Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems




Title:
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems

Pages:
48.

How it was obtained:
I bought it for Susan's birthday.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
None. We read it as soon as the package came.

Days spent reading it:
15 minutes.

Why I read it:
Susan and I loved Knuffle Bunny, and I found Knuffle Bunny Too by accident as I was cruising around Amazon. I got it for her birthday and we read it together.

Brief review:
Knuffle Bunny Too is as good, if not better than the first. The baby from the first book (Trixie) has grown up and is going to her first day of school. Great antics ensue as she brings Knuffle Bunny with her to show off to all of her new friends. But when she arrives, another girl has her own Knuffle Bunny.

This book has wonderful pictures, a funny plot, and great characters. It made me laugh out loud with Susan multiple times. I loved a few of the effects such as when Trixie first sees the other Knuffle Bunny. Classic, like an action film getting closer every shot. I could hear the music in my head--Dum Dum Dunnnnnnnnn.

If you enjoyed Knuffle Bunny, this is a worthy sequel. Check it out if you have little ones, or you enjoy a great children's book.

Favorite quote:
Trixie and Sonja arguing over the pronunciation of "Knuffle." Classic.
Trixie: Kuh-nuffle!
Sonja: Nuffle!
Trixie: Kuh-nuffle!
Sonja: Nuffle!

Stars:
5 out of 5.
Final Word:
Kuh-wonderful!

Monday, March 30, 2009

The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch




Title:
The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch.

Pages:
295.

How it was obtained:
I purchased at the ETS conference in Rhode Island (for half price I might add!).

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
None.

Days spent reading it:
4 months.

Why I read it:
My previous District Superintendent suggested reading it when I asked what books he was reading that he would recommend. I'll take Gordon's word on a book any day. So I decided to read it.

Brief review:
This book hurt my head. It was one of the most challenging, thought provoking, and important books I believe that I have read about ministry in many years. The Forgotten Ways is a book that focuses on how we can activate the church to become missional again. The typical current model is attractional (bringing people to us). Missional is one of those trendy terms that is flying all over the place lately, but in essence it boils down to how can we get people in the church to reach out to people outside of the church. "Missional" typically also means that as we reach people outside of the church, we do it on their turf. We don't bring them to an evangelistic meeting at our church building. We don't drag them to another prayer meeting. Instead, we find them where they are at: in pubs, parks, sporting events, work places, etc. and we minister to them there. In other words we go out on mission to people. Hirsch (and other missional thinkers) are simply using our pattern for "Missions" and applying it to our pattern for church growth.

I cannot even begin to give you a breakdown of Hirsch's book. I underlined so much of this book as I attempted to digest the huge concepts that he talks about. The book was very readable. Hirsch does throw out some technical language, but always explains it in a simple and clear fashion. He has great charts and pictures that help you to see exactly what he is talking about at every point.

The focus of this book is how we can recapture what Hirsch calls the Apostolic Genius of the first century. This genius has shown up in other movements in Christian history, including the current movement in China where the underground church has exploded and multiplied since missionaries were pushed out almost a century ago.

There is a ton of information in this book. Its not a quick read, but it is an important read. I know some will absolutely reject his message. It will make them uncomfortable. It makes me uncomfortable. But it also stirred my heart and my mind in how we can revitalize the church in today's culture.

I would highly recommend this to anyone currently in ministry. Whether you are planting, maintaining, or developing a church and its ministries, this book will stretch you and challenge you in a good way.

Favorite quote: The implications of following the Torah faithfully will be to connect all things in life directly to Yahweh, whether it be the mildew or the temple worship and everything in between. Therefore, everything--one's work, one's domestic life, one's health, one's worship--has significance to God. He is concerned with every aspect of the believer's life, not just the so-called spiritual dimensions....To say this more explicitly there is no such thing as sacred and secular in biblical worldview.

Stars:
5 out of 5.

Final Word:
Thoughtful.

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems




Title:
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

Pages:
40.

How it was obtained:
Read it in an Old Navy of all places. Definitely on my "to buy" list.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
None, never even made it to my shelf!

Days spent reading it:
10 minutes.

Why I read it:
Susan and I were in an Old Navy, and I saw it sitting on a shelf with some other kids books and kids paraphanelia. We like Mo Willems because of his books based on Pigeon and decided to use a few minutes reading this book.

