Grab this Book – Free – from The Voice of the Martyrs

His Beliefs Put Him In Prison... His Faith Set Him Free!

I’ve talked about the ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs. This is the founder’s story. This book shocked the Nation. The international bestseller Tortured for Christ tells the dramatic story of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand and how he endured 14 years in prison for his faith in Jesus Christ.
Request your FREE copy today.

Click this link and go get it. “Tortured for Christ.”
It will make you examine and challenge your faith and commitment to Christ, which is just what we need to do. For some, it may wake you up to a whole new perception of the Christian faith.

How is our Theology? The Results are in

Ligonier Ministries is “committed to faithfully presenting the unvarnished truth of Scripture to help people grow in their knowledge of God and His holiness.” Anecdotal evidence has shown an increasing lack of theological understanding in America, both outside and inside the church. Ligonier Ministries wanted to understand with accuracy the extent of the need to improve that understanding.

Ligonier Ministries commissioned a research study by LifeWay Research to measure the theological awareness of adult Americans. Ligonier Ministries identified specific doctrines and heresies that they wanted to test. LifeWay Research helped refine these questions and to conduct a survey of 3,000 Americans.

Questions focused on seven key doctrinal areas and included a number of specific areas where Americans differ from historic and orthodox views.

View the infographic, listen to Dr. R.C. Sproul discuss these findings on Renewing Your Mind, or download the official white paper and survey with key findings.

On Prayer

My blog leans in the direction of the subject prayer and one of the questions deals with prayer, so …

“God continues to answer specific prayers”

Agree Strongly:  38%

Agree Somewhat: 29%

Disagree Somewhat: 11%

Disagree Strongly: 10%

Not Sure: 13%

I think that this is a legitimate question. What answer do you fall under?  Check out my teaching novels on the subject of prayer. You can read sample chapters, just click on the links on the side menu.  In my book, A Reasons to Pray at Mountainview, this subject is handled along with 4 other reasons to pray. The second novel–The Place of Prayer, is much larger and covers the subject of prayer from a practical or “How To” perspective. The book uses Jesus’ teaching on prayer from The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter six.  If you’d like to learn more about prayer, my bias opinion recommends picking these two books.

Here is a review of my novel,  A Reason to Pray at Mountainview, by Calvin Yarbrough that is posted on Amazon.

I am a Youth Minister, Mentor, and Motivational Speaker. Having worked with youth in these capacities for over 20 years, I wanted to see if this book would be another tool to aid me in reaching our young people. After having read it, I give it a resounding “YES!!”. The writing style flows easily and the story line is compelling. The Scriptures used are strategically sown throughout the story and all are rock solid. Jeff did an excellent job of utilizing “storytelling” to share God’s word in teaching us how to, and why, we should pray.

 

The Faithlife Study Bible FREE – grab it now

I’m a long time, BIG fan and user of Logos bible software. I can’t praise this software or the company enough, really. I’ll go into Logos bible software another day. Today, it’s about a product that Logos has created: an electronic study bible.  But it ain’t no oth’r study bible. This study bible gives a truck load of commentary and other resources to help you learn, understand, and experience the truths of Scripture. Rather than writing my own ABOUT IT page, here are some videos that show and tell.

If you’re still not sure, this 52 second video is pretty convincing.

There are many testimonials about this resource, but I’ve plugged in this new one from Logos, Inc., which was just posted today. It features John Micah Sumrall, the lead singer from Kutlass.

After years of working with youth, John noticed something. Young people aren’t getting into the Word. For people who struggle to get into the Word, John has a suggestion.

Right now Logos is giving away 2,500,000 copies of this study bible. Right now! Interested? CLICK HERE

Obviously I strongly recommend this resource. Don’t wait, get it.

I’m done here.

Finding & Choosing Good Books

baby readingIn one of those “end of the work week conversations” I asked a co-worker what her plans were over the weekend. “Relax and read a good book” was her answer. Obviously being a book lover and an author I asked what kind of books does she enjoy reading. “Religious books,” she replied. My ears were even more attentive. Our conversation, of course, led to mentioning my books and she was excited to download and read them over the weekend.

This conversation led me to write this post and ask these questions.

I’m curious to know what influences your choice of Christian literature and where you go to get it. I wonder how much effort we put towards the choice of literature, whether it be entertainment or educational. If you’re going to enjoy something, don’t compromise. If you want to learn a subject, again, don’t compromise. What I mean by “don’t compromise” is two-sided. Why eat stale bread when you can have fresh, out of the oven bread. Why read something that is shallow and a waste of time just because it is something to read. Find a book that grabs your attention and holds it, and … gives you enjoyment. More importantly, whether it is fiction or non-fiction, DON’T compromise truth; don’t compromise your values; and don’t compromise your character for temporal pleasure. The book can be written well, but does it cause you to compromise your faith, your values, and your character to read it?

