| Reviews
– Books |
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| CHRISTIAN WRITING |
Same Kind of
Different as Me
by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
When my friend lent me a copy of Same
Kind of Different as Me, he warned, "This
is a hard book to read". Ok, I thought, as he handed
it to me, but I wasn't sure what he meant. Was he implying
it was written in a style that was challenging, full of
big words and concepts? Or that the subject matter was
heavy?
It turns out he was right, in the sense that the book
was challenging. It challenged my perceptions of others
and my actions, or inaction, when it comes to loving those
different from me and in need.
read
the entire review |
Learn to Study
the Bible
by Andy Deane
 A
new book by Andy Deane, an associate pastor at
Calvary Chapel Old Bridge in central New Jersey, offers
readers a multitude of ways to study the Bible. Learn
to Study the Bible (Xulon Press) presents
“forty different step-by-step methods to help you
discover, apply, and enjoy God’s Word”.
The chapters for each of the study techniques are short
and written with clear and easy to follow instructions.
Additionally, at the end of each chapter there is a hand-written
example from Deane. This is very helpful.
read the entire
review
|
The Cross —
38,102 Miles, 38 Years, 1 Mission
by Arthur Blessitt
 People
speak about having a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ, but the proof of such a relationship is how someone
lives their life. Basically, it is "walking the talk".
When it comes to walking there may be no other person
who has ever lived who has done as much walking as Arthur
Blessitt. Over a 38 year period he has traveled the globe,
some 38,102 miles, all part of a mission to carry a twelve
foot cross to every sovereign nation and major island
chain on the planet.
While the mission has been to carry the cross, the real
purpose of Blessitt's walking has been to talk to others
about Jesus. He has done this with believers and non-believers,
rich and poor, the famous and the anonymous. He's shared
his faith with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and people
of just about every religion, race and creed.
read
the entire review
|
Everything Belongs
— The Gift of Contemplative Prayer
by Richard Rohr, OFM
Everything
Belongs is the one book by Richard Rohr (noted
author, speaker and founder of the Center for Action and
Contemplation) I recommend more than any of his others.
He has written many wonderful books, but this one contains
several of the oft-repeated themes found in his other
writings.
Subtitled The Gift of Contemplative Prayer,
this work helps us to see a number of things that we often
have been blinded to, even if we think we are good Christians.
Each chapter has many nuggets of insight which help us
discover, or remind us again of the existence of what
I call the Great Mystery of Divine Reality.
read the entire
review
|
Dying To Live
— The Paradox of The Crucified Life
by Clive Calver
 One
of the challenges of being a Christian in today's society
where there is such an emphasis on ambition, performance
and consumerism is that the message of Jesus Christ gets
watered down, if not lost altogether.
Dr. Clive Claver has written a book that calls us back
to the focal point of following Jesus. Dying
to Live: The Paradox of the Crucified Life
(Authentic Publishing) addresses the hunger that many
Christians feel. This hunger is for the real substance
of Christ. Many new believers are joyful and excited for
a time, but it wears off because they are not taught,
or somehow miss, the message that following Christ means
dying to self and taking up your own cross (see Matthew
16:24).
read the entire review
|
|
Finding Grace
by Donna VanLiere
 Donna
VanLiere is a bestselling author known primarily for
her holiday hope series (including The Christmas
Shoes, The Christmas Blessing). Her books
have inspired many. Now she gives us her own story.
In Finding Grace she details her life full of pain and
joy, searching for God and trying to find meaning and
purpose.
read the entire review
|
Set My Heart
On Fire - Experience the Power of the Holy Spirit
by Catherine Martin
 Wouldn’t
it be great if you had a helper that would provide you
fresh insight into how to live life? A helper that knows
you better than you know yourself, who reminds you of
what God wants you to know, and is intimately connected
to your very heart and soul?
