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Audiobook: provided for review from www.christianaudio.com

A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper

I was recently invited to join the Christianaudio.com reviewer’s program. I was delighted to join them as I have been listening to their audiobooks for over a year now. One of the first titles offered for review (to me) was A Sweet & Bitter Providence by John Piper.  This volume is narrated by Grover Gardner, who must narrate on a regular basis, I recognized him from the spiritual theology series by Eugene Peterson that I listened to last spring among other titles as well. Speaking of the narration, Gardner is rapidly becoming to me as Morgan Freeman is becoming the next James Earl Jones for the Madison Avenue crowd. Grover Gardner’s voice is very easy to listen to and he is very capable of reading the written story in an audible form that invites you into the story…very conversational and engaging.

The work itself, A Sweet & Bitter Providence, is a wonderful story from the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament Scriptures. I enjoyed the exegetical and expository style of writing from Dr. Piper as he shared his insight to this great teaching about the character and providence of God. As “providence” would have it, I happened to have just finished reading the Genesis story of Joseph and was three-quarters finished with the story of Job at the time of my listening to A Sweet & Bitter Providence. These three great Bible stories together complimented one another in a beautiful way and helped me to solidify what John Piper was trying to get across to his audience.

From a technical standpoint, I appreciate the context of the MP3 files (my preferred medium). They are clearly titled and tagged for my audio player (iPod). This is important to me for filing and categorizing on my player as well as being able to have logical starting and stopping points for the chapters.

Personally, I recommend audiobooks for people who have super busy lifestyles, spend a lot of time over the road in travel, or folks who might be looking for a change from the written word. I enjoy the break in my routine and find this to be an excellent way to continue on the path of my education and make the most use of my time; I also listen to the books while dong my workouts at the gym. Thank you to Christianaudio.com for very affordable titles and a rapidly growing selection.

Summary:

Sex. Race. Scripture. Sovereignty. Read the rest of this entry »

Tea with Hezbolla: Sitting at the Enemies’ Table; Our Journey Through the Middle East was received by me a few weeks ago as a review project. Unfortunately, I have been unable to complete the assignment within the time constraints. I am greatly interested in the book and the subject matter that it considers (which is why I agreed to review it in the first place). I do plan to read and interact on this blog about it in the future, but I wanted to be faithful to my original commitment to provide the review as well. My solution came in the form of my youngest son, Joshua, who is an avid reader and a fan of Ted Dekker. Josh has reviewed several books on the icrucified blog and it was my pleasure to ask him to “help out his dear old dad” on this occasion. So, without further ado, here is Joshua’s review.

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Tea With Hezbolla by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis [a review by Joshua Borden]

I have read Ted Dekker before, my favorite being The Circle Trilogy.  When I started Tea with Hezbollah I went into it with the mindset that it was probably going to be like that… It was anything but.  To begin, Tea with Hezbollah is an actual recounting of Ted Dekker’s and Carl Medearis’ journey through the Middle East as they talked to the top ideologues and leaders of the various militant and Muslim factions.  Their main reason was to see if Jesus’ famous teaching about loving your enemy was really possible and to see what Middle Easterner’s thought about it.  They were also looking for a modern day “Good Samaritan.”

I admit that I started the book with the preconceived notions of a naïve 14 year old about the Middle East and the various military factions.  Throughout the book both I and Ted went through a very thorough change of mindset.  The authors gave the reader the actual transcripts from conversations of what people said to them, from the common taxi driver to the Bin Laden brothers.  They met with people that we as Americans believe are only out to kill us and our Israeli allies, while in reality the Middle Easterners only pick up arms when it is necessary.  Many of them are just common everyday people who want to make a difference and fight for their right to have their country back and Israel removed.  We, as Americans, don’t see all the pain and suffering that the Palestinians are forced to endure on a regular basis, never knowing whether or not they’ll be alive the next day.  Being a “Christian” in the Middle East is more of a political affiliation than anything, especially seeing how the “Christians” do just as much damage and killing as anyone else. The leaders of the Hezbollah, whom many would call terrorists out to kill and maim as many as possible, are quite possibly one of the most humane groups in the Middle East.  Their primary intent and purpose is to help and provide services to the people in Lebanon, and to provide security and as much peace of mind as is possible in the Middle East.  If you felt that some entity or country was trying to takeover and ignore your rights, wouldn’t you resist them in any way you could when they came?  Insights like this and many more into the truth of the Middle East really changed how I think about the whole situation.

