Chazown

It's been a loooong time since I've posted a book review, but I want to get going with this again.  I pulled out a review I should have posted a while ago to get me back on track:
If you feel as if you are just spinning your wheels...not living, but only surviving, then you may have lost your "chazown".  The book title was enough to intrigue me, but the substance was enough to keep me interested from cover to cover.  Finding your vision sounds a lot like psychological fluff, but Craig Groeschel grounds his writing in scripture and sincere pursuit of God's design.  We are often guilty of just hoping that God will just plop His plans and direction in our lap, and sometimes it is that obvious. But, more often than not, it requires intentional steps on our part to pursue God before His direction is clear.  This book is very practical in its approach and an easy read. The application is more challenging, but a very worthy pursuit...for   "where there is no vision, the people perish". (Proverbs 29:18)

War on Christmas

I just finished a new book that comes at the perfect time for preparing my heart for the true meaning of Christmas.  There is so much craziness in our lives year-round that when the Christmas season rolls around, it seems here and gone before I ever even know what hit us.  But the perfect example for us is Mary, who took what the angel said and "pondered these things in her heart."  What steps are you taking to ponder the greatest gift ever given this season?
So this book is a beautifully illustrated guide to all things Christmas...discussing questions such as Why December? Why a Christmas tree? Should we call it Xmas?  Where was Jesus really born?  When did the wise men really come?  It thoroughly examines what evidence exists to answer these questions and many more.  I appreciate that it is exhaustive in the search for answers, but also leaves some room for more questions.
The book is put out by Answers in Genesis, a Christian apologetics organization which defends the truth of the Bible.  They are best known for there defense of the Biblical account of creation and the Creation Museum.  I am a big fan of theirs, and frequently use their website and published materials as we wade through the secularization of public education with our children.  That being said, my main criticism of the book is that it comes across as a defensive point of view, and that is something that makes me uneasy.  It is so difficult for Christians to find that balance of "speaking the truth in love", that we often err on one side or the other, but we must not neglect one or the other.  When it comes to seeking His righteousness, I think we sometimes lose our way and become more concerned with seeking "right-ness", which is a very different thing.  There is no mistaking that the book does what it sets out to do: it defends the truths of Christmas; after all, the subtitle is "Battles in Faith, Tradition, and Religious Expression".  And I would recommend it to anyone curious about the details of the Christmas narrative, but because of the tone, it might not be the first book I would recommend to someone who does not already believe in the authority of the Bible.

She's Got Issues

If you are a woman and you have issues, this book is for you.  If you are a woman and you think that you don't have issues, this book is especially for you.  Because like it or not, we all have "issues", and this book can help you unpack those issues and deal with them with honesty and grace.  I received the book and DVD for group study free from the publisher in exchange for my participation in the blog tour and my honest review here.  The book has 14 chapters and the DVD has 6 sessions, covering the issues of control, insecurity, comparisons, fear, anger, and unforgiveness.  While some issues hit home more than others, I still found her approach to each of them very relatable, and still giving you more than just "self-help", but Scriptural guidance towards understanding and coping with our issues.  The video sessions are part one-on-one interview with someone giving their own personal story, and part group Bible study led by the author.  Overall, I found this to be a great study for any woman to do on her own, but even better for a group of friends to do together...even for those who don't see themselves as a "Bible study leader".  I think the subtitle sums it up well..."seriously good news for stressed-out secretly scared control freaks like us."

Wait No More

In this book, Kelly and John Rosati share the story of how they adopted each of their four children from the foster care system.  Each child has a special story of how they were brought into their "forever family", and I really enjoyed reading how each story unfolded, finishing the book easily in one weekend.   Kids are messy...and four kids are exponentially messy!  So to read the story of this couple voluntarily entering into their mess and loving each child with a forever-kind-of-love was beautiful!  This was an honest account, so there are failure and success stories included.  I was shocked to find out there are 107,000 orphaned children here in the US.  We have well over 300,000 churches in the US, so if every three churches in the U.S. combined to adopt and support one child, we would have no more orphans in our country!  This book inspired me to come alongside others in any way I can to help them in this difficult process of adoption.  I would encourage anyone who has an interest in adoption, especially through the foster care system, to read this book.

