Devotions for Lent from the Mosaic Holy Bible
I have 9 of these booklets to giveaway. I will send one to everyone who leaves a comment, unless I run out. Update: I’m down to 3.
The church calendar follows six seasons of varying length: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Advent focuses on the anticipation of God’s coming into the world, both in the Incarnation and in Christ’s second coming. Christmas concentrates on the birth of Christ. Epiphany centers itself on the light of God’s presence shining in the world. Lent directs our attention toward human sin and God’s gracious solution. Easter celebrates resurrection life. Pentecost helps us to remember and participate in the ongoing activity of the Holy Spirit in the world. The annual rhythm of these seasons can have a powerful effect on your personal and communal spiritual growth.- Devotions for Lent, Introduction
Summary: This booklet has been taken directly from Lent portion of the Mosaic Holy Bible. As their website puts it, “Encounter Christ by reflecting on the words of Scripture and the art and writings of Christians across time and cultures. Includes full-color artwork; contemporary and historical writings; prayers, poems, and hymns from throughout church history.”
Six weekly studies are included:
Week One – Identifying Discontent
Week Two – Dependence
Week Three – God’s Holiness and Grace
Week Four – Sin and Death
Week Five – Fasting
Passion Week – Hope
Approximately 30 pages are full text of each week’s Scripture readings.
Review: I’m not familiar with the Mosaic Holy Bible, but this is a good introduction to the type of devotional material that is included. I really like the idea of blending historical and contemporary writings with quotes, poems, artwork, hymns and prayers. I also like the idea of guided Scripture readings aligned with the church season (e.g. Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost). Finally, I thought the material they selected was excellent and engaging rather than dull and stale.
This 78 page booklet is very nicely put together. It is not the meatiest thing you’ll find, but is a great guide for persons looking to be in tune with the Lenten season. A few drawbacks are that the font is very small (8 point at most) and it may be a stretch to find a week’s worth of material for each section. Also, the Scriptures are taken from the New Living Translation and some people find this translation too simplified/fluffy.
Rating: 4/5 (Let me know if you live in the U.S. and want to check it out.)
These booklets were provided for review/giveaway by Tyndale. To learn more about or purchase on Amazon, click here. To learn more about the Holy Mosaic Bible, check out its website.
The King and Dr. Nick by George Nichopoulos, M.D.
- The King and Dr. Nick, p. 95
Synopsis (provided by Thomas Nelson): Dr. Nichopoulos spent a decade with Elvis on the road and at Graceland, trying to maintain the precarious health of one of the world’s greatest entertainers. But on August 16, 1977, he found himself in the ambulance with Elvis on that fateful last trip to the ER and eventually signed the death certificate.
From that day forward, Dr. Nick became the focus of a media witch hunt which threatened his life and all but destroyed his professional reputation. Now, for the first time, Dr. Nick reveals the true story behind Elvis’s drug use and final days—not the version formed by years of tabloid journalism and gross speculation. Put aside what you’ve learned about Elvis’s final days and understand for the first time the inner workings of “the king of rock n’ roll.”
Review (mine): This book was different from what I originally expected. I was thinking that it would be a lot of anecdotes about the life and death of Elvis that only those closest to him knew about. There was a great deal about the still mysterious death of Elvis, but not as many behind-the-scene anecdotes about his life as I had hoped. Over half of this book is about medical practice, challenges when dealing with a celebrity patient and the author’s attempt to clear his name in the wake of being made scapegoat in the death of Elvis.
The reader can easily empathize with Dr. Nick. He is portrayed as a compassionate man who did his best to help Elvis as much as he could. I have no reason to believe that Dr. Nick isn’t telling the truth and it is awful to read about all that he went through (e.g. defamation, media witch hunts, the loss of his license and livelihood, etc). Dr. Nick also aims to reform and portray a more accurate image of Elvis. I sincerely hope that this book will clear up the misconceptions about Elvis as well as Dr. Nick.
Summary: This book ends up being more about the life of Dr. Nick than the life of Elvis. I found it to be dry for the most part and would primarily recommend it to people with an interest in the life of Dr. Nick as well as hardcore Elvis fans. To a lesser degree, I recommend this book to those interested in seeing how living a life of fame and stardom isn’t all it is often cracked up to be.
Rating: 3/5 (More for hardcore Elvis enthusiasts than the casual fan.)
This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson. To learn more about or purchase on Amazon, click here.
