Author John R. Tucker Asks the Question, Are You Jesus' Disciple? Based upon Book of Matthew

John R. Tucker, Jr., a devout believer in Jesus Christ, resides in Baden, PA with his wife Bettie. They have two adult children, Eric and Lori, who live nearby, giving them access to their delightful grandchildren, Talia and Pasquale.

The author has a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and retired after 34 years of employment with U. S. Steel Corporation. He then wrote over forty investigative Bible studies that are being used for in-depth teachings at various churches. He also taught a local prayer group as a member of a national organization known as Christian Business Men’s Connection which is active in 80 countries and has over 50,000 members.

John felt inspired to write this book because of his personal hunger to know greater details about the teachings of Jesus Christ. His findings gave him the desire to be a better modern-day disciple. The author hopes that readers will have this desire, too.

Book Description

The title of this book asks “Are you Jesus’ Disciple?” It emphasizes the five discourses taken from the Book of Matthew as taught by Jesus Christ. As readers progress through the pages, the words of Jesus seem to come alive in His teachings. The book illustrates that believers and non-believers should ask themselves if they are truly living the life, or want to live the life, that Jesus demands of them. The five discourses include: ethics, missions, the Kingdom, community life and judgment. Within these discourses and teaching, the disciples of that time were instructed how to properly live their lives as Christians and how to reach others with the same message. There were also some believers and non-believers who gathered near the disciples to listen to this intriguing Teacher. Those who did not believe were simply following the crowd. However, some took His words to heart and wanted to hear more. Today, Christians and non-Christians can read the discourses and make a decision as to what they believe or not believe.

~~~

9 This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
11 Give us today our daily bread. 
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

...The Lord’s Prayer is like a letter that we send from earth to Heaven. In the beginning words in Verse 9, Jesus is giving the Jews guidance as to the proper way to pray to the Lord. In the remaining words in Verse 9, He is telling the Jews to whom this letter is being 1. To “Our Father” but not to saints or angels. 2. To “Heaven,” the place where it is going. The word “Our” in the words “Our Father” specifies that in addition to praying for and alone, Jews should pray with and for others. The word “hallowed” refers to the nature of our Father who is holy and distinct beyond all mankind...
~~~

It is quite easy to read a book and pick up those thoughts, those principles that mean something to our own lives. Certainly, with John Tucker choosing the Book of Matthew as the central book of the Bible to discuss, he has chosen a selection that many will recognize and know what the book contains... Yes, but... do we really know what the Book of Matthew says about certain topics covered therein?

Some readers may be totally knowledgeable, while others will recognize the conceptual overview but not know the context in which the subject is covered. Tucker has presented an easy-to-use method by which he presents the results of his long years of study and research. It can easily be used for group Bible study or as an independent study guide. Or, simply, to compare your own beliefs with the author and consider how his relates to the book's question--Are You Jesus' Disciple?

I've taken something that most of us will have at least heard in their lifetime--The Lord's Prayer... The format used is as appears throughout the book... Tucker breaks the prayer down into phrases, then moves to explain what the phrase is saying...thus, he goes through the entire prayer, providing guidance, insight, and the setting in which Jesus was sharing His Words...

Consider his discourse... You may remember that the issue came up when Jesus was asked how to pray...The first thing that held true for me was that he instructed us to go into the closet where we can be alone with God...

Are you Jesus' Disciple?

By John R. Tucker, Jr.

Tucker presents an Introduction of his overall plan of presentation as follows:

Five Discourses of Jesus Christ in the Book of Matthew 
Within the Gospel of the Book of Matthew, there are five major sermons or discourses given by Jesus Christ that need to be read and fully understood: 
1. Discourse on Ethics in Chapters 5 through 7 (19 Topics) 
2. Discourse on Missions in Chapter 10 (1 Topic) 
3. Discourse on the Kingdom in Chapter 13 (8 Topics) 
4. Discourse on Community Life in Chapter 18 (4 Topics) 
5. Discourse on Judgment in Chapters 24 through 25 (5 Topics)

He then begins to discuss, explain what was to happen within the Book of Matthew... And then moves directly on to the Discourse on Ethics...

In this case, the Beatitudes fall under Ethics...and the specific scripture to be discussed is included...

Again, an overview is provided of the setting, the audience, etc. and then each of the Beatitudes is studied...

1. Verse 3. Those who are poor in Spirit… The following are examples of groups of people who qualify as being blessed in being poor in Spirit. 

They are contentedly poor, willing to be empty of worldly wealth if God orders that to be their lot. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes, being willing to make themselves humble and minute in order to be good in God’s eyes. They lose their confidence in their own strength so that they may depend only on the merit, spirit, and grace of Christ. Despite the circumstances that all three groups experience, they have a sense of happiness. Be aware that there is a poor-spiritedness that is so far from making men blessed that it is a sin and a trap.

