Bibliography

PREFACE: Few if any items in this website are original thoughts/insights of my own. Since Christian thought is not claimed as truly original by anyone...it is God working through the Holy Spirit...I have freely plucked insight and understanding from any verbal or written source possible. I take credit for nothing. This is only the tiniest fraction of all the materials available to those who want to hear and consider more and more. Though the following and many other sources were so helpful, I acknowledge foremost the Word of God...the Christian Bible...the real and original source of The Truth.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
  1. The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel, a star Chicago investigative reporter who was an atheist and asked world authorities the tough questions...see why the truth of Jesus is indisputable to an intellectually honest person. Also see Lee's newest book, The Case for Faith so that you can note the reasons why your faith should be rock solid!
      
  2. Know What You Believe, Paul E. Little (deceased), revised, 1987, Victor Books, P. O. Box 1825, Wheaton, Ill. 60189.
    [Commenting on some of the points of God and Christianity so difficult, and so doubtful, for more highly educated or questioning people.]
  3. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey, 1989. Simon and Schuster, New York, New York.
    [A really fine study of 200 years of "success literature" coming out of some 25 years of consulting for businesses and families and proposing the great advantages of a character-based foundation for each individual's life. Upon this base are habits leading to physical, mental, spiritual and social health. This book also clarifies the inter-personal maturation sequence of: dependency; to becoming independent; to a more lofty level of interdependence.] [website]
  4. The Blessing, Gary Smalley and John Trent, 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers. [Our incredible impact as parents and the effect of our parents upon us. And the fact that, as our top priority, our Heavenly Father, God, can provide the ultimate blessing many may have missed from parents and significant people.] web site.
  5. The Hidden Value of A Man, Smalley and Trent, 175 pages. Great insights into men and their relationships with women and children. Some more specifically Christian refinements of some of the same topics as in Covey's book. A book for men, only. Smalley also has an excellent video series to help understand marriage personality dynamics related to the four temperaments: lion, beaver, otter, and golden retriever: web site (from home page, click on "assessments" & then "personality test").
  6. "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Christians", Rev. Steve Cloud, [A 1992 audio tape series full of inspiring exhortations and guides to the fullness of the Christian life; Northside Baptist Church, West Columbia, S.C. (803-796-9786). God, through the personal ministry of Steve Cloud, my best friend, Ozzie Fogle and some others, caused a rebirth in my life in 1992 (for which I am eternally grateful)].
  7. "Walk Through the Bible Ministries", P. O. Box 80587, Atlanta, Georgia 30366, telephone # 770-458-9300. [One-day workshops put on around the USA about the Old and New Testaments - for those who want to quickly get "up to speed" on the basics of relationships in The Word of God. Is also a publication ministry]. web site
  8. Living on the Ragged Edge, Charles R. "Chuck" Swindoll, 376 pgs. [About the book of Ecclesiastes and King Solomon's advice...the Philosophy according to King Solomon, looking back on a life in which God gave him the ultimate in wisdom (no man ever again to be born to become so wise...I Kings 3:12) as well as everything mankind has always said it desired. Swindoll also has a tapes and publishing ministry: Insight For Living, P O Box 69000, Anaheim, California, 92817-0900. Tel # 1-800-772-8888 web site
  9. WMHK 89.7 FM radio, in the Columbia, S.C. area. [A 24 hour per day Christian radio station. A Columbia Bible College and Seminary (CIU) media ministry, P. O. Box 3122, Columbia, S.C. 29230, 803-754-5400. If not received in your area, call and ask for an affiliate or similar station in your area. We tend to become what our minds are filled with; this radio station has messages of all types as well as music alternatives.] I particularly like Rev. Tony Evans at 8:00 pm, Charles Stanley at 7:30 pm and Focus on the Family at 9:00 pm. Chuck Swindoll and many other popular speakers are regulars. web site
  10. _Experiencing God - Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Blackaby and King, 1990, The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 220 pgs.
    [A workbook available through the Baptist bookstores. Acclaimed as outstanding by our user men's groups (but not for men only). Is a step-by-step review and teaching of the development of a personal relationship with God; if you go through it and take it seriously and honestly, you will experience God and definitely enhance your level of confidence in God's presence and interest in you, and you'll find out how to join into His will. Check out a website on EG which includes a forum
  11. Inside Out, Larry Crabb, 1988, 223 pgs. [Said to be an exceptional book on "Deep Spiritual Cleansing" by one of America's foremost Christian counselor psychologists. How can Christians get rid of unwanted baggage, get rid of the albatross hanging around their neck, and get rid of other subsurface negative influences holding their lives back? The only way is by turning to Christ and depending on him, through the Holy Spirit (and possibly by learning from many other sources), so that: we get in touch with the fundamentally extreme disappointment of the "fallen" life on earth, confront the pervasive sadness of this situation and its continuance until our death, and dig up and begin to appreciate our pervasive sinfulness regarding subconscious barricades continually erected by us to interfere with our abilities to love as Christ commanded. Also, the demanding nature of humans is a pervasive root of distress. Additionally, each man and woman must learn to appreciate fundamental problems in dealing with maleness and femaleness. God made us with three levels of needs: crucial needs (the relationship with Him) followed by critical needs, followed by casual needs. Casual needs can only be lamely dealt with in the absence of some fulfillment of critical needs and they only lamely dealt with in the absence of some fulfillment of our crucial need.] NavPress has also done a four-part video series. Dr. Crabb has The Institute of Biblical Community in Morrison, Colorado, just west of Denver, 303-730-7172. He is also at Colorado Christian University.