Finding Inner Peace During Troubled Times by William Moss
I have a copy of this book to giveaway. Leave a comment with your favorite way to relieve stress for a chance to win. I will select a winner on Friday (3/5) at noon.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - John 14:27
Summary: Author William Moss begins what he terms an essay with the question of whether it is possible to find inner peace in such a troublesome, complicated and difficult to understand world. He then asks how God fits into all of it. The next fifteen pages include some of the author’s personal thoughts, but are primarily scriptures from the Bible pertaining to peace. Every other page is intentionally left blank for the reader to write in thoughts and prayers. The final few pages of this short book (26 pages of writing with some pages only a paragraph long) include an afterword and prayer & meditation guide. Moss concludes that it is possible to find real inner peace and that this gift from God is meant to be shared with others.Review: This is a very simple book (reads like a children’s story), but I found it to be calming and an effective way to release worry and anxiety. While the scriptures could easily be pulled from a concordance, the value added by this essay is the arrangement of scriptures, short meditation at the end, and space for journaling throughout. Aesthetically, it is quite bland.
Rating: 3/5 (Good scriptures. Short. Not the most bang for your buck. Gentle. Ugly.)
The book was provided for review by The B&B Media Group. To learn more about this book or purchase on Amazon, click here.
5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them by Charles Stone
I was finally honest with myself: I hated the ministry. I was tired of the lies, the pretending, the guilt, the expectations. I wanted out. I’m sorry, God, I prayed. I gave it my best shot. I tried to do it in your power. It didn’t work.
- Pete Scazzerro
Summary: As I read this book, the same thought kept coming across my mind: I am so glad that I am not a pastor! These guys are pouring their hearts into their ministries and are often met with burnout, unfair criticism and pain that they don’t feel free to share. Like a slow leak in a gas tank, ministry killers slowly rob pastors of the joy and passion they once had until they are completely running on empty. When combined with factors such as isolation, pastor are especially susceptible to infidelity and moral compromise. The system is broken and it is no wonder that many pastors have fallen and/or left the ministry.
In the book 5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them, Pastor Charles Stone identifies common “ministry killers” and how the pastor can protect him or herself. In doing so, he relies on research from over 1,900 pastors and 1,000 non-pastors in partnership with the Barna Group, LifeWay Research and NationalChristianPoll.com from Christianity Today, Inc. Stone distills the results into the following categories:
1. Head-in-the-sand mentality that denies existing problems
2. Emotional investment in the wrong issues
3. Unhealthy responses to ministry frustrations
4. A lone ranger attitude that says, “God and I can handle this”
5. Attitudes and actions that lead to lonely, hurting spouses
The book is broken down into IV parts. Part I presents the case that it behooves pastors to pay attention to what frustrates them before those issues fester and damage them, their families and/or ministries. Part II unpacks the research into 3 broad areas: what frustrates pastors most (killers), how they react and what that want most from people in their churches. Part III deals with how to defeat the ministry killers. Part IV is written directly for pastors’ spouses (addresses killer #5).
Positives: This is a much-needed book. The emotional health of the pastor will go a long way in setting the tone of the emotional health of the church. Rather than being blind-sided, pastors need to know what challenges to expect and how to overcome these challenges. This book also focuses on priorities and includes an eye-opening section on the unique challenges faced by the pastor’s wife.
The writing is current and includes many excellent quotes from other ministry leaders. Stone’s humility, humor and openness about struggles he has faced make him a likable writer who is easy to take advice from. As a pastor for over 30 years, he also has the experience from which to draw. In particular, Stone knows how to relate to pastors who had big dreams for ministry and ended up with small congregations. He doesn’t pretend to have never wanted more numbers.
Negatives: There was not much that I didn’t like about this book, but there were two things I might have changed. First, I felt that it could have been better organized. It seemed to jump around – especially for a book with such a clear title. Not until part 3 does Stone begin to go through the killers one by one. This made the beginning of the book confusing to me as I wasn’t sure if we were on a ministry killer, and, if so, which one.
Secondly, I didn’t see the need for Stone to relate so many of his thoughts to the research findings. As Stone acknowledges, statistics are subject to all kinds of problems. Though others will like the research, I felt like it bogged things down and would have preferred that he primarily spoke from what he has seen over his many years in ministry and what he believes to be the case.
Rating: 5/5 (Books like this one are must reads for pastors. If you are not a pastor, tell your pastor that you appreciate him/her. Chances are that your pastor can use it.)
About the Author: Charles Stone serves as the senior pastor of Ginger Creek Community Church, a church of over 1,000 attendees in the Chicago suburbs. His personal blog and website can be found at charlesstone.net.
