The Action Bible

Posted on April 15, 2016April 14, 2016 by Matthew Laker

The Action Bible helped my son engage with scripture

The “Action Bible” – What is that? I wondered as I pulled it off the shelf at the church library. For whatever reason that day I was looking through our church library for something. Then I noticed a small book called the Action Bible. I flipped through it and thought cool, my son would love this.

It is produced by David C. Cook

Sometime later my son received a copy of just the “New Testament” version of the Action bible (I cannot remember if it was from grandparents or parents). He has read that book so much that it is falling apart. I first noticed it having a big impact upon him when he would start to correct Sunday school teachers or us as we shared a bible story. Often he would respond along the lines of “this is how it happened,” then share what he read.

The Action Bible is a resource to help engage your young kids with scripture.

The Action Bible has taken the words of the bible and put them into a comic illustrated style. Now every kid is different, but for my son it has been the single biggest thing to start engaging him with scripture.

Reasons I like it:

1. A format that grabs his attention to biblical stories.

Sergio Cariello, the illustrator, does a great job with modern drawings. In a day where visual media rules, the bible can be hard to engage for youngsters. I have also seen my share of cheesy Christian bible comics but the action Bible is updated and relevant.

2. It Stays to the core of the message of scripture

As I flipped through the book, or more importantly as my son would come and share with me what he was reading, the core message of the illustrations was in line with scripture. Yes, the illustrations are one person’s image of the events, we adults will always find something to point out, however take it for the genre it is. My son who was 8 at the time was sold. I did not have to say read this, he took one look and was engaged. As he engaged he was learning the message of the Bible.

3. Opened doors for conversations

I see this as one tool in many for the parent in teaching scripture to their children. It has helped us engage with our son around scripture. He is a visual boy and has good recall and it amazes me how fast his mind goes back to this book when we talk about the bible.

Later we picked up a copy of the full action bible for him and he has fully engaged with it.

We still have what you may call a regular bible that he can read. However, the action bible has proved to be a good resource to engage my young son.

What resources have you found useful in helping to engage children in scripture?

http://www.theactionbible.com/

Emotionally healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

Posted on April 8, 2016April 11, 2016 by Matthew Laker

“Emotionally healthy Spirituality” by Peter Scazzero was my lent reading for 2016.

The following are some personal takeaways through my experience of reading the book.

The core message of the book is “When emotional heath and contemplative spirituality are interwoven together in an individual’s life, a small group, a church, a university fellowship, or a community, people’s lives are dramatically transformed. They work as an antidote to heal the symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality…”[1]

“Awareness of yourself and your relationship with God are intricately related. In fact, the challenge to shed our “old false” self in order to live authentically in our “new true” self strikes at the very core of true spirituality.”[2]

Here are my personal takeaways – in no order

1. His Honesty in asking why he was not experiencing or seeing emotional or spiritual maturity in the church or himself.

One person I was recently coaching shared that if the church really believed who Jesus says he was, we should be acting differently. At times, the church is guilty of telling people to love more or love better. However, that is not good enough. Over the last number of years, I have started to wrestle more with why we are not seeing the transformation in people’s lives that the gospel is calling us to. The author’s hope was to help us be transformed.

2. Wrestling with deeply rooted behavioral patterns that move us away from Christ.

Many of us have underestimated how deep sin goes in our life. Many of us have underestimated how deeply entrenched the old ways and patterns are in our life. In chapter five, he talks about going back in order to move forward. He challenges the reader to understand behaviors and patterns that have entrenched themselves in our life.

3. Top 10 symptoms indicating someone is suffering from a base case of emotionally unhealthy spirituality

4. We have a problem, but here are some paths that could help.

Scazzero does point out in chapter two five components of who we are. However, this book only focuses on two parts as foundationally. I appreciate him trying to provide some initial practical steps to help people grow in their faith. Not only is this useful for my own personal journey, but I can introduce them easily to other people.

5. Pay attention to emotion and pain.

One of the big takeaways for me was the call to not push the emotion away. Throughout the book is a call to ask questions about what you are feeling. What are your emotions telling you? What is God saying through those emotions or pain? Where is God in this moment? There is a call to not fully give ourselves over to the whim of emotions, but also understand they are God given, so do not fear them. I am not sure this is well understood in the church.