Brief review:
Ahhh, Knuffle Bunny. This book was wonderful. Its a kids book, sure. But it has so much heart.

This is where I get tell you one way that Susan has had a wonderful impact on my life. Because of Susan, I enjoy reading kids books. I mean I liked them as a KID, but I love them now as an adult. For a great cheap date, take your date to the library. Go to the kids section, and read a kids picture book together. Heck, go to the kids section of a bookstore, sometimes they're all decked out with crazy decorations and showing off their newest, greatest kids book. Pick it up, grab a small chair, and read it. Its worth it. I promise.

Anyways, back to the review.

I fell in love with Knuffle Bunny on page 1, and loved it through its fantastic ending. Susan and I were cracking up in the store as we were reading this kids book. The baby in the book (Trixie) doesn't talk, and her facial expressions are priceless. I found myself wanting a Knuffle Bunny (which I found out they actually sell!). The pictures in this book were interesting, the backgrounds are black and white photos of a neighborhood. The characters are full color drawings that are wonderful. It has a very unique visual palate.

Knuffle Bunny gets my two thumbs up, and anyone with little ones should definitely consider checking out this gem.

Favorite quote:
"KNUFFLE BUNNY!"

Stars:
5 out of 5.

Final Word: Kfantastic.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Refuel by Doug Fields




Title:
Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God by Doug Fields

Pages:
132.

How it was obtained:
I purchased it online from Simply Youth Ministry.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
Maybe a week.

Days spent reading it:
4 days.

Why I read it:
I use a lot of Doug Fields' stuff in my youth ministry. I have a lot of respect for him, and I was really interested in his take on refueling our spiritual walks.

Brief review:
This is a must read book. I simply loved it. I cannot praise it enough. Refuel is about the busyness of life and how that busyness attacks our intimacy with God. Doug Fields writes a very simple, very clear book that offers 3 simple ways to connect with God despite our busyness. 1. Stop. 2. Be Quiet. 3. Make a Connection. It could not be simpler, and it could not be more appropriate for our culture.

This book is practical and insightful. It should be read over a few days. We need to allow the ideas to digest and make their way into our lives. Doug Fields has great advice that we can implement into our lives immediately. Best of all, its a short book. Doug Fields makes his point and leaves us with time to implement the ideas he gives.

For example, in his chapter about stopping Fields suggests that we take a few moments of everyday to stop and let God talk to us. Whether it is when you start your car (pause, reflect, then put your car in drive) or tying your shoes. Whatever works for you, we need to stop being busy and let God enter our lives. Very personal and practical.

I like this book so much that we are giving a copy to each of our graduating seniors this year.
This book came at a great time for me. I really wanted a book that would challenge me and encourage me to walk close with God. This book fit that bill perfectly.

I HIGHLY recommend.

Favorite quote:
"Connecting with Jesus is a better choice than busyness."

Stars:
5 out of 5.

Final Word:
Realistic.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Oestreicher




Title:
Youth Ministry 3.0: A Manifesto Of Where We've Been, Where We Are, And Where We Need To Go by Mark Oestreicher.

Pages:
155.

How it was obtained:
Ordered it with some other youth ministry books.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
None. I read it right away. (I just didn't write my review right away).

Days spent reading it:
1 afternoon.

Why I read it:
I'm a youth pastor, so I figured I'd like to hear what Mark Oestreicher had to say about where youth ministry needed to go. Mark Oestreicher (aka Marko) is president of Youth Specialties, a leading company in youth ministry resources. I heard about this book through Marko's blog (www.ysmarko.com).

Brief review:
Youth Ministry 3.0 is Marko's attempt to talk about the previous, current, and future direction of youth ministry. The book includes a brief discussion about adolescent development, a brief history of youth ministry since post-WWII, and then a few suggestions on how we can take youth ministry to the next step.

The center thesis of this book seems to be that youth ministry has gone through two phases already, and is about to enter the third phase. Phase one was driven by proclamation. It was centered around evangelism and teaching. Phase two was driven by programs. "Bigger is better" would be a favorite slogan. This phase focused on discipleship. Many churches are in this phase right now. But as youth ministers we know there is something wrong. Kids are dropping out at ridiculous rates (it is not uncommon to hear statistics that 80% of kids drop out of church after high school, this number seems to be inflated, but you get the picture). We know somethings wrong, so what do we do? Marko proposes phase three which would not be driven by any particular motivator. Instead it is present (or incarnational).

