My new book, Birth and Preparation: Matthew 1-4, is now available for purchase. I am hoping this will be a good resource for pastors, teachers, groups and individuals seeking to study and learn from the gospel of Matthew. You may especially want to read the chapters on the birth narratives of Christ in preparation for Christmas. Here’s the description from the back cover.

This is the first volume of a series covering the whole gospel of Matthew. This volume explores the meaning of Jesus’ genealogy, the birth narratives of Christ, the ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism and temptation in the wilderness, and the beginning of his ministry in Galilee.

The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah and King who came to suffer and die for our sins. Matthew introduces these themes even in the opening chapters of his gospel. Come learn more about Jesus as we explore his birth and preparation for ministry together.

Click here for all books in the Understanding God’s Word series.
 

It’s here! The Magnificent Word of God is an exposition of the wonders of God’s word as found in Psalm 19:7-14. It is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in both paperback and ebook formats.

I am hoping this will be a good resource for pastors, teachers, groups and individuals seeking to know more about God’s Word. Here’s the description from the back cover.

The Bible is a magnificent book, and Psalm 19 is a magnificent psalm. In fact, it is a magnificent psalm about God’s magnificent book! It is a psalm about the Bible.

The messages in this book present a verse-by-verse exposition of the wonders of God’s word as found in Psalm 19. There are six chapters dealing with the inspiration, infallibility, authority, everlasting nature, priceless value, and sanctifying power of God’s word.

There is no book like the Bible. Come learn more about this wonderful book that God has given to us—the magnificent word of God.

Click here for all books in the Understanding God’s Word series.
 

Habakkuk: The Journey from Doubt to Faith is a year old, and we are celebrating by putting the ebook on sale for $2.99. Grab it now before the price goes back up!

This is actually a combined celebration. It’s not only the anniversary of the book release, but Habakkuk was also selected for a 2024 Selah Award (third place in the Bible Studies category). Here are some reviews of the book from Amazon:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderful and accessible study of a minor prophet
I loved this book. I just finished using it for my morning devotions. While I’ve been a lifelong Bible reader, I haven’t always found the minor prophets an easy read. Ray Fowler did a wonderful job of introducing the reader to the prophet, offering historical and spiritual context. His sermon-style format helps the reader remember key points. It was fascinating to me that Habakkuk’s questions still resonate today: Is God fair? Does God care? Is God even there? The answers have sustained generations of believers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Find Answers to 3 of Life’s Most Essential Questions!
Habakkuk- The Journey from Doubt to Faith explores three of life’s most essential questions: “Does God care? Is God fair? Is God there?” These questions have been asked both by believers at various stages of spiritual growth and unbelievers seeking meaning in life. Pastor Ray takes a deep dive into the book of Habakkuk and explains with simplicity and clarity God’s profound answer to this human hunger for meaning through the life quest of this Old Testament prophet of Israel. This ancient conversation with God is as contemporary as this morning’s news. This book methodically presents God’s answers, from a stage of doubt to revealing God’s love and wisdom to the birth of a trusting relationship. Need answers? Need faith? Read this exciting book! Christ came to give life and to give it abundantly. Be fulfilled and rejoice!
 
Click here for all books in the Understanding God’s Word series.
 

“Make Your Time Count!” (excerpt from chapter six):

Time is an interesting concept. Before God created the heavens and the earth there was no time. God is eternal, and therefore he is outside of time. And yet God entered time when Jesus Christ took on human flesh and was born into our world as a baby.

We like to think that we are masters of time. We even have atomic clocks these days to measure time out precisely to the nanosecond, but we don’t really understand time. There are times when time seems to go rushing by, and then other times when the clock seems to stand still. There are times when we are very much aware of time—such as when we are working on a project with a deadline, racing the clock, fighting against time. And then there are those wonderful times when we take off our watches, enjoying a day of leisure and rest, and we hardly notice the passing of time at all. (It’s on those days I like to call wrist watches “the handcuffs of time.”)

Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for time is the stuff life is made of.” And so, in this chapter we will look at three biblical principles that will help you with this thing called time and will help you make your time count. When you make your time count, you make your life count, because time is the stuff life is made of.

 
This is an excerpt from my new book called Lord, Make My Life Count! Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book explains how to make your life count in six key areas of life: 1) your work; 2) your rest; 3) your faith; 4) your prayers; 5) your money; and 6) your time.
 
Note: Click here to view the book on Amazon.
 

“Make Your Money Count!” (excerpt from chapter five):

Jesus said in the gospel of Luke: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Did you catch that? It’s a warning. Watch out! Be on your guard! Don’t be tricked into thinking that the more stuff you have, the happier you will be.

Of course, this runs counter to everything the world tells you about your money. We live in a spending culture. We think money is for spending. We put bumper stickers on our cars that say, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But God says, “He who dies with the most toys—still dies!” (see Eccl. 2:21). Jesus puts it all into perspective. Your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions. Take it all away, and you will find out who you really are.

A spending problem is really a desire problem. We get into trouble with spending, because we think more stuff will make us feel more fulfilled. But it doesn’t work that way. You are made in God’s image. You are far too valuable to be fulfilled with stuff.

You were made for God, and only God will fulfill your life. 1 Timothy 6 says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Tim. 6:6-8). When you have God, you can be content, because you really don’t need all that other stuff.

 
This is an excerpt from my new book called Lord, Make My Life Count! Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book explains how to make your life count in six key areas of life: 1) your work; 2) your rest; 3) your faith; 4) your prayers; 5) your money; and 6) your time.
 
Note: Click here to view the book on Amazon.
 

“Make Your Prayers Count!” (excerpt from chapter four):

One reason to pray early is because God’s mercies are new every morning. We read in Lamentations: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

You might not be a morning person, but our God is a morning God! His mercies are new every morning! Every morning when you wake up God is waiting to meet with you. He has fresh grace and mercy for you. You need only spend time with him to be strengthened for your day.

King David knew how to start a day. He writes in Psalm 57: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn” (Ps. 57:7-8).

Robert Murray McCheyne wrote the following words in his journal on February 23, 1834: “Rose early to seek God and found Him whom my soul loves. Who would not rise early to meet such company?”

Begin your day with prayer and lay hold of God’s mercies for you in Christ. God’s mercies are new every morning.

 
This is an excerpt from my new book coming out this week called Lord, Make My Life Count! Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book explains how to make your life count in six key areas of life: 1) your work; 2) your rest; 3) your faith; 4) your prayers; 5) your money; and 6) your time.
 
Note: Click here to view the book on Amazon.
 

“Make Your Faith Count!” (excerpt from chapter three):

Faith means trust. We see this in the classic definition of faith found in Hebrews 11: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). That phrase “being sure” translates a word that means “substance, confidence, assurance or trust.”

Faith means trusting what you can’t readily see. The person who trusts their spouse doesn’t follow them around everywhere, checking all their phone records and reading all their emails. Why? Because they don’t have to see it in order to believe. They trust their spouse. And faith means trust.

It’s the same when we talk about having faith in God. Having faith in God doesn’t mean simply believing he exists. A lot of people believe God exists. But having faith in God means trusting him. You trust his character; you trust his promises; you trust his word.

Faith involves knowledge, assent and trust. Knowledge is important because you have to know something before you can believe it. Assent is important because you must agree with what you know before you can believe it. But it is not real faith until you take that final step which is trust.

There’s a great children’s message that illustrates this truth. First, you ask the children, “Do you believe that I exist?” That’s knowledge. Then you ask them if they believe you could catch them if they fall. That’s assent. Then you ask them, “Who is willing to stand on the edge of the stage here and fall backwards into my arms?” They may have demonstrated knowledge and assent with their answers to the first two questions, but they haven’t exercised real faith until they show their trust by actually falling into your arms.

It’s the same way with God. It’s good to believe that God exists. It is good to agree that God’s word is true. But until you trust him, until you make a conscious choice to fall into his arms and rest completely in him, then you do not truly have faith.

