Book Review « Journeyman Journal

The Gospel According to Jesus by Chris Seay

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

I must admit up front that I got this book to read based solely on the title alone. I mean, who doesn’t want to know what the gospel is according to Jesus? It’s His gospel right? In The Gospel According to Jesus, author Chris Seay practically answers what he says is “the most important question followers of Jesus the Liberating King can ever ask themselves: what is the gospel?” (page 43). This is a question that all Christ followers should answer themselves, but it’s at the core of Seay’s discussion in this refreshing book.

Chris Seay’s writing style is easy to read, full of personal stories that illustrate his message, and challenges many common misconceptions in Christian culture regarding what the gospel of Jesus is (and isn’t). The crux of his message is that the gospel is about relationship. He states that even “sin is about relationship, not about rules” (page 88). We are all living in broken relationship with God and the gospel is about having that relationship restored!

The author uses the term “shalom” to describe this state of restored relationship…with God and with those around us. We are all called to live in shalom and help others find shalom in their own lives (I won’t spoil the fun by telling you exactly what this term means…you’ll need to read the book for that). This teaching resonates as truth for me. God is about relationship. Jesus is about relationship. We should be all about relationship.

My favorite chapter in the book is Chapter 9: “The Ten Commandments of a Shalom Life”. Here the author gives us 10 practical ways we can live out shalom in our lives. He goes beyond the typical “disciplines” (although they are included) and attempts to shake some of our preconceived notions. On example, in number nine he challenges how we treat illegal immigrants as Christians (see page 188). We’re called to something different and it’s time we started acting like it.

Seay concludes each chapter with a prayer and an interview with one or two contemporary authors and/or pastors on the subject he’s just covered. I personally found these sections a bit tedious and unnecessary, but that’s just me—others may find it helpful to get an alternate viewpoint on the subject. It’s usually in these sections that the discussion gets too “postmodern” for my tastes.

Overall, I loved this book and put it in the top 5 books that I’ve read this year. I highly recommend it and will probably try and read it at least one time a year. The author challenged me to think and act out my faith practically. The gospel of Jesus is more than a “good idea”, it’s to be lived and worked out in the real world…with real people.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

09.12.2010 Books, Review No Comments

Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller

Monday, July 19th, 2010

We all have a story. For most of us, our story includes our interaction and wrestling with God…we have to encounter and respond to Him at some point in our journey. In Searching for God Knows What, author Donald Miller shares his story. And it’s not always pretty, but God comes through and transforms Miller’s faith from cold, rigid religion to warm, active, relational faith. That’s as it should be.

This is the book I wish I had written. Following Christ is about relationship and nothing more. Miller expands on this single thought by sharing his own journey of faith and examining Scripture. He focuses on the story of Genesis Chapter 3—when mankind’s perfect relationship with God was broken. God has been working to re-establish that relationship ever since!

Everything we do in our failed and frail humanity is about searching for something to fill that relational part in our spirits that only God can fill. Miller explains that our attempts to get others to like us and approve of us are all about trying to fill God’s place in our lives. It never works! We need God and we need other people in our lives. Our search for relationship can only be filled by a relationship with God. Period.

Miller using satire and personal experience to draw his reader into his own story. This is more that Miller’s story. It’s my story. It’s your story. Three chapters alone make the book worth the read (3, 5, and 10 if you must know). Get this book. Devour it. Let God us it to challenge your own journey. Examine what you believe and why. And come back to relationship with God. It’s all that really matters!

I must admit that the book also includes some “games” within it’s pages (puzzles you must decipher using Miller’s website). I was not interested in this aspect of the book…too much work for me, just didn’t capture my imagination enough to make the effort. If you do, please let me know if it’s worth it! ;o)

19.07.2010 Review, Spiritual Musings 1 Comment

Book Review: The Lost Symbol

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Last night I finished The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (of The Davinci Code fame…or is that infamy?). My overall assessment is that the story is actually very good…for a work of fiction. As long as you remember that this is a novel, and not a scholastic work, it’s easy to enjoy. It has a good story, great plot twists, it captures your attention and keeps you involved in the evolving story. The riddle(s) that is unraveling keeps you guessing and you actually get engaged in trying to solve the riddle yourself. For a story I give it an A+.

