Book Review: Time With God for Fathers by Jack Countryman
- Time With God for Fathers
TIME WITH GOD FOR FATHERS is a devotional. For fathers. While this is no surprise given the title, this resource by Jack Countryman is fantastic. Glance around at the state of our families. What is missing by and large is godly fathers. This book contains small, thought-provoking, few minute devotions that challenge fathers to be the men God has called them to be.
More time with God each day is exactly what is needed in my opinion, and this little book will help you get there.
This book has been provided by the publisher in exchange for this review.
Book Review of Verily, Verily: The KJV – 400 Years of Influence and Beauty
Verily, Verily
I have always enjoyed studying the historic biblical translations, especially the King James Version. I love history of all kinds, and church history all the more. A debate in the church that has long intrigued me is the undeniable controversy surrounding biblical translation.
There are arguments to be made for a variety of contemporary english versions. I have used the NIV for the past 10 years. Most seminary trained pastors point to the New American Standard Bible as the most literal word for word translation and therefore the most accurate. Lifeway, the literature publishing branch of the Southern Baptist Convention has adopted the Holman Christian Standard Bible as its official translation. Some embrace “paraphrases” such as the Message for its ease of understanding by laymen, and some condemn it has not being scripture. My first real bible reading was an early paraphrase that was never widely adopted called The Book. The most interesting to me however has always been the opinion that the King James Version is the only correct English translation. There are quite a few that hold this view (you know who you are…) and those who do mean it. I have heard a church near me even inform people who have said they have a difficult time understanding the KJV that they may not be genuinely saved. I even heard one story of a senior pastor at a small church who was beside himself having learned that one of his staff members was teaching from a contemporary translation, and in a fit of rage slam this bible to the floor and kicked it across the room.
With all this in mind I chose to review VERILY, VERILY: THE KJV – 400 YEARS OF INFLUENCE AND BEAUTY if for no other reason than to see if this was another controversial opinion. What I found was an interesting read, full of information. Roughly the first third of the book is dedicated to the history of English translation and the events leading to the KJV. Also discussed is the process by which the KJV was translated.
The middle of the book is rich with the character of the KJV. It’s humor and poetic language. Why was this word used? What about all the “thee” and “thou” talk? All this and more is found here. The conclusion of VERILY, VERILY highlights the champions of the KJV as well as pivotal verses.
If you have ever studied or wanted to study the history of English biblical translation, this is a fantastic book. The author includes a wealth of knowledge which will help the reader gain an appreciation of the great sacrifices the pioneers of English translation made, often costing them their lives. I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone. I feel every Christian needs to know the long dark history that brought us the Bible we now have available and to often take for granted.
Book Review: Awakening by Stovall Weems
I was not sure what to expect when I received AWAKENING by Stovall Weems. I recently reviewed a book on fasting that, well, left a lot to be desired. As I freed Weems’ work from the media mail envelope and settled down it was with a hint of skepticism.
Stovall Weems is the lead pastor of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. According to www.awakeningbook.org, the church began with just 7 people in 1998 and now serves over 10,000. This interested me, thinking that they must be doing something right. Stovall said something early in AWAKENING that might hold the key.
“This will be your best year ever if it is your best year spiritually.”
Made sense to me. I was in. What I found in this book was a comprehensive guide to biblical fasting combined with real world testimonies of it’s effectiveness. Stovall explains in detail the benefits, both physical and spiritual, of a break from the norms of a world “gunked up”. Reader beware, however. The Awakening fast is not your standard issue “hey I gave up worrying for Lent.” It’s the real deal. Weems does outline different forms and methods of fasting, but he himself participates in an annual 21 day fast obtaining from virtually any food at all. That’s hardcore, but his results are amazing. Just reading about the breakthroughs and renewal in his relationship with God has me gearing up for a fast of my own. You can too, and this book is a fantastic guide.
Book Review: Radical Together by David Platt
RADICAL TOGETHER BY DAVID PLATT
Radical Together by David Platt is something of a sequel to his first book (and New York Times bestseller) Radical. Maybe continuation is a better word, although it does carry the same meaning… All that nonsense aside, here is what you need to know about Platt’s newest installment: READ IT.
I was awarded this advance copy of one of Christendom’s most anticipated books because of my review of it’s predecessor, and RADICAL TOGETHER did not disappoint. Rather, it continued to reveal that I am often the disappointment. In RADICAL, Platt challenges the church to take back our faith from the American Dream, something that hit me hard and left me changed. In RADICAL TOGETHER, the author intends to unleash the people of God for the purpose of God and draws our attention to the fact that we as the church, at least as it exists in our country, are often in our own way. Pastor Platt wastes no time, in the first paragraphs of chapter one which is subtitled,” The worst enemy of Christians is good things in the church” he says this:
“The last thing you and I want to do is waste our lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity— being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God. We don’t want to come to the end of our days on earth, only to realize we have had little impact on more people going to heaven. Yet if we are not careful, we spend our lives doing good things in the church while we ultimately miss out on the great purposes for which we are created.
