Readers will find enjoyment in this fast-paced mystery about a young woman, Libby, searching for her best friend, Nicole, after she watches kidnappers take Nicole in a boat. Somehow the kidnapping is related to the new inheritance Libby has just received - a mansion called Tidewater Inn and the new family she discovered she had: a father, an aunt and a brother and sister she never knew existed. The story is captivating and I finished the book in one day, it was so much fun!
How clean was this book? Very clean. No cursing. The romance in the story had only touching hands, arms and shoulders, and hugs, and kissing. No sex ever occurs between anyone.
This book asks the question of suffering:
One of the characters asks "Where was God when my parents were killed? Why do bad things happen to good people." Reply: "God was with your parents when they died and they are with him now. God gives us the grace to get through tough situations." Another says "I'm not a very good believer. I make it to church only once a month. Maybe that's why this is all happening. God is punishing me." Reply: "Forget that idea. Bad things happen even to good people. Life is hard. Goe never said it wouldn't be. And He's with us in the hard times." Another said "How do you think your dad feels when he looks down from heaven and sees how you're acting?" Another, "What good did it do Dad to try to please God if he was just going to kill him? If God cared, he wouldn't have taken both my parents. They told me God loves me. I wish I could still believe it."
It was nice to see the sovereignty of God emphasized in one sentence: "God could choose to spare this little spot or wipe it out. It was all in his control." The book also showed the struggle for characters to be generous and the faith it took to give everything they had to people in need, leaving nothing for themselves and trusting God to provide. There was a LOT of emphasis on What Would Jesus Do and an important WWJD necklace. It was mentioned a few times that someone prayed but no prayers are recorded in the dialogue.
The questionable Christian teachings: Christian Libby is told by a more experienced Christian, ""Put it in God's hands. God loves Nicole (an unbeliever)." The thought comforted Libby. Nicole wasn't alone. No matter what happened, God held her securely." But from the Bible, we know unbelievers are under the wrath of God and have no confidence that he will spare them. When Nicole was afraid to die without God, Libby instructs her, "All you have to do is ask him to forgive you, Nicole. He's here with us. No matter what happens." Nicole was sobbing, "I can't. I don't know how."
The music pushed in this book are questionsable: Bob Marley's regae - Marley strongly rejected the Christian Jesus and taught Rastafarian's beliefs about his god Ja in the lyrics of his songs. Why would a Christian listen to songs with lyrics mocking our Jesus and about turning to another god? The other choices mentioned were Counting Crows and Beethoven.
I guess the saddest part about this book is that there was NO thanks given to God for anything. No one was seeking after God's glory. It was all self-seeking and Christian-lite thinking and theology. I would recommend this book for the story but not the Christianity.
The end of the book was disappointing. It was a weird end. The good guys and bad guys by the end were odd, hardly mentioned, individuals. There was no wedding. THe book ended quickly and with loose ends and an odd human "savior".
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
BUY IT: Father Hunger by Douglas Wilson
I do recommend this book to Christian men as a good example of what biblical masculinity is all about. This book restores the male's role as protector and provider and also does no disservice to the woman's role. Wilson explains both roles and relates that they are designed to be different but to work together in unity. One role is not superior or inferior. They are just different.
This book also restores the importance of children growing up with fathers. Male figures that hold strongly to their Christian beliefs should be the foundation for Christian families. I loved that the author showed a very admirable, strong, masculine role for men to embrace. I hope more men embrace this role and more wives LET and ENCOURAGE their husbands to take the lead role and not to usurp that role.
The only part of this book that could really be improved was the beginning was slow and the wordiness of the book. Sometimes it took a lot of words to get to a point or to paint a picture. I didn't highlight nearly the amount of sentences as I normally will in a good book. So, this book had good points, but nothing new from John Piper's books on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. So, if you've heard it before, you probably won't get too much new from this book.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
This book also restores the importance of children growing up with fathers. Male figures that hold strongly to their Christian beliefs should be the foundation for Christian families. I loved that the author showed a very admirable, strong, masculine role for men to embrace. I hope more men embrace this role and more wives LET and ENCOURAGE their husbands to take the lead role and not to usurp that role.
The only part of this book that could really be improved was the beginning was slow and the wordiness of the book. Sometimes it took a lot of words to get to a point or to paint a picture. I didn't highlight nearly the amount of sentences as I normally will in a good book. So, this book had good points, but nothing new from John Piper's books on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. So, if you've heard it before, you probably won't get too much new from this book.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
PASS: One Devil to Another by Richard Platt
At first I thought "Okay, a book from a demon's perspective trying to trick humans into never finding God could be interesting." I thought this could be a clever little marketing idea and thought seeing the tricks demons use could be interesting. But when I actually started to read this book, I realized how dangerous and misleading the teachings of this book are - they destroy the character of God subtlely and almost unnoticably. Without careful discernment, the reader will miss all the clever insinuations that God is really not good. While reading this book, I felt like Satan himself wrote this to trick Christians into a false view of God and I felt this book was blasphemous and disrespectful to God. While bashing demons, this book subtely also bashes God. So while we all already know demons are bad, what good can come from a book that teaches God is "The Adversary, dishonest, a liar, not powerful, weak, sneaky, etc"?
This book is all from the first person perspective of a demon. So our "main character" is a demon and the whole book is written from his evil eyes. This idea alone isn't that dangerous because we expect the demon to be evil. The problem comes when God's character is destroyed and God is painted throughout the book as "evil" "the Adversary" "dishonest" "a liar" "a trickster" "unscrupulous" "breaking God's own rules" "not all powerful" "not in control" "helpless" etc. What good can 180+ pages of lies about God help us love and worship our God? And what's with a full page drawing of a demon on every other page? Yuk... What Christian gets enjoyment out of drawing demons? And not just one. Try like 15.
This book destroys the character of God! And I think many younger Christians will not catch the false unbiblical teachings in this book. This book pretends to teach Christian ideas but fails. It asks "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But it never gives us a real true biblical answer. In fact, it avoids the answer and claims that God permits bad things but doesn't want them. This makes God a weak god who can't even create a world that works the way He wants it to work. This is a sort of Arminianism.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
This book is all from the first person perspective of a demon. So our "main character" is a demon and the whole book is written from his evil eyes. This idea alone isn't that dangerous because we expect the demon to be evil. The problem comes when God's character is destroyed and God is painted throughout the book as "evil" "the Adversary" "dishonest" "a liar" "a trickster" "unscrupulous" "breaking God's own rules" "not all powerful" "not in control" "helpless" etc. What good can 180+ pages of lies about God help us love and worship our God? And what's with a full page drawing of a demon on every other page? Yuk... What Christian gets enjoyment out of drawing demons? And not just one. Try like 15.
This book destroys the character of God! And I think many younger Christians will not catch the false unbiblical teachings in this book. This book pretends to teach Christian ideas but fails. It asks "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But it never gives us a real true biblical answer. In fact, it avoids the answer and claims that God permits bad things but doesn't want them. This makes God a weak god who can't even create a world that works the way He wants it to work. This is a sort of Arminianism.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
BUY IT: The Truth About Forgiveness by John MacArthur
The Truth About Forgiveness from John MacArthur is a deep book about sin and our need as humans to be forgiven by a holy perfect God. This book is not really about humans forgiving each other, but our need for God to have mercy upon us. Every single Christian needs to read this book because this is what the gospel is about. This is what our salvation is about. It's full of deep truths about salvation and sin. MacArthur addresses society's ways of excusing sin and sweeping it away under psychology labels like "addition". He explains how people blame everyone but themselves for their sinful conditions and then they deny that these are sins by claiming they are outside of one's control as addictions. If we humans could see that our bad habits are actually sins and could fall upon Jesus Christ to save us, we could be free of those sins that we call addictions. That is what this book is about. It points out the true human condition of sin.
