I have a copy of this book to giveaway. In the comment area, tell me the name of a music group that you’re embarrassed to admit that you like. I will draw a winner on Thursday morning.

- Hear No Evil, p. 163

Summary: Matthew Paul Turner’s childhood was profoundly influenced by the fundamentalist Baptist church his family attended. His church was heavy on rules and judgment and light on grace. As a result, honesty was stifled and he encountered many regulations on what type of music he could listen to. But music was one of the best ways Turner connected with God and he had designs on becoming a Christian musician. In Hear No Evil, Turner takes us through his musical journey toward God in spite of the sheltering and often misguided influence of key Christians in his life.

Review: The first half of this book reminded me of the movie Footloose.  ”Give the kid his music!”, I kept wanting to scream. What is funny is that Turner wasn’t even trying to sneak “hardcore” music into his soul. No. The musicians his church frowned upon were Christian artists such as Sandi Patti, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. It seems more than a little ridiculous to me that a church would look down upon its members listening to any of these artists. But Grant was divorced and some of Smith’s songs didn’t explicitly mention Jesus and I can’t remember what Patti’s problem was. Obviously, these prohibitions left a profound effect on Turner and would take many years to sort through.

Along the way, the reader encounters many colorful characters and strange situations. Turner is a good writer and fabulous storyteller. I enjoyed following the twists, turns and surprise endings. This is the most entertaining book I have read in some time.

A word of caution: Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had visited Turner’s blog a few times and felt uneasy with some posts that seemed designed to be controversial. Commentators who were offended or didn’t agree with Turner were, at times, met with disdain by the Turner supporters. It didn’t seem like the safest place for some people. This book pushes the envelope is some places, but is pretty mild overall.

Summary: An entertaining journey toward a more honest and authentic faith.

Rating: 4/5 (Engaging and enjoyable.)

The book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah. To learn more about or purchase on Amazon, click here.

A lot of acts of Cupidity are perpetrated in the name of expecting another person to bring us hope, joy, or peace. It’s probably the most common mistake of the single person looking for love. When we look for love, we all believe in some part of our hearts that when we find it we will have arrived. After all, we think we’ve found the person who will bring us the joy of love, the hope of perfect life together, and finally the peace that will put our chasing and loneliness out to pasture.

- Cupidity, p. 213

Synopsis: As an older song puts it, “Everybody plays the fool, sometime. There’s no exception to the rule.” Who hasn’t done stupid things for love? In the book Cupidity (cupid + stupid) married couple Hayley and Michael DiMarco identify 50 such foolish things. The hope is that the reader turn from his or her mistakes and avoid potential mistakes altogether.

The book is split up into 5 sections: emotional, gender-specific, physical, social and spiritual acts of cupidity. Here is an example from each section:

• Believing love is a feeling
• Fearing the Silence
• Becoming Too Comfortable with Each Other
• Refusing to Apologize
• Sharing Sins

Who this book is for: According to the back cover, this book is for single or married people. To me, it seemed mostly applicable to unmarried females in their late teens or early twenties. The font is a maroonish color and the book includes materials (e.g. quiz, sidebar lists) that look like something out of a magazine for young women.  Guys are often presented as wanting to play video games all day long, wimping out on leadership and not necessarily holding a job.  Unless the male reader fits this category and sees the need for change, he might be turned off and not want to keep reading. Also, this book is intended for Christians.

Positives: While discussing serious matters, the book is light-hearted and the authors don’t take themselves too seriously. There is a lot of practical information in here, especially for people who haven’t read similar books/magazine articles in the past. Also, this book has a great look and feel and the layout is very nice. Bold, italics and larger font are sometimes used to get the point across.

Negatives: Apart from an overly-simplistic view of men, I found this book theologically sloppy at times. For example, on page 213 they write, “None of your thoughts go unnoticed, and no sinful thought goes unpunished…” They are right, but Christ took the punishment. For those in Christ, God does not treat us as our sins deserve.

Summary: As the old adage goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This book can save a lot of heartache and is gracious and hopeful in cases where the damage has already been done.

Rating: 4/5

This book was provided for review by Tyndale. To learn more about or purchase on Amazon, click here.

