Challenging, thought provoking, but very real
925719
This story or some version happens all too often in families. Mrs. Kingsbury reminds us, as in her previous book, that we are human, have sinned, are all vulnerable to fail, no matter how strong our faith is. We can with all "good" intention cause pain and suffering to ourselves and others. God always has a plan, sometimes we just get in the way. Thank you for reminder.
2790772
This book would be a challenge for some folks as it does get into some deep topics. However, I found it very well written, very informative, and it helped me to see evil, the divine and scripture in a whole different way. It is long, and it does take a lot of thought, but it's worth the investment if this subject has been one that has been a struggle or a challenge for you.
3180004
As difficult as this book was to read, it spoke to my heart and taught me so much. There is such honesty and truth in these pages- I think it is one of those books that really makes you think about life and what you are doing in your life.
1077383
This book gave me a lot to think about and is challenging me to step out of my comfort zone in ways I hadn't considered prior to reading this book.
2886239
When I first saw the title I was immediately captivated and wanted it to be a fast read.  However, as I tried to move through the book, I couldn't.  Not because it isn't good or interesting, but because it challenged who I am and who I am going to be.  I am not yet in the "empty nest" phase, but it is clearly on my mind as one child has moved out.

I enjoyed the hands-on "pop outs" the author uses to highlight things to consider, things to do and things to reflect on. The author also reminds us that with God all things are possible and we are never too old to be useful. Chapter 8 stands out the most. It is a simple reminder that prayer is and always has been critical.

Overall this is a good book for those approaching mid-life or who are in the midst of it.  The author uses personal testimony to share good and not so good moments of reality. However, I felt it was geared towards women who have always worked outside the home and not so much for the stay-at-home mom.

*Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.
1975271
Have you ever been stirred so deeply inside that you feel like you'll explode?  Have you felt like the lives you've seen lived around you, claiming to be living for Christ, are more like puppets on the grand stage preparing for the wedding of American Christianity and consumerism?

In Radical, by David Pratt, you will be challenged to see Christ from a perspective that you may have not considered in the past.

Pratt goes into great detail, telling many stories, of the reality of the state of the hearts among Christians in the American church and, in many respects, how that differs from the message of Jesus Christ.

You will be challenged, stretched, frustrated, angered, delighted, perplexed and most definitely humbled when reading Radical.  One cannot read this book cover to cover and walk away without a much deeper reverence, awe and zeal for Christ and not count it an even greater honor to be His follower.

If you're comfortable in who you are and only want to hear about how much God loves you and has a plan for you, but you aren't really interested in the fact that He is truly Lord over everything, making everything for His own glory, then don't pick up this book.

If you want to walk closer with the Lord, have a fresh and accurate perspective on what it should be like to be a servant of his, then you need to read this book.

The fact of the matter is: Jesus is more than many people currently make Him out to be, BUT we were never meant to be isolated in our pursuit of Him.  Listen to the words of David Pratt as he invites you on a journey called, Radical.

"I invite you to join in the journey with me.  I do not claim to have all the answers.  If anything, I have more questions than answers.  But if Jesus is who he said He is, and if His promises are as rewarding as the Bible claims they are, then we may discover that satisfactions in our lives and success in the church are not found in what our culture deems most important but in radical abandonment to Jesus Christ."
1620379
This is a powerfully written book...for all people...devout Christians and those who need to become devout Christians.  It is very challenging to life as we know it...offering a true view of how the Christian life should be.
3023502
There have been a few non-fiction books that I have read this year that have really impressed me, and this one falls into that category. It isn't a long book, coming in at only 173 pages, but it is packed full of great writing.

  The author goes with the premise that too many Christians are not just putting on their Sunday best in clothes on Sunday, but their Sunday best everything, and we need to live the same all week as we do on Sunday.

  To be honest, the book is rather convicting, and will cause most readers to mentally flinch, but its a great book that needs to be taken to heart and should cause the readers to examine their own lives and put more effort into being real.

  One of the most challenging chapters in the book was on carrying our cross. Jamie describes what the cross meant back in Jesus' day, and what it truly means to carry one's cross nowadays, and I am afraid too many of us really aren't getting it.

  This book has discussion questions and a prayer at the end of each chapter, and though it can be read alone, it would make a great book for a study group.

  This does rank among the best and most challenging books I have read this year, and I'd highly recommend it.
3192955
Holloway starts right out giving us a challenge: "What many people have clearly departed from is any sense that the moral life, lived intentionally and consciously, is consistent with blind obedience to any authority, including what is alleged to be divine authority." And things get better from there! This tightly argued book puts into words what many of us seem to struggle with in our discussions of good and evil, sin, and meaning in life.
Holloway has recently stepped down as Bishop of Edinburgh. He is "one of the most outspoken and best-loved figures in the modern church." And I had the privilege of hearing him speak recently at a seminar on the future of faith. It is perhaps because I heard him expound upon his views that I learned so much by going back to read his book. Yet I find the writing to be clear and convincing on its own. I was shocked and pleased to read this from the good Bishop's pen: "Paradoxically, it is scripture itself that calls us to overturn scripture; it is the witness of the living word of Jesus that challenges us to follow the logic that scripture was made for humanity and not humanity for scripture." These are courageous words indeed for a Bishop to write and preach. He deserves praise and support for this stand.
  Richard Holloway challenges us on many levels of our daily lives. He changes our concept of how to choose between competing moral values (often good values, not straight good versus straight evil). He makes us think about our institutions of marriage, church, and government as the recipient of our moral judgments and challenges us to live up to the responsibility with a Godless Morality. Excellent book.
1313158
I knew while reading this book because of what rose from within me at a low in my life's circumstances that many people needed and would read this book.  Not only to read it but to put themselves in the characters'  life which I couldn't help but doing.  With the difficulty I have found in the ability to comprehend enough to read anything of length I found myself not wanting to put this book down and the anticipation to continue reading more.  It's a spiritually deep book if you let it be.  It impacted at my core similar to the impact of reading "The Shack".  It challenges your life and mind sets to press toward the goals of what God has purposed for our individual lives.  It's really for youth and adults alike in fact if more youth could get ahold of this perhaps they would be able to sidestep some of the things us adults are faced with in great pains to overcome in order to "Dream Again".
295701
I really liked this book. It is now one of my favorites. It challenges you to think. Many of the ideas discussed in the book are open-ended for you as the reader to interpret, and it leaves you with a sense of deepness. This book opens your mind to many new ideas and thoughts, and really proves to be a pondering stimulator. Other than all this, of course, it has a great plot, and moves along at a great pace, leaving the end a mystery to the reader. You should definately read this.
508460
This book articulates so many of my own doubts and wonderings. It is challenging on many fronts and yet offers the reassurance that there are others seeking in the same direction. Thanks Kent Dobson!
269430
When I chose this particular book to review I was looking at it from a "desk reference" standpoint. I really was not expecting to be able to understand or relate to most of it. After all even for Christians apologetics is rather heavy stuff. I was surprised to find it kept my attention. There were many places I had to read more than once because the depth of the statement warranted mulling over, not because of the language being too high brow.