Quotes that summarize this book:
"These days everything wrong with humanity is likely to be explained as an illness. What we used to call sin is more easily diagnosed as a whole array of disabilities. All kinds of immorality and evil conduct are now identified as symptoms of this or that psychological illness. Criminal behavior, various perverse passions, and every imaginable addiction have all been made excusable by the crusade to label them medical afflictions. Even commonplace problems, such as emotional weakness, depression, and anxiety, are also almost universally defined as quasi-medical, rather than spiritual, afflictions."
"But assume for the moment that the problem is sin rather than sickness. The only true remedy involves humble repentance and confession (the recognition that you deserve the chastening of God because you alone are responsible for your sin)—then restitution, and growth through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, communion with God, fellowship with other believers, and dependence on Christ. In other words, if the problem is in fact spiritual, labeling it a clinical issue will only exacerbate the problem and will offer no real deliverance from the sin. That is precisely what we see happening everywhere."
"The sad truth is that disease-model treatment is disastrously counterproductive. By casting the sinner in the role of a victim, it ignores or minimizes the personal guilt inherent in the misbehavior. “I am sick” is much easier to say than, “I have sinned.” But it doesn’t deal with the fact that one’s transgression is a serious offense against a holy, omniscient, omnipotent God."
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
Quotes that summarize this book:
"These days everything wrong with humanity is likely to be explained as an illness. What we used to call sin is more easily diagnosed as a whole array of disabilities. All kinds of immorality and evil conduct are now identified as symptoms of this or that psychological illness. Criminal behavior, various perverse passions, and every imaginable addiction have all been made excusable by the crusade to label them medical afflictions. Even commonplace problems, such as emotional weakness, depression, and anxiety, are also almost universally defined as quasi-medical, rather than spiritual, afflictions."
"But assume for the moment that the problem is sin rather than sickness. The only true remedy involves humble repentance and confession (the recognition that you deserve the chastening of God because you alone are responsible for your sin)—then restitution, and growth through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, communion with God, fellowship with other believers, and dependence on Christ. In other words, if the problem is in fact spiritual, labeling it a clinical issue will only exacerbate the problem and will offer no real deliverance from the sin. That is precisely what we see happening everywhere."
"The sad truth is that disease-model treatment is disastrously counterproductive. By casting the sinner in the role of a victim, it ignores or minimizes the personal guilt inherent in the misbehavior. “I am sick” is much easier to say than, “I have sinned.” But it doesn’t deal with the fact that one’s transgression is a serious offense against a holy, omniscient, omnipotent God."
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
BUY IT: John MacArthur's The Truth About The Lordship of Christ
The Truth About The Lordship of Christ from John MacArthur is a 100% must read book! This is the kind of book every single Christian needs to read because it is just that good. It's full of deep truths about salvation and sanctification, the process of becoming Christlike. It also explains that the true gospel is one that includes the Lordship of Christ and that non-Lordship teachings are unbiblical and false.
One of my favorite parts: "He was saying that if you’re a true disciple, you’ll be willing to create a division in your own home. That goes against all of our instincts because we want peace in our homes more than anywhere else. That’s our refuge, that’s where the people we love the most and know the best live. We don’t want to be at odds with them. But when we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, we’ll be true to Him, even if it destroys our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, or our nation. If that’s the price, we’ll pay it.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
One of my favorite parts: "He was saying that if you’re a true disciple, you’ll be willing to create a division in your own home. That goes against all of our instincts because we want peace in our homes more than anywhere else. That’s our refuge, that’s where the people we love the most and know the best live. We don’t want to be at odds with them. But when we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, we’ll be true to Him, even if it destroys our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, or our nation. If that’s the price, we’ll pay it.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
BUY IT: John MacArthur's The Truth Of Grace
This book is filled with a beautiful overview of how the grace of God affects all aspects of Christianity. When nearly every Christian book is preaching a false inadequate gospel, MacArthur sticks to the gospel truth and explains to readers the difference between God's true gospel and today's easy-believism gospel that doesn't even save! This book is so important to read and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The part of this book that stood out the most to me was when MacArthur went into the difference between true salvation and false assurance of salvation and how these relate to sin. If we receive the true gospel, we will receive the Holy Spirit and this Spirit will change our hearts to desire the things of God (truly, not just halfway). By the grace of God, we are given faith, repentance and a desire to obey God's law (in deed and in spirit/heart). If we receive the false easy-believism gospel, we will never really receive the Holy Spirit but only think we have. And so all our good works will be from our own efforts. We will have no Holy Spirit to help our good works. These will be self-righteous works, just like the Pharisees. Works from the hands of human achievement. MacArthur rightly points out, the good works of a Chrisitan are from God. All good things are from God. I think it is so important to know the difference between NOT accidentally trying to earn your salvation through works vs actually living for God and because of your love for God and His things (His law), then good works naturally flow from a believer. The motivation and power from which good works flow are different in a believer and unbeliever. This is so key. Please read this book because your salvation or someone you know will need to know this true gospel and realize that they may have been tricked into false assurance of salvation all along.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
The part of this book that stood out the most to me was when MacArthur went into the difference between true salvation and false assurance of salvation and how these relate to sin. If we receive the true gospel, we will receive the Holy Spirit and this Spirit will change our hearts to desire the things of God (truly, not just halfway). By the grace of God, we are given faith, repentance and a desire to obey God's law (in deed and in spirit/heart). If we receive the false easy-believism gospel, we will never really receive the Holy Spirit but only think we have. And so all our good works will be from our own efforts. We will have no Holy Spirit to help our good works. These will be self-righteous works, just like the Pharisees. Works from the hands of human achievement. MacArthur rightly points out, the good works of a Chrisitan are from God. All good things are from God. I think it is so important to know the difference between NOT accidentally trying to earn your salvation through works vs actually living for God and because of your love for God and His things (His law), then good works naturally flow from a believer. The motivation and power from which good works flow are different in a believer and unbeliever. This is so key. Please read this book because your salvation or someone you know will need to know this true gospel and realize that they may have been tricked into false assurance of salvation all along.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
Pass: Max Lucado's Great Day Every Day
I guess I shouldn't have expected a deep book, considering the author, but I didn't expect Max Lucado's Great Day Every Day to be so "devotion-like". I felt like I was reading a feel-good devotional. Or reading Joel Osteen, with all positive thinking, positive messages. I have read some of Lucado's books before and although I wouldn't call them deep, at least they have a little substance. This book was shallower than most.
Like all his other books, this book includes the false easy-believism gospel. Lucado teaches that all we need to do is believe in who Jesus is and what he did and we will be saved. But the gospel that Jesus preaches in the Bible is all about dying to self, conviction of sin, and repentance. Why else did John the Baptist and Jesus keep going around saying "Repent! Repent!" Lucado does not include repentance in his version of the gospel. A gospel without the core message is no gospel at all.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
Like all his other books, this book includes the false easy-believism gospel. Lucado teaches that all we need to do is believe in who Jesus is and what he did and we will be saved. But the gospel that Jesus preaches in the Bible is all about dying to self, conviction of sin, and repentance. Why else did John the Baptist and Jesus keep going around saying "Repent! Repent!" Lucado does not include repentance in his version of the gospel. A gospel without the core message is no gospel at all.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
PASS: The Jesus We Missedby Patrick Henry Reardon
This book will make you think and question your current beliefs about WHO Jesus Christ is. We usually assume Jesus is God and so Jesus wouldn't have all our gross or weak human traits, but Patrick Henry Reardon's book is all about pointing out those things that we aren't comfortable considering. Although we quickly admit Jesus was fully man also, we are not comfortable really thinking about Him like this. Example: Being fully human, Reardon and Russell D. Moore point out that Jesus would probably get sick, get an upset stomach, vomit, etc. Of course, to most of us, this sounds blasphemous, if not just disrespectful to consider. But, that's what this book is about. Seeing Jesus as fully human and attempting to fill in some of the blanks in Jesus' life story, growing up as a child, and how Jesus developed into a powerful man of God.