So the question is obviously how do we get to an incarnational ministry from a program (or even proclomation) driven ministry? Marko offers up a few solutions. We can focus on smaller groups, and literally have a youth group for each sub-culture in our youth. We could focus on making our youth ministries a place for a supra-culture--where everyone comes together and no one group is better or dominate over the other groups. Finally, we could have hybrid of the two. Perhaps a large group for some events, and a small group for others.

Honestly, Marko's ideas are aimed at larger groups. Although he addresses the question of how smaller groups can incorporate this kind of thinking (on pgs. 95-96) it seemed forced. Seeing that I work with about 20-30 students, many of his ideas on how to move to Youth Ministry 3.0 seemed impractical or unnecessary.

I'm not convinced Marko has the solutions, but at least he is willing to think outside of the box to create some discussion about this topic. It is important to wrestle with, and I think this book has created great discussion and thought on where we need to take youth ministry in the upcoming years in order to stay relevant to a culture that changes every single day. One great thought Marko has at the end of the book is that youth ministers need to begin to consider themselves missionaries. We are becoming more and more distant from the culture we are attempting to reach. In order to be effective we need to begin thinking like missionaries. We need to begin studying youth culture like we would other cultures around the world. (Should youth ministers begin to take missions courses in college? That's probably not a bad idea...)

Every youth leader should read this book and wrestle with the thoughts, problems, solutions, and overall structure of their youth ministries. There are many great little gems in this book. I underlined a lot of it as I read and digested the ideas. It only takes about 2 hours to read through. The book is short, the typeset and spacing are large. It is definitely worth the investment.

Favorite quote:
"We must live incarnationally, positioning ourselves humbly and openly on the somtimes cold, dark, and scary stairwell to the underground of youth culture."

Stars:
4 out of 5.

Final Word:
Challenging.

A Book You'll Actually Read On... by Mark Driscoll



Title:
A Book You'll Actually Read...
On the Old Testament
On the New Testament
On Who Is God?
On Church Leadership

Pages:
94 pages (for most of them).

How it was obtained:
Half price at ETS conference!

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
None.

Days spent reading it:
2 hours each.

Why I read it:
A friend of mine reviewed these books on his blog almost a year ago now. He highly recommended them, and I decided I wanted to check them out for myself. Glad I did.

Brief review:
I'll review the series in general with a few comments on particular books when appropriate.

First off: This series is fantastic. Buy it. Right now. Stop reading my post, pop onto Amazon and give yourself one of the best introductory series on the OT, NT, God, and Church Leadership that is available. I've read a ton of theology books, and this series is one of the best I have ever read. It is clear, concise, easy to read, drenched in Scripture (usually in the footnotes, so it doesn't get in the way of reading a paragraph), and the content is well thought out. And it does it all in 100 pages a book (and the pages are like 1/2 size, but the type is small).

In about 100 (little) pages, Driscoll hammers out the essentials of each of the topics covered in a particular book. The OT and NT books are centered around 9 questions usually asked about the Bible, and then a basic overview of the books in the Bible. The book on who is God covers the areas of knowledge about God and how we should relate to God. The book on church leadership talks about why churches need leadership and what the Biblical qualifications for those positions is.

Driscoll is not afraid of the tough topics. His book on Church Leadership directly addresses the issue of women in ministry. (He does not believe women should be elder/pastors). His treatment is fair, well thought out, and Biblically centered. I admit I agreed with him going in, but I think Driscoll presents a very credible argument in the chapter about a very difficult topic. And he does it in about 20 pages.

Driscoll himself is an interesting guy, and has drawn a lot of fire from both conservative and liberal camps because of his views. However, this series is well thought out, well grounded, and a wonderful introduction to the world of the Bible and theology. I HIGHLY recommend. I'm not kidding, you should buy this series now. Each book is about $10, and at Amazon, they qualify for the 4-for-3 deal AND super-shipping savings. Basically you can get all 4 books for $30 flat. Not a bad deal. You will not find a more concise, accurate, easy to read and understand introduction anywhere. A good primer for new Christians, old Christians, people interested in the Bible, people interested in God, people interested in religion, basically anyone. That means you.

Oh, and you can check out the website for the books (if you're still not convinced) at http://www.relit.org/abyar/

Stars:
5 out of 5

Final Word:
Read!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Book 21: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara



Title:
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Pages:
355.

