The Sky Is Not Falling by Charles Colson

The Sky is Not Falling: Living Fearlessly in These Turbulent Times by Charles Colson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Issues dealt with in this book include the decay of American society and how we as Christians can confront this to bring about change. Looking at what postmodernism is and how to confront it, often we are no longer able to use Scripture to present our worldview. Rather, this book provides avenues for confronting our culture and showing the logical conclusions to postmodernism, even without using Scripture to combat it. The church needs to be involved in our culture and society, not hiding away in our own little Christian bubble. Being involved in politics, getting involved in our neighborhoods, helping to bring about change in our own sphere of influence.

We have to confront the worldview of society around us and show that its logical conclusion is chaos. Rather, the Christian worldview provides a framework for society to regain some moral ground and confront the problems we face. Christians are not just about the issues of abortion and homosexuality. We want to see other issues addressed, justice for the oppressed, freedom for the human trafficked, basic human rights provided. We can work together with our neighbors and communities to address these issues and bring about change.

This book was a realistic look at where we are in America, yet provides hope that there is still the possibility for America to turn around and reverse the cultural decay we see around us. But in order for this to happen, the church has to take a stand and get involved.


*This ebook was provided to me free by the publisher (through netgalley) in exchange for my review.

Quotes:

“…the two sides of today’s civil war – the two worldviews competing for our allegiance – a postmodernism rooted in the will to power contrasted with a biblical faith rooted in the will of God. Which will America choose?”

“…to show people that their assumptions, if lived out consistently, would lead to destructive and inhumane consequences. Today people are beginning to recognize the soul-destroying consequences of postmodernism, and now is the time to press them to see the wisdom of biblical truth.”

“It’s the perfect postmodern answer to lying: It’s perfectly acceptable to reinvent ourselves, because what we say and do matter less than how people perceive us.”

“Worldviews do matter. The dominant attitude of recent decades says there are no moral truths – that we should simply live for the moment and get whatever we can out of life. This worldview has led to the crisis in truth we are experiencing.”

“But if all thoughts are the result of atoms knocking about in our brains, there is no reason to regard them as trustworthy or true – including the thoughts of the naturalist. Thus naturalism leads to the conclusion that the philosophy itself is not true.”

“Judgment always begins with God’s people. So the first message of the church must point to our own need for repentance. And if we are honest, we have much to repent for; our idols look little different from the culture’s.”

Nick of Time by Tim Downs

Nick of Time by Tim Downs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tim Downs has done it again. The latest Bug Man novel is another funny and suspenseful tale. This time Nick is days away from getting married when a case catches his attention and steals him away from the wedding preparations, much to the chagrin of his fiance. Nick and his bugs and Alena and her dogs - what's not to like? The twists in the story - did not see those coming. Easy to read, this page-turning novel doesn't end exactly like you would think it would. But it ended very typically for a Bug Man novel. I can't say too much about it without giving things away. Nick's conversations are hilarious, his quick wit not very charming to those he is conversing with, but funny to the reader.


*This ebook was given to me free from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my review

This was also the 100th book that I completed for 2011. I made my goal!

Remainder of Year Goals

I've completed 99 books so far this year with my goal being to read 100. I think my chances are pretty good of reaching that goal. :-) Here is the list of books that I want to finish reading by the end of the year. 11 total, so if I finish these then I will have completed 110 books. The most books I've ever finished in a year (since I started keeping track), is 101.

-The Sky Is Not Falling by Charles Colson (Netgalley review book; currently reading)
-Nick of Time by Tim Downs (Netgalley review book; currently reading)
-Disciple by Bill Clem (Netgalley review book; currently reading)
-Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker (currently reading)
-Nobody's Child by Austin Boyd (Booksfree book; currently reading)

-Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith (currently reading;  haven't picked up in a while)
-Becoming a True Spiritual Community by Larry Crabb (currently reading; haven't picked up in a while)

-Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter (Booksfree book)
-A Place to Belong by Lisa Troyer (Netgalley review book)
-What Is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert (Netgalley review book)
-How Evil Works by David Kupelian (requested through library; not available yet)

I'm trying to finish these 11 before I request any more Netgalley review books or any inter-library loan books.

