A Year with G.K. Chesterton

A Year with G.K. Chesterton

This is a good book, especially if you're a fan of Chesterton. Basically it is a year of "Chesterton" devotional readings... one for each day of the year. There's a Bible verse, a selection of Chesterton writings and a "On This Day"with some fun facts about Chesteron or his writings.

If you are an avid Chesteron fan you'll enjoy this book but if you are just getting into Chesterton, you might love this even more, as it gives you a taste of him in small chunks. Chesteron's wit, sense of humor and use of language is brilliant and tis is a great introduction to his work.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

Jesus: A Theography

Jesus: A Theography by Len Sweet and Frank Viola is one of those books you want to read again, because there is so much to process. It's an excellent book that is bound to make you think deeply. Though written for the 'average' person, it still contains much deep, rich material and thoughts.

As he states in the introduction, this book sets out to show that ALL the Bible is meant to reflect and point to Christ.

"Let's face it. The Bible is often viewed as a disjointed array of stories, events, laws, propositions, truths, ethical statements, and moral lessons. 

But we will demonstrate in this book, the sixty-six books of the Bible are woven together by a single storyline. Of of the best ways to look at the twenty-seven books of the New Testament may be to see them as a commentary on the Old Testament. The entire Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are unified by a common narrative. And once our eyes are open to see that narrative, everything in both Testaments gels into a coherent, understandable, and amazing story. 

And what is that story? Well, it's not enough to call it "salvation history" as many people do. 

No. It's the story of Jesus Christ. 

The end product of biblical Christianity is a person -- not a book, not a building, not a set of principles or a system of ethics -- but one person in two natures (diving/human) with four ministries (prophet/priest/king/sage) and four biographies (The Gospels). But those four biographies don't tell the whole story. Every bit of Scripture if part of the same great story of that one person and that one story's plotline of creation, revelation, redemption and consummation." 

If you are a fan of Frank Viola or Len Sweet you'll love this book. I recommend it. 

Red Letter Revolution

Red Letter Revolution is a book by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo. There's a trailer promoting it that says they don't shy away from the controversial subjects, and that's true. This book talks about lots of relevant topics today, including racism, homosexuality, immigration, politics, war and violence, Islam, national debt, etc.

The different, interesting twist on this book is the way it is written; it is written more as a dialogue between Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo. You'll either like this style or dislike it, but for me, it worked and it was good to see the different (at times) views and insights from both men, especially seeing as they differ generationally.

I don't expect you'll agree with EVERYTHING in this book and I think the authors know that; what they've done here is start a dialogue not only with each other, but as a starting off point for you to wrestle with this topics and have dialogue of your own with others.

The subtitle of this book is: What if Jesus Really Meant What He Said? It's a question that bears much looking into and this book takes a deeper look into it.

I received an ebook copy free from Booksneeze. I was not required to write a favorable review.

grace - Max Lucado

There are so many great books out there on the topic of "grace" that I was skeptical if another book was needed. I've read many books on the subject of grace -- from Philip Yancy's classic What's So Amazing about Grace? to several others, including Andy Stanley's The Grace of God.

But Max Lucado's book on grace is not just "another book on grace"..... It's Max Lucado, who brings his own thoughts, writing style and especially stories to the publishing world. For that reason, this book is worth reading and I think most will enjoy it, plus the subject of "grace" -- though so simple in many concept, is incredibly difficult to truly fathom in practical terms.

If you love Max Lucado, you'll love this book and if you are wanting to understand grace better, you'll also enjoy this book.


I received a copy from Booksneeze and wasn't required to write a positive review.

52 Little Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life

My family loves It's a Wonderful Life and have already gotten so much out of the movie, that I was excited to read this book. It is, in some ways, a devotional book, though weekly. (52 lessons = 52 weeks) It seems designed to make you relate to a spiritual truth and think on it in terms of how it is played out in the movie. Some chapter titles are, Look for the Best in Others, All that Glitters is Not Gold, Prayer Changes Things, etc. Plus, there are some nice tidbits about the movie.

If you are a fan of It's a Wonderful Life, you will probably enjoy this book. While it can be repetitive (some of the lessons seem the same, just with a different illustration), it is still a fun book and can easily be a good discussion starter for a small group.