When I saw Russell D. Moore wrote the forward to this book, I assumed this would be a good book. But I enjoyed this book. It was slow, boring and I had to re-read some parts just to get through it, as my eyes kept glazing over. I didn't really find much in this book that wasn't said before - many times over. In fact, the author starts off the book saying that he hopes nothing in this book is new. Well, he did a good job of accomplishing that. There was not much new in this book and that made it boring.
One neat part was when the author drew the conclusion that Matthew and Luke must have gotten the Nativity and Jesus' early years stories from Christ's mother, Mary. He assumed this because Mark and John don't include these stories and Mary or Joseph would have been the only witnesses. This was a neat idea, but not worth reading the book for! I didn't care for how the author assumed "Joseph died". I couldn't find that story in my Bible but I certainly heard it among Catholic legend. I had hoped such an indepth analysis of Jesus' missing childhood would stick to the Bible only, not legend. And if the author was going to mention legend, he should tell us his source. Instead he just writes "Jesus remained at home with Joseph, eventually taking over the workshop when Joseph passed away." Next Reardon declares "If Jesus really was the Messiah, there was no outward sign of it." I cannot agree with this statement at all! If Jesus was sinless and a perfect human model of God, ever action or lack of action would be screaming signs to his entire family! Not only did his parents know the prophecies, meet the angels, be inpregnated by the Holy Spirit, but they knew their son was the destined Messiah. And Jesus was the only one of their sons and daughters who was sinless and perfect. How could a parent not notice this?
In the end, this book is an interesting read because it challenges your current ideas about Christ, but I feel the author was not careful enough in his conclusions and statements. I also feel he didn't back up enough of his statement with good solid logic and bible verses or references. Slow and boring but not without some benefit in challenging us to think outside of the box.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
When I saw Russell D. Moore wrote the forward to this book, I assumed this would be a good book. But I enjoyed this book. It was slow, boring and I had to re-read some parts just to get through it, as my eyes kept glazing over. I didn't really find much in this book that wasn't said before - many times over. In fact, the author starts off the book saying that he hopes nothing in this book is new. Well, he did a good job of accomplishing that. There was not much new in this book and that made it boring.
One neat part was when the author drew the conclusion that Matthew and Luke must have gotten the Nativity and Jesus' early years stories from Christ's mother, Mary. He assumed this because Mark and John don't include these stories and Mary or Joseph would have been the only witnesses. This was a neat idea, but not worth reading the book for! I didn't care for how the author assumed "Joseph died". I couldn't find that story in my Bible but I certainly heard it among Catholic legend. I had hoped such an indepth analysis of Jesus' missing childhood would stick to the Bible only, not legend. And if the author was going to mention legend, he should tell us his source. Instead he just writes "Jesus remained at home with Joseph, eventually taking over the workshop when Joseph passed away." Next Reardon declares "If Jesus really was the Messiah, there was no outward sign of it." I cannot agree with this statement at all! If Jesus was sinless and a perfect human model of God, ever action or lack of action would be screaming signs to his entire family! Not only did his parents know the prophecies, meet the angels, be inpregnated by the Holy Spirit, but they knew their son was the destined Messiah. And Jesus was the only one of their sons and daughters who was sinless and perfect. How could a parent not notice this?
In the end, this book is an interesting read because it challenges your current ideas about Christ, but I feel the author was not careful enough in his conclusions and statements. I also feel he didn't back up enough of his statement with good solid logic and bible verses or references. Slow and boring but not without some benefit in challenging us to think outside of the box.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
PASS: I Am A Follower by Leonard Sweet
I Am A Follower by Leonard Sweet is a book about following Jesus Christ by becoming Christ-like, instead of wanting our own self-glory and trying to all become and create leaders using the worldly CEO-corporate-secular business model of success. Sweet tells us that church should not be deemed a success based on numbers, tithe, etc but based on christ-likeness and brotherhood of believers. This is a good solid message.
This book has some REALLY good parts: especially pages 40-90. My favorite quote from the book is:
I would love to recommend the book based on these pages alone, but the rest of the book is dry, painful and I couldn't find any value in it. Once you hit the middle of the book, the rest of the book after page 90 is difficult to find anything meaningful. This is supposed to be the practical - how to apply this to your life part. However, it comes across that the author doesn't really know how to apply it, doesn't live it or just has a difficult time explaining to his readers how to apply.
After finishing the book, I came away not sure of Leonard Sweet's own theological beliefs, but he seemed to lean liberal/Arminianist. I Googled him and learned he is a Methodist clergyman. Sweet quotes all types of believers, even though they hold some different and opposing theologies. This makes it seem like the author doesn't have one solid theological point of view himself. On the conservative side, he quotes St Augustine. In the middle to liberal side, he quotes: Thomas Aquinas, CS Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, the Catholic Thomas Merton and Methodists Charles Wesley and Sydney Carter. He also quotes Pentecostal Jack Hayford. But then on the extreme liberal side, he quotes Word of Faith (who some would call "cultic") Joyce Meyer and John Wimbler (Third Wave, Vineyard Church). Others he quotes: Nelson Mandela, William Cushing, Rusty Ricketson, Barbara Kellerman, Travis Keller, Hugh Halter, Frederick Buechner, and Roger Scruton.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
This book has some REALLY good parts: especially pages 40-90. My favorite quote from the book is:
If the primary relationships of our church members lie in their relationship to the church en masse rather than in life-on-life connections with one another, then we have missed the sweet spot. We have attracted a congregation, but we have not developed a "Christbody" community. Pg 85
I would love to recommend the book based on these pages alone, but the rest of the book is dry, painful and I couldn't find any value in it. Once you hit the middle of the book, the rest of the book after page 90 is difficult to find anything meaningful. This is supposed to be the practical - how to apply this to your life part. However, it comes across that the author doesn't really know how to apply it, doesn't live it or just has a difficult time explaining to his readers how to apply.
After finishing the book, I came away not sure of Leonard Sweet's own theological beliefs, but he seemed to lean liberal/Arminianist. I Googled him and learned he is a Methodist clergyman. Sweet quotes all types of believers, even though they hold some different and opposing theologies. This makes it seem like the author doesn't have one solid theological point of view himself. On the conservative side, he quotes St Augustine. In the middle to liberal side, he quotes: Thomas Aquinas, CS Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, the Catholic Thomas Merton and Methodists Charles Wesley and Sydney Carter. He also quotes Pentecostal Jack Hayford. But then on the extreme liberal side, he quotes Word of Faith (who some would call "cultic") Joyce Meyer and John Wimbler (Third Wave, Vineyard Church). Others he quotes: Nelson Mandela, William Cushing, Rusty Ricketson, Barbara Kellerman, Travis Keller, Hugh Halter, Frederick Buechner, and Roger Scruton.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for the book. This is my critical review of the book as if I had bought the book with my hard earned money.
PASS: Daily Gifts of Grace by "The Women of Faith"
[WARNING: Please read my review fully and carefully. This book is not what it seems.]
This is a very beautiful devotional book made with nice quality hard cover, with even a very pretty hardcover flap (like the kind on journals) that closes over the front cover with a magnet. This is the most beautiful book - from the outside. It's the kind of pretty book you want to buy for all your friends based on looks alone. But Chrisitians have been taught that the surface doesn't count - it's the inside that really counts. And you will want to read and understand my review carefully, when it comes to the inside.
Sadly, thats all this book is - pretty from the outside. I was surprised at how void of God and Jesus this devotional is. At first I thought it was mostly poetic, psychology, opinion and fluff. There are about 20 authors and they mix their writings up randomly. However, I read this book by each author, so I could get a feel for what each of them is saying - each woman's point of view. And that's when I realized the "theology" behind this book is much worse than simple poetic fluff. These women are teaching the "prosperity gospel" that turns God into a genie and us into users of God.
