Tag: book review

Review: Five Who Changed the World

On By pastorjonathanIn books, MissionsLeave a comment

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet a few gentlemen from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  I was looking down the road a few years and trying to figure out what doctoral work would look like.  In the process of conversation the representatives of Southeastern were able to share with me in great detail about the seminary and their president, Daniel Akin, and offered me a copy of his book, “Five Who Changed the World.”

Finally last week I had the opportunity to read through the book.  While I am greatly familiar with Christian biographies (I’ve been reading them since I was 16 and helped found and sponsored the Christian Heritage Conference that we held in Mobile for several years), I was blessed to read Akin’s book.  Originally each chapter was a missions message delivered in the chapel at Southeastern.

These five messages now written down and combined in book form are challenging and motivating.  Though these messages do not contain a great amount of biographical detail they are very motivational and challenging.  I was blessed to be drawn to the heart of worshiping God through mission.  Each chapter details the life of a missionary (William Carey, Adoniram and Ann Judson, Bill Wallace, Lottie Moon, and Jim Elliot) combined with a passage of Scripture that each missionary illustrated throughout their life.

You can find the book in hard cover on Amazon.com for $15.  You can find our more about Daniel Akin and resources he has written and produced here.  The original sermons that have been recorded in print in this book can also be found free of charge here on his site.

I highly recommend this brief book to anyone interested in understanding Christian mission.  It is a quick read and highly motivational (I was drawn to tears over and over again).  I give it 5 stars.

Review: Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain

On By pastorjonathanIn books, Ministry1 Comment

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Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain: Uncovering the Hidden Potential in Life’s Most Common Struggles by Dr. Paul Meier and Dr. David L. Henderson is a great book  for readers who are looking to see a greater purpose in the painful moments of life.   Through out this book the authors challenge the reader to not seek a pain free existence, but rather to learn and grow through pain to see God’s greater purpose. Both authors share keen insights from both personal and clinical experience.

The book is divided into seven sections with four chapters each.  The sections include Injustice, Rejection, Loneliness, Loss, Discipline, Failure, and Death.  Each section is stand alone and the reader can jump ahead to a section without fear of having missed vital information in a section prior.

I appreciated authors’ writing styles.  The use of real life stories and examples helped to insure that this book was an easy read and never boring.  I enjoyed reading the keen insights from two brilliant men who have years of Biblical counseling experience in walking with people through pain.  The credibility of the authors, the easy to reference sectioning, and the readable style has guaranteed this book a spot on my shelf for years to come.

 

This is a very practical and readable book on pain and adversity.   Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain is an excellent resource. The retail price is $22.99 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $16.55. I gave it four stars.

Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a free review copy from the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program  (http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ ).  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.

Book Review: Obstacles Welcome

On By pastorjonathanIn books, leadershipLeave a comment

Obstacles Welcome book CoverObstacles Welcome: Turn Adversity to Advantage in Business and Life by Ralph de la Vega (President & CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets)  is a great book  for leaders who are looking to hear from an experienced leader on overcoming adversity.   De la Vega has seen many adverse situations in his career and turned them to his advantage.  He recounts of the obstacles faced during hurricanes in South Florida, political unrest and diverse markets in South America, and the enormous task of overseeing the integration of Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless on a short deadline.. De la Vega takes the reader on a tour of his life and the obstacles he faced all along the way.  Yet at each point he is sure to illustrate the practical nature of the character and leadership principles that guided him along the way.

I appreciated Ralph de la Vega’s writing style.  When reading Obstacles Welcome I couldn’t help but come away feeling as thought I had been personally mentored by the man who wrote the book.  I got a glimpse into the challenges he faced early on in childhood that ultimately prepared him for the business world.  Though he shared deeply insightful and personal stories, he was careful to cultivate a leadership lesson out of each one.  The brief summary entitled “take away messages” at the end of each chapter were of a great benefit to me personally.  While the principles taught by de la Vega were not new leadership principles, they were taught in the very practical setting of real life.

This is one of the most practical books on leadership and adversity that I have ever read.   Obstacles Welcome is an excellent resource. The retail price is $24.99 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $16.49. I gave it five stars.

Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a free review copy from the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program  (http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ ).  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.

