A New Kind of Kid

Honest, a nugget and a lot of messy opinions

2012-02-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

This is a review of Mark Driscoll and his wife's book, "Real Marriage."

First the good, the Driscoll couple are very open, honest, and leave little out in their sharing. You can;t help but applaud them for this, and be grateful for their forthright expressions. I was pleasantly surprised with Mr. Driscoll's piece on "Tender and Tough," which didn't strike me as typical Mr. Driscoll. This was the nice nugget. These couple things climb the rating to where it is.

But then there are a lot of pages that made it a book, but didn't make it worth my time. The tone just grows real old, real fast. There is never any room for discussion with Mr. Driscoll, which i find so off putting. An example, he writes with language like, "The Bibles is very plain when it says..." and yet I find that is very plain to proving Mr. Driscoll's point but not necessarily being contextually plain. There are times in the writing where it is as if Mr. Driscoll thinks the Bible was written with white, middle class Americans as the model for marriage. If the Bible was written at the popularity height of The Leave it to Beaver TV show, then this book would climb a couple more stars in rating. But it doesn't take a Biblical scholar to know that the Bible was written a little further back than the 1950's. Again, I can appreciate the honesty of the Driscoll family, but when Mr. Driscoll self diagnoses himself with a sort of depression because of a lack of sex, that wreaks of chauvinism. My wife also read this book, and she is a licensed counselor, so this part really cheesed her off.

My wife and I are also reading to other marriage books, one by Timothy Keller and his wife and the other by Craig Groeschel, and both of them are significantly more in depth and carry more wisdom. I believe that is what we need more than anything with today's marriage, wisdom, rather than strong opinions.

Lost and Found

2011-12-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

With all of the stories and illustrations my hope is that the young audience will be drawn in and can grasp a fresh perspective on a rich and beautiful faith. That is my hope. As for me, being a little older, I felt the book was a bit unorganized and overly simplistic. I had to wrestle through it at times and wouldn't liked a bit more of a personal touch. Te author felt a little distant and came across as a teacher at times, rather than a writer. That worries me as well for the younger audience which is who Mr. Herd is targeting. I'm always hopeful for them!

I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for my review

Another great book by Andy Stanley

2011-10-19T13:20:00.001-07:00

Andy Stanley continues to amaze me. He is crystal clear in his communication, and I believe he is one of the best communicators we have in the field today. In his latest book, "Enemies of the Heart," Stanley dives right into the crankiness that we all can find ourselves quickly slipping in to. The four biggest enemies are: anger, guilt, greed, and jealousy. Andy Stanley, as usual, lasers in on each hiccup of the heart and masterfully drills away on how we can chase our enemies out. This is a book inviting us to do some soul work. To canvas our hearts and drive out the things that keep us living from the place of our divine spark. I cannot recommend this book, and all of Andy Stanley's writings enough. If you feel your heart hardening, or your soul is catching a cold, then grab this book up for a good slice of the remedy.

Full disclosure, I received this book free from Blogging for Books

Solid, but lacking the usual creative spark

2011-10-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

In Soul Print Mark Batterson takes on the task of helping people find their unique voice in the world. "What am I here for?" which people, and those in the church seem to struggle mightily with. I enjoyed the book, maybe more so because I am a fan of Batterson, and it could be that my fandom inched the rating up to 3 stars. I really enjoyed his other books, and this one seems a bit more preachy, as if it was more of a manuscript of sermons, rather than a work of literature. It didn't have that creative spark, often found in the finger tips of Mark's writing. He pulls from the life of David, but it feels a bit forced and less insightful than his previous writings. All in all, Mark is a pastor with a seemingly good heart and you will not go wrong with this book. But if you read his earlier writings first you might feel that there is a small hiccup in creativity and insight here.

Full disclosure, I received this book for free from blogging for books.

Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me

2011-09-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

This has easily become a top contender for a favorite book of mine.

This book is incredibly well written, full of sly wit and sharp in its storytelling. Mr.Cron does not paint a dull or predictable Christian book, instead he writes in real life with all the flavor that life is served up in. I could feel the tension he had with his father, his desire to live in truth, and his journey to actually finding truth for himself. It is rare, sadly, to find a Christian perspective written about with such raw honesty, holding nothing back, and not injecting pithy Christian cliches into real life stories. This book feels so authentic, and yet Cron admits in the very beginning that this is written many years removed from the actual events. So he writes as he remembers events more so than identical fact. I believe this helps the author weave the book together almost flawlessly, and adds the perfect amount of wit and charm. Well done Mr. Cron, I hope there are many more books to come after this excellent entry.

I received this book from Book Sneeze for review, and yet I would pay the cover price in a heart beat!

Tithing

2011-05-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

While I appreciated Leblanc's narrative/biographical approach, as a pastor I definitely wanted something with more depth and biblical insight. I was hoping for Leblanc to dig into the culture and context of the scripture to help guide the way in which we might see tithing in a fresh way. Mr. Leblanc doesn't show any theological scratchings and leans too much into story telling that comes across as nice ideas, but may or may not carry any sort of truth. This just felt far too removed from the rest of the books in this Ancient Practices series, and being that it cam out last, I wonder what went wrong. I believe that we need some fresh language and life provided for giving to the local church, and this fell flat. Some good stories and decent writing, but just not enough depth.