6. A Rule of Life.

The author gives a great illustration of a trellis that helps us abide in Christ and become fruitful. The trellis is a combination of the spiritual practices that provide structure for me to intentionally pay attention and remember God in everything I do. The fruit that comes from that is seen in how we live our life.

Throughout the book is a desire to provide practical skills for people to apply in their life. The idea of developing a rule of life reminds me a little of developing a life plan. It is the whole idea of being intentional in your life.

When I started the book the hope was it would serve as an avenue of personal reflection and deepening of my life. It has helped with that.

You can check out the book here.

Resource:

I found some mp3 of his teaching around this here. –http://ncdefca.org/resources/conference/2010-emotionally-healthy-spirituality-pete-scazzero/

[1]Scazzero, Peter “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” (Tennesse, Thomas Nelson, 2006), p.44

[2] Ibid, p.65

Review of Bo’s Cafe

Posted on October 22, 2014September 23, 2016 by Matthew Laker

A Resource for the Battle in Your In Mind: Bo’s Café Book Review

Feeling life is coming apart, and full of anger. Not sure how to handle the frustration building in his life. If only others would change, things would be fine. Everyone around can see something is going on, but they keep their distance. Distance seems to be a new friend. He knows it’s not right, but one must stay in control. But he still feels as if he is just bumping around in the dark. This is where Steve, the main character, of Bo’s Cafe finds himself as he encounters Andy. In this encounter, hope is offered, but can Steve see the flicker of light in the darkness?

“Bo’s Cafe” by Bill Thrall, Bruce Mcnico and John S. Lync, was recommended to me from a conversation around mental illness, and the challenge of how to walk with others, who are struggling.

Bo’s Cafe is a story which reminds us that we are all broken. We all need a safe community of relationships. “Not just a place to just let everybody hear ones’ garbage. Who needs that? I can get that in my own head. Safe is where I can tell you my garbage so you can enter in and stand with me in the solution of it. That’s safe, man.(p.120)” It is a story that reminds us of our struggle with identity.

Reading the book made me reflect on myself, and how I interact in my own relationships and within community.

In my opinion, here are the top three important points.

1. A Conversation around identity.

We all struggle with identity and the lies we believe that define who we are in life. Many followers of Jesus struggle with truly trusting what God says about us. At times we listen to shame and what it says of who we are. We must remember that Jesus took that shame away, and we no longer have to listen to that voice.

As said in the book, it is hard to replace the lies we tell ourselves with real identity God’s way (p.152). Embracing the new story of life that Jesus offers is not easy. We are afraid and so act out, and try to take control. The character in the story uses anger to try and stay in control. The book challenges the reader to embrace real identity God’s way; they are going to need to admit they can do nothing and really need God’s help.

“Repentance isn’t doing something about your failure. It’s not just agreeing you’ve done something wrong; it’s admitting you can’t do what needs to be done to make it right. God waits and yearns for that moment with everything in him. (p.. 164)”

We have to admit that what we are doing is destructive for ourselves and to those around us. We run around trying to fix everything, steering the wheel, and we simply cannot hear God’s voice.

2. What lies have I bought into in my life?

– This was a question I asked myself after reading the book.

What lies do I allow myself to believe? Lies that effect how I relate to my wife, and even in return effect how she embraces God’s call. Lies that affect my kids, and those I oversee as a pastor. Lies that hold me back from walking in the calling of God in my life.

3. A Reminder about community.

“Even a guy as screwed up as me can give a friend a safe place. Even a man as flawed as I am can help a friend rewrite his story with the real story, the true story – of Christ coming through me.” (p.152)

Wrapped up in that is being able to open up, to truly let someone in. The book is a good reminder that God has given us the body of Christ, other followers of Jesus to help guide us through this life. We need a pit crew or one who serves as a protector to help us through life.

The story is a reminder that there are no together people, just those with whiter teeth (p.213).

There is a place for community and honest relationships, and somehow through that, freedom can be found. The community will need to embrace grace and lay down defenses.

I think it may be a book that I will go back to from time to time. For those looking for “the four steps”, unfortunately you will not find that. What you do find is a lesson in the role of a grace-filled community in life.