"The Marriage Challenge" (Art Rainer)

TITLE: The Marriage Challenge: A Finance Guide for Married Couples
AUTHOR: Art Rainer
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2020, (192 pages).

All marriages have challenges. It could be due to different upbringing. It could be conflicts that arise out of differences in personalities. It could even be due to extended family relationships. Even some of the most mundane things in life could spark a big quarrel. Other big things include breakdown in communications; lack of attention to spousal needs; unmet expectations; insensitivity; and so on. Among the most common challenges is that of finance. During economic downturns, layoffs, and financial setbacks, marriages suffer. "A financially healthy couple doesn’t start with a checking account. It starts with unity. It starts with sacrificial, selfless love. It starts with both husband and wife moving away from “me” and toward “we.” Through this the gospel is displayed, and true financial health can be pursued." So begins author and pastor Art Rainer in this book dedicated to talking about financial relationships among couples. The three key things that Rainer advocates are:

1. Deciding to begin with unity, where "we" takes priority over "me."
2. Desiring after God's design via 8 Money Milestones;
3. Destroying the Four Marriage Dividers.

"40 Questions about Typology and Allegory" (Mitchell L. Chase)

TITLE: 40 Questions About Typology and Allegory (40 Questions Series)
AUTHOR: Mitchell L. Chase
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2020, (320 pages).

The general agreement among Christians is that they believe the Bible is Truth, and that they would want to know the Bible more. Many study it and read books about it. They desire to know how to interpret and to apply God's Word into their lives. With the diversity of theological backgrounds, there is also a diversity of interpretations and hermeneutics. This ought to be seen more of a blessing because the greater the amount of tools and discoveries, the richer our collection of resources to help us grow closer to the Truth. For God's Word is infinitely rich, and our finite minds could only approach that wealth of knowledge over time and experience. Author and Professor Mitchell L Chase's key purpose in writing this book is to enable readers to "be more faithful readers of Scripture." He does this by presenting 40 questions for us to appreciate, ponder, and discover things that many of us normally would not have known how to ask. It is a kind of "seeing" via the lens of typology and allegory. In order to improve the way we see the Bible, we need to start with the big picture, which is exactly what the author has done: Re-read and re-read into a deeper experience. Before entering into the questions, Chase asks a question that all of us ought to ask: "What Story is the Bible Telling?" He then answers it in three ways: "Slowly but Surely"; "Leaning Forward and Looking Ahead"; "Promise and Fulfillment." The first is about seeing the Bible as being revealed over time. The second is the overarching themes from Genesis to Revelation, themes that reflect God's character and consistent messages throughout time, especially the Old Testament. The third is about the fulfilment of the promises made, and more specifically, Christ. With these, by linking historical and organic developments, and using Scripture to interpret Scripture, the author equips us by describing the different words used in the study; such as:

"9 Lies That Will Destroy Your Marriage" (Greg Smalley and Bob Paul)

TITLE: 9 Lies That Will Destroy Your Marriage: And the Truths That Will Save It and Set It Free
AUTHOR: Greg Smalley and Bob Paul
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2020, (288 pages).

Jesus says that one shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make one free. Many Christians believe that. Some even preach it wide. The main question is: Do we live it? With regard to marriage, how many couples actually practice that? Perhaps, the reality is that a lot of marriages are filled with half-truths. Why? Answer: Lack of trust in telling the truth. Using their work from seven thousand couples over the past 20 years, authors Paul and Smalley share nine of their best insights with a catchy title, that basically says that these lies are the marriage destroyers. Some of the falsehoods come from erroneous teachings, especially those that people want to believe. Things like "marriages are meant to have a happily ever after" or "your love is driving me crazy" ending. Worse, many couples would rather lie to protect their idealistic purposes instead of accepting the truth for what it is. When something is covered up, it usually means more covering up. Rather than building foundations on lies and half-truths, the authors show us Original Truth: Scripture. Recognize the original deceiver: the devil. Remember that the enemy is the devil that is always seeking to destroy relationships, especially marriages. 

"The Mr Rogers Effect" (Dr. Anita Knight Kuhnley)

TITLE: The Mister Rogers Effect: 7 Secrets to Bringing Out the Best in Yourself and Others from America's Beloved Neighbor
AUTHOR: Dr. Anita Knight Kuhnley
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2020, (208 pages).

He has been called "America's Hero." Others call him a brilliant educator. In this book, he is called "America's Beloved Neighbour." He is best known for his children's TV program called "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." His life has also inspired the making of a 2019 movie played by Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." What spurred the author to write this book was Rogers's ability to connect with people. She marvels at how Rogers minister to an inner-city kid dealing with anger issues, and lamenting about how they need a Mr Rogers in their neighbourhood. She examines Rogers's careful words to reach out to a young boy on a wheelchair extending care beyond the boy to the doctors and nurses who cared for him. What was more amazing was that 18 years later, they still reconnected with much warmth and love. This and many more are highlights of Mr Rogers amazing life. There is much to learn from Rogers's life. Author Anita Kuhnley contributes to this by going on a quest to discover how to translate Mr Roger's positive influence into some helpful tools and strategies that we can use in our daily lives. Thanks to her training in psychology and qualitative research skills, she combs the resources about the legendary Fred McFeely Rogers, and how his influence had impacted lives both young and old. The key trademark is how Mr Rogers spoke to those of us feeling neglected and lonely. That is because he cares. Using television as a way to reach out to people, Rogers also learns from psychologists and relational experts to hone his skills in communicating care. Rogers credits Dr McFarland for that. Kuhnley gives us an overview of the four types of relational approaches: Secure; Preoccupied; Dismissive; and Unresolved. Apart from the secure child-parent relationship, the other three categories would produce different levels of insecurity in a child. Learning to connect with children and people in these categories is the purpose of Mr Rogers's ministry. Kuhnley does the hard work of digging through the materials and available resources about Mr Rogers and offers up seven "secrets" of Mr Rogers's unique ability to connect with people. The seven secrets mentioned are seven characteristics of what a good neighbour ought to be. These are:

"Dangerous Virtues" (John Koessler)

TITLE: Dangerous Virtues: How to Follow Jesus When Evil Masquerades as Good
AUTHOR: John Koessler
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2020, (208 pages).

What is virtuous? How can virtues ever be dangerous? After all, the way we counter vices is to incorporate virtues into our lives. Not exactly. The saying, "A wolf in sheep's clothing" is a warning for us to beware of what's on the inside, and not to be deceived by what we see on the outside. This is what this book is about: Beware of the dangerous vices disguised as virtues. In short, be careful of dangerous virtues. Using the classic seven deadly virtues as a framework for the book, author John Koessler attempts to warn us not to be too comfortable with sin, especially those vices that masquerade as respectable sounding virtues. Going back to the desert fathers, one of the key purposes of these ancient saints is not about becoming more holy but to be more aware of their sinfulness. By understanding the characteristics and behaviours of these sins, they would be better equipped to deal with these impediments on the path to holiness. This means we do not just rest at calling something as sin. We need to recognize and remove their roots. One of these roots is the insidious way in which sins have become too comfortable in our daily lives. Fornication has been replaced by a generic "making love" where the superficial use of love covers the multitudes of sensuality. Greed has been replaced by ambition. All these subtle degradation of the flesh needs to be dealt with firmly and if needed, forcefully. This means diligent and deliberate perseverance toward sanctification. The author notes that while Christian living implies the "being" before the "doing," it does not mean we remain passive. Instead, we make a conscious choice to eradicate sin as a way to establish our virtues. Focusing on eradicating sin is a step forward to a virtuous life.