Writing

Dec

2020

Windows on My Work: Shepherd Press

I like to describe Shepherd Press as a small publisher with a big heart. Its aim is to produce books that have three qualifying criteria:

They must be gospel centered.
They must address the heart of the reader;
They must be life changing.

I have shared the story before about how Shepherd Press started in light of the need to find a publisher for the doctoral thesis Tedd Tripp (pictured here) had written on child nurture–nurture rather than simple modification of behavior, something rather prevalent in counseling at the time–and how the book became a snap success, eventually exceeding more than one million copies in print and translated into numerous languages throughout the world.

My involvement with Shepherd Press goes back a few years to when I was asked if I could help in some projects that were under consideration. The inception of the LifeLine mini-books proved a catalyst around that time and it was with delight that an association got underway between us, one that has seen my involvement in the evaluation of manuscripts submitted, and also my oversight of some editing and production matters.

There are numerous books in preparation right now, and some that are just about to launch.

A catalog is available and I encourage you to take a look at it HERE as well as to visit the Shepherd Press website and sign up for the newsletter.

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Oct

2020

The Incredible Power of Simple Service

My work connects me with some interesting folks…

Meet Bill Mulligan. Bill had reached out to Shepherd Press with the idea of telling his story, an account of how he came to suddenly get let go of (for my non-American friends, “let go of” means “be made redundant.” We felt it wasn’t really a Shepherd Press book, but Bill took up the conversation with me privately. How could he get his book published?

So I told him about one of my initiatives, Great Writing Publications, and we came to an arrangement in which I would help him publish his book.

I loved the story straightaway, but I won’t give you any spoilers. Let me just put it this way:

With wit and wisdom, Bill Mulligan tells the story of what happened after his job suddenly came to an end . . . and how, in a most unusual turn of events, he learned joy and contentment in serving others.

Cleveland Fall Technical Conference
The Big One: “You Are from Where?”
Be Careful What You Ask For
Terminated, Canned; You’re Fired
The Reality of “What Next”: Instacart?
The Beauty of Simplicity
Are You My Customer?
Recovering Patient(s) on River Road in Wilkes Barre
The Mansion on the Hill
The Woman Behind Moe’s
“Dad, The Grocery Guy Is Here!”
My Doctor Told Me to Change My Diet
“Do You Do Any Driving?”
Smoky and the Neighbor
“Is This 17 West Ross Street?”
Thinking About Instacart
What is Service, Anyway?
Gotta Serve Somebody
Why Serve?
What Is My Purpose?

Bill Mulligan spent the greater part of his career selling and servicing his clients in the print and packaging industry. After spending twenty-five years on the road, he is now enjoying spending more time in his home office, allowing for new ventures including, but not limited to, the writing of The Incredible Power of Simple Service. He and his wife, Rosemary, live in Clarks Summit, PA, and have one son, a beautiful daughter in law, and the two greatest grandkids on the planet.

Apr

2020

When Life Turns Upside Down

I’ve mentioned my friend, John A. (Jay) Younts once or twice before (you could read the post HERE) and it’s a special delight that he resides not too far away from where I live in the upstate of South Carolina. Jay has contributed extensively to the Shepherd Press blog over many years. He and I share much the same kind of worldview, seeing all of life as belonging to God, and the direct involvement of God in day-to-day events.

With what we are now thinking of as the new normal, the advent of the corona virus, I was in discussion with friends at Shepherd Press about how we might be able to provide a resource that would meaningfully address this situation. Enthusiastically and unhesitatingly, Dr. Tedd Tripp saw the importance of the idea. “Ask Jay,” he guided me. “He could do this.” An email or two later, and Jay had confirmed that he would do it, requesting prayer for the project. And it made good sense for Tedd to contribute the foreword to the book!

Over the next few days, as he was writing the first draft, we kicked around some prospective titles, soon settling on When Life Turns Upside Down: Finding Stability through God’s Comforting Peace. The table of contents maps out nicely what is in the small book:

Foreword: An Upside-Down World
Introduction: Prayer Keeps Life Right-Side Up
Who Controls Tomorrow: Do Humans Control Tomorrow?
When Life Turns Upside Down: The Power of the Earthquake
The Fear Factor: Fear and Emotional Protection
The Dangerous Blame Game: The Game That Comes Naturally
Understanding the Fall: The Groaning Creation
Perspective: Throughout History, God Remains Faithful to His Promise
When Upside Down is Really Right-Side Up: So There Is Good News!
The Gospel is Your Anchor: The Lord Renews Your Strength
Your Future Is Secure: Death Is Swallowed Up in Victory
Appendix 1: Teach Your Children to Live Right-Side Up
Appendix 2: Comfort for Your Community

It was an interesting exercise figuring out what kind of cover design would work best for the project. Thankfully, there were various people on Facebook who shared what they liked, or did not like, about various proposed cover options!

