Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

By Francis Chan

Wow. Few books have messed up my whole perspective on life and Christianity as much as this one. Starting with the awesomness of God’s love for us, Francis Chan then makes a very convicting, challenging assay of how we, as Christians, should be living and loving. From there he presents the gospel message and how it is relevant and reassuring to Christians. The last section of the book presents stories of Christians from throughout the world and history who have really lived out the right kind of love. He ends with a challenge to Christians to love others as if they were Christ. This book is friendly in tone, Biblical in foundation, broad-reaching in scope, and unequivocally confrontational in dealing with our personal lack of love.

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What He Must Be: …If He Wants to Marry My Daughter

by Voddie T. Baucham Jr.

When I picked up this book, I was expecting to find a somewhat detailed exposition of what a prospective husband should be and what he should’ve accomplished. I also expected to hear, in detail, the author’s personally favored courtship scheme.
Thus I was surprised to discover that this book is really one for fathers, on raising daughters to have wise expectations, on protecting daughters, and on raising sons to be Biblical men.
The author walks through the essentials of Biblical manhood, focusing on character attributes, maturity, and attitudes without getting into specific lists of good and bad things.

Multi-Generational Vision

He starts by talking through what it means to have a multi-generational vision. Using his own personal history as an example, he identifies why it is so important to act and plan for future generations. He then identifies marriage as a key to doing so, and talks about why marriage is the highest ministry calling. He makes a compelling case for why marriage should be considered the preferred state for men (over singleness).

Early on, Baucham argues for the heavy involvement of fathers in preparing their sons for marriage and giving the hand of their daughters. He makes a compelling, if unoriginal, case for doing this.

Qualifications for Marriage and Underlying Perspectives

As the title suggests, this book is mostly about the qualifications of young men pursuing marriage. He spends four chapters on concepts that seem pretty obvious (to me at least): that the prospective husband must be: a Follower of Christ, Prepared to Lead, Lead like Christ, and Committed to Children. Each of these four chapters is really about something else, and the titles merely provide an opportunity for Baucham to expound on other ideas, specifically: Under “Following Christ”, Baucham clearly works through the importance of the gospel message and why many self-identified Christians are not so, because of their fruit. Under the two Leadership chapters, Baucham espouses a strong male headship, complementarian approach to gender issues, while emphasizing that male leadership in the home must be driven by selfless love. In the chapter on children, Baucham explains why it is so vital to be committed to having children.

The Four “P’s” of Manhood

The eighth chapter is perhaps the best one in the book. In it, Baucham explains that the father’s role is to ensure that the groom meets certain requirements before marrying his daughter. Using Scripture and historical perspectives, Baucham explains that these requirements “include insuring a young man’s ability to serve as a priest, prophet, provider, and protector.” Baucham draws from Whitefield’s call for fathers to serve “as a prophet, to instruct; as a priest, to pray for and with; as a king, to govern, direct, and provide for” which in turn draws upon the Westminster Confession’s description of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King. Baucham uses the dual roles of Provider and Protector instead of the role of King, because of his feeling that they are more relevant and understandable in today’s post-monarchial society.
Baucham goes into detail on each of these roles, explaining that what is really required of a young man is not always the first thought, for instance, being a protector for his family doesn’t mean being a gun-toting, muscle-bound fighter.
Under each of these categories, Baucham explains that a young man must:

• Be a Protector: He must be a man of personal holiness, true gentleness, great resolve, genuine compassion, and true bravery.
• Be a Provider: He must have a job, have a work ethic, and have a plan for the future provision of his family.
• Be a Prophet/Priest: He must pray with and for his family and preach to his family.

A Call for Fathers

In the final two chapters of this book, Baucham explains why it is so important for the young woman’s father to be heavily involved in finding his daughter’s husband and then talks through the answer to the serious lack of qualified young men today. Baucham urges fathers to raise their sons right but also urges men to disciple and prepare young men for marriage.
In the conclusion, Baucham (a black father) spends several pages talking through the contentious issue of interracial marriage, and clearly explains, using Scripture, why opponents of it are committing multiple serious sins.
Overall, an excellent book, well-written, organized, and founded on a strong Scriptural basis.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

By Donald Miller

Read 29 September 2009; I own a copy for lending.

