Useful, beginning, step-by-step book about becoming a Christian investor

FOUR STARS

REVIEW: The Invested Life: Making Disciples of All Nations One Person at a Time by Joel C. Rosenberg and Dr. T.E. Koshy

As a pastor, I have a heart for discipleship.  So, I was excited to get my hands on this book.  This is a practical manual on how to be a Christian disciple and disciple others.

Authors Joel C. Rosenberg and Dr. T.E. Koshy point to key figures throughout Scripture who had mentors who discipled them, and in turn, they discipled others—for example Jethro who mentored Moses and Moses who then mentored Joshua, Elisha who was discipled by Elijah, Jesus who mentored his twelve disciples, and Paul who discipled Timothy who then discipled other faithful followers and so on.

Discipleship is in the Christian tradition, in the Christian blood.  It is something we are called to do.  The authors sound that alert that today, though, we seem more interested in spreading the Christian message far and wide (which indeed is something we are called to do), but we lack in leading people into a deeper walk with Christ and do not truly disciple and train followers.  While we of course cannot disciple everyone, the authors say we as Christians are each called to disciple a few (a small group around us), just as Christ did.

The book walks through defining discipleship, how to be a disciple, following Jesus’ discipleship model, how to prayerfully choose who will disciple you, how to get started discipling others, and how to track your progress with a discipleship checklist.

If you are a pastor, lay leader, or mature Christian who seeks to disciple others, or if you are someone who seeks to be discipled by a mature Christian, this is a useful, beginning, step-by-step book about how to go through the process.

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

To learn more, you can download the first chapter at - http://files.tyndale.com/thpdata/FirstChapters/978-1-4143-7637-0.pdf

Not a traditional book on marriage

THREE STARS

REVIEW: ALTARED: The True Story of a SHE, a HE, and How They Both Got Too Worked Up about WE  by Claire & Eli

Caution: This is not a traditional book on marriage. 

Actually it is a pioneering look at marriage which contemplates and reflects on the prominence marriage seems to receive by many Christians and churches today.

The book is written by Claire and Eli (their pseudonyms) because they said they wanted to preserve the mystery of their own story as well as not wanting the story to be about them.

The book is half a love story of Claire and Eli and their relationship, and the other half is a biblical look at marriage and singleness.  Their main point seems to stress that true love is not only found in marriage, but it should be found in all relationships.  We should not limit our stress of love in just marriage relationships.

Claire and Eli say our society should not be so marriage-centered but rather loved-centered.  I appreciate that concept, and as a married woman, it made me reflect about the single people in my life.  I also valued their inclusion of Scripture and Christian tradition by quotes by John Wesley, Oswald Chambers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Augustine, and more.

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

Great reference tool!

FIVE STARS

REVIEW: The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days by Mark Hitchcock

I am so grateful to have read this book and have it on my shelf.  My church recently did an End Times Bible study and I wish I had this book earlier, because it would have been a wonderful resource!

Author Mark Hitchcock does a great job of organizing the book into 14 distinct parts and 39 chapters. (The book itself is 504 pages.)  He also includes wonderful tables and graphics throughout which helps to summarize the main points he is addressing, and at the end he offers a proposed chronology of the End Times.  It is quite impressive!

I appreciated Hitchcock’s easily comprehendible definitions of hard to explain topics like the various millennial and rapture views, the 144,000, Mark of the Beast, and more.  His writing makes hard topics easy to grasp and this makes the book more reader-friendly.

While Hitchcock does a fair job noting that there are many different end times prophecy views and theories, he is not shy about saying that he holds a futurist, premillennial viewpoint.  So be prepared when reading if you do not agree with that view. 

He does, though, note that although there are differences in the views, he believes there are three nonnegotiables in Christian Bible prophecy—the return of Jesus Christ to the earth, the bodily resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment of all people.  So while you might disagree with his view, he is OK with that and does a decent job at giving explanations and reasons for each view and theory that are different from his own.

This book is well worth the read and a great resource and tool to have on hand.  I am certain I will go back to it time and time again.

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

To learn more, visit the author’s website - http://marklhitchcock.com/

Emotional story of a true tender warrior

FIVE STARS

REVIEW: Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown by Eric Blehm

“Hoorah” to Eric Blehm for this honest, authentic account of the life of American hero Adam Brown.

Through brilliant, captivating writing, Blehm shares Adam’s story—a story of redemption and hope.  It is the type of story that changes a reader.  It is the type of story that causes one to question and ponder how he or she is living his/her own life.  It is the type of story that can bring conversion.

Adam admittedly didn’t always lead a Christian life, but God rescued him and in doing that, Adam saved lives, but more importantly, saved souls.

Adam was a true soldier, a tender warrior.  He leaned on Scripture and prayer for support and strength and believed God called him to help the helpless and oppressed by serving in the military and protecting and defending the weak and defenseless.

One Easter, Adam was in the heat of battle and some men were killed.  Adam said his heart was heavy because on the morning of the Savior’s resurrection he had slain men that were destined for hell.  Another soldier asked Adam how he could be a soldier and still be religious.  Adam answered: “One, I’m spiritual, not religious.  And two, I can’t believe you can do what we do and not be.”  That is the theme song of the book—how one soldier followed God’s calling upon his life, lived the Christian life, and in doing so gave away his life for others. 

I am thankful that this story has been told.  

“Hoorah,” Adam Brown.

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

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.