How it was obtained:
I apparently borrowed this from my parents, probably on one of their many attempts to purge books from their library and put them into mine. For that I am eternally grateful. Thanks mom and dad!

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
2 or 3 years, I think.

Days spent reading it:
4 days.

Why I read it:
In High School we were allowed to choose between The Killer Angels and All Quiet on the Western Front. I thought I was smart back then, saw that The Killer Angels was about 350 pages, but All Quiet was about 150 (I don't remember exactly). I chose the shorter book. Today I read the longer book.

Brief review:
As I finished this book tonight, I was stunned. I was truly moved by the final chapters of The Killer Angels.
The novel is historical fiction based as closely to the real details of Gettysburg as the author could create. Shaara draws you into the time period, the characters, and the battle as if you were right there in 1863. Simply incredible.

There are a number of things that I liked about this novel. First, it was well written. From the first page on, the reader is drawn into the world of the officers and soldiers who met their fate at Gettysburg.
Second, the characters are well drawn out. Robert E. Lee comes to life on these pages. So do Longstreet, Picket, Chamberlain, and a host of others involved in this historic battle.
Third, Shaara writes about the complexity of "the Cause" of the Civil War. The fact is it was not just about slavery, but slavery was a major factor. The cause is complicated, both sides have different reasons for fighting. Sometimes people on the same side have vastly different reasons for fighting. Very fascinating look at the complexity of a war that we sometimes boil down to being just about slavery.
Finally, I love the humanity of this book. As Longstreet is forced to send thousands to their deaths, he literally seems to fall apart at the orders he must make. My english teachers from High School used to tell me "War is Hell." It seems that most books with war as their central theme talk about the hellish nature of war. This book paints that same picture, but it does it looking through the eyes of men who have been forced to make the decision to send men to their deaths. I cannot imagine what anguish their souls must have gone through after making those kinds of decisions.

Two quick personal notes of interest. First, in the book they mention that some soldiers would not actually fire against the opposing army. I saw a piece of a program that reported that some rifles had been found that had 20 or more rounds inside of them from soldiers who pretended to load and fire, but never did. That is completely fascinating to read about and to consider what kind of people were fighting and who they were forced to fight.
Second, I visited Gettysburg years ago during a spring break trip. All I remember is that it was cold and windy. I recall being on Cemetery Hill where Picket made his last charge. I wish I had known more about the battle when I was there. Perhaps I will be able to go back again someday and appreciate the battle site more than I did.

The scope of Gettysburg simply baffles me. But The Killer Angels paints a clear picture of the battle, the decisions that were made, and the military ramifications. The Killer Angels is a mandatory read for Civil War buffs. It is a worthy read for people interested in historical fiction, war in all of its complexity, and for Americans who want to learn more about their heritage.

Favorite quote:
"A little eccentricity is a help to a general. It helps with the newspapers. The women love it too. Southern women like their men religious and a little mad. That's why they always fall in love with preachers."

Stars: 5 out of 5.

Final Word:
Sobering.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Book 20: The Tempest by William Shakespeare




Title:
The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Pages:
187 (including commentary and notes).

How it was obtained:
I do not remember where I picked it up. It's used, so either from the used bookstore in Columbia, or possibly from the library here in Elkins. I just don't remember.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
2-3 years.

Days spent reading it:
1 evening.

Why I read it:
I was reading some sci-fi books (Illium and Olympos by Dan Simmons) that used characters and plot points from the Tempest as a major element of the book. I figured it was about time that I read a classic Shakespeare and figure out why these characters were used and why someone might use them again in a sci-fi story.

Brief review:
What an odd play. The Tempest is about a storm that causes a ship to basically wreck on an abandoned island. As we get into the play, we are introduced to the main character Prospero. Prospero has apparently caused this storm to happen and has plans for the people whom he has shipwrecked.

It's difficult to say if I liked this play or not. It was very difficult to read. I find Shakespeare brutally difficult to understand, and this play was no exception. His sentences and syntax are so difficult to read its hard to follow what exactly a character is talking about.

