My Review of "Beauty Begins"

Chris Shook and Megan Shook Alpha's Beauty Begins:  Making Peace with Your Reflection offers biblical wisdom and personal experiences to help transform the minds of women -- many of whom operate from a place of brokenness -- so that they can learn to achieve healthy mindsets about their bodies and their immeasurable worth in the sight of God.  It helps give voice to women who need to learn to articulate beauty for themselves:  "When we begin to believe the truth of who we really are and who God made us to be, we'll be set free to feel beautiful.  Our goal in writing Beauty Begins is to encourage all of us to stop believing the lies and to start living the truth".

Beauty Begins is an easy-to-read book that’s full of Scripture, prayers and reflections that will help you to change the way you treat yourself, see yourself, and live.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

My Review of "As Kingfishers Catch Fire"

Eugene Peterson's As Kingfishers Catch Fire:  A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed by the Words of God is one of those books filled with wisdom and Spirit.  It's the story of one pastor's heart's desire to live as he preached -- in that place of "congruence" between message and act.

It's a story of sermons preached over 29 years of ministry -- sermons that explore the lessons of biblical heroes like Moses, Isaiah, David, Solomon, Peter, Paul, and John of Patmos.  In that way, it's a story of a real man, foibles and failures as well as faith, who strives to let Jesus not only teach him about God, but about being a real man, following in the Way of faith.

This is one of those books that I wish I'd have had in seminary, twenty years ago.  Because whenever Peterson speaks, I've learned to listen.  And what Peterson says in As Kingfishers Catch Fire are words of wisdom about being a true human being, as a pastor, as a man who follows Jesus, in all the complicated trails that following will sometimes entail.

In a simple sentence:  Don't miss this book!  It will make you more of a follower of Jesus.  Which means you'll be a better human being.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

My Review of "English Lessons"

Andrea Lucado's English Lessons:  The Crooked Path of Growing Toward Faith is an amazing memoir of the path of one whose walk of faith has both starts and stops.  Lucado -- probably more known for her dad, Max, than for her own writing -- has a life full of messy stories. 

For those looking for neat, tidy answers about faith and doubt, this is not the book for you.

For all the rest, this is not a book to miss!  The book highlights the spiritual path of one who embraces doubt and finds comfort in simply not knowing. 

I relate so deeply to his book, particularly in its descriptions about "Christian culture" and the real people who are part of it.  Lucado's book is for all those who struggle what it means to live a messy life of faith.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

My Review of "Open When ..."

Karen Salmansohn's Open Now ... Letters to Lift Your Spirits is a brief, little gift book that literally offers a number of positive messages for those rough, tough moments when our spirits are dark and oppressed.  Salmansohn has written letters with heartfelt wisdom summoning one's soul to reflect, and spirit to lift when -- life hurts.

This a beautiful book to give yourself and your friends.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

My Review of "Misfit Faith"

Jason Stellman's Misfit Faith: Confessions of a Drunk Ex-Pastor is not nearly the book I expected.  It's so much better!  Amazing, even.

Misfit Faith is Stellman's account of his own faith journey -- he begins the book as a Presbyterian pastor, but he became a Roman Catholic.  So I expected the book to be filled, at that point, with a Catholic apologetic.  There's nothing here about Peter as the first pope, or any criticism of Protestant theological principles.

As soon as I read Stellman beginning to flirt with universalism, this book took an entirely different frame. 

Misfit Fit is a thoughtful theological reflection on one life, a reflection that will echo certain features of so many other lives.  I know it did mine.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

My Review of "Everything You Wanted to Know about God (but were afraid to ask)"

Eric Metaxas' Everything You Always Wanted to Know about God (but Were Afraid to Ask) is a theologically dense, yet hilariously rich, look at the Christian faith.  Metaxas tackles a number of questions with a real writer's gift in just over 200 pages:   Is there proof that the person we know as Jesus really did exist?  Did this same Jesus really rise in bodily form from the grave?  Is the Devil a real person?  Did God create Evil?  And, is Neptune a Christian planet?

This is the book to give believers and skeptics alike.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

My Review of "Talking with God"

Adam Weber's Talking with God:  What to Say When You Don't Know How to Pray is an amazing book -- really more a conversation partner -- in exploring the depths of Christian praying for those who aren't sure how to pray.

Weber writes with a pastoral heart, offering wisdom about the nature and practice of prayer that will bring even mature Christians to think about and practice prayer in meaningful ways.  Talking with God is a clear, accessible book about the very nature of prayer that is as refreshing (in the way that the Spirit refreshes us!) as it is insightful (in the way that the Spirit opens our hearts and minds).  This book is more than a book about prayer, though.  Because ultimately prayer -- like this book -- means little if it's not practiced.  This is a book that will help even the unsure and clearly-doubting to get started.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.