This last part, of course, is what is provided by the author and teacher. He presents his response to the scripture for readers to consider, and as indicated in the book description, leaves it to the reader to accept or reject it; i.e., to believe or not believe that is what was intended by the scripture--by the Words of Jesus. Here's my thoughts on why this is so important...

I wanted to skip forward in the book for another personal reference that has always interested me...based upon this song learned so many years ago...

Note that the singing is joyous and thus sounds like a happy occasion. For some it was...Jesus was coming...But, consider the first part of the song... "Give me oil in my lamp, Keep me burning..." As I grew older, I realized that these were not the words that led to the celebration... Here's Tucker's coverage of that parable...

The Parable of the Ten Virgins— Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 1 through 13: 1 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 

2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 

3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them, 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 

5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 

6 At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!”

 7 T hen all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 

8 The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.” 

9 No, they replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” 

10 But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 

11 Later the others also came. “Sir! Sir!” they said. “Open the door for us!” 

12 But he replied, “I tell you the truth. I don’t know you.” 

13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

It is thought that the foolish virgins in this parable had just enough oil in their lamps to make them burn for a little while in order to make a show as if they intended to meet the bridegroom. Unlike the wise virgins that had the heart to take additional jars of oil for their lamps in case the bridegroom might not come right away, the foolish virgins lacked the heart to do the same. The lesson to be learned here is, when looking forward to an important event, it is wise to prepare for the worst in case a long period of time occurs before its arrival. 

In confirming my thoughts about the song, with just Tucker's reference on this part of the parable, I felt comfortable that the song really did not match scripture correctly, did it? At least that was my conclusion...What do you think? It was the foolish virgins who was asking for oil because they hadn't prepared... And, therefore, it would have been the wise virgins that would be singing hosannah... They don't match in the song's words.

To me this is just one small example how many times some will take a phrase or a thought out of context from the Bible and use it to support their own agenda... A study guide such as Tucker has provided thus becomes an excellent method for learning and absorbing what the Bible is telling us. I've always loved the parables Jesus used, but it sometimes helps to make sure we are understanding and interpreting the parable correctly... Alas the foolish virgins were turned away from the celebration because they had not planned ahead and were now begging for oil...when it was too late...

The book is lengthy, comprehensive and totally ready for study; i.e., all scripture has been included in the book, easily discernible. When references are related to other parts of the Bible, or to another version, such as The Living Bible, those references are also included. Although, of course, it can easily be read from front to back, the author has provided an excellent outline that permits readers to break down the reading and study to be considered at the reader's own pace.

So, does the title of this book bring a touch to your spirit? If so, this book is highly recommended. You may not actively be a disciple of Jesus right now, but if you don't want to be counted as a foolish virgin when the bridegroom comes, you may find you need the teaching and/or confirmation of your own understanding in this book written both as a study guide and as a scholarly discourse based upon study, research, and His guidance...

GABixlerReviews

Nobel Laureates: The Secret of Their Success by David Pratt Proves to be Excellent Scholarly Research on Lives of Laureates

Alfred Nobel Established the Nobel Prizes
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his third and last will at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris. When it was opened and read after his death, the will caused a lot of controversy both in Sweden and internationally, as Alfred Nobel had left much of his wealth for the establishment of a prize.

PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE - Monday 3 October, 11:30 a.m. at the earliest
PHYSICS - Tuesday 4 October, 11:45 a.m. at the earliest 
CHEMISTRY - Wednesday 5 October, 11:45 a.m. at the earliest 
PEACE - Friday 7 October, 11:00 a.m.
ECONOMIC SCIENCES - Monday 10 October, 11:45 a.m. at the earliest 
LITERATURE - The date will be set later. 
Times listed are local time in Swede

For many of us, David Pratt, has taken us into a world we would never really know without his book, Nobel Laureates: The Secret of Their Success. Sure, we all hear on the news when the new recipient is named, some of us may even recognize the name. We recognize that it is a prestigious award and think good thoughts about the latest receiving recognition for what he has contributed in his life. But, until we hear about another named recipient, we may not think about these brilliant individuals whose lives have benefited us in some wonderful way. I was pleased to have the opportunity to received David Pratt's scholarly research into this world and present it for those who wish to learn more about these individuals and the world in which they've lived...