  12. Life After Life, Dr. Raymond Moody, Jr., 1975. [The small ground-breaking book of 100 or so examples which this doctor catalogued of patients' details of what they saw and experienced as they were brought back to life from near death. Out of body experiences recount details so similarly that one should give serious consideration to this topic as information supportive of the truth of an afterlife.] Dr. Moody's web site; another near death experiences (NDE) website
  13. Personal Counseling: I benefited from personal, marital, and family counseling by a psychiatrist, Tom Messervy, M.D., (retired) member of a local Episcopal church. We humans have incredibly complicated minds which have a component called the "subconscious" which, in dysfunctional people (most of us so, to some degree), is continually at work undermining and setting up sabotages of our best conscious intentions. In the absence of "dysfunction", the components of our mind are integrated (have integrity) and work in harmony to our benefit. There is a lofty part of our minds called the "super ego" which can play havoc with your life over instances throughout your life when your personhood significantly violated the value system of your super ego. The more intensely and loftily a person's value system was built, particularly early in life, the more likely that one or more significant infractions will lead to bedevilment of that life by the person's super ego. In humans, God has certainly created an unbelievably complex being who functions best (in this fallen state) according to The Word as expressed in the Bible and through Christ's example and teachings on earth. Whether your values evolved hazily defined and weak, or lofty and strong, the answer to your troubles is Christianity...modeling after the example of Christ, God's Word in living form...Jesus living in your heart if you'll ask him in. Secular counselors can be very helpful and informative; God, through Christ and the Holy Spirit can be CURATIVE...absolutely having the power to so cure. For this profoundly important reason, I recommend that counseling be done through "Christian counseling" by actual Christian counselors who can then refer you to others (even in the secular arena) as need be. I made the mistake of thinking that there would be NO WAY I could discuss my problems with "church types". I then came to understand that pastors and Christian counselors are more familiar than anyone about the sins we can get ourselves into. 
  14. The Body, Charles Colson, Word Publishing, 1992. This is a wonderful 416 page book on basic Christianity illustrating lack of Christian unity but proposing hope for the world in a unified brotherhood of Christians. This is must reading for those who want or need to appreciate more about the command to love. web site 
  15. Rev. Dr. Tony Evans, a black Senior (and founding) Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and head of The Urban Alternative in southwest Dallas, Texas, tel. # 800-800-3222. In 1998, the organization ministered thru over 400 radio stations and an extensive print ministry...hoping to add another 250 stations in 1999 on Trinity Broadcast Network. Second only to tremendous insight Rev. Steve Cloud is giving me, I enjoyed the preaching and tape ministry of Tony Evans on WMHK radio (probably carried on another station in your area). His daily devotional book, Time to Get Serious, is outstanding! web site
  16. Rev. Dr. Charles Stanley, has an international radio, TV, audio/video tapes and publishing ministry out of Atlanta, Georgia, In Touch Ministries, tel. # 800-323-3747. I love the sound and pace of Dr. Stanley's voice as well as his insightful messages. No matter what the USA time zone, Dr. Stanley's hour-long program will play from 8-9am m each Sunday morning on the PAX TV network beginning Feb. 1999 (Lowell "Bud" Paxson is founder of this 7th national TV network, and he owns 78 of the 95 stations initially carrying the networks family programming). web site
  17. The Rest of Your Life, Patrick M. Morley (a former wealthy real estate entrepreneur), Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992. A truly helpful review of what it takes, as a Christian, to lead a deeply meaningful life as an ordinary person in today's world.
  18. My Utmost for His Highest... by Oswald Chambers, daily study/devotional of one-page essays written around 1912 by this minister at the Bible Training College in London. Testimony and a brief biography. I've found his interpretations and commentary very illuminating beginning at a point of three years (about 1993) into my personal journey/search. 
  19. The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life, Dr. Charles Stanley. This book took me to a whole new level of understanding of the unbelievably massive blessing to Christians: That God as the Holy Spirit actually takes up residence in a Christian as a counselor, wisdom advisor, teacher, tutor, and guide in undertaking God's will for an individual in understanding scripture in general as well specific applications for that individual, and in maneuvering through the complexities of life in peace, joy, and connectedness. web site
  20. Eternal Security, Dr. Charles Stanley. Excellent book on how salvation, truly claimed in Jesus, can never be taken away or lost. web site
  21. Man in the Mirror, Patrick Morley. A fine personal growth book; good for men's encouragement groups and discussions.
  22. Halley's Bible Handbook, Henry H. Halley. Much information relating archeology and history to the bible.
  23. The Long Journey Home, Ron Levin, 1994. A short, fast-moving, outstanding testimony of an extremely successful sales and entertainment Jew who had to hit a "bottom" to find Jesus and become a Methodist minister. Has an excellent discussion on pride (intellectual pride in particular) being the mother of all sins. If you wonder whether God could possibly take your life, toppled from years of heady success, and turn it into something glorious: read this book!
  24. For men:
    bullet"Promise Keepers" , founded by football Coach Bill McCartney of the University of Colorado, organizes motivational meetings (often filling football stadiums) for Christian inspiration of men.
    bullet "Dad the Family Shepherd" puts on invited weekend courses for men on the topic of manly Christian leadership in the family (P.O. Box 21445, Little Rock, Ark. 72221, tel.# 501-221-1102).
     
