Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Build the Altar - A Review







Build The Altar cover_.jpg




A Review


Paula Wiseman has become one of my favorite Christian fiction writers.  She is now, slowly, building a reputation for none fiction works as well.  I earlier purchased a copy of her 56 Tips To Help You Get the Most Out of Every Book in the Bible and appreciated her insights and thoughts. Her latest book at 42 pages uses the various altars found in scripture as tools for teaching about worship.


Ms. Wiseman uses five altars built by men and women from both the Old Testament to help the believer understand the purpose and role of worship in his and her life. Noah, David, Elijah, Hannah, and Mary, provide are the individuals used to build her argument.  Each chapter is divided into two sections: “Consider the Context” and “Connecting to Christ”. The first section focuses on the story of the character and the altar he or she builds. The discussion is both exegetical and practical - questions are used throughout to make the discussion personal for the reader. The second section builds parallels between the history discussed in the first section and life of a 21st-century believer. The two sections provide sufficient depth to be of interest to both the new believer and a mature believer looking for something to help renew their faith.


This book/booklet could serve as a guide to personal devotions for as short as a week or a month or longer. Another way I might find this guide useful would be to spend the first day of the week using this guide as a tool in a personal retreat setting (park, zoo, mall, etc.) and then use the remainder of the week using the insights found during that alone time to guide the reader's personal devotions for the next week. Finally, the book could serve as the foundation for a six-week study for a small group - the small group covering the material in the book, while encouraging the members to use the material to guide their devotions in the time between meetings.


However the book is used and whoever uses the book, it is likely to be a blessing to the reader.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the author for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

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