Ellen White's Afterlife-Delightful Fictions, Troubling Facts, Enlightening Research- A Review

George R. Knight is the author of this interesting book. George Knight is an author and speaker whose books I have enjoyed reading through the years, so I was pleased to get a hold of this hot off the press new book by him.

This could be considered a companion book to Michael Campbell’s book 1919 since it does have a major section dealing with the Seventh-day Adventist 1919 Bible Conference.

Knight talks about the wonderful world of Ellen White where he is referring to how many Adventists considered Ellen White as the last word on everything that she wrote, such as various historical facts and the chronological order of events in Christ’s life. As he says Ellen White and her most enlightened contemporaries did not consider Ellen White as the final word on such issues.

In summary, the early 1960s was a wonderful time to be Ellen White. She was not only authoritative for exegesis and theology but also inerrant, infallible, 100 years ahead of her time, of a flawless character, and for many, verbally inspired. And to top it off, everything she wrote came straight from heaven through divine revelation.

The most remarkable thing about those early 1960s perspectives related to Ellen White is that she herself did not believe them nor agree with them. And neither did most of those of her contemporaries who worked closest with her.

I believe reading this book can help us use the wonderful writings of Ellen White in a way that is much more helpful than many have used her writings in the past.

I would encourage you to click here and read on line the first chapter of Ellen White’s Afterlife

1919 The Untold Story of Adventism's Struggle With Fundamentalism: A Review

Michael Campbell, author of this new book teaches history and theology at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas.

Michael Campbell has done a fantastic job and a great service to the Adventist Church by analyzing the historical background that led to the Bible Conference in 1919, by describing what transpired during the meetings, and by exploring its impact. In general, Adventists have known very little about the 1919 Bible Conference, organized by the Executive Committee of the General Conference to discuss, among other topics, issues related to prophetic interpretation, the Trinity, and the question of the church’s historical transition from having a living prophet among them to having only her writings. Campbell has done the work of a well-trained detective who brings together different pieces of evidence until a picture of what happened is clearly visible. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the way the Lord has been guiding His church and the background of some of the debates that we still observe within the church.

Quote from Angel Manuel Rodriguez, the former director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference

I was especially interested in the comments and discussion on how to interpret Ellen White. A. G. Daniells who was the president of the General Conference told of meeting “a Scandinavian colporteur who tried to make Ellen White’s counsels on health into a “blanket regulation” for his lifestyle. He tried to maintain a vegetarian diet in a place where fresh fruits and vegetables were scarce, if available at all.”

“When Daniells met this colporteur at a workers meeting, he was white as a ghost. ‘I went at him with all the terror I could inspire for such foolishness,’ he remarked. ‘When I got back to this country (the United States) I talked with Sister White about it’ and she said, ‘Why don’t people use common sense?’”

The minutes for this conference were buried in the archives and would eventually be rediscovered in 1974. The church is still grappling with issues raised at this epochal event.

You can read the first chapter of this book on line by clicking here. If you are interested in history and how the leaders have dealt with perplexing issues this is definitely a valuable book to read.

The Ultimate Game-Life Lessons From Sports-A Review

Since 2010, David Robinson, a former coach and athletic director, has written The Sports Zone, a monthly column in Guide magazine. One of David’s primary goals is to bridge the gap between sports and spirituality. Passionate about helping young people, especially those who love sports, he breaks down Bible truths into digestible sports concepts. While his target audience is readers ages 10-14, David’s desire is that all of his readers will be filled with the Holy Spirit and share what they have learned. Stay in touch with David at sportszonestories.com or visit his blog at guidemagazine.org/sports-zone

This new book, The Ultimate Game-Life Lessons From Sports is the best of the best of David’s articles in The Sports Zone from Guide magazine. I am really impressed with how he is able draw so many Life Lessons from Sports stories.

Randy Fishell wrote the preface for this book. Here are some choice things he says:

David knows sports, both as a player and a coach. But to him, any sports field is also a field for sharing the love of God. A stadium or an arena is a place for him to coach kids and others in critical spiritual and life skills.

