Searching for Sunday: a book review

Rachael Held Evans is a blogger.  To be honest I never have heard of her until I picked up the book she wrote: Searching for Sunday.
The best part of this book is her authenticity.  She is rough around the edges and I like that because many Christians wear masks and pretend everything is ok when it is not.
This book is her account of her life and journey with God.  She is a struggler and she lets us know.
My favorite chapter was the chapter she talked about the failed church plant she and her husband were a part of.  She talks about failure and i love that because often i feel like a failure and she talks about here life and the disillusionment she experienced with her failure.  and how God's grace and mercy helped her come back to faith in God.
I recommend this book to anyone who struggles in faith or life.  If you are a "perfect" Christian, dont read this book because it will bother you.  But if you are like me, you will love this book.
I recieved this book for free in exchange for an honest review from Booklookbloggers.com  

book review: Life is_____ by Judah Smith

I loved this book.  I watch Judah's sermons from his church in Kirkland wa.  and I read what he writes.  This book is awesome along with the small group videos you can watch online.
This book breaks down our life into 4 categories or purposes.  1)Life is to be loved and to love.  2)Life is to trust God in every moment.  3) Life is to be at peace with God and yourself. and 4) Life is to enjoy God.

I totally enjoyed this book.  He uses humor, stories, and backs everything up with the Bible.  I challenge and encourage you to pick up this book if you struggle to know life's purpose.  this book will help point you to God and to help you get along in your journey of life.
I recieved this book for free in exchange with an honest review from booklookbloggers.com

book review: The bible in pop culture by Kevin Harvey

I just don't get this book.  I see what the author is trying to do.  He let's us peek into tv shows, movies, internet, just so we can see how the bible, God, etc are in pop culture.  I think i get it...but what's the point.
Yes, i believe God should impact culture but is this book trying to say that...I dont know.  Should we start watching those shows...I don't know.
Now to be fair, this was a relaxing, fun, entertaining read...but i didnt learn anything...which is fine.  Sometimes i like to read just for pleasure and this book fell into that category.
If you want to lear about the bible in pop culture...this is your book.
I recieved this book for free in exchange with an honest review from booklookbloggers.com

Book Review: Flipped By Doug Pagitt

I just finished a book written by a pastor named Doug Pagitt.  His aim for this book is to try to flip our beliefs about God.  I read this with an open mind and I must admit, he said some very interesting things.
Now to be honest one of my goals is to read books that i don't necessarily agree with.  Why would I read books that always agree with my view, what's the point.  Saying that, I dont agree with everything the author claims here.  For one: i get the feeling that he believes in evolution and an old earth: fine, i won't freak out with that!
My favorite chapter was the chapter that talked about being the light of the world.  I love the fact that this book reminds us that both Jesus and the church are called the light of the world.  This reminder was worth the price of the book.  That idea that I am the light of the world has reignited my passion to be evangelistic.
I would recommend this "fresh approach" to the scriptures but I caution you that you won't agree or even like all of what you read.  read the meat and throw away the bones is what I always say.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from bloggingforbooks.org.  thanks to them for the free book.  

book review: The room by Jonas Karlsson

Wow!  I just finished a new book by Swedish author Jonas Karlsson called "The Room."  First off I would like to say, I couldnt put this book down.  it is very well written.  The chapters were short enough to feel like you are accomplishing something while reading it.  If reviewing this book came only from the way it is written I would say 10 out of 10.
But...This book has a very strange storyline.
Let's see...The narrator is our main character who has just got a job for a company called The Authority.  I am not sure exactly what the company is or what they do.  Our main character gets up to go to the bathroom one day and accidentally goes into the wrong room.  The room is an empty office long since used.  He decides he likes to go there on his breaks because of the peace and quiet from his annoying coworkers.  
Here is the main point of the book...spoiler alert...The room that he spends everyday in doesnt actually exist.  Yes you read that right.  Its all in his mind and he believes it is real even though everyone else cant see it.  
The entire book consists of his coworkers telling him he is crazy and him telling his coworkers he is right.  Thats it.  There isnt more to say, thats the story.
Saying that...it is a fun read that is short and strange.  It reminds me of a twilight zone episode (I love the twilight Zone by the way.)  If you want a read to escape reality for a few hours, pick up The room by Jonas Karlsson.
I received this book for free in exchange with an honest review from the publisher through bloggingforbooks.org    

Churchless book Review

I read a book by Church statistic guru George Barna.  He has written a masterpiece called Churchless.  As a pastor I feel that this book and topic must be required reading.  We must be a student of the culture and figure out what is making people leave the church by the thousands.
This trend alarms me and is why I picked up this book.
Like any Barna book, there will be many stats and can overwhelm you, bore you, or tempt you to skip over the book.  Don't do that!  The stats will help you see the reality we as pastors face when we lead our church and see people leave
My favorite chapter by far has to be the final chapter: why churches matter.  The material in it helps me to know what to say to a generation that sees the church as irrelevant.  The tools help me stay relevant without compromising the truth of the bible.
I highly recommend this book if you want to see how the culture sees the church and how to fix the problems we face in the 21st century.  Pick it up at Amazon.com today!!!
I recieved this book for free from Tyndale bloggers network in exchange for an honest review .  Thanks to them for the copy

book review: Near enemy by Adam Sternbergh

Adam Sternbergh returns with his Spadman series of novels.  Near Enemy is book 2 in the series.  If you haven read book 1: shovel ready, you will want to read that one first.
Spademan is a garbage man turned killer.  armed with a boxknife, he continues his quest in this book.
I loved book 1 but i felt that book 2 didnt have as much heart as book 1.  the plot seemed pointless to me for most of it.
In the spademan books, this is a apocalyptic world where the world had been almost destroyed and most people go into a plugged in dream world.  this book it is revealed that there are hackers who hack peoples dreams and kill the people in their dreams.  Spademan must find out how to stop them.
Again, it was an interesting read that was not horrible and is readable, but it lacked heart and soul.  if you read book 1, you might as well read book 2, it is a quick and easy read.
I recieved this book for free from bloggingforbooks.com