My view is that this is a vitally important little resource to put in people’s hands. It’s available as an eBook, and coming soon–within a week or so–as a mini-book paperback of 88 pages. It’s easy enough to read in one sitting of under one hour, but also full of biblical content and application to life. Get one for you and your family, and several copies for your neighbors, friends, and work associates. Be sure to check out the Shepherd Press site to find out more about the book and the discounted offers HERE or read some pages from the book HERE.

Endorsements

Over the years, Jay Younts has been my personal Gandalf, my Mr. Miagi, my Paul. With fatherly wisdom and genuine care, Jay offers us this prayerful life-guide, showing us how to live life from God’s perspective and not our own, keeping us right-side up in a world that feels upside down.
Kirk Cameron: Actor, Film Producer

Younts turns our attention to hope found in the mercy of God and the provision he has made for mankind in the sinless life and sacrificial death of his Son, Jesus Christ. This book will provide encouragement and hope in these scary times.
Dr. Tedd Tripp: Author, Pastor, Conference Speaker

About Jay Younts

John A. (Jay) Younts is the author of this book as well as other materials on parenting and the Christian life. He is an experienced blogger, having served Shepherd Press in this capacity for several years. He has been teaching and speaking on current issues for over thirty years. He serves as a ruling elder at Redeemer Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moore, South Carolina. He and his late wife, Ruth, have five adult children.

Follow Jay on Social Media
YouTube Channel: EverydayTalk 24/7
www.everydaytalk247.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jay.younts
Twitter: @wordsmatter247
jayyounts@gmail.com

Jan

2020

“My Name Shall Be Great Among the Nations”

The quote is from Malachi 1:11, a declaration by the LORD (Jehovah) of Hosts–the God of the armies of heaven and earth. It’s a declaration of certainty and fact, not a wish or a whimper. It’s as certain as certain can be!

When I was approached late last year by a representative of The Master’s Academy International with a view to helping produce a book of daily readings, I was immediately excited and energized by the prospect. The ministry has numerous staff and graduates in far-flung parts of the world, and each with a conviction and burden to make Christ’s name great in the location in which he serves.

Enjoy reading and reflecting on the reading for January 10 from a brother serving in South Africa

January 10

Kind in Heart, Humble in Spirit

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit
1 Peter 3:8

David Beakley: Christ Seminary | South Africa

Loving and caring for others is a difficult task. It is even worse when it is a command and the “others” don’t particularly care for your love. But when it is done out of joy, the world takes note. When Peter told his readers “to sum up” in this verse, he was summing up his instructions that were very pointed and directed toward fellow believers in submitting to bad governments, bad employers, and bad marital relationships. And, if that were not bad enough, Peter gave this call of submission to people who were already suffering and experiencing persecution for their faith! How is this possible?

South Africa is a very complex country, with a complex history that has been checkered with oppression, strife, and hypocrisy—largely in the name of the “state” church, which at the time was professing evangelical. In 1994, the government changed and the servant was now the master. Needless to say, there was a backlash against “White Christianity.” But, when a student-pastor from Christ Seminary understood these words from Peter, and saw a converted “enemy” from the previous regime, he went to meet his foe only to discover a brother. After they discovered and rejoiced in their “unity of mind,” they both preached together in a Township church to a full house.

The result was a testimony that resounded throughout the country. A secular and polarized culture was now hearing—and intrigued by—the gospel message of peace from two unlikely brothers.

How might you demonstrate loving submission, kindness of heart, and humility of spirit to those around you today?

Did you enjoy reading this excerpt? You may purchase the physical book on Amazon HERE or the Kindle version HERE.

Featured Image: A beautiful landscape panorama that has been used for the cover of the book.

Jan

2020

He To Rescue Me from Danger Interposed His Precious Blood

It’s a delight to share the labors of faithful authors. Roger Ellsworth is one such author, gifted with the ability to write seriously yet simply, and opening the Scriptures in a way that children as well as adults can understand. This guest post draws material from Roger’s Big Book of Coffee Cup Meditations, a book recently published, and available from bookstores or Amazon worldwide. More info HERE.

“He, to Rescue Me from Danger,
Interposed His Precious Blood”

From God’s Word, the Bible…

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
1 Peter 1:17-20

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood. . .
(Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1758)

These words take us to the heart of Christ’s saving work on behalf of His people. It was a matter of Jesus interposing His blood! That act of interposition makes His blood precious to every believer.

More about that in a moment! First, let’s think about that word “danger.” Frightening word! When we hear the word “danger,” we tend to think of the people and the things that threaten our wellbeing and happiness in this world. There is no shortage of them.

