Review: Between Two Trees: Our Transformation from Death to Life

Between Two Trees: Our Transformation from Death to Life by Shane J Wood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a pheromonal read! Shane has an uncanny ability to guide a reader into theological depths that usually have the tendency of swallowing unsuspecting ventures in the vastness that is theology. I've had the opportunity to hear Shane teach a couple of times in person, and I'm an avid listener to a lot of his work that he has available via his website, and one of the biggest qualities that stands out in his teaching (that you'll notice immediately in this book) is a humble heart passionately pursuing Jesus, along with the selfless pursuit of bringing others along on the journey.

In this book, Wood takes us back to place with which we are all oh so familiar with, the garden of Eden, and has us sit a while to take notice of the reality that maybe what happened there was MUCH worse than we ever thought. Not letting us sit for TOO long in this despairing revelation, Wood quickly follows with the encouragement that if this is true, then what God has done is SO MUCH GREATER than we ever thought as well! From this foundational element, Wood guides us along on a journey to rediscover the true depths of the gospel, and what it demands when we engage with it. Beyond simply a 'one and done' interaction, the gospel follows us, infuses us, and calls us to live out the scandalous reality we so willingly and gratefully embrace in terms of being saved by Jesus, within our own lives.

I am personally indebted to the scholarship and discipling work that Wood has produced over the years. He is known (and RIGHTFULLY so) for his amazing work that he's done with the book of Revelation. He shares that when he sat down to begin writing this book, he set out to write a book on how to read the book of Revelation. However as he prayerfully wrote and wrestled with the Scriptures, it morphed into a book on how the book of Revelation (and the rest of Scripture as a whole) reads us! This book is a MUST read about the glorious and powerful reality of transformation, from dead to alive, death to life, and lost sinner to embraced child of God! I highly recommend this book!

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Review: A Week in the Life of Rome

A Week in the Life of Rome by James L. Papandrea
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was fantastic! I was introduced to this 'series' about 7 years ago or so when I saw Ben Witherington's "A Week in the Life of Corinth" and got it as a gift (not surprisingly... I haven't read it yet, haha). I saw that this one was releasing this year, and since I like to study and research everything to do with the book of Romans, this quickly became a book on my to read this. I found out that I could get a digital copy to read for an honest review and gladly jumped on the opportunity.

What Papandrea does with this book, is take real historical practices, conditions, and other elements and creates a fictional story of what a week in Rome might have looked like (his specific time period for this book was around 50 A.D.). The whole book takes place over the length of a week, with each chapter telling the events of a day. The story is certainly attention grabbing and will help you learn/remember historical insights from the Roman Empire, circa 50 A.D. As you encounter references to specific historical facts/elements, there are 'breaks' in the story where you can read a quick blurb about the actual history from Rome. All in all, this is a fantastic book and it has certainly motivated me to pick up my copy of "A Week in the Life of Corinth" sooner than later to read it as well! I highly recommend this book as a great way to learn some history that will help you understand a little more background for our New Testament texts, AND as an entertaining story that will leave you wishing it were longer! You won't be disappointed!

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review via netgalley.


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Review: Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us

Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us by Matthew Sleeth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what a book! I'll admit that when I first saw this book, I just passed on by it because it wasn't something that REALLY interested me as much as other things. Yet as the days passed, I saw people talking about it and about how enriching it was. So I changed my mind and decided to request a copy so I could read it and interact with it. I'm certainly glad I did!

Matthew Sleeth has an interesting background, ranging from being an E.R. doctor to apprenticing as a carpenter, yet through it all he's had a grand fascination with one of God's most amazing creations, trees. I'm am truly indebted to the man for reawakening my eyes to the beauty, purpose, and love our creator shows through His trees. Since reading this book, I've made a more purposeful effort to stop and appreciate the trees around me. I also LOVE how he guides us on a nature walk through Scripture, pointing out trees in places we normally just cruise on by! It was fascinating to have things pointed out that I've missed, especially in areas in which I believed I was relatively familiar! On a responsive level, I've even began to look into finding some to plant around my yard at home because of the refreshing and enlightening message Matthew Sleeth writes about in regards to God and His trees around us. No, I'm not an extremist that's going to tell everyone to sell everything and live in a tree, but I am going to encourage you to take a week or two, grab this book, and sit down to read it with creation in view. It's truly an enriching and spiritually deepening experience. I hope you'll take the opportunity and do it! =)

I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Way of the Warrior: An Ancient Path to Inner Peace

The Way of the Warrior: An Ancient Path to Inner Peace by Erwin Raphael McManus
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book took me a lot longer to read than I had hoped, mainly because McManus wrote in such an 'artistic' way that I couldn't read as fast through the book as I do with others. That being said, I appreciate this work in it's own unique way. It wasn't one of my favorite books, yet it is certainly one which I will reference and ponder in the years to come. Blending personal stories, stories of people he knows, and just a hint of what I might call 'philosophical daydreaming', McManus writes a compelling work calling us all to stand our ground and fight the inner fight many of us flee from most of our lives, the battle within ourselves. There are quite a few things I've already pulled out and used in teachings/trainings that I do, and I look forward to continuing to use them. However I'm not entirely sure I'm going to add this to my re-read stack of books (or at least not in the immediate future). If you're someone who likes a book that's 'artistically' written (abstract thoughts rather than more linear reasoning), then you'll probably enjoy this book even more that I did. If you struggle with reading writing like that, just be warned that this will take a little longer to read. Overall it's certainly worth reading for people, though there are many that I would recommend first (including one of McManus' earlier/shorter works, 'The Barbarian Way').

Thank you to WaterBrook & Multnomah Launch Team, I received a copy of this book for free, in exchange for and honest review.

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