 
This is an excerpt from my new book coming out this week called Lord, Make My Life Count! Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book explains how to make your life count in six key areas of life: 1) your work; 2) your rest; 3) your faith; 4) your prayers; 5) your money; and 6) your time.
 
Note: Click here to view the book on Amazon.
 

“Make Your Rest Count!” (excerpt from chapter two):

When was the last time you felt completely rested? No anxiety; no stress; completely calm; completely relaxed. I told someone this week, “I am working hard on a sermon on rest.” Now that might sound like a contradiction but work and rest really do go together. They go together in the Bible, one following the other in Genesis chapters one and two. And they go together in life. You need a strong work ethic before you can develop a strong rest ethic.

We hear a lot about work these days, but not so much about rest. It’s been said: “We have become a generation of people who worship our work, who work at our play, and who play at our worship.” These are each vital parts of our lives, and it is essential that we get them right.

There are many of us who work hard, but we’ve never really learned how to rest…. There is a time for work and a time for play. God rested after creation, and then God gave us the Sabbath because we need rest. We need a good night’s sleep each day, we need one day of rest each week, we need mini breaks during the day, and we need occasional longer breaks to refuel and recharge.

Do you want to make your rest count? Then work hard when you work, and rest well when you rest. Don’t worship your work, or work at your play. We rest first of all because God designed us to rest.

 
This is an excerpt from my new book coming out this week called Lord, Make My Life Count! Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book explains how to make your life count in six key areas of life: 1) your work; 2) your rest; 3) your faith; 4) your prayers; 5) your money; and 6) your time.
 
Note: Click here to view the book on Amazon.
 

I have a new book coming out this week called Lord, Make My Life Count! Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book explains how to make your life count in six key areas of life: 1) your work; 2) your rest; 3) your faith; 4) your prayers; 5) your money; and 6) your time.

Each day this week I will be posting an excerpt from one of the six chapters. Today’s excerpt comes from the first chapter: “Make Your Work Count!”

Part of viewing your work as God’s calling is understanding that all work is ministry. Colossians 3 says: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:23-24).

We tend to think of ministry as the work we do in the church rather than the work we do in the world. We divide life into the sacred and the secular, but God views it all as one. Ministry simply means serving the Lord. You can do that at church, but you can also do it at your place of work. So, you might be a minister of the gospel, but you could also be a minister of accounting, or a minister of daycare, or a minister of plumbing!

Martin Luther wrote: “The idea that service to God should have only to do with a church altar, singing, reading, sacrifice, and the like is without doubt but the worst trick of the devil. How could the devil have led us more effectively astray than by the narrow conception that the service of God takes place only in the church and by works done therein.… The whole world could abound with services to the Lord … not only in churches but also in the home, kitchen, workshop, and field.” Or as Dorothy Sayers wrote: “All work done well and for God’s glory is Christian work.”

At our church we like to say we have several pastors but many ministers. We are all ministers as we serve the Lord both here in the church and in the place where God has called us to work.

 
Note: Click here to view the book on Amazon.
 

Free advance review copies: The fourth book in the Understanding God’s Word series will be releasing next month, and I am looking for advance readers.

The book is called Lord, Make My Life Count! It’s a short book (six chapters), and an easy read. Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book focuses on six key areas of life: 1) making your work count; 2) making your rest count; 3) making your faith count; 4) making your prayers count; 5) making your money count; and 6) making your time count.

Here is the full schedule and details:
January 20-31: Sign-ups for the reading group
February 1: Advance copies distributed by email
February 1-21: Three weeks to read
February 22: Release date on Amazon
February 22-29: Post a review on Amazon

If you would like to be part of the advance reading group for this book, and you feel you can read and review the book within the allotted timeframe, just let me know and I will send you a link where you can download your free copy. Thanks for your support! (You can email me at ray@pccflorida.org)

There are a limited number of advance copies available, so be sure to sign up early! Feel free to share this post with anyone you know who may be interested in participating.
 
Note: Here are the other books currently available in the series (click on the book images to view on Amazon):

   
 
Note: Click here for all books in the Understanding God’s Word series.