This book was great and I hope it will change your preconceptions as much as it did mine.  It makes very hard ideas a little easier to swallow. My notions and ideas were changed by the time I finished this book and it happened without me even realizing it until I had finished and was writing this review. Tea with Hezbollah takes you on a journey that I hope will allow you to love your enemies in your own life.

Tea with Hezbolla is a book provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Read the rest of this entry »

I received a copy of the Voice New Testament from Thomas Nelson for review. I’m not sure if I like it or not. My first impressions are a mixed bag; there are definitely some things that I like, but there are also things that I do not like. Let me explain my reasons…

It goes without saying this is a personal review and my opinion only; however, I’m a bit of a translation junkie when it comes to Bibles and the Greatest Story Ever Told. I love reading different translations and versions…always excited to read a “fresh” retelling of the Story. I’m always a little bit leery when the story seems “too fresh.” While I haven’t gone cover-to-cover in the Voice New Testament, it seems there are some portions that are, in my opinion, too fresh. By this I mean, there might be some biased interpretation, or so it seems by the way the reader is led through interpretive “call out” boxes and italicized statements placed in the text for inference. This isn’t necessarily wrong or bad, but I don’t particularly care for it (personally). I find that it can be misleading when trying to accurately understand the text; not always, but sometimes. In fairness to the Voice, I feel the same way about most study Bibles. Also, with respect to the translation team, they do qualify the nature of the italicized statements and the call-out boxes and instruct the reader these elements are not in the original texts.

I appreciate the “spirit” behind the translation. I also respect the teams that have put in work to make the translation. I enjoy the flow and screenplay format of the reading; I found it to be very fluid and easy to follow…definitely as though I were reading a story rather than a verse by verse recounting. There were no repetitious stumbling through the verses, chapters, and books; this made the reading easy and pleasant too. I do think a chronological approach to this work might be something I’d enjoy more than the present version.

I want to spend more time with the Voice, but my recommendations for now are as follows: I recommend it with a few caveats. I don’t think it should be a primary study Bible; I don’t care for the liberties taken that I observe when I place the Voice alongside versions like the ESV, NSRV, and even NIV, and NLT. I think it would serve very well as a devotional-supplemental reader (once again, the authors and publishers call this a “personal devotional Bible”) as it is titled in point-of-sale material. I’m up in the air as to whether I’d recommend it for curious seekers or not. I’d probably be more inclined to determine that on a case by case basis. I think if it did not have the call-outs and italicized inferences I might be more open to those recommendations…especially when I consider other dynamic translations and paraphrased Bibles that would serve this same purpose without leading interpretation.

All in all, I plan to spend more time with it, do additional side-by-side comparisons with other Bible translations and checking some of the “call-outs” and italicized inferences with my study Bibles and commentaries. I will update my review at a later date when I have had the opportunity to be more thorough. In the interim, try it, you may enjoy it. Mine is just one opinion, and even with my points of contention, there are many things that I still like.

I received a copy of Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters by Joshua Harris from WaterBrook Multnomah who provided it for my review. My first impressions are solid; the book is good and I would (will) recommend it for reading. Pardon my pun, but I found the book “earthy,” meaning it was easy to read in a manner that is very conversational. The book addresses the building blocks of doctrinal theology and Harris follows a very systematic approach as he develops each of these foundational blocks. Below is my own chart comparison (First column is the name of the doctrine of study; second column describes the study; third column is Joshua Harris’ chapter title that teaches on that description and doctrine. This may or may not have been the author’s intent, but it is my gleaning) from my interpretation and reading.

The book is not about systematic theology as much as “why it matters” (as reflected in the title). Harris follows his own experience with stories, anecdotal experiences, metaphors that help to keep the reader involved. I don’t want to sound condescending with my next statement and I hate stereotypes, but I don’t know how else to articulate my impression. This book is a great resource for the “unstudied” Christian, the seeker-curious, new convert, and anyone else that might fall into any category outside of Bible scholar. I think it might be helpful for the egghead-academic-ivory-tower-sanctified-saint too. It might help us to get over our sanctimonious self-importance and think more toward the practical when talking to others about our faith.

Personally, I think the book might be a little too “western flavored” for my tastes; and by that I mean traditional evangelical in its temper, but that is my opinion. Regardless of my opinion, I think it is a great addition to my useful resource list of tools and books to help people understand why it is necessary to know what and why they believe what they believe. I firmly agree that we should “own our faith” rather than “parrot” someone else’s faith. To this end, I am encouraging my fourteen year old son to read Dug Down Deep now that I have finished it…and will be placing it on a recommended reading list in my local church.

