Greater by Steven Furtick

Greater by Steven Furtick book review.

The book as the title suggests is about doing greater things. Not necessarily a large project but to just look at your day-to-day life and how to do it well. It is a very light-hearted easy read. Furtick uses a lot of pop culture stories and keeps your interest throughout the book. If you are stuck in a rut this would be a good read for you.

If we all took Furtick’s advice this world would be a better place. I would give the book 3 out of 5 stars.

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

 

Red Letter Revolution book review

Red Letter Revolution

What If Jesus Really Meant What He Said?

By Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo

I was very excited to receive this book to review. A book by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne should be a home run. I love how Shane makes you really think about some tough topics. We don’t always see eye to eye on the issues but you have to love a book that makes you think. Tony has a huge amount of wisdom and passion that you just have to love. So what do you get when you mix these two together? A great concept that seemed to be rushed to get to printing. I know I will take some flack about this but the hole dialog back and fourth just didn’t work for me.

The one thing that I do take away from this book is to go back and reread the words of Jesus and to do what He says. So to that I thank you. It will challenge some of your thinking so I give it 4 stars.

I was given this book to read and blog my honest opinion about it by the publisher.

The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America

The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America

by Gabe Lyons

The Next Christians will challenge your way of thinking. Some of the things I agree with but some I don’t. I would recommend you to give it a try. If you love books that challenge your thinking, this is one for you. It will open your eyes about a lot of things in this crazy subculture we call Christianity.

Give it a try, I dare you.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher for an honest review.

Empty Promises book review

Empty Promises by Pete Wilson

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been discouraged, disappointed or felt like your prayers were not heard. So I guess this book is for everyone.It will help you to see things from the right prospective.

Pete reminds us that we are in a battle and that one way he attacks us is by making us give up on God’s promises.Just because we don’t see immediate results we give up. God doesn’t call us to quit. He calls us to fight. We might not see the results but we must put our trust in God that it is good. His promises are never empty.

 This book was supplied to me from the publisher for an honest review.

IMAGINE, BELIEVE and PURSUE your dreams

Verla and I were out shopping when we heard a little girl in her most serious voice tell her brother, “I imagined it, so it really did happen.” We both laughed and went on with our day. Then I began to think about what the little girl said and was shocked at this young girl’s wisdom.

As leaders we have to be people with big imaginations. If we can’t imagine how something can look, taste and feel, how can we sell others on our vision? If we can’t create a realistic story to share with others it has no chance of happening.

When we imagine it, we need to believe that it will happen. Belief in our dream and belief in our self is crucial  Don’t sell yourself short. If you can dream it, you can do it.  When we have that mindset the details start to fall in place.

So you have your dream, you believe it can happen, now you need to pursue it. Actively go after it. Don’t wait until the conditions are perfect. That will never happen. Run after your dream! That’s the only way you will achieve it. You are either running towards it or away from it. Which way are you running?

So my challenge is IMAGINE, BELIEVE and PURSUE your dreams.

Thank you little girl for waking up this sleeping giant. I will imagine and it will happen.

Dug Down Deep: Book Review

Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

I was really excited to get this book to review until I read the back cover. It had the dreaded words that bug me down deep (no pun intended). The words: doctrine, theology and orthodoxy. These are some of the most churchy words around. I figured it was going to be so boring and churchy that I didn’t want to read it. But I reluctantly  started to read the book. The more I read it the more I enjoyed it.

Harris has a great way of putting doctrine, theology and orthodoxy into relevant easy to understand terms. He uses personal stories and great illustrations to make his points. It was not boring. In fact it was quite engaging. I usually don’t reread books but this one I am keeping on the self to read again at a later date.

Once you read it I am sure you will recommend this to your friends.

This book was given to me by Blogging For Books to do an unbiased book review.

Radical – Book Review

Radical by David Platt-

Upon receiving this to do a review, I thought great another legalistic book on how God demands that I act like. The further I read into the book the more I was convinced that I was right. Then my heart started to change and I was wanting to change the way I act and treat others. Not because that is what I was supposed to do but because I wanted to. We get so caught up in the business of the day to day grind that we forget that we are supposed to love God and others. Not just when it’s convenient but as we through our day. By the end of the book I was pumped to do the challenge that David threw out to:

Pray for the world

Read through the Bible

Sacrifice for a purpose

Spend time in another context

Multiply community

They are such basic things that we all can do. Can you imagine what a world this would be if we all did these things because we had a huge love for God and others?

IT’S TIME TO GET RADICAL

Fight For Your City!

Have we forgotten how to fight?

What images does the word “FIGHT” stir up in your mind?  Is it a lawsuit? Is it yelling and screaming? Is it a full scale war? Is it a UFC match? For me the first thing that comes to mind is a UFC title match. I love to watch this sport. There aren’t a lot of sports where you see the athlete give everything they have. In the majority of the fights everything is left out in the cage. If you don’t bring your all, your going to get hurt and hurt bad.

Then today I came across this in the bible. “Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done. (2 Samuel 10:12) This was spoken by Joab to his brother as they were going out to war against a mighty army. A mighty army that wanted to defeat them. Joab and his brother committed all to God for the PEOPLE. Not for themselves, not because it was what they are supposed to do, not because they are told to. They did it FOR THE PEOPLE.

It made me think about the people in my city. Am I fighting for them? What is my definition of fighting when it pertains to them? Is it giving all I have to try and show the people God’s love? Is it doing it only when it’s convenient? Am I being courageous? Am I fighting bravely? Or am I just being a cheer leader. When things are going good and it’s an easy fight, is that when I jump in? Unfortunately I have to answer yes most of the time. I think if we are honest with ourselves most of us will say we are cheer leaders.

It’s time for us to take a stand, be courageous and FIGHT for the PEOPLE in our city. Not just when it’s convenient or when it’s not messy but when it is filthy and inconvenient. Can you imagine the difference in our cities if people started fighting for each other?

Max Lucado “Fearless”

Max Lucado’s book “Fearless” came at a great time. We are going through a lot of changes in our lives with jobs, sick parents, and our housing situation. We are all fearfull of something it seems. Sometimes we don’t even know it. Thanks to Max’s book you will be able to see it and to work through it. He has a chapter dedicated to our largest fears in society today. It also has a discussion guide in the back that would be great for a small group. “Fearless” is a book that I would recomend to many friends. Check it out, you won’t be sorry.

The Noticier by Andy Andrews

Just finished an incredible book called “The Noticer” by Andy Andrews. At first look I thought what kind of story can be captured on only 156 pages. Boy did I get a schooling. I was hooked from the first chapter. It has changed my perspective on life in a huge way.

The story all takes place in the town of Orange Beach, Alabama. A gentleman named Jones, not Mr. Jones just simply Jones was making life changing differences for so many people. Jones was all about perspective. It was amazing to see how peoples lives changed because of a new perspective.

The words of wisdom in this book are incredible. I have post it notes on my desk top with different quotes in it from the book. That is not normal for me. I am looking forward to rereading it again. Which I rarely reread a book.

A town of people where changed forever in the story of the book. A world of people will be changed forever by reading this book.