This book was provided for review by Glass Road Public Relations. It is being published by Bethany House and will become available in May 2010. To learn more about or purchase on Amazon, click here. If you are a pastor and think you would enjoy reading this book, let me know and I will send you my advance review copy.
Interview: Sarah Cunningham – Picking Dandelions
As an adult, I once saw vacation Bible school kids raise their hands to indicate they wanted to follow Jesus. Their hands shot up as if they were being asked if they wanted to play dodgeball. Some of the kids raised their hands every night of Bible school. I remember thinking that some of them had no idea what they were doing. But then again, it might be our strange sense of lostness that makes salvation so necessary. We’re so disoriented that we’ll reach for something even in blindness. And sometimes what we reach for is real and right. And it reaches right back.
- Picking Dandelions, p. 28
In this wonderfully quirky, candid and offbeat memoir, author Sarah Cunningham takes us through her journey of searching for remnants of Eden in the midst of life’s weeds. The book starts off with a beautiful description of Cunningham’s childhood as a pastor’s kid in rural Michigan and continues to her present reality as a wife, mother and teacher. Some of the themes are growth, maturity and embracing change.
I sat down with Cunningham electronically to ask her some questions about this book and her relationship with Tom Brady. Here is how our conversation went down:
ML: This book is a bit different in that the chapters are not titled. Was this a conscious decision? If so, I’m curious to get your thought process behind that decision.
SC: It depends. If you like that it didn’t have chapters, I’ll take credit for that. If not, it was a publishing oversight. 
Kidding. It wasn’t planned from the beginning, but it evolved–consciously–as I wrote it. With memoirs, you don’t want to force every section–every little story–into a rigid theme.You want them to flow as a collection of stories that move more like your life, chronologically, from one thing to the next. People get to know you by following you through life and gradually they pick up what is important versus you telling them with bold captions on the top of every page.
ML: You grew up in the church and became a Christian at an early age. What would you say to people who have been Christians their entire life, but feel discouraged with their progress and can’t use the “it was in my pre-Christian days” line when sorting through bad decisions?
SC: I’d say welcome to the human race. 
Life is a mix of ups and downs, of progress and disappointment, for anyone–regardless of where their faith story starts.
That sounds harsh, but its not a scare tactic. Its a helpful piece of information to take in. I think sometimes, in all the Sunday School lessons and songs with motions, adults forget to tell kids how sticky and dysfunctional life can be. How much struggle is waiting for each of us…even if we’re that good kid who makes all the textbook right choices. We have to anticipate that life will continually disrupt our ideals. When we expect that, we can prepare for it, learn to stay grounded so we retain enough awareness to find bits of Eden in the weeds.
ML: You had dreams of making a lasting impact and write about how good it felt to have so much support as you led teams in the wake of 9/11. Many young people have designs on changing the world. Over time, they seem to get jaded, frustrated with a lack of support, overwhelmed with how broken and needy the world is and/or burnt out. Is there a way to recover some of the youthful idealism later in life?
SC: I’m still one of the most idealistic, driven people I know. To a fault. So yes, there’s definitely a way to retain vision beyond your twenties.
One thing that is helpful is realizing God didn’t appoint any of us to rush around and fix every problem we can find or heal every hurting person we can locate on the globe. Not even Jesus took that approach. Instead of being motivated and then crushed by endless lines of need, we need to learn to not shoot for super hero status, but instead to aim for personal responsibility. Who does God bring across your path? What kind of needs are present in your family, friends, workplace? What social issue burdens you, weights on you, keeps you up at night? That is what you are responsible to respond to.The stuff God is doing in your own soul. Don’t worry about chasing down every need on the planet. God is pressing those issues into someone else. He’s good at delegating, man. He’s God.
ML: You mentioned that the Christian college you attended – Spring Arbor University – consisted of students eager to grow and that the place seemed to have a special connection to God. What would you say to students who attend Christian schools but don’t see that same desire to grow in the student body and are tempted to become disillusioned with the Christian faith?
SC: I would need to listen to all the factors involved before knowing where to start with that one. And even then, there’s probably no magic advice. Its probably one of those roads where the person needs to spend some time praying and reflecting and making some hard calls. One thing to remember though might be that in many many places in life, there will be no community of believers to help you nurture and maintain your faith. The people around you won’t be passionate about the same things, they might not even understand the way you see the world. You may feel very alone and misunderstood. And in those moments, whether they occur on campus or later among your friends or workplace, you will find renewal by making a practice of seeking God for yourself…even when there is no one around you to push you.