The Liturgical Year

2011-03-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it helped flesh out the life of discipline and practice. The author writes elegantly and has a lifetime of experience in which she generously shares with the reader. I know that her experience is limited to her catholic heritage, but how can that be something help against her? This book will be revisited often as a guide for our church to participate in the liturgical calendar, and to deepen the richness of our faith. I especially appreciated the chapters that unpacked Lent and the engulfed days and celebrations (Ash Wednesday, Holy week, etc). Content aside, the author is obviously a gifted writer and the flow and feel of the book is warm and glides along as if floating. I look forward to the other books in this Ancient practices series.

Next Christians book review

2011-01-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

I was very anxious and excited to follow up 'UnChristian,' with 'The Next Christians,' and was not at all disappointed. Right from the beginning, in the chapter 'A Fading Reality,' Gabe Lyons unpacks how America has left behind the stronghold of being, "A Christian nation," and is now largely a pluralistic society. He does a masterful job of walking the reader through our history, and in a refreshing way, guides through how key decisions and actions took us off the path of Jesus and onto a more religious path. Then in the "New Normal," he develops where we are currently. A wonderful look into the birth of the suburbs and how it reshaped the everyday life of the common American family. How it moved the church from the center of life to the fringe, and just another thing to put on the weekly calendar. I think this particular chapter raises questions of where we live, why we live there, and what role those decisions play in the daily working of our faith.

What set this book apart, was the 6 ways forward for Christians to realign on the path of Jesus: we will be provoked, not offended; creators, not critics; called, not employed; grounded, not distracted; in community, not alone; and countercultural, not relevant. Each characteristic is a positive and empowering way forward, rather than one of disdain and critique that leaves us with few helpful answers. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the journey ahead!

Finding Our Way Again

2011-01-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

I truly enjoyed 'Finding Our Way Again' by Brian McLaren, as I found it to be well rounded and captured a depth that has been largely missing in our culture. I think he sets up the seven ancient practices very well, and I look forward to the rest of series. This is just an introduction to the practices of fixed hour of prayer, Sabbath, Fasting, Tithing, The Sacred Meal, The Liturgical Year and Pilgrimage, which all have a unique book and author for each practice. I have always found Brian's writing so encouraging and yet it has such a generous amount of challenge within it, and that is definitely the case with this book. Although I have noticed other reviewers negatively speaking about Brian's use of other religions and their approaches to some of the same practices, I found it helpful and broadened my perspective. I love the metaphors and stories Brian uses to help illustrate a point, or paint a more colorful picture. For example, in the chapter 'Shallow Trouble Deep Trouble,' his metaphor of a firefighter, a health physician, and a social worker gave a clear picture of the danger of an afterlife destination being the goal, rather than a engagement and participation in the here and now approach to the gospel. A firefighter doesn't love fire, he hates it and the damage it does to people's lives, so he is trained how to go into burning buildings in order to fight the fire, for the sake of safety. If he loved fire, he'd be more inclined to be a pyromaniac, and if he was afraid of fire he would be inclined to be a pyrophobe. He neither loves it nor is afraid of it, instead he is trained to eliminate it for the betterment of all. This was just one of many pictures that I found helpful for intelligent dialogue with others, as well as helpful in my own journey with Jesus. This went along well with stories of how people of different denominations and religions approached the ancient practices, and help show the beauty of the practice from many angles. I think Brian paved a way for people to re-engage with ancient practices so as to return us to a path that we might have drifted off. I am looking forward to the remainder of the series and how the unique voice of each author tackles each discipline/practice.

The Vertical Self

2010-12-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

For the most part I enjoyed where this book intended to go, and from time to time the author just seemed prone to wander into vagueness. At times, there is much more depth than one might find in a short, paperback book, so that was a pleasant surprise. The authors intent to move the reader from a place of finding value through the eyes of the everyday culture, to finding purpose and identity in the image of Jesus is very much needed today. I found the author spot on in pinpointing that far too many people are driven by the desire to imitate and impress the culture at large, and in the end grade themselves by those measurements. The author shares some great stories, but sometimes drifts off and his point occasionally becomes foggy. I do wonder if people's desire to live the vertical life might get lost in the desire to find THEIR purpose rather than being content with experiencing the risen Jesus. Encourage you to pick it up in your local book store, browse through it, and if it strikes a nerve, then I imagine you won't be disappointed.

Giddy Up!

Permission to Speak

2010-12-16T20:12:00.000-08:00

Recently read Anne Jackson's latest, "Permission to Speak Freely," and it was a raw and honest look into growing faith. Anne helps guide the church stare into the mirror, observe all the wrinkles and blemishes, not as a form of disdain, but as an opportunity fully grasp the renewal and beauty that God creates in our honesty. When we can open our lives up, be honest, then we can experience God caress all the deepest cuts and hurts. She offers the church free space to speak freely, question sincerely, and move forward boldly.

