Terribly Interesting

I was offered the wonderful chance to review this study by the publisher. I am very glad that I was able to. My little Monday night class at the church was deeply encouraged by Joanna and her personal journey to our intimate God. It was with refreshing tenderness that she spoke about our Jesus, y'all. It made you yearn for more of him.  I truly appreciated the angle that she took in telling the stories of Scripture's famous sisters. All of the focus is placed squarely on Christ. I wish I could divulge every detail to you. I want you to see how each person in the story preaches the gospel to us. I want you to see the tenderness that Jesus calls us to himself with. He does this even when our hearts are distracted. Mostly, I just want you to know that this study is worth doing. The dvd is excellent. Check out this study. This study was graciously provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah.

I wavered between wanting to love this book and having to prop my eyelids open to be quite honest. I read the awesome reviews by Joni Eareckson Tada and Jim Cymbala. I thought the bought would grab me right away. On the other hand, I thought the title sounded like a Southern Baptist sermon series.  Of course, we all want a deeper life with Jesus. We want to know hime more intimately. I thought I would give Mr. Henderson a shot at speaking to my heart as I read his book. The man had good things to say. He had beautiful scripture to quote and core theology to outline. His book was right on point. For some reason, I had a hard time reading it however. Perhaps it read more like a collection of sermons or a text book. In that vein, it was well put together. If your mind works that way or you are looking for a place to plunge into some core knowledge, this would be great for you.   I may or may not be inclined to lend it to a friend. It's not something you run over to you...

Voddie is one of my favorite writers. He explains the Bible with such clarity and tenderness towards Jesus. I enjoyed The Ever-Loving Truth and Family Driven Faith immensely. This telling of the life of Joseph was no different. Someone explaining that the story of Joseph was not some moral tale for us to emulate was like life to dry bones. The story wasn't about Joseph at all. It's a beautiful tale of redemption and the far reaching lengths that God goes to in order to rescue us. He sent Joseph on a horrible journey to ensure that the life of a scoundrel could be saved and redeemed. He did that so that we might have the Promised seed of Christ.  This is a must read. One thing that stood out to me was how Voddie points out that the most beautiful work of God here is the fact that Joseph is not bitter. He never corrects his brothers. He only points back to trusting in God's sovereignty. That is a work of grace. Get Voddie's book. I started praying through Fam...

I fell head over heels for this book, y'all. Sophie might be my new bff. I found myself wanting to reread the book once I had reached the end just so I could spend some more time basking in the Southern charm. I'm serious. If you live anywhere in the South, you can identify with Sophie. She tells the best stories about our family trees. I laughed out loud. I may have snorted. Her stories about her mother-in-law and her parents are hilariously endearing.  Let me tell you the one thing I loved about the book more than any other thing. It's the way she talks about Jesus. As we peruse our Christian books, most are often preachy and dry, but she accomplished a rare feat for her readers. She talked about our Jesus in such a natural way that it catches you off guard. Her delight and enjoyment of Him flows easily in her stories. She has given us a unique gift. Grab a copy and enjoy. Delight. Warning: This book will make you want to consume large quantities of bacon and c...

Several years ago I read a five book series entitled the Chronicles of the Kings. It told the story of several of the kings of Israel. The historical fiction helped the story come alive to me. I enjoyed those books so much. I had received this book in the mail before I realized that it was the same author that had written that series. I was truly excited to dive in. p I truly enjoy historical fiction because it helps me put some humanity with the biblical context. You can see the day to day struggle that the people went through. In this case, it was the Jewish people being freed from exile in Babylon and allowed to return and build the temple in Jerusalem. You can see families torn apart. Some left and some were comfortable in Babylon. Some had begun changing to be like their Babylonian neighbors and no longer cared about the things of God. As you read the Biblical narrative, you don't see the length of time of the hardship that accompanied this journey.  p I had a great...

The Jesus Story is something akin to a cliff notes version of the New Testament. It sums up all of the story of the life of Christ and puts it in a tidy little package. I think it would be a great book for someone who had no grasp on the text. I personally just found it dry the story itself, is of course, wonderful. How it was choppily put together was not. The Bible itself is such a poetic and beautiful book. I had a hard time with it becoming "they said or they did." I can see how it would be a benefit to some. I think it would be helpful in gleaning understanding of the life of Christ. Don't stop there. Indulge in the beauty of His word.  The book was graciously provided by Bethany House Publishers for review. 

When I saw this book title pop up in the queue for review, I sat and stared at it for a while. This is a pain I know. This is the reason that we opened the doors of Gomer's House. Our heart is to help those we come into contact with heal from the pain inflicted by others in ministry and church. It is a beautiful thing to walk out of pain into forgiveness. This book gives a true picture of what that looks like. I cried through some of these pages. Reading someone else's story about rejection and pain at the hands of God's people gives the quiet hurt inside of me some validity. What I feel is real. What happened is real. Anne felt it too. I think we all need to know that it is valid. Then we need to deal with it as graciously as possible. This is a guidebook to dealing with your hurt. I think every Christian should read this book. Anne's handling of the story of Hagar, the servant of Sarah and Abraham, was nothing short of brilliant. Inside this story we see a ...