Spirit Fighter

Hi!  This is Makenzie, Vicki's daughter, and I am here to tell you my insight on Jerel Law's book, Spirit Fighter.  I think Spirit Fighter is a tween Christian book that is action-packed and exciting but also gives a good message of how God loves you.  Jonah Stone is a 13-year-old boy that, along with his 11-year-old-sister Eliza, goes on an adventure to rescue their mother who is secretly a nephilim (a daughter of a human and a fallen angel).  Jonah and Eliza go on an adventure with the help of a guardian angel and God (also known as Elohim) to go against the forces of Satan and the fallen angels.  Spirit Fighter is a good novel that everyone will enjoy and I can't wait for the second book Fire Prophet to come out!  Bye!

Decision Points

OK, I gotta be honest.  I didn't finish this book yet.  I plan to...I just haven't yet.  I am a pretty big George W. Bush fan, and I respect him and many of the decisions that he made while in office, but there were also decisions that I didn't agree with or understand at the time.  Not very often do we get the chance to read about the background information on the major (and minor) events in a president's life, so he is to be commended for making himself vulnerable in that way.  He admits in the book that not every decision he made was good, and he might choose differently given more information at the time.  We also get some of his life story...what made him into the man who became President.  His childhood and his relationship with his parents, his struggle with alcohol abuse, and his relationship with his wife and daughters were particularly interesting.    His writing style seems random...a story here, then off on a tangent, then back to the main sequence of events, but I didn't find that too distracting.  I'm now to the point of 9/11, and for many of us, that will be most interesting we all had our eyes on the President as he led our nation through that most difficult time.  So I read on...I am confident that it is time well spent.

Life Application Study Bible Devotional

Although I cannot say I've ever read a "bad" devotional book, there are a precious few that I would strongly recommend.  Most of them seem to put the emphasis on the applications or illustrations with little emphasis on God's Word itself.  This emphasis, while interesting to read, leaves you with very little to "chew on" as you go throughout your day.  This devotional sets out from the very beginning to put the emphasis on the Scriptures, and that is what makes it stand out from the rest.  There are 52 weeks of readings, taken from the key events in Jesus' life described in the Gospels.  Each week has an introduction, then 6 days of readings, including thought-provoking questions that give you something to consider all day long.  I would strongly recommend this devotional to anyone who wanted to spend a year learning more about the life of Jesus and applying His Wisdom to his or her own life.

Farm Fresh Southern Cooking

Now for my first (and probably last) cookbook review!!!  I say last because I'm not much of a cookbook collector.  I figure that I can find any recipe I need just looking on the internet.  BUT, when I saw this title, I just couldn't resist!  I love, love, love going to the farmer's market!  So much yummy fresh food all in one place, and feeling good about the food you're bringing home by supporting local farmers--nothing like it!  But I find myself getting in a rut, buying the same things everytime I go, and preparing the same things...corn on the cob, green beans and ham, squash casserole, fresh peaches, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers...oh, man, I'm starting to drool in anticipation.  But there are so many other things to try...rutabagas and turnips and parsnips and SO much more.  And even better, there are many more ways to prepare my favorites.  But there is nothing I hate more than a great looking recipe with 15 ingredients so I have to go shopping in order to prepare it.  But there's very little of that here.  Each dish seems quite simple, making the fresh ingredients the star of the recipe.  Although the emphasis on Southern cooking gives us several "down-home" foods such as crawfish, grits, or cornbread, there are plenty of appetizers, main dishes, desserts, breakfasts, soups, salads, and breads to please any palate.  There's even a chapter that gives tips for canning so you can enjoy real food all year long.  I'm not sure I will be that ambitious, but I know there is plenty here to keep me busy in a few weeks when the local market opens.  I can't wait!!!

