Jesus Outside the Lines, by Scott Sauls

With a title like this, who would not be curious about reading this book and finding out exactly what the concept of "Jesus outside the lines" means. 

Yes, that is what caught me - the title; the watercolor art was also quite intriguing for me, particularly because of the play on prime colors. Boxes around the title and blending in the colors - I knew I was interested in knowing what was inside the minute I saw the outside. And I was not disappointed. And I could not put this book down. I even read several chunks more than twice, because the reflections are complex. It is obvious that this book is the result of years of thinking and experiencing the outcome of christians' interaction with the non-christian world, whether positive or negative.

Forget about who says what and two sides of an argument! God created everyone, and God loves everyone - whether they agree with us or not. Scott Sauls has created a challenge for christians: being christian, as it is actually defined in the Bible and not by a certain concept, group or social trend. 

Loving people, and not just a nice, fluffy, rainbow-y love, but the one that cares, speaks up and even make people uncomfortable when necessary, for either party, is all throughout this book. Jesus Outside the Lines is all about reaching outside our comfort level and see people for their real worth, the sacrifice of Jesus, and moving towards them because they are eternal beings, with an honest, authentic motivation that reflects the character of God. 

Scott Sauls engages the reader and proves how relevant today's culture is to a christian, in that it is necessary to approach the needs of those who reject God, while loving and respecting them. And here is where the colors in the cover come in... Blue, red and yellow are blue, red and yellow; when they interact with each other, they become a new color. Something wonderful can be created by reaching out to others and being christian, not just by word, but by action.

Also, if anyone would be interested in going deeper into any of the concepts in the book, there is a well-marked pathway in the numerous books, movies and other reference materials. This would be a fantastic study book for those interested in studying the relationship between Christianity and the cultures and movements that mark today's society.

Well supported, easy to read and with deep ideas, I would definitely recommend this book, to christians and non-christians alike. Jesus Outside the Lines is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to know the character of Jesus. It may make some people uncomfortable, but I would suggest to take a deep breath and see if there is a window of opportunity to learn from Mr. Sauls.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers, in exchange for a review. This has not biased my opinion on the book or on the author.

Epic Grace, by Kurt Bubna

With that subtitle, I had no idea what to expect from this book...  

God loves you, just because - this is Epic Grace in a nutshell. A practical, non-nonsense way of reminding us that God is always present and that we can actually come close to Him in every circumstance, only if we allow ourselves to follow His voice, rather than feed our independence - our idiocy - and fail over and over again.

How often have we felt that we can do more that what we are currently doing? How many times have we been told that we have to behave in such way, complete all of these courses in church or even not shed tears at the loss of a loved one?  Yes, all of these are expected "christian" responses to every-day life occurrences; however, responding differently and just being a tad human does not imply that we fall away from God - it's just the opposite.  It is during these hardships and confusing learning periods that God talks to us and shows his magnificent grace towards us.  

Mr. Bubna reminds us that it is God's love and grace poured towards us in the most unexpected and difficult circumstances what shapes our characters and minds.  It is also His grace that shows His patience with us and gives us the opportunity to stand up after falling, learn and overcome.  He is the one that transforms trials into blessings and guides our steps back to Him when we are lost and overwhelmed by circumstances. It is all about God's epic grace opposing hopelessness and winning each time!

And just in case you have been lectured and lectured time and time again about all your shortcomings, don't worry!  Mr. Bubna is just like your next-door friend, with whom you can spend endless hours laughing about life and praising God for all the GRACE showering and even tempesting just to keep you in the path of hope.

This is a profound, yet easy to read book - be prepared to take a deep plunge and savor life's ups and downs and stay afloat with the author's goofy and thought provoking experiences that will constantly remind you of the hope we can have in God!

But maybe... just maybe... you would like to hear the author telling it all - and just because I am actually getting along with this blog post and embedding videos successfully...  Here is Mr. Kurt Bubna; please allow him to share his experience and wonder together at God's marvelous love poured out towards us:

     

The following are links to videos where you can watch the author addressing topics discussed in the book, just in case your interest has been tickled and your heart is longing to hear more about God's EPIC grace:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ_mE5vdx5E Week 1 – What do you think about grace?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNWbmTm5cSg Week 1 – Gracelet: Overcoming
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsH775kOutM Week 2 – Gracelet: Transforming Hardship into Blessing
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VF1rat1NjQ Week 3 – Going Deeper: Unexpected Gifts of Grace
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sqwSUqFkts Week 4 – Going Deeper: Finding Grace When We’re Lost
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HBGOc9EsVo Grace in Epic Proportions

I received  a complimentary copy of "Epic Grace" from Tyndale Book Publishers, in exchange of an honest review.  This has not biases my opinion on the book or the author.

 

Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day, by Garry R. Morgan

Garry A. Morgan defines religion as "an organized system of beliefs that answers ultimate questions and commends certain actions or behaviors based on the answers to those questions (p. 16).” In this book, he makes a short, but accurate description of different religions or beliefs, which he selected based on the previous definition; he provides answers to life questions from the different viewpoints. Each chapter is dedicated to one religion or sets of beliefs.