Catherine Martin, the author and founder of Quiet
Time Ministries, has written an inspiring “30
day journey” with Set
My Heart On Fire – Experience the Power of the Holy
Spirit (Harvest House Publishers). The
book is designed to take you on a five week expedition
to explore who the Holy Spirit is and how your heart can
be kindled with the passion and power of the Spirit in
your daily living.
read the entire
review
|
The Way of the
Dreamcatcher: Spirit Lessons with Robert Lax: Poet, Peacemaker,
Sage
by ST Georgiou
 The
Way of the Dreamcatcher: Spirit Lessons with Robert Lax:
Poet, Peacemaker, Sage (Novalis Press) was
written by Steve T. Georgiou, a teacher and writer from
San Francisco who traveled to Greece seeking spiritual
renewal. He had no idea who Robert Lax was or that he
had been living on the Greek isle of Patmos (where the
disciple John wrote the New Testament's Book of Revelation).
He was steered to this poet and sage by residents of the
island.
read the entire
review
|
Lessons From
the Road
by Nigel James
It would be easy for anyone having
the opportunity to tour with a popular and inspirational
band like Third
Day to get caught up in their success and prestige.
Nigel James has toured with the group for several years,
serving in the capacity of road pastor. He admits early
in his book Lessons
from the Road that the opportunity has
been special. He’s had wonderful experiences over
the years and his faith has been strengthened even while
helping provide spiritual direction to band members.
read the entire
review
|
The Shack
by William P. Young
The
Shack is a bestselling novel, but the
author, William P. Young, wrote it specifically for his
family and children. His original intention wasn’t
to write a work for publication, but spurred on by his
friends and family he did write a powerful story about
grief, redemption and an intriguing look at God, the Trinity.
And he did it with an imaginative approach.
read the entire review
|
Wild Indians
and Other Common Misconceptions
by Carol Martin
 Some
people think missionary work is a special and holy calling
that only very devout people are capable of doing. Others
think it is an incredible sacrifice with painful primitive
living conditions. And some think of the vocation as a
wild and amazing adventure. There is some truth in any
of these observations, but the real experiences revealed
in Wild
Indians and Other Common Misconceptions
gives us a powerful insight into missionary life.
read the entire review |
|
Deception by Randy Alcorn
 Ollie
Chandler is about as hard-boiled as a homicide detective
can be. He has pretty much seen it all. He’s also
lived through some tough patches, including the loss of
both a child and a wife. Death is part of his world, but
the biggest danger he faces might be the death of his
soul.
Randy Alcorn, popular Christian fiction and non-fiction
writer, has created a real page turner with this novel.
Deception is the third in a set of novels
read
the entire review |
|
Furious Pusuit - Why
God Will Never Let You Go
by Tim King and Frank Martin
 There
is a lot of talk about the need for people to find God.
People are clearly searching for meaning and purpose.
All too often we seek it in the wrong things that will
never satisfy, usually power, prestige, finance and
romance. At the heart of it is a desire that is basically
spiritual, even if we don’t identify it as such.
Tim King and Frank Martin are the authors who collaborated
on Furious
Pursuit – Why God Will Never Let You Go
(Waterbrook Press). They have given us a book that gets
to the heart of why we all desire meaning and purpose
in life and why trying to find or chase God misses the
point. The reason we all have an inner urge to seek
the Divine is because God pursues us! God, the all loving,
all powerful, ever present Creator of our lives is constantly
initiating contact. It’s just that we often don’t
perceive it.
read
the entire review
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Letters to a Young Evangelical
by Tony Campolo
 Campolo’s
latest book, Letters
to a Young Evangelical, is written
in a style reminiscent of the Apostle Paul. He writes
each chapter as a letter to two young Christians known
as Julia and Timothy. These two disciples are meant
to represent any interested young evangelist in today’s
society. The letters are written with clarity, insight,
honesty and wit and the author does not shy away from
hot-button topics that are currently dividing believers
in America and around the world. Some of these topics
include abortion, gay rights, war (especially the current
Iraq conflict), feminism, Islam, the secular workplace
and the environment.
read
the entire review
|
Free of Charge
- Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace
by Miroslav Volf/Zondervan
Miroslav Volf is a distinguished theologian
and his book, Free
of Charge – Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped
of Grace (Zondervan) explores two essential
elements of Christianity. Giving and forgiving are given
great lip service by Christians, but how many of us consistently
practice both?