The most prolific writer in the book is Sheila Walsh. In her writings, Walsh tells us about God's promises but her words have no depth behind them. There is no life application. Her paragraphs are choppy and lose focus. It's almost like she had a few ideas and wrote them down but forgot to edit them to make them flow nicely. After reading her writings, I began noticing a pattern and felt her teachings were not biblical - she seems to make God into a genie that must grant us wishes because "God promised". This sounds like the "propsperity gospel" that some of those tv evangelists are misleading millions of people with.
Example: Walsh tells us that "God has promised to deliver us" but she fails to mention anything about when, how, why or God's will. Just a blanket promise that makes it seem like "God promises to ALWAYS deliver us no matter what". Well, clearly we all will die some day, so God's promise isn't the blanket promise Walsh portrays - we are't always delivered from death or even trials. Truth is, God doesn't promise to deliver us from trials or death. His promise is for salvation to believers only. Walsh only tells us that God promised so-and-so and she makes these promises into ALWAYS-NO-MATTER-WHAT promises, such as when she writes "grace and peace are our birthright."
Walsh's other writings are choppy and shallow with misapplied verses: "Do you ever feel like a nobody? Satan tempts us to be somebody. Mt 4:7 says "Don't tempt God." So don't fear. God has our best interests at heart. He will provide for us." I don't really see how Mt 4:7 is relevant to "wanting to get glory for yourself." And I don't really see how "God will take care of you" has anything to do with a solution for being egotistical and seeking your own glory. Most of Walsh's writings that aren't leading us to believe in false promises and turn God into a genie are instead like this one - choppy and with no clear point.
Luci Swindoll is another author I was interested to hear her thoughts, considering her relation to her famous father, Chuck Swindoll. But her writing was very shallow and had little to do with God and I was surprised to find that she also seems to be teaching the "prosperity gospel" as well. She writes about "planting seed-thoughts" - "seed faith" or "seed thoughts" are terms I've only heard scamming tv evangelists like the Mike Murdock use or Word of Faith false teachers like Oral Roberts use.
Luci Swindoll's other writings have nothing to do with God and revolve mostly around herself and her famous father, Chuck Swindoll. Instead of Jesus, she writes about her "elocution lessions", her not wanting get married or have children, her love of "figuring out how things work", her decorating her bedroom, building model airplanes, "bowing to pressure from friends and Mother" to date, a false engagement to a man she had no intent to marry, and "the greatest adventures of my life have come because I said yes to the unknown". Swindoll even writes about "I began memorizing Scripture and learning about the promises and blessings that were mine by simply putting my faith in Christ." Does Swindoll sound more interested in Jesus because of a personal reltionship with Him or interested in getting "promises and blessings WHICH ARE MINE"? Based on her own words, she's seeking to use God for his blessings, more than have a relationship with our Savior. She has made God her genie. This is "the prosperity gospel."
I absolutely would pass on this book. It is pretty on the outside but poison and self-centered on the inside. "The Women of Faith" are clearly wolves in sheeps clothing - their teachings are centered around themselves and what promises they can get from God. They are simply seeking to use God for their own selfish gain.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
This is a very beautiful devotional book made with nice quality hard cover, with even a very pretty hardcover flap (like the kind on journals) that closes over the front cover with a magnet. This is the most beautiful book - from the outside. It's the kind of pretty book you want to buy for all your friends based on looks alone. But Chrisitians have been taught that the surface doesn't count - it's the inside that really counts. And you will want to read and understand my review carefully, when it comes to the inside.
Sadly, thats all this book is - pretty from the outside. I was surprised at how void of God and Jesus this devotional is. At first I thought it was mostly poetic, psychology, opinion and fluff. There are about 20 authors and they mix their writings up randomly. However, I read this book by each author, so I could get a feel for what each of them is saying - each woman's point of view. And that's when I realized the "theology" behind this book is much worse than simple poetic fluff. These women are teaching the "prosperity gospel" that turns God into a genie and us into users of God.
The most prolific writer in the book is Sheila Walsh. In her writings, Walsh tells us about God's promises but her words have no depth behind them. There is no life application. Her paragraphs are choppy and lose focus. It's almost like she had a few ideas and wrote them down but forgot to edit them to make them flow nicely. After reading her writings, I began noticing a pattern and felt her teachings were not biblical - she seems to make God into a genie that must grant us wishes because "God promised". This sounds like the "propsperity gospel" that some of those tv evangelists are misleading millions of people with.
Example: Walsh tells us that "God has promised to deliver us" but she fails to mention anything about when, how, why or God's will. Just a blanket promise that makes it seem like "God promises to ALWAYS deliver us no matter what". Well, clearly we all will die some day, so God's promise isn't the blanket promise Walsh portrays - we are't always delivered from death or even trials. Truth is, God doesn't promise to deliver us from trials or death. His promise is for salvation to believers only. Walsh only tells us that God promised so-and-so and she makes these promises into ALWAYS-NO-MATTER-WHAT promises, such as when she writes "grace and peace are our birthright."
Walsh's other writings are choppy and shallow with misapplied verses: "Do you ever feel like a nobody? Satan tempts us to be somebody. Mt 4:7 says "Don't tempt God." So don't fear. God has our best interests at heart. He will provide for us." I don't really see how Mt 4:7 is relevant to "wanting to get glory for yourself." And I don't really see how "God will take care of you" has anything to do with a solution for being egotistical and seeking your own glory. Most of Walsh's writings that aren't leading us to believe in false promises and turn God into a genie are instead like this one - choppy and with no clear point.
Luci Swindoll is another author I was interested to hear her thoughts, considering her relation to her famous father, Chuck Swindoll. But her writing was very shallow and had little to do with God and I was surprised to find that she also seems to be teaching the "prosperity gospel" as well. She writes about "planting seed-thoughts" - "seed faith" or "seed thoughts" are terms I've only heard scamming tv evangelists like the Mike Murdock use or Word of Faith false teachers like Oral Roberts use.
Luci Swindoll's other writings have nothing to do with God and revolve mostly around herself and her famous father, Chuck Swindoll. Instead of Jesus, she writes about her "elocution lessions", her not wanting get married or have children, her love of "figuring out how things work", her decorating her bedroom, building model airplanes, "bowing to pressure from friends and Mother" to date, a false engagement to a man she had no intent to marry, and "the greatest adventures of my life have come because I said yes to the unknown". Swindoll even writes about "I began memorizing Scripture and learning about the promises and blessings that were mine by simply putting my faith in Christ." Does Swindoll sound more interested in Jesus because of a personal reltionship with Him or interested in getting "promises and blessings WHICH ARE MINE"? Based on her own words, she's seeking to use God for his blessings, more than have a relationship with our Savior. She has made God her genie. This is "the prosperity gospel."
I absolutely would pass on this book. It is pretty on the outside but poison and self-centered on the inside. "The Women of Faith" are clearly wolves in sheeps clothing - their teachings are centered around themselves and what promises they can get from God. They are simply seeking to use God for their own selfish gain.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
PASS: Heaven Is For Real DVD-Based Conversation Kit by Todd Burpo
Heaven Is For Real DVD-Based Conversation Kit by Todd Burpo is the dvd version of the book. The basis for both the book and DVD kit is a boy's near death experience and his version of heaven from the the NDE. This is not bible-based. Also, readers should know there are about 11 other near death experience books of men, women, boys, girls, etc all having heaven or hell near death experiences or dreams and all these different books conflict in their experiences with one another.
