Personalized approach to discipleship

5 STARS

REVIEW: Simple Discipleship: Grow Your Faith, Transform Your Community by Dana Allin

There are tons of books on how to make disciples, and I have read a lot of them. But this book says something I have always believed: growth doesn’t come from “an assembly-line process,” and that each person needs a personalized approach to their own discipleship in order to grow. We see this in how Jesus grew His disciples and focused on areas in which they needed to grow.

As a pastor, I know this. Each person has his/her own path of discipleship, depending on where he/she is on the path (a new believer vs. a seasoned believer), as well as what they want to focus on in areas of growth. Each person is an individual, and so personalized discipling is important. However, that can be hard to accomplish or know what one should focus. So the books seeks a simple approach by offering an assessment tool for folks (there is a free code in each book for the assessment) in order to gauge their current level of discipleship and point out places for growth. After the assessment, the person is able create a personalized plan for discipleship. As the adage goes, people support a world they help create, so we need to involve them in their discipleship process, and not just give them some mass-produced process.

Oh, and the free assessment itself cost $15, which is more than the cost of the entire book! So, while you may have read other discipleship books, this one is worth the purchase.

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

It speaks life

5 STARS

REVIEW: YOU ARE: Speaking God’s Word Over Your Children by Emily Assell

This book is a great example of what parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, pastors, in fact—anyone who knows a child,should be speaking into the lives of children. 

At the beginning, the book contains a brief “letter to the parents” referencing Scripture in order to remind them that words are powerful and that as adults we have the ability to speak life into our children. 

While it is a short board book, it is filled with delightful images of animals drawn by Lauren Copple and on each page it simply says: YOU ARE…. (and then gives a word like CHOSEN, GIFTED, LOVED, etc.), and it also has a corresponding Scripture on the page. 

The book would make a sweet gift, and it is a good reminder to anyone who knows a child that as adults we need to continue to speak life and love into their lives so that we can claim this generation and future generations for the Kingdom of God.

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

For all the weirdos out there

4 STARS

REVIEW: Keep Christianity Weird: Embracing the Discipline of Being Different by Michael Frost

If you feel like a weirdo, maybe this book is for you. I was initially drawn to this book because of the title, because I often feel very weird, like I don’t fit a preconceived mold. Like a round peg in a square hole. But as a Christian, author Michael Frost says that is a good thing!  Blessed are the weird people! Blessed are the ones who see things different!

Because he says, if our churches are filled with people not living weird and instead living the same way everybody else is, then what do we as Christians have to commend? So, Frost suggests, Christians should be living weird lives. Because weird people, those who see things differently, change things and push the human race forward. And because the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

So, if you are someone who wants to see a bit more crazyin Christianity, a bit more weirdness, you will likely enjoy Frost’s newest book. Because the church needs more innovators, and more risk takers. More weirdos. 

*NavPress/Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

Takes the scary out of evangelism!

5 STARS

REVIEW: Good News for a Change: How to Talk to Anyone About Jesus by Matt Mikalatos

It seems that evangelism can be scary for many Christians. But as author Matt Mikalatos states, evangelism is, first and foremost, us participating with the Holy Spirit to tell people about God and His love for them and to invite them into a relationship with Jesus Christ. And because we’re doing the work together with the Holy Spirit, Mikalatos says we can trust that God will pick up the slack where we’re failing because it is God who ultimately makes the Good News clear to our listeners. Thus, evangelism shouldn’t be scary, and we should be able to talk to anyone about Jesus!

And while some Christians might think there is just one right way to share the Good News, Mikalatos squelches that idea by teaching that instead of one right way, there are many ways to share the Good News…we just need to find something people are interested in that will draw them into Jesus’ story. Because, as Mikalatos points out, that is how Jesus and the Apostle Paul did evangelism--by connecting with the person first.

This book is chocked full of examples of how to share the Good News and do evangelism by connecting with people where they are, and each chapter concludes with reflection questions as well as exercises that can be completed as part of a small group. I would recommend this book to anyone eager to share his or her Christian faith and the Good News of Jesus Christ but for some reason felt he or she could not. It takes the scary out of evangelism. Highly recommend!

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

A Great Board book for Little Ones

5 STARS

God Made the World by Sarah Jean Collins

Anytime I can get the Christian message in the hands of a little one, it is worth it, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

This is a simple, but beautifully sophisticated board book that illustrates and explains the very beginning of the Bible--the days of Creation and how God formed and made the earth. My almost 2-year-old was captivated by the images, as was I. Images were bright, bold, light, and dark…all explaining how the cosmos came into being at the spoken word of the Almighty. And the easy rhymes are refined, while still being charming.

If my little one and I can agree this is a winner, I think you will too!

P.S. It would make a perfect Easter gift!

If you would like more information on the book, click here and here.

**Tyndale House Publishers provided me with this complimentary book for my honest review.

Basis of the book is solid, but falls short

2 STARS

REVIEW: Gospel Centered Mom: The Freeing Truth About What Your Kids Really Need by Brooke McGlothlin

As a new soon-to-be mama, I was excited to read this new book. And the premise is good: Let go of the craving to be a stellar parent by your own efforts and rely on Jesus. Yes! I agree! And I want that! Unfortunately, while the basis of the book is solid, the book just seemed to fall short for me.

One reason may be that the author seems to only focus on having sons as children. Now I understand that is her context, and that she only has sons, and she writes from what she knows, but I felt a little left out and disconnected to many of her references since I am getting ready to have a little girl.

And maybe it was also my expectations that made the book fall flat. Because in reading the title, I thought there might be more practical things to take away from the book—like prayers to pray over them, parenting tips, and the like. But it seemed to lack those things, at least from my perspective.

What I did appreciate was the author’s use of Scripture and emphasis about mom’s relying on Jesus, not on themselves. The book also contains discussion questions at the end if one would like to use in a mom’s group. But in the end, I wasn’t overwhelmed at the book and a bit disappointed.

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

Warning: Challenging! Are you willing to take the oath?

5 STARS

REVIEW: The Martyr’s Oath: Living for the Jesus They’re Willing to Die For by Johnnie Moore

This is a hard book to read. Not because of the writing style, but because the stories are so hard to hear. In this book, you read personal testimonies and stories that are unimaginable to us in the Western world. Stories like Rose from Nigeria who watched as her husband’s head and children’s heads were cut off in front of her because she and her family believed in Jesus. Or Peter from China who was put in unthinkable prison conditions because of his Christian faith. Each of the book’s 15 chapters highlights a personal testimony from around the world from someone who was a martyr for their faith.

This book is so intense and convicting that I could only read a chapter a day or even just one a week, as I let these immensely difficult stories sink in to my soul. But just because something is hard does not mean you avoid it. Actually, reading this book can challenge you and transform you and help you empathize with persecuted Christians around the world, and realize what Christians in the rest of the world endure. The author’s hope is that by the end of reading the book, you will be ready to stand with Christians around the world in harm’s way and take the Martyr’s Oath yourself, a page-long document that says that you are a follower of Jesus and are willing to give your life for Him.

If you would like to read the oath as well as download the first chapter for free chapter, click here.

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