But it opens the door alright, and then we can get on with actually living our lives.

- Love & War, p. 197-198

This book is very similar to other books by this pair (e.g. The Sacred Romance, Captivating, Waking the Dead). Couples need to offer strength and beauty to each other. We crave adventure.  The enemy has come to destroy love. We are in an epic spiritual battle. There is a need to inch by inch take back what has been stolen. As is typical, the writing is dramatic and includes references to movies and music (though not as much as some of their other books).

The couple frequently write about events that happened recently in their lives. They switch on and off. John will tell a story and then Stasi will tell her version of the same event. The book is hopeful and the couple is very open about their struggles and the harsh realities of living in a broken world.

This is more of a larger narrative than “how-to” book. However, on page 92 they summarize what they are hoping to get across:

1. Find life in God
2. Deal with your brokenness
3. Learn to shut down the spiritual attacks that come against your marriage.

Whether or not you will like this book will largely depend on whether or not you like the writing style and whether you enjoyed other books by this duo in the past. I thought this was a good book, though I didn’t agree with everything set forth. For example, John writes that friends who have not married or are married without any children are fundamentally selfish (p. 197). I know of plenty of unselfish people who would love to be married and it hasn’t worked out.

I especially liked the sections about insisting that a spouse deal with his or her brokenness. I recall learning my counseling days that if one person in the family has a problem, everybody in the family has a problem. It is not love to allow a spouse to continually engage in behavior that wounds everyone in his or her path. For the sake of the marriage and children, brokenness has to be addressed. This needs to be done. I also enjoyed the parts about what it means love and offer strength to another.

Overall, I found this book honest and enlightening. It gets to the heart and exposes sinful methods of relating. Due to overlap, I recommend it for Christians who haven’t read any of their other books or Christians who absolutely love their other books.

Rating: 5/5 (Gets to the heart of the matter and the heart is a matter of life and death.)

This book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah. To learn more about or purchase on Amazon, click here.

I’ve been around a few people like that. Haven’t you? When you’re with them you’re almost unsure of what to say. There’s something so different about them. So you reach the same conclusion that was made about the disciples in Acts 4:13 – they’ve “been with Jesus”. The Lord is all they seem to want to talk about, and they make you want to think more about him too.

- Angels, p. 170-171

Review: Who are angels? How do they help? What do they do?

If you’re like me, you have a lot of questions regarding these mysterious creatures. This is a subject that I have never really studied and has always been a bit fuzzy in my head.

Well, in this repackage of the original 1996 paperback, Pastor David Jeremiah sheds light on these bright beings. He uses the Bible as his source and takes the reader on a tour through instances where angels are mentioned. He is careful to not read too deeply into the text and states plainly cases of personal conjecture. Toward the end of the book, Jeremiah touches on demons, the identity of the “angel of the Lord” and how angels relate to God. He also provides guidance for some interesting questions such as, “Do I have my own guardian angel?” and “Do angels exist to serve mankind?”

Because angels are so magnificent, many have been tempted to give them worship. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John falls down at an angel’s feet after beholding its glory. The angel replies,

“Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” (Revelation 22:9 and a similar instance in Revelation 19:10).

This is a recurring theme of the book. Like a sunset or a pretty girl, there is a strong temptation to worship anything full of beauty and mystery. But even angels continually shout, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).  All glory, honor and majesty belong to God. Angels are another of God’s creation. In this regard, they are like caterpillars.

Jeremiah notes thats the deepest purpose of this book isn’t just to teach about angels, but to help us learn through angels what we can about God Himself (p. 162). He succeeds and this book brings clarity to a subject that isn’t well-understood.

Rating: 4/5 (Straightforward and educational.)

This book was provided for review by the Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group. To learn more about or purchase this book at RandomHouse.com, click here.

I have a giveaway copy of this book. In the comment section, tell me the name of your favorite angel. It could be from a book, movie or even baseball team located in Anaheim. I will select a winner on Monday morning.