So, while I did not like the book itself because it taught an experiential view of heaven that we do not find in the Bible, the DVD and Converstaion Kit are a little bit better, but not much better. At least, they ask a few questions to get the reader thinking outside of just "a boy's near death experience" and into some more relevant questions. Still, the questions presented are not at all deep and many are just silly and shallow, so I would not recommend this combo pack either.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
So, while I did not like the book itself because it taught an experiential view of heaven that we do not find in the Bible, the DVD and Converstaion Kit are a little bit better, but not much better. At least, they ask a few questions to get the reader thinking outside of just "a boy's near death experience" and into some more relevant questions. Still, the questions presented are not at all deep and many are just silly and shallow, so I would not recommend this combo pack either.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
PASS: Healing Is A Choice by Steve Arterburn
Healing Is A Choice by Steve Arterburn is about your responsibility and your part in the healing process. There is so much is wrong with this author and his book that it overshadows any seemingly "good points". And even these "good points" are tainted with false teachings that are not biblically based.
In Chapter 1, Arterburn falsely teaches ""All I need to heal is just God and me" is a lie." Arterburn tells us that we need other people to heal. God won't do it alone. You will have to go to other people for support and help and then God will work through them to heal you. I know this is false because God has helped me forgive people in my life without ever getting an apology and God helped take away my anger towards people many times. I prayed to God and God changed me. I didn't need to vent to humans and go to a counselor. In Chapter 2, Arterburn contradicts Paul when he claims "It is a lie to say "Christians should have joy in all circumstances" (2 Cor 7:-6, 8:2-3). There are some truthful things (nothing you haven't heard before) in this book, but they are mixed among many false claims with no scripture to back it up. So, if you choose to read this book, discern carefully! There is only a little baby and a whole lotta bathwater in this book!
I agree with other reviewers in that I also found the way the author writes about his previous failed marriage is shocking and disturbing. He comes across arrogant and self-righteous. He is all "me" "me" "me" "Sandy's ruining MY life" and "MY career". He never once mentions any warmth or love towards his wife. He never says he will miss her but instead justifies his actions. See below as the author describes his feelings and thoughts after his former wife, Sandy, phones him to tell him she is filing for divorce:
= "Anger, dread, fear and disgust swept through me"
= "I was certain I had written my last book and that everything else I loved doing was over"
= "Not all our marriage was miserable. There were some very good times, great adventures, and a few sweet moments, such as our adoption of Madeline [daughter]. [Notice that Madeline is described only as a "sweet moment" and not a "very good time"]
= "Numerous marriage counselors did little or nothing for us..."
= "I did what I knew to keep the marriage going. I was far from perfect, made many mistakes, BUT [emphasis added] was willing to do anything I could to have a marriage we both could enjoy..."
= "The last marriage counselor had [showed] some hope. [BECAUSE] she thought Sandy had finally made peace with our marriage." [Notice it was Sandy's problem and not Steve Arterburn's?]"
= "I was about to become a divorced writer who wrote about relationships; a divorced radio talk show host whose show dealth with marriage, relationships, [etc]...I was about to become a divorced speaker and preacher who attempted to inspire people... I was about to have a public divorce, and I knew the humiliation and embarrassment would be intense." [Is his own humiliation and career the only thing he cares about? From his own written words, it would seem so.]
= "This book is about so much more than just my divorce. It is about your divorce or your loss or your abuse or your abandonment [Arterburn really means his own "abuse"]. It is about the disgust you [meaning Artherburn] have felt at whatever cruelty has been trust upon you [meaning Arterburn, who is innocent since it was "TRUST" upon him. He is the victim.]. It is about the isolation you have felt from abandonment by people [I suppose Arterburn feels abandoned since Sandy left] who looked nice to the outside world but who were monsters [It seems he is referring to Sandy] to you at home.
Readers might also wish to know that Arterburn admires and believes Word of Faith cult preachers John & Lisa Bevere who claim humans "Are Christ" and have the "exact same unlimited power as God Himself" and we should be able to walk through walls, walk on water, stop natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes and pretty much anything else we want to do. We ARE God, according to the Beveres.
I also learned that Arterburn told and wrote about how he got his girlfriend in college pregnant and paid to have her abort the baby. He called himself "an adulterer and murderer" but then sued some Christian guy for telling a business acquaintance this information when the acquaintance asked directly about Arterburn.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
In Chapter 1, Arterburn falsely teaches ""All I need to heal is just God and me" is a lie." Arterburn tells us that we need other people to heal. God won't do it alone. You will have to go to other people for support and help and then God will work through them to heal you. I know this is false because God has helped me forgive people in my life without ever getting an apology and God helped take away my anger towards people many times. I prayed to God and God changed me. I didn't need to vent to humans and go to a counselor. In Chapter 2, Arterburn contradicts Paul when he claims "It is a lie to say "Christians should have joy in all circumstances" (2 Cor 7:-6, 8:2-3). There are some truthful things (nothing you haven't heard before) in this book, but they are mixed among many false claims with no scripture to back it up. So, if you choose to read this book, discern carefully! There is only a little baby and a whole lotta bathwater in this book!
I agree with other reviewers in that I also found the way the author writes about his previous failed marriage is shocking and disturbing. He comes across arrogant and self-righteous. He is all "me" "me" "me" "Sandy's ruining MY life" and "MY career". He never once mentions any warmth or love towards his wife. He never says he will miss her but instead justifies his actions. See below as the author describes his feelings and thoughts after his former wife, Sandy, phones him to tell him she is filing for divorce:
= "Anger, dread, fear and disgust swept through me"
= "I was certain I had written my last book and that everything else I loved doing was over"
= "Not all our marriage was miserable. There were some very good times, great adventures, and a few sweet moments, such as our adoption of Madeline [daughter]. [Notice that Madeline is described only as a "sweet moment" and not a "very good time"]
= "Numerous marriage counselors did little or nothing for us..."
= "I did what I knew to keep the marriage going. I was far from perfect, made many mistakes, BUT [emphasis added] was willing to do anything I could to have a marriage we both could enjoy..."
= "The last marriage counselor had [showed] some hope. [BECAUSE] she thought Sandy had finally made peace with our marriage." [Notice it was Sandy's problem and not Steve Arterburn's?]"
= "I was about to become a divorced writer who wrote about relationships; a divorced radio talk show host whose show dealth with marriage, relationships, [etc]...I was about to become a divorced speaker and preacher who attempted to inspire people... I was about to have a public divorce, and I knew the humiliation and embarrassment would be intense." [Is his own humiliation and career the only thing he cares about? From his own written words, it would seem so.]
= "This book is about so much more than just my divorce. It is about your divorce or your loss or your abuse or your abandonment [Arterburn really means his own "abuse"]. It is about the disgust you [meaning Artherburn] have felt at whatever cruelty has been trust upon you [meaning Arterburn, who is innocent since it was "TRUST" upon him. He is the victim.]. It is about the isolation you have felt from abandonment by people [I suppose Arterburn feels abandoned since Sandy left] who looked nice to the outside world but who were monsters [It seems he is referring to Sandy] to you at home.
Readers might also wish to know that Arterburn admires and believes Word of Faith cult preachers John & Lisa Bevere who claim humans "Are Christ" and have the "exact same unlimited power as God Himself" and we should be able to walk through walls, walk on water, stop natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes and pretty much anything else we want to do. We ARE God, according to the Beveres.
I also learned that Arterburn told and wrote about how he got his girlfriend in college pregnant and paid to have her abort the baby. He called himself "an adulterer and murderer" but then sued some Christian guy for telling a business acquaintance this information when the acquaintance asked directly about Arterburn.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
BUY IT: Stuck by Jennie Allen
OUTSTANDING!!! BUY THIS BOOK! I wasn't expecting a lot from this DVD. The title didn't do much for me either - Stuck. Pretty looking large box with two small booklets and one DVD. I wasn't all that sure what the book was about either. I saw people on Amazon gave it 5 stars, but anything Christian always gets 4-5 stars, so I didn't believe it. I would have guessed, I would give it 2 stars. 3 stars at the very most. But this book is 5 stars - OUTSTANDING!