There is a flow to the writing that you don't normally see when you have more than one author contributing to a work. This shows the care taken to keep the writing styles close enough so as to help and not hinder the overall understanding of the work.

Multiple authors coming to the defense of the faith of the Bible each from their own unique backgrounds give almost any Christian who picks up this book for serious study something they can apply to their life. Some of the titles within the work are:

Postmodern Challenges to the Bible  by: Amy Orr-Ewing
This gives you cultural changes that affect the way the Bible is being taught and percieved today by the Christian as well as the non christian. There were parts that surprised me that I too had been taken in.

Challenges from Youth:  by Alison Thomas
This chapter gives an accurate view of the challenges and persecutions young Christians face when leaving their home and church to go into the secular world of higher education from the standpoint of one who has been there done that and kept the faith,barely.

Challenges from Islam by Sam Solomon
Will give you an understanding why in spite of the messages coming from the government and news media, Islam never has been and never can be a religion of peace, but that there is hope for the Muslims who are caught in the liesand for those of us who try to free them.

This "been there done that and here are the lessons to prove it" approach makes you realize that every Christian should seriously work to apply these principles in their life if they hope to stand for God in a fallen world.

In part two of the work Stuart McAllister tackles "The Role of Doubt and Persecution in Spiritual Transformation" proving that the "easy living, material blessing " religion of the new age movement has very little to do with the faith of the Bible.

"Beyond Opinion" by Ravi Zacharias should be read a section at a time, leaving space in between for digesting and understanding the truths they put forth. Starting in the first section by identifying those beliefs and the people who hold them that would challenge our faith, then moving on through the questions and motives behind them ,this group of dedicated Christians and talented writers have woven the lessons for living the faith we claim and the ammunition of aplogetics which we will need at some point if we hope to defend it, into a conversational style of writing that simplifies a sometimes difficult topic.
375128
It is convicting.

It is powerful.

It is thought provoking.

It is challenging.

It is a tool that I believe God can and will use... in mighty ways!

The book packs a powerful punch.  It leads us through the book of James and opens up our eyes to the straight forward advice given on how to live a Christian life.

Let me be the first to tell you that this walk is hard.  The Christian walk is not an easy walk, and L. Velez does not sugar coat it.  It is a daily challenge to be all God wants us to be - James knew that and through James, God gave us valuable information on how to keep our focus on Him.  Our thoughts, our words, our actions - they all matter and in this book you will learn why.

While reading Proverbs of the New Testament you will learn about things like acquiring wisdom, double-mindedness, temptation, obedience, the power of the tongue, judgement and mercy, blessings, faith, conflicts, peace, patience, trust, endurance, prayer, and so much more!

I've had the opportunity to read just about all of L. Velez's books and there is something about this one - it has hit me square on the forehead.  It's like it woke something up inside of me.  I feel God using her to minister to me.  And it is because of that feeling that I know this book will minister to you.  I encourage all of you to get it, read it, accept the challenges and study the Word.  This is a tool that can help to change your life.
2710921
This book really challenges the way Christians think about their role for the body of Chrst, which challenges the current status quo of the church.
119631
"A Discourse on Method: Meditations and Principles" is more than a book, it is a challenging and rewarding mental experience. It is a tough read but well worth it just to read "I think, therefore I am" in its proper context (the simple statement that Descartes considers his first principle of philosophy).
The book is divided into three parts. In "A Discourse on Method," Descartes lays out his first principle of philosophy, and his plan for rejecting false assertions and deriving true principles. The "Meditations on the First Principle" is the wide ranging essay where "I think, therefore I am" is expanded to include all of its implications. These implications are wide ranging, from the existence of God, to the existence of our bodies, other physical objects, various scientific principles, and finally, whatever we are able to know as truth. Here is where the book poses its greatest challenge. At this point I was only reading 2-4 pages at a time. Then when I finished this part, I went back and reread a bulk of it to fully grasp the key points of the "Meditations." The third part, "The Principles of Philosophy," wouldn't have been so difficult if my brain hadn't been taxed as it was by the "Meditations." But the Principles are well organized and clearer, making the book more satisfying to read again.
Overall, this book is a treasure as an intense mental revelation. It brings together Descartes' best writing for the general reader, if the reader is up to the challenge.
119943
A thought-provoking and challenging look at the Sermon on the Mount and its implications for Christians who take Christ seriously.