Volf shows us in this book, both through personal experience,
and from his interpretation of the true meaning of giving
and forgiving, how to practice these virtues.
read
the entire review |
Confessions
of a Caffeinated Christian
by John Fischer/Tyndale-Salt
Water
 I
like John Fischer’s writing. He doesn’t come
across preachy. His style is more down-to-earth, a regular
guy who likes music, family and a good cup of coffee.
But, he also likes to dig into what it really means to
be a Christian, especially in these days of the latest
“method” of study, fellowship and witnessing.
He’s willing to take a look at form and try to find
real substance. He comes across pretty honest and open-minded.
In Fischer’s book, Confessions
of a Caffeinated Christian, he uses
coffee and the coffee shop metaphor to illustrate aspects
of his faith walk. He needs something to give him a jolt
each day, something to provide some wide-awake alertness
to living the life God calls us to. And he knows, like
a good strong cup of coffee, he needs strength to admit
how much he needs Jesus to live life on life’s terms.
read
the entire review |
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left
Doesn't Get It
by Jim Wallis/Harper San Francisco
“God is not a Republican or a
Democrat.” This is a statement that has become a
rallying cry for many Christians in the past year. The
United States has experienced a lot of contention over
religion and politics (the two topics we are supposed
to avoid in so-called polite conversation). In God’s
Politics the author, Jim Wallis, boldly
calls for a new way to approach political matters and
flatly states that there is a moral responsibility for
the Christian believer – in fact, any person of
faith – to look closely at the messages God has
sent us, through the Gospels and from people’s hearts.
read the entire review
|
Rumors of
Another World
by Philip Yancey/Zondervan
 Something
about our lives and our world tells us there is more than
meets the eye. The saying, “things aren’t
always as they seem” fits this book well.
Philip Yancey has written a number of profound books,
many of them bestsellers. In Rumors
of Another World
(Zondervan Press) he approaches the God subject from
a different angle. He deeply senses an unseen world that
transcends the physical that we live in. He believes there
are clues and messages at every turn. And this is something
he believes other people also sense.They are the ones
who, in his words, “live in the borderlands of belief”.
read
the entire review |
The Rabbi's
Heartbeat
by Brennan Manning/NavPress
 The
book, The
Rabbi’s Heartbeat, is set in four
parts that address being true to ourselves, living in
a constant state of childlike love, accepting with responsibility
the constant flow of grace and letting your heart lead
(not your head). Each section has a few short chapters
and each can be taken as a short devotional that will
lead you to interior contemplation and joyful recognition
that God loves us first. Children don’t earn their
parents’ love. Parents love them because they are
their children. Thus it is when we lean our head on the
breast of our Savior and listen to the Rabbi’s heartbeat.
read the entire review
|
The Rock
Cries Out by Steve Stockman/RELEVANTBOOKS
The inspiration for the book, The
Rock Cries Out, came from the songs
of several singer/songwriters who have proclaimed a universal
message about the human condition and the need to do something
about it. Not every one of these artists may have answers
and most do not profess Christianity. Indeed, many of
them may be, like many of us, searching. Often the questions
are the important starting place.
The author, Steve Stockman, draws upon a wealth of material
from a number of music heavyweights. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell,
David Gray, Radiohead, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen
and others are writing about issues that any Christian
must confront if they are to truly call themselves a follower
of Christ. That these messages in song come from unlikely
sources is a key point and one well worth exploring.
read
the entire review |
The Gospel
Reloaded by Chris Seay and Greg Garrett/Pinon Press
 In
the first Matrix movie Morpheus tells Neo it’s the
“question that drives you” and there are plenty
of questions driving the spiritual analysis in The
Gospel Reloaded (Pinon Press). The book
is authored by Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia, a progressive
Christian community in Texas, and Greg Garrett, professor
of English at Baylor University and author of the Pulitzer
Prize-nominated novel Free Bird. Using the many
different religious and philosophical themes in the Matrix
movies as a springboard they delve into the characters,
the plot and even the action and special effects elements
in a wide-sweeping exploration of the big questions.