Blue Like Jazz is unlike almost any other book I’ve read and respected on Christianity. The author’s writing feels comfortable and friendly, while his content is honest and often challenging. This book is essentially an organized memoir of his own spiritual journey, filled with stories and meditations on what it means to be a follower of Jesus in today’s world.
Miller explicitly states he did want to write about Christianity, since that is a religion, and aside from all the negative things in the Bible about empty religion, it tends to offend and separate people in the world. Instead, he writes about Christian spirituality, the practice of walking as a Christ follower.
Quite a few conservative commentators seem to be very much against this book. They cite theological differences and technical problems. My feeling is that Christianity is very much heart—perhaps more so than mind. What they are missing is the heart here. Miller’s writings are heartfelt, honest, authentic, and real, in a world where Christian literature is too often all logic and intellect. Certainly I can find minor points of theological difference, but on the whole, Miller gets it. In writing about the experience of living in relationship to Christ and to others, I found many things comfortable and familiar, but I also was challenged about my lack of love for Christ, my lack of love for those around me, and what it really meant to be a Christian. Overall, an excellent book that definitely deserves to be read by you

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The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ by Jerry L. Ross

My rating: 1 of 5 stars
If I could give this book negative stars, I would. It is one of the worst books I’ve read. From premise to conclusion, it is poorly conceived and done badly.Ross starts by clearly addressing the book to teenage Christians, then echoing their supposed question: “Wouldn’t it be great if the Gospels contained a record of the teenage years?” He states, “The most repeated statement that I make to young people of our church is, ‘The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to be like Jesus!’” He then goes on to explain that Luke 2:51–52 summarizes the activities of Christ during his teenage years: Increasing in wisdom, increasing in stature (maturity), increasing in favor with God, increasing in favor with men, remaining subject to his parents, and learning a wage-earning skill.Ross goes off base from the very beginning by telling young people that their ultimate goal (their chief end) is to be like Jesus. It may sound like a semantics issue, but the ultimate goal of the Christian life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. And the statement that young people should be hearing is, “God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him,” because young people (and old people) are driven by desire—and our desire for more of God is a potent one. The Bible tells us to follow Christ—discipleship—and to be holy—which Christ was. But basing our model for life off of Christ is misguided at best, and more likely dangerous. Christ never married—but obviously, celibacy isn’t the perfect option for every Christian. Christ performed miracles—something most Christians will never do, and certainly never in the way He did. Christ’s way of life is worth following, but the exact model of his life is certainly not to be our model.But Ross makes another grievous error right in his foundational text. He cites Luke 2:51–52 as a prescriptive list of things teenagers should do. In my view, this is a very poor interpretation. As far as I can tell, Luke 2:52 is descriptive, not prescriptive. It describes a result, not a cause. This removes four of the six items from Ross’ to-do list for teens. The remaining two (subject to parents and work) still remain, and a valid case for each can be made using other Biblical texts. A better approach would be to evaluate what led to this descriptive results and look at the context in which Christ was raised.With this inauspicious start, Ross then proceeds down a path of unsupported, legalistic, rules-driven prescriptions for teens. His text has a carefree, condescending tone that masks the fundamentalist standards-driven prescriptions he imposes on teens. He makes little distinction between advice based on Scripture and advice based on opinions of others, and his hermeneutics is horrible. His interpretations of Scripture are shallow and frequently out-of-context.In the end, Ross imposes on teens a heavy burden of rules and directives with the only incentive being, “It’s your duty.” This book brings to mind typical fundamentalist churches with tame men and women wearing drab, out of style clothing, and making little real difference in the world today. God doesn’t need more people doing their duty. He needs Christians with a passionate, deep thirst for Him and a desire glorify him. Ross is right in his assessment that most teenagers want truth from their pastors, not words to tickle their ears. Here Ross serves up an interesting amalgamation of Scripture truth and personal opinion set communicated in way that is not likely to reach many young people.

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Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
By Joe Dominguez and  Vicki Robin.  2nd Ed. New York: Penguin Books. 1999.
There are two kinds of financial books: those that delve into deep principles and theories of financial success, and those that deal strictly in the realm of practical specifics. This book falls squarely in with the latter. While an eighteen-page preface explains the underlying principles, this book does not spend time theorizing. It is a very straightforward exposition of a single, nine-step process to be “Financially Independent.” The authors make some audacious claims. If you follow all nine steps, they say, you will almost immediately see a 20% reduction in expenses and you will progress to the point where you are Financially Independent: able to quit any day jobs and still support yourself at your current level of living or higher. This plan involves two phases: First, a simultaneous reduction of expenses and an increase in income; Second, a carefully designed investment vehicle using your savings as capital. The end result of their plan is living off of the interest earned from your investments.

