Chazown

As someone who is not gifted in the area of vision and planning I knew the latest book that I read would be a challenge to me. The "plan your life" type of books have been good to read but have never resulted in anything more than light reading for me. When I picked up Chazown by Craig Groeschel and saw the recommendations of some of my favorite authors I had a feeling this one might be a little different and I was right.
The author has a clear gift of vision and knows how to communicate this vision to the masses, but most importantly he gives you an outline of how you can apply this to your life. From the start the author lets you know that in order to achieve your own chazown it is going to require planning on your part. The rest of the book outlines a vision and plan that one can implement to achieve your goal. This is not a basic outline though as one may think: it delves deep into your soul and gets downright specific and at times uncomfortable. This is why I think this book has made an impact.
The part that I earmarked in this book and have applied to my life the most is in regards to relationships with people. He lays out a simple challenge: What relationship needs to be initiated, what relationship needs to be nurtured, what relationship needs to be restored, and what relationship needs to be severed. These challenges have made an impact and make the book well worth the read. Have I followed the outline step by step? No. But if you gain something from this book to apply to your life and give you a vision it is worth the time.
I received this book as part of the Multnomah Publishing Groups blogging for books program in exchange for an honest review.

Seeds of Turmoil Review

The latest book that I have read is Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright. I was particularly interested in this book due to some recent studying I have done on the Islam faith. Primarily I have done research on the Islam faith that begins with Mohammed and makes little mention of the Biblical history behind it. This book takes a look at the Biblical roots of the current crisis in the Middle East and lays out the account of Abraham and Isaac and Ishmael quite well. After studying the Islamic faith and the accounts of Mohammed this was an excellent back story of how the Islamic faith developed and what it means for the current world we live in.
For Biblical scholars and even those that have a basic understanding of the Old Testament this is by no means new research or groundbreaking territory but it certainly accomplishes what the writer set out to do: Give us a basis for understanding the conflict with Judaism and Christianity that the Muslim world has.
The one critique that I have for this book is that it is short on discussion of the current world and heavy on the history of it which is simply my own bias of less interest in history and more on application. This book does do what the writer set out to do though and that is give us a solid understanding of the roots of Islam.
I received this book as part of the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.

The Gospel According to Jesus

I finally got done recently with the latest offering from Chris Seay entitled The Gospel According to Jesus: A Faith that Restores all Things. This book tackles the fact that 84% of Christians do not even understand the concept of righteousness. In the book Seay gives us a clear understanding of this and lays it out in a way that is easy to understand. I did not find this book challenging to my current thoughts which is okay since I was on the same page for most of the book. This could be why it took me awhile to plod through this book while reading others. One of my favorite chapters though was Justification: Rise or Fall. This was particularly useful in a recent small group setting dealing with a common subject of good works. I pointed to the equation in this chapter of Jesus+anything does not equal Christian salvation. Although simple it helps to underscore our righteousness in God's eyes. I did enjoy this book but I did find it to be a beginners guide that would serve well with new Christians and a refresher for those that are strong in their faith and understanding of righteousness.
I did receive this book for free in exchange for an honest review from Booksneeze. I was not obligated to give a good review of the book.

Outlive Your Life

I recently finished reading Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado and was very challenged by this book. Max, with incredible passion, shares with us a challenge to leave a legacy much like the early church did. I do have to admit that the premise of the book is common in today's Christian circles and I found myself reckoning back to other books I have read that challenge the reader to make a difference in their particular sphere of influence. With that being said, I find the reminder is worthwhile and the stories of everyday people are encouraging to those who, like me, sometimes who feel that there is not a way to tackle such huge problems in the world. We can make a difference simply by seeing others through the lens of Jesus and taking action on that.
Overall I would say this book was good and the Scripture basis in Acts is solid. I would however say that there is a few books on the subject that do challenge the reader more to act.
I did receive this book free through Thomas Nelson's book sneeze program in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Book review-The Skin Map

Just read a new book entitled The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead. The title alone intrigued me and although I knew it was a fantasy type book which I normally steer away from this one looked like it might be easy enough to follow. I got into the book right away and was drawn into an interesting fantasy world that discusses ley lines (basically portals that people travel through one dimension or time into another) The characters in the book were well developed and the plot line was easy to follow for one that does not read fantasy too often. Ultimately the main characters are on a quest to find a "skin map" that reveals the secrets to ley line travel and the adventures they go on to achieve their goal are quite intriguing. Ultimately there is conflict over the map and the lead characters are in battle to find the map first. The writing was easy to follow, the characters were not too numerous that you could not keep track like some other fantasy books I have read, and it kept me interested throughout.
Two criticisms I would have for the book are the ending which was confusing and the marketing of it as a Christian book. It was definitely something that was not offensive in any way but I did find it hard to see parallels to Christian life. The ending simply left me empty as the book was an interesting read. With that being said, it is part of a series so I am assuming the next book(s) will certainly clear things up. It did not leave me wanting more like some other series though.
I did receive this book for free in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Venom and Song

Just finished reading Venom and Song which is Book Two of the Berinfell Prophesies, by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper. I received this book approximately two months ago and it took me quite awhile to get this book read and it is of my own accord as to why it took so long. I had not read the first in the series which made it very difficult to get into this book as I am guessing that the character development that took place in the first book would lend itself to easier reading.
With this being said I am intrigued by the 7 main characters that lead the adventure through Allrya. Throughout the adventure they learn more about their individual powers and there is certainly a lot of suspense.
The book is well written but I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of this type of literature as it becomes confusing to keep all the characters and adversaries straight. For the young adult that is looking for something to tide them over until the next Harry Potter type of series this would be one for their bookshelves though.
I did receive this book from Booksneeze.com for free in exchange for an honest review.

Change Your Church for Good

The book I have been reading for the last couple weeks is Change Your Church for Good by Brad Powell. This book, unlike some that I have read recently, challenged me to process what a church needs to do to examine itself from the inside out.
In this book the author examines not only what was wrong with the church he pastors, but also what could be plaguing many churches around the globe. He offers insight into how to examine the health of your church, but most importantly gives the church leader a blueprint for how to change it.
Looking at many dying churches these days, it is simple to nod your head in agreement with his rationale as to why they are dying and to applaud the blueprint of how to change. Although it seems simplistic, the author states plainly that "When a church isn't living up to values that God has given, it is failing."
The book has a wealth of information that can be used by church leaders, but not all of it will apply in every circumstance. I would consider it a good resource for self examination and prevention of the common pitfalls in a church and most importantly a great resource for a pastor that is taking over a dying church.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions presented are my own and a positive review is not required.

weakness

It is often amazing that when you are at your weakest point that the opportunities to glorify God become abundantly clear?

Book recommendation

Just read a great book by David Murrow entitled "The Map". Using it for a study as well with a group of men. High recommendations!!!

Thought of the day

Love is not a duty, it is our destiny......N.T Wright (Bishop of Durham)