read
the entire review |
House of
Gold, by Bud MacFarlane Jr./Saint Jude Media
 Bud
MacFarlane’s third novel, House
of Gold, takes the premise of a millennium
bug and weaves another terrific, page-turning tale of
fear, doubt, faith and perseverance. The story combines
the apocalyptic suspense of Pierced
by a Sword with the tight knit band
of friends from Conceived
Without Sin, but the end time scenario
is based on the possibility of technology backfiring rather
than biblical prophetic doom. This makes the book more
plausible for a wider audience. MacFarlane does have an
agenda with his novels (and they are a loosely connected
trilogy of sorts), but he’s not pushing his religion
as much as demonstrating how faith in God and divine love
can carry us through the bleakest times.
read the
entire review |
|
Soul Brothers, by Richard
Rohr/art by Louis Glanzman. Orbis Books
When people turn to the Bible for
guidance most are looking for words from God that they
can apply to their particular circumstances. Often the
best lessons come from the lives of the people we read
about in scripture. Richard Rohr’s book, Soul
Brothers, is a collection of his meditations
and thoughts from scripture that allow us to learn some
important lessons. The writing was inspired by the incredible
artwork of Louis Glanzman – portraits of a dozen
different and prominent men in the Bible.
read
the entire review
|
Doing Business by Good Book by David L. Steward. Hyperion
Books
 The
Bible has all the key lessons for good business principles
that anyone would ever need. There are principles like
servant leadership, being honest, being non-judgmental,
maintaining integrity, striving for excellence, adapting
to change, having a vision and much more.
Doing
Business by the Good Book: 52 Lessons on success straight
from the Bible by David L. Steward with
Robert L. Shook (Hyperion books) is the newest entrée
on the business book shelves.
read the entire
review |
Next Door Savior by Max Lucado.
W Publishing Group
 Just
about anyone who has seriously explored who Jesus Christ
is has grappled with the enormity of the issue of fully
human and fully divine. It is so difficult to wrap our
minds around it that many people either put Jesus on a
lofty pedestal, up in the heavenly clouds with God or
they reject the divine incarnation, maybe opting instead
for the belief that he was just a really good man.
Max Lucado is smooth. In his book, Next
Door Savior, his warm and anecdotal
style lures us into being at ease with this subject. He
has a wonderful way of pointing out Jesus’ human
qualities and makes him approachable. However, once we’ve
settled into the book and feel good about how much Jesus
was at home with saints and sinners Lucado lowers the
boom and leaves us gasping at the extent God has been
willing to go to redeem us.
read the entire review |
Spiritual
Journeys: How Faith Has Influenced Twelve Music Icons
(various authors)
Scantily clad beautiful pop
divas with a message of faith. Rough and rugged troubadours
that tout redemption and grace while battling demons of
addiction. Young rock singers questioning the cosmos and
professing powerlessness to save themselves. Vegetarian
techno mixers following Jesus. Hip hop, guitar rock, country,
folk, gospel, rap, R&B and electronica. These are
the sounds of music and the voices of twelve music icons
profiled in Spiritual
Journeys.
read
the entire review
How Movies Helped Save My
Soul by Gareth Higgins
 I’d
like to write a book like this. However, I am no more
than an amateur movie critic. Still, my love of cinema
runs deep and I enjoy discussing films, especially their
spiritual impact.
Fortunately for me, and you, Gareth Higgins
has written a book rich in discourse on the movies that
have in some fashion influenced his spiritual growth.
How
Movies Helped Save My Soul ( RELEVANT books)
is an audacious title, but much like Higgins writing style,
the title is somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
read the entire review
|
Conceived
Without Sin by Bud MacFarlane Jr.
 What
is real friendship all about? Is it possible to be truly
intimate with another, even when talking about God and
religion? Does God guide people into our lives?
These are a few of the questions that might go through
your mind while reading Conceived
Without Sin, the second novel from Bud
MacFarlane Jr. These are good questions for all of us
to ponder. Because this very subject matter is the heart
of the book you can really benefit from reading it, and
that makes this book even more impressive than MacFarlane’s
first effort.
read the entire review
|
Pierced by
a Sword by Bud Macfarlane Jr.
 End
time and apocalyptic thrillers are all the rage these
days. Most of them are focused on various Rapture scenarios
or the imminent rise of an Anti-Christ. The phenomenal
popularity of the Left Behind series has many other writers,
agents and publishers scrambling to capture lightning
in a bottle.
