Review of Reggie: You Can’t Change Your Past, but You Can Change Your Future by Reggie Dabbs with John Driver

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Genre: Autobiography/Inspirational

Not Recommended.

This is the story of a man who was conceived when his mother prostituted herself for $20 in order to keep her children and herself alive. He was adopted into a loving Christian family and shares his struggle to find his identity. Now a nationally acclaimed motivational speaker, Reggie loves to encourage people (especially young people) with his story.

Reggie Dabbs is a man whose life was changed when he discovered the grace of God, and I enjoyed reading his story; I think most readers will find it inspirational. He’s not a theologian however, and I felt that his attempts to fit pieces of the Bible into his story distracted from his message instead of adding to it. In a couple places, his accounts of Bible stories were embellished past the point of accuracy. I had been expecting more pure story-telling and less commentary, so was disappointed that this is more of a teaching and preaching book than an inspirational autobiography. There are even questions for reflection after every chapter, which could be nice for some readers.

This was a fine book, but not one I enjoyed well enough to recommend. I’m also not sure I agree with the motivational speaking strategy he describes using when he meets with crowds in person: calling out specific destinies for specific students (without a prophetic anointing) and verbally adopting kids as his sons and daughters (when only God can truly do that). It sounds like Reggie influences and encourages many of our youth; I pray that he also is leading them to know the Lord.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogging Program through booksneeze.com.

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The ‘Good News’ without Supernatural Power is NOT Good News

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I was reading this morning an account from a friend’s friend who has left the church after 20 years of serving in ministry and is near leaving his Christian faith. He spoke sincerely and vulnerably regarding the process of his deconversion from Chaplain to agnostic. His reasons for change are: 1) inside knowledge of the awful condition of [his] local church, 2) no clear examples in his life of pure, supernatural moves of God that couldn’t in some way be explained in humanist terms–that is, nothing separating what a Christian can do from what the non-Christian can do, 3) too many clear examples of wickedness being done in the name of Christ, and 4) the hypocrisy and fear-based/brain-washed commitment of the Christians around him. I really enjoyed his perspective so I hope I am relaying this accurately.

It’s my opinion that the large majority of Christians (in the States) are not practicing Christianity. I have seen first hand the sort of situation this man describes: the structure of religion and the academic declarations of theology (as good as this can be) without the supernatural power of a living and loving God (not to mention the rest of it..). But didn’t Paul the Apostle say, “my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit in power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2:4-5)? And isn’t the New Testament full of supernatural accounts done by the Spirit through Jesus’ followers?! God has not changed (Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8). The purpose of the believer on the earth hasn’t changed–we are still strengthening the ‘bride’ and collecting the harvest until the day of our Lord’s return. Jesus is alive, and so is His Spirit!

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the sacrifice of our sins once and for all. Every hurt, every pain, every struggle; everything that’s been done to you, and everything you’ve done that has brought destruction to yourself or someone else–it died with Jesus on the cross. He was resurrected, and the sin wasn’t; the bondage of sin has been taken care of. To become a Christian means to surrender to God and accept the free gift of perfect freedom, love, joy, peace, and so forth. He already bought the gift of freedom–for the whole world. It’s an acceptance of that gift to the point of full re-birth. People don’t go to Hell because they don’t believe in God, but because they’ve rejected Him. Everyone at some point has the choice to accept or reject Him; it’s a serious decision. When we choose Him we get to walk out of the bondage and straight into the Kingdom. Don’t you know, the Kingdom is at hand!?! And in the Kingdom are miracles galore! We are new creations, equipped with supernatural gifts. We do heal the sick and cast out demons and prophesy and do miracles, just as His first disciples did. We love God to such an extent that we can’t help show His love in demonstrations to everyone we meet. Heaven is a party and it starts now! And that’s GOOD NEWS! When Jesus returns to be King the party is only going to get bigger! YAY!!

There was a moment in my life (quite a ways after my decision to be saved, repentance, and water baptism) where God in His supernatural power and grace, immersed me with His Spirit and, in a moment, re-birthed me into perfect freedom. None of my old self was there. I became completely new. My thoughts changed, my moods changed, I stopped taking medication for my various psychological disorders because they were gone, I didn’t have to pretend to be happy because I really truly was (to an even greater extent today!), even many of my interests changed! I cannot describe the peace that’s in my spirit. Fear is gone!