In sports, David’s abilities set him apart from the wannabes. As a writer, he has an uncommon gift for drawing life-changing lessons from stories of remarkable athletes, memorable games, iconic coaches, and more. Most important, when it comes to pointing readers to Jesus, David consistently scores in the triple digits.

If your life revolves around celebrating base hits and hat tricks, you’re going to love this book. And even if you aren’t athletic and don’t have any interest who is likely to win the next Super Bowl, you’ll still find yourself sticking with these inspiring stories. After all, who doesn’t want to be a winner!

You can read the first chapter of this fine book on line by clicking here. I believe you will enjoy the whole book too.

The Invention of Wings: A Review

Sue Monk Kidd is the author of this book described by USA Today as a “searing and soaring story of two women bound together as mistress and slave.”

This is a historical fiction and several of the characters are real characters in history. The author describes her writing of this story as follows: “My aim was not to write a thinly fictionalized account of Sarah Grimke’s history, but a thickly imagined story inspired by her life.”

Sarah and Angelina (Angelina was Sarah’s sister) were born into the power and wealth of Charleston’s aristocracy, a social class that derived from English concepts of landed gentry. They were ladies of piety and gentility, who moved in the elite circles of society, and yet few nineteenth-century women ever “misbehaved” so thoroughly. They went through a long, painful metamorphosis, breaking from their family, their religion, their homeland, and their traditions becoming exiles and eventually pariahs in Charleston. Fifteen years before Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was  wholly influenced by American Slavery As It Is, a pamphlet written by Sarah, Angelina, and Angelina’s husband, Theodore Weld, and published in 1839, the Grimke sisters were out crusading not only for the immediate emancipation of slaves, but for racial equality, an idea that was radical even among abolitionists. And ten years before the Seneca Falls Convention, initiated by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the Grimkes were fighting a bruising battle for women’s rights, taking the first blows of backlash.

As a girl, Sarah was given a young slave named Hetty to be her waiting maid. The author has fictionalized much of the story of Sarah and Hetty’s friendship and relationship. It is historical fact that Sarah taught Hetty how to read which was illegal in fact Sarah’s father had helped write the South Carolina  law that made it illegal to teach a slave to read.

In the fictionalized story Sarah tried to give Hetty her freedom but found that even though she could be forced to own a slave she did not have the freedom to free her. Hetty’s mother also a slave asked Sarah to promise to help Hetty get free.

This story helps one to see the conflicting interests between the slave owners and the slaves. Some of the slave owners such as Sarah and her sister Angelina were very against slavery and the true history of their lives reveal their work as abolitionists.

In this story, Sarah finally is able to help Hetty and Hetty’s sister escape.

If you are not able to find this powerful book at your bookstore check with Amazon.com or other online venues to order a copy.

An Attitude of Excellence: A Review

Dr. Willie Jolley, a good friend of mine is the author of this wonderful book.

Willie Jolley is a Hall of Fame speaker and he is the bestselling author of A Setback IS a Setup for a Comeback.

Here are a few statements from this book which will give you a feel for what you can get from this book:

You do have the power to make yourself into a winner. Success isn’t a matter of chance-It’s a matter of choice. It all comes down to your attitude and a mindset to pursue excellence.

When you make the conscious choice to develop an attitude of excellence, you will achieve more, enjoy more, have better relationships, take better care of yourself physically and mentally, and vastly improve the quality of your day to day life.

Steve Jobs said something that continues to inspire me and push me to keep raising up my pursuit of excellence. He said: “Make the commitment to be a yardstick of quality! Some people are not used to an environment where excellence is expected! You be that example.”

It is always best to dig your well before you are thirsty.

Scripture teaches us that transformation always starts with thinking. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2). Scripture also teaches us to be diligent in what we do within our work. “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” (Proverbs 10:4).

Being excellent always starts with our thinking. We need to think big and to be diligent in our actions.

Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative.

Statistics show that the great home-run hitters in baseball usually strike out more than they succeed; yet they keep swinging for the fence. Hank Aaron had twice as many strikeouts as he had home runs. But every time he stepped up to the plate he gave it his all. Sometimes he missed, but when he hit it, he knocked it way out of the park. When you get your chance to do what you do, make a commitment to give it your best shot. Sometimes you will miss, but when you hit it, you will knock it out of the park!

