Book Review for "Detours" by Tony Evans

I am a part of the B&H/Lifeway Blogger team and have the privilege of reviewing new books.  This book is definitely a favorite!

This was my first book to read by Tony Evans but it won't be my last.  Every chapter in this book seemed to speak directly to me.  Tony uses detours in the life of Joseph as he is sold into slavery in Egypt and later became one of Egypt's most powerful leaders as a parallel to our lives today.  He explains detours are not dead-ends but are actually necessary to our ultimate instruction and guidance.  I have already recommended this book to several friends and family!

If you struggle with situations and circumstances going on in your life and wonder what's going on, the book Detours by Tony Evans may be a wonderful resource!

Celebration Day by Bill Liggett

Passage:  “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

I have fond memories of Easter from my childhood.  It was a time to be with family that I usually did not see at other holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving.  Lunch on that Sunday was usually at my Aunt Fanny’s house near Red Store west of Waurika.  Her yard would be covered in flowers and the house would smell of the finest of foods.  My aunt cooked for farm hands and harvest crews her entire life and was famous for her desserts.  

For some reason, Easter egg hunts were always held at Grandmother Bodenhamer’s house where my cousins, Mark and Jenny would hunt eggs and then hide them from our parents.  Every time we hid them there were fewer and fewer eggs.  I would always imagine what my grandfather would say when he mowed the yard later and would hit those rotten forgotten Easter eggs.

My birthday always falls somewhere around Easter, and sometimes even on Easter Sunday - I guess that is why this is my favorite time of year.  The weather can be exciting, nature is waking up from winter’s sleep, outdoor activities become more frequent and life seems renewed. 

Easter is the greatest celebration of the Christian year.  Christmas is the most anticipated but the most maligned.  Easter is a complete rebirth, in that we move from the darkest moment in history of man to the greatest moment in the Kingdom of God.  Death becomes life, despair gives way to celebration, hopelessness finds its way to possibility, fear folds into faith.  

Easter is more than a chance for absentees to make their yearly appearance and more than a time to feel good about Spring.  Easter is the quintessential manifestation of God’s long-term plan of salvation for mankind.  Jesus’ crucifixion paid our price, but his resurrection sealed the fate of Satan, death and sin. 

JESUS WON and Easter Sunday is our annual victory celebration. 

HE IS ALIVE, HE IS ALIVE, PRAISE GOD HE IS ALIVE. 

From Darkness to Light by Kara (Liggett) Baumann

Passage:  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

I know several people who have been through financial planning courses to help get rid of debt.  One thing that they all have in common is that they allocate certain amounts of cash to use as spending money throughout the week to help reduce spending as much money on frivolous items. 

I don’t know if having cash would necessarily help me spend less money, but I do agree that it is easy to swipe a debit or credit card to make purchases and not think about the balance in those accounts since, technically, they are out of sight.  It’s much easier to use a credit card than to pay off the balance.  I would definitely agree that the principle behind the philosophy of spending only the money we can see would help us be more conscientious about our spending. 

I recently thought about what if I could see the spiritual warfare going on around us when we make everyday life decisions?  For example, when we are choosing how to spend our time during the day or choosing the words to say to someone, what if we could see the powers of darkness trying to persuade us to be selfish, petty, or judgmental?  Would we make a different decision if we could in fact see the battle that is taking place in our soul?  I want to believe that light would win over the darkness because I would be frightened to allow any darkness at all to take over my being.   

If we are prepared to use the light in our lives, like cash, we are more equipped to make decisions that help us stand by the faith we have in that light.  It’s more than just picturing the angel and devil on your shoulder.  A simple cartoon cannot fully represent the battle of God’s angels fighting for your devotion over Satan’s slick marketing of earthly desires that will do nothing but destroy you little by little by blinding you to God’s grace and mercy. 

I want to be debt-free from darkness, I want to live with a wallet full of light. 

Jesus You are the Light of the world.  You shine in the darkness but the darkness cannot and did not overcome You!  May we be bright light of the good news to a lost world.

Peculiar Perspectives

Passage:  “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this:  to testify to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice….What is truth? said Pilate.” John 18:37-38

Easter - The celebration that falls on a different Sunday each year. Sometimes it comes in March; sometimes in April.  We never know if it will still have the chill of winter or the warmth of spring. 

Even though this is a distinctively Christian celebration, the marketing world still has to bring on the eggs and chocolate bunnies.  I have no problem with chocolate but I have to say if that’s all we associate with Easter we are completely missing the point!

The cross is that beautiful, horrible symbol for us as believers.  I can’t read the scripture that describes the treatment of Jesus before and during his crucifixion without being completely broken.  As I recently reread this event in the gospel of John I am reminded of different perspectives of this same event. 

The apostles (minus Judas) either went running or followed tentatively only to deny any association with Him.  John is the only disciple we know that was at the cross.  The high priests are sadly disgusting as in John 18 they brought Jesus to the governor’s headquarters but didn’t enter ‘otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.’  There were much bigger problems than eating Passover as they were offering up the true Passover Lamb.  Pilate is somewhat confused and also spineless as he asks Jesus “What is truth?” then washed his hands of Him.  The crowds instead of waving palm branches were enraged asking for a notorious criminal over the Son of God.  Their perspective had certainly changed.  Mary and some other women were completely heartbroken as they cried at the cross.  After Jesus died, even though they didn’t understand Joseph and Nicodemus were merciful.  There was no one who was there who could see anything but the horror of the cross.  The price for sin was ugly and horrific.