 I saw this delightful book arrive in the queue for review with the publisher and I was immediately drawn to it. Reading the title and the description evoked beautiful (and hungry) thoughts. I don't know about you, but the sacrament of communion brings to my heart such tender thoughts toward Jesus. The book begins with her telling us that we can bring that blessing to our table at home. Every time you break bread with someone at your table, you can practice the thankfulness of the Eucharist. You had me at Jesus, Shauna. I was hooked. It evoked thoughts of the verses in Matthew that tell us whatever we give or do for others, you do for Me. I was hungry and you fed Me. Don't you love it. You can bring that delight like John reclining on Christ's breast right to your table. Be thankful. Shauna is a wordsmith. She is so rich in her descriptive language that she made me want desperately to do two things: love people in a deep, abiding way and eat decadently. She also m...

What would you feel like if one day you woke up and realized that your absentee, alcoholic dad was in the CIA and you never knew? Ian tells us what waking up to this realization was like for him. We follow him through the tale of his childhood and how scared and lonely his growing up years had been. We watch his dad erode into an alcoholic demise and see the impact that it had on Ian. This is a book that I think many of us can relate to. I didn't have much of a childhood myself and I wholeheartedly connected to Ian's struggle. He went through his own battle with alcoholism trying to cope with the sting of having an angry, demeaning parent. The amazing part is how our protagonist survived. He clung to the words of a radio personality and hung on to hope. We follow him through a Catholic upbringing and some truly fearful situations. The beauty of this story is where Ian is at now and how he is choosing to live invested in his family. He is a pastor and author. Ian is a...

I honestly would never want to read some boring book on leadership, but the word parable drew me in. I wondered what I might see wrapped in a story that I might not see in a guide book to leadership. As page built on page, I thought this was such a brilliant concept. The story made concepts and problem areas come alive in a way that no chart or diagram ever could.  I could see myself in the people in this story. I could see my own struggles and reluctance. There were clear examples of how how being a good follower grows you into a great leader. James shows the types and levels of followership as well as follower abuse. Often, in the church and in ministry people abuse power and hurt those who are seeking to serve the Lord under them. This is an excellent resource for seeing clear to the type of leadership and follwership we are called to. It is also a call to cease complaining about our leaders and our jobs and follow well. Grab your copy. This is an excellent read. This...

When I read The Hole on the Gospel, I was quickly enamored by Richard's heart for the least. I loved getting to see his heart develop and God grow his desires to love and care for the world. It has been no different reading Unfinished. Richard reminds us that we are not deciders of the gospel, we are disciples. Our task is to do what it says. Our mission is to populate the kingdom of heaven. The church in our day has the knowledge, the funds, and every conceivable thing to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. The mission remains largely unfinished.  The book is full of stories of ordinary people called to use what they had to share the gospel. Some were called to give up everything and some were called to better use what they had. The point is that we need to be on mission wherever we are or wherever God calls us to go. Read this book and challenge yourself.  This book was graciously provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

Recently, while perusing books with my girls in Target, I grabbed Anne Lamont's newest book. I simply love her literary voice. She has a style of writing that makes me want to curl up and drink coffee with Jesus. It's a restful tone. Now, before I go any further, I must tell you that Anne is no where near your usual Christian author. She has view points on things that make my skin crawl. Sometimes, she refers to God as "she" and many other things that most would balk at. I look past that to her searching and her story.  You can tell that Anne has a deep yearning for Christ and is learning to rest in reconciliation. Her simple approach is profound. Say a simple prayer exactly as you mean it. When things are painful and dark and words seem so superfluous, ask for help. Thank him for what he has done. Then stand in awe.   There are lines to take away from this.

This is a true story about a man who convinced his family to go on an outrageous road trip in order to bring healing to his family. I immediately wanted to read this book when I saw it. I wanted to know the lengths that this family went to in order to reconnect in a culture that devalues family. I saw more than that. We meet a contrite and humbled man who tells us that he wrecked his family and had an affair.  His wife filed for divorce, but he never received the final paperwork. During this year, he had a real encounter with the living God. He realized that he had been pretending in his faith up until this point. He then did the unexpected and asked his wife and children for forgiveness.  This and other circumstances led Brad to seek the Lord for a radical way to win back the hearts of his family. He discovered grace for himself as a father and came to see that the true work of winning the hearts of his kids belong to Jesus. That God did. You will love seein...

