Books Read: January - June 2012

Part 6 of the posts regarding books that I have read lately. Part 1: books read in 2009, Part 2: books read in January - June of 2010, Part 3: books read in July - December of 2010, Part 4: books read in January - June of 2011, and Part 5: books read in July - December of 2011.

• Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll *
• Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian
• Disciple by Bill Clem
• Gospel Wakefulness by Jared C. Wilson
• The Final Call by Kerry Fraser
• The Gospel As Center by D.A. Carson & Timothy Keller *
• Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard *
• The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy & Kathy Keller
• The Five Love Languages: Men's Edition by Gary Chapman
• Kingdom Man by Tony Evans *
• Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson *
• 1000 Days by Jonathan Falwell *
• Every Man, God's Man by Stephen Arterburn
• The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler *
• Empty Promises by Pete Wilson *
• What's Your Secret? by Aaron Stern
• Secondhand Jesus by Glenn Packiam
• Surfing for God by Michael John Cusick *

What are you reading? Leave me a comment with your recommendations!

Special thanks to BookSneeze/Thomas Nelson, Blogging for Books/WaterBrook Multnomah, Tyndale, and Crossway for providing some of these books to read and review (marked by a *).

Torn by Jud Wilhite

In Torn: Trusting God When Life Leaves You in Pieces, Jud Wilhite has written a book that is relevant to everyone. Christians and non-Christians should take the time to read this book. Jud is a pastor and his heart and passion of sharing Christ and strength in Him comes out in the writing of this book. Instead of focusing on our struggles, pain, and situations, Jud puts are focus on the God who can take care of all our struggles, pain, and situations. At the same time when putting our focus on God, he doesn't downplay or try and tell us that struggles won't come, but instead that they will and when they do we have someone who can take care of us. Jud writes this in one of the chapters, "When our world falls apart and the pain of life settles in, yes, we are looking for explanations and meaning and rationale, but even more so we want assurance. Yes, we want answers. But these cries of pain, whether to God explicitly or just into the universe, are evidence of an implicit trust that something or someone greater-someone with answers!-is out there." The reasons for all the "Why?" questions don't have to be from major circumstances in life. I would venture to say that most of have "Why?" questions. I found myself being spoken too throughout the pages of this book. For me it was in the second part of the book, where Jud talks about true community and sharing your struggles. I found myself after reading that chapter how I needed to find someone to speak the Gospel into my life. Jud quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his book Life Together, and I couldn't get it out of my head.

"The Christian needs another Christian who speak God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure."

Life is sure to get rocky for us all, but what Jud shares is that we don't have to go through life alone. We need to share our struggles and allow others to walk with us, but ultimately we have a sovereign God who isn't surprised by what we're going through and is there to comfort us as we walk through the tough times in our lives.

Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

If you found this review helpful, would you go to the review on Blogging for Books and rate it.

Books Read: July - December 2011

Part 5 of the posts regarding books that I have read lately. Part 1: books read in 2009, Part 2: books read in January - June of 2010, Part 3: books read in July - December of 2010, and Part 4: books read in January - June of 2011.

• Let God Change Your Life by Greg Laurie *
• The God I Never Knew by Robert Morris *
• Mirror Ball by Matt Redman *
• The Worship Answer Book by Rick Muchow
• Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead & Jon Tyson *
• Erasing Hell by Francis Chan *
• Torn by Jud Wilhite *
• The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
• He Who Honors Me by Mike Kim & Derek Joseph Levendusky

Was hoping to have read more books during this time, but it didn't seem like I had as much time for reading. The last couple months have been good though. I'm currently going through Disciple by Bill Clem with a friend and fellow pastor in town. It is a great book that has been causing me to do a lot of thinking and reevaluation in my life spiritually. Thankful for his friendship and looking forward to going through the remainder of it with him.

What are you reading? Leave me a comment with your recommendations!

Special thanks to BookSneeze/Thomas Nelson, Blogging for Books/WaterBrook Multnomah, and The B & B Media Group/David C. Cook for providing some of these books to read and review (marked by a *).

