Who Do You Think You Are? by Mark Driscoll

"Who are you? What defines you? What is your identity? How you answer those questions affects every aspect of your life: personal, public, and spiritual. So it's vital to get the answer right." Mark Driscoll's latest book Who Do You Think You Are?: Finding Your True Identity in Christ, guides readers to answer those very questions. When I first heard about this book, I knew it was going to be a book I couldn't wait to read. The topic of identity is something I struggled with, and if I'm honest, still struggle with. A friend and mentor spent a lot of time with me in this area. I believe in this day and age identity crisis is more rampant than ever. The message is out there is that our identity and worth lies in what we do, our status in the world, how much stuff we have, what kind of car we drive, how big of a house we have, etc. Driscoll writes this, "We're continually forgetting who we are in Christ and filling that void by placing our identity in pretty much anything else." He continues by writing, "This world's fundamental problem is that we don't understand who we truly are—children of God made in his image—and instead define ourselves by any number of things other than Jesus." I found myself basing my worth in what I did; the job I had, as well as the job I wanted but wasn't getting. Driscoll uses the message in the book of Ephesians as the base text for this book. Each chapter focuses on an aspect of who we are when we look to Jesus as our identity; I Am in Christ, I Am a Saint, I Am Blessed, I Am Appreciated, I Am Saved, I Am Reconciled, I Am Afflicted, I Am Heard, I Am Gifted, I Am New, I Am Forgiven, I Am Adopted, I Am Loved, I Am Rewarded, I Am Victorious.

"As Christians, we live from our identity, not for our identity. We are defined by who we are in Christ, not what we do or fail to do for Christ. Christ defines who we are by who he is and what he's done for us, in us, and through us.

Knowing Jesus and being saved by him in faith is the key to your identity and the defeat of your idolatry. It's not about you. It's all about Jesus."

What a great reminder! IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS!

Currently, Mark Driscoll's church, Mars Hill, is doing a sermon series based off the book; Ephesians: Who Do You Think You Are?. You can check those out here.


Special thanks to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll

Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship & Life Together by Mark & Grace Driscoll has been a highly anticipated book and one that I was very much looking forward to reading. I was grabbed from the first time I read a description of the book and was happy to see that a pastor and his wife were going to tackle a book on marriage together. I appreciate how the Driscoll's start off this book by openly sharing about their marriage. It sets the tone of how open and real the rest of the book will be. Now I realize there has been a lot of backlash against Driscoll and this book for his supposed "crudeness" and the highly controversial "Can We _____?" chapter. However what I see and read is a pastor who is not afraid to tackle these tough issues. I believe the church needs more pastors like this. So often in the church we talk about how unfortunate it is that culture, movies, celebrities, etc. are influencing the way young people view sex, but at the same time we don't ever bring it up inside the four walls of our local churches. Here is a pastor and his wife who aren't afraid to take a biblical stand on marriage and sex. This is a definitely a book I will need to spend more time in, but I can say that is has caused me to stop and think about my own marriage. And I believe that is the point that Mark and Grace want to happen as people read this book; to stop and think and have conversations as a couple about their marriage. I recently came across an article interview that Mark did and he says this,

"Our goal in the book was not so that bloggers could talk with one another about issues of their sex lives. Our goal was that husbands and wives could have those conversations. That’s really the motive. So bloggers and tweeters and Facebookers, they’re free to discuss it, but really, it’s for married couples."

I challenge you to get past your preconceived ideas and opinions of the Driscolls and this book, and read through it with an open mind. Let it cause you to think, to have conversations.

Currently, Mark's church, Mars Hill, is doing a sermon series based off the book; Real Marriage: A Sermon Series About Jesus, the Gospel, and Marriage. You can check those out here.



Special thanks to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

Death by Love by Mark Driscoll

Death by Love by Mark Driscoll is actually the first book of his that I have read. This book is a very real representation of the sin filled world that we live in, but also the power of the Gospel. Throughout this book, Mark shares the stories of those he has met as well as some from his church and how the message of the cross can deal with their sin or the sin that was done to them. Mark does not brush off their sin lightly. It is something that is very serious and he makes that clear. I believe that is one great thing about this book. There may be some that pick this book up that all of sudden have their own sin really brought to the surface so they can finally truly deal with it through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. In the beginning of this book, Mark says this about what you will find in the chapters; "Each chapter includes a portrait of God, because to remain true all theology must begin and remain God-centered. Each chapter then proceeds to examine a biblical aspect of sin and a correlating effect of Jesus' death as the solution to the sin problem as dictated by God." Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, who helps with supporting material at the end of each chapter, have written a book that encapsulates the Gospel. It really is the Good News of a God who loves us so much that He sent his one and only Son to shed his blood for our sins. It's also great to see that God laid this message onto the heart of a pastor. It really shows the heart of a man that loves God as well as the people that God has called him to serve.

Special thanks to Crossway and Re:Lit for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.