There is, however, another type of danger which is much worse than any posed by this temporal realm. It is the danger of experiencing the wrath of God in eternity. People these days like to play down that danger, but no fair reading of the Bible will allow us to do so. All are agreed that the Old Testament places a heavy emphasis on the matter, but we must not think that the teaching of God’s wrath is confined there. The same teaching is evenly distributed throughout the New Testament. It is in the Gospels (Matt. 3:12; 7:13-14; 22:13-14; 23:33; 25:30,41,46; Mark 9:42-29; Luke 16:19-31; John 3:36), in the epistles of Paul (Rom. 1:18-19; 2:5; 3:5; 4:15; 12:19; Eph. 2:3; 5:6), and in the other epistles as well (Heb. 10:27; 12:25-29; James 5:9; 1 Peter 4:17-18; 2 Peter 2:4-9).

It is the dominant theme of the book of Revelation (Rev. 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; 19:15; 20:11-15; 21:8; 22:11,15).

And for those who blissfully say: “Just give me the loving God of John 3:16,” the wrath of God is powerfully present in the word “perish” which is mentioned in that very verse.

We will never understand Christianity until we realize that it is all about rescuing people from this danger! Jesus came to this world for the express purpose of dealing with that danger.

God is holy. He cannot merely ignore our sins as if they never happened. He has to pronounce a sentence on them and also has to carry out that sentence. What is His sentence on our sins? It is His wrath, which is eternal separation from Himself in hell.

The glory of Christianity is that Jesus on the cross took the wrath that we deserve for our sins. There He “interposed” or inserted His blood between the wrath of God and guilty sinners. The word “blood” means that He poured out His life in death. To say He interposed His blood is to say He interposed Himself. On the cross He took the position between the wrath of God and guilty sinners. The wrath fell on Him, and there is now no wrath left for all who repent of their sins and trust in Him. John 3:36 puts it perfectly: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

But how could Jesus in the space of the six hours that He was on the cross (from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon) receive an eternity’s worth of the wrath of God for all sinners who believe in Him? The answer lies in the special nature of Jesus. He was no ordinary man. He was the God-man, fully God, fully man at one and the same time. As God, He was an infinite person, and as an infinite person, He could receive in a finite length of time an infinite measure of wrath. In other words, Jesus as an infinite person could receive in a finite measure of time what we as finite people would receive in an infinite measure of time.

When we truly understand what Jesus did on the cross for sinners, we gladly respond to Robert Robinson’s phrase “precious blood” with a hearty “Yes!”

Dec

2019

Anyone Can Be an Author

Does that sound strange?

In my experience, almost everyone has a story to tell. But many people need help in coaxing the story to come out the right way. And then there are the others who have no difficulty in getting the story out, but they need some help in preparing the book for publication.

Amazon offers some remarkable tools to this end. It has been my pleasure to help in two projects in recent months where authors have elected to publish on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing model. (KDP used to be called CreateSpace, but was renamed.) Simply stated, the program works something like this:

You already have an account with Amazon; to this, you add your bank details so that you may collect payment for sales of your forthcoming book(s).
You have prepared a book and your material is edited and ready for publication.
You upload the typeset text (or eBook) per Amazon’s requirements.
You upload the cover (specifications are given where necessary).
Some internal checks are run within the Amazon system; you have to wait patiently, but not for long!
Your book goes live and people from all around the world can buy or download a copy. All the revenues that come from this are yours to keep, though you have to be proactive in thinking of ways to stimulate the sales of your publications.

Authors have the choice of preparing an eBook first, or a print book first. I prefer to prepare the print book first and then create an eBook permutation.

Because some of the steps require particular care and professional expertise and experience, I either offered (or was asked) to help in the instances of the books below.

HABARI

God’s Timing: A Journey of Discovery … And Eventual Healing (Janet E. Green)

Amazon Info HERE

Lucy has suffered a crushing sorrow and now, to her, the world seems to be a place of chaos and disharmony. She is convinced that she or her family will sooner or later be caught up in some disaster and longs to know what the future holds so that she can be prepared. Although she is holidaying in one of the most beautiful places in the world, her dark thoughts drag her down to the point where she is almost overwhelmed. Is it by sheer coincidence that she is introduced to someone who has the knowledge and absolute proof of what the future holds? Lucy finds herself going on a journey of discovery that almost blows her mind. And at the end of her holiday, there is one last surprise. . .

Janet Green has enjoyed writing novels for a number of years. She was born and brought up in Kenya, East Africa, and also lived in central and southern Africa for many years. Now living in England, she draws on her memories of Africa, where her heart still remains, for inspiration. Most of the books she writes are sagas and some of them are seasoned by her strong Christian beliefs. You can find out more about Janet Green by visiting her website and blog at www.janetegreen.org.

It was fun to prepare a publisher identity for this book–Habari Publications–in keeping with the African theme and identity of Janet Green’s writing and other publications.

