Viral: A Review

Leonard Sweet's lastest book is an attempt to understand the current cultural phenomena that is found in social media.  This is essentially a look at the modern and postmodern mindsets and lifestyles, but Sweet refers to them as Gutenbergers and Googlers respectively.  I felt that Sweet did a fair job of defining them both and did not take a side with one being right over the other.  Instead Sweet goes into this with the understanding that in order for the church to survive it will have to take the Googlers culture very seriously.  The meat of the book is centered around dissecting the Google culture which he does using the acronym TGIF (Twitter, Google, Iphone, Facebook).  It seems that this book is targeted to those in the Gutenberg culture in order to become more familiar with the Google culture and in addition to understand how the church can use the tools available to minister within the culture.  I felt it was very well written and easy to understand.  I would recommend this book very highly.  

Click here to download and read Chapter 1.  

I received this book for free for review from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  

Decision Points: A Review

I have recently finished George W. Bush's book, "Decision Points."  I was very intrigued to read this book and find out a little more about this very controversial, love him or hate him figure from recent American politics.  Instead of this being a day by by or month by month journal or memoir of his presidency, this book follows some of the main decisions that he had to make during his time in office.  The format that follows is to present the problem or situation that arose and how Bush and his team came to their decision and ultimately how it played out after the decision was made.  I found this to be a very candid look at how Bush came to make many of the decisions that he was both praised and persecuted for making.  While I don't agree with every decision that he made, I would have to say that my admiration for anyone who is elected president grew through reading this book.  One cannot fully imagine the full scope of what it means to be the president until you are in those shoes, although you could argue that this Bush would have a good idea since his father was also president.  Be it resolve or just plain stubbornness, Bush was definitely willing to stay that course of his decisions no matter what political fallout was sure to come.

I felt the book was well written and it captured my attention all the way through.  I enjoyed the candid look at his presidency that covered both the good and bad decisions that he made, in his own words even. It will be interesting to see how history will remember George W in the long term.  One can definitely say that he endured some tough decisions throughout his 8 years in office and I personally do not envy the responsibility that comes with making such decisions.  I would definitely recommend this book.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Radical Together: A Review

Radical Together, by David Platt, is a continuation of his previous work titled Radical. The message of both books is very similar with the difference being in to whom the message is intended. Radical was intended to shake up the faith of the individual in light of what the gospel says to the American Dream. Radical Together is intended to shake up the faith of the church and to encourage them to live out this radical faith in community together. I believe that the strength of Platt's message is found in the stories of those from his church who are living this out. Platt is not just talking in ideas and dreams but in how real lives have embodied these ideas and dreams. I believe that this is a very inspirational book that also asks very important questions to the church in America today. I admire the courage that it takes to go against the flow of American Christianity and be a "voice in the wilderness," but there is a certain level of credibility that comes from pastoring a large church that is faithfully living out this message.

I would definitely recommend this book for everyone. The writing is very engaging and the message is one that needs to be pondered by all Christians. I would encourage everyone to read Radical first in order to fully grasp the totality of the message. There are six sessions of small group discussion questions at the end of the book that would prove to be very helpful for such a group to talk through the message of the book. I pray that the church in America could become radical together for the gospel in the world.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Corruptible

I will have to admit that I am a sucker for a good mystery book.  I found "The Corruptible: A Ray Quinn Mystery" to be just that, a good mystery book.  It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.  I didn't get bored with this book, but it did move at a fairly slow pace for a mystery book.  Part of that may be due to my love for TV shows of the same genre that move quickly and take several episodes or seasons to develop their characters.  This is the second book in a series, and I have not read the first one, so there may be some background information that I am missing.

The basic premise of the book is centered around an ex-cop, Ray Quinn, who was injured in the line of duty and now is working as a Private Investigator.  His carrer as a PI was helped by a previous case that he helped to solve and now afforded him certain perks as a consultant with the police force.  His partner is a wanna be cop by the name of Crevis, who is good hearted but cannot seem to pass the written cop exam.  Ray is hired to recover some stolen materials by a very wealthy investment firm that is run by Armon Mayer.  Ray is told that he was hired because the suspect was a dirty ex-cop, Logan, who had been working as a security guard for Mayer.  As Quinn begins his search Logan is found dead with the stolen goods no where to be found.  Quinn finds himself working alongside the police force in both the murder investigation as well as his own investigation into the stolen goods.  The case seems to go round and round while running into many dead ends but Quinn does end up solving the case in the end, which as it turns out was an inside job for the theft and a revenge of sorts for the murder.