ML: You mention how difficult it was for the church you attended as a child to embrace change – even in something as simple as the color of a shingle. Do you think that churches are getting better at keeping with the times or still very resistant to change?
SC: I think there have always been churches and leaders who excelled at change. Sometimes the ones that end up in the spotlight aren’t there because they’re good at the kind of change I’m talking about. You can change “with the times” –buy killer video technology, create itouch applications for tithing, make your sanctuary wireless.Those can all be positive moves. But those kinds of changes don’t necessarily demonstrate any sort of mastery when it comes to change of the heart. Are people becoming more like Christ as they sit in your wireless sanctuary year after year? That’s the question and the change that matters.
ML: In the book, you reach for Rainblo bubble gum as you set about changing your life. Is this your candy of choice? What is your favorite flavor?
SC: Haha. Noooo. That is probably the only Rainblo I’ve had since third grade. I actually bought a bunch of 1980’s throwback candy for my husband one day because he loves the 80’s. And that just happened to be the package that got lost in a drawer somewhere.And all the Rainblo tastes the same to me, so I have to go with my favorite color which is orange.
ML: What would you say to people who recognize the need to change, try to change, but keep falling and feel as if they’re going nowhere or even backward?
SC: I’d say, wow, you’re just like me.
But, really, I’d say, there is truth in this world. There is. I’m sure of it. And if you seek it, not just once or every other month when you get in a sucky situation, but if you seek it day after day…if you try to apply it…to align your life with it. Man, you will start to experience more goodness, more peace. You will start to make choices that invite good into your life and carve away the dysfunction. And gradually, you will start to experience less drama as a result of your own choices.
But you still won’t be 100%. Things will still trip you up, just like they do me. And even when you’ve got your own life on course, you could still be impacted by sticky dynamics created by someone else’s choices.
ML: You currently live in Jackson, Michigan. According to Google Maps, that is only 43 minutes away from the university that Tom Brady attended. Aren’t you glad that God has given us Tom Brady? Isn’t one of your most ardent desires that the Patriots return to the Super Bowl next year?SC: Hmmm. Maybe I haven’t been adequately thankful to God on this one. Short answer: my husband is a Bears fan, so its mandatory that I not support Tom Brady. My marriage depends on it.
(Editor’s note: Sarah mentions in the book that she is still in the process of being sanctified.)
ML: If you had to distill this book to a few sentences, what is the most important thing that you aim to get across?
SC: Not changing can seem like the lazy, “easy” route at the time. But in the end, refusing to change is always way more expensive than just doing the hard work of rooting out the bad stuff and letting God transform you.
Christians can’t afford the luxury of unchanged living.
ML: For readers looking to learn more about you, where is best place to look? Also, you have written a few books. Where is the best place to start?
SC: Sarahcunningham.org is a quirky, cheesy collection of things that go on in my life. Its not news-worthy, but its fun and sometimes insightful. I’m active in promoting my writing and projects on Facebook and on again off again on Twitter too.
As far as the books go, I’ve written Dear Church and Picking Dandelions. I have contributed to a few others though. The average person should probably start with this book Picking Dandelions, which is available on Amazon. However, if you’ve ever been intensely sold on the mission of the church (local or global) and then been sidelined by negative experiences, you’ll find a voice of understanding and sometimes angst and eventually learning in Dear Church as well.
ML: Thank you, Sarah!
SC: Thanks for having me, Mark.
Sarah Cunningham is a high school teacher, part-time college professor, and chief servant to the nine month emperor Justus. She is a popular church and conference speaker, the author of Dear Church, and a contributor to several books, including unChristian. She is also a member of the Burnside Writer’s Collective, founded by Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz. Sarah, her husband, Chuck, and their son live with their manic Jack Russell terrier in Jackson, Michigan.
Smart Faith by J.P. Moreland & Mark Matlock
- Smart Faith, p. 18
Review: First off, this book on what it means to love God with all your mind is geared toward high school and college students. This was not clear to me going in. It is only 171 pages, but covers a lot of ground. It goes into good depth on some subjects (e.g. identifying and countering fallacies) and provides an easy to understand introduction to other concepts (e.g. limitations of the scientific method). The back cover promises that the reader can learn to:
- Identify fallacies of logic – your own and others
- Embrace the mind’s role in spiritual formation
- Acquire new spiritual disciplines
Though mostly at an introductory level (especially in regards to spiritual disciplines), the book comes through. Although it contains a few too many “musts” and “shoulds” for my taste, it is well reasoned and makes sense. It will also give the reader confidence in knowing how to respond to common obstacles presented by culture such as moral relativism (e.g. your truth vs. my truth).