Read the rest of this entry »

Book Review: The Tangible Kingdom

The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community by Hugh Halter & Matt Smay

Hmmm…what to say, what to say…

LOVED IT.

A book like this requires some degree of back-story, and it was provided, so it was a little long for me to get to the nitty gritty of what I was searching for in the story. It was around chapters nine and ten that I found myself getting “sucked in” to the heart of what Hugh Halter was driving at. I am incredibly excited about the community described in the tangible kingdom. It brings great joy to me to hear that people are living the life that Jesus taught…and not some cheaply interpreted facsimile of it.

Chapters ten through around fourteen were mostly about deconstruction from the “way we have always done things.” I appreciated that Halter was not overly critical toward the methods he was deconstructing; in fact, he seemed very sensitive to the people entrenched in those systems.

Chapters fifteen through eighteen were rebuilding chapters; teaching the foundational elements of this “incarnational community.” Everything that was shared in these chapters just seemed to make such beautiful sense… I found myself saying over and over; “yes, yes, yes, yes…!!!”

The final chapters, nineteen through twenty-one, were about the focus and outcome of the three primary components of the community once people decide to “join” the community. This focus hinges on togetherness, oneness, and otherness…and I’ll stop there. The teaching and the illustrations used by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay are very clear and easy to understand. It would be my great desire to see this community with my own eyes. I would love to get some one-on-one leadership development from an existing-healthy-functioning community.

In my opinion, this is another 5-star book and another must read for those people and leaders desiring to live missionally and incarnationally (buzzwordsy I know, but I don’t know how else to describe it). Personally, I don’t know that I’d follow everything from this book… I have some personal convictions that differ from the authors, but I understand the heart of his passion and with that I agree 100%. I recommend this book very highly. I’m glad to kickoff my 2010 reading year with this one; a great way to start it out.

Book Review: Tales of a Mad Mystic – New Parables to Amuse and Confuse Seekers of Truth

A few weeks ago I received for review a copy of the book, Tales of a Mad Mystic: New Parables to Amuse and Confuse Seekers of Truth. The book is a self-published work and written by “John the Methodist,” a nom de plume or penname of the author who (presently) wishes to remain anonymous. The book is available for purchase through Amazon marketplace.

First impressions:

The book is arranged into eight groups of parables. The groups are cleverly titled to reflect the nature of the parable(s) they head. Most of the little narratives are less than ten pages in length making the book a relatively quick read. While a reader could easily read this collection in a single sitting or two, I wouldn’t recommend doing so. The parables invite consideration and reflection in order to fully appreciate what the author offers to the reader. Personally, I found reading one group of parables at a time to be the most beneficial practice allowing me time to consider several lessons within a theme before moving on to the next subject group. Overall, I liked the book and found it thought-provoking on many levels.

Highlights:

Before the reader begins the first group of parables, John the Methodist includes ten articles of religion (actually he calls them The Ten Great Laws of Organized Religion). While I found these “great laws” humorous, often chuckling out loud as I read them, I was also saddened by the truth of them. Interestingly, I do not think these articles of religion were random, but they served as a backdrop for the parables themselves…

The synopsis from the back cover of the book states that, “All the stories in this book are amusing and childlike in their simplicity, but, look a little deeper and you may find much more.” I think this claim is fair and accurate. I did not encounter any great and profound truth, but I was stirred to think and I agree that the stories included in Tales could be an excellent tool for discussion groups.

I think each person will find their favorites from this little collection of narratives; I landed on a few that I particularly liked. The parables that appealed especially to me were; The Bishop and the Begger, The Reluctant Ruler, Heirlooms, Jaws, Speak No Evil, and ALERT LA318… I can’t tell you why, you’ll have to read the book and come to your own conclusions and favorites.

Final Thoughts:

A parable is supposed to be brief and succinct…even simplistic in order to portray a simple, and often universal, truth. The parable is often devoid of back story and character development, but this does not mean they are not skillfully and intricately woven in their simplicity of meaning. If I have any criticism of the Tales (constructively intended), it would be the intended “aha” moment for some of the stories. In several of the parables, John the Methodist, drew me into a narrative; my curiosity piqued…anticipating the next turn of the page…when suddenly the story dropped very flatly and abruptly. In these instances I was left unfulfilled and slightly disappointed. I think, gauging from the delight I found in some of the other parables, and given a little more thought…these lackluster stories could have been much more invoking and insightful. All in all, I give the book a “thumbs up” approval. Tales of a Mad Mystic is a good read and most readers will find something in this collection of tales that bring them enjoyment.