This book contains a number of useful ideas: Tracking every cent that comes in and out of your life, carefully evaluating expenditures to see if they fit your life values, living within your means, and making wise, secure investments. Many of the ideas in this book, however, could be profoundly negative (if followed without regard to the whole program): Living without any budget, investing only in U.S. Treasury bonds, dramatically cutting expenses.

Originally written in the 1990’s, this book is insufferably out-of-date. Filled with cultural clichés, it feels like reruns of a bad sitcom. From the title to the chapter headings to the examples used throughout, the authors bent the text to popular culture of the day and as a result lost the ability to remain timeless and relevant. The book feels old and irrelevant. Furthermore, the book does not address the advent of the internet and how it can impact finances. It recommends not keeping your financial records on the computer—a good suggestion given the state of computers in 1992, but a poor one today, when internet banking and computerized accounting can save you time and money, with fewer errors and far more convenience than paper-based accounting. Many of this book’s checklists and examples are irrelevant, nostalgic throwbacks to a decade we’d rather forget.

The largest problem I have with this book is its underlying philosophy. The author’s background lies in the liberal, environmentalist community and this book is built on a reaction and resistance to the rampant consumerism so evident today. The book makes the case for being frugal as an opportunity to benefit the environment and ultimately reduce global consumption.  The proposed nine-step system leaves no room for God. It is quite self-sufficient and is essentially an environmentalist humanism.

Because of its philosophical basis, this book does not make use of the significant principles for finances found throughout Scripture. It takes the approach of “God helps those who help themselves,” not “God helps those who are helpless.” In this respect, it utterly fails as a good resource for those seeking to improve their financial situation.

Overall, the book had some good ideas; ideas I am sure I will use to some success. But the book is not worthwhile, in my opinion, and there are many options that have a better basis, are written in a more relevant manner and are less dogmatic.

“A Man’s Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines: 12 Habits to Strengthen Your Walk With Christ”

by Patrick Morley

When the ALERT bookstore started carrying this book last August, I was immediately drawn by the sharp looking cover and the all-important topic. Words like “Discipline” and “Habits” aren’t very common in today’s culture, and being in the middle of Quest, I knew how important it was for men to be disciplined.

I bought the book then, and started reading it in September. I just finished it. I know, it was slow and drawn out. But it was greatly enjoyed over that long, drawn out reading process.

This book lives up to its cover, providing a simple, accessible, action oriented guide to twelve classic Christian disciplines that will set men free.

Breaking the habits into four parts, this guide starts with those disciplines related to the Works of God, then the Word of God, then the “Whisper” of God, and finally the Witness of God. The twelve disciplines are:

1. Stewarding Creation
2. Bible Reading/Study
3. Prayer
4. Worship
5. The Sabbath
6. Fellowship
7. Seeking Counsel
8. Fasting
9. Spiritual Warfare
10. Stewardship
11. Service
12. Evangelism

These are not new ideas, but Patrick Morley does an excellent job of putting a new face on the musty idea of Christian discipline. Each chapter is full of colorful illustrations and short, easily digestible sections. Each chapter ends with practical action-oriented steps to take. While I read the book by myself and got quite a bit out of it, it would be perfect to use for a Bible study or men’s fellowship group. The author draws on his decades of experience in working with men to craft a unique work tailor made for the interests and attention of a wide spectrum of American men.

I would definitely recommend this book to any men or young men who want to take practical, tangible steps to deepen their relationship with God. This book is the perfect place to start.

One of my desires this year is to read a book every week. Some bloggers describe this as a "52 in 52 challenge"; I wouldn’t lock myself into that but have instead committed to reading at least 20 minutes every day.

This week, I finished Hamlet by William Shakespeare (the original play). Surprisingly, this is actually the first time I’ve read Shakespeare. I loved it!

The story of Hamlet is a delightful, classic tragedy. The writing is brilliant, witty, engaging, and very pleasurable to read.

I’d highly recommend you read this and other classics. Or at least read for the sake of pleasure and not work. It is good for you.

The Danger Habit: How To Grow Your Love Of Risk Into Life-Changing Faith.By Mike Barrett. Colorado Springs: Multnomah. 2006.

I was attracted to this book because I recognized the propensity towards risk and danger in my own life. My friends readily admit that I’m crazy, I know I am an adrenaline junkie, and I tend to gravitate towards high-speed activities.

This book was not a disappointment. I expected to find affirmation of who I am and some application of how I could use my personality more effectively in God’s service.

In the preface, Mike Barrett explains:

But The Danger Habit invites you to explore the possibility that God not only intentionally wired you for an extreme life, but He also has a healthy, promising way for you to make the most of what He created you to be.