This is about living for the glory of God and not wasting your life on endless to-do-lists and chores. Don't wait until your life is almost over to realize how many years you have wasted. It is SOOO biblically based. Also, I think nearly every denomination or non-denominational Christian will agree with this book. It isn't slanted. It is also, completely non-offensive. Men and women BOTH must listen to it! I never say good things about books - but this one I do!
The DVD is SOOOOO GOOD. It is Biblically right on! I was certain I was going to catch Jennie Allen teaching something out of line with the Bible and at times I was certain she was off base, but she ALWAYS pulled the story around in the end and made serious life-changing points. I am still in SHOCK. How could I have liked this THAT much? My sister and I watched it together. We are speechless. We never expected this - especially from a woman. WOW... IF THERE IS ONE BOOK YOU READ/DVD YOU WATCH - WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
This is about living for the glory of God and not wasting your life on endless to-do-lists and chores. Don't wait until your life is almost over to realize how many years you have wasted. It is SOOO biblically based. Also, I think nearly every denomination or non-denominational Christian will agree with this book. It isn't slanted. It is also, completely non-offensive. Men and women BOTH must listen to it! I never say good things about books - but this one I do!
The DVD is SOOOOO GOOD. It is Biblically right on! I was certain I was going to catch Jennie Allen teaching something out of line with the Bible and at times I was certain she was off base, but she ALWAYS pulled the story around in the end and made serious life-changing points. I am still in SHOCK. How could I have liked this THAT much? My sister and I watched it together. We are speechless. We never expected this - especially from a woman. WOW... IF THERE IS ONE BOOK YOU READ/DVD YOU WATCH - WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
OKAY: The Love & Respect Experience by Dr Emerson Eggerichs
"The Love & Respect Experience: A Husband-Friendly Devotional That Wives Truly Love is a large sized, leather-like covered, devotional designed for men and women. The book covers 52 subjects (not a 365 day devotional) all based on making married life work, appreciating what you have, and treating one another with love and respect. Each chapter starts off with a short snippet from a Bible verse and ends with a Prayer and a Call to Action.
I'm not usually a fan of devotionals, but I thought this one was okay. I love the feel of the book cover - the fake leather cover is so smooth and nice. It feels like suade-leather and is very pretty to look at and the paperback/leatherback is soft to hold.
This devotional is a bit different from most. It is not only geared for women, but also husbands can benefit from it too. It's not as fluffy as most devotionals, so the men won't be turned off by pink and purple flowery designs and fluffy commentaries. All the subjects have to do with making a marriage work, so they all apply and are relevant for both men and women. But like most devotionals, this book is also full of light reading and is not deep.
The part that will probably bother Christians the most is that this book comes across as more of a psychology/family therapy devotional than a Christian/Biblically-based devotional. It's all helpful stuff and good for married couples to remind them to behave lovingly towards one another, but it may be more fluffy stuff that sounds all good in the head but harder to apply in real life. If you are into Psychology, you will probably like this book. If you are into theology and books being biblically based, you will want to pass.
I like a lot of the ideas in this book: Marriage is about getting back up/Men and women think and desire different things, but that doesn't make the others' view incorrect. They are just different/Assume your spouse has good intentions towards you NO MATTER WHAT/Once married, always married. It's up to you to iron out the kinks, because you are in this for the long run/Mistakes can't be undone, but they should be forgiven/Choose your words wisely because they can be like punches and you might just be punched back/Suppressing negative feelings isn't the solution. Talk to one another about your feelings with love and consideration/Be fair about sex and don't play games, but meet each others' needs/Don't let your problems distract you from God, but keep your focus on the Lord and He will help you with your problems/When your spouse yells cutting words, don't believe them all. They could just be venting and often don't really mean what they say in angery/Practice quick forgiveness no matter what the crime/God designed your spouse just for you, so enjoy what you have been given and be patient when times are tough/Love God, trust Him, and everything will work out.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
I'm not usually a fan of devotionals, but I thought this one was okay. I love the feel of the book cover - the fake leather cover is so smooth and nice. It feels like suade-leather and is very pretty to look at and the paperback/leatherback is soft to hold.
This devotional is a bit different from most. It is not only geared for women, but also husbands can benefit from it too. It's not as fluffy as most devotionals, so the men won't be turned off by pink and purple flowery designs and fluffy commentaries. All the subjects have to do with making a marriage work, so they all apply and are relevant for both men and women. But like most devotionals, this book is also full of light reading and is not deep.
The part that will probably bother Christians the most is that this book comes across as more of a psychology/family therapy devotional than a Christian/Biblically-based devotional. It's all helpful stuff and good for married couples to remind them to behave lovingly towards one another, but it may be more fluffy stuff that sounds all good in the head but harder to apply in real life. If you are into Psychology, you will probably like this book. If you are into theology and books being biblically based, you will want to pass.
I like a lot of the ideas in this book: Marriage is about getting back up/Men and women think and desire different things, but that doesn't make the others' view incorrect. They are just different/Assume your spouse has good intentions towards you NO MATTER WHAT/Once married, always married. It's up to you to iron out the kinks, because you are in this for the long run/Mistakes can't be undone, but they should be forgiven/Choose your words wisely because they can be like punches and you might just be punched back/Suppressing negative feelings isn't the solution. Talk to one another about your feelings with love and consideration/Be fair about sex and don't play games, but meet each others' needs/Don't let your problems distract you from God, but keep your focus on the Lord and He will help you with your problems/When your spouse yells cutting words, don't believe them all. They could just be venting and often don't really mean what they say in angery/Practice quick forgiveness no matter what the crime/God designed your spouse just for you, so enjoy what you have been given and be patient when times are tough/Love God, trust Him, and everything will work out.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
PASS: The Book of Man By William Bennett
This book is about the character of men and how our kids/sons/boys need men with strong characters as role models. Bennett believes these boys need to model themselves after real life "heroes". The hope of this book is that people can use this book to turn boys into men of strong character - a worthy goal.
The subject of the book sounds interesting, especially considering Bennett is the author of a famous book called the "Book of Virtues". The biggest problem I have with this book is that Bennett chooses real life public figures, like Presidents of the United States, politicians, military personnel, athletes and many other famous men. When picking ideal "heroes or idols" for my son, these are the guys who would be at the BOTTOM of my "hero" list. These are the most money hungry, dishonest, sleezebags in society. Sure some of them show SOME bits of character from time to time - but then so does everyone, even criminals in jail! Why should we ever encourage our kids to idolize these public figures? Their OVERALL character (in general) are terrible! And some/most are not even Christian! I don't get this book at all. Very disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
The subject of the book sounds interesting, especially considering Bennett is the author of a famous book called the "Book of Virtues". The biggest problem I have with this book is that Bennett chooses real life public figures, like Presidents of the United States, politicians, military personnel, athletes and many other famous men. When picking ideal "heroes or idols" for my son, these are the guys who would be at the BOTTOM of my "hero" list. These are the most money hungry, dishonest, sleezebags in society. Sure some of them show SOME bits of character from time to time - but then so does everyone, even criminals in jail! Why should we ever encourage our kids to idolize these public figures? Their OVERALL character (in general) are terrible! And some/most are not even Christian! I don't get this book at all. Very disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
PASS: The God of Grace by Andy Stanley
This is a book that re-tells Old Testament bible stories and then interprets God's grace into the way God interacted with the humans in the stories. Each chapter takes a different bible story or multiple stories and then says "God dealt gracefully with humans" because they didn't deserve such merciful treatment.
This book is a fast light read because we've heard the story of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jospeh etc many times and 2/3rds of this book is the re-telling/paraphrasing these stories.
Although the book paints a nice picture of a graceful God, I didn't find this book very deep. Example: Stanley takes the creation story and explains that God didn't have to make the world so beautiful - that was grace.. God didn't have to give Eve to Adam - that was grace. God could have destroyed Adam and Eve for the fall, but instead He allowed them to live outside of the garden - by grace.