I have come to the end of a 52-week meditation in the book by Joshua Choonmin Kang, Deep-Rooted in Christ. I first read this book back in the summer of 2008 and decided at that time it would be a great book to work through again in a devotional and contemplative way. I was right. It has been great. If you are a follower of the icrucified blog, you will know or remember that most of 2009 has been “peppered” with quotes and discussion fueled by pastor Kang. I’m looking forward to the next work of his that will be translated into English and am hopeful that it will be a piece that can be useful in the same sense of “Deep-rooted.”

Because there are so many mentions of the book over the past year, I don’t want to give another review or synopsis of the book. However, if you are unfamiliar with it, let me just say that it is a primer and much more on the disciplines of spiritual formation. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

The final meditation speaks directly to the way of transformation (meaning being transformed into the image of Christ – this is what spiritual formation is all about; becoming like Jesus). Pastor Kang writes the following instructions:

Attaining spiritual maturity isn’t easy. Relentless training is needed, much like the training Paul took on when he became obedient to God. Such training requires sacrifice: you must despise sin, be passionate for holiness and balance your work with mature living. Not only that; spiritual maturity shouldn’t be the goal in itself. Instead, our goal should be to witness truly to Jesus in our lives. When all is said and done our spiritual maturity must be for the sake of ministry.

True meaning and purpose are lost when a person focuses entirely on gaining spiritual maturity. But beware. Mature spirituality is no substitute for ministry. And heads up! If one boasts about having achieved spiritual maturity, then that person has to start all over again. That’s not what spirituality is all about. Gaining spiritual maturity is hard; losing it is easy (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Pastor Kang shares some final wisdom in the following tips he calls the prescription for maintaining exceptional spirituality and becoming like Jesus:

1. Walk the straight path (Joshua 1:7; Proverbs 23:19) entering through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14) the way of Jesus…the road of the cross.
2. Always abide in Jesus. We must always be connected to Jesus in every way; this is our spiritual goal (John 15:5; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 12:2)
3. Live a spirit-filled life (Ephesians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 3:18)
4. To follow Jesus will require us to deny ourselves daily; we cannot follow Jesus without first submitting to this prerequisite (Luke 9:23; 1 Corinthians 15:31)
5. We must discipline ourselves to always be alert to the foil of the adversary and staying prepared (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:10-17)
6. Submission to God and following the way of Jesus compels us to submit to and serve others; the greatest commandment was summarized by Jesus, “Love God and Love others.” (Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 13) Love is everything.
7. Ministry and mature spirituality requires the Word of God and understanding the Word only comes through a close relationship with Jesus and imitation of Him

I cannot sing the praises of this little book loudly enough; it has been a real joy to journey through it this past year, I have been challenged, blessed, corrected, and inspired. Thank you, Pastor Kang for sharing your wisdom and your love for our Lord; I am blessed.

Book Review: Primal – A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity

By Mark Batterson

Before I get into the meat of my review, I have to confess that Primal started off rather slowly for me. I’m accustomed to the writing style of Mark Batterson and pretty familiar with his speaking and teaching style. I’ve listened to his sermons from NCC and followed his blog for several years in addition to reading his books. It is/was probably me, but it just seemed that this book seemed a little sluggish in getting moving with the storyline, but I might be getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you a little about the premise of the book; the following is from the back cover:

“Our generation needs a reformation. But a single person won’t lead it. A single event won’t define it. Our reformation will be a movement of reformers living creatively, compassionately, courageously for the cause of Christ. This reformation will not be born of a new discovery.  It will be the rediscovery of something old, something ancient.  Something primal. What would your Christianity look like if it was stripped down to the simplest, rawest, purest faith possible? You would have more, not less. You would have the beginning of a new reformation—in your generation, your church, your own soul. You would have primal Christianity.”

—Mark Batterson, Primal

Mark takes the heart of his premise, primal, from the great commandment; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength” –Jesus (Mark 12:28-30). He then breaks this down in the book into four parts, deliberately and methodically unpacking these primal elements:

• The heart of Christianity is primal compassion…
• The soul of Christianity is primal wonder…
• The mind of Christianity is primal curiosity…
• And the strength of Christianity is primal energy…

So, while (and this speaking according to my personal preferences) I thought the book started a little slow, the cadence picked up rather quickly and by the time I reached part two (The Soul of Christianity) momentum was “full-on” and I found it difficult to read more than a page or two before I was having “Oh wow, I gotta write this down” moments.

