NO MORE FAKING FINE

Sunday, February 26, 2017

NO MORE FAKING FINE
Ending The Pretending
By Esther Fleece

OVERVIEW: No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament—to give voice to the hurt, frustration, and disappointment you've kept inside and silenced for too long. Drawing from deep reserves of biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to draw closer to him as he leads us through any darkness into His marvelous light. Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives permission to everyone else to do the same.

AUTHOR: Esther Fleece is an international speaker and writer on millennials and faith, leadership and family, recognized among Christianity's Today's "Top 50 Women Shaping the Church and Culture" and CNN's "Five Women in Religion to Watch." As founder and CEO of L&L Consulting she works to connect influential individuals and organizations to their mutual benefit. You can follow Esther's global adventures on Twitter @EstherFleece and at www.estherfleeced.com.

MY REVIEW: If you like many, are on a grieving or healing journey—this is a book for you! You will be inspired by Esther's story and encouraged to realize that your lamenting that leads to healing is not just for you but for God's glory. This book will encourage you to stop faking fine and start being real.

I agree with pastor Andy Stanley, "How we grieve is directly related to how we heal. Esther Fleece introduces the language of lament and argues persuasively that this is a prayer God never ignores. No More Faking Fine is a book for anyone wrestling with the unavoidable tension created when the faithful suffer." Esther uses Scripture to show that God meets us in the midst of our deepest pain. Her powerful story encourages us to be honest to God and each other. No. We are not always fine. And we need to stop pretending. It takes courage. The book can give you that courage.

Author Allison Trowbridge says what I feel in a beautiful way, "...This book is your permission. To hurt, to cry, to scream, to grieve, to feel. And on the other side of that lament is a journey more beautiful—and a God more near—than you could have ever imagined."

(I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

THE HUM OF ANGELS

Saturday, February 25, 2017

THE HUM OF ANGELS
Listening for the Messengers
of God Around Us
By Scot McKnight

OVERVIEW: The majority of earth's inhabitants believe in angels. Yet many of us cannot claim to have seen one. Why? Perhaps it's because in order to encounter one, we first have to learn what to look for and how to look! We live in a world where the natural and supernatural overlap. Angels are constantly on mission from God and constantly at work in this world. From the Garden of Eden to the book of Revelation, Scripture is filled with hundreds of references to these wondrous creatures. In this creative work, Scot McKnight explores what the Bible says—and doesn't say—about these majestic beings. (From the back of the book).

AUTHOR: Scott McKnight is the author of more than fifty books, including The Jesus Creed and The Heaven Promise. A popular speaker at events such as Catalyst and Q Conference. Scot is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. His blog Jesus Creed, has 3 million page views annually. He and his wife, Kris, live in the Chicago suburbs.

MY REVIEW: If you, like me, have thought about angels for a long time—this is a book you will want to read. I have several books about angels and this is one of the best. I found it easier to understand than some of the others I have read. Recently I read Jack Graham's book about angels and it is excellent also. Scot McKnight is a splendid theologian but he doesn't get bogged down in deep, hard to understand religious thoughts. He writes in a way that is easier for the average person to understand.

Scot McKnight makes the claim, "If you believe in God, you also believe in angels." That's good. That's very good. He goes on to say, "This is not a philosophical book about angels, or is it an attempt to prove the reality of angels. I'm thankful the philosophers and apologists have set forth persuasive arguments in favor of angels and so have cleared the way for me to talk about what the Bible says about angels." And that is what he does. He talks about what the Bible says about angels. And that is the main thing I like about this book.

(I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

THE i FACTOR

Saturday, January 21, 2017

THE i FACTOR
How Building A Great Relationship
With Yourself Is The Key To A 
Happy, Successful Life
By Van Moody

OVERVIEW: Weaving together personal stories, practical principles, and profound biblical truth, The i-Factor provides the key to achieving the life of greatness that you are destined for.

AUTHOR: VAN MOODY serves as pastor of the Worship Center in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition, he is on the board of Joel Osteen's Champions Network, is a member of Dr. Oz's Core Team, and is an associate trainer in Japan for Dr. John Maxell's EQUIP leadership organization. Moody, his wife, Ty, and their children live in Birmingham, Alabama.

MY REVIEW: The i-Factor is one of the best books I have read in a long time and I read and review many books. Van Moody writes in an interesting, inspiring way but I think the thing I liked most about the book is that it is packed full of wonderful stories. I would read one and think, "Wow." And then almost immediately I was reading another great uplifting story.

Dr. Levy H. Knox said, "A magnificent book! Apply its timely principles for personal and spiritual success. Your life will change." I agree. It is a magnificent book. I don't know if your life will change. But I think it should. Dr. Nicole LaBeach wrote, "A gift that needs no ribbon, just a reader who's ready to make the shift of a lifetime!"

This book is a guide for understanding yourself and Moody points out over and over again that we must understand ourselves if we are going to live our best life. It is a practical tool for helping us to live life the way God intended.

(I received this book from BookLookBloggers in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE

PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE
A Guide to Bringing Life-Saving Love to the World
By Mike Foster

OVERVIEW: This book will show you how your imperfect life matters in ways you never thought possible. It will help you see your scars, flaws, and failures as unfair advantages and gifts that you can bring to the world. It is packed full of unfiltered honesty and simple next steps, this book will help you discover beauty in the brokenness.

