My Review of THE GOSPEL OF YES by Mike Glenn

How we view God is the most important thing about us and the thing that shapes our approach to all of life, but what if your view of God could be summarized in his use of the word “no”? That seems to be the struggle for many Christians and even non-Christians, that God wants to limit you and keep you from anything you might truly enjoy. And this view of God in itself is very limiting to how we live our lives. It either keeps us from doing things that God may in fact want for us because we believe just the opposite. Or it may keep us from God himself because we want to do what we want to do, and we don’t want God stopping us. Really, either way we’re kept from a close connection to God because we greatly misunderstand who he is and what he wants for us.

Mike Glenn, pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, argues that our view of God should really be summarized by the word “yes.” In his new book THE GOSPEL OF YES, Glenn walks us through a journey of a God who is passionate about the great purpose for which he created all things and humanity specifically. God, who is infinitely good and loving, is really all about saying yes, and this is affirmed throughout the Bible beginning with God’s “yes” to create. Of course, God does tell us no when the things we’re doing are destructive to us. Glenn carefully and beautifully articulates the heart of God toward humanity in his great love for us and great sadness at our sinfulness, which mars the image of God in us and corrupts the purpose for which he created us. God’s “yes” is his divine intention, and it is unbelievably good.

God’s divine intention for our good was so great that not even our sinfulness was going to stand in the way of God doing everything he could to undo what our sin has done. Jesus is the summation of God’s “yes” to humanity. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s “yes.” In Christ, we find new life and a unique destiny that each of us are meant to fulfill. God created each of us for a purpose. We can choose to deny God’s divine intention for us, but we’d be missing out on a truly satisfying purpose for which we were made.

Using personal stories and God’s revelation of himself in Scripture, Glenn invites us into a journey with God as he really is. THE GOSPEL OF YES does a great job of dismantling our misconceptions about God’s character and repaints a biblical picture of a God who is passionate about his glory and our good. Christians everywhere need to read this book.

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own

My Review of PRAYING WITH THE GRAIN by Dr. Pablo Martinez

Should everyone pray the same way? Will one way to pray be equally effective for all people? Dr. Pablo Martinez, in his book PRAYING WITH THE GRAIN, suggests that the answer is no. Everyone is different, and everyone operates from their own unique combination of personality traits. Therefore, what works for one person in their prayer time with God may not work for another. The point of praying, after all, is to connect with God, but in order to be successful in making the connection, we need to pray in a way that nurtures that connection most according to our personality type.

Dr. Martinez presents several interesting findings about personality type affecting prayer, such as the difficulty extroverts have with developing a regular prayer time by themselves because of the isolation, or how introverts value that isolated time alone with God. The book explores the different aspects of personality and gives tips on what prayer practices people should take according to their personality.

I had a couple of drawbacks with the book. First, I think it’s important that people develop different ways to pray, but I don’t think anyone should reject a way of praying simply because it’s uncomfortable. The book didn’t really make that suggestion, but I felt it needed mentioning. Second, the author talks about the ideal personality is balanced. Though it would be ideal to be balanced between extroversion and introversion, etc., readers may get the impression that they need to work on changing their personality, as if God didn’t design them with the personality traits they have.

Overall, the book is an interesting look at how to be more intentional about our prayer time with God, and it’s a good read for anyone wanting to learn more about ways they can pray.

I received this book for free for review from Kregel Books, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own

My Review of THE EXPLICIT GOSPEL by Matt Chandler with Jared C. Wilson

THE EXPLICIT GOSPEL by Village Church pastor Matt Chandler contains the clearest and most compelling explanation of what the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ is and what it does that I’ve ever come across. Walk into most churches in America on a Sunday morning and you’ll likely hear a sermon on some kind of behavioral change that Christians need to adhere to. While change is good and should be a part of the journey of walking with Jesus, Chandler reveals the tendency of churches to assume the gospel. The danger is to spend so much time talking about behavioral transformation that we ignore the very thing that is meant to fuel that transformation. We assume people know the gospel, so we don’t spend much time on it. But, as Chandler reveals through his brilliant explanation of the gospel, most people don’t know the gospel as clearly as we may think. An assumed gospel leaves people exhausted with trying to earn God’s approval through our own work when God’s approval has been freely given to us not because of anything we’ve done, but because Jesus’ righteousness has been imputed to us through faith in him.

Chandler explains two important perspectives, or narratives, of the gospel revealed in the Bible. The first narrative he calls “the gospel on the ground.” This narrative is God, Man, Christ, Response. This is the gospel as God’s means of saving individual people, and it is all about elevating the glory of God. Chandler clearly explains the betrayal sin is against God’s glory, the need for God’s justice to be met, and God’s deep love for humanity in satisfying his own justice through the atoning death of Jesus. The second narrative, which Chandler calls “the gospel in the air,” shows that though God is about saving individuals, his redemption is far-reaching to the whole of his creation. Man’s sin has disrupted the created order, and man’s salvation ends in a restored creation where God and man live together forever. “The gospel in the air” is about the importance of Christians to live lives of love and mercy within the culture we live in.

After walking us through the two narratives of the explicit gospel, Chandler gives some caution about focusing on one of the two narratives to the exclusion of the other. There’s a need for balance because God is clearly about both narratives.

Finally, Chandler returns to the idea of behavioral transformation, but this time having laid the foundation of transformation with an explicit, instead of assumed, gospel. He describes our role in sanctification as “grace-driven effort.” While many churches assume their people have the gospel down, THE EXPLICIT GOSPEL envisions communities of faith that find their motivation and fuel for life transformation through a clear understanding and embracing of the gospel. It’s not about us or what we do. The gospel is about what Jesus did. We are free because Jesus has set us free.

I loved this book. I’ve been listening to Matt Chandler on the Village Church’s podcast for years, and I’ve always felt God uses him to communicate the Scriptures really well. Every church and every Christian needs to read this book because, like Rick Warren has said, “It’s that important.” An embracing of the gospel as Chandler describes will change everything.

I received this book for free for review from Crossway Books, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own

My Review of QUEST FOR CELESTIA by Steven James

Review of SHAKE THE WORLD by James Marshall Reilly

The world of business is changing as more and more people are starting their own businesses instead of relying on merely a resume to try to get a job in a broken economy. A generation of young people are becoming intentional about creating a life they can feel truly makes a difference in our world. Writer James Marshall Reilly records many of the stories of this new generation in his new book SHAKE THE WORLD. Reilly conducts in-depth interviews with some of the leading professionals in this area such as Black Mycoskie of TOMS shoes and Jessica Jackley of Kiva. What Reilly discovers about the people he focuses on in the book is a drive that all of them share to not just make money, but to generate global change through the things that they do.

The book looks at several characteristics that these leaders share so that readers can learn from their examples. One of the core characteristics of these leaders is that they approach solving ordinary problems in extraordinary ways. They take calculated risks. They make sure they search out what is they were designed to do with their lives. As the back of the book says, they’re not out simply to find a job, but to create a life.

People want to do something meaningful with their lives, and Reilly’s book provides the encouragement and insights on how to approach creating a life of meaning and purpose that effects change in the world. SHAKE THE WORLD is a great resource for anyone struggling with employment in today’s economy, and it will be an especially helpful book to graduates.

I received this book for free for review from Portfolio, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own

My Review THE HUNGER GAMES & THE GOSPEL by Julie Clawson

Review of CRAFTING NOVELS & SHORT STORIES from Writer's Digest Books