Jesus knew what was on the other side of the cross.  While He was fully human, He hurt, He bled, and He died.  His perspective as fully God was an eternal one. His perspective was that they would have no authority over Him at all if it had not been give to them from above (John 14:11).  His love for a lost world trumped every lash, every slap, every nail, every thorn, and every piercing. 

When the women exclaimed three days later “We have seen the LORD!” the perspective of Jesus’ followers changed and from that moment until now we celebrate the risen Christ!  Jesus said “Because you have seen Me, you have believed.  Those who believe without seeing are blessed!” (John 20:29)

LORD, how can we ever thank You enough for the salvation of the cross and the power of the resurrection.  May our perspective, our eyes ever be on You!”

Wonderful Waste

Passage: “When the disciples saw it they were indignant.  ’Why this waste?’ they asked.  Matthew 26:8

There is a lot of evidence supporting the fact we are a wasteful society.  Even in our current household of two people our trash receptacle is full every week (sometimes we even have to borrow our neighbors’ trash space – Thanks Steigerwalds!).  I have to confess we could be better ‘stewards of our garbage’ and do a better job of recycling our waste.

In the complete story of the above scripture, Jesus was having dinner at Simon’s house.  Simon had just been healed from a serious skin disease that we suppose was leprosy.  Leprosy would have been a “living” death sentence for him.  He would have been an outcast, ‘a waste of space’ some may have thought.  Whatever it was, he had been healed and I am guessing he was having a welcome home party.  His house now was filled with laughter, joy and hope.    

During the evening, a woman came to Jesus and after breaking an alabaster jar used its contents of expensive oil to anoint His head.  This act demonstrated humble worship and great regard for who she believed Jesus to be. Her interruption proved to be too much for the disciples.  Suddenly the joy of the evening was halted.  They could not see past the offensive use of the valuable oil.  “Why this waste?” was their reply to the act of worship.

I was so struck by their question…what would have been my reaction if I had been there?  Would I have focused more on the oil than the Anointed?  Would I have also thought it could have been used in a more profitable manner? The thought came to me, maybe it’s not original but it was new to me at that moment- Nothing poured out on Jesus is wasted.  He can take our alabaster jars filled with our bad attitudes, our selfishness, our brokenness, our pride and even our self-righteousness and He will use them for His glory and our good. 

Jesus’ response to the disciples indignation?--‘Leave her alone’, He said.  ‘She has prepared me for my burial. Whenever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.’  (Matthew 26:6-16; Mark 14:3-11)

Sadly Judas was so bothered by the wasted oil that he left the dinner and went straight to the chief priests to hand Jesus over to them.  He was promised money for his act of treason and what he did is also told in memory of him.

LORD, I am reminded that nothing poured out on You is wasted.  You make beauty from ashes, turn mourning to joy, hope from hopelessness.  Thank You for this reminder as we humbly enter this Easter season.

Reminder to Remember

Passage:  “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples…then He took a cup and after giving thanks, He gave it to them.”  Matthew 26:26-30

I have started the almost insurmountable task of organizing our family photos.  Many of these pictures are “in the cloud” and if you don’t know what that means, I can’t help you because honestly I don’t understand it either.  I have many pictures that need to be added “to the cloud” so they can all be perfectly ordered by time and place and become more easily accessed but it seems I go three steps forward and two steps back each time I try to tackle the task. 

The fun part of this endeavor is the remembering.  Some of the photos bring such a clarity to my memory that it seems I can not only see but also smell and hear the scene my eyes view.  I get a little lost in the remembering and before I know it, I haven’t gained much in operation organization. 

Remembering is a key component in God’s Word.  There is no way in a short devotional I could completely capture the full impact of remembering but over and over again God said to His people “remember..lest you become full and satisfied and forget Me” (Deuteronomy 8:12-14).  They were to remember by celebrating, calendaring, and consideration.  Their holidays were to remember how God had worked for their past benefit and promised to continue to do so for their future.  Their yearly calendar was arranged as a reminder of God’s work.  Through these celebrations and daily sacrifices they were to consider the LORD and what He had done for them. 

As Jesus celebrated one of these sacred celebrations with His disciples, He taught a lesson of remembrance.  He took what was familiar during the Passover meal, the bread and the wine, and imparted new meaning so they would remember His death.  These Jesus-followers from that point on to us today would celebrate these elements in communion and remember the new covenant ushered in by His death and resurrection. 

This celebration of remembrance was so sacred and important that Jesus said He “would not drink it again until the day when I drink it in a new way in My Father’s kingdom with you.”  (Matthew 26:29)   Until then we participate in what we call The Lord’s Supper and remember ‘lest we forget’.  His body was broken and bruised and His innocent, sinless blood was shed as the perfect sacrifice. 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16 (KJV)

Father forgive us when we forget.  In Your mercy remind us who we were, who we are, and who we will be in glory.  We have nothing without You and all eternity with You.  Thank You Jesus.