Messy Grace

As I was thinking through my review of the book, Messy Grace, I received a text from my wife that a dear friend is planning a wedding at the end of this month; a same-gender wedding. Hearing the news came as a bit of a shock, but also a reminder that the issue of same-gender relationships and marriages is not going away.

In his book, Caleb Kaltenbach shares his story of growing up with gay parents. He tells of his memories of growing up splitting time between mom and dad (as most kids of divorced families have to do). What makes his situation somewhat unique is that the time spent with his mom also involved spending time with Vera, his mother’s partner. Kaltenbach didn’t find out until college that his father was also gay.

The author writes about how his parents responded to people who were opposed to and in favor of the homosexual lifestyle. He tells some not so flattering stories of how “church people” spoke in very unkind ways to his mom and her friends. His mom took him to several events and he had a very close interaction with that particular LGBT.

In the book Kaltenbach shares scriptures and his unique insights into how the church can respond and live out the title of the book, Messy Grace. While there aren’t easy answers to this issue, Kaltenbach speaks with one who has unique insight that most of us don’t have.

While I think this is an important issue that the church is still wrestling with, I found this book to be somewhat of a harder read than I expected. It didn’t engage me as much as I thought it might. Despite that issue, I think this book can be a good tool for those who need some direction in how to show this Messy Grace,

Ask It Review

Your greatest regret could have been avoided had you asked this particular question and then acted on your question.

That is a pretty powerful statement when you take a minute to consider it. By asking a particular question (and acting on it), you can avoid regret? Sounds pretty bold. In his book, Ask It, Andy Stanley makes some pretty powerful arguments that support that statement.

From his years of being a pastor in the church and also growing up as a pastor’s kid, he has a unique perspective on the decisions people make. At one point in the book, he says that we can learn from past bad experiences and poor choices, even if it is someone else’s bad experiences and poor choices. He has seen enough regret and hurt in the lives of people that he understands the importance of asking this question.

Here is the question: In light of my past experiences, my current circumstances and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do? It is based on a passage of scripture in Ephesians 5.

While that may not seem like an earth shattering question, when you begin to apply it, it does provide wisdom. In the book he applies this question to specific areas of our lives including time, morality and finances.

The strength of this book is the practically in which Stanley writes. He doesn’t speak in generalities or with examples that don’t fit with our culture, but in very practical ways and cuts right to the heart of many issues.

Near the end of the book he makes a pretty observation. He notes that many people feel like the decisions they make are of a private nature. Basically my decisions are mine to make. However, the consequences of those decisions become public. Basically, whoever you marry, whatever car you drive or home you purchase, whatever job you take, people are going to know. Your private decisions will be public. It makes sense, then, to involve people in the front of those decisions so that when the outcome is public, there are no regrets.

Ask It is a good book and would be a great tool for a small group. Not only is asking the question important, but then applying the answer to that question.

A Short Walk to the Edge of Life

I think most people like the story of the over comer, the one who achieves despite having the odds staked against them. A Short Walk to the Edge of Life is such a story. Scott Hubbartt tells his story of survival, of overcoming what appears to be nearly impossible odds and beating both the rugged terrain of the Andes and the poor decisions that lead him there.

The beauty of this book is that even though the reader knows how the story ends (the subtitle lets you know he survives), I was still engaged by the situations he faced, how close he came to not making it out and all he endured. I found myself wondering how I might respond if I were in the same situation.  Hubbartt’s background and experience were a help to him, but he also had to make some tough choices during this experience.  Could I suck water from clay through a pair of my own underwear?  Not sure I would have thought about that.

Hubbartt shares his thoughts as he dealt with not knowing if he would make it out alive. He writes the elation of being rescued and the regret he felt if he wasn’t able to survive. He also writes candidly about his crying out to God and the emotions that he experienced.

While sometimes we tend to modify past events (to make ourselves look better), he points very clearly to his own poor choices and pride that put him into the life-threatening situation.  He places all the blame on himself for being where he was and also gives all the credit to God for rescuing Him and His miraculous provision.

A Short Walk to the Edge of Life was a good read and speaks to how God can bring good out of bad situations.  If you like stories of survival and the seeing someone overcome, you would enjoy this book.

#CrashTheChatterBox

Crash the Chatterbox is the first Steven Furtick book I’ve read. The title piqued my interest although I wasn’t sure what the chatterbox was. In the book he not only explained the chatterbox, but described how to deal with it.

He describes the chatterbox as the lies we believe that keep us from accurately and actively hearing God’s voice. He referenced a stat that said the average person has more than 60 thousand thoughts per day and over 80% of those thoughts are negative. Whether that stat is true or not, we’ve all had the experience where we have had a silent discussion with ourselves – that chatter that goes on in our head about whether we should attempt something new or even chiding ourselves for a mistake we just made. In Crash the Chatterbox Furtick gives some tools for silencing that chatter.