The God I Never Knew by Robert Morris

Pastor Robert Morris just released his new book, The God I Never Knew: How Real Friendship with the Holy Spirit Can Change Your Life. This is a book I was really excited to read. Morris writes this on the back cover; "To many people the Holy Spirit is mysterious, confounding, and ever controversial. Why is the third person in the Godhead-the one whom Jesus said would be the believer's ultimate source of truth and unending comfort-the source of so much confusion?" I have often wondered myself what the Holy Spirit's role is in my spiritual journey. Through the process of reading this book though, I became less and less excited to continue reading. I feel that this book was broken into two sections. The first section regarding the truth of the Holy Spirit and what He promises to do in your life; dwell with you, be your helper, guide you into all truth, comfort you, pray for you, show you things to come, and never leave you. Morris helps us understand that view of the Holy Spirit should be about a relationship. However, moving into the second part of the book I feel as if it's more about defending a view then showing us the Holy Spirit. It feels as if I'm being forced to believe a certain view than discover what this relationship is all about. Instead of finishing the book feeling like I now know someone I didn't know very well before, I'm left with a lot of questions and not sure what I believe.

Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

If you found this review helpful, would you go to the review on Blogging for Books and rate it.

Books Read: January - June 2011

Welcome to the fourth installment of posts regarding books that I have read lately. The first post was on books read in 2009, the second post was on books read in January - June of 2010, and the third post was on books read in July - December of 2010. So here are the books that I've read from January through June of this year:

• Slave by John MacArthur *
• Jesus in the Present Tense by Warren Wiersbe *
• Soul Print by Mark Batterson *
• The Purpose of Man by A.W. Tozer
• Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic *
• Delirious by Martin Smith *
• Meet Mrs. Smith by Anna Smith *
• Death by Love by Mark Driscoll *
• Awakening by Stovall Weems *
• God: As He Longs for You to See Him by Chip Ingram
• Lucky by Glenn Packiam *
• Handle With Prayer by Charles Stanley *
• Unleashed by Erwin McManus *
• Radical Together by David Platt *
• Jump by Efrem Smith *
• The Greener Grass Conspiracy by Stephen Altrogge *
• Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman *
• Revise Us Again by Frank Viola *

What are you reading? Leave me a comment with your recommendations!

Special thanks to BookSneeze/Thomas Nelson, Blogging for Books/WaterBrook Multnomah, The B & B Media Group/David C. Cook, Crossway, Zondervan and amazon.com/Vine Program for providing some of these books to read and review (marked by a *).

Radical Together by David Platt

Back in December I had the privilege to read and review David Platt's first book Radical, so when I heard he had come out with his second book Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God, I couldn't wait to read and review it also. If you've read Radical, you will be very familiar with the topic of this book. David Platt challenges believers to return to a gospel-centered vision; a vision that is radical compared to the Christian life we've been accustomed to lately. In Radical, Platt makes the challenge to the individual believer, but Radical Together takes in one step forward; a challenge to the fellowship of believers, the church, to carry out the purpose of God in the world. Platt says this in the opening chapter, "In Radical Together, I want to consider what happens, or can happen, when we apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to our communities of faith. I want to contemplate the force of a people who come together to enjoy God's grace in the church while they extend God's glory in the world. And I want to propose that a movement of such people in such churches has the potential to permeate nations with the praise of God." The way that we as believers will begin to live radically personally and corporately is if we return to the Word and the Gospel that saved us. God and His Word is the power behind this whole idea and the only way that it will happen. What I love about Platt's insight is that he's making a call for the church because he's in the midst of this himself with his church. The motivation behind this book is for sure the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it's also from his own personal experience. This book is going to cause you to re-evaluate your life and your life together with the community of believers in your church. He's not asking us to do something that hasn't affected him. This isn't going to be easy and he shares that it's not. You may have to possibly change something that is good because it's not allowing for the best to happen through the church. Be prepared to do a lot of thinking. This isn't the easy post to write because there's so much that I'm working through personally to re-evaluate how I'm living my life according to God's purpose. Then that being put into practice, spilling out into the life of the church, and then the church being unleashed for the purpose of God.



Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

If you found this review helpful, would you go to the review on Blogging for Books and rate it.

