Saturday, July 25, 2015

"The Question That Never Goes Away" Review

The Question That Never Goes AwayThe Question That Never Goes Away by Philip Yancey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book in two days (it's decently short, easy to read, and sitting in the hospital with you son frees up a lot of time to do some reading). I've always been enamored with Philip Yancey's writings. I found this book as a bargain book at Lifeway, and since the subject is something that (especially in this day of age) is HEAVILY prevalent in our world I decided it was worth my time to check it out. This book is essentially Yancey's sequel to a book he wrote decades ago called "Where Is God When It Hurts?" If you approach this book in search of an answer to the question "WHY?!?!", then you'll probably be disappointed. Yancey, in my own personal opinion, does a masterful job of looking beyond answering the questions of "why?" to helping us focus on the fact that there is a God who enters the pain, suffering, and problems that we face along with us. Yancey uses stories and accounts from the incidents and his visits to the affected areas of tsunami stricken Japan, war-ravaged Sarajevo, and grief-stricken Newtown, Connecticut. I HIGHLY recommend this book to every Christian, even if you aren't going through a hard time of suffering currently. At the very least, this book will serve as a catalyst in the lives of Christian to reignite the compassion that God desires of us to show for everyone around us in our everyday lives.

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"Winning the Battle Within" Review

Winning the Battle WithinWinning the Battle Within by Neil T. Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book because I was hoping to find a good book that I could use as a go-to if I ever needed to hand a guy a book to read and process while struggling with lust and other sexually-centered struggles. While Anderson and I would disagree about a few things that he shared in this book, overall I think this is the resource I was looking for. Neil Anderson is a counselor/psychologist who has written many books, including the two popular books "Bondage Breaker" and "Victory Over the Darkness." Both of those books have come HIGHLY recommended to me by respected friends, so I hope to get to them soon enough. I found 'Winning the Battle Within' on a clearance table at a local bookstore so I consider it a steal! In addition to help with lust and other sexually-centered struggles, Anderson includes A LOT of other helps for people who are wrestling with other things (such as anger, unforgiveness, pride, etc.), and even includes a step-by-step 'program' that the reader can go through either with a small group of people or alone. I know every person is different and certain methods work for some while not working for others, but if you know someone who has been wrestling with something, especially sexually-centered issues, I highly recommend you pass this title along to them because it could help them by equipping them with the tools, encouragement, and motivation they need to finally find victory over a certain area of their life.

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"Living the Gospel in the Grey" Review

Living the Gospel in the Grey: The Art of Coming AlongsideLiving the Gospel in the Grey: The Art of Coming Alongside by Rob Schrumpf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book based on recommendation from a fellow campus minister. I'm not one for long reviews of books, but I will say that this is one of my favorite books that I've read in the field of evangelism. Being written by another fellow campus minister, there are many applicable stories and takeaways fore campus ministry. There's probably not going to be anything truly revolutionary for many within this book, yet Rob does a decent job of taking things we should know and putting them into practical and applicable ways that anyone can use as motivation and a guide to improve, not in 'evangelism' (as we think of it today), but in coming alongside of people and engaging them in the midst of their life. The book itself is written in a super easy to read way and not super long. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh approach with basic principles.

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