Book Review: The Assist, by Brian Smith

The Assist-- a game-changer.

Those who know me know that I love sports. If you are reading this review on the site of The Sunday Morning Quarterback, you obviously can recognize this too. One question that I have been asked often through the years is this: how can someone glorify God through sports? In this book, Brian Smith of Athletes in Action endeavors to answer this question on many different levels, from winning and losing to the gray areas that are often prevalent in sports.

This book provides an excellent Biblical perspective on sports. It is able to do this for one reason-- its foundation is in the right place. By putting the issues of "Glory" and "God" first, this book is able to keep the rest of the Christian outlook on sports in perspective.

It is critical for any Christian athlete, coach, official, and fan to have a Biblical basis for sports. This book, specifically addressed to athletes, provides a good Biblical basis for a Christian's sports worldview. I know that the author's ministry is primarily to athletes, but I would fully support future books directed to other sports participants-- the coaches, officials, and fans. A very good book, and for me, is worth 5 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Assist-Gospel-Centered-Glorifying-through-Sports/dp/1632961814/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519832054&sr=8-1&keywords=the+assist+brian+smith

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Smith, Brian. The Assist: A Gospel-Centered Guide to Glorifying God Through Sports. Houston, TX: Lucid Books, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lucid Books, in exchange for an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Book Review: Men Who Love Fierce Women

Powerful and insightful. Highly Recommended.

I'm going to shoot straight here: I loved this book. When I first requested to review this book, there was something about it that drew me to it. I received the book and realized why:

This book is about me.

Yes, I know the Wagner's wrote this book about their marriage. Yes, I know that I am still not engaged (sorry about that Kaitlin!). Yes, I know that our relationship is still strong. But for me, I need to change some aspects of my life. The author's talk about fear, ingratitude, and pride: I exhibit all 3. This book really made me look inside my heart and see what I need to do going forward. This is one of the easiest ratings I have ever given: 5 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Men-Who-Love-Fierce-Women/dp/0802414656/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519744115&sr=8-1&keywords=men+who+love+fierce+women

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Wagner, Leroy and Kimberly. Men Who Love Fierce Women: The Power of Servant Leadership in Your Marriage. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2016.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the MP Newsroom book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Book Review: Brand Fans, by Aaron C.T. Smith, Constantino Stavros, and Kate Westberg

Perhaps nothing excites members of our society more than sports. Many of us love sports and have our own favorite teams. These teams have found ways of marketing to individuals that have succeeded. This book seeks to investigate these secrets and shed light on them for anyone in business or another consumer generated part of culture. 

Chapter 1 introduces us to the brand “game” that is played by sports teams all over the world and how this branding moves people from emotion toward their team to engagement with their team. Chapter 2 looks at the players in this brand game—specifically, us as the fans of these teams. Chapter 3 details how the brand game has changed with the fans more involved and how these fans really do control what the marketing departments put into play. Chapter 4 looks at how each team becomes a community with its fans, almost to the point of being a tribe. Chapter 5 delves into the longevity of fandom, and how many take this fandom of one team throughout their entire lives. Chapter 6 repackages the brand game in the digital age, showing how the different sports brands use the digital market to their advantage. Chapter 7 gives even more details on bringing in fans and how to continue to enhance a team’s market. Chapter 8 concludes with some remarks about how the future of brands and fans will play out.

As a Christian and a sports fanatic, I read this book from 2 different perspectives. From the Christian side—there are ways that we can bring people into our church and do a better job of “marketing” Christianity. But that does not mean that we should sacrifice our beliefs and most importantly the Gospel. From the sports side, I appreciated this look at the different marketing techniques that teams use and will be looking for the different principles used as I watch sports and view sports teams going forward. For these reasons, I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. 

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319488530

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Smith, Aaron C.T., Constantino Stavros, and Kate Westberg. Brand Fans: Lessons from the World's Greatest Sporting Brands. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Book Review: Devotional Fitness, by Martin Radermacher

When it comes to society today, one of the things that we value above all is physical fitness. Many websites and books are dedicated to this very topic. This book, while about fitness, also explores the religious side of physical fitness and the role that religion plays in people exercising in their daily lives.

Chapter 1 of this book is merely the introduction to the book itself. Part 1 gives the background to the research with chapter 2 covering previous works on the topic and chapter 3 giving the goal, theory, and method of this specific work. Part 2 dives into the research material, with chapter 4 looking at how the ideal body has been shaped through the years and chapter 5 detailing a history of how evangelicals have viewed and used the physical body through history. Part 3 is an analysis of all that has been mentioned previously. Chapter 6 gives practical resources to implement better practices of devotional fitness. Chapter 7 looks at the environments that this devotional fitness exists in. Part 4 gives some concluding remarks in two chapters, with chapter 8 reconsidering the results that have been found and chapter 9 giving the final word of the book.

