One Person at a Time...

I Was Broke, Now I'm Not--Book Review

Monday evening I read Joseph Sangl's I Was Broke, Now I'm Not.  It's the most practical guide to getting finances under control I've ever read!  I've been through Crown Financial's materials, Good Sense Materials, and have read Randy Alcorn's books on money and stewardship--and all of them are excellent.  What makes I Was Broke, Now I'm Not stand out for me is that it is so SIMPLE--not easy, but simple.  It also challenges you to think not only about finances, getting out of debt, etc... but it starts with asking you to consider what you would be/do if money was not a stumbling block in your life.  That's a great question, isn't it?   How many times in my life has a lack of "spare" money, kept me from being able to do something that would advance God's kingdom? -- More times than I can count.  Sangl's book has given me a renewed commitment to get completely out of debt, so our family can be freed up to live fully as Jesus wants us to.  The next step is to PLAN, then IMPLEMENT the plan.  One of Sangl's best comments is "Thoughts and talk without action are babble."  Amen.  If I had a dollar for everytime I talked about becoming a more effective money manager (steward of God's resources), I would have more than enough money!  If you're looking for a practical guide to turning your financial life around, honoring God in that area of your life, and being debt free. I Was Broke, Now I'm not is for you.  See more at Joseph Sangl

Life Cycle of a Christian

I just finished WRITING Life Cycle of a Christian: A User's Guide to Life after Rebirth!  I'm enthusiastic about the process as the book comes out of many years of prayer, study and conversation with others about why some Christians grow and others don't.  The books ten chapters are:

1. Born Again
2. Babes in Christ
3. Childhood
4. Discipleship
5. Life in the Spirit
6. The Vital Role of Encouragement and Accountability
7. A Step Further: Mentoring
8. Why Some Christians Never Grow
9. Going "Home"
10. Leaving a Legacy

It's written with questions for discussion and growth at the end of each chapter, and while it will be beneficial for personal reading, study and action, it will be even more useful in a home group setting.  I'm working on getting some copies printed through a local printing company. If you're interested in getting a copy when they're printed let me know by posting a comment to this post.

A final note--the reason for the nine-day hiatus in blogging has been a devotion to finishing up Life Cycle.  I had hoped to finish it much sooner, since we're using it for some of our fall LIFE home groups here at New Life, but hoping and planning are two different things, so right now the LIFE groups are getting the books in 2 chapter booklets, until the books are printed.

The Shack...

Just finished reading "The Shack." I also just finished reading a review of it that said folks won't like it or be indifferent toward it. They'll love it or despise it! I can see that. I loved it! The "realness" of God comes through in ways that I've never experienced before. At the same time, I have a lot of questions I'd like to have "Papa" answer for me. One of the main ones is: Does anyone ever NOT come to you in the end? I most appreciated how William P. Young (and his collaborators) portray God's absolute love for each of us. Did you know that God is especially fond of YOU (and me, too!)? I also appreciated the descriptions of how Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit interact as three, while remaining in essence one. I know that many will find it hard to track with "Papa" being a black female for most of the book, or the Holy Spirit being an Asian woman, or even Jesus being a common looking middle eastern man (which He probably is!), but those things only made the book more interesting to me. I've always been able to "swallow the grain and spit out the chaff" when reading, watching, hearing, so the handful of things with which I struggled, are far out-weighed by the amazing portrayal of God, His grace and His GOODNESS in a fallen and hurting world. I give it two thumbs up, and can't wait for the movie!

Eat That Frog!

At the other end of the spectrum, I read Eat that Frog! by Brian Tracy today.  The sub-title:  21 GREAT WAYS TO STOP PROCRASTINATING AND GET MORE DONE IN LESS TIME  sums up the book quite well.  It's a how to that has a great deal of practical help if you're like me and want to make the most of each of the 24 hours that God gives you!  It's a quick read, but one you'll go back to over and over again to implement the advice that will make your time and your life more effective and more efficient!

Velvet Elvis

Read Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell today on the plane trip to Florida.  Awesome book!  Bell's writing style holds the attention from cover to cover, and what he says challenges, comforts, makes you laugh and makes you think.  My favorite quote in a book full of favorite quotes:  If there was ever anyone who didn't have a Messiah complex, it was Jesus!  Bell's transparency, especially about the emptiness of success without wholeness in Jesus AND his view of heaven and hell are worth the price of the book. 

I became a Christian...