AUTHOR: MIKE FOSTER is the chief chance officer at People of the Second Chance. He has dedicated his life to helping people relaunch their lives with a sense of hope and purpose. He's been featured on Good Morning America, The 700 club and in the New York Times.

MY REVIEW: I agree with Jud Wilhite, senior pastor of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. He said, "Five Stars! This is fierce and compassionate truth telling at its finest. People of the Second Chance is an incredible road map for fully experiencing the grace of God in a whole new way." If he is right, and I think he is. then many need to run out and buy this book because we need to experience the grace of God in a whole new way.

Mike Foster has a passion for helping us live as God's beloved. His book is a message of grace that needs to be read by all. I love the way Bob Goff describes this book: "This is a book for messed-up overcomers, for religious rebels, for the broken but resilient. It's not about taking a knee in the end zone when you win; it's about taking both when you don't."

The book is filled with true stories and great illustrations. It's a page-turner. You will find it hard to put down. Mike will help you realize you are sincerely loved by God and that your life has real meaning.

(I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

THE GREAT SPIRITUAL MIGRATION

Monday, December 19, 2016

THE GREAT SPIRITUAL MIGRATION
How The World's Largest Religion Is 
Seeking A Better Way To Be Christian
By Brian D. McLaren

OVERVIEW: Drawing from his work as a global activist, pastor, and public theologian, McLaren challenges readers to stop worrying, waiting, and indulging in nostalgia, and instead, to embrace the powerful new understandings that are reshaping the faith. In The Great Spiritual Migration, he explores three profound shifts that define the change: Spiritually, theologically and missionally.

AUTHOR: Brian McLaren is a Christian thinker, author, and activist. A former pastor with a background in literature, McLaren is the author of more than a dozen books, an Auburn Senior Fellow, and a board chair of Convergence.

MY REVIEW: Brian McLaren is a brilliant writer. He has written more than a dozen books and I have a few of them. I read them because I want to know what he and those who think like him, believe. I have found that I disagree with much of what he thinks and writes about. And yet he says a lot of good stuff that isn't being said by anybody else. However, it isn't my job as a reviewer to write about my theology and how it differs with his.

I want to tell you what a few others think of this book, McLaren and his writing. Author, Diana Butler Bass said, "This is Brian McLaren's finest book; a beautiful exploration of a hopeful, joyful, mystical, and just faith that invites Christians to move from fear to love." Author, Richard Rohr wrote, "Anything written by Brian McLaren is always filled with insight, courage, and creative theology, refining the meaning of orthodoxy in our time." And author, Peter Enns said, "McLaren continues to have his finger on the pulse of a new kind of Christianity that challenges familiar and limiting structures of faith. A prophetic and winsome invitation for all to join the work of the Spirit in spiritual, theological, and missional transformation."

Now, what I think is that this is a book for you if you are a curious intellectual that wants to keep up with all the changes that are taking place in the religious world. This book will challenge you. Parts of it will upset you and make you angry. I liked some of it but I disagreed with much of it. McLaren thinks he has his finger on the pulse of a new kind of Christianity. If you think he does or want to investigate that kind of thinking—this is the book for you.

(I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

THE JOY MODEL— A Step-By-Step Guide To Peace, Purpose, and Balance

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

THE JOY MODEL
 A Step-By-Step Guide
To Peace, Purpose, and Balance
By Jeff Spadafora

OVERVIEW: In The Joy Model, Jeff Spadafora shares, step-by-step, the path he took (and had coached hundreds on) from smoldering discontent to a sense of joy and purpose in everyday life. From creating margin in our schedules that allows us to breathe easier and think more clearly, to discovering our true selves and going deeper into our relationships with God and other people. Spadafora shows how the interaction between our being and our doing provides the key to opening up a life full of joy, purpose, and fulfillment.

AUTHOR: Jeff Spadafora is the director of Global Coaching Services and Product Development for the Halftime Institute (www.halftime.org), where he trains and manages the global Halftime Coaching staff. Earlier, Spadafora was a management consultant for twenty years with a focus on executive education and development for Fortune 500 companies. He lives with his family in Evergreen, Colorado.

MY REVIEW: Most of us think about joy a lot. Especially at this time of year. We even sing about it, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come...". Thinking and singing about joy doesn't necessarily mean we are experiencing joy. At least, not in the way Spadafora talks about it."Drawing on his years as both a successful businessman and a Christian life coach, Spadafora has developed a concrete, practical model to show the path from joyless to joyful. Using his Joy Model and the steps in his M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan, he clearly describes how to move from frustration and weary service to an over-arching, all-pervading joy of life in Christ.

I was especially pleased that Spadafora makes it clear that this joy he talks about is found in Christ.
However, knowing that doesn't mean that we automatically experience joy. There is much smoldering discontent and frustration in life and we all need help finding out way out of it. I promise you, these eleven chapters will provide a step-by-step guide to peace, purpose and balance. I agree with author Bob Buford, "The Joy Model maps the full route, providing a fully integrated pathway to deep and lasting joy and to greater peace and freedom, regardless of your age, gender, or income."

( I received this book from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for a fair and honest review.)