- Shattered, Shaken, and Stirred, p. 27

Summary: On an autumn evening in 2002, the car Gilbert Ahrens was driving was struck head-on by a drunk driver traveling 95 miles per hour. Gil, his wife Kim, sister Margot, and three-week-old daughter Olivia had been going 60 miles per hour. The driver of the other car was only 18, and the passenger in that car was killed on impact. Gil’s family survived, but with some serious injuries. The most serious was his wife, Kim, who suffered a broken neck that left her paralyzed and sentenced to a wheelchair. Their baby daughter, however, emerged unscathed.

Ahrens writes this book to his daughter, describing the many ways in which that one night altered everything. It is a story that reads like a long love letter and includes actual correspondences to family and friends. Ahrens details how their world was ripped apart and the great struggle to get things back together. Of course, they never would get back to the way things were. Their lives had been forever changed.

Ahrens also describes how faith in God helped him through such a difficult time. He does not get very deep into theology, but has a lot to say about change, struggle and suffering. Amazingly, his tone is primarily of gratitude and he even injects humor into grim and bitter situations. What gets Ahrens the most fired up is all the inefficiencies and injustices encountered when dealing with what he terms “the System” (e.g. insurance companies, the legal system, etc.). This part took some time to get through, but illuminated frustrations that affect everybody and many directly face.

This book reminded me of another book titled, A Grace Disguised by Gerald Sittser. Both recount in horrific fashion the trauma that ensued after being hit by a drunk driver. The difference is that Sittser has a theological background (Ahrens was a business man) and lost three family members in his crash. Sittser’s book goes much deeper into matters of loss and suffering, while this book gets more into the day to day adjustments required to deal with his wife’s sudden disability.

Rating: 4/5 (Good, but Sittser’s book is one of the best books that I have ever read and is on a similar topic. I would read that one first.)

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

This book was provided for review by Positano Press through the B&B Media Group. To learn more about or purchase this book on Amazon, click here. For further information, check out the book’s website.

Synopsis: The tagline to this complex book is, “What the Church can learn from Facebook, the Internet, and other networks.” Having that subtitle in mind, this book was entirely different than expected. It is about networks, but hardly mentions Facebook and the like. Because it veers off in so many directions, I’m having a difficult time creating a succinct summary. So, I’ll steal the summary from the site where this book was made available for review. Here it is:

Networks: They’re everywhere. From our roads to our relationships, from our food supply to our power grids, networks are an integral part of how we live. Similarly, our churches, denominations, and even the kingdom of God are networks. Knowing how networks function and how to work with rather than against them has enormous implications for how to live lives of faithful and life-filled ministry. In Thy Kingdom Connected, Dwight Friesen brings the complex theories of networking to church leaders in easy-to-understand, practical ways. Rather than bemoaning the modern disintegration of things like authority and structure, Friesen inspires hope for a more connective vision of life with God. He shows those involved in lives of ministry how they can optimize already existing connections between people in order to share the Good News, embed people more deeply in the lives of their faith communities, and grow together as apprentices of Jesus.

If that still isn’t clear, the back of the book continues:

Friesen inspires hope for a more connective vision of life with God and shows how to maximize already existing connections between people in order to spread the gospel, get people plugged in at your church, and grow together as disciplines.

The five sections are:

• Seeing Connectively
• God’s Networked Kingdom
• Leading that Connects
• Networked Church
• Connective Practices

This is an explicitly Christian book and is especially suited for Christian leaders. Each chapter ends with references to other books for further exploration and questions for personal or small group discussion. The book is a part of the Emergent Village resources for communities of faith series published by Baker Books.

Review: This book is under 200 pages, but has a density unlike any other book I’ve read lately and is by no means a quick read. I can’t quite agree with the statement in the summary that complex theories are broken down in easy-to-understand ways as this book requires a good deal of mental effort to stay engaged and reminds me of at least a college-level book. However, the reward for staying focused is that Friesen offers all kinds of meat to chew on.

The book gives vision and clarity to a radical shift from the individualistic nature of western culture. Each man’s choices have a far-reaching impact to bless or to curse and to build-up or tear down. Because we are so inter-connected, our choices matter. In light of the systemic nature of things and relational focus of the Bible, it is a worthwhile pursuit to learn how to best channel and utilize the power of networks for good.