By the end of the book, I felt it was nice to see that ALL good things are undeserved, unearned and all come from the grace of God. I just wish this book could have had more depth and not been 2/3rds re-telling stories we already know by heart. I feel there are much better and deeper books that would bring us to reflect on the grace of God. This book was just kind of "blah" or "okay". You could easily go without having read it, it wouldn't go in my library and I would never recommend it to others. I'd say "read it if you want but it's only so-so".
Readers may be interested in knowing Andy Stanley is writing from an Arminianist Christian perspective.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
This book is a fast light read because we've heard the story of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jospeh etc many times and 2/3rds of this book is the re-telling/paraphrasing these stories.
Although the book paints a nice picture of a graceful God, I didn't find this book very deep. Example: Stanley takes the creation story and explains that God didn't have to make the world so beautiful - that was grace.. God didn't have to give Eve to Adam - that was grace. God could have destroyed Adam and Eve for the fall, but instead He allowed them to live outside of the garden - by grace.
By the end of the book, I felt it was nice to see that ALL good things are undeserved, unearned and all come from the grace of God. I just wish this book could have had more depth and not been 2/3rds re-telling stories we already know by heart. I feel there are much better and deeper books that would bring us to reflect on the grace of God. This book was just kind of "blah" or "okay". You could easily go without having read it, it wouldn't go in my library and I would never recommend it to others. I'd say "read it if you want but it's only so-so".
Readers may be interested in knowing Andy Stanley is writing from an Arminianist Christian perspective.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
OKAY: Close Enough To Hear God Breathe by Greg Paul
The title of the book is poetic and catchy, but I don't feel it relates well to the book. A title like "Is God Like Human Parents?" would very accurately describe this book. This book is broken into 5 Parts (1 The Heart of the Matter, 2 Creation, 3 The Fall, 4 Redemption, 5 Consumation) with 3 chapters in each part. The book is full of parent-child stories and is not very deep, so it makes for a quick read. The idea behind this book is to look at God as if he were a human parent and to look at us humans as his children. Each chapter begins by telling a human parent-child relationship story and then ends by explaining how God views us humans in a similar way.
I'm not sure of the theological accuracy of this book, and I'm sure many will have disagreements with relating God to human parents, but it does make for an interesting read. At the end of each chapter, you stop and go: Does God really think/feel/behave like human parents in this way?
As an example:
Part 2's first story tells a story of how the author adores his son because the son is a reflection of himself, then concludes that God must adore humans because we reflect God.
The second story is of the author's cold unemotional father who provides physically for his family but is so hard-headed that his sons don't speak to him for 3-25 years!!! BUT the author concludes that his own human father loved all his kids because he provided for them physically. So the author says although God is distant, doesn't speak to us, is unemotional and much like his cold father, that God also provides for us physically, so God must love us.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
I'm not sure of the theological accuracy of this book, and I'm sure many will have disagreements with relating God to human parents, but it does make for an interesting read. At the end of each chapter, you stop and go: Does God really think/feel/behave like human parents in this way?
As an example:
Part 2's first story tells a story of how the author adores his son because the son is a reflection of himself, then concludes that God must adore humans because we reflect God.
The second story is of the author's cold unemotional father who provides physically for his family but is so hard-headed that his sons don't speak to him for 3-25 years!!! BUT the author concludes that his own human father loved all his kids because he provided for them physically. So the author says although God is distant, doesn't speak to us, is unemotional and much like his cold father, that God also provides for us physically, so God must love us.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
BUY IT: Our Last Hope: Awakening The Great Commission by Ronnie Floyd
This book is about making missionary work the most important goal of your life - become another Apostle Paul. The author focuses greatly on planting churches in enormous numbers all around the world and preaching in all parts of the world. The author's goal is to convince you of the importance of missionary work, calling it the "last great hope".
As a Christian woman, I found this book very interesting. It challenged my current lifestyle and even if it doesn't change my goal in life into becoming a missionary, it certainly has challenged my perspective on missions and made me re-evaluate the importance of missionary work. It also makes me question whether the Bible REALLY does tell us to become missionaries or if that did end with the apostles. Not only did the author hold my attention, but I found this book very thought-provoking. I would recommend this book to others - it is worth considering, even if you don't agree 100%.
If you read this book, expect to be convinced, pressured, guilted or scared into becoming a missionary. To say the author takes missions VERY seriously is even an understatement - he goes to the extreme of nearly (without outright saying it) questioning one's salvation if they aren't a missionary and he uses scriptures to back up his side of the story. Floyd is quite convincing. One way or the other, you will certainly come away with that feeling of "Oh boy, I better get off my butt and become a missionary" much like some say "I better read my bible more".
xxv: Per the author, in the book of Matthew, we are commanded to "make disciples - of all nations", but there were no organized missions anywhere until 1783, when British William Carey, a Baptist pastor, had to work by himself because he was told by other ministers that the charge was no longer binding. Since Carey, missions grew around the world.
As a sample:
xxvii, pg3: Floyd describes The Great Commission as "Tell every person in the world about Jesus Christ and make disciples of all nations." He wrote "we have no choice - this, the fulfillment of the Great Commission, is our last great hope." We are ALL to become missionaries and there is nothing more important in life than to save people from a horrible end in hell.
pg5: And just in case you are wavering, he quotes James "if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. (James 1:22–24)" Floyd almost presents it like "if you don't become a missionary" you are disobeying God and you may not be saved after all. If you REALLY loved God, you would become a missionary. Floyd writes on pg7 "focus utterly and completely on pleasing God"
pg 9: "How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them? How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them?"
pg10-11: "If only I could spend all my time, all my abilities, all my strength on what really matters. I look around and see our streets teeming with people who are consumed by football or politics or Hollywood or Wall Street or the dating scene or the Internet. I understand the lure of all these things. But as for me, I want to trade in my remaining years, months, days, and minutes—God alone knows their count—for the kind of seeds that will take root among people and then blossom in heaven. I now see my moments as currency, and I can spend them on trash or treasure. I don’t want to give any precious resource of this life to that which isn’t eternally significant."
pg14-15 "Look again at the question I’ve posed—Do I know Jesus intimately?—and think about how you would honestly answer it. Take your time—you’ll never answer a more important question. You see, we’re talking about the Great Commission. How can someone have a passion for obeying it if he or she hasn’t fully internalized its message? What if I asked you to tell people all over town about a new restaurant when you had never dined there? You wouldn’t be so excited about that subject, and frankly, you wouldn’t be a very effective spokesperson. But if you had been there, enjoyed the specialty of the house, and knew it was the greatest meal of your life—so fantastic you would never want to dine anywhere else, for any meal—then no one could stop you from telling your friends about that place. If you’ve truly tasted of the Bread of Life, if you’ve sipped from living waters that well up to eternal joy, there is absolutely no way you can live without telling others about it. You want everyone to have a chance to sit at that table, even people you don’t know—people across the country or across the world. That’s why the Great Commission is my passion, and why it should be yours."
pg19: "To know Christ is to love Him; to love Him is to share Him. We want everyone to experience what we have experienced. We want it because we are obedient, because it’s natural to share what is wonderful with others, and because those others face an alternative that is terrible beyond imagining."
pg20: Floyd writes that if you love Jesus, this love "will lead you inevitably to caring about the Great Commission."
pg21: "What could I give up, you will wonder, so that I could support our friends who are winning people to the Lord? Never again will you want to simply indulge in your own pleasure— you’ll know the joy of returning to God what has always been His."
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
As a Christian woman, I found this book very interesting. It challenged my current lifestyle and even if it doesn't change my goal in life into becoming a missionary, it certainly has challenged my perspective on missions and made me re-evaluate the importance of missionary work. It also makes me question whether the Bible REALLY does tell us to become missionaries or if that did end with the apostles. Not only did the author hold my attention, but I found this book very thought-provoking. I would recommend this book to others - it is worth considering, even if you don't agree 100%.