This book presents some interesting thoughts. I feel that the church should do different physical things to help reach out to their community and to improve the health and well-being of the church itself. This book will present me with some things to think about as I venture into full-time ministry. For these reasons, I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319498218

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Radermacher, Martin. Devotional Fitness: An Analysis of Contemporary Christian Dieting and Fitness Programs. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Book Review: Dickens, Religion, and Society, by Robert Butterworth

Charles Dickens was one of the most prolific authors of his time. Many of his stories are still read today. Here’s the kicker though—many of his stories also had religious undertones. This book explores Dickens’ takes on religion as well as society.

Chapter 1 specifically looks at Dickens and religion. Chapter 2 looks at his responses to the Christian social attitudes of his day. After these introductory chapters on Dickens and religion, the next 5 chapters are spent covering individual books on this topic:

• Chapter 3—Oliver Twist
• Chapter 4 introduces the next three books.
• Chapter 5—Bleak House
• Chapter 6—Hard Times
• Chapter 7—Little Dorrit

Chapter 8 transitions from religion to society, with a specific look at Dickens and politics. 2 more books are covered in this section:

• Chapter 9—Barnaby Rudge
• Chapter 10—A Tale of Two Cities

Chapter 11 concludes the book with Dickens and sentimentality and what it really meant to him.

I felt that this book was an interesting perspective on Dickens. The religion of authors often plays a huge role in their writing, and this did not change for Dickens. Societal perspectives also contribute to writings and Dickens was a master of using and abusing society in his writings. For these reasons, I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9781137558701 

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Butterworth, Robert. Dickens, Religion, and Society. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2016.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Book Review: Thanks for Asking, by Mike Larsen

Questions Asked, Questions Answered

We live in an age of questions. If there is a topic to discuss and a question to ask, we tend to ask that question. Things of God are no exception to this. Mike Larsen, the pastor of Encounter Christian Church in Bellflower, California, allowed the people of his church to ask him and his staff questions. These questions turned into a sermon series and eventually this book.

This book seems to be written directly from the sermons that were given. The style is very sermonic, and thus, very conversational. Rather than becoming a high and mighty discussion of certain topics, Larsen brings the topics discussed right to where the layman can understand.

The topics discussed are:

• Evil

• Alcohol
• Divorce
• Homosexuality
• God's will
• Religions
• God's judgment
• Suffering

Questions are often asked about all of these topics, and through Biblical study, Larsen does a good job of answering these questions. He is very thorough in his analysis of each issue and presents very good illustrations to show how the principles can be applied.

Personally, I found this book to be a very good resource for me as a future pastor. It's not because I could take each of these chapters and preach it straight as a good sermon, although that could probably be true (NOTE: I never plan to do that and plagiarize this great work). But for me as a future pastor, this great book is an example of how to handle very difficult questions. For these reasons, I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Asking-Equipping-answers-questions/dp/1632961792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518723217&sr=8-1&keywords=thanks+for+asking+larsen

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thanks-for-asking-mike-larsen/1127695624?ean=9781632961792

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Larsen, Mike. Thanks for Asking: Equipping God's People with Answers to Life's Tough Questions. Houston, TX: Lucid Books, 2018.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lucid Books, in exchange for an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Book Review: Can God Defeat Terrorism?, by Scott Solana

A legitimate question with Biblical answers

When we consider our world, we often think about the constant terrorist threats that arise. We fear ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other groups that have threatened our country and our military. It is only natural to then ask the question, "Can God defeat terrorism?" Through examples from the books of Jonah and Nahum, Scott Solana finds that God has defeated terrorism and can do it again.

In these 2 books, the nation of Assyria is the Biblical terrorists. Their rule and conquest were characterized by turmoil and torture. What we would consider terrorism now, was what they did on a daily basis to Israel, Ammon, Moab, and any other nation that was living in the Middle East. But God, through His great grace in Jonah and His great power in Nahum, was able to defeat that terrorism.

This book was a new look for me. I had never considered that Assyria was truly a terrorist nation. But this provides a new perspective for me on what God wants to do with those people. He wants to show them His grace, just as He did for Nineveh. For these reasons, I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Can-Defeat-Terrorism-Scott-Solana/dp/1633570576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518722738&sr=8-1&keywords=can+god+defeat+terrorism

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Solana, Scott. Can God Defeat Terrorism?. Colorado Springs, CO: CrossLink, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Book Crash book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review: The Air I Breathe, by Louie Giglio

When I think of my life, I truly believe that the one word that must describe it in everything I do is worship. Louie Giglio feels the same way. As the founder of the Passion movement, he has seen worship grow and change for years. Yet here in this book he defines what worship truly is.