I read a great book over the weekend by Vince Antonucci!  It's titled I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy t-shirt: Replacing Souvenir Religion with Authentic Spiritual Passion.  The book is a fascinating recounting of Vince's life as a non-believer (the first 20 years of his life!), of how NO ONE ever told him about Jesus, and how after becoming a follower, Vince's life has taken radical twists and turns.

While the book is filled with deep insights, couched in humorous and sometimes downright silly language, the most important point I took from the book was:  Jesus doesn't want to have a relationship with us. He wants us to ABIDE in Him. Vince recounts how he had a great friend, with whom he had a great relationship, and did many things together.  Then the friend moved away.  Despite the great relationship, Vince moved on.  He still calls the friend occasionally, but his life hasn't changed all that much because of the friend's move.  In the same way, if we have a relationship with Jesus, and that's it, then Jesus makes life better when He's "around," but if we get busy and forget to invest in the relationship it doesn't make all that much difference.  But if we are ABIDING in Jesus, that is if we have that "branch-vine" relationship that Jesus calls us to then we are in Him and He is in us.  Then, we can't live without Him!  We probably all know that, but Vince has a way of taking things that we all know and driving the home with powerful stories and illustrations.  Go out, buy it and read it ASAP!  You'll be challenged and changed if you take the book to heart.

The Case for the Real Jesus

Lee Strobel has done it again--he's taken a challenge faced by believers, gone to the scholars to get their input, and produced a READABLE apologetic response.  This one is titled The Case for the Real Jesus.  In it Strobel addresses six current attacks on the IDENTITY of CHRIST and reasonable and credible responses to them.  In Strobel's typical fashion, he provides volumes of evidence, but in a manner that is almost "down home."  The Case for the Real Jesus will give you helpful input for engaging friends who may have dismissed Jesus and adopted other "alternatives," AND it will deepen your own faith as you see time and again the reliablity of Jesus and the Bible!

"The Samson Syndrome"

In this not so recent release (Copyrighted in 2003), Mark Atterberry hits one out of the park with The Sampson Syndrome: What You Can Learn from the BADDEST Boy in the Bible.  Atterberry reviews twelve negative (read sinful) tendencies found in Samson and in "strong men" in general, and how we can overcome them through God's guidance and power.  This is a "must read" for anyone who wants to fulfill God's design and calling in life.  Thanks to Jim Brown for recommending it!

Change Your Heart Change Your Life

Dr. Gary Smalley's latest book:  Change Your Heart Change Your Life may well be the most important book I've ever read outside of the Bible.  Notice I didn't say that it was the "best" book I've ever read.  The reason I used the phrase "most important" rather than best, is that the book calls us to change the firmly held beliefs of our hearts to coincide with God's truth in the Bible, and in doing that to see our lives change.  That is vitally important!

The book is amazingly practical and as I read it, I found myself saying time and time again, "I knew that, but he makes it so much clearer and DOABLE than I've ever seen it before."  Smalley's premise is that we become what believe in our hearts, and that those beliefs are put there by our parents, the world, or by God's word.  Beliefs develop by a continual repetition of thoughts--taking literally thousands of repetitions to become beliefs.   For example, if a child grows up hearing her parents say, "You aren't as smart as your brother" over and over again, eventually she believes it.  It becomes a belief in her heart, and she will assume that she is NOT as smart as her brother.  It doesn't matter whether that child trusts Jesus as Savior and Lord, or not, the belief of her inadequacy will remain.  That's because trusting Jesus brings salvation, but it doesn't AUTOMATICALLY bring a change of beliefs.  That takes "hiding" God's word in our hearts as the psalmist put it.  Smalley contends that we must replace the firmly rooted wrong beliefs in our hearts, with God-given beliefs from Scripture.  The book gives specific, doable instruction as to how this happens.

I'm already noticing changes in my behavior that have resisted change for years.  As I meditate on God's word, particularly on the words that address the negative behaviors that come out of my negative beliefs, I'm seeing the behavior change, and eventually that would become the norm, as my belief changes.  THANKS to Dr. Smalley for this outstanding book!

Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way

Gary Chapman has apparently re-released a great book on handling anger!  (I say apparently re-released because the copyright lists 1999 AND 2007).  Chapman helps us understand that anger is not a sin, but we must learn to address it or it will result in sin in our life.  The format offers us opportunities for understanding how to address anger in our own lives, in our marriages, families, and in other people.  The book is both biblical and practical, and I commend it to anyone who has ever struggled with addressing anger in appropriate ways.