The refreshingly different approach of Pierced
by a Sword, by Bud MacFarlane
(Saint Jude Media) is all the more enhanced because
of this. This is a near-future thriller with prophetic
implications coming from a different direction.
read the
entire review |
Letters Between a Catholic
and an Evangelical
by Fr. John R. Waiss and James G. McCarthy
You can tell that both Fr.
John R. Waiss (Catholic priest) and James
G. McCarthy (evangelical minister) have a good
friendship. Their correspondence via emails, letters and
phone calls are their methods of communication throughout
this unique book, Letters
Between a Catholic and an Evangelist (Harvest
Books). Each exchange is always prefaced by greetings
and concerns for each other and their friends and family.
Once they jump into the topic, however, it is often like
someone rang the bell for the next boxing round! They
both hold strongly to their positions. At first this was
bothersome. As I proceeded through the book I began to
appreciate it more. Clearly explaining each doctrine and
the teaching behind it and the understanding each man
has is necessary, even if it gets frustrating.
read
the entire review |
Fathering
Like the Father
by Kenneth O. Gangel and Jeffrey S. Gangel
 This
book, Fathering
Like the Father by Kenneth Gangel and
Jeffrey Gangel and published by Baker Book House Company,
takes an interesting approach. The authors are a father/son
team, so they can speak both from personal experience
as well as from the timeless directions in the Bible.
The Gangel father/son team skillfully uses the stories
of various fathers in the pages of the Bible to illustrate
good and bad ways of being a father. It’s not so
much a precise formula as a group of guiding principles
drawn from Scripture combined with their personal experience.
read
the entire review
|
Things You
Should Know By Now
by Jason Boyett
 Things
You Should Know By Now (by Jason
Boyett/Relevant Books) is described as a “mini-life
manual for the Quarterly aged, but the tips and thoughts
in the book are good for anyone. I found myself wincing
at times over things I should have known by 25 (according
to the book) that I’m still struggling with over
20 years later. Ouch! However, there is much good wisdom-cum-common
sense here.
read
the entire review |
The Messenger
by Tim Woodroof
 Immerse
yourself in the world of the Apostle Paul and the early
church. In The
Messenger (Navpress) Tim Woodroof writes
dramatically and with great description and feeling. He
literally swept me into the ancient world of the Roman
Empire, and filled my imagination, especially the people.
People who were cruel or kind, selfish or servile, handsome
or roughhewn; all of them living in a world that was being
changed in an incredible way by the “incredible
Way”. Through this novel I sensed the struggles
of the church-going Philippians, the new and future Christians,
their hardships and spiritual triumphs.
read the
entire review |
Abba's Child:
The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging
by Brennan Manning
Review by Tom Gilbert
A secure child has a sense of being loved. This is one
of the key concepts in Abba’s
Child by Brennan Manning (NavPress).
The idea that God truly loves each of us, just for who
we are, without condition and continuously despite our
many mistakes, failings and hang-ups, is something that
you might struggle with. I do. Certainly the author does,
as he relates so honestly in this updated
edition.
read the entire review
|
Let's Roll!
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage
by Lisa Beamer (with Ken Abraham)
Review by Tom Gilbert
Let’s
Roll! Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage
(by Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham/Tyndale Publisher) is
a national bestseller. The book captures the heroic character
of Todd Beamer. It tells of his involvement, along with
other brave passengers, in preventing Flight 93 from becoming
an additional weapon of huge destruction on September
11, 2001. This book, however, is much more than a gripping
account of the events surrounding the ill-fated flight
on 9-11. It’s also a tale of two people very much
in love – in love with each other and with God.
read the entire review
|
The Good Book
and the Big Book
By Dick B.
Review by Tom Gilbert
Alcoholics Anonymous’ remarkable early success is
the focus of The
Good Book and the Big Book, by Dick
B. The author makes the case that the program and its
twelve steps are rooted in the Bible and its principles.
His exhaustive research, complete with numerous footnotes,
shows that the early days of A.A.’s fellowship relied
heavily on the Bible as well as devotionals and writings
by notable ministers and clergy for their recovery and
consequent spiritual awakenings.
read the entire review |
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