Who Do You Think You Are?

Hey guys. So… I gotta be honest… I’m usually pretty wary of anything Mark Driscoll puts out. I like him and all, and I think he has some good things to say, but I’ve usually taken most of what he says with a grain of salt; comparing his opinions against others and then forming my own. When I saw his new book, “Who Do You Think You Are?” on booksneeze, I was getting ready to pass it over. However, I felt a tugging to go back and at least read the description. So I read the description and promptly ordered it.

See, here’s the thing… a lot of Christians don’t know who they are in Christ. They think going to church is the extent of their relationship with God… and that they haven’t become that new creation of which 2 Corinthians speaks.

While I still hold the, “Compare all of what Driscoll says against Scripture along with other commentators/theologians” (I say to do this with all writers), Mr. Mark’s book “Who Do You Think You Are?” is a pretty good read. And, to be personal, I gotta say this came at the perfect time for me.

Four out of five stars.

I was given this book free of charge from the Thomas Nelson booksneeze blogger programme in exchange for an honest review.

Live Second

Hey yall! I just got this awesome new book from Booksneeze, “Live Second.” For years I’ve been following the I Am Second Company, watching the videos, connecting with the groups, and I read the original book that released last year. I Am Second has changed countless lives, including mine, and the newest devotional, “Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First” is about to be added to the line up.

“Live Second” is written by Doug Bender. It consists of 365 daily devotionals, sectioned into 52 weeks, grouped into 12 sessions. Each session lasts 4-5 weeks.

At the beginning of each week, the book gives you a video to watch (accessible by scanning the QR code with your smartphone). Every day comes with a scripture reference (that you read on your own), a couple paragraphs that break down the passage, some questions to consider after reading the passage, prayer suggestions, and challenges. Challenges focus mainly on living your life based around what you’ve just read, and sharing the gospel with others. At the bottom of each devotional is a twitter hashtag (that look something like #IASgoodness or #IASsurrender) that can share your thoughts on the devotional with the I Am Second community.

All in all this is a wonderful devotional. I love it and I’m going to (attempt) to follow it all through the next year. I give it five out of five stars.

I received this book for free through the booksneeze blogger programme. I was not obligated to give this book a positive review. 

Fully Alive by Ken Davis

Hey guys! I don’t know if yall knew or not, but one of my favourite Bible verses is John 10:10b: “I have come so that you may have life to live to the fullest.” (That may be a little paraphrased, but it’s the same general feeling.) Anyway, the new book I’ve gotten from booksneeze talks about that very verse.

“Fully Alive” by Ken Davis was an interesting read. It pulled me in quickly and Davis has a unique ability weave together personal stories and theological truths. He has a quirky sense of humour that I love and his truths were practical. “Fully Alive” is about living life to the fullest (pretty obvious, considering the title) the way God wants. I loved it. I’ve noticed a huge influx of books similar to this one. People aren’t satisfied with the Sunday-to-Sunday salvation. This book offers a way to live your faith day by day. It’s wonderful. Five out of five stars.

Note: This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze Blogger programme in exchange for an honest review. I was not forced to write a positive review. This review is completely, 100% my true opinion.

The Truth About Grace by John MacArthur

"“Is the experience of God’s grace in your life a thrilling thing? Just thinking about the fact that God, by His own sovereign plan, decided to be gracious to me is overwhelming. There is nothing greater than receiving grace upon grace.” —John MacArthur

Simple definitions can make grace feel like an obvious―even mundane―concept. Nothing could be further from the truth. Grace is the defining feature of the Christian faith. Once we understand how undeserving we are and how much favor we’ve been given, grace becomes shocking, thrilling, inspiring, and contagious."

This comes from the back of the book, and I honestly can't describe the sentiments in this book any better. Grace is often a scary concept. MacArthur does a wonderful job of simplifying it and making it easily accessible to the common man. This book is very short; I finished it in an afternoon. It’s not so deep that you go under, but it goes hand in hand with real life. This was my first experience with the ‘Truth About’ series that MacArthur has been putting out, but it most definitely won’t be my last. I give this book a good 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*Warning. This book had a few parts that I found biblically questionable. I am in the process of seeking answers in the Bible. Read with a bit of caution!

Love Does by Bob Goff

Hey guys. One of my favourite parts of being part of the booksneeze programme is getting to find kind of the yet - to - be - discovered literary gems. In Bob Goff’s ‘Love Does,’ I’ve found such a gem. Before I go on, though, I need to let you know that I did, in fact, receive this book for free from the Thomas Nelson publisher through their booksneeze blogging programme in exchange for an honest review. I am under no obligation to give this book a positive review. Everything that you are about to read is completely, 100% my own thoughts. Anyway, so I’ve been noticing more and more biographies coming through booksneeze recently. The thing is with most of these biographies, however, is that most of them are of celebrities. Or at least people that I’ve heard of. Before this book, though, I had never heard of Bob Goff. But when I read the summation of the book on the review page, I was intrigued. This guy seemed like he had it going on. So I ordered the book and wasn’t disappointed. This book is funny, thought-provoking, and completely enjoyable to read. I love it, and it does a fantastic job of showing how a person can live putting love into action. I give this book five out of five stars.

I am Second by David Sterrett and Doug Bender

Hey guys. Seriously, I cannot rave enough about this book that I’ve just gotten. It’s called “I Am Second”, and it contains a lot of stories about different people who have become Christians. It’s a book of testimonies, blending together celebrity stores from the likes of Brian Welch and Michelle Aguilar as well as regular people like you and I. It is “officially” written by Dave Sterrett and Doug Bender, it is truly written by dozens of people who have learned what it means to become second. I AM SECOND is an organization that I’ve recently gotten involved with, and I love it. If you would like to learn more about it, please visit iamsecond.org. It is an amazing site and I am sure you will be blessed by it. I loved this book so much and I give it a solid five out of five stars.

Just to make sure everyone is aware of this, I received this book for free from the publisher through the Thomas Nelson booksneeze blogger program in exchange for a completely honest review. I was under no requirement to give this book a positive review, and everything that you’ve read is my own opinion.