In his book, Not a fan, Kyle Idleman hits at the core of fanship. He gets to the root of what a true disciple is –and it certainly isn’t merely a fan. From the first chapter, Not a Fan forced me to look at why I do what I do. Am I guilty of just being a fan of Jesus instead of truly seeking after His heart? Like Nicodemus, we are to be willing to leave our comfortable place and go after Him –regardless.

This book was a great read and I recommend it to everyone, even those of you (or especially those of you) that think you have this “Christian” thing figured out. We all need to be challenged to look at our motives and to keep our lives in check. Doing life everyday takes its toll and we can get off track and not even realize it, sometimes until it’s too late. Not a Fan came to me at the perfect time and I looked forward to reading it. I received the book free from Zondervan to read and review and was appreciative that I did. It got me thinking about things in my life that need to be reevaluated and tweaked.

You can buy this book at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com
Download the first chapter or prologue here from notafan.com

Roy Bauer

From the website www.notafan.com

Are you a follower of Jesus?

Don’t answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you’re not into Jesus, period.

In any case, don’t take the question—Are you a follower of Jesus?—lightly.

Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, saysPastor Kyle Idleman . But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers.

Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humor, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you.

In Margaret Feinberg’s book Hungry for God, she takes the reader through her personal life experiences, which provide glimpses into some of the ways the Creator speaks to His children. She illustrates that inside every human heart lies the desire for intimacy, companionship, and fulfillment. While some search for these things in worldly pleasures that never truly satisfy our soul cravings, Feinberg provides insight that we are starving for God and only He can fill what is void in our lives.
She tackles the question that so many readers are afraid to ask: How do I hear from God? She confesses that in her own prayer life there are times she feels that her prayers can fall flat. How do we hear the voice of God, and also block out the shouts that come from the world that tell us to go against God’s law? Feinberg answers:

“God invites us to fix our eyes on the Lord. If we want our lives pointed Godward, then our focus must stay on him. God tucks himself into our life experiences and reminds us to look for him in the everyday. Hunger for God compels us to seek the Lord” (77).

She beautifully sprinkles scripture throughout the book to support biblical truths regarding prayer, as well as offer her personal stories that have helped shape her relationship with the living God.

Feinberg assures the reader that God does not always speak on the top of a holy mountain, but rather His presence is often illustrated through bible passages, a person, or even a tugging in your heart. Thus we can experience Him working in our everyday lives.
Hungry for God is a good read for individuals no matter where they are in the Christian faith.

Lil Mason

You can purchase this book at www.amazon.com

I received this book from Zondervan to read and review.
–Roy Bauer

In her thought provoking book, What’s It Like to be Married to Me?, Linda Dillow encourages wives to look in the mirror and ask themselves this dangerous and challenging question. It is a fantastic workout that causes women to examine the influence that a wife has to the happiness of her marriage, to evaluate how she is living up to her responsibility to her husband and the Lord in marriage, and to challenge herself to work toward the goal of deepening the intimacy and oneness with her husband in marriage.

Although the husband is the head of the home, it is the wife who controls the thermostat of the house and dictates the mood and atmosphere of the marriage. Linda thoughtfully encourages wives to change their heart’s attitude in the way they approach their responsibilities as a wife and gives great practical advice to apply in their marriages to bring about positive change and growth. She uses convicting examples from real women that serve the purpose of holding up a mirror to the reader, forcing them to ask themselves, “What kind of wife am I? and “What would my husband have to say about me?” Her book causes the reader to take the focus off of self and redirect it to understanding her husband as an individual and appreciating marriage as a holy and privileged gift from God.

Linda’s delightful message is one that needs to be shared with all wives in every walk of life. Her encouragement and advice is rich in scripture and truth that has the power to transform any marriage into a beautiful relationship that glorifies the Lord. I would highly recommend this book to wives in every season of marriage, from a new wife just home from her honeymoon to a seasoned veteran who has been married for forty years!

You can purchase the book at  http://www.amazon.com/

–Mary Catherine Fowler

I was given a copy of this book by Waterbrook Multnomah to read and review.

Linda Dillow is no stranger to publishing and adventure. She’s the author of Creative Counterpart, Calm My Anxious Heart, The Blessings Book, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul, and co-author of the Best-Selling book Intimate Issues. Linda and her husband Jody lived in Europe and Asia for 17 years training Christian leaders in closed countries with Biblical Education by Extension, during this time, Linda traveled extensively in Romania, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Asia. She taught women and helped them launch women’s ministries. She is a mother of four children, as well as a grandmother.

