Better Together

     BOOK REVIEW:   Ever feel like success in life is all about you? And even trying to "die to self" only makes you more self-consumed?
     The Bible certainly has a lot to say about "you", but it has even more to say about "us". In fact, there are over 100 passages in the Bible where the two words let us are used. Let us not give up meeting together..... Let us encourage one another..... Let us serve one another. Could it be that the only way to fix "me" is found in "we"?
     Sure, that all sounds good to the "people persons" among us, but what about those who prefer to go it alone?
     It turns out, the people who think they don't need community may need it most of all! In these pages, pastor Rusty George---a self-proclaimed introvert by nature---gives you the tools to "do life together", whether that feels natural to you or not. He shares such secrets as how to become more vulnerable, how to draw other people into your everyday life, and how to lean on others in times of need. Together we connect with God better. Together we heal better. Together we overcome fears, raise families, fight temptations, and bless the world better.
     Learn what it means to live in true community and find the fulfillment you've been looking for!

     MY REVIEW:   I really enjoyed this book. It's written very well, kept interesting and not dragging. I've not before given such thought to the importance of community, but I had to agree with all he said. Better together indeed!
     Not just going to church and engaging in brief small-talk while your spouse catches up with a friend; rather, inviting people into "you" and being vulnerable and willing to share your trials and insecurities. Rusty talks about several different fields in which together is better, and why.
     Temptations are better overcome when shared with others and held accountable. And knowing you are not the only one to struggle in whatever area can give the strength to believe in overcoming.
     More is accomplished (with less headache) together. When we are willing to let others help us with our important projects instead of stubbornly doing it all on our own we really do get more done, and with less stress.
     When facing a "scary" or hard circumstance, friends are what take you through. Circling arms and plunging forward is far more effective than tentatively advancing on your own. Rusty gives the example of surviving a haunted house with his friends in middle school. The only reason they didn't run screaming was their circled arms with one another (apparently if everyone pulled in different directions no one actually got away :)
     Rusty George has pastored Real Life Church in California for 11 years. He can be found at pastorrustygeorge.com. I tried to see if he has written any other books, but couldn't find a book page on his website. In the "about" section it says he has authored several books. On Amazon I found When God, Then You: 7 Things God is Waiting to do in Your Life and If/Then: Unleashing God's Power in Your Life. Both are books I want to read sometime.

I received a copy of this book from BETHANY HOUSE and was not required to write a positive review. 

The Prayer Wheel

     BOOK REVIEW:   The Prayer Wheel invites you into the rich world of faith illustrated by a stunning medieval artifact that resurfaced in 2015 in a small art gallery near New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The seven paths of the twelfth-century Liesborn Wheel, arranged in a circle around the word Deus (God), lead believers---now as in times past---to encounter and apply the transforming truths of the Christian faith. The book you're holding tells the remarkable story of the wheel, guides you through its teachings, then provides beautiful, contemporary prayers for personal or group use. As you pray, you will discover new ways to speak to God about your everyday concerns and deepest longings, and find your faith powerfully refreshed. 

     MY REVIEW:   When I got this book, I expected it to be about the prayer wheel. I was looking forward to hearing how it got started, then how on earth it got completely lost, and finally, how it was rediscovered. But alas, the book actually is the prayer wheel. There is a brief introduction that explained a few things on its invention, loss, and rediscovery, but then the rest of the book is actually praying the paths of the wheel, once a day for seven weeks.
     Despite that disappointment, I did enjoy the book. I've never heard of the prayer wheel before, and it intrigued me a bit. Patton Dodd, Jana Reiss, and David van Biema co-authored it, and they did a wonderful job. Something like this could very easily become idolized, and worshiped, and God taken completely out of it. But they seem to have done a careful job to keep that out. This is simply a guide to prayer. It's not something I'm really comfortable praying through as they suggest, but just to read through it, there are many truths to behold.
    The book itself is beautiful---hardcover, about 6 x 8, and 200 pages long. There is one spread to a day, seven spreads to a week. Each day is portrayed as a chapter, and each week a section. At the  beginning of each section the prayer wheel is illustrated, with that week's path highlighted. It is all very simply and easily laid out. Each day has a brief blurb on that subject on one side and a prayer on the other.

   I received a copy of this book from BLOGGING FOR BOOKS and was not required to write a positive review. 

The Baker Compact Dictionary of Biblical Studies

     BOOK REVIEW:   When it comes to the realm of biblical studies, students of the Bible are often overwhelmed, both with the sheer volume of information and with all of the unfamiliar terms, concepts, and topics. Like any other field of study, the serious study of the Bible has developed a specialized vocabulary. The key terms in this important field are defined in The Compact Dictionary of Biblical Studies. It provides clear, concise, and accurate definitions to help students of the Bible make sense of the specialized language of biblical studies.

     MY REVIEW:   This book would be very helpful to a Bible student, and even to just anyone looking for clarification on a specific term relating to Bible study. The many different things explained include important ancient documents, notable historians, specific events from the Bible, the many different Bible translations, terms of study, people groups of the Bible, and more. It is a compact book of 209 pages, roughly 4 x 7 in size and paperback. It would be an interesting book to read through on a whim sometime, just to become familiar with the different terms and explanations. 

  I received a copy of this book from BAKER BOOKS  and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions here are my own. 

Farewell, Four Waters

     BOOK REVIEW:   In fourteen days, the life she knew would end on the streets of Kabul.   All Marie needed was a few stamps and signatures--the mandatory paperwork necessary for the Afghan government--and she could hold literacy classes in the rural town of Shektan. Her hope: Afghan women would learn to read.
    Suddenly, shots resonated. An aid worker killed at an intersection in Kabul. The community scattered. Most decided to say farewell. Not Marie; she chose to stay, to teach. But she was unaware that this choice would make her a pawn at the center of a local feud.
    Kidnapping was Marie's worst fear. She didn't know treachery was more deadly. 