  25. The Finishing Touch 1994 by Chuck Swindoll (see above). A great book of daily devotionals using anecdotes and examples from modern times. It adds an interesting balance alongside #17, above. web site
  26. Half Time, 1994 by Bob Buford. A thought provoking book challenging people to give back to their fellow man and challenging us to more clearly focus the priorities of our lives...some especially pointed and hopeful encouragement to those facing the second half of life.
  27. The Mind of Christ, T. W. Hunt and C. V. King, 1994, Lifeway Press, 223 pages. This excellent workbook explores the assurance that the believer has had the mind of Jesus made available to him/her (Phil. 2:5) and how to allow its development within. An excellent growth experience!
  28. Family Life Today, a Campus Crusade for Christ entity with Dennis Rainey, aims to give Bible-based family and parenting guides and encouragement. They sponsor weekend marriage conferences; and they publish books and magazines and videos for all ages. P.O. Box 23840 Little Rock, Arkansas, 72221-3840, 800-358-6329.
  29. Christian Financial Concepts, Larry Burkett, [ now Crown Financial Ministries] Espousing a Biblical view of family and business financial management, they also regularly comment on the state of our USA economy. Career counseling: at reasonable cost, by mail, they offer Career Pathways, a multiple-choice, computer-graded inventory of questions which (if answered honestly) will help young people or mature adults align their innate temperaments and aptitudes toward related career choices. Debt counseling: through a nationwide network of Christian financial counselors, low-cost personalized help is provided to those who request it and make proper arrangements. This ministry is in behalf of working families, many of whom seem to be going backward financially because of having been lured into debt by "the system." These are the people who refuse to be on welfare or who are determined to come off of welfare. Since its inception in 1976, the Lord has allowed Crown to teach 7.5 million Christians in America to handle money His way; they project helping 750,000 in 2002! The average Crown donor gives about $40 per year; won't you help? 
  30. The Rutherford Institute, John W. Whitehead, P.O. Box 7482 Charlottesville, Va. 22906, 804-978-3888: A leader in legal battles for the rights of Christians everywhere, this can be a personal source of legal advice if you face such issues. web site
  31. Especially for youth and children:
    bullet"Dawson McAllister Live"...radio and internet: a great source for persons 21 or under. HOPELINE: a toll free hotline for problem help, 800-394-HOPE. Dawson has produced excellent books and tapes on the overwhelming evidence in favor of basic Christian belief. 
    bullet"Ron Hutchcraft Ministries"...radio and internet: a great site for teens and parents of teens.
    bulletNavYouth...The Navigators. Youth camps, etc. Collegiate. 
    bulletCampus Crusade for Christ, founded in 1951 at UCLA by William R. "Bill" Bright (born about 1922; 1996 winner of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion), 100 Sunport Lane, Orlando Fla. 32809, 407-826-2000 : International organization with chapters on nearly every American college campus, a full-time staff of 22,000 (489,000 volunteers) carrying the efforts of 68 ministries and projects to 186 countries, containing 99.8% of the world's population. The 68 ministry efforts are active in 4,475 Million People Target Areas (MPTAs), in 477 Strategic Urban Centers and on 1,422 Priority University Campuses! web [and another site]
    bulletfor children: Mary Lou Carney has produced a magazine for kids called "Guideposts for Kids" whose , mascot is Wally T. Turtle. Also at her website is a directory of toll free numbers of over 600 agencies (and many more with regular tel. numbers) helping families. web site
    bulletfor children: New features now but had had Uncle Charlie and Children's Bible Hour. "Kids Talk". With listings of all stations carrying the program plus a Real Audio archives. web site

