Reflections on the Savior–three books in one

March 31, 2026 7:38 PM / 11 Comments on Reflections on the Savior–three books in one

Reflections on the Savior

By Max Lucado

When I purchased Reflections on the Savior, I didn’t have a plan. I just wanted another book full of Biblical insights imparted in an engaging and sometimes anecdotal way by an excellent writer. As a bonus, I would actually be acquiring three books. I decided to read it over the course of three years, one Lent at a time. Lent is the forty days before Easter, a time of reflection and devotion for Christians as we anticipate Jesus’ death on a Roman cross followed three days later, as He predicted, by His resurrection.

And the Angels Were Silent: The Final Week of Jesus

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Nonfiction

Notes: 1. Each chapter has a study guide.

2. Divided into sections by days of the week that correlate with the events in Jesus’ last week on Earth.

Publication: 1992—Multnomah

Memorable Lines:

The Pharisees were arrogant. They were arrogant because they were self-righteous. They were self-righteous because they were trying to make themselves righteous without God…They complicated the gospel with odd myths and superstition. They took pride when it came to tithing, but took naps when it came to serving.

The GIFT for All People: Thoughts on God’s Great Grace

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Nonfiction

Notes: 1. The chapters are short, of devotional length. They get to the point quickly and with impact.

2. The book is divided into 4 sections:

The Gift of a Savior

Ransom for Sinners

Bounteous Grace

The Choice

Publication: 1999—Multnomah

Memorable Lines:

Jesus knows how you feel. You’re under the gun at work? Jesus knows how you feel. You’ve got more to do than is humanly possible? So did he. People take more from you than they give? Jesus understands. Your teenagers won’t listen? Your students won’t try? Jesus knows how you feel. You are precious to him. So precious that he became like you so that you would come to him.

Sometimes God is so touched by what he sees that he gives us what we need and not simply that for which we ask.

God is for you. Had he a calendar, your birthday would be circled. If he drove a car, your name would be on his bumper. If there’s a tree in heaven, he’s carved your name in the bark. We know he has a tattoo, and we know what it says. “I have written your name on my hand,” he declares (Isaiah 49:16).

No Wonder They Call Him the Savior: Chronicles of the Cross

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Nonfiction

Notes: The book is divided into 3 sections:

The Cross: Its Words

The Cross: Its Witnesses

The Cross: Its Wisdom

Publication: 1986—Multnomah

Memorable Lines:

And, by the way, never were those arms opened so wide as they were on the Roman cross. One arm extending back into history and the other reaching into the future. An embrace of forgiveness offered for anyone who’ll come. A hen gathering her chicks. A father receiving his own. A redeemer redeeming the world. No wonder they call him the Savior.

It was easy for him [a farmer] to believe. I can see why. Someone who witnesses God’s daily display of majesty doesn’t find the secret of Easter absurd. Someone who depends upon the mysteries of nature for his livelihood doesn’t find it difficult to depend on an unseen God for his salvation.

Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal

February 17, 2024 9:44 AM / 11 Comments on Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal

Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal

by Esau McCaulley

Ash Wednesday is the “kick off” event of Lent for Christians. There are many of us who, like the author, did not grow up in a church that participated in Lenten practices. In fact, my first exposure was a coworker who fasted and upped her walking every year for Lent. Colleagues who had worked with her for years said smirkingly that although she made sure everyone knew she was fasting, the effort was not really aimed at a closer relationship with God, but at attaining the beach body she wanted for spring vacation. Her motivation is between her and God; discerning it is not my job.

Over the years I have worshiped God in Baptist churches and independent mega-churches. Currently a part of the traditional liturgical movement, I am learning about Lent as practiced in the Book of Common Prayer. To that end, my book club has read Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal. It is part of the Fullness of Time series of which author McCaulley is the editor. The series is composed of short books written by various authors. They explain the various customs practiced by early Christians extending through our contemporary age. It is physically a beautiful series as the book covers are decorated with symbols and colors appropriate to each church season. The pages inside are incredibly smooth and slightly off-white. It is so elegantly designed that I can not bring myself to mark the many special passages or make notes in the margins.

Lent examines our need for repentance, the certainty of death, and the promise of eternal life in Jesus. McCaulley examines the rituals of Lent explaining how Christians can decide on a personal level what practices might be most useful with an emphasis on fasting. Fasting for food can be done in a variety of ways or not at all. Fasting might be giving up something else that is a distraction from devotion to God. Above all, I would say that the author’s approach is spiritual, not legalistic. There is no one right or wrong way to “do Lent.”

This little book also examines the collects (prayers) and the Scriptures associated with Lent in the Book of Common Prayer. It should be noted that McCaulley refers to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Most of the prayers found in my 1928 version and perhaps in other earlier or later editions are different from the ones he quotes. He chose that version because that is the one he was using when he began to practice Lent and therefore the one he is most comfortable providing discourse on. The differences don’t distract, but can provide more depth to the study of the season of Lent.

The last chapter deals with Holy Week, the last week in the life of Jesus Christ. This little tome details the various days such as Maundy Thursday, an important day because of the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion or Eucharist). Less well known is the continuing practice of feet washing as set by the example of Jesus. Although Jesus’ message is clear and plain, “follow me and you will be saved,” there are many mysteries and much symbolism in the Bible. Perhaps McCaulley’s discussion of Lent will clarify for you the traditions that have emerged over the centuries.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Religion, Nonfiction

Notes: There are a few typos (probably generated by auto-correct) in this book which will hopefully be corrected in future printings. The other two books I read from this series did not have this problem.

