Awake, Christians!

4 STARS

REVIEW: Awakening to God: Discovering His power and your purpose by Gerard Long

This is a call to awaken sleeping Christians.

Those who have hit the snooze button.

And especially for those who have turned off the alarm.

Those who have stopped believing in the urgent mission at hand—making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Author and evangelist Gerard Long reminds us that as Christians today, we tend to follow a “come” model that focuses on getting people to come to church to hear the Gospel. But Jesus told us to GO and make disciples out in the world where the people already are.

The book is a simple plea for Christians to do what we were called to do—save a drowning and lost world by introducing them to Jesus.

The book shares much of Long’s testimony and is a quick 140-page read but packed with hefty urgent reminders that are worth the time.

*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of these books for my unbiased review.

Author Gerard Long

For more information on the book, visit http://www.awakeningtogod.net

You can find the intro and chapter 1 at http://alphausa.org/Publisher/File.aspx?id=1000042290

You can find the author’s bio at http://gerardlong.com/gerards-story/

For more info on Alpha visit http://guest.alphausa.org

Angelic!

5 Stars

REVIEW: God Gave Us Angels by Lisa Tawn Bergren & Laura J. Bryant

I am an animal lover, and Laura J.  Bryant’s art is stunning. Each page could be framed art.

The story line is instructional—teachy, but not preachy, as the Little Cub asks Papa Bear about angels. And what child (or adult for that matter!) isn’t fascinated by angels?

Throughout the brightly-colored, high-quality book, young readers learn more about God’s amazing messengers, and how much God loves us.

“What do angels do all day, Papa?” Little Cub asks.

Papa Bear: “Angels live to serve God...”

Amen.

And a good message for us Christians, as well.

This children’s book is the latest in the “God Gave Us” series by the author and illustrator. For more information about the author and illustrator, visit http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=239365

*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this unbiased review.

Message to self: An OK read

3 Stars

REVIEW: Be the Message by Kerry & Chris Shook

What is your life message?

Be the Message is meant to help you discover your God-given “message” and direct you how to live it out.

The book is divided into four parts: 1) Transforming your words into a life message, 2) Discovering your unique life message, 3) Understanding the message that confounds the world, and 4) Taking your life message to the world around you. And at the end of each chapter are three to four questions that ask you to reflect on the chapter, as well as ideas to help you live out what you just read.

As a pastor who gives a “message” every week, I loved the title and concept of the book. But overall it was just okay for me—nothing truly sensational. A few nice concepts I took away from the book, however, included how we as Christians are the living Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, how we should have a “holy disturbance” for something in which we are willing to stand up and fight for the Lord, and how we need to reach out and touch life instead of just watching it pass by.

*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this unbiased review.

Sweet, Sincere, Scriptural

4 STARS

REVIEW: My Princesses Book: Learn to Be Brave by Stephanie Rische and Heather Heyworth and My Princesses Book: Learn to Share by Amie Carlson and Heather Heyworth

Both of My Princesses books—Learn to Be Brave and Learn to Share are darling! They are sweet, sincere, and Scriptural. These are books I want to read to my precious nieces.

My Princesses: Learn to Be Brave uses the Scripture story of Esther to practically teach children about standing up for what is right as two girls deal with a bully.

My Princesses: Learn to Share uses the Scripture story of the fishes and loaves to practically teach children about sharing as two little girls argue over a dress.

As a pastor, I love the practical application of the Scripture lessons in these storybooks, and hope to incorporate these into children’s messages at my church!

*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of these books for my unbiased review.

Hard hike

2 STARS

REVIEW: The Trail: A Tale about Discovering God’s Will by Ed Underwood

The premise of this book drew me to want to read it, but unfortunately I found The Trail too much of a hike for me.

It is about a pastor who leads a couple on a trail into the wilderness to help discover God’s will. Some of the lessons they learn along the way include trust in the Lord, intimacy with Jesus, God’s timing, signs of encouragement, and grace.

Again, while the concept of the book—following God’s path—is appealing, I was unappetized.

I felt the writing style was not conducive to following along. I often found myself confused with who was saying what, and was especially confused between the dialogue of characters Matt and Sam, often swapping them. Overall, this book was a bit of a struggle for me.

*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for my unbiased review.

An Essential read

5 Stars

REVIEW: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

This book is about how less is better. It is about making the wisest possible investments of your time and energy doing only what is essential.

While this book isn’t necessarily written for or marketed to pastors, as a pastor myself, I believe this book is a must read for everyone in ministry. Because, Christian ministry really is about one central thing, one essential thing: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This book is a helpful reminder that in life and ministry only a few things really matter, and because of that, we have permission to be selective and to say no to everything except the essential. That is a discipline most of us do not have.  

Thus, this book is an essential read, especially for anyone too busy to read it—because that means you really need it! This book will teach you how to understand what is essential in your life and eliminate all else, bringing forth life-giving clarity and focus!

You can actually see how much of an “essentialist” you currently are by taking the quiz at http://gregmckeown.com/quiz/

Also check out a video from the author at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9x6D09AKBU.

*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this unbiased review.