I received this book free from Booksneeze and was not required to write a favorable review.

One Big Thing: Discovering what you were born to do

One Big Thing, written by Phil Cooke, is a book that promises to show you what you were born to do, hence the title. While it was written well and has some good insights, I didn't think it was all that different from several other self-help/find your calling/unique talents books that I've already read.

It's still a good book; just not a great one. Perhaps if you hadn't already read books on this subject you'd find it more interesting than I did.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program and was not required to write a favorable review.

The Truth about Forgiveness

Surprisingly, the Truth about Forgiveness by John MacArthur is a small book; a little over a hundred pages, but it is packed with information and truth! First, I had a lot of questions about forgiveness and this book answered most of them, though at times it seemed a bit harsh. Yet still really good and filled with Scripture to back things up.

If you have questions about forgiveness, I can't think of a better book to read, in spite of (or especially) because it is a short, small book. 

I received this book from Booksneeze and I was not required to write a positive review. 

1000 Days

1000 Days by Jonathan Falwell is a interesting premise - the days of Christ's official "ministry"  and the book was good, it just wasn't great. There are a lot of interesting stories and examples, and it's a nicely written book, just not one that I'd recommend to all my friends as an amazing book.

Sorry.

I received this book free of charge by Booksneeze and was not required to write a positive review.

Our Favorite Sins

In an age where the word "sin" is scarcely used, this book goes beyond the "other sins" that everyone else commits and hits some basic ones that most of us don't want to call a sin. Things such as:

Anxiety
Procrastination
overeating
too much media
Laziness

But not only do they point out these things, he also offers some ways to help you commit to quit, such as prayer, liturgy, planning ahead, evaluating what is working, and lots of encouragement.

While you might not be inclined to pick this up, because many don't want to be challenged on such sins that hit so close to home, this is actually a very encouraging upbeat book that will benefit any believer.

I received this book free of charge through Booksneeze, a division of Thomas Nelson. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

Love Does - Thoughts

I wasn't sure what to think when I agreed to read this book but I thought that with a forward by Donald Miller it had to be interesting.... and it is.

Some parts of this book made me weep, think, laugh, and inspired me. All of it was interesting. There was a part of me that marveled at this guy -- he really is living in an abandoned way that I think most Christians envy; imagine saying "yes" to opportunities where most of us would make excuses for or tell out kids, or ourselves, no?

On page 209 (of an ebook on iPad) he writes "I know it sounds goofy, but I want to be like that Jeep. I want to leak from having been hit by Jesus. From having something crazy happen to me, something that flipped my life upside down. I've met people like that, people who leak Jesus. Whenever you're around them, Jesus keeps coming up with words and with actions. I don't suppose everybody gets hit by Jesus, but those of us who have talk about him differently. We start steering funny; we start leaking where we stand. And it's because we got thrown from our lives in a terrific collision."

On another page, (237) he writes, "For those who resonate with formulas, here it is: add our whole life, your loves, your passions, and your interests together with what God said He wants us to be about, and that's your answer. If you want to know the answer to the bigger question -- what's God's plan for the whole world? - buckle up: it's us.

We're God's plan, and we always have been. We arent' just supposed to be observers, listeners, or have a bunch of opinions. WE're not here to let everyone know what we agree and don't agree with, because, frankly, who cares? Tell me about the God you love; tell me what He has inspired uniquely in you; tell me what you're going to do about it, and a plan for your life will be pretty easy to figure out from there. I guess what I'm saying is that most of us don't get an audible plan for our lives. It's way better than that. We get to be God's plan for the whole world by pointing people toward Him."

This book is filled with real, thoughtful and fun stories that illustrate his title: Love Does. It is an action. Loving people means doing, and trusting God in all this craziness enough to say "yes".

I received a free copy of this book through Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review.

Love Does - Thoughts

I wasn't sure what to think when I agreed to read this book but I thought that with a forward by Donald Miller it had to be interesting.... and it is.

Some parts of this book made me weep, think, laugh, and inspired me. All of it was interesting. There was a part of me that marveled at this guy -- he really is living in an abandoned way that I think most Christians envy; imagine saying "yes" to opportunities where most of us would make excuses for or tell out kids, or ourselves, no?