This book, obviously, is about being intentional in our parenting. I liked it for the most part because it reminded to to step out of reacting to the chaos that is having three small children and just enjoy them.  ..to delight in them. Parenting is not one of those, "we'll it's fine for them" or "we turned out okay doing it" kinds of jobs. We live on mission. The great thing about books like these is that it is a simple reminder to that calling and what a joy it can be to serve the Lord in it when we are preparing ourselves for it.  I enjoyed all the chapters except the angry Facebook rant. It seems to be the cool thing to do to bash social media right now. I think that things are what you make them. We had the same problems in my day and I learned to type on a typewriter, not the touch pad on my iPhone. I think we must set appropriate boundaries and teach our kids how to navigate things instead of blaming them for our issues.  I have read d...

David Wilkerson has presented a work for those of us who are tired of being pulled down by the weight of our sin and wanting to find hope in Christ. The book addresses how we are to find freedom in the promises of the New Covenant. We can truly do nothing to aid in our independence from our sin. Even the desire to be free is a gift of Jesus. I was wondering what David might have in store for us as I began reading this book. There are truly too many people giving bad opinions on our way out of sin. Truth is, there is one way out. There is one High Priest who grants us our redemption and our freedom. Anything we try to do in order to escape sin ourselves puts us in bondage to the Old Covenant. We are trying, like Uzziah, to be our own High Priest.  More than anything, I found this book to be worshipful. It was page after page of reasons why only Christ could save us from our sin. With so many being engaged in casting off demons and trying to help Christ do His work, this i...

I recently had the opportunity to read Joshua Harris' new book Humble Orthodoxy. It has it's roots in a section from his book Dug Down Deep. He was told over and over how deep, profound, and needed this section was in that book. He was often told that it should be a book in itself. I would have to agree. He expounded and expanded the topic of much needed humble orthodoxy. Reading through the text was akin to breathing fresh air for me. There is such division and judgmental mudslinging in the church that it grieves the soul. This book addresses the fact that we don't need to get carried away with inconsequential arguments, but we do need to stand firm for the gospel. The fact is that we are all wrong on some things, but we must all be right on one thing, Christ. I want to encourage you to pick this up and learn to engage those around you with the grace that exalt Christ. We must focus on important truths and the blood of Christ making atonement for sin. We must no...

Well, I read this book. When, I saw the title, I said, "Okay, I'll bite." I must say that I am not in any way a cessasationist. I believe that healings occur by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, with that said, I struggled through this book. My quick rundown would be angry rant, how he met his wife, angry rant, contradiction, weird connections, short exhortation. First off, Chad goes on with some bitter diatribe about someone telling him that God took his grandpa home to Heaven so he thought God was mean. His rant was about people tell you that your suffering is for the glory of God. Skip past the nice marital story and Chad himself tells you that God uses suffering for your good. Which is it? He does or He doesn't. Perhaps Chad should write about forgiving the person that gave him the message he misread and repenting before God of how he viewed Him.  Chad tells us how he doesn't like big showy healings, but most of the people he reference in his book ...

You know, I look forward to each book I crack open. It is like getting to peer into the beauty, the glory, the pain of who the author is. Such as in life, our experiences with people and their stories change us. Sometimes, we learn from the author's mistakes. On occasion, we may be led astray. Hopefully, we are made more fully alive by entering into the written relationship. Books change us. I have never read anything that Rebekah has written and I didn't know exactly what to expect from her. So much of our Christian bookstores are lined with embarrassingly shallow tales of self-pity. I was delighted to see that this was not one of them. This is a memoir of a truly difficult time. I was honestly surprised and encouraged by how much candor Rebekah shared with us. She laced her lines with the truth about her fears of mental illness, dealing with a special needs child, and feeling wholly lost in New York. This journey towards life and meaning was not lost on me. It see...

I love how we stand outside of church on Palm Sunday and all enter together waving our palm branches. The physical picture of the act is rich with meaning. I thought this was such a great follow up to share with my six year old. I always enjoy how R.C weaves words to help bring understanding to such a powerful topic.  This sweet little book about the donkey spoke even to me. It speaks to the attitude of servanthood that we carry. Even though we are allowed to carry such a great thing, such as the gift of Christ in us, we are to do so with great humility. Carrying a great thing does not make us great, it should humble us to our core. This is an excellent read. I am also taking a class by R.C. Sproul called Poets, Prophets, and Wisdom. It is excellent. I always enjoy his resources. Download the ebook or pick up your copy. This book was graciously provided by Ligonier for review.

I deeply enjoy people's stories. As I was reading the description of this book, it drew me in. I wanted to read Shannon's story. Her memoir beckoned me. Really, it's an unbelievable tale of losing her parents to a bear attack in Alaska and taking her own journey to grieve and make peace. We follow her through white water rapids in the Alaskan wilderness as she travels to the campsite where her family died. I have read many a biography and many autobiographies. Even though I love hearing the stories that people have to share, they are not always well told. Sometimes a poignant and gut-wrenching tale is told in a shallow way. This is not the case here. Shannon is obviously a woman of brilliance with a rich and deep character. The way she lays out her text is genuinely profound. It takes us through Mozart's Requiem. Requiem meaning rest is the name given to a funeral proceeding or a mass for the dead. Shannon takes us through each of the traditional portions of this...