If you read this book, expect to be convinced, pressured, guilted or scared into becoming a missionary. To say the author takes missions VERY seriously is even an understatement - he goes to the extreme of nearly (without outright saying it) questioning one's salvation if they aren't a missionary and he uses scriptures to back up his side of the story. Floyd is quite convincing. One way or the other, you will certainly come away with that feeling of "Oh boy, I better get off my butt and become a missionary" much like some say "I better read my bible more".
xxv: Per the author, in the book of Matthew, we are commanded to "make disciples - of all nations", but there were no organized missions anywhere until 1783, when British William Carey, a Baptist pastor, had to work by himself because he was told by other ministers that the charge was no longer binding. Since Carey, missions grew around the world.
As a sample:
xxvii, pg3: Floyd describes The Great Commission as "Tell every person in the world about Jesus Christ and make disciples of all nations." He wrote "we have no choice - this, the fulfillment of the Great Commission, is our last great hope." We are ALL to become missionaries and there is nothing more important in life than to save people from a horrible end in hell.
pg5: And just in case you are wavering, he quotes James "if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. (James 1:22–24)" Floyd almost presents it like "if you don't become a missionary" you are disobeying God and you may not be saved after all. If you REALLY loved God, you would become a missionary. Floyd writes on pg7 "focus utterly and completely on pleasing God"
pg 9: "How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them? How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them?"
pg10-11: "If only I could spend all my time, all my abilities, all my strength on what really matters. I look around and see our streets teeming with people who are consumed by football or politics or Hollywood or Wall Street or the dating scene or the Internet. I understand the lure of all these things. But as for me, I want to trade in my remaining years, months, days, and minutes—God alone knows their count—for the kind of seeds that will take root among people and then blossom in heaven. I now see my moments as currency, and I can spend them on trash or treasure. I don’t want to give any precious resource of this life to that which isn’t eternally significant."
pg14-15 "Look again at the question I’ve posed—Do I know Jesus intimately?—and think about how you would honestly answer it. Take your time—you’ll never answer a more important question. You see, we’re talking about the Great Commission. How can someone have a passion for obeying it if he or she hasn’t fully internalized its message? What if I asked you to tell people all over town about a new restaurant when you had never dined there? You wouldn’t be so excited about that subject, and frankly, you wouldn’t be a very effective spokesperson. But if you had been there, enjoyed the specialty of the house, and knew it was the greatest meal of your life—so fantastic you would never want to dine anywhere else, for any meal—then no one could stop you from telling your friends about that place. If you’ve truly tasted of the Bread of Life, if you’ve sipped from living waters that well up to eternal joy, there is absolutely no way you can live without telling others about it. You want everyone to have a chance to sit at that table, even people you don’t know—people across the country or across the world. That’s why the Great Commission is my passion, and why it should be yours."
pg19: "To know Christ is to love Him; to love Him is to share Him. We want everyone to experience what we have experienced. We want it because we are obedient, because it’s natural to share what is wonderful with others, and because those others face an alternative that is terrible beyond imagining."
pg20: Floyd writes that if you love Jesus, this love "will lead you inevitably to caring about the Great Commission."
pg21: "What could I give up, you will wonder, so that I could support our friends who are winning people to the Lord? Never again will you want to simply indulge in your own pleasure— you’ll know the joy of returning to God what has always been His."
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
BUY IT: Why God Won't Go Away by Alister McGrath
FANTASTIC book!!! I kept looking at this book and not feeling like reading it. I didn't think it would be that interesting. Boy was I wrong! This book should be read by everyone interested in religion, spirituality and athiesm. The book is deep and so I read it slowly, absorbing all the arguments, but it is written well and a lay person can understand the arguments and follow along. This book is not difficult to read.
Why God Won't Go Away is a response to four authors and their books: Sam Harris' End of Faith, Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell, and Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great. The author, Alister McGrath, starts with brief summaries of the main points of each of the four anti-religion books. He uses the term "New Athiest" to describe the four authors of these books, as opposed to normal athiest, because these 4 authors and their 85,000+ followers are not just people who believe God doesn't exist (like normal athiests), but are a group of angry and hostile people who want to to KILL all the religions and in some cases kill the religious too.
McGrath does a FANTASTIC job pointing out why these New Athiests' arguments don't hold up under scrutany and are not at all even the strongest athiest arguments. Normal athiests have a stronger case than these New Athiests. In fact, McGrath points how how normal athiests are embarrassed by these New Athiests because of their irrational hostility, their runaway egos, and their unwillingness to reasonably discuss or debate the issues. A normal athiest should be able to calmly and reasonably debate with any other religious believer. But New Athiests attack with emotional fuel, rather than with logical reason.
As McGrath outlines, it seems most of the New Athiests' success has come from the anger and hatred of the religious. New Athiests tend to be very angry people who are targeting the religious and don't recognize their hypocrasy. When Richard Dawkins' website forumn of 85,000 members was shutdown, many of his followers turned on Dawkins himself. Then Dawkins turned on his apprentice. McGrawth demonstrates how the New Athiests have created a type of sect very similar to the religions they hate. The same arguments and reasons they give for hating religions are easily applied to this new group they have created. The arguments against the New Athiests are very strong. The author does a FANTASTIC job of discrediting New Athiesm, while allowing reasonable, rational, logical athiesm to stand in a nonviolent manner. When religion becomes violent or New Athiest becomes violent, both should be squashed. Let peaceful religion and peaceful athiesm co-exist together.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review
Why God Won't Go Away is a response to four authors and their books: Sam Harris' End of Faith, Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell, and Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great. The author, Alister McGrath, starts with brief summaries of the main points of each of the four anti-religion books. He uses the term "New Athiest" to describe the four authors of these books, as opposed to normal athiest, because these 4 authors and their 85,000+ followers are not just people who believe God doesn't exist (like normal athiests), but are a group of angry and hostile people who want to to KILL all the religions and in some cases kill the religious too.
McGrath does a FANTASTIC job pointing out why these New Athiests' arguments don't hold up under scrutany and are not at all even the strongest athiest arguments. Normal athiests have a stronger case than these New Athiests. In fact, McGrath points how how normal athiests are embarrassed by these New Athiests because of their irrational hostility, their runaway egos, and their unwillingness to reasonably discuss or debate the issues. A normal athiest should be able to calmly and reasonably debate with any other religious believer. But New Athiests attack with emotional fuel, rather than with logical reason.
As McGrath outlines, it seems most of the New Athiests' success has come from the anger and hatred of the religious. New Athiests tend to be very angry people who are targeting the religious and don't recognize their hypocrasy. When Richard Dawkins' website forumn of 85,000 members was shutdown, many of his followers turned on Dawkins himself. Then Dawkins turned on his apprentice. McGrawth demonstrates how the New Athiests have created a type of sect very similar to the religions they hate. The same arguments and reasons they give for hating religions are easily applied to this new group they have created. The arguments against the New Athiests are very strong. The author does a FANTASTIC job of discrediting New Athiesm, while allowing reasonable, rational, logical athiesm to stand in a nonviolent manner. When religion becomes violent or New Athiest becomes violent, both should be squashed. Let peaceful religion and peaceful athiesm co-exist together.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review
BUY IT: Rumors of God by Whitehead & Tyson
I loved this book and couldnt put it down from the start to the finish! There are so many good parts and points that I found myself pulling out the highlighter and marking up the whole book! The book really grabs you and it makes you realize many things you should have already known but probably never really put together. I highly recommend this book! Like me, you will probably find yourself buying extra copies for friends and family!
This book makes you want to shape up your life and encourages you to live a life worth the Christian name. It shows you there is more to this life than just going to church, work, then vegging on the tv. Pick up this book and change your life for the better! It is time to get inspired!
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
This book makes you want to shape up your life and encourages you to live a life worth the Christian name. It shows you there is more to this life than just going to church, work, then vegging on the tv. Pick up this book and change your life for the better! It is time to get inspired!
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
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