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Book Review: Altared

February 10, 2014February 8, 2014 Sarah

The book I have to review for you today deviates from my usual read. Altared: The True Story of a She, a He, and How They Both Got Too Worked Up About We by Claire & Eli is an interesting read that I received courtesy of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. A book about love is appropriate for Valentine’s week, huh?

Here is a description of the book from the publishers:

Mar•riage-hap•py \mar´-ij-hap´e¯\ adj 1: Having an inordinate preoccupation with marital pursuits, sometimes at the cost of other Christian priorities, commonly seen in evangelicals. 2: A giddiness stemming from all things related to marriage.

In the frenzied pursuit of romance, Christians sometimes lose sight of the greatest commandments: to love God and to love others. Distracted by wedding bells and exuberant hopes for a happily-ever-after, Christians often forget the greater vision of Christ’s call to love.

What if God is less worked up about marriage than we are?

With honesty and insight, Claire and Eli ask us to shift our thinking away from marriage or singleness and toward love and discipleship.

Drawing from luminaries like Augustine, the Desert Fathers, and Bonhoeffer, they invite you to join their real-life exploration of love as they convincingly demonstrate why a love for God and for one’s neighbor are to be our top priorities, whether we are single or married.

As usual, my five point review:

Overall, this book is based on an interesting premise for the Christian evangelical/church community: marriage, singleness, relationships and their stances on love are not as important as love and discipleship, as following Jesus is. Most Christians would say that following Jesus DOES supercede pursuing relationships, but in practice, things aren’t always that simple. So in one way, this book is a refreshing look at a topic of interest for many young adults, and a challenging one at that.
On the other hand, Claire and Eli write this book as a couple–but not a married couple. The details of that are best left to the book [the format of which alternates the story of their relationship with their exploration of the question: “should I get married?”]. Though Ben and I have been married for almost five years now [wow!], I don’t claim to be an expert on marriage… but would I recommend it? Absolutely. I just feel that their position in life doesn’t exactly give them authority to write such an opinionated piece on marriage. If you aren’t married, you can’t understand it–period.
The two biggest beefs I have with their exploration of the topic is that a) they generalize on the Christian experience with marriage A LOT, and b) their explorations of Biblical passages on marriage [i.e. 1 Corinthians 7, Matthew 22] are kind of weak. The generalizations stem from the fact that they assume all Christian leaders encourage marriage above anything else, and therefore that young single Christians [or single Christians of any age] idolize marriage. I think that can be true, but isn’t necessarily true, and their critique of the church in that respect seems a bit unfounded. Secondly, I just feel their use of scripture [while they do bring up good points] is somewhat weak and excludes the context in which it was written, as well as the backgrounds of the authors.
I thought the book was written in a very beautiful way. Parts of the book [their story] read like a novel. You feel like a friend is talking to you, and letting you into their fun romance. Props to a writing team succeeding at this!
Generally speaking, I think this book has its place and I would recommend it to believers who are struggling with prioritizing marriage over any other relationship. I think it is a good call to discipleship: to serve God wherever you are, to seek God, and to build relationships in a variety of contexts. I think the book just has to be read in a discerning way, and the novel-like, familiar way parts of it are written can easily bring your guard down.

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the chance to read this great book!

Reviews

Book Review: Your Beautiful Purpose

December 14, 2013December 14, 2013 Sarah

One last book review to be caught up by the end of the year. Woohoo! The book I have to share with you today is a bit different from my ‘cheesy Christian fiction’ genre of choice. This book, Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson, is nonfiction. It’s a Christian book that focuses on helping women find their purpose in life through God. It’s a self-help book of sorts, but is very much based in the Bible so knowing this, let’s dive in! I read this book as part of the book review program offered by Bethany House Publishers.

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

Let God Breathe a Fresh Purpose Into Your Soul

We so want each day to matter–to serve God in big and small ways. But how, especially when everyday responsibilities, work, fears, and other obstacles get in the way?