Mike begins by explaining that some of us are created to be more extreme. Using scientific studies as proof, he established that we tend to be “addicted to risk” and the chemical charge we get off it. But, he also showed how devastating this lifestyle can be to those around us.

The second chapter uses the analogy of tide and wind to explain how some of us are “radicals” (wind) and some are “foundationals” (tide). As both elements are necessary for making the best waves, so both types of people are necessary in this world. A Radical is someone who is difficult to predict or control, highly changeable, and not very dependable. A foundational, on the other hand, is someone who is dependable, predictable and strong.

The Danger Habit goes on to discuss the essentials of saving faith and the change that comes with regeneration. It presents these as being absolutely necessary for success if you have a radical personality.

In the next few chapters, the author discusses several key issues that radicals deal with: relationships, our need to fight, our frequent failures and the importance of having realistic expectations.

He finishes by challenging us to finish the fight well—to live worthy of the prize.

Overall, this book is good. It was pertinent for me, and seems like the kind of book that would be good for many of my “radical” friends.

However, I was personally disappointed in a few minor details of the book. I felt that the author compromised with the world when he identified (positively) with secular rock songs and used street slang excessively. I understand that these come along with the culture he is from and is trying to reach, but the book failed to live up to my standards of what a man should be. Even more so, I felt the book could have emphasized the vision of God’s glory and Christ’s supremacy more. It felt too much like it was about “me” and not enough about Christ.

Overall, this book rates a 3+ out of 5. Good content, but not the best possible.

Hand Me Another Brick: How Effective Leaders Motivate Themselves and Others
Charles R. Swindoll. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. 1998.

There have been many books written on leadership. Just this spring, for instance, I have read at least ten different books. Out of these, “Hand Me Another Brick” stands out because of its strong Scriptural base, the emphasis on timeless principles, and the eminent practicality of Swindoll’s insights. It is a well-organized, easily readable book that covers the basics of Leadership in an effective and comphrensive manner.

Using the Biblical “memoirs” of Nehemiah as a guide, Swindoll distills principles of leadership that Nehemiah demonstrated in his roles as cupbearer, builder and governor.

Throughout the book, the importance of devotion to God and of prayer are emphasized. But, so is the need for action: to “Take problems by the throat”, to face problems head on, and to plan thoughtfully. I appreciated this book’s careful and thorough evaluation of criticism, opposition and discouragement. These three “enemies” frequently undermine otherwise strong leaders and are rarely addressed in much contemporary literature. Using Nehemiah’s experiences as a guide, Swindoll clarifies the causes and then explicitly outlines the cure for each of these negative problems.

The book’s format is well organized. It works through Nehemiah’s life in a chronological fashion, yet outlines the topics in a sequential manner ideal for easy understanding. Each chapter contains specific points to remember, and an excellent study guide in the appendix brings the material home for clear applications.

Overall, this book ranks as one of the best books on leadership I’ve read. It is broad in reach, dead center in focus, and powerful in application. I highly recommend this book.

I am reading a lot these days!
As you may know, I have a penchant for organized, well-structured books that
have a good outline. Recently, I read two excellent books. These are 5-star,
highly recommended.
“Ghost Wars” by Steve Coll is the single best analysis of how 9/11 occurred
and how the Al-Qaida network came into existence that I have ever read. This
Pulitzer prize-winning work is focused on the CIA’s involvement in
Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion through September 10, 2001. This book
also delves deeply into the history and geopolitics of the entire Middle
Eastern area, especially Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Because of the author’s
thoroughness, the book is an incredibly valuable resource for those who want
to understand Islamic terrorism, AQ and the underlying history of Middle
Eastern instability. Steve Coll, the editor of the Washington Post, sourced
thousands of documents and conducted hundreds of interviews with US, Saudi,
and Pakistani officials and put together an engaging, well-footnoted work.
Don’t expect this to be a quick read; it is long and deep. However, it reads
more like a novel then a government report and the story it tells is highly
interesting.
I would recommend this book to any and every American out there. Understanding
our enemy and our own history is crucial for American success in this war.
Caveats: None, really…

“Am I Making Myself Clear” by Terry Felber, is an entirely different class of
book. An easily read, simple guidebook to the “Art of Communication”, this
work assesses the communicative process from the outside in. Starting with a
thorough discussion of non-verbal communication (our appearance, our facial
expressions, our hand gestures), Terry Felber explores how to best go about
communicating with anybody–including yourself. This is a small volume, is
filled with quotes and anecdotes illustrating his points and is easily
digestible in a single sitting.
Highly recommended.