OLD PATHWAYS

Martyn Ellsworth is a gifted writer whose imagination takes readers into historical fiction.

Journey to Prea: The Judayon Saga: Book 1 (Martyn Ellsworth)

Amazon info HERE

After years of darkness and foreign rule, the High King of Judayon prepares to bring about the long-awaited Restoration which will usher in a new era of freedom for his people. Expectations among Judayon’s faithful are raised as a man named Rulorn begins to proclaim the truth of the High King. In the capital city of Tamaton, four young people, Morikahn, Valroff, Razna, and Eramin, discover that the momentous events of their day will not leave them untouched. Amidst sweeping changes in the land, their lives will be imperiled, their friendship will be tested, and they will find themselves playing a role in the unfolding drama that they never envisioned.Journey to Prea is a work of Christian fiction inspired by the events of the Protestant Reformation.

Martyn Ellsworth is a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he has served as a pastor for several years. He and his wife Rebekah are homeschooling their two young children. He enjoys listening to hymns and to sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He also loves to read The Chronicles of Narnia and books on theology and history. The Protestant Reformation and World War II are areas of particular interest to him.

It was also fun to prepare a publisher identity for this book–Old Pathways Publications–in keeping with the more old world feel and context of Martyn’s writings.

Cover design and identity is key in these kinds of projects and I am thankful for the authors and their creative input into determining how best to put together the various elements that were used! In particular, God’s Timing involved merging and airbrushing several elements into a composite graphic…

Featured Image: A CorelDraw screenshot from the preparation of the cover of God’s Timing. I have used Corel for many years and find it a versatile program for this kind of work.

Dec

2019

Thinking about Books

Earlier in the year, I was challenged on Facebook to write notes on books that I have read and enjoyed. Here are some of the notes:

Pilgrim’s Progress

My sister Margaret Jones asked me to share books that I have found significant. So I thought of my copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress and am thankful for being persuaded to purchase the cloth-bound copy as long ago as 1981! Did you know that PP is said to be the second-best-seller to the Bible?

The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister

Continuing to engage with my sister, Margaret Jones, who asked me to share books I have found significant, I thought this time that I would reference John O’Sullivan’s “The Pope, The President, and the Prime Minister.” While there are some aspects and interpretations in the book I would not agree with, I very much enjoyed the way in which O’Sullivan wrote so engagingly about three figures who had a remarkable influence on the world in the 1980s onward.

Hard Call

As I continue this short journey of reflection on books I have appreciated over the years, as requested by my sister Margaret Jones, a leadership book by the late John McCain comes to mind, “Hard Call.” I first read it about ten or more years ago, perusing the chapters with enjoyment as I was flying from place to place in my sales and marketing job. McCain engagingly teases out lessons of leadership from a wide range of people and events! You can dip into any of the chapters without reference to the others.

A Body of Divinity

Continuing the thought of books that have made a strong impact on me, as requested by Margaret Jones, I am thinking right now of the remarkable writing of Thomas Watson, a puritan minister, who prepared, inter alia, “A Body of Divinity.” It proved to be my first puritan book purchase, and came from The Bible Centre in Pietermaritzburg in 1982.
Watson is incredibly readable. You can find something quote-worthy at random on any page. Here is one:
“The wisdom of God is seen in making the most desperate evils turn to the good of his children. As several poisonable ingredients, wisely tempered by the skill of the artist, make a sovereign medicine, so God makes the most deadly afflictions co-operate for the good of his children. He purifies them, and prepares them for heaven. 2 Cor 4: I7. These hard frosts hasten the spring flowers of glory.”
Pictured is a later edition; I am pleased to own the hard-cover edition with muted red tones!

The Forgotten Spurgeon

As I continue this occasional journey through books that have been seminal in my thinking (at the request of Margaret Jones), today’s reflection is on Iain H. Murray’s “The Forgotten Spurgeon.” I received my copy as a gift from a good friend in the early 1980s but I only read it a few years later. And when I did, it was most helpful, relative to some issues I was working through. In it, Iain Murray provides a brief bio of CHS, the so-called (and well-deserved name) of the prince of preachers, 18th century Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Thereafter, Murray traces three noteworthy issues CHS faced: baptismal regeneration, the free offer of the gospel, and the Downgrade Controversy, a battle he faced with fellow Baptists who were crumpling and crumbling under the effects of modern, liberal, Bible-denying criticism. Spurgeon’s oft-repeated saying, as I recall from memory, “Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin,” should be axiomatic in today’s church, but sadly is not so. There is much to learn and apply from this excellent work, and I commend it as the right medicine for many of the issues modern believers are facing.

