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.

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. 

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 .

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.

Man Alive by Patrick Morley

      Men seek meaning to life. They need to be assured that they make a difference. Also men need fellowship of other men to develop completely into what God has meant for them to be. They also need to be grounded in the word of God.

            In this book by Morley  7 primal needs are discussed that when met can help develop a powerful spiritual life..

            Men are complicated creatures and this book helps peel back some areas that  need to be addressed after that man becomes a believer. Not that the needs are not there before  just now they can be met in a more complete way.

            Morley devotes eight chapters to the basic needs he has observed men to have. At the end of each chapter he presents reflection and discussion questions for those who are using it in small groups.

            Morley writes as if he were sitting across from you and you were having a discussion. His use of the Bible and application is well done. And not intrusive.

            He starts out with a story of bravery at the World Trade Center  back on 9/11. You can read this excerpt  at http://www.waterbrookmultinomah.com/. Put ”Man Alive’ in the search box and then click excerpt.

            I recommend this book for men and for small group classes.

            I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review  The opinions are my own and I was not required to give a favorable review.

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Tyndale Biography

 
    The book is "Tyndale: The Man Who Gave God an English Voice" by David Teems.

     If you can have only one book on Tyndale in your library, this may be the one. The author , David Teems, shows some love for the period that Tyndale lived in. He also shows a deep interest in the Reformation and how it came to England.
    Tyndale was a contemporary of Martin Luther (Not the civil rights guy) and  Henry VIII also with Thomas More and Shakespeare.
    It was Tyndale who brought the Scriptures into England and translated the Scripture into that mother tongue. He had to do it in secret because the Roman church was so strong in those days; they controled the scripture. No one was allowed to touch it except for the priests.
    It was Tyndale who gave us the flowing pace of the scripture passages we know and love and memorize today.. And he did it from the Greek. He didn"t have any other translations to build upon. Yes, Wycliffe had a translation. But that was from the Latin text and in middle English. Tyndale gives us a modern English translation.
     Today we can look back at the translation we have. All this is welcome to Tyndale.
     The attempts Sir Thomas More, the lap dog of HenryVIII, used to discredit Tytndale are mentioned here also.
      It wasn"t easy bringing out a English translation in those days. Tydale can even be credited with bringing the reformation to England. Germany had Luther. Geneva had Calvin. But England had Tyndale.
      I recommend this book highly for an easy to read and flowing story.

The Coming Revolution by Dr.Richard G. Lee

          This is a call to action. We have allowed government control over our lives for too long  In this 232 page book  Dr. Richard G. Lee, founding pastor of First Redeemer Church in metropolitan Atlanta, has set down the need for change. A change not only in our people but a change in how we are governed. This coming revolution is a quiet one but just as important as the one that got us freedom from British rule.

            “Revolutions don’t just happen,” he states in the Introduction, “They happen because of widespread frustration and a history of disappointments, insults, and provocations of many kinds that eventually compel people to respond.”

            In the first four chapters, Dr. Lee gives the story of the founding of our nation and the steps taken to break away from British rule. We were founded on Christian principles,  Dr. Lee contends, as he details the people who came to our shores for religious freedom . A good retelling of history is found here.

            I found this book to be informative and  inspiring. It makes the point that we Americans need to hold our political leaders accountable to us. The seventh and last chapter of the book gives some suggestion of what we can do.

            The change must come in the voting booth. But in order for us to be informed we must have the facts. Dr. Lee presents us with the facts. It is not argumentative or confrontive. It is not subversive. What it presents is a call to wake up and do something about it.

            I would recommend this book as supplemental reading in political science classes.

            I recieved this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com(http://BookSneeze.com)> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

     This is an old one but still a good one on procrastination. We all do it to some extent. The copy  right on this small paper back business edition of the book is 2001, 2002.So you can see it is old. Still, I feel the information is applicable today.
      Tracy uses 21 chapters and 113 pages not including the index to present his thesis. If we  do things in order of importance we should be able to control time.  We only have 24 hours in a day. Part of that is spent in making a living. We should learn how to work smart.  A list is the easiest way to keep track of what we need to do.
      He uses the frog as a metaphor for procrastination. We all have a frog to eat. It is the most important thing that needs to get done each day.
      Tracy is a motivational speaker. I don"\'t know if he is still around. But his teaching and words will be around long after he dies.

        As I sat in the library writing this a young man came up to me and told me how impressed he was with the book. He said it changed his life. That is a good recommendation.
        The book is put out by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll

     In 241 pages the Driscoll's attempt to give a marriage advice book. It is a welcome addition to the genre  of  Christian life material. The messsage they are trying to get across is that marriages can be blessed by God when we realize that He was the founder of marriage. There is a whole book in the Bible on the subject. That book is the Song Of Solomon.