That’s why I say the worst enemy of Christians is good things in the church.”
That says it all. I cannot attempt to further explain this book, I can only tell you that if you are a Christian you should read this book, and then read it again.
This book was provided as an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for this review.
Book Review: Fasting by Scott Mcknight
FASTING BY SCOTT MCKNIGHT
Another book, another book review. This one was sent by the awesome people at Thomas Nelson, and is titled FASTING, by SCOTT MCKNIGHT. This book is one is a group called The Ancient Practices Series created by Phyllis Tickle. I reviewed another book in this series, Tithing by a different author not long ago.
I must be honest, and to be honest I must say I was not impressed with FASTING. To begin with, the theology of the book is Catholic in origin, and as a evangelical protestant I simply do not agree with much of it. Among the doctrinal disagreements between us are quoting Didache as scripture and the Catholic teachings on celibacy. I know this may be a “to each his own” argument, but it’s not for me.
Next, this book is rather difficult to follow. The author has basically created his own fasting language. McKnight has coined a number of verbs to describe fasting, and each chapter is called after one such term. Here they are, perhaps they make more sense to you:
- Fasting as Body Talk
- Fasting as Body Turning
- Fasting as Body Plea
- Fasting as Body Grief
- Fasting as Body Discipline
- Fasting as Body Calendar
- Fasting as Body Poverty
- Fasting as Body Contact
- Fasting as Body Hope
I didn’t really get it. I found it hard to follow, and truly couldn’t wait until it was over. There is not much else to say…
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.
Book Review: The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons
Gabe Lyons is something of a household name following the success of his book, UNCHRISTIAN, which was based on extensive statistical research concerning christians, the church, and how modern society views them both. Lyons latest offering, THE NEXT CHRISTIANS: HOW A NEW GENERATION IS RESTORING THE FAITH seems a logical sequel. This book examines who Christians are perceived to be, and what a hypothetical new generation of Christians would look like were they to shatter the status quo.
I found this book to be a bit of a roller coaster ride emotionally. Don’t get me wrong, I was never reduced to tears or anything else less than masculine. At points I caught myself nodding in agreement, and others almost angry.
First the points of agreement. Christian America is on it’s way out, at least according to the trend. At best we are still, or becoming more so the “Silent Majority.” There is not much room for Christian ideals in the politically correct arena which contains, well everything. Some might argue that the term “politically correct” is actually “anti-Christian.” Regardless, Christianity is no longer the default. People are viewing Christians with more and more vitriol.
In this book, Lyons addresses this truth head on and explains that the “next Christians” will no longer fit the stereotype. They will live out the entirety of God’s story. The author insists that the standard issue evangelical today focus only on the cross, while giving no credence to the creation. They view salvation as an alternative to hell rather than the restoration of what was lost when man fell in the garden. He calls the next Christians “restorers.”
Gabe Lyons calls on the next Christians to change the world. To always be creating a positive. To not live life inside a Christian bubble, but out there with the rest of the world. To do life in community with everyone regardless of faith. What can we be doing to help, to restore?
I agree that the church needs to barbecue a few sacred cows. I found myself chuckling when Lyons poked fun at the Christian t-shirt crowd, inferring that no one was ever lead to Christ because your t-shirt judged them. I wonder if the author might have gone too far down a path paved with good intentions. He takes a troubling stance on the “gay movement” for example. Multiple pages are devoted to outlining the success of the gay movement’s campaign to take America’s view of homosexuality from disapproval to “hey, why not?” To be fair, Lyons does not openly embrace homosexuality and even states,
“I’m not suggesting we celebrate the rise of the gay movement. Perhaps you’re offended that I’ve even used it as an illustration.”
What is troubling is he leaves the reader feeling that he is not at all opposed to some of the information he references. Such as
“Within the cultural channel of the church, major denominations like the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ opened leadership roles for gays and lesbians.”
Lyons elsewhere criticizes many Christians for choosing to vote against any political candidates who support abortion.
Gabe Lyons points out some very valid points in this book. Things we as the church universal are doing wrong. Things we should be doing but we are not. He calls us to restore, to love, to pray, read scripture, and observe a sabbath. Amen brother. I feel though he is perhaps too “progressive” in some ways however. I do not believe he places enough importance on salvation. I also believe the church must take a clear stand on some issues, amoung them abortion and the same gay movement Lyons calls “fun and engaging.” Should we love those we disagree with? Yes. Serve them? In any way we can. The way Jesus would, without judgement. One sinner to the next. We must remember though that we do need to have an opinion on important issues, a biblical opinion. We just need to be careful how we express it.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Book Review: Couples Who Pray by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt
Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman
That’s not a typo in the title, the “Q” in SQuire is capitalized. Don’t know why. What I do know is I have just finished reading Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman by husband and wife team SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt.