Publication: 2022—InterVarsity Press

Memorable Lines:

Fasting then is not about us earning God’s forgiveness; it is about reminding ourselves through our fasting of our radical dependence on God.

Too often, Christians believe the lie that we have to dig down deep and discover in ourselves the strength and resolve to defeat our foes. Instead, we must realize that if we dig down to the bottom of ourselves, we’ll find a wounded soul in need of healing.

All these rituals, prayers, and ceremonies are simply doorways into the thing itself: God in all his splendor. May we find him afresh every year until we see him face-to-face.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity

November 29, 2023 3:45 PM / 6 Comments on Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus

by Nabeel Qureshi

Nabeel Qureshi was an intellectual raised in a Muslim home who devoted years of study and fellowship with his best friend David, a Christian intellectual. They argued, researched, prayed, and maintained their friendship as Nabeel sought the Truth. Was he to find it in Jesus or in the teachings of Islam? This book is perfect for anyone who wants to:

—approach the Bible analytically

—prove or disprove the claims about Jesus Christ

—learn more about the beliefs of Muslims, their culture and how the two are related

—learn about the history of Islam

—understand the difference in approaches to Islam in the East and in the West

—learn some basic Islamic terminology

—witness a true Christian/Muslim friendship

—see how a Christian can share Jesus with others by example as he lives out his beliefs in Jesus through his actions

—learn how to disagree respectfully

—understand the Trinity

—gain an understanding of what a Muslim gives up when he converts to Christianity and the consequences of a conversion

—comprehend the claims and arguments against and for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus

—read truths about Muhammad and the Quran that imams don’t share with their followers.

The Foreword of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus summarizes the book quite well: “This is the riveting story of one man’s quest to set aside his preconceptions and pursue answers to the most pressing issues of life and faith, despite enormous pressure to maintain the status quo.”

Rating: 5/5

Category: Memoir, Christian, Religion and Spiritual

Notes: The author describes the book as a “narrative biography,” and one of the contributors to the lengthy appendix which expands on the topics in the book calls it Qureshi’s “spiritual autobiography.”

Publication: August 21, 2018—Zondervan

Memorable Lines:

The culture clash of immigrant parents with their Western-born children is especially common during the emotionally stormy teenage years, and it serves to illustrate a vital fact: Muslim immigrants from the East are starkly different from their Muslim children born in the West.

Effective evangelism requires relationships. There are very few exceptions.

Because of hadith and tradition, Muslim religion, culture, heritage, and identity all find their core in the person of Muhammad. This is why Muslims see an attack on his character as equivalent to a personal attack on them and everything they stand for.

These are the costs Muslims must calculate when considering the gospel: losing the relationships they have built in this life, potentially losing this life itself, and if they are wrong, losing their afterlife in paradise. It is no understatement to say that Muslims often risk everything to embrace the cross.

The King Who Left His Kingdom/El Rey Que Dejó Su Reino

April 19, 2018 10:27 AM / Leave a comment

The King Who Left His Kingdom

El Rey Que Dejó Su Reino

written by Deanna Altman

illustrated by Lisa Mueller

The publisher provides this summary of The King Who Left His Kingdom: “This book is provided in English and Spanish under one cover. A story of love given by Jesus as he leaves his kingdom of light to show the way to people who are in darkness. A magnificent, simple and clear way to show children the real sacrifice God made by sending his son. This evangelistic tool can be used to show the gospel to children in a very simple, yet beautiful way making a contrast between God’s kingdom of light, and the darkness in our world.”

With this intent of the book in mind, I must say that it fell short of the mark. I really wanted to like it, but young children are very literal and I don’t think they would understand the symbolism provided by this book. It is more of an allegory than children of the intended ages can handle. For example, Jesus speaks of His Father’s kingdom and the people want to go there. Jesus tells them “ ‘No, you cannot go there without someone making a way. The darkness blocks your way. There is only one way; I must make a bridge,’ the Son-king said. He walked to Jerusalem and paid a price. He made a path with blood; with wood and nails he paved the way to make a bridge for His friends.” The illustration shows people walking across a chasm on a bridge (perhaps sprinkled with blood?) in the shape of a cross. As an adult and a Christian, I understand what the author is saying. This is an old evangelical depiction of sin separating us from God and the cross bridging the gap, but I wouldn’t have understood this when I was a child. I’m not sure there is even enough there for an unchurched adult to understand the sacrifice Jesus made to save people from their sins.

I think it is commendable to have the book in both English and Spanish, but no credit is given to the translator. Even if the author is the translator, that should have been noted. I appreciate author Deanna Altman’s efforts to share God’s incredible gift, but it is not something I would share with children ages 5-8 or grades K-3 as recommended.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to First Edition Design Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2/5

Category: Children’s Nonfiction, Christian

Notes: Publisher’s Recommended Age Range: 5-8

Publisher’s Recommended Grade Level: K-3

Publication: April 3, 2018—First Edition Design Publishing

Easter Pictures (Fotos de semana Santa)

April 18, 2017 3:16 PM / 5 Comments on Easter Pictures (Fotos de semana Santa)

It only took TWO WEEKS (24/7) to synchronize all of my pictures with iCloud, but it did work as far as I can tell. While that was happening, I was afraid to touch my pictures. Now I am ready to share some more of Mexico, starting with this past weekend. A few of these pictures were taken previously, but I did take all of them in Mexico.