Like a trusted friend, Susie Larson shares practical, scriptural ways to overcome whatever keeps us from living fully in God’s will. Susie will help you learn to:

Discern the best use of your time and gifts
Confidently pursue God’s unique desires for you
Stretch your faith and deepen your impact

Respond today to that nudge in your spirit–that desire to use your gifts and passions more fully in God’s work. Lay down lesser commitments and lay hold of God’s beautiful purpose for your life.

As usual, my five point review:

First of all, as I already mentioned, this book is based on the Bible. Most chapters center on one or more passages of scripture to illustrate the chapter’s theme [i.e. waiting on God, stay your course, follow His lead, etc.]. For the most part, I agreed with how the author used the passages, but what I really appreciated was that the study questions at the end of the chapter encouraged readers to read and study the passage on their own again. This way, we don’t have to just take the author’s word for what the Bible is saying–but we can read it and let God speak to us about it. These sort of books don’t always encourage that, so I really liked that about the book.
I found the tone used in the writing of this book to be both encouraging and challenging. Susie is also a radio talk show host and national speaker, and it seems that she writes in a fairly conversational style. She isn’t an author who would write about things she isn’t comfortable saying out loud to her friends or to stranger. I like that!
I liked that this book included so many true, inspirational stories of women who have let God transform their lives in many different ways and in different circumstances. Susie also shared many examples from her own life, which I loved.
This book is hard to read because you can’t just skim through it. It’s challenging and convicting. I had to put it down and come back to it time and time again, hence this late review. But it is good. It is powerful and hopeful. With a forward by Ann Voskamp, I had no doubt it would be!
This book has a companion DVD series, making it perfect for small group discussion. Personally my biggest complaint with the book is that I felt I was missing something by not reading it in a group [which is encouraged at the beginning by the author]. I’d recommend this book more for group study, instead of individual study but either way it is a good read!

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!

Reviews

Book Review: Outrageous Courage

June 26, 2013June 25, 2013 Sarah

Today I have a fabulous biography to review for you: Outrageous Courage by Kris & Jason Vallotton, courtesy of the blogging review program offered by Bethany House Publishers [in association with Chosen Books].

Here is a description of the book from the publisher [or more accurately, from the authors]:

Contained in these pages is a story
that will change your life.
Consider yourself warned.

Dear Reader,

This is the story of one of the most courageous, radically obedient people we know.

Tracy Evans, a physician assistant, has treated rebel guerillas while captive on an Asian island. She’s sipped tea in a Mozambican hut while bullets whistled through the grass walls. She’s cared for 900 HIV-positive orphans.

In these pages you will find not only gripping, unembellished true stories of Tracy’s exploits around the globe, but the more amazing account of what God can do with–and through–one person’s raw faith and obedience.

Tracy’s life has had an unbelievable impact on us, our families and our friends. We pray that you, too, will be inspired to radical obedience, faith adventures and wild trust in God’s power and purpose for your life.

Put on your seatbelt and let the journey begin!

Love in Christ, Kris Vallotton, Jason Vallotton

As usual, here’s my five point review:

