Tender Warrior by Stu Weber

         Strong men should also have a tender side to them. It rounds out their manliness. Being tender doesn’t take away from but adds  to a complete man. 

            In sixteen chapters Weber maps out the need for completeness. He dissects the areas into personal, family, friends  and occupation. He ends each chapter with discussion starters for small groups or individuals who are using this book  He titles these A Man Faces Himself and A Man Meets With His Friends.

 Weber shares  his life with the reader. It has been said that a good example is better than any lecture. In this area he does fine. He also uses Biblical illustrations of  how men acted in the period they lived. He attempts to show you are an example to others.

It is a highly interesting book. I found myself stopping from time to time in the reading to think through what I have just read.  And when I came to the discussion helps at the end of each chapter I spent some time going over them. This is something I don’t normally do. But he has such a style of writing that makes you want to respond.

 It has been subtitled Every Man’s Purpose- Every Woman’s Dream- Every Child’s Hope.

   I recommend this for all men and maybe their girlfriends. It is also useful for a small group study. Take your time. Don’t rush it.

Empty Promises by Pete Wilson

     We all seek our value somewhere. In fact, we were created to have value. We can get our value from others or from things or from God. When we seek value from other things and not from God, our creator, we fall into idolatry. And when we fall into idolatry we are pursuing empty promises. Wilson contends.

            It is so easy to get seduced by these empty promises. We were all created to have a need for worth and acceptance. We tend to fall into traps which Wilson points out.

            We can start to become like that which we seek after. If we seek after things like money, fame, and position we lose our purpose that God has created us for. It is so easy to allow subtle little idols to creep in to our daily existence. This book gives us things to think about.

            Empty Promises is written for the Christian. It holds your attention while at the same time making you consider your response. to God. We need to worship something. That which we dwell on tends to become our object of worship, Wilson points out .

The book  is filled with bullet point lists. It comes across as a lecture in places. It can be sectioned into two parts. The first half presents the proposition that we are making idols to take the place of our creator. The second half points out the solution using biblical snapshots to illustrate the answer.       

            Wilson does a fair job of presentation. I feel this book should be read by  the person who needs to be reminded just what he is worshipping. It helps set his mind on the proper object of worship.    

A Shot of Faith by Mitch Stokes, Phd

 

This is a book we have been waiting for. It will help the Christian confront the world view of the common man. By common I mean your neighbor maybe even those who read this book.

            The going explanation for things existing is something called Evidentialism. This is the reasoning that we can only know what we see. It states that  rational beliefs require sufficient evidence Yet we have been told by science that there is not enough or sufficient evidence for the belief held by Christians that there is a God. Stokes states and proves that that is just not true.

            The view taken in this book is a philosophical one. As you read it the tone draws you along. It is if a friend were walking beside you.

            I found this a very well written and easy to follow explanation. It ends with a look at science and evil mentioned as the two straw men the atheist  uses to prove their view of the world. Stokes shows how they are on unsteady ground. We need to stand our ground and keep a dialogue going with the non-believer. We need to be able to answer his explanation with a sound reasoning. We may not be able to convince him of our view of reality, but we should not sound unlearned.

            This book should be helpful  for everyone. I liked it and found it a good introduction to apologetics.

            I received this book from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own and not those of the publisher. 

Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

        It should be the desire of every Christian to have a deeper walk with God.  A life  of adventure is what is offered to those who do. It seems that most of  us have no idea where we are going most of the time nor how we can add more adventure to our walk.

            It was the Celtic Christians who have named the Holy Spirit the Wild Goose They called Him this because you can’t tame or control the direction of a wild goose. So it seems to be when you follow God.

            Batterson  uses  people from the  Bible to illustrate cages we place around us that keep us from pursuing God. They were open to God to break away from their cages which limited them.

 The six cages he mentions are cages of Responsibility, Routine,  Assumptions, Guilt, Failure and Fear,.  Each Bible character moved as the Holy Spirit directed them and overcame the cage. I am sure we can too.

            We need more books like this one to help us realize what we can be doing with our lives. This book interested me and caused me to reconsider my cages. Batterson held my attention in his eight chapters. I felt he convey sound Biblical truth.

            This book is recommended for those who need a call to action.

            I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah for this review. Opinions expressed are mine and not those of the publisher.

Constantly Craving by Marilyn Meberg

           Everyone of us craves for something more. There is just an inborn  desire in all of us that wishes things were different. It seems to be something that is in our DNA, Meberg concludes. Since she is a  counselor and has two masters degrees she has a background to pull from when she writes this book. To sum up she is saying we all long for connection with some one or something. We need to know we belong..

            The supreme connection is with God. Connection, she points out, brings about contentment.

            The book is written in an easy conversation manner. It reaffirmed in me that my connection with God and others is important. Also I am made for a purpose. To illustrate that we all have purpose she tells the story of the ladybugs and the aphids. The ladybug is made for the purpose of eating aphids. She tells of the time she had some ladybugs who got loose from a bag and wondered aimlessly around her bathroom until released outside in the flower garden. Their purpose was not to wander the bathroom but to eat the aphids on the flowers. So we have a purpose also. We seek that purpose, she seems to be saying.

            I would recommend this book for  all who need a reminder that we have purpose and that purpose is to be found in God.

            I received this book free from Booksneeze to be reviewed as part of their program. I was not obligated to give a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own .

Called To Controversy by Ruth Rosen

   God has the habit of using ordinary people sold out to Him.God just uses people sold out to him. Such was a man known as Moishe Rosen who God used to turn Jewish Evangelism on its' heels. It wasn't his dream to start a new movement. I am sure he would have been content staying with the American Board Of Missions To The Jews, but his ideas pushed him out of the nest, so to speak.

      I found this biography by Ruth Rosen, one of the daughters of Moishe, to be an exciting and informative book. There just aren't enough books of ordinary people who let God use them in extraordinary ways. I am happy that Thomas Nelson decided to publish this book.
     Rosen has a pace of writing that moves you along. She uses the techniques of foreshadowing and  humor in the telling of the life of her father She doesn't gloss over Moise's weaknesses. After all, she lived with him and saw him with his warts.There are lots of memories of people who worked with him and were mentored by him weaved into the story. Rosen makes use of direct quotes and first hand intertviews gathered in her research.
      I recommend this book. Even those who think they know him will be pleasantly drawn along with the story.
    I am a book reviewer for Booksneeze who provided this book to be reviewed. I was not required to give a positive review All viewpoints are mine and don't necessarily represent the views of the publisher or Booksneeze.
      

The Resignation Of Eve by Jim Henderson

  This book is a great eye opener and very thought provoking. What would happen to our churches if one week all the women decided not to show up?
   We would have a small if even existent choir. We would perhaps have no backup staff. Only the pastor and a few men. 

    Let's face it, women are the backbone of most minisrties. This book is subtritled  "What if Adam's Rib Is No Longer Willing To be The Church's Backbone?"  Henderson offers in short story form the problem and the solution. He interviewed many women in the setting up of this book. He allows them to express themselves freely.

     This book I recommend for all leaders in the church. We need to appreciate more the women we do have working in our church in what ever area.

   You may not agree with every point. You don't have to. It will stretch you if nothing else.

   It is published by Barna, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.