Awakening by Stovall Weems

Awakening by Stovall Weems is a book that is going to challenge you. It has definitely challenged me. Stovall begins the book with this statement, "How close do you feel to God? Most of us sense that there's more to a relationship with God than what we currently are experiencing. But how do we develop a more intimate bond with Him? This deepening friendship begins what what I call an awakening. After an awakening, life is never the same." According to dictionary.com, an awakening is an act and it's a revival of interest or attention to something. From the book, what's great about this is that it's not a one time event and then things go back to the way they were. This awakening spurs on a lasting, deepening relationship with God. If you're looking for an exact "this is what an awakening is" definition, you won't find it. Now, the ultimate awakening is coming to faith in Jesus Christ for the first time, but for a lot of us we may need a reawakening. Throughout the book, Stovall shares his story and where the Lord has lead him. I believe what Stovall wants us to experience is the power of God in our own lives. He has made each one of us unlike any other, so an awakening for me will most likely look different than your awakening. He does focus on a couple elements that I believe are important for seeking an awakening and that these are important for everyone. These aren't just for an awakening experience, but elements for a lasting relationship with God. These are an authentic passion for Him, rediscovering the grace of God, prayer, and fasting. I'm better at some of these more than others, but from reading this book, I'm challenged to go deeper in my relationship with God. This book may have been part of my reawakening. As I was reading and evening when I first heard about the title of the book, my mind went to Chris Tomlin's song Awakening from the Passion: Awakening album, so I figured I would share some of the lyrics with you:

In our hearts, Lord, in this nation
Awakening
Holy Spirit, we desire
Awakening

For You and You alone
Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I hear Your voice and this is my
Awakening

As a pastor of a church, this book came out of an annual event at their church, Awakening: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, that they've used to start the year. It has grown to include other church through their website, http://www.awake21.org/ and now through this book to many others. In the back of the book, he has included a 21-day plan for the reading to participate in a season of prayer and fasting. I believe this will be a great resource for personal devotion, but also for use in small groups.

Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

If you found this review helpful, would you go to the review on Blogging for Books and rate it?

Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life is a book that I could not wait to read. I heard about Nick and his ministry a few years ago and got the chance to hear him speak two years ago at the Catalyst West Coast conference. Nick truly is a guy that is living a ridiculously good life. His story is absolutely inspiring. Throughout the pages of this book, Nick shares openly about his life. What I love about this book is how personal it is, yet at the same time it's not new information. Through hearing him speak and knowing about his ministry, what he shares in this book is the same information he shares to those he speaks too. No doubt Nick had and still has a challenging life, but it's how Nick deals with those challenges is what's so inspiring to so many people. Nick says this in the last chapter, "The more I dwelled on my own challenges, the worse I felt, but when I changed my focus to serving the needs of someone else, it lifted my spirits and helped me understand that no one suffers alone." When we focus on ourselves, our challenges, and our disabilities, we are bound by limits, but when we focus on who we are in Christ and the abilities he has given us, the sky's the limit. A great reminder for all of us. One that I need often. Throughout this book, Nick offers "encouragement and guidance about finding your purpose, being hopeful, believing in yourself, maintaining a good attitude, acting with courage, practicing resilience, mastering change, forming empowering relationships, and acting upon opportunities that move you closer to your dreams."

"I do believe my life has no limits. I want you to feel the same way about your life, no matter what your challenges may be. As we begin our journey together, please take a moment to think about any limitations you've placed on your life or that you've allowed other to place on it. Now think about what it would be like to be free of those limitations. What would your life be if anything were possible?"
~Nick Vujicic, from Life Without Limits

Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

If you found this review helpful, would you go to the review on Blogging for Books and rate it.

Soulprint by Mark Batterson

Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny by Mark Batterson is the first book of his that I've read and it was a fantastic book. One thing I really enjoyed is his writing style; it keeps you interested and wanting to continue to read. Mark desires that through this book you will find out who you are. Now before you think this is some mediocre self-help book, this book is described as "a self-discovery book that puts God at the center rather than self." If you can read with an open heart and mind, I trust that God will lead you to discover things about yourself you may not have known before. Personally, this is a book I'm going to have to read again for sure. There is also a section of discussion questions at the end of the book to provide another resource as you look deeper into the purpose of this book. Mark opens the book with this statement,

"There has never been and never will be anyone else like you. But that isn't a testament to you. It's a testament to the God who created you."

