"Our Last Great Hope"

"Our Last Great Hope" by Ronnie Floyd was an emotionally written, well-timed book.  The idea of awakening the Great Commission is something that needs to be spoken of and taught about on a more consistent basis.  The life of Jesus Christ was not something that was lived so that we would put it away and never speak of it.  The gospel of good news is to be discussed, dissected, and ultimately we should dedicate our lives to its truth and saving grace.  When Ronnie Floyd writes about the responsibility that lies within a true understanding of the gospel, he writes with such fervor and zeal that you believe that you can take on the world for the cause of Christ.  This book is an example of what a true dedication to the cause of Christ will do inside the willing heart of a believer.  Christ died on the cross not because He desired to be famous, but for the sins of the entire world.  This includes those who hear the gospel and choose to ignore it, those who never hear the gospel proclaimed, and those who have heard the gospel and say that they believe it.  The aim of this book is not just to pump up those who are in that final group, but to challenge that final group to take their beliefs and put them into action.  This was a good read and challenging to me as a believer.

The Fight of Our Lives

"The Fight of Our Lives" is a good title for a book that outlines what we could be facing on both the spiritual front and the political front in the coming years.  Bennett and Leibsohn do an excellent job of laying out the potential dangers that could impact the future generations of people in America.  Our spiritual world is under attack from several different enemies and eventually, I feel that we are going to see Christianity fall as the doctrine of choice.  (In many cases, it already has.)  However, if I am going to be somewhat critical of this book, I would say that this book seemed "personal" with these gentlemen and not objective.  In most regards, I would have zero issue with that and would actually prefer that over some boring, drab book that simply worded out the issues and the solutions.  However, in this case, I felt that it needed to have a little more objectivity and a little less "pulpit preaching."

We Be Big

The truth is, I wanted this book because I am an avid listener of the Rick and Bubba show.  However, once I got the book in, I learned so much about the men behind the show that it became more than just a book I was interested in.  These men are a true example of perseverance and patience (on God's part, mind you.)  As a youth minister, it is hard sometimes to get young people to listen to your own personal story for the one hundredth time, so it was really nice to take them to two celebrities like these men and show them that a true commitment to the cause of Christ can be beneficial in more ways than just a good feeling you get at church.  These men committed to the will of God and it not only made them better people, it gave them opportunities to be successful in the world as well.  This book was an outstanding profile of perseverance and a great example of how God is willing to work in the world, even when sometimes we ignore His constant pleading.  I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it is spiritual without becoming preachy and because these two men are good role models in a world that seems to be running out.

The Jesus Inquest

The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster is an excellent book.  It attacks and defends the theory of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ at the same time.  Charles Foster is a lawyer from England who has spent the majority of his life studying the resurrection and the arguments for and against the common belief that exists in the Christian world.  The beautiful thing about this book is the fact that it was written from a position of doubt and produced a position of faith.  Foster openly admits that the book comes from his struggle with the common belief that Jesus Christ lived on the earth, died on the cross, and triumphed over the grave.  He felt that there had to be evidence for him to truly believe and so the book takes the reader from a beginning discussion of common theories to the end where the evidence points to a stronger faith in the truth of Jesus Christ.  I recommend this book to those serious Bible students who would like to know more about how to address the rumors and arguments concerning the crucifixion and resurrection.

I Lift Up My Soul

I Lift Up My Soul by Charles F. Stanley

This book is intended to be a daily devotional book that takes the reader through an entire year.  However, as I began to read it, I just simply treated it like a good, solid Christian living book instead of a "once-a-day" reader.  This devotional book covered numerous topics that can affect the lives of not just Christians, but of all people world-wide.  The morality issue is one that seems to have infiltrated our culture because there are two sides to the argument.  One side argues that everything can be moral according to the individual while others argue that God set out a rule book, in the Bible, that offers up specific things concerning morality that people should follow.  In this book, Stanley seems to encourage the second lifestyle in the way that this book represents Christian living.  It is a book that is uplifting and reminds the reader that no matter what happens in the world around them, there is a greater, more powerful being that is in control of it all.  This, in my opinion, is the true meaning of this book.  Beyond the daily dedication that this book prescribes is the message that God still cares about His people and that if I, as a human being, will simply align myself with His will, then I can have a future that is truly worth living.  This is the lasting gift that is presented in this text.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a daily devotional book to bring them closer to God.

Outlive Your Life - Max Lucado

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

For years I have read Max Lucado's writings and have been impressed.  This book is an outstanding look at a problem within our society that seems to be growing by the minute.  The problem of complacency or laziness within our spiritual walk is something that is addressed in the pages of this book.  There were some instances where the book raised my eyebrows with its overly laid-back approach, but overall it gave great insight into what the church is going to face for years to come.  Lucado examines the problem from the standpoint of the apostles in the book of Acts.  The idea is that if God could do that much with 12 ordinary men, what could he do with thousands or millions of ordinary people today?  Over and over again, Lucado drives home the point that God did not call the qualified, He qualified the called.  God can still do that today, but our society is not as willing and open to that call as the apostles were in their day and age.  Overall, I view Lucado's writings as a great conversation starter with someone who has never discussed religious matters, but it is not necessarily a book for someone who is looking for a deep, theological discussion on discipleship.  This book is a good read for the everyday Christian life, and if treated as that type of book, it can be extremely beneficial for those who read it.

The Gospel According to Jesus - Chris Seay

“The Gospel According to Jesus” by Chris Seay

This book is a great analysis of the current state of modern-day views on righteousness.  Seay does an incredible job of connecting the word righteousness to a discussion of justice, rather than just an accepted belief that righteousness is doing good things.  Most Christians think that righteousness is simply doing something good.  However, there is a difference in how the Christian will live when he or she understands that doing what is right is a good thing, but it is not righteousness by definition.  Seay instead suggests that righteousness is defined as God’s “restorative justice.”  

The other major discussion hosted by Seay in this book is what it means to live a life of shalom.  Shalom, a word representing peace, is given to people who come in contact with God’s “restorative justice.”  Seay discusses the ten ideas that can lead a person to a shalom lifestyle in the final chapter of the book, giving great insight into how any person can develop this mentality, not just Christians.  The one detraction that I would offer concerning this book is that Seay seems to have had a negative experience with a more traditional-style church and that carries over into some of the writings in this book.  Overall, however, this book was an excellent read and gave some excellent thoughts in the idea of how the church’s definition of righteousness has changed throughout the years.