Review: The Ishbane Conspiracy

On By pastorjonathanIn books4 Comments

I generally don’t read a lot of fiction, but this book was handed to me by one of my student’s parents and I found that I couldn’t put it down.  Randy Alcorn, noted author and speaker, co-wrote this book with his two daughters, Angela and Karina.  Though I have heard of Randy Alcorn before, this is actually my first book of his to read.  Needless to say it won’t be my last.

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The story that Randy Alcorn and his daughters weave in The Ishbane Conspiracy centers around the lives of four teenagers Jillian, Brittany, Rob and Ian and takes place over the course of a year.  Three of the teenagers are making the transition from high school to college.  Rob, the oldest in the group starts the book as a college freshman.

The authors do a great job of leading the reader through the high school world and touch on real life subjects.  As a student pastor and having been on high school campus’ quite a bit over the last twelve years it is surprising how accurately the issues are represented in this book.  Yet, the Christian students in this book struggle through these issues (or walk with their friends through these issues) and though the road is difficult at places, they find guidance and deliverance in Christ.

Each chapter is followed by a letter from one demon to another in a similar style to C.S. Lewis’ The Screw Tape Letters.  The letter’s contain hell’s strategy for leading students to death, or at least a wasted life.  The letters increase in length throughout the course of the book.  Each one providing more commentary on the temptations that teenagers face.

Due to the mature themes that run through the book I would recommend it to parents and students in high school.  The issues are real and aren’t really over-exagerated, but may appear shocking to parents who don’t have kids in high school.  If you are a high school student looking for a practical guide on how to live for Christ in your school, a parent looking for more insight into the issues that surround teenagers today, or just a good fan of great fiction, I highly recommend this book to you.  I give it four out of five stars.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Lost and Found

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and The Churches That Reach Them, is a book by Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes.  In it, the authors provide a great analysis of who eighteen-to-twenty-somethings are and what churches are doing to reach them.  It’s no secret that many young adults leave or never enter the fellowship of a local church. This book seeks to find the answer not only to why congregations are not reaching them, but how they can effectively reach out to them.  It is full of surprises and challenges.  I highly recommend it to pastors, church leaders, and anyone with an interest in reaching the young adult population.

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The book is divided into three main categories.

  • Polling. Which covers the raw data and the reasoning for the survey.  The author’s do a great job of breaking the data down into charts and statistics that can easily be interpreted and understood.
  • Listening. In addition to polls, the research team also invested in over 5oo personal interviews with young adults across the polling spectrum in order to gain more valuable information.  The findings of the interviews are shared in chapter format covering the generalities in regular text and setting out key images that often rose to the top.
  • Reaching. In this section of the book the authors’ turn their attention to the churches that are reaching this segment of the population in seemingly unprecedented numbers.  In doing so they breakdown what seem to be the similarities among how they appeal to young adults and the practical steps they are taking to be even more diligent in reaching this generation.

Lost and Found is a great read and the authors  include several good features.  The authors strive to present the material in such a way as to engage the reader not only with where young adults are, but  how to reach them.  They infuse the book with enough stories and quotes to ensure that the reader has not only heard the statistics, but has also heard the voice of this generation.  I give it five star rating.

Review: The [expanded] Bible

On By pastorjonathanIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The [E_200_350_Book.75.coverxpanded] Bible (a modified version of the NCV) by Thomas Nelson Publishers is a great resource for readers who are looking for a clearer understanding of the biblical text.  The expanded Bible presents the base text of the Bible translation in a bold print and then additional information for each phrase or verse in a lighter text.  The idea behind the expanded Bible is that when the Bible is translated from the original languages to another (like English) that bits and pieces can get lost in the translation.  It would be a bit like watching the Wizard of Oz in black and white (translation) versus color (original language). The ideas come across, but nuances are missing.   The expanded Bible attempts to help bridge the gap and fill in the details that are lost in translation (making the yellow brick road shine and the ruby red slippers glisten).

The Expanded Bible is very easy to use.  The notes are easy to locate and understand.  The headings are placed to the side and a one inch margin provides a great place for reader notes.   Unlike a traditional Bible it is difficult to read in a continuous fashion, due to the notes being included in the text.  However I have found it to be a great aid as a study Bible for the very same reason.

For Bible study there are better tools available, but this book serves its purpose well in providing a quick reference and helping to grasp a particular passage. As supplemental study material, or for those looking for an easy to use bible study tool The Expanded Bible is an excellent resource. The retail price is $29.99 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon for $13.59.

Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a free review copy from the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program  (http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ ).  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.