If you haven’t experienced this level of joy, and peace–whether you’ve been a Christian for years or if you identify with a different religion all together–I want to say a short prayer for you:

May you encounter the very presence and being of God Himself through Jesus Christ the Lord, the people who live in His Kingdom, and the mighty restoration of the grace of His salvation!

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Review of Small is Big!: Unleashing the Big Impact of Intentionally Small Churches by Tony and Felicity Dale, and George Barna

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Genre: Church Planting and Growth/House Churches

Recommended.

Originally published as The Rabbit and the Elephant, this book is now updated and expanded. What makes Small is Big special are the personal stories of various simple (house) churches: how they were started, how they worked, how they expanded, and so forth. It’s also about evangelism and outreach, since most of the churches are started among non-Christians outside of church culture.

It is more balanced than many other house church books in that it speaks positively regarding both “simple” (organic) and “legacy” (traditional) churches. The benefit of this is that the pastor/leader of a traditional church could easily glean from the information given without necessarily reforming all of church structure. It’s also informative regarding the predominate move toward house and non-conventional churches, even in the Western world. Examples are taken from diverse movements within the church body, ranging from Iris Ministries in Mozambique (very organic and charismatic) to Saddleback Church (a program-lead mega church). It is a unifying resource.

On the other hand, it’s not as specific or detailed regarding the “theology” of house churches so to speak. For the reader who has specific questions regarding communion, giving, five-fold ministry, and so on, I recommend: The House Church Book by Wolfgang Simson, and Corinthian Elders by Jack Fortenberry. Small is Big is an encouraging and simple book about simple church, not a complete work on the ins and outs of the house church movement.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Tyndale Blog Network.

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Review of The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity by Andy Andrews

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Genre: Allegorical Fiction/Motivational

Not Recommended!

The Final Summit is an interesting read. It fails, however, to offer a biblical perspective, and when I read Christian literature that’s the one thing which matters most.

The premise of the story is that God is mad at the world and planning to destroy it unless humanity can restore itself. There is a summit held in the heavenlies where prominent historical figures from all time (not necessarily Christian) and our ordinary hero, David Ponder, meet to “find the one principle that will save humanity.” I love the concept of historical figures coming together to discuss and learn from each other, and some (but not most) of the dialog was really interesting. The writing itself, unfortunately, was only okay: not riveting, not well researched, and predictable. And the theology was–well, it was like asking random people on the street what they think of God and recording its essence without ever having read the Bible.

These were the major theological problems I saw: 1) the nature and character of God in the story do not line up with the God of the Bible, 2) the characters are in heaven and yet God is not central to their thoughts or conversation–even after meeting God at close physical proximity they engage in humanistic, self-centered, thinking, and 3) there is only one thing that can save humanity–Jesus!–but this is not what the story’s heavenly summit found.

Even as a secular book, The Final Summit is only mediocre, but as a Christian motivational message it completely misses the mark.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogging Program through booksneeze.com.

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Review of My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren

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Genre: Christian Romantic Fiction

Series: Book Four of the Deep Haven Series

Recommended.

This is more than a typical romance novel! Isadora Presley is an agoraphobic radio talk show host still dealing with the pain of an accident, which took her mother and debilitated her father. Caleb Knight is a young disabled veteran back from Iraq hoping to coach high school football and blend into the small town of Deep Haven. Of course they fall in love–it’s a romance after all–but in the process they work through pains, insecurities and fears, and discover God’s overwhelming grace. There are a couple other main characters as well, whose stories accentuate and compliment the hero and heroine.

This is a lighthearted, easy read, which excellently portrays God’s love, redemption, and grace within the hurts and struggles of life. The characters are well developed and the plot is only as predictable as it needs to be–that is, there are enough surprises to keep it interesting, while still allowing for the story to develop in the way every romantic hopes. My Foolish Heart is also part of Warren’s Deep Haven Series, so the reader who enjoys this book, will likely enjoy the others as well; I have only read the one, and it felt complete in itself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Tyndale Blog Network.