A major part of this play is Prospero's plans. We are never told explicitly what Prospero's actual plans are. He apparently changes them at some points in the play. He has no advisors and no confidants. The critical introduction to my version of the play says that is what makes this play unique amongst Shakespeare's plays. Prospero is an enigma. He's ambiguous. He's hard to pin down. And what are we to make of his "monster" Caliban, who serves Prospero but also wants to overthrow him? He repents, but are we to believe his repentance? What are we to understand about love as represented by Miranda and Ferdinand? Can love be setup? Can we recognize our true loves in a matter of minutes? Or seconds? Shakespeare has some unique insights into the nature of humanity, but some of his ideas ultimately seem forced or unnatural to me.

I realized once again, I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare. I'm sorry. I just do not think the effort of understanding is worth the payoff. I know, blasphemous, but that's my take on the Bard. I'll stick with my greek tragedies please.


Favorite quote:

Caliban: "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,/ Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not./ Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments/ Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices/ That, if then had waked after long sleep,/ Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,/ The clouds mehtought would open, and show riches/ Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked/ I cried to dream again."

Stars:
2.5 out of 5

Final Word:
Ambiguous.

Secret Survivors by Jen Howver and Megan Hutchinson




Title:
Secret Survivors: Real-life Stories to Give You Hope for Healing by Jen Howver and Megan Hutchinson.

Pages:
160.

How it was obtained:
Bought it with some other youth ministry books.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
None.

Days spent reading it:
3 days.

Why I read it:
I know our youth are sometimes going through really difficult struggles. I thought this book might be a good resource to make available to them.

Brief review:
Secret Survivors is a powerful book that talks about the secrets that we hold inside that are tearing us apart. It is told by different "survivors" of some very traumatic secrets. Issues such as cutting, incest, rape, pornography, eating disorders, and abortion are amongst the topics that are talked about.

What I liked about this book is the broad range of topics that are talked about. Each topic is talked about through the words of a survivor. Additionally at the end of each chapter are reflection questions that are applicable for any reader (not just those who have been through that particular secret). This was very helpful in thinking through the issues that the book talks about, and truly bringing healing to hurt and damaged souls.

I cannot even imagine living through some of the issues that are covered in this book. Some made my heart feel like it was breaking right there as I was reading. The book encourages the reader to write out their own survival story from whatever secret is destroying them.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has ANY emotional, physical, or spiritual baggage in their past. Healing is possible, and this book helps you take the first steps. I would also recommend this book to anyone who works with youth (or adults even) who may be dealing with these kinds of issues. I gained a lot of insight into some worlds that I have never delved into before. Overall a worthwhile book to read for me.

Favorite quote: The reality is that our secrets eat away at us. Secrets break us down emotionally, physically, spiritually, and relationally. The only way to really survive is to break the power our secrets have over us--by telling someone else.

Stars:
4 out of 5.

Final Word:
Hopeful.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Book 19: Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight



Title: Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others by Scot McKnight

Pages:
335.

How it was obtained:
Bargain price of $4.98 at Barnes and Noble. Oh the sweet deals of B&N bargain books.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
1 year.

Days spent reading it:
2 months. (I started it, got bored, put it down, picked it up again and finished).

Why I read it:
I enjoy Scot McKnight. He has a great blog called Jesus Creed. He's an evangelical scholar who likes to think outside of the box. I don't agree with him all the time (or even most of the time I think). But he does make me pause and think about my theology.

Brief review:
The premise of this book was simple: What does Jesus teach us about how we can Love God? Scot McKnight uses "The Jesus Creed" to explore spiritual formation ('Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The Second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these). McKnight traces how many of Jesus' sayings about spiritual formation are grounded in the Old Testament law and then expanded upon and applied by Jesus.

I liked some of this book. In the beginning McKnight uses too many transliterated Hebrew words in his text. I understand using Shema to talk about "Hear, O Israel" and the Ten Commandments. I don't understand using Anawim (pious poor), mamzer (illigetimate child), tsadaqim (righteous ones), OVER and OVER again to talk about words that are expressed just fine in English. I honestly annoyed me so much I put the book down for awhile.
However, some of McKnight's chapters on about how we live out our lives following Jesus in the second half of the book are very good and were worth reading.

McKnight has some great insights, but he can be difficult to read. His writing is not as clear or as smooth as I was expecting. Maybe it was just me, but I found him akward and frustrating to read during the first 100 pages.

Jesus Creed was alright. It was not great. It was not bad. It was just good. I've read other books on spiritual formation that I would recommend before this book. But if you're interested, McKnight does have some good points about how to follow Jesus in the last half of the book.


