Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs

By Warren Baldwin

For over two thousand years the book of Proverbs has provided wise counsel and spiritual direction for God's people. The short, rapid style and the piercing truths of Proverbs penetrate the readers'... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1441561838
• ISBN13: 9781441561831
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
• Length: 212 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Book on the Book of Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is what the title implies--a collection or anthology of individual proverbs. Proverbs is an example of "Wisdom Literature" in the OT, the other books being Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon, together with the wisdom psalms. A key term in Proverbs is of course "wisdom." Much of what is written in Proverbs is observations about life, how we should live our life, what we need to avoid, and what does it all mean? Warren Baldwin's book Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs is a wonderful book outlining much of the wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Baldwin breaks down Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs into eight sections: Husband and wife; Mom, Dad and The Kids; Accepting God's Will; Discipline; Responsibility; Wisdom in Relationships; Spiritual Living; and Community. Each chapter has 10-15 readings on the topic. This will make a great devotional book by reading one or two proverbs a day (which is what I did!), or it would make a great book for a small study group. Baldwin is a rich story teller, each illustration offers examples of living life according to the wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. If the book of Proverbs is a book that seems a bit overwhelming to read, I encourage you to pick up Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs by Warren Baldwin. The verses along with rich stories will bless you.

Crafty and Compelling

Warren Baldwin digs deep and hits home with his well-written and thought-provoking look at the ancient Proverbs. If you've ever studied the book of Proverbs, you know that they are short, succinct and timeless nuggets of wisdom. Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks expounds on the truths in the Proverbs, but maintains the integrity of the style. In other words, Mr. Baldwin is far less wordy than I am! Here's an example from the book: Trusting Our Cage Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 Two key words appear in this verse: trust and understand. To explain them, let me tell you about my two miniature hamsters. My pet hamsters have the good life. They are in a cage with plenty of food, water and clean shavings my daughter put in there. They are even in a climate-controlled room. Could they ask for any better? But these critters don't understand how good they have it. They are always wanting to get out. Why? Outside lurks all kinds of unspeakable dangers to these furry little rodents. A cat. A dog. The rocking chair. My big feet. Why would they risk their lives with these dangers? Because they simply don't understand. Here is the irony: the only real danger these miniature hamster face is their attempt to get out of the cage. The cage is made of thin little bars. They climb them and hang from the ceiling of the cage. One hamster did that and lost his grip with his front claws. He hung suspended and dislocated his leg at the hip... To read the compelling life application, you'll have to pick up the book. The chapters are divided into topics like: Marriage, Family, Community, Discipline, Responsibility and others. Each chapter has 10-15 readings on the topic. It would work great as a devotional book by reading one or two proverbs a day, or it would be great as a reference tool to pick up and read as certain issues comes to the forefront in your life.

Read it, apply it, and bless someone with a copy

Brother Baldwin guides his readers through the book of Proverbs with confidence on account of direct personal experiences. Understanding the biblical proverbs in order to live them out can sometimes seem unattainable. However, with "Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs," Warren Baldwin explicitly deters that way of thinking by revealing the simplicity and ceaselessly tangibles of the book of Proverbs. If you have ever coupled Proverbs with fear, it's time to separate the two by reading "Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs!"

Preachers and others

Subject: Review Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and Other Gems from Proverbs is helpful for both preachers as well as those who sit in the pew. First, I will give a word about the preacher. After having listened to a round table discussion at a seminar, where Tom Long, Tremper Longman, Dave Bland, Glenn Pemberton, and others answered questions about proverbs, I was able to hear first hand some of the concerns preachers have when it comes to faithfully preaching proverbs. One of course, was how to take an individual proverb and make it into a sermon. I thought, "Roaring Lions" is the answer!" Warrant T. Baldwin's book needed to be on the stage being referenced as questions of this nature were asked. If the student of homiletics and interpretation is following closely, he or she can see how Warren stays faithful to the meaning of the proverb in the stories he uses. Thus, by the time the preacher finishes the book, there is a new skill developed in their preaching repertoire: how to preach a proverb!! In addition to this, for both preacher and laity, there is wisdom in the book. The sages in Israel became wise because they observed life around them, both in creation and in the day to day lives of people, all of course in the context of "the Fear of the Lord". The wise in Israel related these things together. Warren takes his cues from the sages as seen in the stories. He has been married 25 years. He has raised three children. He has been in ministry for over 25 years. All of this life experience is reflected in the book, and the reader would not want it any other way, for a truly wise person is skilled at living. Wisdom is the skill of living well. Thus, the book i.e., the stories, reflection of Warren's life, his personal reading in relationship to the proverbs themselves, offer a wonderful treasure for growth in the wisdom of Proverbs and life!!

Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and Other Gems from Proverbs

Book Description: For over two thousand years the book of Proverbs has provided wise counsel and spiritual direction for God's people. The short, rapid style and the piercing truths of Proverbs penetrate the readers' hearts, challenging them to align their lives with the wisdom they proclaim. Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and other Gems from Proverbs brings the ancient proverbs into contemporary focus by applying their truths to modern situations. Marriage, parenting, friendship, work, money and other topics are brought under the scrutiny of this ancient wisdom. Each chapter is Roaring Lions is a short essay on a specific proverb (118 of them) that makes God's word to you come alive with fresh relevance. From the Foreword: Proverbs are short, pithy sayings that arrest our interest and demand our attention. They are catchy and memorable, making them easy to transport to new situations. Proverbs can spark lively conversation or intense debate. Proverbs are all around us, even in the secular world. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." "A dollar saved is a dollar earned." "The early bird gets the worm." Such witticisms take years of accumulated wisdom and experience and condense them into short, catchy sayings. These sayings can be memorized and applied to future settings that reflect similar elements. Such truisms become the truth and guiding lights of our lives. Thomas Long, author of Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible writes, "The question is not, will people live by proverbs, but what kind of proverbs will they cherish?" (p.55) Like the secular sayings, the biblical proverbs reflect wisdom and experience, but they offer the added ingredient of divine influence and personality. One purpose of Proverbs is to promote a relationship with God. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (3:5) The real aim of Proverbs is not to equip us with witty sayings to help us function more professionally in the world; it is to promote godly character so that we can enjoy virtuous relationships with God and people. Proverbs function by stirring our imagination. "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." (27:6) Is this saying true? Our minds rush to situations in life where a friend hurt our feelings by telling us an uncomfortable truth about ourselves. After the pain of the unwelcome comments faded, we were able to assess their truthfulness and possibly conclude, "My friend was right. I was out of line. I need to conduct myself with more discipline and dignity in the future." Then, our minds may rush to compliments and flattery an "enemy" showered upon us, only to realize later their emptiness. They were not intended to encourage us but to secure some selfish aim for the one offering the praise. A proverb stirs our imagination by drawing our minds backwards to situations that reflect the meaning of the saying. Our own experience in life confirms its tr