Primal, by Mark Batterson

Primal is kin to Radical by David Platt.  It addresses the mainstream christian culture but while Radical is directed mainly towards the actions of Americanized Christians as being half-hearted, Primal draws more attention to the heart and spiritual state of the same.

Primal speaks to the sickening condition of our heart, our lack of longing for true knowledge of God, our lack of compassion for other people, and our inability to see God in the world around us.  He begins the book with a call to adventure, the quest being, "the place where loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is all that matters" (Batterson, 11). I had to ask myself, "How much of my day is concerned with REALLY loving God?  What does that even mean?" If you wonder the same thing, this book might hold some answers.

Batterson continues through the book to describe what it means to really love God.  From having heart-felt compassion-"compassion is the ultimate apologetic"- to love of nature.  This resonated with me, I myself love the outdoors.  And he equated that to loving God with your soul- by loving what he made and what he too valued.

Overall, a great read for anyone wanting to stir up their soul for the things of God.

Unleashed, by McManus - The call to barbaric Christianity

Barbarians. People living free and unrestrained. Adults living wild and adventurous. Christians really living...unleashed. McManus is proposing this is really the way of a true Christ follower. And I must admit much of what he says echoes the cry of my own heart this last year. If we really are Christ followers, connecting to an infinite God, then we should live radically changed lives.

There are two specific things I enjoyed about this book: 1. He calls Christians to a different kind of discipleship. He argues, "Discipleship is translated into standardizing everyone into the same pattern... Discipleship has become the mechanism for uniformity rather than uniqueness." And I will admit, I have experienced this to be true. We want to be safe. We want new believers to be safe. And often we quench any "out of the box" ways of living for Christ in the name of "not being led astray." 2. He challenges the boundaries between secular and sacred. Often us church-goers see "worship" as singing quietly (or loudly) in a pew on Sunday. We hesitate to see things like rejoicing in a good book or being in rapture over a powder day at Steamboat as worship. Mcmanus relays a jet skiing experience with his daughter like this, "We were having a blast. Wind in our faces, water breaking in every direction, moving freely at breakneck speed. It was exhilarating. It was nothing less than a worship experience." How refreshing! That we can worship God in really having fun and doing what we love!

If I have one criticism, it is this: Unleashed argues adamantly for the living of a wild life for Christ but gives few examples on how to walk this out. But then maybe that is just me walking in more civilized ways again. I want a 5 step process to being wild and adventurous. How ironic is that?

In this same line of thinking, I would also suggest the book Radical by David Platt. An amazing book, with a specific call to use our money to radically bless others for Christ.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

God Gave Us Two

In God Gave us Two, by Lisa Tawn Bergren, you once again enter into the home of a lovable polar bear family and are charmed by their simple conversation about how their family of three is about to turn into a family of four.

The illustrations are simple and toned down, compared to the many hyper-color and visually busy books that grace the bookshelves. The language is simple and realistic. In fact, when our second, and third child was born, I remember being asked the question, "Why do we need a new baby?" As if they were a commodity we bought at the grocery store.

Overall, it is enjoyable, well done, and my children love it...even though we DON'T have a new baby on the way...

I recieved this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A False Hope?

In A Life without Limbs, Nick Vujicic mingles motivational speaking with tales of his challenges and victories as a result of being born without any limbs. I appreciate his story, as one who cannot relate, but can value him who through faith is living an abundant life. It stands in stark contrast to many of us who are merely "surviving" in life. Having recently moved to a new city, this in particular struck me: "You have to screen out panic mode thoughts like Oh my gosh, what did I do? and focus forward along the lines of This is a great adventure" (page 149).

HOWEVER, I struggle intensely with much of his message. The bulk of the book is a long strand of cheap motivation quotes, spreading what I believe is not a christian message but a secular one of "self love." These are some examples, "Remember, God helps those who help themselves" (16). Where does God say he only helps those who CAN do it themselves? Or, "You must believe in your own beauty," and "to be fulfilled, you must know in your heart that you are I worthy of success and happiness. You must love yourself..." (77). And "Without trust in the possibilities for your life, where would we be?... They keep us moving through the inevitable hard times" (63). These sound nice and pretty but not one of them points to real reliance and neediness for Jesus. They promote Self satisfaction, not God satisfaction. Valuing self for SELF not valuing self for God. Valuing SELF possibilities, not God overcoming our troubles. We are a culture that all to often turns to ourselves for the answers.

This is what the bible says, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency comes from God" (ESV, 2 Corinthians 3:5).

While I hate to be a whistle blower on a book laced with many cool stories of a man overcoming unimaginable obstacles to live his dreams, I was also deeply disappointed in his cheap reproduction of Hallmark prose.

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

The Quotable Chesterton

The Quotable Chesterton, by Kevin Belmonte, is a collection of C. K. Chesterton's most quotable writings on nearly every subject under the sun. For anyone like me who has yet to be introduced to Chesterton writings, and doesn't know where to start - this might be a good place. Chesterton is a prime example of someone greatly gifted by God who used his abilities to bless the Christian world and affect the secular one. One could make the argument that he is one of the best in his trade. The pages are graced with quotes which before digesting require a weeks worth of chewing on. One of my favorites? "Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions" (page 64, discernment).

However, I must confess, I am an individual that judges a book by its cover. Honestly, I never would have opened this book had I not been on the mission to review it. The cover art comes across as a crass caricature of Chesterton, drawing attention to his large belligerent mouth. This does not seem in line with the collection itself. I cracked open this book expecting to dive into it like any novel and quickly learned my mistake. It would be better packaged as a coffee table hardcover; one that you would peruse occasionally over time or use as a reference book.

This book was reviewed for www.booksneeze.com.

w&w 2011 - The Pothunters

I guess I can say that The Pothunters was a little like hunting for meaning but enjoyable nonetheless. Wodehouse has been criticised as a "fluffy" writer. I figure it a little like this: he writes plots that resemble the dime mysteries at the grocery store but demonstates his skill through his diverse use of language and style. He cannot, in my opinion, be compared with the "trashy" writers simply by fact that his literary skill is so far greater in nearly every respect.

Now onto my first impression: I nearly felt like I was in a Harry Potter novel. References to house prefects, head boy, house sports, and names such as Percival had me reeling in surprise. But I figure J.K.Rowling and Wodehouse know something I don't - a first hand account of schooling in England. I figure this is common place to the English, but it isn't to me. Having stated all that, I do wonder how much Wodehouse Rowling has read...

Favorite quote: "There are few pleasures keener than the pleasure of telling somebody something he didn't know before." pg 3297

w&w 2011 - Small Beginnings

First steps. Turn on Nook. Go to "shop" and type Wodehouse in the search area. Download the complete works of P.G. Wodehouse for $3.99 all from the comfort of my bed. Yay.

Open book. Glance at the bottom of the page.
Pages? 4744
At this point I sit bolt upright, nock my cup of decaf over and think, "what on earth have I embarked upon?"

This might be more of an endeavor than I intended for...
I decide to work chronologically. Apparently this means I begin with The Pothunters. I open to chapter one- Patient Perseverence Produces Pugilistic Progidies. Pugilistic? I have to pull out a dictionary before I read the first sentence? Not a good sign. Thank goodness I have a Nook.

Pugilistic - boxing.
Okay, check. I guess now I can move onto the first sentence.