Favorite quote:
"Our reputation (what others think of us) is not as important as our identity (who we really are). Spiritual formation begins when we untangle reputation and identity, and when what God thinks of us is more important than what we think of ourselves or what others think of us."

Stars:
3 out of 5.

Final Word:
Alright.

Book 18: Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins



Title: Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

Pages: 342.

How it was obtained:
Christmas gift from my parents MANY years ago.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf:
I'm guessing at maybe 7 or 8 years. One of the longest time frames for an unread book in my collection.

Days spent reading it:
3 days.

Why I read it:
Alright, so I've always been an advocate of "don't knock it until you've read it." I've thought that about Harry Potter (and the Christian overreaction to the series) and other books in my lifetime. Now I've never read Left Behind, but I've been a fan of knocking it since I was in college. I've had it for a long time, just never got around to reading it because I knew that I fundamentally disagreed with the author's view of the end-times. So I finally decided I was going to read it.

Brief review:
I'll be honest. I did not have much hope of enjoying this book. I knew that I would fundamentally disagree with the major plot point of this book--the idea that the church would be raptured before the tribulation described in the Bible.

However, I enjoyed this book. No, it wasn't the greatest book I've ever read. It wasn't even a book I thought was particularly well written. There was a lot of cheesy dialogue in it. But I think what this book accomplishes wonderfully is this: It presents a CLEAR gospel presentation, and calls all people to turn to Jesus. You cannot read this book and wonder to yourself, "Gee, I wonder how one becomes a Christian." Its just not possible. You can ignore it. You can mark it down as cheesy dialogue. You can think its forced in some places. But you cannot ignore the gospel message in this book. I like that. And since this series has sold literally millions of books (sure, many of them to Christians), I'm sure millions have gotten into the hands of people who need to hear that clear gospel message.

I also love how this book emphasizes the fact that being good is not the same as getting into heaven. There are plenty of people who profess to have a relationship with God who are faking it or who are flat out lying. This is an important point to make, because it forces me to think about who is a part of the church? Who will get into heaven? The answer is: only those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ. That's it, nothing else will do.

So a few things that I did not like so much. First, I do not think there will be a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. I just do not that its in the Bible. I won't say any more about it here, feel free to write a comment or email if you want to talk about that. Second, the Christians who are taken away in Left Behind are typically described as the kind of good folk who believed in Jesus and lived their lives perfectly. LaHaye and Jenkins never talk about Christians who were flawed humans being raptured. Perfect pastors get raptured (awesome, I'm in!). Tattooed punks don't (sorry tattooed punks). I think LaHaye and Jenkins will be surprised when people who don't "look like Christians" greet them in heaven. The authors did a good job of saying that people who look like Christians, but in their hearts are faking it, are not really Christians. They did not do such a great job of saying that people who don't look like Christians, but in their heart have a real relationship with Jesus, can be true Christians.

Overall, this is a book that has impacted millions. I am glad that I finally got around to reading it. It caused me to think, it caused me to evaluate what I DO believe about the end-times. Left Behind did not change my mind about how the events will play out, but it did surprise me in a good way. I enjoyed reading it. I would be vaguely interested in reading other books in the series (the series is ridiculously long, and I have tons of books on my current reading list, but someday I might consider it). The characters were enjoyable, and the plot was well paced. Definitely worth the time I invested in it. I would recommend it to anyone who would be interested in ONE perspective of the end-times, as long as they realized LaHaye and Jenkins are not the only interpretation of the end-times and they are certainly not writing Scripture.

Favorite quote: "I'm afraid he's gone off naked. He's a religious person and he'll be terribly embarrassed."

One funny thing I remember about this series. When I was in Toccoa, a Christian Bookstore there had a sign advertising "Desecration available here! Only $14.99!" That always made me laugh. (Desecration is one of the later books in the series)

Stars: 4 of 5.

Final Word: Surprising.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Catching Up...

I haven't posted a new review in almost a month. However, I have been actively reading. I've finished about 5 books since I last posted. So I spent today catching up on those posts. However, instead of giving them all at one time, I'm going to spread them out over the next week or so. Check back everyday for a brand spanking new review. Books you can look forward to reading about: Left Behind, Jesus Creed, The Tempest, Refuel, The Forgotten Ways, A Book You'll Actually Read (4 of them actually!), Secret Survivors, Knuffle Bunny, and Knuffle Bunny Too. Some are from my list, some are ministry books, and some just happened to sneak in anyways. Enjoy!
-patrick