Three Hearts DVD

Graduating college senior, Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of evangelist Billy Graham, takes on an internship at Samaritan's Purse working with the Children's Heart Project.  Through this organization, Mongolian children with congenital heart defects are brought to the US for lifesaving treatment they cannot receive in their own country. There are obstacles they must overcome in the process, and because it is real life, everything does not go as planned. But it is a beautiful story of an organization making a difference in the world, of people giving and serving and sacrificing so others may find wholeness.  And not only physical wholeness, but the good news of Jesus Christ is also shared with these families, changing there lives for eternity.  It was great to learn more about one of the many other things that Samaritans Purse does (other than shoeboxes) to share the love of Christ with the world.

Real Marriage: The truth about sex, friendship, & life together

When I first requested Real Marriage, I really had no idea that it had stirred up so much controversy among Christian circles and beyond, I just thought it might be something good to consider for marriage enrichment with couples in our church. While this review is primarily for the DVD-based study, I also read the book to help me get a better grasp of all of the material there.  So first, the content...the first "big idea" in the book is, in my opinion, the best one:  Marriage as Friendship.  This section includes five chapters, with one chapter addressed specifically to the men and one to the women readers.  There are many who will take issue with the complementarian views for which Driscoll is well-known. While I don't agree entirely with every opinion or emphasis that is presented, there is still much that can be learned from each of these chapters in loving and respecting one another.  The second part of the book moves to more a more provocative topic: Sex.  There are five chapters here as well, including one where the Song of Solomon is used as a reference for determining what activities are "allowed" or "beneficial".  If you are having questions in your marriage of how to set healthy boundaries in this area, then you would probably benefit from the material here.  However, if you tend to be uncomfortable with frank discussion of ALL types of sexual expression, you may want to skip it.  The part of the book that rocked my world the most was a short little section tucked in chapter 10, addressing birth control.  While I won't unpack it here, it challenged me to really apply some convictions on the value of human life in ways that I had never considered.  Finally, the last part of the book gets very practical in helping couples to "reverse engineer" their marriage so that the focus is on how you want your marriage to end...setting goals and formulating a plan together.  This was only one chapter of the book, and I would like to have read more.  I think the DVD study would be a good tool to expand on this and other material in the book.  The study includes a 143-page participant's guide, which has lots of material for couples to invest in their relationship, through questions and activity suggestions.  The videos are okay... Mark and Grace sitting in the church where they were married and discussing (mostly to one another) the material in the book.  Each session covers a chapter, with eleven 10- to 15-minute sessions.  If you are a fan of Mark Driscoll's, you will love it.  If you are a hater, you will hate it.  For those of us in between, just looking for a good tool to enrich our marriage...there's a lot of good material here.  It is not the best book on marriage that is out there, but there is much in the book and DVD study that is unique and useful to improve marriages.

Heaven is for Real for kids

This is a guest review by Makenzie, Vicki's awesome 10 year old daughter, and I'm here to do a report on Heaven Is For Real For Kids.  In this book a boy named Colten Burpo gets very sick and has to go to the hospital.  He closes his eyes and suddenly he's in Heaven! While Colton is in Heaven the book describes all the things Colton got to see, including Heaven's Gate, lots of Bible heroes, and even Jesus and his horse!  Throughout the whole story their are bible verses that match the text on the page.  The words are very understandable and there are beautiful illustrations.  If your kid wanted to read the original but hasn't quite mastered reading just yet, then this is the book for them!
                          Makenzie:)

Smack Dab in the Middle of God's Love

                                                 
So this time I thought I would get a children's book, thinking maybe I would post the review quicker. However, one has to have the time to sit down at the computer long enough to write the review in order to get it done!  So here goes...Abby Grace is sleeping...She is beautiful, by the way. 
This is the first children's book authored by Brennan Manning, the author of many other great books, including Abba's Child, The Wisdom of Tenderness, and my favorite, The Ragamuffin Gospel.  And in this book, as in his other books, his emphasis and strength is in sharing how big, how great, and how deep the Father's love is for His children.  There are many illustrations he uses to help a child understand how the Father shows His love through His creation, good friends, and "the gift of someone who really loves you", because "every good thing comes from smack-dab in the middle of Abba's heart".  Even though we may struggle with understanding that He could love "even me", as one of the little girls in the story, the main character, Willie Juan, shares, "we are all smack-dab in the middle of Abba's love...a love big enough to hold us all."
And now, Makenzie and Caleb are home from school and STARVING for a snack, so I'm off again!

