Good summer read about perseverance and faith

FOUR STARS

REVIEW: The Fourth Fisherman: How Three Mexican Fishermen Who Came Back from the Dead Changed My Life and Saved My Marriage by Joe Kissack

This book was an honest, raw look at the life of Joe Kissack, a former television executive who facilitated the syndication of such shows as Mad About You, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Seinfeld (my personal all-time favorite show!).

In this book, Kissack cracks open his life and shares his addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs and how it took a toll on his family.  But, by the grace of God, Kissack was saved from himself and found faith.

Once Kissack became a Christian, he learned of the story of five Mexican fisherman who were lost at sea for 10 months and drifted near 6,000 miles to Australia.  Kissack felt God called him to tell their story.  Their story is astonishing and harrowing where only three of the fisherman survived.  They lived on raw fish, turtle blood, rainwater, and most importantly their faith in God.  The fisherman believed it was only by the grace of God they were saved. 

In the book, Kissack weaves his own personal story in with the story of the surviving fisherman because Kissack believes he is the “fourth fisherman”—because just as God rescued them, God rescued him too.

If you a want to read a story about perseverance and faith, this might just may be the perfect summer read for you.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Powerful rebuttal to atheists on evil and suffering

FIVE STARS REVIEW: GODforsaken by Dinesh D’Souza

This book is compelling! It offers a Christian solution to why evil and suffering happen in the world. The happenstance of me reading this was an ordained “such-a-time-as-this” event given the recent tornadoes and destruction that occurred not too far from my home in Indiana.

D’Souza is a masterful writer and superb debater. Throughout the book he shows the case and arguments atheists have given for evil and suffering in the world, then flips their reasoning on its heads and offers biblical teaching of why things are like they are. One of my favorite chapters is “Acts of God: The Reason for Earthquakes.” In this chapter he talks about how we owe our existence to plate tectonic and how earthquakes are actually vital to enable and sustain life on earth. One geochemist he quotes as saying: “They type of geological process that caused the earthquakes and the tsunami is an essential characteristic of earth.” Looking at the facts like this was amazing and eye-opening. Thus, D’Souza said complaining about earthquakes would be like complaining about the sun. While the sun can cause heat stroke and cancer, we couldn't survive without it.

This isn’t the same old book on evil and suffering. D’Souza has taken the Christian apology to a whole new level. I have highlighted many sections throughout the book. It is a resource I plan to use again and again when someone asks why bad things happen. I agree with most everything in the book, and I enjoyed when he used John Wesley as an example a few times (kudos!). But there are a few areas I disagree with. D’Souza believes in a very old earth and was a bit too Calvinistic on his view of heaven. The benefits of the book, however, outweigh the critique, and I would highly recommend the book to pastors and other ministry leaders.

*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

You can download the first chapter at http://files.tyndale.com/thpdata/FirstChapters/978-1-4143-2485-2.pdf

Visit the author’s website - http://www.dineshdsouza.com/

Can I become a "Googler?"

THREE STARS
REVIEW: VIRAL: How Social Networking is Poised to Igniteby Leonard Sweet

I am a Gutenberger treading lightly into the world of Googlers. If that statement didn’t make any sense, you need to read VIRAL: How Social Networking is Poised to Ignite Revival.

In this book, Leonard Sweet paints a picture of how the Church needs to change with the times and learn from the Googlers. See, Googlers are the ones who fluently speak the language of Twitter, Google, iPhones, and Facebook. Gutenbergers prefer the “old school” way—real books they can hold in their hands. (That’s me!) No matter who is right, this Googler generation shows that with all their use of technology and the way in which they utilize it, they seek pure relationships. They want to talk about their lives and hear about the lives of others. The Church is all about relationships, too, or it should be. Sweet says there is then a way to mesh the old with the new because Jesus’ message is still relevant today—still relevant to Googlers.

Sweet is an excellent writer and had some valuable illustrations. The book is aimed toward a Gutenberger (and there are quizzes throughout it to see if you if you are a Googlers or a Gutenberger) to show that in today’s world the Church needs to adapt if it is going to reach the Googlers, the current generation. At the end of each chapter are some interactive questions to consider—something that could be used with a church staff perhaps.

I really liked the idea and the concept of the book and was drawn to it, yet I ended reading the book wanting more. For me, a person in active ministry, I wish the book had more of a practical section that would have been like a “10-step” program or plan of how a pastor and/or Church could move from being a Gutenberger into the Googler world. That is why I ranked it a three.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A full-throttle adventure!

FIVE STARS
REVIEW: Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

This is the fourth Mark Batterson book I have read and loved! That may make me a Mark Batterson groupie at this point.

I always have to purchase a new highlighter with each Batterson book I read because it has so much good stuff in it!

This book is all about the Wild Goose, which is what the Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit. “Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed,” Batterson writes. Thus, one must chase the Wild Goose and go on an adventure in doing so. Batterson says that boredom is just plain wrong for Christians, and that we should be full of life and have a sense of quest tattooed on our souls.

Throughout the book, Batterson takes readers on a journey with other biblical figures—some who did and some who did not chase the Wild Goose—like the rich young ruler, Nehemiah, Peter, Zacchaeus, the good Samaritan, Sarah, Jonathan, and more. What Batterson does masterfully is take well-known Bible stories and cause you to think about them in a new way. For example in the book Batterson talks about altars and how they remind us of what God doesn’t want us to forget. They give us a sacred place to go back to. Altars, Batterson says, renews our faith by reminding us of the faithfulness of God and every once in a while we need to go back to those sacred places to celebrate what God has done and renew our covenant with Him. So Batterson asks, “Did Zacchaeus ever take his grandchildren back to climb the sycamore tree where he caught his first glimpse of Jesus?” What an awesome question I never even considered. That defining moment in Zacchaeus’ life was life changing—so did he ever go back there and visit the spot where his life changed forever?