Book 99: The Gospel Commission by Michael Horton

"...concerned that American Christians are consumers rather than transformed followers of Christ..."

"...responding to a genuine crisis: namely, the reduction of the gospel to 'fire insurance' and 'sin management,' with the inner life of believers left to the distractions of a culture that prizes busyness in the world more highly than being alone with God in prayer and meditating on his word. Some believers have been taught that Jesus can be one's Savior without being one's Lord. However, this is a serious error. Discipleship is not an optional extra. Disciples often misunderstand and disobey their Lord, but they follow him. If we are not followers of Christ, we are not his disciples. That is to say, we are not merely 'carnal Christians' - second-class believers who are saved but will lose their rewards. Rather, we are not Christians."

"In Matthew 10:24-42, Jesus teaches us what it means to be a disciple in his kingdom, emphasizing that is is a matter of literally following the Master by learning and living. The Great Commission itself ties discipleship closely to the public ministry: proclaiming the gospel to every person and 'baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you' (Matthew 28:18-20). Being Christ's disciples means bringing people into the sphere of the church's ministry of preaching and sacrament. It involves being instructed not just in the basics of biblical teaching, but in everything Jesus commanded for our doctrine and life."

Ephesians 4:12-16 "From this ministry of preaching, teaching, and sacrament - that builds us up into Christ - every member expresses his or her discipleship as new creatures through their daily interaction with believers and their non-Christian neighbors."
"Jesus does call us to discipleship, not just to 'making a decision.'"
"Being disciple involves a whole formation of life, with new choices, habits, and virtues that exhibit new character."
"Disciple formation can only occur in community..."

"Christian discipleship is a lot like craftmanship. It can't be produced with formulas, principles, and steps. Disciples don't come off an assembly line. There is no get-spiritual-quick scheme. It takes time, energy, effort, patience, and skill. Certain shared features identify superbly crafted cuckoo clocks, yet each piece is hand crafted, with its own markings."

"The transformation does not occur through one-size-fits-all formulas but occurs through belonging to a community that immerses us in the drama, doctrine, doxology, and discipleship of 'the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints' (Jude 3)."

"...growing up into Christ cannot be reduced to intellectualism or activism. There is no doctrinal proposition or spiritual program that will conform us to the image of Christ. The gospel must transform us over a lifetime of quite ordinary and sometimes even plodding habits that we cannot always even articulate."

"The really difficult thing to be in this age of sin and death is a pilgrim. Bu definition, a pilgrim lives in the tension of the 'already' and the 'not yet.' Pilgrims are impelled by the promise of a city that they have heard about but have never seen. Focusing on a solid destination, they cannot meander. They cannot interrupt their pilgrimage to wander down whatever interesting highway catches their eye."

"Pilgrimage - the long, often difficult and tedious, and self-denying path to Zion - is about the most un-American idea one can imagine."

Lit! by Tony Reinke

Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I cannot rave enough about this book. While the target audience is those who don’t read much, or perhaps those who would like to read more but don’t, there is still much to be gained from this book by an avid reader. It reaffirms much of what the avid reader already knows – the benefits of reading, finding time for reading, reading for edification.

First, the book emphasizes the importance of Scripture and reading the Bible should be our top priority. Then the argument is given for how reading both Christian and secular books can be beneficial. Several benefits are given for reading not just Christian books. The author takes us through the importance of first having a Biblical worldview that we use while reading to be discerning of truth and error.

Other portions of the book go through steps for how to prioritize what to read. The author shares his own list of the type of books that he has on his reading list. He also gives tips and tricks for better reading non-fiction and getting the most out of it. There is also a chapter on the benefits of reading fiction and what can be gained from literature.

Excuses for being to busy to read are examined in another chapter. There are ways to squeeze time out for reading. Ultimately though, the author says that we make time for what is important to us, and we must make reading a priority in our lives.

Reading this on my Kindle, I ended up clipping multiple quotes from this book as it really resonated with me as a reader. Highly recommended, particularly for those who want to read more, but struggle with what to read and how to find the time.


