Darrin and Matt tell their stories and state their case for the missional church approach. Great stuff but maybe should have been written a few years from now when they have more experience and more time to reflect on their methodology. I would have also liked for them to do more hard exegesis to defend their approach, as well as directly answer anticipated or already stated objections. Yet, in spite of these concerns, the reading was easy and the content was inspiritational as well as educational. ***3 of 5 stars

Red Like Blood is a book soaked in the grace of God. I was very encouraged by this book, especially the stories of God’s grace active in the lives of Joe, Bob, their family, and their friends. It could have been a little shorter; the last few chapters felt like they were stretching for material and filler. ***3 of 5 stars; almost 4, but not quite.

Rory Noland could pass for a retired race jockey; he is probably 135 lbs. dripping wet. A soft-spoken and unassuming personality, Rory is also one of greatest minds on worship in America today. Through attending Harvest University, I’ve had the privilege of sitting under Rory in several sessions in the last few years and have gleaned much about leading God’s people in corporate worship. So, almost needless to say, my expectations were pretty high when I picked up his latest book on the subject. He did not disappoint. Especially insightful was the section on training your congregation to pursue “heroic deference” when it comes to worship styles and preferences. Good stuff. ****4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable read about a basketball prodigy and his struggling Massachusetts hometown whose identity has been become intertwined with its high school basketball team. The only problem I had with this book was how the author kept commenting about how the high school basketball team was everything to this town. Then I looked up the population of the town, almost 100,000, the size of the high school with over 3,000 students and how the gym would only seat 2,500 and I thought, “If he went to a few games in Southern Illinois or Indiana he wouldn’t be making so many statements of that nature.” Our little town of 7,000 had a gym that could hold 4,000 and packed it out regularly when I was growing up. I thought, these Southeastern Massachusetts communities had nothing on us when it came to love for and indentity with their high school team. But, I enjoyed it and really desire to find a way to get the rest of the story, since we now know that Herren was a heroin addict who made it to the NBA but surely didn’t live up to his potential because of his drug addiction. ***3 of 5 stars

A few years ago I enjoyed Gladwell’s first offering, Tipping Point. I’ve also spent a considerable amount of time standing in bookstores reading selected portions of his third book, Outliers. But although I knew the thesis of Blink and although it has been sitting on my home bookshelf for maybe a year or so, it took me awhile to get around to picking it up and having a go at it. Delay no more. I picked it up yesterday and finished it today. I’m not surprised I read it this quickly. Gladwell is a captivating writer, seeming to be able to mine some of the greatest stories that advance the theory underlying his book.  Blink fits the pattern of his first and third books: Start with a breakthrough idea (at least to the general population) and gather interesting anecdotal evidence to support the idea. The reader feels like he’s learning a secret that will impact his life in a positive way, while enjoying the story-telling to boot. Regardless of how earth-shattering these breakthrough insights may be, it’s definitely been a winning formula for Gladwell. The thesis of this book is that our immediate subconscious response to a thing, person, or event, is far more powerful than we ever imagined . ****4 stars.

Steve Chapman is an artist: he sings, he writes songs, he draws, and he writes books. He is also a die hard deer hunter with keen spiritual insights. Even though I have yet to go on my first deer hunt, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing of his hunting adventures and how he’s able to see parallels into his spiritual life. ****4 stars.

My brief reflections:

1. At times it is amazingly poetic and beautiful. On more than one occasion I thought, “You just cannot improve upon that way of wording it!”

2. At times it is remarkably archaic and difficult. Several times I would have to reread a passage or phrase or consult a dictionary. A few rare times I would sigh and think, “I can’t wait until I finish this project and return to the ESV.”

3. At all times it is inspiring and profitable. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3.16-17).

All in all, I’m VERY glad I took on the challenge of reading the KJV on its 400th anniversary.

Brett McCracken definitely has his finger on the pulse of hipster Christianity. I really enjoyed this because the subject is something that is very relevant to me as a pastor. The urge to be “cool” in order to attract a crowd is very tempting. It’s not really who I am, but it’s something that I truly have sought to adjust to in order to stay with the times. McCracken describes hipster Christianity, dissects hipster Christianity, and develops his vision of how genuine, counter-cultural, biblical Christianity will always be “cool” to those it is reaching. I found myself agreeing. ***3 stars.

Scroll down four books and you’ll see Warren St. Johns clever book on fanaticism in the SEC, specifically among fans of the University of Alabama, even more specifically among the RV crowd. Gibbs did what evangelicals have been doing for decades…baptized the idea for the ‘Christian’ version. Remember those little helpful charts in Christian bookstores that would help you find a holy alternative to the secular bands you lived but felt so guilty about? “If you like Run-D.M.C., try D. C. Talk.” Well, that’s exactly what is going on here. If you like Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, but don’t want all the cursing and references to alcohol, then here’s the Christian alternative. Gibbs should send royalty checks to St. John. The only problem is his stories aren’t as good. I will say this, Gibbs is really funny. In fact, he’s funny enough I’d definitely pick up another book of his, provided it’s on sale for $4 on the clearance shelf like this one was. Seriously, his comedic skills kept me turning the pages.

What disappointed me most was the lack of depth regarding the balancing faith and football theme. He only skims the surface. He confesses his addiction to Auburn football, make that obsession, and takes the time to throw in a few guilty comments here and there, interviews fellow fans who struggle with this tension, even briefly describes attending church services in each of the cities visited. But the subtitle is deceptive; this is really a book about the SEC football fanaticism, not about faith.

**2 stars.

]]> http://read52books.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/25-god-and-football-faith-and-fanaticism-in-the-sec-by-chad-gibbs/feed/ 0 Brett 19080Gibbs_large http://read52books.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/24-the-greatest-hunting-stories-ever-told-ed-by-lamar-underwood/ http://read52books.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/24-the-greatest-hunting-stories-ever-told-ed-by-lamar-underwood/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:31:58 +0000 Brett http://read52books.wordpress.com/?p=301 ]]>

3 years ago my mid-life crisis hit. I woke up one morning and wanted to lift weights and go hunting. I started reading about hunting and watching hunting on TV. I really didn’t know much. I grew up in a hunter’s paradise, a part of the country where people travel to hunt. But I never had any real interest in the sport. Now, as I was entering the middle of my days I suddenly wanted to know everything about it. This is one of the books I bought with Christmas money that year. It took me a long time to read it, but I finally finished it. As a collection of stories from various authors covering many different types of prey, it was an excellent choice for me to get a feel for what hunting is about. Some stories I really enjoyed, others I pressed through just so I could learn. It was very educational and entertaining. I’ll probably read it again. **** 4 of 5 stars.

]]> http://read52books.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/24-the-greatest-hunting-stories-ever-told-ed-by-lamar-underwood/feed/ 0 Brett lamar-underwood-hunting1