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Author Interview with Stanley Gale

Posted on by Kim

This week’s author interview is with Stanley Gale, author of 3 P&R titles: The Prayer of Jehoshaphat: Seeing Beyond Life’s Storms, What is Spiritual Warfare?, and Why Do We Pray?.

  • Question #1 – Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am the husband of one wife (Linda), father of four children (Samantha, Luke, Sarah, Nathan), and grandfather of eight (Ruby, Isaac, Weston, Kaylie, Jasper, Asher, Gryphon, Penelope).  I hold Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from the University of Delaware, a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. I am an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America and have served my current charge in West Chester, Pennsylvania, since 1988.  In my spare time I enjoy reading, writing and playing tennis.

 

  • Question #2 – Did you always enjoy writing?

I’ve always been a reader and have had an interest in verbal expression, helped in part by my Catholic school education where I learned to diagram sentences and rules of grammar. It’s only in the last dozen years that I turned my attention to writing books and articles. I’m part of a writers’ group where five of us exchange the latest 5-10 pages of books we’re working on. As the only religious nonfiction writer in the group, I have the opportunity to reach out through sharing biblical teaching and to encourage them in their writing. I write as a first student, where my study ministers first to me and then to others. I consider writing a kingdom extension of my ministry as a pastor-teacher.

 

  • Question #3 – Other than the Bible, do you have a favorite book?

It’s hard to narrow it down to a single book, but certainly Knowing God by J. I. Packer is one of the most influential books in my life, setting my trajectory of thought as a young Christian. I’m also a big mystery reader.

 

  • Question #4 – Do you have a favorite quote?

Among my favorite is one I discovered in researching spiritual warfare. It’s by John Bunyan in his book, The Holy War and describes Lucifer’s strategy to neutralize the church (Mansoul). “Let those engaged in this business for us, and let Mansoul be taken with much business, and if possible with much pleasure and this is the way to get ground of them.  Let us but cumber and occupy and amuse Mansoul sufficiently, and they will make their castle a warehouse for goods instead of a garrison for men of war.” Looks like Satan’s tactics have not changed much over the centuries.

 

  • Question #5 – Do you have a favorite book you have written?

P&R has published three of my books, The Prayer of Jehoshaphat, What is Spiritual Warfare?, and Why Do We Pray?, the latter two part of the Basics of the Faith Series. While I like The Prayer of Jehoshaphat to help believers process their trials through the lens of God’s providence and privilege of prayer, it is my contributions to the BoF Series that are my favorite because I believe they bring important dimensions to bear for Christian discipleship. The perspective of spiritual warfare is foundational to a biblical worldview, something for which God equips us in His Word and integral to the believer’s walk and service. Seeing prayer as God’s means not only for communion with Him but given us for the advancement of His kingdom is essential to the walk of the Christian and work of the church.

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Interested in learning more about Stanley and his work?

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BOOK HIGHLIGHT – Step by Step James C. Petty

Posted on by Kim

Step by Step: Divine Guidance for Ordinary Christians by James C. Petty

282 pages | $16.99 | Series: Resources for Changing Lives | Published: 1999

Summary: How can I know God’s will for my life? Sifting through confusion about divine guidance, promptings, “fleece,” and inner voices, Petty clearly illustrates how to make biblically wise decisions.

About the Author:

James C. Petty (MDiv and DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is Executive Director of The Children’s Jubilee Fund in Erdenheim Pennsylvania.

What Others Say About This Book:

“Step by Step is a fresh, up-to-date, biblical, edifying, and well-written approach to the old but important Christian question: How can I know the will of God for my life? . . . I commend this wise and balanced book to everyone.” – James Montgomery Boice

“. . . a fine book on the wise and God-honoring way to make decisions.” – J. I. Packer

“Disarmingly simple, truly profound. You find yourself hitting your forehead and saying, ‘But of course! That’s exactly what the Bible says.'” – Steve Estes

“. . . avoids the mistake of making biblical guidance look merely academic . . . . many specific examples of how God leads us through perplexing situations.” – John M. Frame

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Our mis­sion is to serve Christ and his church by pro­duc­ing clear, engag­ing, fresh, and insight­ful appli­ca­tions of Reformed theology.

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NEW RELEASE – You Can Pray by Tim Chester

Posted on by Kim

You Can Pray: Finding Grace to Pray Every Day by Tim Chester

176 pages | $12.99 | Paperback

Summary: There are no good “pray-ers,” but there is one great pray-er — Jesus Christ. Tim Chester shows us how, through Christ, we can become great pray-ers when we know three key truths about God:

• God the Father loves to hear us pray

• God the Son makes every prayer pleasing to God

• God the Holy Spirit helps us as we pray

When these truths are in place, we discover why prayer is easy, why prayer is difficult, and the arguments and priorities of prayer. Prayer is a child’s asking her father for help—and that’s not beyond any of us. Each chapter closes with a sample prayer based on a biblical text.