Nobel Laureates:

The Secret of Their Success

By David Pratt

But first, who is David Pratt? An important part of deciding about a nonfiction book is who researched and wrote the book. Let's meet David Pratt:

David Pratt was born in Britain at the beginning of World War II. After graduating from university, he moved first to the United States and then to Canada.
In Canada, he taught high school for four years, then did graduate work at the University of Toronto, and accepted a position at Queen’s University, where he remained for 28 years. He published extensively on academic subjects, leaving the university in 1997 in order to write full-time.
His fiction and poetry have appeared in over 100 literary journals in Canada, the United States, Britain, and Australia.
See my latest publications at Smashwords, called This Continent Called Love: Quotations from the Nobel Prize Winners; For the Thinking Executive: 916 Quotations from Nobel Laureates; and Unconquerable Crete: An Epic Poem.

Readers of the book will quickly see the extensive reading and references used throughout the book and many will recognize the specific information about Laureates themselves... With this kind of book I don't have to worry about giving anything away so I want to share an excerpt that I found profoundly sad...

Never Shall I Forget These Things--We can never know how many men and women of genius perished in the Holocaust. Two Novel writers who survived the terrible experiences of the Nazi concentration campus were Elie Wiesel (Peace 1986) and Imre Kertesz (Literature, 2002). Elie Wiesel was born in Romania in 1928, the son of an orthodox Jewish shopkeeper. In May 1944, the family was deported to Auschwitz. Elie's mother and younger sister perished there.

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed.

Never shall I forget that smoke.

Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. 

Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. 

Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. 

Never shall I forget those moments which murdered by God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. 

Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God himself. 

Never!

~~~

Wiesel was forced to witness the death of his father, but had been liberated by the American army...The thing most amazing was that, included in the book, was direct evidence that showed that the number of Laureates from Germany significantly decreased during Hitler's regime. Or, if you think of it as I did. Hitler destroyed the very people who could have led Germany to be great--but blind hatred had ruined all of that for his own country...

Jonas Kaufmann Soloist at the Nobel Prize Concert 2016
Jonas Kaufmann, "the most important versatile tenor of his generation", will perform at the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm, Sweden, on 8 December 2016. Gianandrea Noseda, newly appointed music director at the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, USA, will lead the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

I found shelter either in houses
that were bombed out or in houses
that were given up by other people.
One of the places that we stayed
was actually a house that the
Germans were using for torturing
people. When you went in there,
all of the body parts were just left
there on the floor. So I saw all sorts
of body parts that were just cut off:
fingers, noses, ears, and so on.
This would be between the ages
of 5 and 8.
!!!

Without being able to share much about the book, I thought I'd include a couple of the interesting titles of the 27 chapters... For instance we start out with "Unless you're poor, you don't know what poor means..."  Consider that each year only one out of every 600 million people on earth are selected to win a Nobel. Most would consider that such prize winners must come from rich or academically involved homes. But being poor doesn't preclude selection. Take for instance Mario

Capecchi who won the 2007 prize for Medicine--he spent his childhood as a street kid during war in Italy... His response to that time is perfectly understandable as he witnessed the remains/parts of people tortured by the Germans.
I was intrigued by the chapter,

"Fatherless Children," when George Wald, Medicine, 1967, shared that what was really needed was not nobel laureates, but love.
Since I never had a father, as Wald, it was interesting to

consider that "wanting love" was what led to his working all the time. Then he declared that the Nobel was a consolation prize.
What do you think? Since I and my siblings have always worked hard at whatever they did, it does make for considerable thought. For us, my mother loved us, but she worked all the time to keep us alive and healthy... It was noted that "the success of these laureates is a tribute to the energy and devotion of their mothers..." I agreed, of course!

Some conceptual thoughts came through in other chapters, such as "getting married and stay married, or having an important teacher or mentor, or never being willing to give in...and perhaps even luck...

And then there was Einstein who was said to be eccentric who calmly explained, "When I was young, I found out that the big toe always ends in making a hole in a sock. So I stopped wearing socks..." I think I would have liked Einstein, but most of the Laureates were down-to-earth, lacked pretension and many, was of few words...

The book is full of not only personal references to recipients but also provides various statistical charts, for instance, about the country where recipients lives (although it was noted that many home countries claim them even if they had emigrated. The break down of categories by men and women and age...another. 

When I started reading this, I immediately thought that the audience for the book would be educators, academicians, scientists and those who work in the specific categories of the prizes. Now, I would add that it is an important source of information to parents, teachers and anybody who is interested in the youth of our countries across the world. I can't help but wonder how many potential Laureates, who would have given to the world as a whole, have died before their time due to the power-hungry greed of war mongers.

My final smile from the book, quoting William Fowler, Physics, 1983, given I say this all the time to my sister when she says, "what are you doing, working?" and I think about, and sometimes say..."no, I'm having fun reading and  blogging."

Speaking to university students in Stockholm, said: Fellow students, there will be hard work and heart break in your futures but there will also be stimulating intellectual pleasure and joy. In less pompous language, I call it fun.

Highly recommended...


GABixlerReviews

Poetry by Adolfo Leads to A Study Investigating The Guns of Dealey Plaza by John S. Craig...

November 22, 1963

A shot rings

in my ears;

its bullet

pierces

my heart

Tears,

                  shed!

--Adolph Caso

The Model 91/38, 6.5-millimeter Mannlicher-Carcano (formally known as a Carcano), declared to be the murder weapon by the Warren Commission, and owned by Oswald, was 40.2 inches long and weighed eight pounds. The Warren Commission reported that oswald purchased the rifle through mail-order from Klein's Sporting Goods of Chicago by sending in a coupon from American Rifleman magazine. The magazine advertised a 36-inch, 5.5-pound Mannlicher-Carcano. Curiously, this was not the same 40.2 inch rifle that Oswald was alleged to have owned. Oswald's Carcano was purchased for $12.78 and the 4X telescopic sight was $7.17, which was mounted by a gunsmith employed by Klein's. He adopted a Navy pistol holster as a sling. Oswald used a six-bullet Mannlicher enbloc ammunition clip, which turned his Carcano into what has been common referred as Oswald's "Mannlicher-Carcano." He left his right palm print on the end of the wooden stock and right middle and right ring fingerprint on the trigger guard when it was found by Dallas police on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Within the sniper's nest, Oswald's fingerprints and a palm print were found on several of the boxes, and a fingerprint was found on the bad alleged to have carried the disassembled rifle. An FBI analysis of fibers found on the rifle was linked to the shirt Oswald was wearing when he was arrested...