One of the things I appreciated about the book is that Furtick kept pointing back to God’s Word as the main way to silence the chatter. In one chapter he used Jesus as the example of how to silence the lies of the enemy. He said this in chapter 4: “That’s why Satan’s temptation of Jesus had no more chance of succeeding than a Guns N’ Roses original lineup reunion tour. Because Jesus was fully loaded with the Word of God. He was literally preloaded with the truth of scripture in a way that only He could be: He was the Word of God.” As Jesus used God’s Word to silence the chatter of the enemy, we need to do the same.

Furtick’s book is filled with both personal stories and other people’s accounts of how the chatterbox has tried to defeat and derail. He balances the personal experiences of people and the truth of God’s Word to provide insight on crashing the chatterbox. At the appropriate time he inserted some humorous story or comment to keep the reader engaged.

I earmarked several pages in the book for future reference. It was a good read and provided insights to help followers of Jesus hear Him above the chatter.

You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader

This is my first Mark Sanborn book, but I’ve heard him speak before and know he is a prominent voice in the area of leadership. Even if I didn’t know the author, the title of the book would have been enough of a hook to interest me in reading the book. I like the concept that everyone can lead regardless of the name on the letterhead or your business card. Since leadership is primarily about influence, a title is not required.

In the early pages of the book, Sanborn establishes that as a primary principle: “The bottom line is, influence and inspiration come from the person, not the position.” His encouragement to the reader is that he or she can be leader, even if his or her title doesn’t reflect a leadership position.

Throughout the book, he provides examples from his own experience and the experience of others to demonstrate how influence and inspiration can come from all different levels. He refers to people who are teachers, bellhops in a hotel, insurance customer service agents and waitresses to give evidence of leadership.

One of his principles I highlighted was this: “Leadership is intimately linked to service.” Whether someone sits at the top, in the middle or at the bottom of an organization, he/she can still be a leader as he/she serves.

A critique I have of this book is that at times it seem a little disjointed. I felt like he jumped from topic to topic within a chapter. While the content was good, I didn’t always feel like it connected within the chapter.

I really like the principles Sanborn lays forth regarding leadership and it would be a good read for anyone who seeks to be a person of influence.

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

The Best Question Ever – a review

Andy Stanley is one of my favorite authors and speakers. He communicates in an engaging way, both in the spoken and written word, and is also very practical. He continues that in his book The Best Question Ever.

In this offering, Stanley explores what he calls a new approach to decision-making. His premise is that rather than look to make the right decision, we should look to make the wise decision. He states it like this: “In light of your past experience, your current circumstance, and your future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do.”  Rather than just look at a decision and see if there is anything wrong with it, we should see what is wise.

In The Best Question Ever Stanley applies this question to decisions regarding our time, our money and our relationships.  In all these areas, making wise decisions is vital because they can have lasting impact on our own lives and those around us.

I like how Stanley emphasizes the importance of making wise choices on page 125 of the book:  “None of us plan – or intend – to get into trouble.  The problem is, we don’t have a plan not to.  Adopting the Best Question Ever enables us to plan not to.”

Everyone wants to make good decisions.  In this book, Stanley gives some good insight from God’s Word on how to go about making good decisions and part of it is seeing that we are not as unique as we think we are.  When faced with a decision, we can convince ourselves that we are the exception to the rule.  We can go down a certain path because we can handle it, we are smarter or it simply won’t happen to us like it does to other people.  On page 111, he puts on paper what many people think:  “Nobody has ever felt this way before. No one has to deal with what I have to deal with.  I can handle it.  I’m not live everybody else…”

Stanley speaks directly to our need to see that we aren’t unique, that we do need wisdom outside of our ourselves, that wisdom seeks advice from others and God wants to help us make those wise decisions.

The Best Question Ever would be a good resource for high school and college students and young adults.  While more mature adults would benefit from this book, many of the decisions to which he refers are being made by those in the young adult period of their lives.  This would be a good tool for pastors and leaders in student ministry to work through in a small group setting.

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

Unstoppable review

Many people are familiar with Nick Vujicic from his videos on YouTube and the sharing of his story through social media. Unstoppable is his second book and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read his first one yet, I knew this would be a good read.

What is interesting to see is the response Nick’s picture and story receive when initially viewed. I used a brief quote from Unstoppable in my Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago and I assumed most of my students had heard of Nick. Those who hadn’t were a bit taken back by the cover of his book. The first time you see a picture of a man born without limbs causes you to wonder how it happened or if the picture is real. He definitely captures a person’s attention.