I chose this book after being drawn in by the title. Having received it I was eager to get started, and found this book to be a quick and easy read, I read it in it’s entirety in one setting. The premise is this: couples who not only pray, but pray together are statistically proven to far and away more successful marriages than those who do not. By what standard do we deem a marriage successful you might ask? Not getting divorced is high on the list. This book demonstrates clearly that couples who pray together, stay together.
One of the things I appreciate most about this book is it’s inclusion of hard, measurable, provable data. The scoffers and nay-sayers cannot disagree with the information found in this book obtained by the likes of polling giant Gallup. The author’s prove their point, and do it well.
The reader will find several “big names” included in the author’s research, including Denzel Washington and Kathie Lee Gifford with their respective spouses. These couples and many others have taken the author’s 40 day prayer challenge, and share it’s most intimate results. The reader is then challenged to do the same using the books included resources.
If I must find a point of disagreement with the content of this book, it might be with the author’s teaching on tithing. The book does a fine job of outlining the benefits of biblical tithing and giving case-study like examples of it’s blessings from real couples, but SQuire and Louise go on to imply, somewhat strongly, that tithing needn’t be defined as giving 10% of monetary income, but could be giving of time or other resources as well. I must disagree. I believe scripture teaches that a biblical tithe is 10% of income, and that giving of other resources should be considered above and beyond our tithe.
All in all this is an excellent book, and I would recommend it without reservation to any couple. In fact I will likely add this to the materials to be included in pre-marital counseling.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program.
Book Review: Desiring God Revised Edition by John Piper
Imagine my surprise as a book reviewer when I had opportunity to obtain a pre-release copy of a book that was actually released twenty-five years ago. It seems Desiring God by John Piper has been released again as a Revised Edition.
This book has been called a 20th century classic. It has changed lives. A thriving sub-culture has been built around the term Christian Hedonist coined by Piper and the central theme of this work, a term which to many seems a bit oxymoronic. Dr. Piper seeks to debunk such a view, and does so in 300 plus pages.
If you glance over hundreds and hundreds of reviews of Desiring God published over the years you find that almost everyone celebrates this book as revolutionary. A great many have lifted it to a pedestal only slightly below Scripture. Personally I found it reads like a textbook. The complexity of the writing style is staggering. This is not a page turner. I can generally read four books in the amount of time I required to plow through Piper’s pages (note to self: never say “Piper’s pages” again). Thinking I might be alone in this I continued to scan past reviews and found one on Amazon.com that I could related to. Duane from Salem, OR said this in 2002:
John Piper has a great ministry and has a good vision of what it is to desire God above all else in life. The problem is, he has trouble getting it on paper in a form mortal man can understand. I have a Bachelors in English, but nothing I’ve had to study came as hard as deciphering this book. Verbage and word choice is at a level far above post-grad — and to make matters worse, his sentence structure is VERY unusual and choppy (albeit l-o-n-g). He would likely say, “To the store I am going.” Read Duane’s entire review here.
This book does have some fantastic things to share with we mortals. I must confess however that I opened the book with a strong caution knowing Piper’s views as a Calvinist, myself finding great fault with that theology. To be fair, I did not find Desiring God to be a manifesto for the Calvinistic cause, but Dr. Piper’s views on the matter do gently rise to surface, if only briefly. Just look for the term predestination.
Piper’s classic will challenge the believer in many positive ways, the gut check I found most toe-damaging was on prayer. I found the thesis of the book as it relates to Piper’s Christian Hedonism compelling at first, but from a theological stand point I feel the author may go to far with it. The scene in Forrest Gump comes to mind when Forrest is running with the football and not only achieves the goal of a touchdown, but just keeps going past the uprights, through the band, and off to who knows where. I really felt uneasy about mid-book when I read the chapter sub-title “Glorifying God not by serving Him, but being served by Him.” I understand what he is trying to say, but I think he blew through a stop sign back there somewhere. 
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Book Review: SoulPrint by Mark Batterson
SoulPrint by Mark Batterson
I’ve just finished SoulPrint, by Mark Batterson, sent to me for review by my friends at Multnomah Books. Prior to this book I was unfamiliar with Batterson, although he does have a few other titles under his belt, and I was uncertain what to expect. Those uncertainties were put at ease within a few pages. SoulPrint is a self-proclaimed guide to allowing God to “introduce you, to yourself.” It is a fanatically written resource which uses the life of King David to take the reader through a process of realizing God has created each of us for a purpose, and that purpose is our true identity.
I found my self in complete agreement with Batterson’s theology, although SoulPrint is far from a text for an Old Testament survey course. The author writes with a pastor’s heart, and allows his own life experiences to shine through to the reader. Batterson’s wit and humor make this a quick and enjoyable read.
I absolutely recommend SoulPrint to anyone – not just those looking for a book on this subject or that. It’s content has application in each of our lives. This is not at all a self-help book, but it could really help anyone who will take the time to read and apply. I recommend you read it soon. Very soon.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
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