I can fully appreciate Anne's invitation and I think the church is in deep need of humbly acknowledging where she has drifted and hung a closed sign. Although Anne's own story is thick and full of such boldness in the way honesty, I couldn't help but feel a little let down with free speaking that surrounded it. Anne lays her guts in the line, with nice slice of wit, and a stunning amount of vulneralbility. It was the other pieces of work that were shared that seemed to fall into buckets of cliche and bitterness more so than confession and an honest invitation to help change the church.

Anne's voice is beautiful and needed within the church today, but I hope she continues to search for fresh material in less churchy bubbles so as not merely adjust the bubble but to full find a new voice outside of it.

Strongest Life

2010-03-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I tend to be more skeptical of books that seem to be just capitalizing on the success of the successful predacessor, but this is Buckingham. This of course means the reader is going to get very solid leading, instruction, and application. "In Find Your Strongest Life, Marcus Buckingham reveals the powerful key to help women draw enough strength from life to feel fulfilled, loved, successful, and in control. Even more, he helps women reconnect with their purpose and gives a starting point for change. A research-based message that applies to work and life, Find Your Strongest Life shows women a “unified theory” for how they really can have it all . . . the right kind of all."

What I appreciate most is that Marcus challenges women to not only take risks, but he also guides them through the risk taking. Encouraging women to discover all of life and assisting in tackling the many fears and challenges that most women face within this process. I appreciate Marcus' voice, although it has its dull moments, this is another solid high five from Marcus Buckingham.

Love & Respect Review

2009-12-28T06:39:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying that the premise is right on and incredibly enriching for all marital relationships. The "concept" is beautiful, quite simple, and yet I would imagine so many folks fight it. I found it a bit surprising that the author treated the "concept" as a hidden gem from Scripture, when I cannot imagine how premarital counseling wouldn't be fully wrapped in it. The premise of the book is found in the book of Ephesians, which is thick with much more content than this author actually lands on, but understandably, it is the simplicity of "husbands love your wives and wives respect your husbands," that really solidifies the "why" of the book. Again, excellent premise and much needed in today's society of just quit if it's not making you happy marriages. The three star rating is due to the blandness of the writing and how it feels forced to drag a large book out of the content provided. I think Rob Bell unpacks the Scripture of Ephesians 5 with more depth and enticement in just one chapter of "Sex God." I've listened to many Andy Stanley messages and read most of his books, which like this book, unpacks one rather simple, yet profound concept. Yet, unlike this book, Andy brilliantly hits the one concept from multiple angles to answer questions you haven't yet asked. Love and Respect says the same thing over and over, but from the same, singular angle, and it left me feeling that the author was telling the same story with different names to fill pages. Because the material was obviously going to be used for couples and marriage groups, I wonder if they couldn't have creatively packaged it in a different format. In the end, it is a great, needed premise, but blandly displayed and goes on far too long. A better, more creative outlet could have captured a larger audience, which is the point, correct?

My Dream

2009-02-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

I would love to be able to stay at home with my son, write and speak from time to time. My wife is far to talented to stay at home while I work as a full time pastor. I believe the aspects of how God has called me as a pastor are largely missed, I spend most of my time as a director and organizer (neither being my strengths at all). I really should grow and learn to be a great writer, speak from time to time, and then just be with my son. This all makes the most sense financially, my wife could make way more money with her gifts than I do with mine, and I believe it would be healthier for our family.

It makes sense
Wally

Help

2009-02-11T05:35:00.000-08:00

God I need you to break me into a new person. I feel like there is something missing... and then I realize that something is myself. I am not being a good husband or a good dad. I feel like my family would benefit more from my death, due to the fact they would get a handsome life insurance check. Brutal, yeah it is, but I really don't feel as if they need me.

I'm hurting
Wally

Change

2009-02-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Needing some change. The sweet spot has been waiting for about seven years now, and my soul is getting over anxious. Seems like before my writing is accepted my platform has to grow. For that to take place my life circumstances need to look quite a bit different. My creativity feels like a thing of the past, and I laugh far too little. I felt like I was in a groove, teaching wise, some time ago and that has sputtered to a snail's squirm. I need to lock into the couple things I do well, or at least hone those things.

Needing inspiration
Wally

Thus Far

2008-10-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

It was a little over thirteen years ago that God invited me to share my journey in becoming a new kind of kid as a vocation. The idea of becoming a pastor was about as ridiculous of an idea as becoming an astronaut. But now I wonder if flying to the moon is easier and less adventurous than being a pastor. Every day is unique and full of wonder, and laced with a thin strand of mystery. I must hand each day over to God, or else my needy, selfish hands will skewer what God intends for good. So here is to stepping aside daily, listening to the still small voice, and sketching the brilliance of God by way of words. Some day they may caress the paper and bindings of a book, or they may just glide across the back lit computer screen. They will always hover my heart and mind, teaching and prodding me to learn the way of the Father and experiencing fresh ways to become a new kind of kid.

Wallace D.