I particularly liked the emphasis on not arguing from the Bible to people who aren’t sold on its validity. It is kind of stupid to say, “I believe it because the Bible says so” to someone who doesn’t believe in the Bible. One of the exercises at the end of a chapter is to come up with 3 simple and intelligent reasons for what you believe without using Scripture or feelings. Here is the example they gave:
1. I believe because the evidence – historical, archaelogical, scientific, and so on – for Christianity is more credible than the evidence for other faiths (or no faith at all).
2. I believe because Christianity is the only philosophy that explains every aspect of the realities in our world: human beings and nature, evil and good, love and hate, liberty and bondage, creativity and ingenuity, and so on.
3. I believe because I have asked for God’s involvement in my life and, as as result, have experienced His responses, too many responses to be labeled coincidence.
Exercises like this help the Christian to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Also great were the case studies toward the back of the book on secluded or worldly Christians and what it would look like to become an “ambassador Christian” (based on 2 Corinthians 5:20).
Summary: Some parts of this book were more enjoyable to read and other parts felt like eating vegetables - not the best tasting but good for you. This is particularly suited for overachieving and motivated high school students who want grow in loving God with their minds and be able to provide well-reasoned arguments for their faith.
Rating: 4/5 (Eat your spiritual vegetables.)
This book was provided for review by NavPress. To learn more or purchase on Amazon, click here.
Desperate Hope by Candi Pearson-Shelton
The greatest comfort, I believe, is found in remembering that we are in the hands of the most skillful surgeon, One who is intricate and detailed. He doesn’t leave things to chance. He is far too wise to stop in the middle of a design, too loving to leave a patient on the operating table without completing the surgery. He may seem to be going about it all wrong. But what do we know, really? Who are we, the creation, to tell the Creator what He could do better? What may seem scattered, random, or simply too difficult to grasp is actually the work of El Roi -- the God who sees. It is part of the intricate and purposeful plan of the Almighty. The plan is not often evident in the throes of our worst nightmares or our painful journeys. We may be aware that something is happening, but how it can possibly be woven together is beyond our scope. How fortunate for us that it isn’t beyond God’s scope.
- Desperate Hope, p. 161-162
Synopsis: Candi Pearson-Shelton is a worship leader, songwriter and independent artist. She is best known for her involvement with the Passion worship movement. She also wrote and performed the title track on the Dove-award-winning album Glory Revealed.Five years ago, Pearson-Shelton lost her then 23-year-old brother, Rick, to cancer. In Desperate Hope, she recounts her struggle to find understanding, hope and God’s plan and glory in the aftermath of this family tragedy. This book reads like part memoir and part devotional. Pearson-Shelton remains fiercely devoted to God -- even as she wrestles to find hope in the midst of chronicling her pain.
The appendix contains a collection of blog entries and comments from friends and family as her brother fought for survival in late 2005. Also included is a code for the download of a song that was written exclusively for the book. All profits for the sale of Desperate Hope will go to the Rick Pearson Memorial Fund.
Review: I wish that I had read the appendix to this book first. Though Pearson-Shelton clearly adored her brother, it wasn’t until I read the blog entries and comments/prayers from around the world that I developed my own emotional connection to the loss. The writing isn’t the best, but is full of raw trust, devotion and heart. I was particularly touched by how much this sister cared for her brother and inspired by the legacy he left behind. I also appreciated the incredible story about how Rick’s sickness led to his father coming to faith.
Overall, I found this to be a worthwhile read even though I didn’t connect with the book as much as others probably will. It is particularly suited for Christians dealing with the loss of a family member or any event that has led to heartache and despair. However, it will also lead the reader to want to love like Pearson-Shelton and live a life that impacts others as much as Rick’s life did.
Rating: 3/5 (Took me until the end to develop an emotional response to the book.)
This book was provided for review by David C. Cook through the B&B Media Group. To learn more about or purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner
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.
It was obvious that following Jesus had helped him to some degree, but it wasn’t a miraculous healing. Henry was in process. And there was nothing wrong with being in process. I was in process. But failing to acknowledge the loose ends of somebody’s story, or pretending they didn’t exist, usually caused lives to further unravel.- 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.
Cupidity by Hayley & Michael DiMarco
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.
Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge
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.