As a Christian, you want to love your Savior and God; you’re a lover of righteousness and truth. Don’t feed on the bottom of the pond. In all things, at all times, let the Word of God from Philippians 4: 8-9 guide you.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you (NKJV).”

God made us to enjoy Him and to find joy in life. Our joy is fulfilled when we live life the way that He made it to be lived.

A Couple of Questions for the Book Reader:

1.  What are the influences / determining factors / criteria that you use to choose a Christian book to read?

Clarifying:

  • I am specifically referring to Christian books.
  • Examples of criteria include:  the cover of the book; the author; the publisher; the genre;  the price; reading a sample chapter for the writing style.

2.  Do you read to learn or for entertainment, or both?

Clarifying:

  • Fiction – entertainment and pleasure
  • Non-fiction – learning
  • If both, what percentage of each? 50/50? 80/20?
  • Do you purposefully rotate between Fiction and Non-fiction?

3. Where or How do you search to find the Christian book?

Clarifying:

  • Referrals – do you mostly read books that friends have recommended?
  • Blurbs –
  • Reviews –
  • Online Blogs and Book Forums –

4. Do you consider the theology (what is said about God and the things pertaining to your faith) within the book to be important, whether it is fiction or non-fiction?

Clarifying:

  • Does the author’s theological perspective carry any weight in your decision to read a book?
  • Does faith only matter if it is non-fiction, but not so much if fiction—for entertainment?

5. Do you read ebooks or paper, or both?

6.  Do you recommend books to friends?

Okay, there are more than “a couple” of questions. But they’re good ones. I think these questions are interesting and contemplative, and therefore helpful.

Back to my story.

Was I shamelessly promoting my books in my conversation with my co-worker? I could have been, but I don’t think that I was at all. I suggest my books because I believe that they serve a purpose–to help the reader know the living God and walk closely with Him, and most importantly—to glorify Jesus Christ. Why wouldn’t I recommend a book that I passionately believe would do those three things in a person’s life? You and I recommend the things that we enjoy all of the time. We’ll promote our sport’s team, a recipe, a restaurant, or song. Why wouldn’t I do that for a book?

A Favor?

I’d like to hear your answers and comments on these questions. I welcome your response either by commenting on this blog … OR … in an email at:  books@jeffbeardbooks.com.

Enjoy a good read and grow in joy.

(Photo from: flyhigh-by-learning.blogspot.com )

“The Place of Prayer” – My Latest Book’s Introduction

The Place of Prayer will be released soon. Here is the introduction.

——————————-

Yes, another book about prayer, as if there weren’t enough already. Yes, this is a fictional novel, and we have plenty of those also. But the focus of this book is more about teaching than just telling a story. The idea is to mix the two together, which isn’t a new idea, but I think it is a good one. I hope that you do also.

The purpose behind this book is to help others discover what James Montgomery calls the “path of prayer.” Many people long to have a heartbeat in their prayers, as well as a heart that continually beats to pray—to commune and fellowship with the living God and Savior. They want to understand and know how to pray, as the apostle Paul prayed:

… always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints … [i]

For some, the desire is already present, which helps to get the engine started, but then what? How do you make the practice of prayer a part of your everyday life? How do you keep the spirit of prayer alive in your soul? It is as Charles Spurgeon wrote: “To commence prayer is easy, but to continue in it is another thing.”[ii]

So, what if you had a personal mentor to teach you, to walk with you, and to show you by example how prayer grasps eternity and holds on? What if you had a friend, a confidant, who met with you and helped you bring such a heavy-weighted subject down to your level and into your daily life? Well, here lies the unique journey that you can take within this book. You can share the struggles, the joys, the pursuits, along with the sacredness and beauty of prayer that are discovered as one man finds the place of prayer.

It should go without saying that it is impossible to cover with any thoroughness even one dimension of one aspect of this infinite subject, even in a thousand lifetimes. In fact, no one but the Perfect One—Jesus Christ, the God/man, has tapped fully into the eternal nature of prayer. Therefore, we will look to Him as the master teacher in this spiritual journey. He will teach us how to build a practical foundation one layer at a time, one step at a time that will last a lifetime. Along the way, common questions and obstacles will be tackled and important theological truths put into practice. But most importantly, I hope, by the work of the Spirit of God, the wonders of prayer will be unveiled in the shadow of the infinite and sovereign God. And by the time you turn the last page, your heart will long to seek the face of God through prayer and the Holy Scriptures with more fervency and joy. May the end result of such a pilgrimage, as with and in all things, result in glory and praise to His Name, and to His Name alone–Sola Gloria Deo.

Long as they live should Christians pray,

For only while they pray they live. [iii]

 

In Service to Christ and His Church,

Jeff Beard

[i] Ephesians 6:18

[ii] Spurgeon, C. H. The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009.

[iii] Spurgeon, C. H. Flowers from a Puritan’s Garden, Distilled and Dispensed. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1883.