First of all, I must say that I cannot think of a more appropriate title to this book, because Tracy Evans definitely lives a life filled with outrageous courage. For many people, courage comes in small doses and is applied in situations of [relatively] little import, such as asking someone out on a date, confronting a coworker, etc. For Tracy Evans, her demonstrations of courage are often quite literally involving life and death–risking her physical health, finances, and freedom to share the gospel and Jesus’ love. If that’s not outrageous courage, I don’t know what is.
Initially I was attracted to Tracy’s story because she is currently working with HIV+ orphans in Mozambique (southern Africa). Since one of my academic fields of study is Africa, the continent obviously interests me, and I love reading about God’s work there. The stories I read about her work in Mozambique (and really, around the globe… but more on that later) are astonishing and miraculous. No better way to put it, and so, even though I was interested in her story of mission work on a continent that I love, this book has taught me so many lessons about faith, even here as an American Christian. So the next three points reflect those lessons, but I do hope you’ll check out the book because there are many, many more.
The authors are very clear early on that this book is not to glorify Tracy’s life, but rather, God. I appreciate that, because sometimes missions books [or even the Christian media] can blur the line a little bit. It’s easy to do in our own lives, as well. So this biography has caused me to consider who I am seeking to glorify in my actions: myself or my God. I hope and pray it is the latter.
Tracy’s life has been filled with hardship and struggle, yet she is definitely a woman of joy. She has given her life to God’s mission and that has taken her around the world in the US military, in LA, in the Philippines, and in Mozambique. Her story has inspired me to seek joy instead of happiness, to see how the Lord wants to use me and then let my attitude be reflective of that, not my circumstances.
Lastly, this book has challenged me in regard to my spiritual beliefs about the miraculous and supernatural. I don’t have time to go into all my personal beliefs about this subject, but I will say that I tend to be more conservative. If you have questions or want to discuss this further, just email me and we’ll talk [pajamachef at gmail dot com]. 🙂 I certainly believe that the stories of God’s work outlined in this book are true, and that God works through people in miraculous ways, here and now. However, the circumstances of these supernatural events: healings, provision, etc. were truly miraculous and beyond my realm of easy to believe. This book has given me much to think about and has challenged me to be more faithful, more obedient, and more courageous. I think this is a story that you will love no matter where you are in your faith journey because of the inspirational life that Tracy lives and the way that she prioritizes her beliefs over everything else in life.

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and Chosen Books. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House/Chosen Books for the chance to read this great book!

Reviews

Book Review: Fearless

February 20, 2013February 17, 2013 Sarah

I received a e-book copy of Eric Blehm’s Fearless from the Blogging for Books program offered by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. First things first–this book was amazing! So inspiring. I read it in about two days.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

Fearless takes you deep into SEAL Team SIX, straight to the heart of one of its most legendary operators.

When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready: In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”

Long before Adam Brown became a member of the elite SEAL Team SIX—the counterterrorism unit that took down Osama bin Laden—he was a fun-loving country boy from Hot Springs, Arkansas, whose greatest goal had been to wear his high school’s football jersey. An undersized daredevil, prone to jumping off roofs into trees and off bridges into lakes, Adam was a kid who broke his own bones but would never break a promise to his parents.

But after high school, Adam fell in with the wrong crowd, and his family watched as his appetite for risk dragged him into a downward spiral that eventually landed him in jail. Battling his inner demons on a last-chance road to redemption, Adam had one goal: to become the best of the best—a U.S. Navy SEAL.

An absorbing chronicle of heroism and humanity, Fearless presents an indelible portrait of a highly trained warrior who would enter a village with weapons in hand to hunt terrorists, only to come back the next day with an armload of shoes and meals for local children. It is a deeply personal, revealing glimpse inside the SEAL Team SIX brotherhood that also shows how these elite operators live out the rest of their lives, away from danger, as husbands, fathers, and friends.

Fearless is the story of a man of extremes, whose courage and determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the U.S. military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.

Adam Brown was a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior, described by all who knew him as fearless.

I know that’s kind of long, but the last two paragraphs are the most important, in my opinion. As usual, here’s my five point review.