This book really helps realign your focus that your identity is not really yours at all. We are who God made us to be. It's through who we are in Christ that we truly find ourselves. Throughout this book, Mark uses the life of David as an example. David began his life as a shepherd and eventually became a King. Now David wasn't perfect, but what David is remembered for is being a man after God's own heart. You definitely can't get that title because of anything we have done, it's all because of God's work in you. Who we are is truly a testament to what God is doing through us. Focus on Him and you will find who you are. A great reminder for all of us.

Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

If you found this review helpful, would you go to the review on Blogging for Books and rate it.

Books Read: July - December 2010

This post continues the series of posts on the books that I have read. The first post on books read in 2009, the second post on books read in January - June of 2010, and now this post on books read in July - December of 2010.

• Forgotten God by Francis Chan
• Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft
• Sweat, Blood & Tears by Xan Hood *
• Rise Up & Sing by Lex Buckley *
• True Religion by Palmer Chinchen *
• Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff
• Be Compassionate by Warren Wiersbe *
• Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado *
• Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
• Nudge by Leonard Sweet *
• The Grace of God by Andy Stanley *
• The God You Can Know by Dan DeHaan
• Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick *
• Surprised by Worship by Travis Cottrell *
• Facedown by Matt Redman
• The Unquenchable Worshipper by Matt Redman
• Here I Am to Worship by Tim Hughes
• Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias *
• Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney
• Radical by David Platt *

Who has some great books out there they would recommend? Leave a comment and let me know what they are.

Special thanks to BookSneeze/Thomas Nelson, Blogging for Books/WaterBrook Multnomah, and Zondervan for providing some of these books to read and review (marked by a *).

Radical by David Platt

Radical by David Platt is one of those books that I believe will be around for a long time. This book is truly a challenge to the church in America. He asks us to take a hard look into the comforts and luxuries we have settled for and instead live a radical life that is sold out for Jesus Christ. His premise is that the church in America is living far differently that what Jesus taught. This isn't the first time I've heard the message. I believe this is a relevant topic today as I've heard many churches do "Radical" sermon series, and a lot of them based on the book of Acts. When you look at that first century church and how the Gospel spread and the church grew, you can't help but ask what they were doing, how they were living their lives. Now I know that there are people and churches that are living radical lives and doing amazing things to further the Gospel, so this book should not be taken as a guilt trip. I know that for some, and even sometimes my mind wanders that direction, this book will come across that way, but try to avoid that thinking. This is a book that is going to cause you to think and struggle. It has definitely caused me to stop and think about my life in the context of living for the One who saved me. David says this towards the end of the book, "Do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following Him?" He also quotes missionary Jim Elliot, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." We long for the reward of spending eternity with our Father in heaven, but what are we doing right now in this life to live radically for Him.

Honestly, I've struggled to write this review. Not because I'm hesitant about the book, but because I'm still working through how I've been affected by this book. It's one of those times where there is a lot going through my head and I'm having a hard time trying to get it out and into this post. It's definitely a book that I'm going to have to read again.

Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

If you found this review helpful, would you go to the review on Blogging for Books and rate it.

Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick

I didn't hear about Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick until a couple weeks before the book actually released. I had heard about Steven and Elevation Church before so I knew what a dynamic man of God he is and the passion he has for ministry. So when I heard he was coming out with the book, I was very excited about reading it. I was curious as to what the title meant, but I was also interested in it because of the subtitle, What Happens When You Dare to Ask God For the Impossible. The book is taken from Steven's journey as a young christian to where he is now. He felt a strong calling from God on his life to pastor a church. I'm sure at the time for him and in the time when he moved to Charlotte, that that felt like an impossible task. It also stems for the story of Joshua in the Bible. In Joshua chapter 10 he is heavily engaged in a battle when the sun begins to set. Joshua believed that God had given the Amorites into his hand and wanted to finish the battle. However that wouldn't happen if the sun went down. So Joshua pray this seemingly impossible prayer. He asks God to make the sun stand still. God answers that prayer and Joshua wins the battle.

The story of Joshua and the content of this book is all about faith, audacious faith. Steven says this as a preview to one of the chapters,

"Audacious faith is not built on the fault line of feelings or the flood plain of your performance. You're building your faith on solid ground. Higher ground. You're building on the faithfulness of God."

Are we willing to strive towards a faith that is built solidly on God. Are we willing to ask Him through prayer for what may seem impossible. We have the ability to and God has the power to act on it. As Steven says though, "If you're going to pray for God to make the sun stand still, you'd better be ready to march all night."

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