With this being a "Christian" mystery novel there is a hint of evangelism  on the part of one of the characters who desires to help Ray.  In the end Ray does finally start listening to her and begins a journey toward sobriety that the author leads open for subsequent books.

All in all this was a good read.  There were a few things that seemed unbelievable from time to time, but I chalk that up to a work of fiction.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Hope with the Next Christians

When observing the Christian landscape in America today it is easy to get disenfranchised.  It is pretty obvious that the world as we know it is changing and that the church is trying to figure out how to faithfully present the gospel in this new world.  And you might imagine, this is taking on different looks depending on where one is trying to minister.  Thankfully we seem to be moving away from a cookie cutter ten step process in how to grow a mega church with the end result being more fannies in the seats to a holistic look at how we make actual disciples that will make a difference in the world.  In "The Next Christians," Gabe Lyons is describing what this latter emphasis looks like.  Instead of being bogged down by the intricacies of post modernity and how it may or may not affect our theology, Lyons is taking a look at how many present day Christians are living, moving and having their being in the world.  He brings up how many of the outlooks of Christians today have changed from those of generations past, especially in how they choose to engage the world around them.  They seek to be agents of restoration in the world who join God in the work that is already being done in and around them.

I really enjoyed not only the content of what Lyons had to say, but also the stories of those who are actually living out being an agent of restoration.  I felt this offered the most tangible form of hope because these shifts in lifestyle are not just good theories but realities for those who are seeking to follow God in this way.  Their stories offer a way forward to those who would choose to follow God in the same manner.  I would hope that as this book is read that it peaks our imagination to what our life with God could be like and where we can join in the work that God is already doing.  I hope that my story can one day be found in the pages of "The Next Christians" and that as a minister I have been able to help others do the same.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  

Looking for an audacious faith?

In "Sun Stand Still" Pastor Steven Furtick challenges us to develop an audacious faith.  I was a little skeptical at first as to where this might lead, but upon reading his book I wholeheartedly agree.  Furtick is taking the basis of his book from the story of Joshua.  Joshua had the pleasure of leading the people of God after Moses had died, a task that I'm sure not too many envied.  But Joshua was the leader that was able to lead the people of God into the promised land after wandering in the desert for forty years.  During one of the many battles that he lead the army into, he had the audacity to pray that God would make the sun to stand still in the sky, and God granted this request which allowed Joshua and his army to gain victory.  It is this simple prayer that Joshua prays that Furtick uses to awaken his reader to the promises that God wants to unleash on His people.  This does not refer or in any way mimic the slick packaging of the prosperity gospel, but instead Furtick is concerned with how the people of God can make a difference in the world around them.

I think the strength of this book is found in the ease and clarity of the writing and the stories that Furtick shares of those in his church that have prayed Sun Stand Still prayers in their lives and how God answered them.  I really appreciated his emphasis at the end of the book on how the journey is just as important as the destination and that getting to the destination is always a process.  It is easy to read a book like this and then get caught up in the success stories and lose sight of the process and journey that it took to get there.  There are many resources on the website for the book that will help with small group discussions and other messages from the author.

On a personal note, one of my best friends from college attends Elevation church in Charlotte and has nothing but positive things to say about his church and the work they are doing in the Charlotte area.  If the basis of the ministry of Elevation church is founded in the frame of mind that this book portrays I can totally see why this is the case.  I believe there are even greater things in store for this pastor, his church and those who will join in the movement of God with an audacious faith.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Chazown

The latest book that I have had an opportunity to read is "Chazown: Define Your Vision. Pursue Your Passion. Live Your Life on Purpose." by Craig Groeschel.  I picked this book for two reasons, the first is the unique title and the fact that I am interested in Hebrew concepts of the faith (which this book really did not address) and second I have never read anything by Groeschel.  As you can probably guess from the subtitle, this book is about finding the purpose for your life.  I had expectations of this being a somewhat dense book that delved into the dense fabric of a spiritual life and instead what I found was a very practical and easy approach to life.  At first I was put off by the simplicity, but as I reflected on what Groeschel was presenting and how I have heard it talked about previously; I really appreciated the simplicity.  As someone in vocational ministry I have talked to many people about this topic and am amazed at the many different approaches that people take to find meaning or purpose.  What I like the most about this book is how he emphasizes that our purpose is largely wrapped up in how we have been gifted by God and what passion God has instilled in each of us.  I also appreciated that Groeschel believes that living a life in balance is key to this whole thing working.  I don't want to give away the content of the book because you should really read this book.  It is easy to understand and well written.  I would suggest that this book is most effective if read through in community.  The sections of the book lend themselves to discussion and most importantly, accountability.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.