First, don’t dismiss this book if you’re not into military stories or don’t consider yourself super patriotic, or anything like that. Adam Brown’s story and his life does contain aspects of military life and patriotism, HOWEVER that is not the focus of this story. This story–and I hesitate to even use the word “story” because that almost trivializes this man’s life–is about how God transforms a life and then allows that life to impact many other people around him.
Fearless is highly motivational–motivation to get through your tough problems, like writing a thesis that is just hard or getting through a tough time at work or whatever monotony you deal with on a daily basis. Reading how Adam Brown worked through hardship, injuries, and tough times with a straight-up, deeply rooted belief that he could do this and this and this, no matter what “this” is because he had the strength of the Lord was just awesome. His ability to persevere is just amazing.
The gospel message and encouragement to keep on keeping on was so present in this book–but not in an annoying way. Some Christian memoirs can be annoying and fluffy in that way, but not Fearless. This story was real–swear words, sweat, and all. The coolest part was at the end where the author revealed he wasn’t a Christian but was more intrigued by faith and spiritual things after writing Brown’s story, getting to know his family, and immersing himself in Adam’s life just for a little bit. These are the kind of faith stories that need to be told. The well written, real faith stories that can have a gospel impact on people’s lives–even if they are coming from hard situations. [Go back and read the book description. Drugs, people! Extremes! Risk! This is real life.]
This book is a great reminder that life is short and life is precious and you should tell your family and friends that you love them, often. Because you never know what’s going to happen. So husband, and family, and friends, I love you.
Last, but not least, the inspiration of Adam Brown as a heroic member of the military who gave his life for this country was incredible. As I first pointed out, this isn’t just a book about the military or being patriotic–but those aspects of Adam Brown’s story are hard to miss. I personally do not know many people who are in the military. I know a handful who were or who are married to military professionals, but I don’t have day to day interaction with anyone in the military. I think that’s something needed in this country [a good dose of perspective], but that’s another subject for another day. This book is a good reminder of those who have given their lives [or even just their days or time with their families] for our freedom. Bottom line: this is a book worth reading. I wish I had a non-e-book copy to loan out… but in the meantime, be sure to check it out! I highly recommend it!

What are you reading lately?

One Tablespoon Testosterone, Reviews

Book Review: Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day

February 8, 2013February 6, 2013 Sarah

Today Ben has a book review for you! This is a title received from the blogging review program offered by Bethany House Publishers.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

What religions are represented in your neighborhood, your workplace, and your children’s school? Things seem to be changing every day, and it can be hard to keep up. You may know a little about some of these religions. Others are new to you. You’d like to learn about them and how they differ from your beliefs, but who has time to do all the research?

In Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day, cross-cultural expert and professor Garry Morgan explains the key beliefs, histories, and practices of more than twenty religions, including the familiar–Christianity, Judaism, Mormonism–and some of the lesser known–Baha’i, Sikhism, and New Age religions. Broken into forty short readings, each chapter is engaging and easy to understand. In just minutes a day you’ll soon have a better understanding of the world’s beliefs.

And here is Ben!

~ ~ ~

When Sarah initially asked me to select a book from a list, I naively assumed that she wanted me to pick one for her. Or possibly one for both of us to read together. As it turned out, I was selecting a book for myself to read and review. But when all was said and done, I’m glad I did read this book.

Having studied world religions as a specialization in college, I had some knowledge of a number of religions. Nevertheless, I found that Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day provides a plethora of information on numerous religions and worldviews in an easily digestible form. The book is divided into small chapters intended to be readable in about 15 minutes (most took me less than 10, though). Most chapters cover one religion, although the major world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, etc.) each receive several chapters.

Author Garry Morgan states in his introduction that he is attempting to write about each religion with respect and without letting any personal bias interfere. I feel he succeeds tremendously in this respect. I found this to be very refreshing, as many Christian books about other religions devote themselves to explaining how those religions “get it wrong.” While I certainly don’t advocate the view that all religions and worldviews are equally valid and I do believe in objective truth, if all a Christian ever hears about another religion is oversimplified generalizations in a negative context, it becomes difficult to truly respect, care for, and relate to individuals who may practice that religion.

If I have any complaint about the book, it’s that I would have liked to see it organized a little bit better. While Morgan explains why some religions are grouped together, there didn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason as to the order of the religions discussed. It would also have been nice to see a list of books for further reading. But those are minor gripes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in getting an overview on many (or just a few) of the world’s religions.

What are you reading lately?