When skimming the index, I was a bit surprised that some chapters refer to more than one religion, or that there were several chapters for one, like Christianity or Islam.  Please bear with me in this respect.  It may seem obvious that the largest religions nowadays get some sort of special treatment.  However, Mr. Morgan also considers the different groups within a religion, which became to be unique whether by historical, doctrinal or even geographical reasons, like Evangelical or Protestant Christianity.  In other cases, he describes the changes the same religion has had with time. In other words, I was amazed at how informative this little book is, despite a simple – but challenging format; it is a taxing quest to concise and accurate with this topic.

I personally learned a lot from this book, and what I liked the best is that I can find in it the right information not only to use it myself (apologetically), but also to develop a better understanding about some movements or cultural products, like movies or pop music.  In this sense, this book is not exhaustive, but a sort of compass.  For instance, Mr. Morgan describes the political and historical context within which the Catholic church came to be, but he does not mention the worship of Mary or the saints in this chapter; he makes a reference to it in another part of the book.  I personally think that this fact would be more relevant in the chapter of the Catholic church.  However, it does not make the information Mr. Morgan provides less explicit or meaningful.  

I would definitely recommend this book as an introductory guide for someone who would like to become familiar with the main religious movements our time. It will also aid in identifying the different ideas that these beliefs have introduced in our schools, culture, institutions and even business enterprises. As I said, it is not exhaustive, but it is definitely informative and contemporary.  It would be the first step in understanding the great kaleidoscope that has been formed due to immigration and social interaction. Personally, this book made me want to know more about some of the details the author describes; I had to go to the internet and research more on some topics – this makes it a good book for me.  With the overwhelmingly vast web sources, it definitely made it easier to refine searches.

Only a vast experience and deep understanding could make a book like this so simple in format, yet so meaningful.   

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany Publishers, in exchange for an honest review.  In no way did this bias my opinion on the book or on the author.

No More Christian Nice Girl, by Coughlin & Degler

Today, we face the realities of a “social church” that seldom faces facts, acts in the sweetest way possible to “be a good witness,” and likes sermons and ways that are soft, delicate and sweet, just because someone is Christian. As a result, many well-intentioned women end up trying to please everyone else but themselves - or God, accomplishing nothing more than becoming a doormat for those who like abusing others. As a consequence, even the own identity is lost and life becomes a constant struggle, resulting in frustrated and broken relationships. 

This is the reality the authors say drove them to write this book. Both are experienced counselors, and it shows both, in their biblically-found advice and in their easy narration. Yes, you might find yourself soaring through the truths, jokes and challenges, while you learn that assertive, respectful and graceful words (somewhat surprising, but sincere) are more powerful than nice ones (those expected and wanted), even if this might result “offensive” to those who like to use women. It might be a challenge, but as the authors put it, confrontation will lead into intimacy and better relations.

This book is very easy to read; the authors have a relaxed and straightforward way that invites the reader to go on. However, I found myself identified with some situations and had to take a pause and ponder about it before reading on, and this does not happen to me with any book, which is another fact I liked about this one. I even read some chapters twice.

A great asset, at the end of each chapter, the authors include a series of questions that might be used for study in small groups or for personal reflection. They also invite the reader to go to certain verses in the Bible and study how the principle they it includes, this book might not be needed and the authors be out of work!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for review, but this does not bias my opinion on the book nor the authors.

If God, Why Evil? by Norman L. Geisler

How many times have people questioned God because of disease, wars, natural disasters, death of loved ones, abuse, and other painful situations?  What is worse, Christians often seem to be unable to find biblical answers to those in need of comfort.  This is where this book is crucial. In a practical, sharp, thorough and precise way, Mr. Geisler makes an exhaustive exposition about Evil, considering different worldviews, and demonstrating why the existence of Evil even proves God’s.  

So far, it is the only book about evil I have read that is a match for any philosopher more interested in human goals, which might sound very good, but are just a path away from our Creator.  Despite its deep argumentation about Evil, including its nature, origin, persistence, purpose, avoidability, physicality, its apparently miraculous and eternal (Hell) nature, as well as those who have not heard about God, the author makes it very easy to read and provides every day examples that enlighten what he explains. He never ceases to patiently and accurately consider statements and critiques, leading the reader through logical argumentation, arriving to the answers of questions that seemed to be so distant, always with a sound, Biblical foundation. And, in case the reader is in need of further study, this book is also a compendium of materials that will allow anyone to know more about any of the worldviews referred to – the author himself recognizes that he cannot include every single question about evil he has been asked, or every single argument within human knowledge. 

The author includes three appendices. The first one is about animal death before Adam; I consider it to be a good introduction to the matter, as it refers to the different theories about creation. The second appendix is about evidence for the existence of God; it includes apologetic arguments that every Christian should know.  Just as in the rest of the book, they include good references the reader can go to, if interested in the topic.

The third appendix is a summarized critique about “The Shack,” a very popular book that attempts to comfort people who have lost a loved one. It seems odd that Mr. Geisler included it, but after reading it, I understood why; as accepted as “The Shack” is, I consider that it is far from the God of the Bible.  The whole article is found in the author’s website.

Overall, this is an invaluable apologetic tool that should be in every committed Christian’s library.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a review. This did not bias my opinion on the book, nor on the author.