Böcker av Bob Leland

"If you're open to God's call, and He leads you into missions, you couldn't be in a better place!" The Saga of a Bent Nail Retired missionary, Bob Leland, recounts adventures from his more than thirty years in the mission field in Indonesia (1971-2002). Both he and his wife answered God's call to missions when they were just children (6 and 8 years old).Their first posting was to Senggo (church-planting) followed by several changes of duties including house parenting, field administration, Bible College teaching, training missionary appointees, and translating the Greek Lexicon from English into Indonesian. Bob's book opens with a moment of deep crisis in the early days of the Senggo mission, is enhanced with Bible verses, black-and-white photos, frank admissions of shortcomings, and a lively sense of humor. The intriguing narrative shows how the couple survived sickness, accidents and unexpected challenges in their ministry. In spite of language and cultural differences, they were encouraged with how the Citak people and their students responded to the Word of God. Bob and Amber remain active in church work in the U.S. and helpfully offers this memoir as guidance for all Christians, but especially for those contemplating the mission path.

"Thus being conformed to the image of Christ becomes a verypractical exercise throughout the entirety of the Christian life."This extremely thorough and wide-ranging devotional encourages readers to study the Bible in pursuit of learning the characteristics of Christ in hopes of implementing Christ-like behavior in all of life's situations. Dr. Leland offers firm and loving guidance throughout this study as he organizes each chapter by identifying a characteristic of Christ, followed by scripture-based examples of how Christ demonstrated it. Making the teaching personal, Dr. Leland also gives examples from his own life and ministry that show the characteristics or recalls examples from history, friends, and other biblical encounters. Finally, each chapter is also a call to action and asks readers to consider how they can demonstrate a specific characteristic in their own lives.With wisdom and experience, Dr. Leland carefully ministers to readers with thoughtful, biblical insight and probing questions that foster reflection and inspire action. He hopes all readers and followers of Christ will align themselves with God's purpose through careful study and attention to the activities of Christ. This devotional is replete with Bible verses that serve as the foundation for the truths identified and explained with the hope that readers will "pursue and apply the truths of this study."For those seeking to strengthen their faith and connect to Christ, this collection of lessons offers clear guidance and a way forward from confusion and uncertainty about God's purpose. Reading and following these lessons will likely help readers conform to the image of Christ. Dr. Leland offers a deep understanding of Christ's characteristics and believes with unwavering faith that lives in pursuit of Christ can be transformed. With over 300 characteristics to consider, readers can delight in the multitude of teachings and continuously seek Christ through his words and actions.- The US Review of Books

"Considering that the Israelites numbered 600,000 men, plus their families andlivestock, plus all the hangers-on accompanying them, we're looking at acompany of some two to three million people."More than a compendium of the Bible, this book is filled with questions about Scripture within both the Old and New Testaments and provides answers that may leave one more curious than ever to find answers to additional questions they might have. Included are genealogies about notable Bible characters like Moses and his family, when they were born, and how surprisingly old in years they were when they died. Chronologies provide a more concise look at Egypt, the plagues, the flood, and other noteworthy events. Dr. Leland includes several "You Are There" narratives, suggesting what it might have been like to have been there observing the event. He also looks at both Testaments and how they speak to the continuous conflict between God/Christ and Satan and how God's sovereignty overcomes Satan>s opposition every time.Dr. Leland has painstakingly calculated, in dollars, the staggering amount of gold it took to build the Temple. He has estimated Solomon's total wealth, including an outline of where it ended up and the value of many items associated with the Temple. With Dr. Leland's book as a companion, anyone who reads or studies the Bible will hopefully find a deeper understanding of God>s Word. He has found that questions asked, and questions answered, increase faith and bring about greater spiritual growth. The Appendices contain various charts, instructive quotes, and catchy Biblical phrases that hopefully will inspire deeper thought and provide "seed" material for whoever is presenting God's Word to others. Dr. Leland applies his knowledge and research to many biblical dilemmas in which the curious will delight.- The US Review of Books

According to Romans 8:29, God''s goal for our lives is to make us like Christ. So it behooves us to study Christ''s character, names and titles to see what it is that we are to become. Christ is God''s "Blueprint" for our lives. Bob Leland grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, the oldest of five children. He attended Northern Illinois University (B.A. in Secondary English Ed.), Columbia Bible College (M.A. in Biblical Exposition), and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (D. Min.). He and his wife, Amber, a registered nurse, spent 31 years in Irian Jaya (Papua), Indonesia (1971-2002) serving 8 years in the Citak Tribe on the south coast, 2 ┬╜ years as house-parents at TEAM''s Hostel for missionary children attending the international school in Sentani, 1┬╜ years as Office Manager (Bob) and Bookkeeper (Amber) at TEAM''s field office in Manokwari, and 19 years teaching at the Erikson-Tritt Theological College in Sowi, near Manokwari. They also served 9 months at the Asian Cross-Cultural Training Institute in Singapore (1996) where they taught Asian missionary trainees how to live and work cross-culturally. Bob has published twice in Indonesia: Memancarkan Citra-Nya: Reflecting His Image and Leksikon Analitis Bahasa Yunani yang Direvisi: The Revised Analytical Greek Lexicon by Harold K. Moulton which he translated from English into Indonesian. He has also published The Saga of a Bent Nail, verbal "snapshots" of their 31 years of ministry in Irian Jaya.Bob and Amber currently live in Presque Isle, Maine, where they are deeply involved in local church ministry and outreach and have been teaching extension courses for the Grace Evangelical Seminary located in Bangor, Maine.