Max on Life

Like so many others, I have always enjoyed the writings of Max Lucado.  He has a way of making deep spiritual truths relevant and easy to understand.  He speaks and he writes with the heart of a pastor, even with the heart of Jesus, with an obvious desire to see people know and understand all the wonders of God's glory and love.  He uses storytelling and short chapters to make his points, which makes his books easy, even fun, to read.  True to form, Max on Life is a collection of stories, in the form of readers' questions, covering 172 topics from "Who is God?" to "Why me?" to "Is this wrong?"  Many are age-old questions, but many are questions that the church often avoids talking about because the questions are awkward or uncomfortable. This book is written for those who are hungering for answers to life's difficult questions and those who are trying to figure out how to apply God's Word in their everyday lives.  My only criticism is the title and cover...I love Max Lucado and would pick this book because of him, but there are many who would really benefit from reading it, but will never pick it up because they don't know who Max is.  I would hope that they may release a new edition someday with a different title and cover to broaden the appeal to those unfamiliar with his work. 

Radical Together

This is a sequel of sorts to David Platt's first book "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream".  Whereas "Radical" was addressed to individuals in their personal walks of faith, "Radical Together" is addressed to the local church.  I wish that I could say that the book's contents were not all that radical...I saw nothing in it that was outside of Biblical teaching.  However, the subtitle, "Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God" is exactly what the church needs most, but to find it is all too rare.  There are six chapters, each based on a guiding principle for the church to live radically. "1) One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church. 2) The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work. 3) The Word does the work. 4) Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people. 5) We are living--and longing--for the end of the world.  6) We are selfless followers of a self-centered God." 

If these principles sound like something that you would like to read more about, then you would really enjoy this book.  Even greater, the book would be great for small group study, with a discussion guide at the end with questions and brainstorming ideas to unleash your own local body for the purpose of God! 

Women of Faith

I just won two tickets to the Women of Faith conference this fall!!!  Who wants to go?
More information to follow...

Declaration of Independence: A Spiritual Document?

Well, it's been a while since I have posted anything...What a crazy past couple of months!  Maybe it's about to get crazier with Abby Grace joining us soon, but hopefully the craziness will center around home, sweet home.  It was a great privilege and honor for Makenzie and I to be involved in "Annie Get Your Gun", and so wonderful to get to know some great new people!  While my heart is sad that it is over, my body is glad for the rest.
So rest is what we are doing this holiday weekend.  Well, I am resting while JJ has been hard at work painting the nursery.  And in an effort to communicate the importance of this day to my children, I came across something worth sharing with others.  Although I did try to share it with my children too, but I'm pretty sure they weren't listening...Oh, well...
From what I remember about President ("Silent Cal") Calvin Coolidge from high school history class (Thanks, Mr. Worley!), he was not known for his elaborate speeches.  However, in this speech made to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, he said some words that we would do well to remember today:
              "We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things.  These did not create our Declaration.  Our Declaration created them.  The things of the Spirit come first.  Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren scepter in our grasp.  If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it.  We must not sink into a pagan materialism.  We must cultivate the reverance which they had for the things that are holy.  We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed.  We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped."


Now that gives greater meaning to our inalienable rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"!
Happy Independence Day!!!

