Book Review: Always Fall Forward, by Todd Gerelds

Always Fall Forward-- Helping Christians Move Forward.

Many of us have learned lessons from great men. Todd Gerelds learned from his father, former coach of Woodlawn High School. In this book, he features these lessons in a weekly devotional format-- 52 "coachisms" that feature special lessons from a man very special to Gerelds.

What I really enjoyed about this book was that it gave practical phrases that are easy to remember-- things that a person can easily put into practice. The other thing that this book did a good job of was putting in good scripture passages to read that followed the application of the "coachism." Finally, good application questions to put some reflection in the reader's mind are also good helps to the reader.

Gerelds did a good job of creating a devotional here. I would have liked to have seen a schedule for Bible reading for each week, to make this a stronger devotional book. But otherwise, it is a good book. For these reasons, I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO PURCHASE:

https://www.amazon.com/Always-Fall-Forward-Lessons-Forget/dp/1496424808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520192299&sr=8-1&keywords=always+fall+forward+todd+gerelds

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Gerelds, Todd. Always Fall Forward: Life Lessons I'll Never Forget from "The Coach." Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum, 2018.

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

Book Review: Being a Christian, by Jason K. Allen

Being a Christian-- all about the Gospel

This book by Jason Allen, Being a Christian, is a book that I was looking forward to reviewing. It's a very good book. So many resources out there talk about the Christian life. There's a whole genre of literature that is dedicated to "Christian Living." But this book takes a different approach than many of these books. It gets back to the basics.

The very basic foundation of our Christian life is the Gospel. Each chapter of this book focuses on how the gospel impacts a different part of our life, beginning with how the gospel affects us personally and dealing with other parts of our life, such as marriage, family, money, and the church.

It's a shorter and simpler book than some "Christian Living" books, but that made me enjoy it more. It put principles right where anyone could reach it. This is low-hanging fruit, as some would call it, a basic help to any Christian on living out the gospel in different aspects of their lives. I would have liked more issues dealt with, but that can be done in other books. For these reasons, I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

WHERE TO PURCHASE:

https://www.amazon.com/Being-Christian-Jesus-Redeems-Life/dp/1462761933/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519928007&sr=8-1&keywords=being+a+christian+jason+allen

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Allen, Jason K. Being a Christian: How Jesus Redeems All of Life. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2018.

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

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.