     BOOK REVIEW:     Farewell, Four Waters is a story of an aid worker's frantic last two weeks before a sudden departure from her Afghan home. A story revealing deep roots, helpless desperation, swirling events too swift to process, and finally, the finding of God through it all. 

     Not a true story in itself, but each event is true of one person or another known by the author. Kate McCord is a pseudonym. To protect those involved, she could not tell her own story, or even use the real names of the people in this book. But some events are her own, and everyone is inspired by someone touching her experiences there. 

     This book, while not actually nonfiction, tells us a bit of the life and customs and unrest of an aid worker in Afghanistan. It is certainly not a bed of roses, not easy in the slightest. But very rewarding. In the Author's Notes, Kate discloses that in a way, this really is her story. The events may not be quite the same, but the feeling, the closeness, the finding God---they are. The book is not written in the usual smooth flow of a fiction story, but rather, reading more through the mind of Marie, hearing her process what is going on. Short. Almost choppy. Making sense of swirling events that cannot be fully understood. The loss. The helplessness. Feeling alone, yet very much there. A story full of feeling. Feeling that cannot be expressed fully without being written this way. It works. It's beautiful. 

     Kate McCord has written two other books, both of which I have read. In the Land of Blue Burqas is a nonfiction book about her actual time in Afghanistan. Why God Calls us to Dangerous Places is self-explanatory in the title. Not so much on her time there, as on why she went, and how it affected her, her family and friends, and the Afghans she met. All three books are well worth reading. 

  I received a copy of this book from MOODY PUBLISHERS and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

The Cross and Christian Ministry

     BOOK REVIEW:   Today, the cross is sanitized. It adorns churches, dangles from necklaces, gleams from lapels. Yet in the first century the cross was a grotesque and abhorrent image, a symbol of evil, torture, and shame.
     Which of these is the cross that calls us to Christian ministry? The one made of shiny precious metals? Or the one fashioned of rough wood and stained with the blood of Christ?
     In The Cross and Christian Ministry, D. A. Carson explains what the death of Christ means for ministry and why the focus of ministry must be on what is central, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through his exposition of 1 Corinthians, Carson explores the issues of factionalism, servant-leadership, and shaping "world" Christians in order to present principles for dynamic, cross-centered worship that compel us to share the Good News.

     MY REVIEW:   This book took me a bit to get focused on, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. D. A. Carson is not a name I am familiar with, but it seems I have heard it somewhere.
     The centrality of the cross seems to be disappearing amidst the "pleasing" Gospel being preached in many circles today. Carson here brings it front and center and reminds why it has to be there.
     One point I especially liked was the message of the cross.....is "foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1Cor 1:18). There are many distinctions dividing people today, but the only one that matters is "saved" vs "unsaved". Another is the example of Paul, whe was not able to preach on any account without drawing it to the cross.
     More than just the cross itself, Carson talks of the life and character of a truly cross-centered Christian. They will suffer with Christ as well as share His Glory. They will boast in the Lord, not in any way themselves. They will not judge harshly, for they know they cannot see the whole picture, and that judging is for God alone.
   
  I received a copy of this book from BAKER BOOKS, and was not required to write a positive review. 
   
   

In the Words of Jesus

     BOOK REVIEW:   No individual has had a greater impact on human history than Jesus Christ. In just three short years, this humble carpenter challenged, enlightened, and transformed those around Him with words of wisdom, grace, truth, hope, and love. And through His words and actions, He provided indisputable evidence that God always had been and always will be among us.
     In the Words of Jesus distills Jesus' most profound teachings from the four Gospels and reflects on what His message meant---not only during His brief ministry on earth, but also for us today.

     MY REVIEW:  This is a small, leather book. It looks like a Bible in many ways. The idea is a good one. The book is divided into chapters and divisions about different qualities and teachings of Jesus. For the content itself, a verse or section is quoted, then a short reflection given. I did not read through the whole book, but it seems simple and easy to follow. I do however have a few faults with it. The pages are too thin for the ink used. You can see words from the back of the page on the front you are reading. And it uses the New Living Translation. I have nothing against that translation, I simply prefer the King James. This would have been a good thing to have mentioned on the back cover, in my opinion.

I got this book from myreaderrewardsclub.com. If you are not already involved in this program, you should definitely check it out. For a quick explanation: you earn points for reviewing Tyndale books and use these points to get free books!! If you are interested in joining, let me know and I'll give you a code that will give you 25 points when you sign up!!

Gardener's Log book

     This book is pretty neat. It has documentation for five years so you can chart the progress of your plants and keep record of what you've planted, etc. It includes a Zone Chart so you can see what zone you are in (turns out I was wrong about mine! gasp). Next are nine spreads in which to record bloom and harvest date of each of your plants for each of the five years. Following that, is the main body of the book: winter, summer, fall, and spring checklists, notes portions, and plotting graphs. Everything from telling you when to prune, plant, mulch, plan, stake, order seeds, and more. At the end of the book are a few articles on topics such as When and How to Compost, Container Gardening, Pruning Basics, and a few more. Each includes websites, books, and articles where more information can be found.  Then there is a place to write down your suppliers and sources, and finally, a small pocket to keep a few things in.
     This book is paperback, with a slightly reinforced cover. It is 8''x 6'' with 240 pages. It is spiral bound with a string closure. While not quite what I expected, it is a very handy book that I'm very happy to have gotten.

 I received a copy of this book from BLOGGING FOR BOOKS and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.