I Am A Follower - Book Review

I Am A Follower, by Leonard Sweet

This book captivated me in the beginning when the writer, Leonard, described an event at the Sasquatch Festival.
A lone man at this event started dancing on his own even though no one around him was engaged. He didn't care what they thought or if they watched, he was just happy dancing alone. It was a jerky, odd kind of dance with lots of tumbling and twisting. It wasn't what you would normally see every day.
After a few moments, another man came up and started dancing with him. Soon, others followed suit and everyone was dancing. It turned into a dance party movement and everyone was having a great time.
Just like Jesus, this first lone man was not embarrassed or afraid of what others might think of his bold moves. He continued to show others how much fun it was to be different and they followed suit.
Sometimes we are too afraid to be different and show others that we are indeed, followers of Jesus. It takes guts and determination to show how life could be if they followed Jesus, too.

The Voice New Testament: Revised & Updated

The Voice™ Bible translation was a gift to attendees at the Catalyst Atlanta Conference in October, 2011. I was not an attendee, but a volunteer and somehow missed getting a copy of this book. It was quite the topic of conversation and I made plans to get this book after I returned home.

I was absolutely surprised and pleased when I found out it was available for book review through Booksneeze.com. What a blessing!

I must say, I cannot put this book down. The stories absolutely come alive. Even though I have studied the bible and listened to many sermons at church, I found myself learning more about God's word through this book. It has a very personal touch and an easy flow.

I recommend this book to both bible scholars and ordinary, God-loving people... like me!

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

This book would make a great movie!

The characters and story line in this book are lively and interesting and I kept finding myself visualizing the story as a movie. It seems there are never enough Christian movies to watch these days and it would be refreshing to watch a new one. Especially this one!

The main character, Jonathan, is on a quest to find his birth mother and finds himself along the way. Totally arrogant and self centered, he has a tendency to use his power to get his way. This does not turn out to be the "norm" in Fairbanks, Alaska when dealing with the locals. He quickly learns different ways to get to the truth and eventually changes his heart and his mind about those who truly matter. A great story of forgiveness.

I found this book to be a quick read and finished it in about two hours. Not so much a surprise ending, but nonetheless, a great feel-good conclusion. I would recommend this book.

Start Something That Matters - Giveaway!

Giveaway Alert!

Follow my blog and you could win Blake Mycoskie's new book "Start Something That Matters". Deadline is December 25th. All you have to do is become a follower of my blog and post a comment below.

This is a great read and I find Blake's business model so inspiring. Not only does he work his business with a generous heart, he is willing to work through his mistakes and learn from them. Entrepreneurs who want to "Start Something That Matters" would benefit from reading Blake's story. I especially like how he generously treats his employees with love and respect. Many of his original interns are still with him today. Great testimony to the way others should be treated in life and in business.

Follow me and comment below!

A Year with Jesus

Book Review

I am almost done with my 100 day devotional so I am excited to get started with this new book "A Year with Jesus". It is 365 days and I can't wait to see how my life will evolve and change over the next year as I walk with Jesus and read His words daily.

Just looking at the cover, I can get a sense of peace from these words, "Make His Peace Your Peace". Just flipping through the book and reading random pages, I can see that this book is not only spiritual, but practical at the same time. There are some quotes from famous people other than Jesus who share their own struggles and accomplishments.

I cannot wait to connect more deeply with Christ Jesus through His words.

A Year with Jesus

Too many times the impact and grandness of the actual words Jesus spoke, as recorded in the Bible, are lost in the telling of the story. In A Year with Jesus, the primary focus is to allow the scriptures that contain Jesus' dialogue to uniquely speak to the reader. The author follows each reading with insights and applications to help explain the context and nuances of the text. The unique titling of each meditation and the nontraditional themes and organization help bring Jesus to our daily lives.

I just ordered this book and can't wait to use it! I have been changed these past few months by daily devotionals and writing and I don't want to stop feeling this way. I want to know more, and grow more through Jesus.

Lord, lead!

Going Deep by Gordon Macdonald

Dr. Gordon Macdonald, pastor and author, asks the question "what is a deep person"? Although the church is full of well-meaning people, are they truly able to make changes and create positive influence?

Dr. Macdonald challenges everyone to "go deep" in their faith and create a paradigm shift. Much like Francis Chan in "Crazy Love", there is an awakening in the idea that we are sometimes sleeping through our lives and just going through the motions. We need to shake it up and be alive with the Holy Spirit inside us.

Go crazy in love with your faith to truly make a life changing transformation for your community, home, and church.