Welcome to First Line Fridays! First Line Fridays a fun meme hosted by Hoarding Books! The aim of the game? Grab the book closest to you and share the first line!
Title: Half Truths: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves and Other Things the Bible Doesn’t Say
(My desk is full of books right now, but the one just happens to be the closest to my elbow!)
Author: Adam Hamilton
Genre: Christian Nonfiction
Length: 175 Pages (Hardcover)
First lines:
“Has anyone ever said to you, “Everything happens for a reason?” Most of us have heard that statement from someone at some point. Many of us have said it to someone else.” –Adam Hamilton, Half Truths (Chapter 1)
My Thoughts: I’ll just say it- I love Adam Hamilton. In many ways, Adam Hamilton is my hero. If you know that I am a United Methodist, then this shouldn’t be a surprise to you.
Just in case you are unaware, Adam Hamilton is the United Methodist golden boy. He is the pastor of one of the largest churches in our denomination. Furthermore, he has written numerous bestselling Bible studies and small group studies that have touched the lives of many people.
I wish that my church was more diverse. I wish that there was a bestselling female United Methodist pastor whom I could admire. Right now, we have Hamilton. Nevertheless, he is doing a great job. I am glad that he is willing to engage with challenging issues and encourage respectful conversation around difficult subjects.
My church worked through this book and accompanying DVD as a small group study about a year ago. While I find Hamilton’s writing and speaking style to be somewhat dry, our small group responded very well to his straightforward and down to earth style.
In this book, I was particularly drawn to Hamilton’s Wesleyan emphasis on our Methodist belief that God does not make bad things happen. God helps us get through it.
I would recommend this book for small group studies and laity. Pastors may also find it to be an informative read.
Dear Reader, now it’s your turn! What are you reading? Grab the book closest to you and share the first few lines with me in the comments below!
Check out the link below to visit some other Bloggers and share in more First Line Friday fun!
Rev. Rebecca Writes 
Happy Friday! My first line is from “Through the Shadows” by Karen Barnett:
“Elizabeth King held her fingers against the ivory keys, refusing to stir as the final chord faded and silence descended on the parlor.”
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Wow! This sounds like a great book. I love books about music. Happy New Year!
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Happy Friday!
Today on my blog I’m sharing the first paragraph from A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz. I’m currently on chapter 12, so I’ll leave the first line from there.
“Lark smiled as the long-awaited bairn made his entry into the rain-washed July day.”
It’s such a good book!
Hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend full of rest and good reading time! 😀❤📚
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I saw this on Revell reads! It looks really good 🙂
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That really sounds like an interesting book. On my blog, I’m featuring The Christmas Bride. I know Christmas is over, but this book was really good, I just had to share it. It’s about the Moravian community that I knew next to nothing about. It’s a fascinating love story. Here, I will share the first line of Chapter 29 of that same novel. “Catherine heard the savage Indians long before she saw them.” I wish you a wonderful weekend to relax and read.
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I think Moravians are great. They had a huge positive impact on John Wesley (one of my heroes). Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year!
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I really enjoy reading about the Moravians. They had a very positive influence on one of my heroes, John Wesley! Happy New Year!
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So, I’m not much of a reader. However, I am trying! I was very proud of myself for finishing “The Giver” in only 2 days! Anyways, I am working on “The Hobbit” now, since I am between semesters in seminary and can actually do some “fun” reading!
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
By just reading the first line, without taking into mind the context of the book, I think of modern-day humanity. How often is it that people live like a hobbit, in a hole in the ground. A hole that blocks out the world around them, sheltering them from truths, God’s light, His creation!
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I love The Hobbit! Growing up I was a huge Tolkien fan. When I got to seminary I found a lot of other Tolkien friends. I even knew a pastor who did a whole sermon series based on Lord of the Rings. Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Happy New Year!
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I would love to do a sermon series on LOTR. However, all of the names tend to confuse me 😀
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Happy New Year Rebecca!
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Thanks so much! Happy New Year to you as well!
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Sorry I’m a bit late coming around this week again! On my blog I featured With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander but I’m currently reading The Teacher’s Bride by Kathleen Fuller so I’ll share that first line here: “I can’t believe she came here without letting us know ahead of time.” Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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You always find such interesting books. I also hope that you have a great weekend!
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I do! Not sure if it’s always a blessing or a curse though bc I can never seem to put them down! 😂😂
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Kong going on the TBR list. Literally took a screenshot so I don’t forget!
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