

January 26 - Christian Newswire -- More Christian Than African-American is author Kimberly Cash Tate's truthful, courageous account of the spiritual journey that completely transformed her sense of identity. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, she was raised in the comfort and security of a thriving black culture. After attending the University of Maryland and earning a law degree from George Washington University, she had every intention of enjoying a lucrative career in the comfortable blackness of D.C. Instead, Tate's world was shattered when the bear job market offered no jobs from D.C. firms.

With no career possibilities in D.C., Tate accepted a clerkship in Madison, Wisconsin. Feeling lost, alone, and completely disconnected from the black culture that had been the center of her life, she began attending church. Soon she gave her life to Christ. Over the next several years, through Christian mentors and her own study of Scripture, Tate became convinced that she was looking at the world through the wrong lens.

"For twenty-seven years I lived, moved, and had my being in blackness. And after I became a Christian, I still lived, moved, and had my being in blackness. But God let me know that He had saved me, raised me, and seated me in heavenly places," Tate says. "I needed to live, move, and have my being in Christ."

This revelation became the jumping off point for More Christian than African-American. Ten years ago, when Tate felt God directing her to write the first edition of the book, a wave of trepidation swept over her. "I knew this would not be a popular message," she recalls. "I was supposed to show pride in my blackness, not speak of its earthly--and thus limited--nature. I could already hear the voices of condemnation. But I also heard a couple of questions in my soul. Do you seek to please God or men? Will you walk in fear or in the power of the Holy Spirit?"

Tate's persuasive presentation of the "more Christian" message makes full use of her relational nature, the skills she acquired as a litigator, and her ability to communicate a great story. Obviously, the book speaks directly to the black Christian community. But the "more Christian" message is a universal one. This book will cause any reader to ask some penetrating questions: Where is my identity found? In my race? In my gender In my political affiliation?

Kurt Warner: A Hard Path to Victory

 

January 21, 2009 -Christian Newswire -- Overlooked by the NFL draft, cut in training camp by the Green Bay Packers, and thwarted by a venomous spider bite when trying out for the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner's path to victory hasn't been an easy one. Yet despite setbacks, Warner persevered--whether stocking supermarket shelves or leading teams to the Super Bowl. All along the way, he's shared his faith in Christ.

"Standing up for my beliefs, no matter what, is one more way I define being a person of integrity," Warner says. "It doesn't matter if it's in front of millions of people at the Super Bowl or one person in private; I try to stand true to who I am in the Lord."

Warner and other football greats discuss their faith in IBS Publishing's new "Football Path to Victory" sports New Testament ($2.99, p). "Path to Victory" combines the contemporary-language Today's New International Version Bible translation with 32 pages of full-color inserts and first-person stories of professional football players testifying to the power of Scripture to bring life change. Action photography and bold design make this a perfect outreach tool for anyone who follows football.

"Path to Victory" includes testimonies by the following football greats:

• Minnesota Vikings safety Michael Boulware
• Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy
• Atlanta Falcons placekicker Jason Elam
• Former Carolina Panthers defensive back Mike Minter
• Indiana Colts punter Hunter Smith

"Following Christ faithfully in the world of professional sports is a challenge," said IBS Publishing Director Glenn Paauw. "These athletes share their stories in order to help others face the challenges of their world with the same power of the Bible. As millions of people watch the Super Bowl, we hope they can find strength and hope in the stories of their favorite players, but more importantly, in the message of Jesus Christ."

The "Path to Victory" football New Testament is just one in a series of sports-themed outreach Scripture products. Others in the "Path to Victory" series cover baseball, women athletes, and multi-sports. New Testaments for fans of basketball, NASCAR, and action sports will release in March 2009.

For more information on the "Path to Victory" series, visit www.ibsdirect.com/KurtWarner.