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Miracles Among the Homeless

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I have been so encouraged in watching the mighty works of the Lord through my good friend as she (and now others with her) minister to the homeless in our area.

She started passing out lunches to homeless people–no big thing, in her mind–which moved into also eating lunch with the homeless, and eventually–to her surprise–became a larger thing: other people wanting to come and share in what the Lord is doing, others (even local businesses) donating food, clothing, and such to the “ministry” and still more coming to minister outright. The ministry is still young, but already they have had opportunities to lead people to know Jesus, and to see signs and wonders as He demonstrates His love among them. Here are a couple accounts of the miracles that have taken place among them:

Not too long ago, as they gathered, homeless people continued coming to them, so that they didn’t have enough food. But they read one of the stories of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes, prayed over the meal, and as they served the food, they witnessed it multiplying. The Lord provided so much that just as in the biblical accounts they had leftovers–even though there was not enough in the beginning. (And hungry people don’t exactly eat meager portions if they can help it.)  There was more than enough!

Another day, my friend put too much water in the coffee, and by the time they noticed, it was too late to fix it. She reports that it tasted TERRIBLE–more like water than coffee–but as her and another gal watched the homeless people drinking it down, they apologized to one man that it was so bad, and he responded in surprise. It was very strong coffee, he said, and very good. The Lord had changed hot water into strong coffee, and they hadn’t even asked for it. God knows what we need!

Miracles like these aren’t rare. One homeless man shared that God always supplies his needs. One time, he told them, he asked God for something very specific, and when he opened the dumpster, he found it right on top! When needs are prevalent, and faith is childlike, miracles happen.

I love you dear friend.  Thank you for walking faithfully before the Lord.  You have shown me that signs and wonders follow obedience and humility regardless of our expectations. 🙂

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Review of There is More: Reclaiming the Power of Impartation by Randy Clark

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Genre: Spiritual Growth/Biography

Recommended.

Randy Clark is best known for his prominent influence in the Toronto Blessing–the revival in Canada in the 1990s. Now that we are some time from the event of the Toronto Blessing, Clark shares his testimony, and the testimonies of others regarding the work of the Spirit, especially in regard to the impartation of the Holy Spirit during and after this occurrence. He writes, “I am writing this book to answer the question, ‘Where’s the fruit?’ I am responding to the critics because there has been time for those who were so powerfully touched to bring to the Master the sheaves of their harvest” (152). This statement adequately describes the purpose of most of the book. As one who is not so familiar with the Toronto Blessing, or even his ministry, Global Awakening, I found it very interesting to get ‘behind the scenes’ with Randy to discover his background (turns out he began as a Baptist) and the huge ways the Lord has used and anointed him in ministry. He also gives countless testimonies from others who experienced an anointing of supernatural power, deeper intimacy with God and exciting new manifestations of the Holy Spirit after receiving impartation at the Toronto Blessing.

A smaller portion of the book (the beginning and end) dealt with the material I expected to read. That is, the history and biblical basis for impartation, a good definition of impartation, and how we can prepare our spirits to receive this gift of grace. While his writing is succinct and informative, there is a lot he didn’t go into; I think another book could be written on impartation itself, and I’m not sure the sub-title truly fits the content of this book. Overall though, this is a book of powerful words and awesome testimonies: an inspiring read!

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Review of No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green by Melody Green and David Hazard (Legacy Edition)

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Genre: Biography/Autobiography

Highly Recommended!

This is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. Keith Green was a composer and musician who pursued God passionately and only became more passionate after finding the One he was looking for. His life was short, but his spiritual legacy still continues after his death.

I love how honest this account of his life is. Keith’s wife, Melody, writes his story (as well as her own) using clips of his personal journal entries and songs. She doesn’t shy away from sharing the questions and struggles he had in his pursuit of God, nor does she quench his deep passions and dreams. I was deeply encouraged by his boldness, fearlessness, love of God and people, and especially that within all these things, he still had questions, still made mistakes, and didn’t have it all together.

This is also a great book for a book club or Bible study. I read it along with a class I’m taking and we had many lively discussions. Almost all of us expressed the Holy Spirit had communicated to us through Keith’s life: encouraging us, exhorting us, creating more introspection into our lives, or bringing us to a new level of passion or intimacy with Him. I don’t usually read biographies, but this one was excellent! It has caused me to think deeply and live with a deeper awareness of the effect of my actions.

