Greater is grrreeeaaaat!

FIVE STARS

REVIEW: Greater: Dream Bigger. Start Smaller. Ignite God’s Vision For Your Life. 

By Steven Furtick

Greater is grrreeeaaaat!

This is my first book read by author and Pastor Steven Furtick, and I look forward to reading more. 

While this book is serious in nature—about how we as Christians should be seeking the greatness God has for us—it is filled with well-written humor!  There were many times I was reading and just burst out laughing.  My husband kept asking: “What are you reading that is making you laugh so much?”  It is good reminder that yes, Christians can have a sense of humor.

The book is centered on the life of the Old Testament prophet Elisha.  Furtick does a superb job of taking the stories of Elisha found in Scripture, exegeting them so the everyday person can make sense of them, and then tying them back in to our lives today.  He does what any good pastor would do: proves that Scripture is alive and well today and isn’t just stories of the past that have no connection to us today.

Furtick makes many good points in the book as I can attest to with stars, underlying, and notes all over the pages.  It is a book I plan to go back to and not just forget.This book is worth it! 

It will encourage you to be more like Elisha—to go where God is calling you to go and do what God is calling you to do.  When you do that, it will not just be good or great, but GREATER!

For more information on the book and some free resources, visit http://greaterbook.com/. 

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

Planning to check out Unstoppable

There is a brand new book coming out in a few weeks that I am looking forward to reading… Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic.  If you don’t know who Nick is, he is an inspiration!

I already one of Nick’s books Life Without Limits last year (you can read my review of that book at http://karabookkorner.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html).

For this newest book, be sure to check out the short video about Nick, and you will see what I mean about him being an inspiration: http://bit.ly/NxKhEa.

And you can even read the first chapter of the upcoming book at http://scr.bi/NxKSFT.  I like what he says so far in this chapter…it is about putting faith into action and never passing up an opportunity to share your faith in Jesus with someone else (you will need to read the first chapter about the heart wrenching regret Nick has with Felipe).

So check it out.  I plan to!

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.