Monday, November 22, 2010

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley Book Review

From the Publisher:
“Grace. It’s what we crave most when our guilt is exposed. It’s the very thing we are hesitant to extend when we are confronted with the guilt of others—especially when their guilt has robbed us of something we consider valuable.
Therein is the struggle, the struggle for grace. It’s this struggle that makes grace more story than doctrine. It’s the struggle that reminds us that grace is bigger than compassion or forgiveness. That struggle is the context for both. When we are on the receiving end, grace is refreshing. When it is required of us, it is often disturbing. But when correctly applied, it seems to solve just about everything. This struggle is not new; it has been going on since the beginning.”
—Andy Stanley


We find in the pages of Scripture that the stories found there often mirror our own stories, and that we too need the very thing we do not deserve: the grace of God.
From the beginning, the church has had an uneasy relationship with grace. The gravitational pull is always toward graceless religion. The odd thing is that when you read the New Testament, the only thing Jesus stood against consistently was graceless religion. The only group he attacked relentlessly was graceless religious leaders.
Even now as you think about grace, there might be a little voice in your head whispering, “It can’t be that easy!”
“What about obedience?”
“What about disobedience?”
“What about repeated misbehavior?”
“What about bad habits?”
“What about justice?”
“What about repentance?”

It’s this tension that makes grace so slippery. But that’s the beauty and the truth of grace. We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. It can’t be qualified. But God gives it to us anyway because he loves us unconditionally.

The story of grace is your story. And as you are about to discover grace plays a larger role than you imagine.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book. It is one of those books I plan to keep on my bookshelf and re-read my times. I appreciated the use of Bold throughout the book to highlight a few of the key points. It was a challenging read as we often need to be reminded that it is because of God's Grace and not our own efforts. With many references to the Bible, it gives you an opportunity to further into the characters discussed in each chapters.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about God's Grace.

"Grace is the vehicle God uses on occasion to ensure that we get precisely what we don't deserve."

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, IncAvailable October 2010 at your favourite bookseller. 

Have a New You by Friday Review

Have a New You by Friday: How to Accept Yourself, Boost Your Confidence & Change Your Life in 5 Days

By: Dr. Kevin Leman
Publishers Synopsis: 
You can change your life--in just 5 days!
How many times have you tried to change your own habits, only to find that changing yourself is even harder than trying to change someone else?
Now, what the bestselling Have a New Kid by Friday has done for families and Have a New Husband by Friday has done for couples, Have a New You by Friday will do for you. With his signature wit and commonsense psychology, Dr. Kevin Leman walks you through your own personal five-day action plan. You will come to
  • Accept the truth about yourself
  • Boost your confidence by identifying the lies you're telling yourself . . . and putting them to rest for good
  • Change your life by concentrating on becoming who you really want to be
My Thoughts:
Feeling a bit down? Feeling a bit stuck? Feeling like you need to change? Check out Kevin Leman's newest book. While most of the book had sentiments similar to "you can do it, make the most of what you have, work in your strengths" type thoughts. I did find it an easy to read, well laid out book. Each day (chapter) has a summary of what you should "do" or apply as well as a following section on going deeper into the specified content ("for the curious").

So it was an enjoyable read, "give yourself a break and lighten up", pick up Have a New You by Friday today.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

City on Our Knees Review

City on Our Knees

By: TobyMac

Publishers Synopsis:
When we step across the line we can sail across the sea

Amazing, beautiful things happen when people have the courage to live, work, and pray in the spirit of unity and peace. Often, though, to make these amazing things happen, we have to step out of our comfort zone and into a world we find uncomfortable or intimidating. Sometimes that world is physical; other times it can be emotional, relational, or spiritual.

City on Our Knees shows this, encouraging you to take the first step. It offers stories of people who have stepped across lines. Lines of discrimination, persecution, doubt, prejudice, pride, bitterness, self-isolation, and despair. I pray and hope that you will be inspired to see how just one person, or one small group, can be a mechanism for change. 
God can use us right here. Right now. All we need is faith that He has our best in mind. And believe me—He does.

—TobyMac



My Thoughts:

At first glance, this book would be a perfect for Christmas present for your favourite high school student in your life. Picking up the book, flipping through the pages you see it is filled with short stories of past and present people who have stood up and made a difference, photos, and inspirational quotes.

Based on his song "City on our Knees", Toby Mac's book draws you in and challenges you to take a step out of your comfort zone and allow God to use you where you are at.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.