The Gospel of Yes: We Have Missed the Most Important Thing About God, Finding It Changes Everything

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, 2012 - 228 pages
When I read the title of this book the first thing I thought of was the movie Yes Man. Although I really enjoyed the movie I just felt that it wouldn’t make for such a great “Christian Living” book. Once I actually opened the book the introduction actually drew me in and I finally realized that this was not based off of the movie Yes Man…

So I kept on reading and to my surprise I actually agreed and enjoyed much of this book! I’ve read much of the skeptical reviews about this book and yes I have a complaint to make as well, but overall I enjoyed what Mike Glenn had to say. Based on some of the negative reviews I’ve read I think many did not give the author a chance and probably gave up reading this book a few chapters in. My complaint is similar to what many others have expressed which was the constant use of the word “yes”. I’ll be honest I was so sick of reading that word; by the end it seemed to appear ever other line (it didn't, but sure seemed like it). Some of the statements would actually be profound but are simply ruined by this word “yes”. It seems to me if the book were re-written without the whole concept of “yes” it would be much more powerful and beneficial to readers.

Excluding the whole “yes” business Mike Glenn did a fine job discussing subjects ranging from forgiveness to marriage, child rearing, and pretty much anything else you can think of. It was an all-encompassing book.

One other point that I’ve read from other reviewers as well, we should be carful to know when to say “no” and when to say “yes”. Mike Glenn does not talk about the “no” although I will give him credit that he encourages reading the bible and praying, and through that w are able to find out when to say yes and when to say no. If nothing else this book teaches people to be more receptive to the concept, if they don’t agree with what Mike Glenn has said at least they go search for it in the gospels for the right guidance for themselves.
Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this book in exchange for an honest review.

These Are the Days of Elijah: How God Uses Ordinary People to Do Extraordinary Things

Chosen Books, Apr 15, 2013 - 189 pages

Spectacular book. These Are The Days Of Elijah by R. T. Kendall took me completely by surprise; I’ve never heard of R. T. Kendall before but love the story of Elijah so I decided to check this book out. It completely exceeded my expectations. I’ve read the story of Elijah for myself dozens of times – not to mention how many times I’ve heard it! But this book has taught me so much more and opened my eyes to so many insights into the story of Elijah.

R. T. Kendall takes the story of Elijah from beginning to the end, breaks it down into 21 chapters, and does a fantastic job offering his insights and years of study on Elijah. Before each chapter begins there is a passage to introduce what the chapter will be about, in almost every occasion I thought to myself  ‘Oh I know where he’s going to go with this’ – I was wrong every time. I am so impressed with Kendall’s wisdom, the simplicity in which he is able to take difficult passages and make them so easy to understand.

Seriously, I loved this book, when I started reading it I couldn't put it down – I would read 50+ pages in one sitting and HIGHLY recommend it. It’s simple, very interesting, and profound.
I want to thank the publisher, Chosen Books, for a copy of this book. I absolutely loved it.

New Spirit-Filled Life Bible - Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word (NKJV)

I’ll begin by saying that I am not reviewing the translation of the bible itself (NKJV), which is my favorite of all bible translation, but instead I want to focus on the content itself added throughout the pages of this bible. I have read many bibles of all sorts from cover to cover and I’ve never come across a bible like the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible by Jack W. Hayford.

I have to make another disclaimer and that is I am neither a Pentecostal nor a Charismatic, nor do I hold the belief of speaking in tongues. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I ordered this bible and to be honest I approached it with some skepticism that I would like/agree with the added information inside. I was gladly proven wrong when I opened it and began reading the added content throughout.

I mentioned that I do not believe in speaking in tongues and was worried that this would be a rather large theme that the authors would pound in, but on the contrary other than two “Kingdom Dynamics” sections inserted in Acts 2:4-13 and 1 Cor. 12:10 I found little mention of the gift of tongues inserted inside the bible. Of course at the very end of the bible the authors go much deeper into spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues, but I felt that because it is at the very end I did not feel like the authors were pushing their belief on me and could have easily ignored these sections if I wanted to.

So why did I enjoy this bible so much and recommend it to anyone I know? Well I like the fact that it takes the things mentioned in the bible as literal facts. What I mean by that is take Genesis 1-3 for example, in the “Personal Application” section preceding Genesis it specifically mentions that these chapters should be taken as actual history, not some allegory. I love that, considering the last study bible I read, in it’s preceding to the book of Genesis it said the exact opposite stating that chapters 1-3 of Genesis should not be taken literally as science today disproves the literal creation story –- I was outraged.

I’ve already mentioned the “Personal Application” part preceding each book but I also loved the “Christ Revealed” and “Holy Spirit At Work” also preceding each book of the bible. It truly opened my eyes to see things as I have not understood or saw them before. Eye opening and profound many times, I loved these sections and have never seen them in other bibles.

This bible has simple but easy to understand charts, timelines, study notes, truth-in-action charts which allow you to see a particular truths in each book and the actions we can take to walk in the way of that truth. There are also “Kingdom Dynamics” boxes, as I’ve already mentioned, all throughout the bible also offering incredible wisdom and insight that I have not thought of before on my own. I know I’ve had a lot to say about this bible but one of my most favorite features is the “Word Wealth” boxes throughout the bible which take words from the bible and using Strong’s concordance discuss he word and its real Hebrew/Greek meanings. I always love to get to the bottom, the actual meaning of things and this feature in the bible allows me to do just that. I love it!

