Book Review: Bold as Love by Bob Roberts, Jr.

Bold as Love 

By Bob Roberts, Jr.

This book really blew me away.  If you don’t like to be challenged, this book is not for you.  It reminds us, or teaches us depending on where you are in life, what loving like Jesus is all about.   It will show you how love can be hard and scary but possible with God.  I’m going to quote from the book in this review because there were so many nuggets of wisdom within its pages that I just have to share some of my favorites. 

“It’s time for us to learn to live our faith in public.  To do that, we must overcome our fears.”  I am blessed to know quite a few people who live their faith in public.  But sometimes I wonder if I am and I know the fears that I need to overcome are the fears of rejection and confrontation.  But as you read Bold as Love you’ll find that sharing your faith doesn’t need to be confrontational – and if you start with serving, sharing can come easier after the trust is there.  The author also reminds us that sharing our faith can be done “in a polite way”.  “I believe that Jesus really is the only way to God.  But that doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone else or that this gives me a right to be arrogant.  Truth is wrapped in boldness, but with humility, not arrogance or hate.”  I love that. 

Bold as Love does stress the relationship between Christians and Muslims.  And the author and his church strive for a relationship with their Muslim neighbors to make friendships and understand each other, even though they do not have the same beliefs.  While reading about this I learned about “multifaith” - different faiths coming together to achieve goals.  I have to say that multifaith is much more palatable than interfaith, which to me sounds like we’re all going to try to blend together.  That doesn’t work for me.  I can’t agree that Jesus is God and also that he’s just a good teacher or a prophet.  And I’m not going to give up my belief to be agreeable.  The author writes, “Multifaith not only respects but encourages religious people to say exactly what they believe, no matter how stark the differences.  But it encourages them to do so in the spirit of peace.”   I know this can sound scary, but if you read all the stories that the author brings from his life, you’ll see that it can work.  And you’ll be challenged to try it yourself.

I would strongly recommend this book.  It will make you think about things differently than you have before.  It will bring up ideas that are new to you.  At least it did for me.  I could discuss this book further, but I don’t want to write a book about the book – just get Bold as Love and read it.  You won’t regret it.

Book Review - Wild Grace by Max Lucado

This is quite frankly one of the best books I’ve read in a while.  I liked it so much that I immediately wanted to start a teen small group to use it.  I think all teens would be affected by this book.  The personal stories keep the book extremely interesting.  They lend themselves well to connecting to all teens, it seemed that whatever the circumstances, there was something that someone would be able to relate to.  The book did a great job of explaining God’s Grace in a way that was wonderfully understandable and moving. 

There were so many parts of this book that I wanted to highlight.  I chose not to because I may give the book to someone who is a little more in tune with the age group targeted.  As a person who works with junior youth age kids, I wanted to read it to see if I could use it in one of my groups. I think it would be appropriate for eighth graders, but may be a little too advanced for sixth and seventh, depending on how much the child has seen in his or her lifetime.  I thought some of the stories may have been more than  my sixth graders were ready for.

I would absolutely recommend this book and plan on reading the version for adults as well - Grace.  I got so much out of the teen version, I thought reading the one written for someone my own age may be even more beneficial.

Book Review:Why God Won't Go Away by Alister McGrath

I have to admit, I had never heard of the New Atheism until I read this book and, while I am not a scholar and this movement may have been relevant at some point, it does not seem to have been relevant enough to make it into the mainstream or be a vocal part of it now.  I enjoyed the book in that I learned quite a bit.  While the book was easy to read most of the time, it felt like it was a little repetitive.  The author makes good points and has convincing arguments against this movement, but to be honest, I’m not sure why anyone bothered with them.   They don’t seem to have a point other than people who believe in anything other than what they believe in are stupid.  I get the impression that they are the bullies from school that never did anything worthwhile with their lives and our now trying to bully people into following them.

If you are aware of this movement and want to read arguments against it, then this is a perfect book.  The author is highly intelligent and the book is well written.  Even if you want to learn about the New Atheism, this is definitely a good book to read.  Maybe given my belief in God, I just find them more sad than threatening so while I found the book interesting, I also had a hard time focusing from time to time.

A Fresh Start and a New Journey

One of the great realities that God offers to us is the opportunity to put the past behind us and begin anew.  If you are looking for a fresh start and a new journey, please join us for Fall Kick-Off on September 16th at The First Church of God in Oak Lawn, IL    Services are at 9 am and 11.             

For further information on The First Church of God see below, copied from the website,  and more at  First Church of God.

 

 The First Church of God

4600 W. 111th Street

Oak Lawn, IL 60453

(708)636-2620

. . . is a non-denominational Christian church.  We are a place where you can come and hear about the message of Jesus Christ in a non-threatening environment.  We feel that God has particularly called us to be a place where folks who have been hurt or disillusioned by religion can come and encounter God.  The reason we exist is to help people grow closer to God. 

Our services intentionally aim to bring the
message of Christ in an encouraging and relevant way.

Our mission is to help people experience a genuine, life-changing encounter with the living God and to grow into fully devoted followers of Christ.

"Helping Hurting People Find And Walk With God."

Book Review: The Mormonizing of America by Stephen Mansfield

I was eager to read this book for several reasons.  Within the last couple of years I had met the author at a benefit and had wanted to read one of his books, but had not yet decided which one.  When I got the opportunity to read this book, with its timely subject matter, I jumped at the chance.  I have looked into the Mormon faith before, having read other books, but wasn’t sure if what I was reading was well researched or written more for sensationalism.  I trusted that this book would be researched and hoped to get a look inside the Mormon religion.

As I had hoped, this book was well written, easy to understand and very engaging.  The author writes in fairness and empathy.  I learned a considerable amount about not only the Mormon religion but also the traits that give them their drive and determination.  Sometimes when you don’t know or understand a people, culture or religion there’s a tendency to be fearful or uneasy.  I have felt like that at times about the Mormon religion.  However, having learned through this book, it no longer makes me uneasy.  Although I do have to say that I thought the book might  clarify some of the crazier things that I had read, and not only did it affirm what I already knew about the religion, it added more elements to further cement my feelings on the topic.

All in all, it was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn from an unbiased source. 

Book Review - That's A Very Good Question!

That's A Very Good Question by Dan Marler

That's A Very Good Question by Dan Marler gives you the answers to a variety of questions that have been asked of Dan since he's been a pastor. The questions are good ones - "What does tolerance really mean?"  "God's will is scary for me. Is that normal?"  "What's the difference between religion and having a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ?" are just a few of my favorites.  The book is written with Dan's compassion, humility and quirky sense of humor.  While it was informative and made me think, it made me laugh at times as well.  It is easy to read and understand and I would highly recommend this book.

The Prophet, the Shepherd & the Star - Book Review

I am amazed and touched by the books by Jenny Cote - starting with the Ark, the Reed and the Firecloud, continuing through the Dreamer, the Schemer and the Robe to this newest book, The Prophet, the Shepherd & the Star. What a wonderful way to bring the Word of God to children in such depth and in such a way that they will thoroughly enjoy learning. Of course, it's important to explain to them the differences between the Word and the fictional parts of the book if they aren't already aware, but worth the effort! I was greatly impressed with this last book and the way it explained the prophecies. Bringing the words of the prophets to children in a way they can understand how the prophecies are linked is genius! I have suggested this book to everyone I know with a child in the proper age range for the reading level. My daughter loved all the books. I would love to see some Bible school curriculum evolve from these books. I can't wait for the next one to be released!