Surprised by Joy

Continuing the meander through thoughts about books I have enjoyed over the years, as requested by Margaret Jones, the next one that comes to my mind is one by C.S. Lewis. I was a university student at the time, battling my way through a mountain of indiscriminately varied books in an English syllabus–many of them patently boring, others full of filth. Then, in a secondhand store, I came across Lewis’ little gem, “Surprised by Joy.” The title is derived from a Wordsworth sonnet and of course also has peculiar significance to C.S.L. personally. Tracing his early life and influences, the author, with grace and freshness of style, paints beautiful word pictures of the earlier parts of his life, and how even in his rebellion, he found himself finding God and grace. What an oasis this book was to me in the wilderness of everything else I was reading at the time!

Look out for more book reflections as we move into 2020!

Dec

2019

Some 2019 Projects in Review

The year has been one of steady focus on numerous editing, production, and publishing projects. Here, in no particular order of priority, are some insights into them…and this is by no means an exhaustive list!

Devotional Poems

IMMANUEL: Poems and Meditations on the Life of Jesus: This is the second in a series of Christmas books produced for EvangAlliance Publications, an 80 page full color cloth-bound book (with loose dust jacket), with beautiful poems and is truly a magnificent production. It is a companion to a book we worked on last year, INCARNATION Poems, also by poet Tom Worth. See more HERE.

The One Anothers of the New Testament

31 Ways to be a One Another Christian An email from Dr. Stuart Scott initiated this one. He and Andrew Jin had been working on a script that teased out the implications of what the New Testament has to say about “one another.” Would Shepherd Press be interested, he asked? Of course! The year was well progressed, and an ACBC deadline for launching the book was approaching with uncomfortable rapidity, so we accelerated the editing and production and were able to launch this excellent book in October. More info HERE.

365 Plus…

Daily Readings books have a special place in my heart. There are two that have been under my purview this year, both relatively late in the year.

The first is a compilation of the wonderful My Coffee Cup Meditations books by Roger Ellsworth and family. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get all twelve of these volumes into one big book. And the name that came to mind was simply The Big Book of Coffee Cup Meditations. It is truly a magnificent book, cloth-bound, nearly 800 pages in length. Roger writes on the back cover as follows:

Early mornings are very predictable for lots and lots of Christians. Roll out of bed, turn on the coffee pot, pour a cup, settle into a favorite chair and enjoy what is called “the daily devotional.” This usually consists of reading a passage from the Bible and a selection from a daily readings book. It concludes with prayer.

Believers who follow this pattern can go through a good number of devotional readings as the years go by. So they are always looking for new material—something to go along with their Bible and their coffee.

Hoping that I could be helpful in supplying the need for more of these kinds of readings, I gathered up some articles I had written and put them in a book—A Dog and a Clock. The idea was to supply brothers and sisters in Christ with enough devotions to carry them through one month. That quickly led to another book—The Thumbs Up Man—to carry “devotion-doers” through another month—and so on.

You can guess what happened after three or four books came out. There are twelve months in the year. So why not provide enough books to cover a year? Well, off we went and out the books came until there were finally twelve! Since these books were designed to go with the Bible and a good cup of coffee, it seemed right to call them My Coffee-Cup Meditations. Here are all twelve books in one big volume—372 readings in total!

More information HERE.

A good friend and former colleague connected me with new friends in TMAI–The Masters Academy International–in California who were in the final stages of preparing a large devotional book with multiple authors for publication. Would I help guide it through the process? The timing was tight, but the outcome is a beautiful (nearly 400 page) book, Declaring His Glory among the Nations. An edition of this book is available on Amazon HERE.

Esther: For Such a Time as This

Colin Mercer labored faithfully in Greenville, SC, for about a decade. I got to know him and appreciate his preaching at Faith Free Presbyterian Church. Friends there, Charles and Verta Koelsch, worked tirelessly on Colin’s sermon notes to prepare a very useful book on God’s care and providence as seen in the Old Testament book of Esther–with the title For Such a Time as This: The Sovereignty and Goodness of God in the Book of Esther. The outcome is a beautifully produced book of 176 pages. An edition of this book is available on Amazon HERE.

Tennessee Author Friends

Reggie Weems is a good friend in ministry in Eastern Tennessee, and we just released an excellent introduction to C.S. Lewis. In his series of “Ten Things About…”, the new The Man Who Made Narnia is a welcome addition to a man whose influence is truly remarkable. Also in preparation for 2020 is Good, But not Safe. The first title is available on Amazon HERE.

Dave Harrell, also a pastor in Tennessee, wrote a very good book on pastoral leadership. It was my pleasure to guide this through the editing and publishing process at Shepherd Press early in 2019. Soon after this was complete, Dave reached out to me with the thought of how his ministry, Shepherds Fire, could publish mini-books. After conferring on some strategic options, we came up with the idea of “The Compact Expository Pulpit Commentary Series,” small books of around 88 pages, each one packing a powerful punch in terms of both content and application. You can read more about Dave and his ministry HERE and obtain his books on Amazon as follows:

God, Evil, and Suffering HERE

God’s Gracious Gift of Assurance HERE

Our Sin and the Savior HERE

South African Connections

Dr. Francois Carr is based in Pretoria, South Africa, and has a global ministry in calling people to Christ and a consecrated walk with Him. One of his earlier books, Lead Your Family in Worship, had gone out of print. Francois reached out to me with the question: How could this book be brought back into print? Well, we found a way! We did a couple of prototype runs and the book has a few tweaks to go, and we expect to launch the agreed final version early in 2020.

“It is an old but good saying that families which pray together stay together. This refreshingly up-to-date book on family worship is a valuable contribution to a much-neglected area of Christian practice. May God be pleased to bless its teaching to many.”–Rev. Maurice Roberts: Minister, Free Church of Scotland Continuing, Inverness, Scotland

The contents for Francois’ book are good for whetting the appetite:

Introduction
1: A Forgotten Command of God
2: Why is Family Worship Necessary? (A)
3: Why is Family Worship Necessary? (B)
4: Why Don’t Families Worship Together Anymore?
5: Common Excuses for Not Having Family Worship
6: How Do I Prepare Myself and My Family for Worship?
7: How Do We Worship as a Family?
8: What are the Foundations of Family Worship?
9: A Final Encouragement
Appendix 1: Where Do I Start?
Appendix 2: Suggested Format for Family Worship
Appendix 3: Suggesed Format for Family Worship
Appendix 4: An Example of Family Worship

The Man in the Gap Martin Holdt was my pastor for many years in South Africa. A good and godly man, the story of his life is more than worthy of being told. Friends Rex and Esta Jefferies in South Africa have labored hard to prepare a biography, and they and I have been exchanging files for a couple of years or more to get the text prepared for publication. We anticipate launching this book in the first quarter of 2020. Dr. Joel Beeke in the Foreword describes this as a “must-read” book!

Here are three fragments from Dr. Beeke’s Foreword

I love good biographies of godly men. They are so stimulating, convicting, edifying, moving, challenging, and alluring. This is one of those biographies. It is a “must read” book—one that is so true to a godly pastor who lived, by God’s grace, wholly for Christ and out of love for the souls of people.

Martin Holdt was one of the very best friends in Christ Jesus that I have ever had. He was also one of the most godly people I have ever known. When he died so suddenly in the last week of 2011, I grieved as if I had lost a brother—because I did. He was like an older brother to me.

Read this book prayerfully, meditatively, and slowly. I pray God that Martin Holdt’s life story will move you to follow him insofar as he followed Christ.

Dec

2018

The Discipleship Process: How Iron Can Sharpen Iron

A Post I Prepared for Through the Lens of Scripture

(For more info, see HERE)

I remember when I was in Bible school how a visiting chapel speaker made this point one day in the form of a leading question: “Did Jesus say that we are to go into all the world and get people to make decisions?”

His thesis was that we are to make disciples, and not just converts. A disciple is, in essence, a learner or a student, as the origin of the Greek word for disciple presses us to understand it. Jesus had twelve such learners or students around Him, and He, the God-Man, discipled them in a wonderful way for three remarkable years as He spoke to them—and demonstrated their application—words of grace and truth.

Disciples or Decisions?

Monty Sholund: A picture probably taken in the 1980s.

“The discipleship process is a continuum,” remarked Monty Sholund, then principal of the Bible college I mentioned above. “You have not demonstrated your own discipleship until you have yourself made disciples. Turn with me to 2 Timothy 2:2,” he instructed as he leafed through his well-worn, leather-bound copy of the Bible. His head inclined at a slight angle, he spoke with a tone of gentle urgency: “You guys are emphatically not a part of that continuum until you have done what the apostle Paul said Timothy should do. Do you see it in the text?” His finger jabbed his Bible for emphasis. “It is in this process of not only being a disciple but forming other disciples that you will be blessed in the demonstration of your obedience to the Savior. And in the measure that you are responsive to introducing new converts—disciples—into the church, that is the measure of your success in demonstrating your obedience to the Great Commission as articulated by Jesus in Matthew 28.”

Monty’s words resonated strongly with me, and they do so nearly four decades later. Of course, our primary influence is with people is often in a face-to-face context, usually as we are in at least an informal relationship with them.

But the transfer of information, insight, knowledge, wisdom, convictions, values, and passion—and so much more—via the medium of writing comes in a significant second place to that which is primarily relational and personal and face-to-face in character. Books are wonderful facilitators of the disciple-making process!

Printed Media Has a Long Shelf Life

I love anecdotes such as how a scrap of paper that had been used for wrapping some food (and on which had been imprinted some catechism questions and answers) led to the “coincidental” conversion of the reader who just “happened” to be eating the food—and then there is the story of how a piece of literature that lay in the dust and darkness of an attic for over a generation was instrumental in blessing the eventual reader with the knowledge of God’s way of salvation, through repentance and faith, in the light of day when the attic was being cleaned out.

So, how can writing, editing, and book production further the process of disciple-making? Well, think with me of Francis Bacon, an English philosopher, who made these three comments:

Reading makes a full man;
Writing makes an exact man;
Conference (discussion) makes a ready man.

The first two in the triad suggest the deliberate use of words in the formation of character. We might like to paraphrase Bacon as saying something like this: “By reading the right kinds of materials, you will gain a breadth of knowledge and insight that is way beyond that of others, and that will be of benefit to you in your worldview and in the way in which you navigate the pathways of life; writing is similarly valuable: if you take the discipline seriously, you will consider carefully the meaning and value of words, and you will harness their power and effectiveness for communicating with laserlike clarity, economy, and efficiency.”

One of the titles for Jesus is the Word, the point made so emphatically by John in the opening comments of his Gospel. The words of the wise are as goads (Ecclesiastes 12:11). A goad is an instrument of prodding to propel others forward. Words used rightly can have the most amazing outcome with respect to motivation for behavior and transformation of values and character.

So, to join some dots together, think of it this way: In the continuum of discipleship, it is desirable that the learner make progress—progress in grace and knowledge of Christ, in particular (2 Peter 3:18)—progress in sanctification, becoming more like Jesus (the goal of our salvation), gaining greater understanding of how God’s Word and ways guide us along the pathway He has prepared for us, increasing in understanding of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), becoming more discerning with respect to error and heresy (often so prevalent in Christian circles these days) and becoming increasingly useful in practical things like parenting, being a godly spouse, being an effective employee in the workplace, and an instrument of God’s grace in bringing the knowledge of the gospel to people in darkness, ignorance, and confusion.

And what better a way to facilitate this wonderful process of transformation than through words—words of godly people who themselves have imbibed God’s Word, and who have been equipped by Him not only to explain the content and concepts of that Word, but also to draw clear lines of application from the body of Scripture to the real circumstances of life, whether in helping shape attitude or transform behavior!

Valuable Values

With respect to Shepherd Press, the kinds of authors we love to see investing into writing and publishing books that will enrich the continuum of discipleship are those who embrace the three core values of the publishing mission of Shepherd Press. This means that whatever is seriously considered for publication should be:

Life changing
Heart driven
Gospel centered

Publishing occupies the remarkable position at the intersection of the two disciplines of reading and writing. I so appreciate the words of the godly Richard Baxter, a Puritan pastor, who made the point that it was not in the reading of many books that benefit was to be found, but in the careful reading and consideration of the right ones.

At Shepherd Press, being involved in the publishing process provides remarkable opportunities to envision—and to think through—how the material that is being considered for publication, and is subsequently in the process of developmental editing, will challenge and enrich the minds and hearts of readers.

I often make the point that the publishing process is incomplete until the books have… wait for it… not merely been produced, and, no, not even been sold with money in the bank to prove it, but have actually reached into the hearts and minds of the readers they are meant for.

Please pray for us at Shepherd Press—and pray for all publishers committed to the model of preparing and presenting excellent, scripturally based materials—not just for the success of the publishing process, but to the end that Christ might be glorified, sinners saved, and a robust paradigm of Word-based discipleship might come about as a result.

Are you a disciple-maker? Suggest two or three areas in your calling (whether at work, at home, or at school / college / university) in which you could naturally foster a disciple-making mindset with potentially good outcomes.

Jim Holmes is a freelance publishing consultant who serves Shepherd Press in editorial and related matters. You may find out more about him at www.blogspot52.com or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jameswholmes1

Thanks to Shirley Crowder of Through the Lens of Scripture (for whom this post was originally prepared) to share this on my own site.

Sep

2018

The Writing Apologetic Ministry of Edgar Andrews

The Writing Apologetic* Ministry of Edgar Andrews

*Apologetic: Here meaning having to do with the defense of, or reason for, the faith that one holds.

I first met Professor Edgar Andrews in 1999. I recall him, distinguished, articulate, erudite—in many ways, just what you might expect a professor to be. At the time, he was chairman of Evangelical Times and Evangelical Press. I had just relocated to England and was finding my feet in a new climate, adjusting to a new work situation, meeting new friends, discovering the joys of navigating around English traffic roundabouts (“Who gives way to whom, or do you just pray and take a chance?”) and experiencing many other new things. Our pathways would cross at occasional board meetings and when he would come to the Faverdale office in Darlington to oversee the production of the monthly paper.

We enjoyed good interactions whenever we met. I knew Prof. Andrews was much more than a brain on legs, but I always felt somewhat in awe of his great intellect—a man who knew so much about the science of materials, and yet who was at home with English literature, history, theology, ancient Greek, and many other disciplines.

I had first known of him through various of his writings, and in South Africa had enjoyed selling his books in several of my sales initiatives through Reformation Heritage Trust, subsequently renamed Barnabas Book Room. Always solid in their content, always clearly written, always with modern application, his books resonated with me and with the reading clientele Sue and I served…

So when Edgar contacted me again some years after I moved to the USA, I was delighted to have the opportunity of working with him again on some new projects. One of his earlier publications, Who Made God?, had captured the imagination of the reading public, selling tens of thousands of copies. “I’ve been working on a new book, one on the origin of man, titled What is Man—Adam, Alien or Ape?—do you think you could help promote it?” Edgar asked me. His explanatory email was predictably through in his description of the text and his plans for promoting it internationally. Of course, I was delighted to do so, and once it was in print, it was my pleasure to review it in these words—which you may read on Amazon HERE. (It’s a very good book—as I think you will see from my review notes.)

My Amazon Review Notes

A sequel to his bestselling book, “Who Made God?”, Edgar Andrews’ book “What is Man?” is a carefully thought-through, well prepared, wittily and engagingly written piece.

The author’s background in both arts and science (he is a well-rounded intellectual) eminently qualifies him to write both at length and in depth in areas of science, philosophy, literature, art, and the Christian faith—the latter from a well-informed perspective of faith. He engages robustly with some important minds along the way.

While Professor Andrews might be described as a “brain on legs,” he is a very capable communicator, taking complex concepts and subjects, breaking them down into bite-sized examples, making judicious use of illustrations to simplify them (yet without being simplistic) and then drawing lines of application to modern life and especially in challenging the thinking of people who may have mistakenly and uncritically imbibed the presuppositions and worldview of a generation who have more often been informed by talk-shows and TV than by well-reasoned scientific disciplines and carefully considered theological and philosophical conclusions.

To sketch the book by way of overview, Professor Andrews takes readers, as it were, by the hand (never condescendingly) and guides them page by page, step by step, idea by idea, through a maze of considerations considered within three categories: Man and the Cosmos, Man and the Biosphere, and Man and the Bible.

Under the first part, (Man and the Cosmos) the author gives consideration to key concerns such as the identity of humankind, the impossibility of the universe being self-creating, the willful conjecture of the media in inventing and embellishing highly detailed “facts” when there is no undergirding evidence, the habitability of the world (what he refers to as a fine-tuned universe) and the difficulties posed by the conceptualization of a multiverse.

Part 2 (Man and the Biosphere) considers people as unique creatures, traces the ramifications of the complexity of genetic mapping, spends some time on speculations that have arisen in light of fossil research and dating, and rounds off with some philosophical and ontological sketches with respect to human consciousness.

The third part of “What is Man?” (Man and the Bible) begins to draw many of the ideas heretofore explored into a unified conclusion, and provides a probing analysis of worldviews, the historicity of the fall of our first parents, the imago dei, Christ as the Second Adam, and the undeniability of the resurrection of Jesus.

Is this a “preaching, condescending kind of book”? I didn’t find it so. The author’s calm writing style, his eloquence, his gentle wit—these are all engaging features. In it all, I felt he was letting his readers come to their own conclusions at their own speed. Truth is compelling. Truth has the power, under God, to be life-transforming. This is the kind of book most people will easily be able to read. Be sure you are one of them and get one—and an extra one or two, too, for a family member or work colleague whom you might like to challenge to rethink some aspects of life!

Other Writings of Professor Edgar Andrews

I have worked with Edgar in lightly editing, reformatting, and republishing his most helpful book on Galatians (EP Books used to have it in the Welwyn Commentary Series—though Great Writing Publications it is titled Free in Christ—The Message of Galatians for Today) (more about that in another blog entry another time) and it’s on my radar soon to have his excellent commentary on Hebrews—A Glorious High Throne—back in print, also in the Great Writing Publications imprint.

Windows on My Work: Shepherd Press

The Incredible Power of Simple Service

Table of Contents

When Life Turns Upside Down

Endorsements

About Jay Younts

“My Name Shall Be Great Among the Nations”

Kind in Heart, Humble in Spirit

From God’s Word, the Bible…

Anyone Can Be an Author

HABARI

OLD PATHWAYS

Thinking about Books

Pilgrim’s Progress

The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister

Hard Call

A Body of Divinity

The Forgotten Spurgeon

Surprised by Joy

Some 2019 Projects in Review

Devotional Poems

The One Anothers of the New Testament

365 Plus…

Esther: For Such a Time as This

Tennessee Author Friends

South African Connections

A Post I Prepared for Through the Lens of Scripture

The Writing Apologetic* Ministry of Edgar Andrews

My Amazon Review Notes

Other Writings of Professor Edgar Andrews

Windows on My World

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