The book is separated into six cages that keep us from roaming free with the Wild Goose and living the spiritual adventure God destines us to—Cage of Responsibility, Cage of Routine, Cage of Assumptions, Cage of Guilt, Cage of failure, and Cage of Fear. This book is a must read for those seeking to get rid of boredom in the Christian walk and seek adventure!

Go ahead and read chapter one - http://www.multnomahemails.com/wbmlt/pdf/Wild_Goose_Chase_Mark_Batterson_Chapter1.pdf

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

For more information on the book, check out http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781590527191

Check out Mark Batterson’s website - http://markbatterson.com/ and his bio at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=75404

Don’t Resign From Reading This Book!

FIVE STARS REVIEW: The Resignation of Eve: What If Adam’s Rib Is No Longer Willing To Be The Church’s Backbone? by Jim Henderson

This book has been beneficial to me as a pastor.

If you are in ministry and want to read a book that will help you understand the “backbone” of the church, read this book. If you are someone who is interested in women in ministry, read this book.

Author Jim Henderson shows that “if women walked out the door, the church would be in grave trouble” (p. 238). He backs that up by stating that researcher George Barna calls women “the backbone of activity in the typical conventional church” and provides a deluge of statistics.

What is sincere and earnest about this book is not the data and figures, but rather the personal stories of women and their relationship to the Church that Henderson has meticulously collected and
organized. As a female pastor, I found the stories informational, eye-opening, and some even heart-wrenching. Some women have resigned to leave the Church because of how they have been treated or not allowed to use their leadership talents and abilities in which they believe God has gifted them.

Reading this book has made me even more aware of the value of women’s voices in the church and a reminder that everyone is gifted. Women are important to God, so women should also be important to the Church. It is our role as pastors and those in ministry to help each person—women and men alike—live into those giftings so that they may further the Gospel mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.


*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.


You can download the first chapter at http://files.tyndale.com/thpdata/FirstChapters/978-1-4143-3730-2.pdf

I didn’t want the meal to end!

FIVE STARS: REVIEW OF Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

Every night for a week, I had dinner with Jesus. Even though this is a short book, I wanted to take it slow so that I could savor every course of the meal. Every night, I would sit down and read a chapter and be swept away in a hearty dinner with Jesus. It doesn’t get better than that!

This parable-like story is about how a normal guy, Nick Cominsky, who receives an invitation to dine with Jesus. Nick is enticed by the offer and in the end receives more than an exquisite meal.

I was a skeptic at first thinking that the book was going to be really theologically “light,” but actually found that it covered some deep insights that almost everyone seems to ask such as: What about other religions, are they true, too? How good do you have to be to get into heaven? Is the Bible really reliable?

This book is perfect for new Christians, those asking questions concerning what Christianity is all about, as well as long-time Christians who just want to imagine what it might be like to sit down and have dinner with the Savior of the World!

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Dare to be Uncommon

FIVE STAR REVIEW: The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge by Tony Dungy

I don’t know about you, but next year I want to lead an Uncommon Life. And this book will help you do just that.

About two years ago, I read Indianapolis Colt’s former coach Tony Dungy’s book Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance. In that book, he urges readers to lead an “uncommon” life and writes in his introduction: “At the end of the day, I’m sure of one thing: accumulating stuff and women and titles and money are wrong keys. Fitting in, following the crowd, and being common are not what we’re supposed to do. There’s more in store for us.”

Indeed, there is more in store for us as Christians. A true Christian is uncommon, because they are holy. When we accept Jesus Christ as our savior through salvation, we become holy and separated from the world—set apart for a special use. We become uncommon.

This year, I am going to dare to be even more uncommon and as a pastor, urge my congregations to be more uncommon as well. To help me with that I will dive into this wonderful resource—Dungy’s newest book, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge. It gets people into the Word of God each day and reflects on Jesus in a practical, down-to-earth kind of way. Each devotion focuses on one of seven themes, each theme repeating every seven days: Core, Family, Friends, Potential, Mission, Influence, and Faith. Each devotion starts with Scripture (which for me has to be the foundation), and then Dungy interprets the verse or often shares a story from his life correlating to the verse. Some are about his wife and family and some are about football and coaching. Each one-page daily devotion ends with an “Uncommon Key” for you to ponder throughout the day. For example, on November 30 the “Uncommon Key” is, “Ask God where He would like you to be busy today. When you enter into and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, allow Him to determine the areas where He wants you to be involved the most.”

I am suggesting that Jesus is calling us to be busy reading God’s Word this year. It is a Christian’s nourishment. This devotion is set up in a way that it can be started any time of the year, so if you are just now thinking about getting it, don’t say, “Well, the year has started, forget it.” No, start today and endure. Dungy in Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance quotes Cal Stoll, his football coach at the University of Minnesota: “[He] often told us, ‘Success is uncommon, therefore not to be enjoyed by the common man. I’m looking for uncommon people.’”

Be uncommon, and in doing so, enjoy the victory of being set apart for God!

*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. (Visit www.tyndale.com for more information)

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*Watch Tony Dungy's video about the book at http://www.coachdungy.com/index.php/the-one-year-uncommon-life-daily-challenge/

*Check out Tony Dungy's website at http://www.coachdungy.com/

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