This book makes worship into a lifestyle, as it should be. Every person on the planet is programmed to worship. What we choose to worship is up to us. Giglio does a good job in teaching about putting our focus on Christ in our worship. While this is not the best book on worship that I have ever read, it is a good one. Giglio's book poses good questions to us in worship (literally, with group discussion questions at the end). For these reasons, I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO PURCHASE:

https://www.amazon.com/Air-Breathe-Worship-Way-Life/dp/0735290717/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518721516&sr=8-1&keywords=the+air+i+breathe+louie+giglio

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Giglio, Louie. The Air I Breathe: Worship As a Way of Life. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Blogging for Books book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review: The American Exception, Volumes 1 & 2, by Frank J. Lechner

America—an exceptional nation. This is the basis of this series of books. I have included both volumes of this book in the same review because they really do flow together. Frank J. Lechner in these 2 books looks at perspectives on the thinking that the American nation is truly exceptional.

VOLUME 1: Chapter 1 introduces the idea of the “American Exception.” While it is often easy to define America as exceptional, there are others who would scoff at this. Therefore, it is important now to study the exceptional nature of America. Chapter 2 looks at the different perspectives that people have on the American Exception. These perspectives are the American perspective, Tocqueville’s perspective, the Socialist perspective, and the Anti-American perspective. Chapter 3 looks at the American Exception regarding religion. Megachurches, evangelicalism, civil religion, and missions are all discussed. Chapter 4 deals with the American Exception and the law. Capital punishment, adversarial legalism, the Constitution, and the U.S. in international law are all topics under examination. Chapter 5 is the last chapter of volume 1 and looks at the American Exception in sports. Baseball, football, racial issues, and world sports are discussed at length in this chapter.

VOLUME 2:Chapter 1 of the second volume continues by looking at the American Exception in the realm of economics. Housing, financial market growth, opportunity and mobility, and the U.S. in world economics are all looked at here. Chapter 2 delves into the American Exception in different government programs. Healthcare, welfare, citizenship regarding race, and immigration are all looked at here. Chapter 3 looks at the American Exception in the media. Music, TV, media moguls, and the U.S. in global movies are all looked at. The final chapter of these 2 books is the American Exception in America’s power. The war on terror, military force, America’s mission, and the U.S. in the global empire are all looked at here. 

Since I reviewed 2 books for this, rather than out of 5 stars, I will rate these books out of 10. America is truly an exceptional nation, but we have much work to do to keep it that way. These books provide good perspectives on that. For these reasons, I give these books 8 stars out of 10.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9781137587169 AND http://www.springer.com/us/book/9781137587190

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Lechner, Frank J. The American Exception, Volumes 1 & 2. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Book Review: The Ulysses Delusion

What makes a good novel good? This is the question presented by Cecilia Konchar Farr in The Ulysses Delusion. For too long there has been a consensus that has remained unchallenged. There are novels on best-seller lists and in other places that Farr questions the positioning of. Her point in writing this book then is this: “I just want us to start talking, authentically, realistically (xix).” So, let’s talk, and see what we can find an answer to our initial question.

Section 1, “The Crime,” deals with the crime that has become literary criticism. Farr attempts to right that crime. In chapter 1, Farr argues for a different take on criticizing the novels that we read. Chapter 2 delves into the class biases that inherently exist in the novels that we choose. Section 2 then takes principles and goes into case studies. These are studies on:

•  Chapter 3 – Lolita      
•  Chapter 4 – Oprah’s Book Club      
•  Chapter 5 – “Chick Lit”      
•  Chapter 6 – 50 Shades      
•  Chapter 7 – Jodi Picoult     
•  Chapter 8 – Atlas Shrugged      
•  Chapter 9 – Harry Potter      

Section 3 is composed only of Chapter 10, which presents Farr’s final goal of this book- a new way of book critiquing. Her emphasis here is clear: find out why you think a book is good. I have to agree here. Not all the books that I have reviewed are good. I have not enjoyed them all. Some of them are by good authors, yet I have not liked them. But we must each decide why we think a book is good. For this reason, I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9781137553621

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Konchar Farr, Cecilia. The Ulysses Delusion: Rethinking the Standards of Literary Merit. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2016. 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.