Bill Coker has turned The Ten Commandments inside out, in his book, Words of Endearment. Bill says The Ten are a revelation of God’s love. Is that a new thought for you? It was for me.

Dr. William B. Coker, Sr. is the pastor behind the sermon. “Most of Bill’s ministry has been connected with teaching and pastoring. He served as a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, and professor and dean at Asbury College (University). His pastoral ministry started in Louisiana, then Mississippi and Kentucky, and ended in Indiana at World Gospel Church as senior pastor for 19 years. He retired in 2008.”

Ann Coker, Bill’s wife, partnered to bring the sermons to life in written form. Also a writer of her own works, “Ann has written a companion book for John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, connecting Scripture and personal life.”

Words of Endearment promises to unveil God’s expression of love through

• integrity, not perfection
• healthy boundaries
• relevant questions in society
• developing social conscience
• action steps

Words of Endearment brings context to The Ten Commandments as a revelation of who God is and has always been. As it unwraps the layers of meaning surrounding each commandment, it shows how the commandments link together and set the pattern for the new commandment of the Savior to come.

An interesting point, monotheism, or the worship of one God, began with Israel. All nations surrounding them were polytheistic, worshipping many gods. Israel needed guidelines to know how to approach a holy God. Bill says, “Where the first four words (commandments) direct our attention to God’s place in our lives, in our speech, and in our worship, the fifth word looks to the significance of the family. It would be easy to say the fifth word marks a break, but when we look at it more closely in terms of the first four words, we find a natural progression taking place.”

“The next set of commandments – thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not bear false witness, and thou shall not covet – all flow out of the relationship first established in the home.”

Bill says, “We do this… so our culture itself might survive.”

Words of Endearment presents an important look at how God provided a way for His people to deal with the fallenness of the human heart in order to thrive in the world He provided.

Written in conversational tone, Words of Endearment is a book you’ll love to dig into and savor. There are questions at the end of each chapter to help process the material, whether for personal reflection or group interaction, and the text will wash over you in a loving response to the message.

I am giving away a copy of Words of Endearment to one reader in the continental United States. Leave a comment on my blog (at the top of this post, under the title). You will be entered into the drawing to be held on Monday, June 21. Tell me a verse that endears you to God’s love. Get an extra chance to win, when you share this post on social media (let me know where).

Sally

Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of Words of Endearment from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.