     The book, is laid out in three parts. The first part is on marriage. The second part is on sex. The third part, which is the shortest, is on the affects of the marriage union when we reach the last day.

      The book was interesting to me. It was, I feel, a good addition to an area that most Churches are silent about or at the most hush-hush about. I felt the second section on sex was a bit graphic and more than you needed to know. It is for that reason I think it is a book for married people.
      The information was present in a conversational manner. It is done in a respectful tone.
       The authors were able to convey Biblical truth.
        I received this book free of charge from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I expressed were my own.

Love,Sex, And Happily Ever After by Craig Groeschel

   Pastor?. Are you looking for a short book to hand to the couple who comes to your office seeking premarital counseling? A book that is written in an easy to read and understand manner?  

   This book, "Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After"; subtitled "Preparing for a Marriage That Goes The Distance" may just be that book.
    Groeschel in fifteen chapters details what to expect in the dating, attraction, courting, and commitment stages. In the fourth chapter he lists what he calls gears or steps that a person should go through in developing your relationship.
    This is also a book for married people. It will help them open a dioscussion.. There is a study guide following the chapters so a person could use this in a small group.
     I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multinomah Publishing Group for this review

Dr Leman's recent book

The most recent book of Dr. Leman is called "Have a New Teenager by Friday".I found this to be a very enjoyable and informative book. If you have a teenager or are about to soon have one, this is the book you should read. Respect is hard to get from a child of any age. The process starts at an early age. leman gives things to do to help the teenager survive the years between 11 and 19. Every teenager is different. it just comes with the territory. but you are the couch. You are the boss. Don't forget that. This enjoyable book will help you make it through and have a human child on the ride. That is a child that is respectable and enjoyable.

Christian Science exposed

For those of you out there who wondered just what happens to a person who is a Christian Scientist and is ill, this is the book for you. Titled  fathermothergod and subtitled My Journey Out Of Christian Science by Lucia Greenhouse, this book follows a daughters experience with the philosophy of the Christian Science Church concerning illness and death. She watches as her mother contracts cancer and is bedridden and slowly dies while her father watches as a Christian Science Practitioner. The author shows the result of denying illness and sickness as an error of the mind.
  Greenhouse never was a member of the Christian Science Church but is the daughter of a father who lead his wife and one of his children into the mind sect.
  It is well written and not preachy. She doesn't rush the prose. It flows in a straight line. The shocker at the end is enough to make a person wonder about the folowers of this belief system.
  I plan sometime in the future to take up a series on Cults in my blog, http://drschristianplace.blogspot.com.
  please feel free to comment at any time. I will read your input and respond. I promise.

Leadership

This is going back quite a while. But I have enjoyed this non-fiction book on leadership It is called Lincoln On Leadership by Donald T. Phillips.
  It is good for leadership techniques as developed by our sixteenth presdent and especially during the Civil War period, but also is a good addition to a library on Lincoiln and the Civil War period.
   Lincoln was faced with a war even if he didn't want one. He didn't have a choice. But he used the ledership abilities he had and were developed by him to keep the country going.
  It is subtitled Executive Strategies For Tough Times.  Persoanlly I enjoyed it I think you will also.

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley

   
  
    This book by Andy Stanley is an easy to read non-technical treatise of one of God's attributes.
    Grace has been defined by theologians as  God's dealing with a person according to his need. Stanley would agree with that and add that there is nothing that must be done to merit it.In this book he traces grace from creation through the early church.
    In 217 pages with  notes he uses a comfortable reading style taking small stories in Scripture to illustrate how generous God is with his grace. He points ouit it was God's attribute of grace that allowed Adam and Eve to live after the disobedience. He shows how unearned it is by showing time and again the people God gave grace to even when their actions were not worthy.
    And that is the point.

    I found this book to be a thought provoking book. Stanley handles the subject in a way that made me think about God. It is not a stodgy theological discussion nor a primer. I would recommend this for everyone who needs an easy to understand explanation. It will help them explain it to others.

  Booksneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Warning-- watch out

Sad to say not all books I read are the type I can recommend. Such is the case concerning Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo. Todd is a pastor and he is telling the true story of his son,Colton, age four, who almost dies from a appendectomy. The boy reports having an out of the body experience (not the words he uses) and going to heaven and sitting on the Lap of Jesus, having angels sing hymns to him.
   It is dangeous.  Dangeous because all we need to know about heaven is found in God's Book, the Bible. Dangeous because to say a person can die and come back again is not according to what God says. Dangeous because this writer is a pastor. People hold pastors in awe and believe what they tell them.
  This pastor is wrong. Dead wrong.
  It is also dangeous because some people trust the publisher, Thomas Nelson, as being a Christian publisher of truth. In this case the publisher blew it.