On page 209 (of an ebook on iPad) he writes "I know it sounds goofy, but I want to be like that Jeep. I want to leak from having been hit by Jesus. From having something crazy happen to me, something that flipped my life upside down. I've met people like that, people who leak Jesus. Whenever you're around them, Jesus keeps coming up with words and with actions. I don't suppose everybody gets hit by Jesus, but those of us who have talk about him differently. We start steering funny; we start leaking where we stand. And it's because we got thrown from our lives in a terrific collision."

On another page, (237) he writes, "For those who resonate with formulas, here it is: add our whole life, your loves, your passions, and your interests together with what God said He wants us to be about, and that's your answer. If you want to know the answer to the bigger question -- what's God's plan for the whole world? - buckle up: it's us.

We're God's plan, and we always have been. We arent' just supposed to be observers, listeners, or have a bunch of opinions. WE're not here to let everyone know what we agree and don't agree with, because, frankly, who cares? Tell me about the God you love; tell me what He has inspired uniquely in you; tell me what you're going to do about it, and a plan for your life will be pretty easy to figure out from there. I guess what I'm saying is that most of us don't get an audible plan for our lives. It's way better than that. We get to be God's plan for the whole world by pointing people toward Him."

This book is filled with real, thoughtful and fun stories that illustrate his title: Love Does. It is an action. Loving people means doing, and trusting God in all this craziness enough to say "yes".

I received a free copy of this book through Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review.

Here's Lily

I got this book because I thought that my daughter would enjoy reading it. It really is for an older child (maybe fifth grade and up) Lily is in Jr. High and the book talks about stuff that affects mostly this age group. Still, it is a good book that I think a jr. higher would enjoy reading. I think that Lily is a character that many girls can identify with and learn from and the situations she faces are common in school and relationships.

If you have a girl that is around fifth grade and up, I bet she'd really enjoy this book.

Empty Promises

I was excited to read Pete Wilson's newest book Empty Promises, because I really enjoyed Plan B, his release a few years ago.

Empty Promises is all about idolatry and even if you don't think you struggle with idolatry, you probably do! It sneaks in there so subtly. Pete Wilson discusses several things that can be idols in one's life: achievement, power, approval, money, beauty, chasing a dream etc.

It is a very honest, practical book with lots of illustrations from Pete's own life and the folks he counsels and are his friends. I found myself often seeing my own flaws and issues and realized that I have made things, even good things, idols in my life when Jesus should hold that place.

I think this is a book that nearly everyone would enjoy. The writing style is candid and easy to read and he offers much hope and grace and a way out of this quest for "empty promises." I am confident this book will help many reflect and realize that the things they pursue to make them happy or content or liked or successful will only leave them feeling empty.

On page 22 Pete Wilson writes: " Jesus is continually inviting people to give up their idols and follow him. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is worthy of our whole devotion. He alone has the authority to forgive all of our sins. He alone has the wisdom to guide our whole lives. He alone leaves us invigorated rather than exhausted, at peace rather than anxious. He alone has the power to fill the gnawing inner emptiness we all experience and bring purpose to each and every day that he sees fit to grant us as a gift."

Amen.

I received this book through Booksneeze Blogging program from the publisher. I was not required to give a favorable review.

The Jesus Experiment

The Jesus Experiment, by Bill Perkins, is subtitled: What Happens when you Follow in His Footsteps. An intriguing  title so I was happy to begin reading it. It is a book that challenges against the status quo of society and as I read it, I started to feel a bit guilty of certain things and failings in my life. I think this would be an excellent book to read in a community group or a group where you can honestly discuss life and challenge each other to live and follow Jesus and what that means today.

Prior to this book I've read Perkins' Six Rules Every Man Must Break and while it also was a good book, I think I prefer this one.

Surprised By Laughter

I love CS Lewis so I was excited to read this book. It didn't disappoint. It takes a serious look into the life of Lewis and what shaped him and what he shaped as well. It's about 450 pages and is quite well-researched. The end of chapter notes and bibliography is impressive and he does CS. Lewis justice in his portrayal of him and his works.

If you are a C. S. Lewis fan, you will love this book and if you aren't a fan, you will still enjoy this curious look into the life and mind of a great Christian author.