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Understanding Biblical Prophecy

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I was interested in prophecy even before I encountered the Lord: first, because it was thrilling and a bit frightening, and now because I love the Lord so much I want to know everything about what He’s doing. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned that can make the study of Biblical prophecy more enriching and productive:

1) The heart of all prophecy is the revelation of Jesus the Messiah. While it can be easy to get caught up in solving the riddles and filling out the charts, if we miss what Jesus is saying about Himself, then we’re missing the point. It doesn’t matter how much head knowledge we gain if the relational part is missing.

2) Jesus shares His deep secrets with His friends. Being a “Christian” doesn’t qualify us as being His friend–spending time getting to know Him does.  Understanding prophecy is very easy–it’s a lot of patience and a lot of listening, starting on a foundation of friendship. Jesus will reveal layer after layer of deep wisdom in His timing and as per His priority.

3) The Bible has a lot to say. When God speaks we should listen, yet when it comes to reading the Bible, many assume that it can’t mean what it says.  The truth is, the Bible is straight-forward most of the time. When we don’t understand, we should pray into it, rather than assume it must be saying something else.

4) It doesn’t take brilliance to hear from the Lord, but some study is required. I’ve met intellectual Christians who over-complicate simple spiritual truths and spend more time on the word level of the Bible than the main picture and miss the point; and I’ve met emotionally oriented Christians who trust in verses out of context and can’t rationally defend their faiths. Either extreme is not good, but we can trust that God has called all people, regardless of personality and ‘smarts’, to follow Him. Our relationship with Him takes diligence in both learning and listening.

5) Prophecy can’t be learned through books and commentaries! I’m not saying not to read commentaries, but to read them with care. Even if the author is brilliant and right on, spiritual wisdom must be passed through spiritual methods–it doesn’t help to have rote understanding of what may be if we can’t hear it from the Lord ourselves.  We must all cultivate our own relationships with the Lord.

6) End time prophecy is sealed until the appointed time. I strongly believe that the appointed time is quickly nearing and that we have increasingly more understanding of what the Spirit has been saying to the church since the beginning; but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We learn, and ask, and listen for understanding and are given it one new piece at a time. We need to be careful not to fill in the missing pieces with our own knowledge. It’s okay to admit that we don’t understand everything right now.

7) Prophecy is more than just the “prophetic” passages. To get God’s full message, we study everything He says and everything He does. We study the history of His people the Jews, the history of the church, and we even examine our own lives for clues to what He’s been doing in the past and present that reveal His heart for the future. It’s not just about Revelation and Daniel and so forth; when we know His heart, we know His battle plan.

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Review of Called to Worship by Vernon M. Whaley

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Genre: Academic Theology

Not Recommended, but OK.

I really wanted to like this book.  In fact, I’ve held off writing the review hoping I might change my mind, but I haven’t.

Called to Worship is written in a semi-textbook semi-personal style, which was not to my liking; but the main reason I didn’t like it is that it felt like something very important was missing from the text.  I can’t quite describe what it is–heart, maybe, or intimacy.  It’s just that, I have the best time worshiping the Lord; it’s a very tangible experience for me.  I sing to Him, I dance for Him, I paint with Him, I talk with Him.  Sometimes I lie on the floor and soak in the presence of God; other times I’ll kneel; I might even jump.  I might be overwhelmed with joy so much I can’t stop laughing.  Other times, I may feel my heart so bursting with love that I cry and begin to intercede for peoples or nations or situations.  I know that intimacy with the Lord varies per believer, and in fact, that’s one of the reasons I was interested in this book–to learn more about how others throughout scripture have connected with Him.  But that’s not what this book is for–it describes various aspects of worship without ever describing the heart of worship.  It’s on the one hand very thorough and yet lacks depth.

That said, the theology is pretty solid (though confined by his conservative worldview); the structure is easy to follow and can be read in independent chapters or as a whole; and for the reader who is looking into the study of worship for the first time, it gives a very nice introduction to various aspects of worship which could later be scrutinized in more depth.  I’m sure this book could be useful to someone, it just wasn’t to me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogging Program through booksneeze.com.

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