Daddy Dates

JJ couldn't take it anymore...I was getting all these free books, and he was jealous!  So he finally started his own blog, and will soon be reviewing books too.  So he is "guest reviewer" on my blog today, as he gets his blog up and going.  I got the book "Daddy Dates" by Greg Wright for him, and here's what he thought:

What an incredible book for fathers, not only of daughters but also of sons. This book challenges us as parents to spend time getting to know our kids. Not just hanging out, but really getting to know them--their likes and dislikes, their wants and desires, their fears and dreams. Time is too precious and is fleeting away fast.
Greg Wright does a wonderful job of breaking down the chapters into bite size pieces so that those who aren’t avid readers or those who are simply too busy to read much at one time can chew and digest his thoughts. I enjoyed that he shares his personal struggles and how he had to humbly admit to not having all the skills to communicate properly with his daughters, although his profession is as a communicator. We can all learn a lot from this admission. No matter how much schooling or job skills we have, raising a family is very different. Each child is a little bit different. Each situation has its nuances. I had to admit it got to me a bit emotionally, because I saw my own kids growing up as I read it.

From the encouragement to not allow your daughters to date outside of groups in high school to treating them like royalty when you spend concentrated time with them, I found this book very helpful for me being all there for my daughter, who is nine going on seventeen. Every father should read this book to realize what special person they have in their home. As a parent, God has blessed us with an opportunity to mold the life of a child of God into His image. May we treasure the time we have been given and not waste it.

The Final Summit

I have been wanting to read a book by Andy Andrews since I saw him speak at Women of Faith last fall...What an amazing speaker!!!    Because I did not read the "prequel" to this book, "The Travelers", I wasn't sure if I would really get the most out of it though.  However, he gives plenty of background in his storytelling, so I didn't feel too behind.  What I love about Andy's storytelling is that he finds these precious gems...historical stories that are relatively unknown...and he uncovers them for the world to discover.  I don't want to tell too much to ruin the discovery, but he definitely does that in The Final Summit!  In the process, he also gives several other history lessons, including discussion of what we can learn from the wise and unwise decisions of those who have gone before us.  It was an easy read...finished in 1-2 days, so a great book for light readers and book lovers alike!

Life Without Limbs

I'm very excited to share my most recent read.  I saw this guy on a youtube video a year or two ago, and was just blown away!  Everyone loves a story of someone who is able to overcome obstacles to prove to the world they can, when everyone thinks they can't.  Nick Vujijic is an inspiration to others to live beyond our limitations, whether physical, mental, emotional, financial, or anything else that may hold you back. You cannot possible read one chapter of this book and walk away uninspired to live life to the fullest!  You can't help but get the sense that Nick has tapped into the supernatural ability to live life fully and unhindered by excuses of any kind.  Several times while I was reading, I found myself trying to counter his optimism with my own cynicism...thinking, "But it's just not that easy."  But in light of his story, I would have to come around to, "Well, maybe it is that easy..."  Like Nick says, "I'm ridiculously happy, what's your excuse?"

The Goodness of God

I had never read anything by Randy Alcorn, but the title intrigued me, so I selected The Goodness of God:  Assurance of Purpose in the Midst of Suffering for my most recent read.  And was I ever blessed!  Regardless of whether you are going thru a tremendously difficult trial or just the ordinary struggles of everyday life on this earth, there is so much for you  to take from this book.  The best thing that it has to offer is helping us in the struggle to transition from believing in God to trusting in God, particularly when we encounter times of suffering and our beliefs are challenged.  He takes us through each piece of evidence, proving that God is good (all the time), by looking at such difficult issues as inherited sin, delayed justice, and the "prosperity gospel".  There are so many nuggets of wisdom that I felt compelled to read with a highlighter in hand...here are a couple:
 "God is not only preparing a place for us, he's preparing us for that place, through our suffering   and growth in character."
"Satan intends your suffering for evil; God intends if for good.  Whose purpose in your suffering will prevail?  Whose purposes are you furthering?  Satan attempts to destroy your faith, while God invites you to draw near to him and rely upon his soverign grace to sustain you." 
 I have a feeling that while this book is going on the shelf, it won't stay there long.  I have already been  pulling it out and reading again the highlighted passages.  It has challenged me to continue to be a student of God's Word and to seek first His righteousness in this broken world.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."  Romans 8:18