Positives: I particularly enjoyed the discussion on relating to others with a goal of giving of oneself rather than only to use and take. I also enjoyed the focus on spreading rather than hoarding power and the “parable of Google” regarding the example of how Google links us to what we seek rather than being an end in itself. The chapters on leadership were compelling and there is a solid stress on looking at the big picture and cooperating with “competing” ministries. Finally, the networking theory as it relates to form and function and chaos and order was very intriguing.

Negatives: Apart from being thrown off by the subtitle, this book is not the most aesthetically pleasing. The cover is ugly, the line spacing is tight and the illustrations are busy and not always clear. Also, I feel like this book could have been better organized and set out a clearer road map as to where it would go and what it would aim to accomplish.

Summary: The author has clearly done his homework. This book is jam-packed with information, theory, guidance and challenging insights regarding connection and community.

Rating: 4/5 (A messy drink from a systems theory fire hose.)

To learn more about or purchase on Amazon, click here. You might also want to check out the author’s personal website.

As she is drifting down memory lane, Mary looks up and sees Jesus carrying His cross through throngs of people down the road to Golgotha. She watches Him cry out in pain and fall under the weight of the heavy cross. As He falls, Mary races to His side and reassures Him, “I am here. I am here.” Lifting her face with His blood-soaked hand, Jesus smiles and whispers to her, “See, Mother, I make all things new.” The fear that drove her from His beating was being made new by His presence there at the cross.

- Us, p. 129

Background: The sub-title to this book reads, “It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about… us.” I am reminded of a different marriage book written with the title Intimate Allies and the following quote by C.S. Lewis:

There is, hidden or flaunted, a sword between the sexes till an entire marriage reconciles them.

All have the idea of dropping weapons. No longer is it man against woman. Man and woman have joined in matrimony. No matter how disparate they once were, the two have become one. The working out of this reality is often excruciatingly difficult, but, ultimately, love is a war worth fighting. The battles, however, are for the other. And, because the two have become one, when fighting for the other you can’t help but indirectly fight for yourself.

Synopsis: Author Daniel L. Tocchini has worked with more than five thousand couples through personal marriage coaching and seminars offered through his organization, the Association for Christian Character Development. Using examples in his own marriage and others he has coached, Tocchini aims at teaching couples new ways of relating. The aim is to transform the marriage by learning to:

• Talk to each other instead of making assumptions and jumping to conclusions
• Break free of recurring, unresolved arguments
• Manage the impact of difficult (but necessary) conversations on your relationship
• Defuse conflict without sweeping it under the rug
• Open the broken places in your marriage (the ones you hesitate to talk about) to reconciliation

Tocchini explains, “This is a transformational approach to breaking through the barriers and getting out of the ruts in our marriage by paying attention to our conversation – what we are thinking, our motivation for thinking it, and the impact it has on our spouse.” Part of the way he goes about doing this is by taking the reader through forensics of arguments to detail where things go awry. It’s like a coach studying game film, only the film is one more dispute in a relationship full of pain.

Review: Tocchini provides excellent guidance on how to really listen to your spouse and seek out the underlying longing that is hidden in a complaint. Much of the book revolves around altering harmful patterns of interaction and finding resolution to conflict so deep, that it leads to places couples are resistant to go. But you have to work through the crud to find deeper intimacy on the other side.

My friend once compared conflict resolution to throwing up. You’re going to feel really sick until what is hurting comes out into the open. But if couples can learn to understand where the other is coming from and meet needs in the other that have long gone unmet, they might just find a newer, deeper and better relationship than they had before. Learning new ways of relating can be awkward and painful. What can be more painful, though, is finding yourself growing further and further apart from the one you once deeply loved and maybe still do.

This book is not going to solve all your marital problems, but offers some tools to add to your kit and may provide insights as to how to breathe life into a dead marriage or prevent a healthy marriage from losing its vigor. Some people don’t even realize how much their marriage could improve. The book is a reminder that our assumptions about others aren’t always accurate. It will also attack tendencies to bring a consumeristic mentality into marriage. After all, it is not about me. It is about us.

Summary: According to the Bible, He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22). If you have been blessed with a spouse, please do everything in your power and get whatever coaching or counseling you need in order to keep that relationship strong. May you rejoice in the wife of your youth (Proverbs 5:18). Enjoy and treasure her. She is your reward for all your hard labor. Don’t live a life of regrets. Don’t realize what you had after it is too late.