About the Author:

Tim Chester is a church leader from Sheffield, England, the author of You Can Change, and the associate director of Porterbrook Seminary.

 

 

What Others Say About This Book:

“I am so grateful for You Can Pray. It is gracious yet challenging, accessible yet theologically robust. If you’ve ever wondered why we need to pray, or how to get better at it, this book will help you enormously.” – Pete Greig, Founding Champion of the 24-7 Prayer movement

“A very encouraging and enjoyable read. It put a spring into my step and got me praying more than I had been.” – Sam Allberry, Author of Lifted and Connected

“Enjoyment and prayer are words that are not normally associated together, but after reading You Can Pray you will not be able to separate them! . . . A must-read for anyone who wants to make prayer easy, biblical, and God-glorifying.” – Andrew Chard, European Director for AIM International

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Our mis­sion is to serve Christ and his church by pro­duc­ing clear, engag­ing, fresh, and insight­ful appli­ca­tions of Reformed theology.

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NEW RELEASE – The Problem of Good edited by D. Marion Clark

Posted on by Kim
The Problem of Good: When the World Seems Fine without God
edited by D. Marion Clark

208 Pages | $14.99 | Paperback

Summary: The problem of evil is one we’re all familiar with, but what about the problem of good? If Christianity is true, why do many people seem to live moral, fulfilling lives outside the gospel? Will their good deeds save them? Is the traditional view of hell really justified? And if it is, how do we evangelize people who seem more upright than we are? Can we legitimately benefit from their contributions to culture and society?

Authors from a variety of backgrounds tackle these questions and others in a discussion of God’s common grace and its daily implications.

Contributors: D. Marion Clark, Paul David Tripp, Steven J. Lawson, Ruth Naomi Floyd, John Leonard, Sean Michael Lucas, Gene Edward Veith, and David Skeel.

Includes discussion questions.

About the Editor:

D. Marion Clark (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) served as executive minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for sixteen years and has edited two previous books.

 

 

What Others Are Saying About This Book:

“We struggle to explain why good things happen to bad people. . . . Why do so many sinners . . . receive so many divine blessings? And why does God allow so many good things to happen in the world through the actions of people who do not serve him, as well as through people who do? . . . Pastor Clark has dedicated his life to explaining biblical truth in clear, practical ways and to solving spiritual problems in the life of the church. He does all of that here, in The Problem of Good. There is no other book like it.”

— Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois

 

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Our mis­sion is to serve Christ and his church by pro­duc­ing clear, engag­ing, fresh, and insight­ful appli­ca­tions of Reformed theology.

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NEW RELEASE – Literature by Clifford W. Foreman

Posted on by Kim

Literature by Clifford W. Foreman

48 pages | $4.99 | Booklet | Series: Faithful Learning

Summary: Some Christians choose to study no literature except for the Bible, fearing the allure of sin in secular writing. Yet the Bible itself is a literary work; God knew we would best understand what he is like through the universal art forms of poetry and story—and so, for ourselves and those we wish to reach with the gospel, there is value in studying what literature is and how it communicates ideas.

Clifford Foreman, a respected English professor for over 25 years, takes us on an exploration of literature and its various forms, engaging the works of respected secular authors to illustrate each form and to show us the beauty and Scriptural potential of an artful use of language.

About the Author:

Clifford W. Foreman (MA, PhD, Boston University) is professor of English and moderator of the faculty at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he has taught since 1986.

 

 

Other Books in this Series:

1. Sociology by Matthew S. Vos
48 pages
Summary: Christ asks us to be in the world but not of it. Matthew Vos shows us how sociology strengthens our understanding of the world’s issues and our relationships within it.
2. Philosophy by James S. Spiegel
48 pages
Summary: Does philosophy have any value for our faith? James Spiegel insists that Christians need philosophy to discern wrong ideas and shows us how it can enhance biblical faith and living.
3. An Invitation to Academic Studies by Jay D. Green
40 pages
Summary: Can academic study cultivate and nourish our faith, as well as the other way around? Jay Green shows how to embrace academic study for its potential in studying God’s world.

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Our mis­sion is to serve Christ and his church by pro­duc­ing clear, engag­ing, fresh, and insight­ful appli­ca­tions of Reformed theology.

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