While Nick’s story is both powerful and inspirational, I felt the strongest part of Unstoppable were the chapters that dealt with the subjects of bullying and suicide. In his story, Nick candidly shares his struggles with both of those issues. He offers practical advice and helpful resources to those who may be struggling with suicide or bullying and offers encouragement to those who know people battling with one of those challenges.

What added weight to the words of his own experiences were the stories he shared of people he met who contemplated suicide or were victims of bullying. He made it clear that those issues aren’t just dealt with by those who have a physical challenge such as his. The stories he shared of people he has met in his ministry under girded what he wrote about and brought those dark issues into the light.

He also brought a good challenge to the reader who may have a friend who is bullied or is showing signs of harming oneself. His encouragement was to step in, provide support and seek outside assistance for those who need it. One of the difficulties Nick had from his bullying experience was that no one spoke up for him. I thought his words on those two subjects were very helpful and a good resource.

Unstoppable is a story of faith, trust in God and how God uses people of all shapes and sizes to accomplish His work. It is a good read for both teens and adults.

(I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my review)

The Fourth Fisherman – a review

The story of The Fourth Fisherman weaves together the story Joe Kissack, a man in the US, with three fisherman from Mexico who are lost at sea for months and survive.

Both stories standing alone would make for compelling reading.  Joe tells his story of success in business, but struggles in his personal life, including his marriage and relationship with God. The account of the fishermen, how they were adrift at sea and managed to survive for such a long time draws you in and you causes you to turn the page to see what happens next.

The combining of these two stories makes for unique reading, especially when you discover the obstacles that Joe had to overcome to meet the fishermen face to face.

As Joe says in the book, it is not just about two stories; it is one story – God’s story.   It is God’s story of forgiveness, rescue and God’s involvement in the lives of His people.

The Fourth Fisherman will not only move readers with the facts of the story, but also challenge readers with the faith displayed by the characters in the book.  Knowing that these were real events that happened to real people will challenge the reader to examine how he/she would respond in a similar situation.

This book is a good read and worth your time.

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

 

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

I first read Batterson’s In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day several years ago and then had the opportunity to review it for the Blogging for Books program.  Batterson has become one of my favorite authors and I have had the opportunity to read and review Primal, Soul Print and just recently received The Circle Maker.

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is based on the story of Benaiah, one of King David and Solomon’s soldiers, who defeated a lion along with some other remarkable achievements.  Batterson uses Benaiah’s story as a spring-board to talk about how we face opportunities.

Mixing in Biblical references and stories from his own life and the lives of others he knows, Batterson provides seven principles to help Christ followers when confronted with new challenges.  He offers some good insights and make some nice parallels between Benaiah’s (and other Biblical characters) experiences and how we respond to the lions we face.

Chapter 4 on “The Art of Reframing” and chapter 6 called “Playing It Safe is Risky” provided some good challenges to me as I read it.  Overall, it is an excellent book and applies to all Christ followers because, even though our lions might be different, we still need help in facing them.

One nice feature of this book was the summary at the end of each chapter.  There were several bullet points that hit the highlights from the chapter.  It would provide a good launching pad for discussion.

This is definitely a good read and one you should check out.

(I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my review).

Living Close to God review

Mr. Edwards begins his book in a different manner that one would expect. Rather than describing his qualifications for writing a book, he highlights his lack of ability to do what he is writing about. He points to the fact that he is not naturally a spiritual person, yet had the desire to grow in his relationship with Christ. The book is a description of how a person, even one who is not naturally a “spiritual person,” can grow closer to Jesus.

Reflecting a desire to make the pursuit of Christ accessible even to those who are illiterate, Mr. Edwards keeps things quite simple and practical. He uses his grandfather as an example that even uneducated people can live in close relationship to Jesus. While his grandfather didn’t have benefit of formal education, he displayed a deep relationship with God. Mr. Edwards’ desire was to have a relationship with Jesus similar to that.

Instead of focusing on the extensive reading of the classic writings of Christian authors or long hours in Bible study, Mr. Edwards talks about taking moments during the day – when one first awakes, when one gets in the car to leave for work, at lunch time – to touch Christ. Sometimes it is just taking 15 seconds to recognize God’s presence in the middle of a busy day.

One of the aspects of the book I appreciated was the use of scripture to connect with God. Rather than regale God with a long list of prayer requests, the author suggests slowly speaking a passage of scripture back to God. Using scriptures, such as Psalm 23, to speak to God, and slowing down before God creates an opportunity for the unspiritual person to experience an intimacy with his Creator.

This book offers some simple. practical steps for any believer to grow in his/her relationship with Jesus. It would be a good read for both the long-time and more recent follower of Christ. The real challenge will not be in reading the book; it will be in the slowing down enough to put these principles into practice.

(I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in return for my review of it. You can find more about this book and read an excerpt by clicking here.)