Rating: 4/5 (Insightful book on patterns of relating.)

“Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 9:9

This book was provided for review by David C. Cook through B&B Media Group. To learn more about or purchase this book on Amazon, click here.

-50 Ways to Feel Great Today, p. 11

Summary: Authors David B. Biebel, DMin, James E. Dill, MD and Bobbie Dill, RN summarize this book in their introduction:

Here’s the gist of what’s in store for you as you continue to read: fifty simple and more or less inexpensive suggestions about things you can do today to improve your day, based on the best sources we could find as we searched far and wide. You’ll find references to scientific research as appropriate, quotes about or from noteworthy individuals, citations from wisdom literature and the Scriptures, true stories about people a lot like yourself, and a significant number of practical suggestions about what might help combat your own stress, worry, and discouragement in a way that fits your style and needs.

Here is a sampling of the suggestions:

• Fly a Kite
• Trace Your Ancestry
• Simplify Your Life
• Immerse Yourself in Nature
• Visit a Landmark

Review: After cracking this book open, I quickly realized that I was not in the appropriate demographic. Many of the chapters mention activities to do with your spouse, children and/or grandchildren. References to the Internet and exercise include basic information for beginners. As I read on, I had the hunch that at least one of the author’s was in his 70’s. This seemed to be confirmed upon discovering that two of the three authors previously wrote a book titled 70 Ways to Beat 70. Other chapters such as “Pamper Yourself” and “Work On Your Scrapbook” were geared toward women. With this is mind, know that I am not the target consumer of the presented material.

The book’s sub-title is “Keys to Beating Stress, Worry, and the Blues”. Many of the keys presented are ways to get your mind off of things that may be weighing you down. They are all good activities, but might not be enough for more severe anxiety and depression. Another thing to keep in mind is that many of the suggestions require a substantial amount of free time (e.g. learn an instrument).

This book would make a good fit for an older couple looking to spice life up by introducing different, healthy, memorable and pleasurable activities to established routines.

Rating: 3/5

This book was provided for review by Baker-Revell. To learn more about or purchase this book on Amazon, click here.

- The Church of Facebook, p. 201

Summary: The Church of Facebook is a look at how online social networking is changing culture and impacting human relationships. Author Jesse Rice draws upon science, psychology, sociology, theology, history and culture in an attempt to better understand the ramifications of what Clive Thompson has called “the most significant intergenerational cultural shift since rock n’ roll”. This reads like a Malcolm Gladwell book as diverse anecdotes are weaved together to form compelling arguments. The author shares with the reader ways to navigate the tricky waters of an increasingly online world.

Some of the issues tackled are:

• The link between connection and happiness
• What Facebook reveals about our desires
• The impact of continuous partial attention and hyperconnectivity on relationships
• Adjusting to blurred social roles and audiences that might not normally be co-present
• What is community and can it be found online?
• Identity
• How to adapt thinking and behavior to accommodate the rigors of an “always-on” environment
• Improving the quality of our online and in-person relationships

Rice is a Christian, but wrote the book with the intention of including everyone in the conversation. Also, though Facebook is singled out in the title, much of what he writes can be applied to other types of online connections (e.g. Myspace, Twitter, Blackberries, iPhones).

Positives: It is probably not much of a surprise that I loved this book. Like the author, I have a Master’s degree in Counseling and curiosity as to the healthiest ways to utilize social networking. Apart from finding the subject matter fascinating, Rice is hilarious (watch some of videos below to see what I mean). This is one of the most relevant and timely books that I have read in a long time.

Negatives: The last part of the book offers some great practical suggestions, but I wish there had been more. Also, this book unearths the size of the iceberg, but it is just a start. The treatment is not comprehensive, but it gets the ball rolling.

Rating: 5/5 (Content and style really reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell.)

Jesse Rice is an author, musician, and counselor. He lives in Portland, Oregon and is married to Katie, who is also a musician. He has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University. This book was provided for review by David C. Cook. To learn more about or purchase this book on Amazon, click here. You may also want to check out the book’s website where you can also find the author’s blog.