I just wish that Dan Brown had left it alone when the story was over. The last few chapters have nothing to do with the story (they even occur after the riddles have been solved and everyone else has gone home except for two of the main characters). The last few chapters (chapter 133 in particular) is simply Mr. Brown’s way of getting in his secular humanism…it reads as page-after-page of secular humanism lecture. In the last pages he manages to proof-text Scripture (when he isn’t outright mis-quoting or mis-interpreting it), lump all religions into one basket, and declares that all religion simply points us to ourselves as gods.

Here are a two examples (two of many):

The Bible, like many ancient texts, is a detailed exposition of the most sophisticated machine ever made…the human mind.” (chapter 133).

Um….no it isn’t! The Bible is an exposition of God’s search for relationship with mankind. It’s the story of God’s redemptive love…from start to finish. It’s exactly the opposite of an exposition of the human mind.

Langdon had never understood why the very first passages of the Bible referred to God as a plural being. Elohim. The Almighty God in Genesis was described not as One…but as many.

“God is plural,” Katherine whispered, “because the minds of man are plural.” (chapter 133)

Again…wrong! God is plural because God is Trinity…not because the minds of man are plural. This is basic theology and Mr. Brown does his best to explain the Trinity away withing the confines of secular humanism (and does a poor job if you ask me).

As I said, these are only two example. The litany of secular humanistic “teaching” in this chapter alone is too long and detailed to get into here…but it is obvious. Mr. Brown believes that humans are becoming like their Creator (at least he admits we have one)…gods that can accomplish great things. I agree that we can accomplish great things, but not apart from God…rather with God. There is a big difference.

If you haven’t read this book…please do. It is a good book, but think about skipping chapter 133 (it doesn’t help the book at all). And if you have read it…or if you choose to read chapter 133 (I know I would…especially if someone told me not to)…let’s keep this final quote form the book in mind…

This book is a work of fiction. (Copyright page)

21.12.2009 Books, Hobbies, Review No Comments

Book Review: Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

As the end of school draws near (May 24…YES!), I have been thinking about writing again. Outside of homework and blogging I simply have not had any time to write for pleasure and finish that “great American novel”, but I love to write. There is something about the art and craft of writing that works for me (I know, I’m sick!).

So I was walking through the bookstore earlier this week and saw this book: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss, sitting on the shelf. I have been wanting to read it for awhile now, but never had the opportunity to buy it. This time I did.

It’s a book about the proper use of punctuation. I know…really sick! But it really is a good read. Truss is British and she brings the best of British humour (notice the spelling?) to a fairly dry topic. She makes it fun through her witty commentary and by poking fun at herself and all those grammatical “sticklers” (guilty).

If you want to improve your use of commas, apostrophes, semi-colons, colons, and the like then I highly recommend this book. Even if the mere thought makes you break out in a cold sweat, this book is for you. There are times you will simply forget that you are reading, and learning, about punctuation. It is a quick read full of good, readily applicable information. I highly recommend it to all you fellow sickos out there.

11.03.2009 Books, Hobbies, Review No Comments

Book Review: Blink of an Eye

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

This is the fifth Ted Dekker book that I have read (the first four being the Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, and White) and Skin…which where fantastic and got me hooked on Dekker). Blink of an Eye more along the same genre lines as Skin, both of them being action thrillers. The Circle Trilogy is in the fantasy genre.

On with the review at hand…

The book centers around two characters: Seth Borders (a boy math genius) and Miriam (a Saudi Arabian princess). Miriam and Seth are thrust together as Miriam has fled to America to escape an arranged marriage that is part of a coupe to overthrow the Saudi Arabian government by a radical Muslim sect. Seth become Miriam’s unlikely protector and he discovers an unusual ability…he can see into the future. And not THE future, but all possible futures.

They are the run together from many forces attempting to capture them and during this time they find out about themselves, their faith, and about love in general. Dekker addresses two key issues in this engaging work: The differences and similarities between Christianity & Islam (focusing on what we have in common) and our call to love one another. The issues addressed are contemporary, but Dekker tackles them from a biblical perspective—a unique perspective from the current media and political spin.

This book has something for everyone without the language or sexual innuendos of others works in this genre. It has action and intrigue (you will keep turning the pages) as well as dash of romance (not so much to make you throw up though). The religious overtones are muted…it is effective without being preachy.

Overall, another hit by my new favorite author. I must say that I liked the Circle Trilogya little better, but only by the slightest of margins. This isn’t my absolute favorite Dekker book but I still highly recommend it (I would just read the others first). It tackles a modern issue from a fresh perspective and will keep you entertained.

Overall Rating: