NEW BOOK REVIEWS
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 State
Missionary Rick Lance is executive director of the Alabama Baptist State
Board of Missions. |
Other Recent Blog Entries:
VBS a GPS Strategy
Friday, February 5, 2010
The reason I am emphasizing VBS now is obvious. It
needs to be an intentional act of training for VBS leaders. VBS is one way to
share Christ in this Decade to make a Difference before us.
Helping the
Haitians
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Long after the news spotlight has shifted elsewhere
and many relief agencies have departed, the yellow shirts of Alabama Baptists
and other Southern Baptists will be on the ground working in recovery,
restoration and rebuilding.
Abbreviated
Leadership Lessons
Monday, December 28, 2009
ALong after the news spotlight has shifted elsewhere
and many relief agencies have departed, the yellow shirts of Alabama Baptists
and other Southern Baptists will be on the ground working in recovery,
restoration and rebuilding.
An Amen Christmas
Friday, December 18, 2009
Being called a "yes man" is not a compliment. Being
described as "God's yes people" is the highest and greatest compliment we could
ever receive. Let's have an Amen Christmas!
A Great
Commission Convention Meeting
Friday, November 19, 2009
Thanks to all who contributed to the annual gathering
and to those who came as messengers and guests. I am grateful to be an Alabama
Baptist. We are on mission with the Great Commission.
Major Otis Corbitt Reports for
Duty!
Friday, November 11, 2009
Now Otis goes as a missionary through the military.
His role is different, but his calling is the same. He is called to be on
mission with the Great Commission!
Happy Birthday, Billy!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Reminiscently, the last time I saw Billy Graham in
person was during his last crusade in New York City. Frail and fragile, the
famous evangelist made his way to the podium to preach during every service of
his final evangelistic crusade.
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BOOK REVIEWS:
John
Wesley and
Charles
Wesley
 For centuries now, the Wesley brothers, John and Charles have garnered the
attention of evangelical Christians across global denominational lines. As a
means of preparation for my Baptist/evangelical Christian tour in Great Britain,
I did some selective reading concerning major characters of interest. Naturally,
as Baptist, I was enchanted with the stories of John Bunyan, William Carey,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon and John Newton.
Yet, I must admit I felt a surprising effect of rekindled interest in John and
Charles Wesley as forward thinking Christian leaders of their day in the 18th
century. This led me to read two brief biographies of these two gigantic figures
of evangelical Christianity.
Gordon S. Wakefield captured the essence of John Wesley in his book which bears
the simple title
John Wesley.
With the economy of words only a skilled writer could employ, Wakefield told
the moving story of how John Wesley set the stage for his followers to become
forged into denominational-like movements that continue to this day. His famous
horseback riding preaching style and his boundless energy served to etch the
name John Wesley into the history of Christianity.
 His brother, Charles may have been overshadowed by John, but when one examines
his life and contribution a different story unfolds. Charles Wesley was a
prolific song and hymn writer. His father Samuel desired to be one and didn't,
but Charles became a writer of hymnody with excellence. John A. Vickers
masterfully shares the highlights of Charles Wesley's life and ministry in a
book titled simply
Charles
Wesley. The background details of some of his famous hymns are offered
with simple and straightforward detail.
The Wesleys now belong to Christian history, not to one single movement. Their
ministries have been cherished through the years and rightly so. Today, people
still read the sermons of John Wesley and sing the hymns of Charles Wesley. In
this unique way, we can affirm, "Although they are dead, they speak."
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