Tea With Hezbollah, by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis, was a book (non-fiction)that stretched me to the limits. The authors set out on a journey to find the “Good Samaritan” talked about by Jesus, in His famous parable. They traveled through the Middle East interviewing Muslim leaders from Hezbollah, Hamas and others, asking hard questions about Jesus’ teachings concerning loving our enemies.

I’ve traveled through Israel and I’ve had conversations with Christians, Jews and Arabs, both living in Israel and Palestine, so this book was fascinating to me. I’ve walked places where Jesus walked and sat on the hillside where Jesus gave the famous “Sermon on the Mount.” His teachings concerning loving our neighbors as ourselves and loving our enemies was just as revolutionary then as it is now. But it is just as hard. Imagine, in Jesus’ time, Samaritans were looked at by the Jews much the same way Muslims are looked at by Christians today. Are we, as believers in Christ, capable of loving our enemies? Tea with Hezbollah posed that same question to the Muslim leaders, and the answers were eye opening.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who can read with their eyes opened. What I mean is that you have to be willing to learn what people are thinking, whether or not you agree with them. Just because you hear them out doesn’t mean you are condoning what they do.

–royb

Click here to buy this book at Random House.

In the honor of full disclosure, I was given a copy of this book by the Publisher, WaterBrook Multnomah, to read and review.

Summary:

Is it really possible to love one’s enemies?
That’s the question that sparked a fascinating and, at times, terrifying journey into the heart of the Middle East during the summer of 2008. It was a trip that began in Egypt, passed beneath the steel and glass high rises of Saudi Arabia, then wound through the bullet- pocked alleyways of Beirut and dusty streets of Damascus, before ending at the cradle of the world’s three major religions: Jerusalem.

Tea with Hezbollah combines nail-biting narrative with the texture of rich historical background, as readers join novelist Ted Dekker and his co-author and Middle East expert, Carl Medearis, on a hair-raising journey. They are with them in every rocky cab ride, late-night border crossing, and back-room conversation as they sit down one-on-one with some of the most notorious leaders of the Arab world. These candid discussions with leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, with muftis, sheikhs, and ayatollahs, with Osama bin Laden’s brothers, reveal these men to be real people with emotions, fears, and hopes of their own. Along the way, Dekker and Medearis discover surprising answers and even more surprising questions that they could not have anticipated—questions that lead straight to the heart of Middle Eastern conflict.
Through powerful narrative Tea With Hezbollah will draw the West into a completely fresh understanding of those we call our enemies and the teaching that dares us to love them. A must read for all who see the looming threat rising in the Middle East.

Author Bios:

Ted Dekker is the author of many nationally bestselling novels, including Bone Man’s Daughters, The Circle Trilogy, Thr3e, and House, which was coauthored by Frank Peretti. His unique style of storytelling has captured the attention of millions worldwide. Visit him at TedDekker.com.

Carl Medearis is the founder and president of International Initiatives, LLC, an organization that promotes cultural, educational, and commercial exchange between the East and the West. He is an advisor on Arab affairs to the members of the U.S. Congress and leaders in international business.

His passion is infectious and his insight is incredible. In Primal, Mark Batterson takes us on a journey back to the beginning of the Christian Faith:

Over the last two thousand years, Christianity has evolved in lots of ways. We’ve come out of the catacombs and built majestic cathedrals with all the bells and steeples. Theologians have given us creeds and canons. Churches have added pews and pulpits, hymnals and organs, committees and liturgies. And the IRS has given us 501(c)(3) status. And there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things. But none of those things is primal. And almost like the Roman effect of building things on top of things, I wonder if the accumulated layers of Christian traditions and institutions have unintentionally obscured what lies beneath.

…When all of the superficialities are stripped away, what is
the primal essence of Christianity?

In the pages that follow, I want to descend that flight of stairs with you. I want
us to go underground. I want us to go back in time. Think of it as a quest for the
lost soul of Christianity. And by the time you reach the last page, I hope you will
have done more than rediscover Christianity in its most primal form. I hope you will
have gone back to the primal faith you once had. Or more accurately, the primal faith
that once had you.

Mark Batterson challenges us to get back to the roots of our faith. What is it that Christianity is all about? What do we really believe and why? What are we passionate about?

This book will absolutely challenge you to evaluate your faith, and will ultimately help facilitate a revolution in your life.

–royb

You can buy it here, at Amazon.com.

Many contemporary beliefs about angels are based on misconception and myth. Dr. David Jeremiah uses scripture to unveil the remarkable truth about these agents of heaven, and their role and work in our world—and lives.