There are simply to many features that I love about this bible, and true I do not agree with all the interpretations, beliefs held by the authors, or all the study notes but those are honest beliefs and interpretations of Pentecostal/ Charismatic denominations and just because they do not fall into what I have been taught does not make them wrong or this bible any less holy than one that does not include these beliefs. I highly respect the Pentecostal/ Charismatic people and am very grateful for this bible. I was able to learn much about their beliefs and respect them very much.

Having said all this, I recommend this bible to everyone, study it, learn from it, and although I especially recommend this bible to Pentecostal/ Charismatic believers, I see no reasons why other denominations cannot also read, enjoy, learn, and grow deeper in whatever their beliefs are using this bible.
I want to thank Thomas Nelson for providing me with this copy of the bible for an honest review. God bless you all.

Beautifully written. Well organized. Simply a fabulous read.

Thomas Nelson Incorporated, Feb 19, 2013 - 516 pages

What an incredible journey John MacArthur takes us on. One Perfect Life by best-selling author John MacArthur is nothing short of fantastic. Without a doubt MacArthur put a lot of time and effort to take verses and prophetic passages throughout the bible of Jesus and makes one seamless continuous account of His life and mission. With Matthew as the base, MacArthur pulls the other four gospels together and makes it one grand story without missing links, parables, stories or discrepancies. Matthew is said to be the base because it was written to the Jews and along with one of the missions of this book shows how the Old Testament prophecies pointed to Jesus as being the Messiah. MacArthur begins the book showing how all signs pointed to Jesus as the Messiah and inserts the proof directly from one part of the bible into the gospel stories as he goes on to make it all the clearer for the reader to see and understand.

What is so beautiful about MacArthur’s work is how he shows and marks the transitions from one passage or verse to another and where that passage comes from in the bible. The passages are word for word without any additions of his own. MacArthur does, however, provide a short commentary at the bottom of each page for references, deeper understanding or further study.

All in all, I have never read another book the puts the goals together so neatly and well organized with exact notations of the passages so if the reader wanted to they could as easily follow it in their bible as in this book. Beautiful work and highly recommended!

This book was provided by Thomas Nelson, all opinions expressed were based on my own readings and thoughts.

The Great House of God - Great Reminder

Thomas Nelson Inc, Jan 1, 2013, 240 pages

The Great House of God by Max Lucado is a rejuvenating look at an old prayer. We all know the Lords prayer, many can recite it, but what does it mean to us? How do we use it in our modern life and modern culture? Max does a wonderful job taking the prayer and applying it to our daily life, our daily troubles and situations. He shows us that God is in the midst of everything we go through, all our thoughts and all our problems. He wants to make a home within us and we need to see and realize this.

I really enjoyed this book, no it wasn’t deeply theological, did not go into analyzing ancient Greek and Hebrew, and from going to church my entire life I already have been taught many of the lessons Max writes about. But that doesn’t mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy the book and that I didn't need it. It was an awesome reminder of God’s love and blessings upon us, that God wants to live within us and to be more open toward making God a permanent inhabitant within us. So many of us (like me) get caught up with small issues and the need for deep discoveries but forget the true, simple love of God, and this book is a great reminder of that.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing this book for an honest review.

Made Me Enjoy LOTR All The More

Lion Publishing Plc, Nov 7, 2012 - 240 pages

Millions have read and watched the story of Middle Earth unfold and become one of the greatest epic adventures ever to be told, but how many know the story behind who wrote it? In J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making Of A Legend, Colin Duriez does a first class job of introducing and detailing the life of Tolkien.

As soon as I began reading I felt that Colin Duriez knew the life Tolkien better then anyone I’ve heard from before. Colin Duriez, in this book, not only knows the life of Tolkien very well but he also tells it as a skilled storyteller. I love the story of Lord of the Rings, I’ve watched the movies and read the books but I hardly knew much about Tolkien and now I see so much more the motivation behind Middle Earth and the characters within it. I was fascinated to read how some events from Tolkien’s life became events in the book.

Most lovers of LOTR know little of Tolkien’s life and hardships, but after reading this biography I now realize that I was missing a vital part of the story having not known of the person who wrote it.

To lovers of LOTR and all other of Tolkien’s works I would highly recommend reading about the this fascinating and incredible man, it will change how you see the story; furthermore I feel like there is no better author to tell you about the making of this legend as Colin Duriez. I loved it, enjoyed it, and recommend it to all LOTR lovers and those on the fence.
This book was provided to me for an honest review.

Awesome Production of an Awesome Story

Les Miserables, Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, a three hour audio drama presented by a Focus on the Family radio theater was truly a five star production. The same day I listened to this complete audio drama (I could not stop after disc 1 or 2, I had to know what happened!) I was curious to see how the movie (currently out in theaters) compared to this production. Put it simply I regret wasting money watching the movie when Focus on the Family radio theater did such an awesome job.

Although I would recommend reading the books first, if you aren't familiar with the story, I do know that most people don’t have the time to read a 1000+ page story so don’t worry the details are filled in and you are never lost within the drama. This audio drama was spectacular to listen to and kept my ears glued till the end. The actors voices were fantastic, the music was beautiful, and hands down I would recommend this audio drama instead of watching the movie.

I had a wonderful time listening to it, and it is something the whole family would enjoy. It’s safe, has a wonderful message, entertaining, and simply it’s a classic story that no matter what age you are or your level of education everyone can enjoy. Thanks to Tyndale for a copy for an honest review of the drama.