I’m still debating this, but I think the Seventy Faces chapter (chapter five) may be my favorite. There were a number of great quotes in it that I’ll be “borrowing” (Don’t worry Mr. Batterson; I’ll be giving credit where it is due). This chapter is about reading, study, and becoming the word. I especially loved the following thoughts on the need to meditate on Scripture:

“Meditating on it (the Word) turns one-dimensional knowledge into two-dimensional understanding. Living I out turns two-dimensional understanding into three-dimensional obedience… Meditation is the way we metabolize Scripture. That’s how it gets into our soul.”

—Mark Batterson, Primal

I mentioned following Mark’s ministry at NCC and his Evotional.com blogsite. One of the endearing qualities for me with Primal is my noticing some of the teaching illustrations and metaphors that have evolved and become crystal clear in this work. Several years ago I remember a teaching series at the NCC I listened to many times on my iPod (still have this one saved actually) called The Neurology of Faith. I recognized quite a few points from the Neurology series as well as a number of illustrations from various blogging posts. I particularly enjoy seeing things that have developed from the “now and raw” into cohesive and fully formed teaching. I believe that Mark Batterson is a very gifted teacher and speaker; his latest book as well as those that have preceded Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity are proving him to be an equally gifted writer as well.  You can get a sneak peak from the publisher, Multnomah, here. Read the rest of this entry »

As the year closes out I have started my reflection on the books I have read this past year and the ones that have impacted me most. It was tough to pick out a “top-ten” and all but impossible to order them one through ten in any relevance to importance or impact. So, without any more bantering, here’s my list of the Top Ten reads from 2009. As I have already made note, these are in no particular order. Each one has had a significantly huge impact in my thinking and my vision for this year, and I am sure, for years to come. Most of these I have provided a review for (some more detailed than others); you can find book reviews here. The full reading list of 2009 books can be found here.

If you’re looking for a list of prospective books for the upcoming year, these are my personal best recommendations:

The Echo Within    by Robert Benson

Experiencing the Spirit by Henry and Melvin Blackaby

So Beautiful    by Len Sweet

Clutter-Free Christianity  by Robert Jeffress

The Contemplative Pastor    by Eugene Peterson

Deep Church    by Jim Belcher

Forgotten God    by Francis Chan

Primal    by Mark Batterson

Life Together    by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christ Plays in 10,000 Places    by Eugene Peterson

Book Review: 40 Loaves – Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day by C. D. Baker

The book 40 Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I’ve spent the last 3 weeks now participating in the daily readings in 40 Loaves. Let me share a summary from the back cover of the book before sharing my own thoughts; the daily readings ask questions such as these…

“Why don’t I have more faith?”

“Why am I so bored with Jesus?”

“Why are Christians so hard for me to like?”

There are many questions we’re not supposed to ask when playing by the religious rules. It makes people uncomfortable. So why is it that Jesus invited questions and even asked some of them himself? What is it that you’re afraid to ask God? It’s a risky prospect to begin asking–but far riskier to continue simply trying to get by without knowing. Author C. D. Baker asked himself 40 soul-searching questions which started a conversation in his heart and ultimately showed him more about God than He ever expected.

Can we become more honest with who we really are and find who God says He really is at the same time? Come indulge yourself in daily readings with an honest exploration of your secret fears and thoughts, and know that you will always be welcomed in God’s unconditional love.

Search me, O God … and know my anxious thoughts. (Psalm 139:23 NIV)

The book is written in a very manageable format. The daily reading begins with a question, followed with some devotional-experiential-anecdotal thoughts from C. D. Baker (author) and completes with a few introspective questions and a prayer. The actual reading and devotional time takes under 20 minutes…very doable for the active and busy person.

Personally, I’ve had a “love-hate” relationship with this little devotional book. At first glance, I thought (assumed) that the book would be “fluffy and shallow.” I was wrong. I’ve found many of the readings and subsequent meditations to be very provocative and challenging. On several accounts I was downright disturbed, and subsequently, spent most of the day pondering the questions posited from the reading. There have some occasions where I was pressed to consult Scripture to reinforce my position or find affirmation to what the author, Baker, was pushing at me. I think this is the sign of a worthy read. The subtitle reads; “Daily Readings to Renew a Hungry Spirit.” I think this rings true. This 40 Loaves is “good bread” and worthy of the 40 or so days of investment. Check out a sample from Waterbrook Multnomah. Your soul and your mind will be enriched.