  32. Helping the poor, the down-trodden, and the victims of disaster: The Salvation Army. "Soup, soap, and salvation!" This Christian denomination utilizes one of the Apostle Paul's favorite metaphors, the military organization, to work for the Kingdom of God. Check out founders' testimony.
  33. Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer of The Moody Church in Chicago has a radio ministry and often details his topics with a lot of historical perspective which I have come to appreciate. He is author of over 35 books, and the church has an audio tape ministry, 800-215-5001.
  34. The Jesus Film Project [check out web site] is another facet of Campus Crusade for Christ International in which the Great Commission is practiced in heroic ways. They have produced an impact-producing video...film distribution began in 1979...of the life and Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth as portrayed in the book of Luke. In addition to more-routine showings, daring missions take place in dangerous countries where video players and videos and/or DVDs are smuggled in and the video played to secret gatherings at the risk of life and limb. As of 2005, there were more than 2512 full-time film teams. By the end of 2003, there were 850 translations of the film. As of the end of 2005, The Jesus Film had been dubbed, with extremely careful "lip-synch", in some 900+ native languages & 1023 by the end of 2007.  More than 820 Christian mission agencies partner with the Jesus Film Project. 

    Using gasoline or solar generators or whatever else is needed, teams pack-mule or otherwise take the film showings into remote...often hostile...areas for video or movie showings to people who may never have ever heard of (much less seen) movies, TV, or video. This can often represent the first time the Gospel has ever been heard by anyone in the history of those peoples. With a world population of around 6 billion people, it is estimated that 1.7 billion have never heard of Jesus the Savior. 

    Susan Lee, reporting in the 10 August 1998 issue of Forbes magazine, wrote a column noting that, since 1979, this movie has been seen by one-fourth of the earth's population...1.5 billion people...making it by far the most-viewed film in the history of mankind!

    By end of March 1999, 2.062 billion have seen the showing (by the end of 1999, 2.9 billion had seen the film, and there had been 106 million public decisions to trust Jesus; by the end of Jan 2000 [almost 200 million by end Oct. 2003], 3.3 billion had seen the film; by June 1, 2000...3.6 billion; by the end of 2001, 4.6 billion)!!  The goal had been that, by the end of the year maybe 2004, the Jesus Film would have been shown to every person in the world in an understandable language. By the end of 2005, the viewing audience since 1979 has been about 5.4 billion people!

    At no charge, your cyberspace friends from around the world can now view (but their internet ISP access may be much more costly than ours) the film for free in no less than 51 languages ON THE WEBSITE! Also, a children's' version is now available. The web address is http://www.jesusfilm.org

  35. God's Word distributed in written form: In addition to the missionary efforts of all of the church of Jesus worldwide, at least four organizations stand out for delivering scripture to new believers:
    bulletThe Bible League: source for Bible translations in over 500 languages and an organization sponsoring daring actions to get Bibles to new believers in countries who have outlawed the Bible, often at the risk of death. Founded by William and Betty Chapman in 1938, they have taken God's Word in written form to over 500 million people in 90 countries. Radio program, "Word Power", gives stories of the incredible power of The Word of God (The Bible) to change lives for the better. Rev. Dennis Mulder is President.
    bulletThe Gideons International is an organization of Christian businessmen committed to supplying written copies of God's Word along routes of trade and commerce. You will hardly ever stay in a motel room without a copy of The Bible placed by The Gideons....45 million copies are placed yearly.
    American Bible Society, since 1841, purposes to provide the Holy Scriptures to every person in a language and form each can readily understand and at an affordable price; 212-408-1200.
    bulletWycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) is another organization promoting Bible distribution. It was founded in 1926 by Cameron Townsend as an organization for translation and distribution of Bibles. Wycliffe Associates is a "kin" organization founded by a group of laymen businessmen in 1967 which gathers support in behalf of various individual Bible translators, in association with WBT. A WBT "sister" organization is SIL International (formerly Summer Institute of Linguistics). 500 languages have been translated, and it is estimated that there are 3000 more to go!

