Archive for September, 2007
Christopher B. Wolf. Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans, & Do-Overs. FaithWalk, 2007. 192 pp.
An appeal to those who have felt betrayed by organized religion to give faith a second chance.
There is a perception by millions that the church doesn’t care about them and is only trying to recruit them to build its numbers. This has left many to feel forsaken by the church and, as a result, a distance from God with no compelling reason to return to the church. In this book a young pastor extends his outstretched hand to those who have left the church, acknowledging their feelings of alienation, to walk with them in their search to find a way back to God.
Continue reading ‘Giving Faith a Second Chance | Christopher Wolf’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
Ravi Zacharias. The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives. Zondervan, 2007. 200 pp.
With inspiring stories and thought-provoking questions, Ravi Zacharias traces the multiple threads of our lives, describing how the unseen hand of God guides our joys, our tragedies, our daily humdrum to weave a pattern of divine providence and meaning.
How differently would we live if we believed that every dimension of our lives—from the happy to the tragic to the mundane—were part of a beautiful and purposeful design in which no thread were wrongly woven? That’s what best-selling author and internationally-known apologist, Ravi Zacharias, explores in The Grand Weaver.
Continue reading ‘The Grand Weaver | Ravi Zacharias’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
Christopher Hitchens. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Hachette, 2007. 307 pp.
In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos.
With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.
Continue reading ‘God Is Not Great | Christopher Hitchens’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
Margaret Feinberg. The Organic God. Zondervan, 2007. 224 pp.
Set forth on an “organic” spiritual journey to discover God again for the first time, and free yourself of pollutants, additives, and other distractions that can cloud this ultimate relationship. This compelling read will help you create a real, authentic, and life-giving bond with God. It’s an invitation to fall in love with God all over again.
Imagine what it would look like to have an organic relationship with God—one that is stripped of all pollutants and additives of this world. The Organic God removes the unhealthy fillers and purifies our relationship with the God of the Scriptures. Through personal stories and scriptural insights, Margaret Feinberg shares glimpses of God’s character—big-hearted, kind, beautiful, mysterious—that point you to an authentic and naturally spiritual relationship with him, allowing you to truly discover God in a healthy, refreshing new way. You won’t be able to help but fall in love all over again.
Continue reading ‘The Organic God | Margaret Feinberg’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
Stephen J. Nichols. For Us and for Our Salvation: The Doctrine of Christ in the Early Church. Crossway, 2007. 176 pp.
The belief that Christ is the God-man is definitive of Christian orthodoxy and imperative to a right understanding of the gospel. By the middle of the fifth century, the church had wrestled with many challenges to the biblical portrayal of Christ and, in response to those challenges, had formulated the doctrine of Christ that remains the standard to this day. This look to the past helps as Christians contend with present-day challenges and seek to answer Christ’s question—“Who do people say that I am?”—for those living in the twenty-first century.
Continue reading ‘For Us and for Our Salvation | Stephen Nichols’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
C. J. Mahaney. Christ Our Mediator: Finding Passion at the Cross. Multnomah, 2004. 96 pp.
What’s the Key to Having More Passion for Christ, the Cross, and the Gospel?
The answer is to look at the death of Christ not from our point of view, but from God’s. That’s what this book helps you do in a profound, strategic, and life-changing way.
Author C. J. Mahaney exposes our human tendency to look at the Savior’s death (and at everything else!) through our own subjective feelings and impressions, rather than from the standpoint of objective truth. By nature we always begin with ourselves rather than with God. But by following the God-first “Divine Order” in how we think—and by asking “What do I believe?” instead of “How do I feel?”—we’re freed up to embrace the right truth in the right way. The right feelings quickly follow, and they’re reliable because they’re anchored in truth.
Continue reading ‘Christ Our Mediator | C. J. Mahaney’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
Craig Groeschel. Chazown: A Different Way to See Your Life. Multnomah, 2006. 240 pp.
Do you wake up each day motivated by knowing exactly why you were created? Guided by intention in every step? Enter: Chazown. Hebrew for “vision,” God wants to give His for you, and this book will reveal it! Living God’s dream will rock your world and align every area of your life, from your relationships to your finances and health. Chazown is packed with storytelling graphics, in-your-face honesty, bite-sized chapterettes, step-by-step guidance, surprising self-assessments, and scarcely containable energy in a fast-paced style that will drive you forward with purpose! Craig Groeschel co-wrote this book, but he’s waiting for his partner—you. Because only you can discover how the book ends and the rest of your life begins. . . .
Continue reading ‘Chazown | Craig Groeschel’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
R. C. Sproul. A Taste of Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity. Reformation Trust, 2006. 173 pp.
Modern Christians have shown their inability to agree on where to look for God’s principles of worship. Neither pop-culture nor the status quo can provide us with satisfactory answers. We need a biblical reason for doing what we do when we worship God.
In A Taste of Heaven, Dr. R. C. Sproul searches the Scriptures, finding timeless principles from the worship practices of the Old Testament to guide worship today. God intends worship to be an unforgettable encounter between Himself and His people—a joyous experience engaging the worshiper’s entire being.
Continue reading ‘A Taste of Heaven | R. C. Sproul’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
Donald Miller. Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road. Thomas Nelson, 2005. 256 pp.
Fueled by the belief that something better exists than the mundane life they’ve been living, free spirits Don and Paul set off on an adventure-filled road trip in search of deeper meaning, beauty, and an explanation for life. Many young men dream of such a trip, but few are brave enough to actually attempt it. Fewer still have the writing skills of Donald Miller, who records the trip with wide-eyed honesty in achingly beautiful prose. In this completely revised edition, he discusses everything from the nature of friendship, the reason for pain, and the origins of beauty.
Continue reading ‘Through Painted Deserts | Donald Miller’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.
James Bryan Smith. An Arrow Pointing to Heaven: A Devotional Biography. B&H, 2002. 272 pp.
During his life, Rich Mullins challenged the sensibilities of what it means to follow Jesus in today’s world, and now in his death, he challenges all to build upon his legacy of joy, compassion, brokenness, unblinking honesty, and wonder of an Awesome God.
Author James Bryan Smith describes this book as a “devotional biography,” giving readers an insight into Rich’s life, but more importantly, allowing the readers to learn what was most important to Rich—urging people to draw near to God. The book focuses on the key themes of Rich’s life including Family, Creation, Suffering, Simplicity, and the Love of God.
Continue reading ‘An Arrow Pointing to Heaven | James Bryan Smith’
Like this post? Subscribe to our feed
.