I really was inspired by reading this book. You can click here to watch a short Youtube of Willie talking about this book. I really hope that you will stop at your bookstore and get a copy and then read it!

My Favorite Miracle Stories: A Review

This is the second in Joe Wheeler’s “My Favorite Stories” series

In the introduction Joe asks the question, “Is there a difference between miracle stories and coincidence stories?”  Joe’s answer is “Well, there certainly ought to be a difference. However, deciding which is which for a story anthologist such as me, can sometimes be more than a little difficult.”

After struggling with the question of how to differentiate between a true miracle story and a mere coincidence story here is Joe’s conclusion:

If there is no clear indication of divine intervention or involvement in a given story, I see no valid reason to consider it spiritually miraculous.

This book is packed with amazing stories:  One of my favorite stories is entitled, “God’s Got Your Number.” It’s a story of a pastor who was feeling a bit down as he and his family were traveling by car far from home. He thought, “God even a preacher needs for You to let him know once in a while that You are aware of him.”

The family had stopped for a bite to eat, but he was not hungry so he got out of the car and took a little walk. Then he heard a phone ring in the phone booth. Not seeing anyone around he decided to answer it. The telephone operator said “Long –distance for Ken Gaub”(Ken Gaub was his name) It was a long distance call specifically for him. Turns out the caller badly needed to talk to a pastor and God gave her the phone number to reach him at this phone number. The pastor was able to help her with some good spiritual counsel and he was helped because obviously God knew just where he was.

This book was a blessing to me. You can click here for more information about this book and to read the first chapter on line. I recommend that you visit your local book store or order on line and get a copy of this encouraging book.

One Man's Story: Arthur Edwin Gibb's Memories: A Review

This book is published by Keith W. Gibb who was a classmate of my wife, Marthanne, at Takoma Academy. Recently my wife and I attended the Alumni Celebration of 50 years since their graduation in 1969. Saturday evening Keith and his wife Laurie hosted as many of the 1969 graduates as were available at their home for supper and visiting. Keith told me about this book and I was delighted when he offered me a copy. I have now read the book and found it extremely interesting. Here are a few of the highlights.

 After Keith’s mother died, he was visiting with his dad, Arthur, when his dad suggested that someday hopefully in the far distant future, he may need a life sketch of his life and wondered if Keith would like to help him in this endeavor. Keith agreed and it eventually became this complete book.

Keith’s dad would tell his memories and Keith would transcribe them and next time they got together, Keith would read the last paragraph that had been written and his dad would continue the story.

So, that is how the book came about.

It is an extremely interesting story beginning when Arthur was born December 30, 1919 in Boone County, Missouri. Later the family moved to North Dakota and other places. Eventually of course Arthur grew up and became a minister. Arthur was offered a job as a beginning minister and one of the first jobs he had was to help with an evangelistic series of meetings.

The beginning minister was expected to lead the singing. Problem was, Arthur could not carry a tune. His wife Macie solved the problem by asking 6 or 8 of her relatives and friends to sit close to the front and sing loud enough so that people could not hear Arthur singing!

The solution worked so well that Arthur started getting requests to sing solos. He, of course, never took them up on this opportunity—and understandably so.

Later Arthur and family were invited to be missionaries overseas and spent ten years in the Philippines and 5 years in Singapore. There were many amazing experiences in the mission field.  When the Gibb family went to the Philippines in 1947 there were between 17,000 and 18,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the Philippines. In 2012 there were more than 750,000 members.

Arthur says, “I like to think that I had a part in this phenomenal growth”.

After his time in the overseas mission field, Arthur was invited to serve as Associate-Secretary of the General Conference in Takoma Park, Maryland. Among other responsibilities he helped to locate the needed missionaries to fill mission needs in overseas fields.

As of 2019, Arthur is healthy living in a assisted living facility in Maryland and regularly conducts a Bible study for other residences at the assisted living facility.

If you like good stories you should read this book. Contact Keith at  kgibb@bgf.org to request information on getting a copy.