  36. Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a Jewish psychologist who dispenses no-nonsense, character-based, morality-based advice as she confronts radio-show callers who become surprised to find out how often their problems so often relate to failure to accept personal responsibility, failure to "call a spade a spade", failure to acknowledge and relate to God, and therefore failure to develop character. It is said that over 12 million people listen daily. web site
  37. The Christian Working Woman...Mary Welchel...on WMHK (see #8, above) and with extensive Real Audio archives of current and previous radio broadcasts. [web site]
  38. "Intercristo" is a Christian career specialist organization able to help Christians survey all sorts of job opportunities in Christian organizations and endeavors, tel #1-800-251-7740 .
  39. Dr. James Dobson's Christian organization "Focus on The Family" is involved in a radio (heard by 20 million Americans daily) and print ministry (books, magazines, and videos for all ages) supporting the central importance of God and The Family and attempting to help Christians in 95 countries exercise good civic involvement in the political process. Mission statement: "To cooperate with the Holy Spirit in disseminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people, and, specifically, to accomplish that objective by helping to preserve traditional values and the institution of the family." P.O. Box 35500, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80935-3550, tel #1-800-232-6459.
  40. Family Life Today, with Dennis Rainey, aims to give Bible-based family and parenting guides and encouragement. They sponsor marriage weekend conferences. P.O. Box 23840, Little Rock, Arkansas 72221-3840, tel# 800-358-6329.
  41. Probe Ministries: dedicated toward providing Christian views and explanations about current events/topics and defending the views of Christianity. There is a radio series of short commentaries. Their web site contains a topics archives of some past commentaries plus other interesting and helpful information.
  42. Sinner's Prayer: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) has made a website commitment to cyber-evangelism with the launching in early 1999 of a partly graphical, partly animated file illustrating sin as a separation of man from God and a linking series leading a surfer thru the "sinner's prayer" to receive Jesus as savior. Are you sure of your own salvation? [check it out]
  43. Harvest Hope Food Bank (HHFB), a member of America's Second Harvest (ASH). As of 10/02 in central South Carolina, HHFB provided 11 pounds of food for every dollar contributed (98.5 cents of every dollar contributed goes for food). It is feeding 59,000 people in 18 counties. Check the ASH website for opportunities to help in your area.
  44. Apologetics Resource Center: Apologetics is a long established but very neglected discipline/ministry in the body of Christ. The purpose of apologetics is to both answer the objections or barriers to faith in defense of the faith for believers and unbelievers (Jude 3-4, I Peter 3:15, 2Corinthians 10:3-5), and to reveal the foolishness or inadequacy of any opposing world-view.
  45. The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis, 1942, 209 pages. Easy reading and a timeless critique of human nature and the vulnerabilities of Christians to sin. Written as a series of letters from uncle Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to Satan, to his young nephew, Wormwood (who is learning to be a Satanic assistant).
  46. Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis, 1943, 175 pages. A timeless exposition of the Christian life, on the last page explaining that the only way to a real & unique "self" is to truly give up yourself to Him.
  47. The Parables of Jesus, Recovering the Art of Listening, Richard Q. Ford, 1997, 183 pages. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Ford takes a few of the very difficult parables and dissects them in terms of humans wrestling with power and position differences and applies interpretation both to what is said & what was left unsaid. Interpretations you have never considered before.
  48. Beyond Knowing, Janis Amatuzio, M. D. 2006. A forensic pathologist whose career involves autopsies on those dying unexpectedly writes of the thin veil between present life existence and the afterlife, based on stories family members of deceased people have told her.
     

begun in 1997 & posted July 1998 [20th update 3 July, 21st on 13 July 1999; 22nd on 1 May ; 23rd on 9 Sept; 24th on 4 Dec. 2000; latest addition  28 January 2007]

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