What I'm Reading

Slave

by John MacArthur

There are often words in languages that don’t translate well between each other. The societal and cultural context connected with words can be very different. The word “slave” is one such word. John MacArthur attempts to present this word in a different and more biblical context than most Americans are used to hearing. MacArthur explains the use of the word during the 1st century church versus our current understanding and presents the importance of viewing ourselves as slaves to Christ.

MacArthur does a great job helping to distinguish the negative connotations of the word “slave” with the biblical meaning. The book is at times tedious and often he repeats the same concepts. There is also a chapter on Catholicism and a chapter on the “emerging” church movement that do not seem to fit with the theme of the book.

I would recommend parts of the book as a guide to understanding our relationship in Christ not only as slaves but as sons. This would probably have been better if the content had been cut in half. It seemed the author was at times stretching the content to fit a number of pages.

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=9781400202072

http://www.amazon.com/Slave-Hidden-Truth-Identity-Christ/dp/1400202078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289322234&sr=1-1

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

What I've Been Reading Lately

"Outlive Your Life"

by Max Lucado

Sometimes the most challenging part of a Christian life is knowing how to spend your time. Work, family and ministry all seem to compete for the same few spare minutes each day. In Max Lucado’s latest book “Outlive Your Life” he outlines several very practical yet challenging methods on how to make a difference. Lucado describes the need for people to serve the poor, orphaned and hungry in the world. He provides many examples to empower people to outlive their life in big and small ways.

This book is a great encouragement and reminder to be doing the things we know we should be doing. It gave me a renewed energy to continue to serve others. It also helped me to gain new awareness in areas that I should be doing more. Lucado’s writing style is fun and imaginative. His methods are very entertaining without being distracting to the central message.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is thinking they should be doing more but are unsure exactly how to prioritize the need. Lucado provides a challenge to everyone to do more with their life and this challenge should not go unmet.

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0849920698&title=Outlive_Your_Life&author=Max_Lucado

http://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Your-Life-Were-Difference/dp/0849920698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281477971&sr=1-1

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”