More than 60,000 units of this powerful book have sold in two past editions. This repackage of the original 1996 paperback will surely capture the attention of readers of all ages who seek a broad and thorough survey of scripture that clearly separates fact from fiction as it relates to angels. The book will appeal to the thousands who follow Dr. Jeremiah’s books, and radio and TV broadcasts.

Relevant, little known biblical facts help readers sharpen their knowledge and sensitivities toward the spiritual reality of angels. Dr. Jeremiah’s enlightening findings are supported with illustrations and insights from Billy Graham, Corrie ten Boom, C.S. Lewis, and more.

Dr. David Jeremiah is senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, and founder of Turning Point Radio and TV Ministries. His radio program is carried on over 2,500 stations worldwide, while the TV broadcast is received by 500 million homes via cable and satellite. The recipient of numerous awards for broadcast excellence, his books have garnered Gold Medallion awards and become bestsellers with The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the New York Times. He is a sought-after conference speaker by organizations nationwide.

I have a copy of the book to give away. Leave a comment saying why you would like to read it and I’ll pick one to receive the book –Good Luck.

Click here to purchase this book at Random House.

royb

In honor of full disclosure, I received this book free from Random House to review.

royb

There’s no place like home, they say.

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307457158

EXAMINING TWILIGHT THROUGH A BIBLICAL LENS
People around the world are asking the same question, enraptured with Edward and Bella’s forbidden romance in the Twilight Saga, a four-book serial phenomenon written by Stephenie Meyer. The bestsellers tell the story of a regular girl’s relationship with a vampire who has chosen to follow his “good” side. But the Saga isn’t just another fantasy–it’s teaching girls about love, sex, and purpose. With 48 million copies in print and a succession of upcoming blockbuster films, now is the time to ask the important question: Can vampires teach us about God’s plan for love?
Touched by a Vampire is the first book to investigate the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer’s Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Beth Felker Jones examines whether the story’s redemptive qualities outshine its darkness.
Cautionary, thoughtful, and challenging, Touched by a Vampire is written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and pop culture enthusiasts. It includes an overview of the series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups.

You Can Buy it Here

Shadow Government takes you deep into the world of surveillance cameras, financial transactions and RFID chips hidden in the stuff you buy –so companies can track who bought it and what was bought. Sound like something out of a movie? That’s what I thought too, but boy was I naive.

Grant R. Jeffrey not only details –and I do mean details— how phones, security cameras and computers are used to track us, but what the implications are for the future. I can safely say I have altered how and what I say online since reading this book.

For example:

“Most people are not aware that a microscopic RFID chip hidden in an article of clothing, a book, or any other consumer product can enable the retailer, the product’s manufacturer, and even an intelligence or police agency to track the product and you, the purchaser. If you buy a product with an embedded RFID chip, you can be tracked from the store’s checkout counter, where your identity is recorded from your credit or debit card.” (page 37)

“At the time of this writing, more than one and a half billion RFID chips are inserted in products each year, and there is no legal requirement for companies to inform consumers that a product contains an embedded RFID chip.” (page 39)

This book needs to be read; not because it will scare anyone in thinking they are being watched 24/7 –which isn’t far from the truth some places on earth—but because understanding where technology is today will help all of us make smart choices about how we communicate and how we purchase goods and services.

Also, after reading this book, it will be easier to understand how the Anti-Christ can one day police an entire planet at one time. That got your attention didn’t it?

You can purchase this book at Random House by clicking here.

royb

The main character in Wisdom Hunter, by Randall Arthur, is a pastor who is very legalistic –and runs his church and family that way. And because of this, he finds himself alone, searching for answers –answers to questions he thought he’d figured out long ago.

Pastor Jason Faircloth sets out on a search for not only his lost family, but for his very soul. His travels, which span the globe, takes him to places most of us can only dream about. But through it all, Jason realizes that God has not only “not” forgotten him, but that his faith is being restored; a real faith, not one based on rules and regulations, but a faith based on the love of Christ and Him crucified.

I’ll have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. But about two-thirds of the way through, I was reading as fast as I could just so I could see how it ended –and I was not disappointed. The author does an excellent job of allowing us to see the inner thoughts and ramblings of a man who, in his late forties, has to start over, not only with his life but also with his faith. We are luckily let in on this roller coaster of a ride, both spiritually and emotionally.

I highly recommend this book for everyone. Whether you like drama, suspense, or love stories, this book is for you.

You Can Buy Wisdom Hunter Here (Random House)

royb