~~~

The Guns of Dealey Plaza:

Weapons and the Kennedy Assassination

By John S. Craig

I met John Craig through his books, Peculiar Liaisons in War, Espionage, and Terrorism of the Twentieth Century and Heroes, Rogues and Spies. I confess that I enjoyed both those books much better than this one. But that doesn't detract from the recognition of this writer's skill in research, presentation, and an overall excellent thought-provoking book, this time honing in on the Kennedy Assassination. For historians, for forensics gun enthusiasts, for those who enjoy conspiracy theories, The Guns of Dealey Plaza is a investigative resource that you will want to check out.

This is a non-fiction, technical, very detailed review of the guns that were involved, or at least studied, found in November, 1963. Readers will not find excitement--they will find detailed facts and/or hypotheses of what happened. But mostly it is information about the guns used/found...and the investigation surrounding the assassination.

I was working on my first job, in the Office of Personnel, at WVU, when we heard the news about what was happening in Texas. The assassination of the President was something that would never be forgotten, or, it seems, studied. Will that help prevent a future disaster? Or, perhaps, "not" since being able to purchase a gun through the mail for less than $15 says more about that??? And still does...

One part interested me when Craig discussed that Oswald's competency in shooting was "maligned..."

Maligned throughout the years of scoring "only" as a marksman ranking within the Marines, a closer look at Oswald's abilities demonstrates otherwise. When sitting in a position where the rifle can be steadied, Oswald scored a sharpshooter ranking, one higher than a marksman, and one lower than an expert ranking. Two Marine marksman experts testified that oswald could be considered as a "good to excellent shot..."

After reading that, I began to wonder about my own interest in forensics science television...My thought was, if they proved Oswald killed him, why argue how skilled he was...so what if it was just "luck?" The President was still dead...Right?

Included in the book is information about the bullets and shells, handguns, the timing of the shots, etc., and, of course, the government agencies and The Warren Commission that worked on the case.

In any event, you will see that many aspects of the entire investigation has been included, regurgitated, and, in the end, Craig  provides "A Possible Scenario" of how he sees everything happening and then an Afterword which included some interests details...I found these most interesting as a conclusion before I went on to review the extensive sources and end notes documenting the research conducted and footnoting exactly what came from where... 

The format of the book is much like I've read in university dissertations and should be easily used by students and others who are conducting research on the same or similar topics. I helped many students working on their doctorates and am very acquainted with such scholarly presentations. It is exceptionally well done... And I want to also point out that this is an excellent illustration of the quality and content that can be found in today's self-publishing world. Kudos to the author!

I have no doubt that members of the NRA should check this one out...

GABixlerReviews

John S. Craig was born and lives in Colorado. He has published and researched in the fields of history, communication, technology, crime, and travel. He is an instructor at the University of Colorado where he has taught writing and communication for twenty years. He is the author of Peculiar Liaisons in War, Espionage, and Terrorism in the Twentieth Century (Algora) and Heroes Rogues, and Spies. A collection of short stories, Blanket of Crickets and Other Stories, are among his other works.