*A Review copy of this e-book was provided to me by the publisher through netgalley in exchange for my review.

Quotes:

“Books can help us live more wisely, they may even help us grow spiritually, but only the God-inspired word is eternal.”

“Man-made literature may be empowered by the Holy Spirit to embody biblical truth, but it’s not breathed out by God. Man-made literature may contain truth, goodness, and beauty, but it is also fallible, imperfect, and of temporary value.”

“Many authors are average (grass). Other authors are incredibly talented, fruitful, and colorful (flowers). But all authors (grass or flowers) are fragile.”

“no matter how ‘lit’ it is with truth, goodness, and beauty, no other book is infallible. All man-made books are hindered to some degree by errors, inconsistencies, and insufficiencies.”

“we must be determined to read the imperfect in light of the perfect, the deficient in light of the sufficient, the temporary in light of the eternal, the groveling in light of the transcendent.”

“If we fail to make this distinction, if we fail to prioritize the eternal Word over temporary books, our reading will never be distinctly Christian.”

“For every one book that you choose to read, you must ignore ten thousand other books simply because you don’t have the time (or money!).” - Ah, how true it is!

“Having a clear purpose for why you read will ensure that the few books you choose will be the books most likely to benefit your life.”

“no book is more important than the Bible. It is the divine and inspired word of God, true and reliable in everything it affirms. In it we learn the touchstone truths that shape our worldview. If we neglect Scripture in order to read only other books, we not only cut ourselves from the divine umbilical cord that feeds our souls, we also cut ourselves from the truth that makes it possible for us to benefit from the truth, goodness, and beauty in the books that we read.”

“The bottom line is that no single book should receive more attention in our lives than Scripture.”

“Christians should neither undervalue nor overvalue literature. It is not the ultimate source of truth. But it clarifies the human situation to which the Christian faith speaks. It does not replace the need for the facts that science and economics and history give us. But it gives us an experiential knowledge of life that we need just as much as those facts. Literature does not always lead us to the City of God. But it makes our sojourn on earth much more a thing of beauty and joy and insight and humanity.”

“Or do you love to read? That desire is a gift from God that can be used to benefit those around you. If you love to read, find someone who doesn’t, grab two copies of a book, go sit in a coffee shop, and grow in grace together. This is one way God’s gifts in the life of an introverted Christian can bless those in the local church.”

“Our goal is not to finish a book, or merely to talk about a book; our goal is to use our books in order to further display Christlike character.”

“I love that God designed books and reading for the purpose of our mutual edification.”

“But life is more than books. With all the new books being published – and all the old books still available – we must be careful to not over study. For many of you, this will not be a problem. The risk is for those who want to read every book that looks interesting. If this is you, you will run the risk of book fatigue. You will exhaust yourself, Solomon says. For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his library.” - good reminder for such as myself who has a hard time resisting a good-looking book!

“As Christians we cannot make literature our religion. We do not value literature for itself. We do not worship classics. We treasure values and priorities that far exceed the sum worth of the greatest library. Our end is not literature, no matter how true, good, and beautiful it is. Our end is God, the One from whom all truth, goodness, and beauty originates and finds its perfection.”

“Books enhance our learning and pleasure, but they cannot sustain our souls. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can offer us eternal wisdom and pleasure.”

2012 Challenges

I am a bit "challenged" out so I have decided not to host my usual challenges in 2012. This includes the following challenges:

Medical Mystery Madness

 Chick Lit Challenge

 Christian Non-Fiction Challenge

If anyone is interested in hosting these in 2012 (or beyond), please feel free to do so. 

How to Be a Best Friend Forever by John Townsend

How to Be A Best Friend Forever by John Townsend
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The formatting of the book was messed up; perhaps not set up to be downloaded to Kindle. However, moving past the formatting, this was a great, quick read on friendships and the importance of having a best friend (BF). Defining what a best friend is, the book then talks about the qualities that are needed for having a best friendship. The importance of honesty stood out to me. Too many times people are afraid of speaking the truth to those closest to them.

Also mentioned in this book is the importance of having close friends outside of our family. Being close to our family is a good thing, but to have balance in our lives, we should also cultivate friendships with those we are not related to.

Some quotes that I found meaningful:

"nothing is more empty than a BF finding out several weeks after the fact that his friend has had a loss or major life change, and didn't tell him." This definitely hits home for me. I feel like if I find out about something major concerning my friend from another source, then they are not really that close of a friend. For me when something major happens, I'm on the phone with a friend almost immediately.

"if you cannot mutually share the deepest part of yourself with another, the part that is the spiritual core of yourself, that imposes some sort of a built-in limit in the level of the intimacy." This quote relates to whether a Christian can be best friends with a non-Christian. The author says that yes, they can be, but the core element will be missing in the friendship.

"you are deeply connected to Christians who are safe and who want to grow with you."

"do everything you can to lovingly show her that she is safe, but that her choices are taking her down a destructive path, and you want to help her make the right moves."

"But if comfort is the only value in a friendship, we may as well make friends with a leather recliner and be done with people. Best friends push each other to grow."

"BF's vent to each other as well. That is, there are situations that we can't change, or have a game plan for, but we simply need someone to blow off steam about it. It feels better to complain about something that frustrates you, even if nothing will really happen as a result of the conversation."  "It has nothing to do with fixing, changing, or giving advice."

-I was provided a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for my review.

Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

Not a Fan: Completely. Committed. Follower by Kyle Idleman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is definitely a MUST READ book for Christians. It is a wake up call that it's not just about saying a prayer when you were 7 or responding to an altar call after an emotional sermon. Are you really a follower of Christ or just an admirer? Do you really know Him? I fear that too many Christians in America think they are true believers but really are not and one day, it will be too late. "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven...I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me..." Matthew 7:21, 23

Part of the book deals with the verse Luke 9:23 - "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." The author breaks down the different components of this verse, dealing with the issues of denying ourselves and what that means in practicality, as well as taking up our cross and that that is to be done daily.

Following Jesus is not something to be taken lightly. It requires giving up our own dreams and desires. "What is it that is competing for your allegiance to Christ? You may have both hands on the plow, but what is it you keep looking back at? Until you really have surrendered anything and everything over to Jesus and truly put him above all else in your life, you will not know the joy and satisfaction that finally comes when you go all-in."

"Please understand: Jesus loves you so much. He died to have a relationship with you. He will not share your heart with anyone. He will settle for nothing less than your complete devotion and heart-felt affection. He made no compromises when he came and gave his life up for you, and he takes no compromises now as he asks you to do the same.
"The reason Jesus is so adamant about followers surrendering everything is because the reality is this: the one thing we are most reluctant to give up is the one thing that has the most potential to become a substitute for him. Really what we're talking about here is idolatry. When we are to be following Jesus, who is ahead of us, but find ourselves looking behind us, we are revealing that we are substituting something or someone for him."

One thing I want to be cautious about in recommending this book - salvation is not by works. The things we do for Christ are not what saves us. God gives us the faith to trust Him for our salvation, a gift of grace. But faith without works is dead (see James 2:14-18). When we choose to put our trust in God for our eternal salvation, we are also turning away (repenting) from our old way of living and our committing our lives to God, to do with as He sees fit. This is what it means to be a follower. A fan remains in the stands, admiring from afar. A follower is down in the action, doing what is needed to bring glory to God.



*I own this book.

The Queen by Steven James

The Queen: A Patrick Bowers Thriller by Steven James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another homerun! This series is some of the best suspense I've ever read and this latest installment is no exception. Read most of this in one day. Be prepared to have time available when you pick this one up cuz you're not going to want to put it down!
Though this book can stand alone, it helps to know the characters if you start with the first one and read the series in order.

1. The Pawn (my review)

2. The Rook (my review)

3. The Knight (my review)

4. The Bishop

5. The Queen (my review)


I actually have kept these as potential future re-reads, something I rarely do with fiction. The writing is great, the suspense really draws you in, and the characters are human. They don't always do the right thing or what you want them to do. Fabulous read!