A Shot of Faith (to the Head) Be a Confident Believer in an Age of Cranky Atheists By Mitch Stokes

I began reading this book and the stopped. I realized that while I am reading a book that goes against atheistic arguments I cannot possibly know if it does a good job or not without reading the atheistic arguments first. So I turned to Dawkins and Hitchens and read The God Delusion and God Is Not Great. Upon finishing those I returned to this book and began reading. I must admit Hitchens and Dawkins, although having only a few reasonable things to say never made me once question my faith or believe the validity of their arguments; and so I started reading this book with a bit of a biased that whatever is written by Mitch Stokes will be a better argument then I have read in the previous books. I was definitely right.

I have read other books by D’souza, C.S. Lewis, McGrath, etc. detailing their arguments toward atheists but Mitch Stokes takes a different approach. Stokes argues using philosophy, a study that atheists claim their own. He does a masterful job tearing down the arguments that Dawkins and Hitchens raise in their books.  More impressive is how intelligently he argues his points thus making it a fabulous book for me to recommend to my “intelligent” and “more learned” friends who do not believe in God. Honestly it is a great book, a different approach then other books that I have read and one that I would recommend to believers and non-believers to read.

One other point is I LOVE how he presents his main points at the end of each chapter. The chapters can be so detailed and dense that by the end of the book you might have a hard time recalling the main important points – well the most important points for our arsenal could be easily looked up at the end of each chapter. 5/5 stars.
Thank you to the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for providing a free copy for this personal and honest review of the book

Inisightful and Enlightening!

What is it about?

Called To Controversy: the unlikely story of Moishe Rosen and the founding of Jews for Jesus gives a very detailed account of the life of Moishe Rosen and the group Jews for Jesus. Everything from his early life, to his teenage years, to the jobs he’s worked in and the friends he had were thoroughly discussed. Hardly an important detail was left out in describing who Moishe was and how Jews for Jesus began. It’s an unlikely story and to anyone curious about Jews for Jesus, how they minister, and what they stand for.
I am not a Jew, and in no way affiliated with Jews for Jesus. I did not know a thing about this group and that’s what interested me to begin reading it. I can honestly say after reading this book I feel like I’m a part of the Rosen family. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, I did not expect such depth into Moishe’s life and rather expected to hear more about their beliefs, but that itself showed how little I knew of them. I thought they were a separate denomination for example, I quickly learnt they were actually just Baptists. No detail is spared, and although that made it at times a bit difficult to, it also made it that much more authentic and transparent.

Is it biased?

Ruth Rosen, the author, does a fantastic job portraying the good and the bad. Although she is the daughter of Moishe, there is no bias that can be detected while reading this book. As already mentioned it is very authentic and transparent.

Is this book for you?

There are a number of people who would benefit from reading this book and would love it. First, to those who are curious about who Jews for Jesus are or who Moishe Rosen was. This was my intent for reading the book and I was not disappointed with the information. Second, anyone who might be interested to evangelize to the Jewish people. There are many things that one would learn, what works, and what doesn’t work. Third, for those that interested in how to overcome conflict, who want an inspiring example of perseverance, and example of how God could use anyone, and a difference one person can make.
Thank you to the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for providing a free copy for this personal and honest review of the book.

Real Marriage The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life Together by Mark and Grace Driscoll

This book has been an absolute pleasure to read. Real Marriage The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life Together by Mark and Grace Driscoll has truly been a one of a kind book to read. Although this book is geared toward married couples, I (a single male) have nonetheless found this book to be incredibly valuable in the way I view marriage and how I should act in my relationships.

Real Marriage addresses those topics that few, if anyone dare to touch on. Topics that I find relevant to all couples, and can see myself having questions about in my marriage. It’s hard, if not embarrassing, to go to your pastor and ask them about masturbation or oral sex, well this book address those and many other topics.

I have read a number of books on relationships but this has got to be one of the most helpful in my growth and understanding of what it means to be a God centered boyfriend and husband and how to repair broken relationships. Real Love also makes valuable points on the pitfalls that we must watch out for.

All that I mentioned above is great, but the cherry on top for me was the fact that Real Love was so biblically oriented and uses the bible to support their points. Highly recommended book for singles, dating, and married couples – you will need this information at one point or another!

This book has also gotten great reviews from:
Pastor and author Andy Stanley, Dr. James McDonald, and many other world-renowned pastors as well as relationship experts Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott.

This book has been provided to me by Thomas Nelson for an honest review. All the opinions expressed are my honest thoughts. 

Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas

Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas is a book truly needed for your time and generation. It is to no ones surprise that Americans health has been declining but it may be a surprise that Americans spirituality has been on the decline as well with over 7.9 million people leaving the church annually, this equates to 150,000 people walking away from the church each week!! But is there a correlation? Gary Thomas suggests that there is. Gary reminds us about the importance of our health and how it affects our spiritual life. I personally am not obese or overweight but nonetheless I found this book to be a great reminder to be cautious of my eating habits and my lifestyle.
I’ve known that that the body is the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20) but I’ve never thought how disregarding my fitness level and occasional unhealthy eating my relationship with God. In this book Gary offers us solutions to living healthier and being more spiritual.

The book has also been endorsed by:
Ryan Hall – American long-distance runner and U.S. record holder in the half marathon
Dr. Ed Young – Senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Huston Texas

I appreciate Gary writing this book because he can relate to the average Joe experiencing problems that the rest of us have when it comes to eating right and exercising. This is a great book with an important message for all believers.  
This book has been sent to me by Zondervan for an honest review, the thoughts expressed are based on my honest opinions.

Ascent From Darkness by Michael Leehan

Wow! I had no idea what to expect when I began reading Ascent From Darkness by Michael Leehan, but once I started I didn’t want to put it down! I am amazed at Michael’s courage and humility to tell his story through this book. No Christian, let alone human, could ever be proud of the acts and lifestyle the Michael lived, yet remarkably Michael lays out the details of his life. The book begins with Michael’s early years and how he had turned from God and decided to make Satan his master. The story then unfolds to tell of his divorce and his sex driven, deadbeat, purposeless lifestyle that would revolve around self-emulation, sacrifices and a life devoted to Satan.
            Michael reveals secrets of his diabolical lifestyle and leaves little behind. Throughout the book we see godly people trying to bring him back into the light but to no avail. It isn’t until the very end that we learn how God had supernaturally saved his life before his suicide attempt.
            I recommend this book to EVERYONE. I truly believe this book could be made into a movie because it grips the reader and doesn’t let go. The whole way through I thought to myself “ok I know he is a saved Christian now, but how in the world did he get himself out of this mess!?” So I kept reading, and reading, and reading.
            One of the BEST books I have read recently, captivating, fascinating, intriguing, and most definitely a great BLESSING.
            This book has blessed me and I know it will bless you too. Read it. You have to, you can’t miss out not too. I’m not sure how the rest of you will feel, but my spiritual life and understanding will never be the same.
            This book has been provided to me by Thomas Nelson publishers for an honest review. I did not have to give a favorable review of the book and the opinions described above are 100% my own.