You Were Made to Make a Difference by Max Lucado and Jenna Lucado Bishop

This youth orientated book is based around the theme of living a life that honours God more and more each day by the power of the Holy Spirit. As I mentioned in a previous view this theme is very timely for me and the re-working of that book to relate to young people is well presented and thought provoking. The design is attractive and eye catching which always helps.

I enjoyed reading the book and the content is relevant to any age but I was disappointed as it seemed just a re-working of a great title. I would have liked to see a full youth study guide and programme as the majority of young people I work with would not read a whole book, but would work through a resource with reading, listening, interaction, DVD’s etc. I would have liked to see this youth friendly version take on board what might be more suitable for young people.

Having said that I would recommend this book to young people who like to read but would not use it as a youth study guide in its current format.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

I have always found Max Lucado’s books fairly easy reading whilst bringing a timely challenge to me the reader. This book fits that mould. Lucado takes the book of Acts and uses it as a framework for how we as Christians today can live lives that honour God and are reflective of the Holy Spirits work in our lives. As I read this I was particularly drawn to the chapters about standing up for the have-nots and the challenge to open our hearts to those who we can so easily miss.

I really enjoyed this book as I thought I would. It left me wanting more and has caused me to look more into the book of Acts again. For me it is a really excellent book to read and recommend to someone trying to figure out what it means to live a Christian life as it is extremely practical. Personally I liked that the chapters were short as it left me pondering the subjects allowing the Holy Spirit to work in the reader.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out what it means to live a life that honours Christ. I would pass it on to a new Christian or someone who has been a believer for many years. I also think it is suitable for a wide range of ages. An excellent read!

Goodness me!

A couple of things have shocked me this week....

The first was how Terry Jones, the American Pastor of Dove World Outreach Center, could justify that a Godly response to the proposed building of a mosque on the site of the twin towers was the burning of the Koran, the Islamic holy book. On top of that I was amazed at the numerous responses from people that included so much hatred to this American church leader.

Today I heard of someone who thinks that communion served by a male minister who was ordained by a male bishop is tainted if that bishop agrees with female ordination.

These two incidents amazed me to the point where I asked the question..... What is going on in the world?!

Where is grace, mercy and a willingness to intelligently engage with others to try and understand them as opposed to diving in with negativity and cynicism?

How can the church as a corporate body and as individuals engage with issues that arise whilst keeping true to displaying the character of Jesus in these interactions?

A few thoughts... I'd love to hear what you think!

The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews

I have just finished reading the Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews and it didn't take me too long to do so.... In fact it's the first book that I've read for ages that has pictures in it and that made a refreshing change.

The book is designed to inspire the reader that their life can really make a difference, not only that but that their life can be one of permanent purpose. Andrews illustrates this point by using the theory of the butterfly effect to suggest that the very things we take for granted now are the result of people who have made amazing contributions to the world through their lives. The challenge is that we can all be those people. Even though the things we do know might seem menial or ineffectual they could have an influence beyond our imagination and because of this everything we do matters!

I loved this book mainly because I wasn't expecting to! I wondered whether it's content justified it's cost, but having read it know it I know that is something I will refer to many times in the future. I love the concept of the spiritual butterfly effect and would love to see the church grasp that we can ALL truly make a difference and that the difference starts now!

If I were going to be critical it would be only inasmuch as saying that I would have loved to have read a book that explored the theme further. Yet this book caught my attention, excited my mind and engaged more than one sense and as such is a great read that I would highly recommend to anyone, particularly those who perhaps need a burst of encouragement in their walk with God.

Genesis

The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:2

I started reading Genesis again today and this amazing verse stuck out to me!
Even in the design stages of this world, when things were formless, void and dark God's Spirit was moving.

Nothing in our lives can be more formless, void or dark than that moment and so over all our situations, weakness, darkness God's Spirit moves.

I like the wording of the NASB translation. The adjectives describing the state of the God's outlook were over the surface of the deep. Yet the Spirit of God was also moving over that surface.

If this world and our lives are feeling desolate, empty and lost at the moment then we should find solace in the truth that the Holy Spirit of God moves and has the power to convict, challenge, comfort and change

The Language of Love and Respect, Cracking the Communication Code with your mate by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

In this book Dr. Eggerichs explores what he understands to be the major problem in most marriages, that of communication. He suggests that women and men have different needs, namely that the husband needs respect and the wife needs love, and outlines approaches and suggestions for addressing the communication problems in your marriage.

I was somewhat skeptical of this book as I assumed it would be a self-help kind of book, whilst elements of this do sneek in, the book is well written, simple to understand and apply. I found myself relating to much of Dr.Eggerichs observations and often read aloud certain suggestions to my wife. This book holds lots of truth and advice that, whilst basic, could make a huge difference in any marriage. Having been married for two years it provided me a challenge on where I can input to build our marriage. Love and respect are words that are often overused so would have liked a fuller explanation into what the author understands by those words. Overall, this book is an interesting and challenging read and I would suggest it to anyone who is considering marriage or is already married.

Thought

Before we do anything God looks down and says "These are my sons and daughters whom I love, with them I am well pleased"

God's love isn't measured by what we achieve! It just flows!