Tag: Book Review

The Gospel Comes with a Housekey Book Review

Posted on by Marius Sodonis

The Gospel Comes with a Housekey

 

 

 

 

 

By Rosaria Butterfield

 

 

 

In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus instructs His disciples about the coming of the Lord. Jesus says that the Lord will bless those who truly were His followers saying, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Puzzled, Christ’s disciples wonder at what time they did any of those things for Him. Then he assures them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” This is Christ’s word for us on hospitality.  

The Gospel Comes with a Housekey is a book about what practicing hospitality as a Christian looks like. “Radically ordinary hospitality is this,” Butterfield writes. “Using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbors and neighbors family of God.” Butterfield challenges us to use our homes as a tool to share the Gospel.

Imagine if your house could be a safe space for your neighbors to bring their burdens and their broken hearts! She shows us how to do this in her book. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it most certainly does not require affluence, as Butterfield explains. Instead, her admonition is to “Start anywhere. But do start.”

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Coronavirus and Christ Book Review

Posted on by Marius Sodonis

Corona virus and Christ

 

 

 

 

 

 

By John Piper

 

 

 

Piper offers the readers of his book exactly what they need to hear…not that Covid-19 will disappear tomorrow, but that there is a God who is greater than this pandemic, and that He is in control and wills good out of seemingly meaningless pain.

Piper writes a valuable book because he emphasizes God’s character. You will be remiss to find a page without reference to God and his nature and will find comparatively less mention about you or I. This is as it should be.

Piper is not blind to the present realities of our world. He acknowledges the storms, but reminds us that to walk above them – to stay on top of the water as Peter failed to do – we must keep our eyes on Christ.

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Born Again Book Review

Posted on by Marius Sodonis

 

Born Again

 

by
Charles Colson

Born Again is the story of a man reaching the very top of the world, only to realize that there is nothing there.

Charles Colson documents the key moments of his life in this powerful autobiography, Born Again. He gives a closer look into his childhood, his rise to fame, and his time as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon. In this book, you will get to read about the Watergate Scandal from the inside, from the eyes of Colson.

I sincerely wish that every young man or woman who wants to be successful – every young man or woman who wants to do something BIG with their life – will read this book. If that sounds like you, read this book and put yourself in his shoes. Colson walks his readers through the deepest parts of his life and explains his thoughts along the way. He shows you how to make mistakes – sometimes egregious ones – and still embrace forgiveness and grace at the foot of the Cross.  

Don’t get me wrong; for most of his life, Colson scoffed at Christianity. A man of his caliber? He didn’t need God! That’s what he thought. Why did he change his mind? I’ll stop there. I once wrote and presented a speech for several audiences about this book. I wish I could have shared it with so many more. That is why I encourage you to read it. Colson has a powerful story. I hope it encourages you and gives you life, just like it did for me.

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12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You Book Review

Posted on by Marius Sodonis

 

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You

 

by
Tony Reinke

The iPhone was first released in 2007. Four years later, 52 percent of American adults ages 18-29 owned a smartphone. Four years after that, in 2015, 86 percent owned a smartphone. Regardless of your opinion on these digital devices – whether they are good or bad overall – one thing is clear: they are everywhere. We ought to know how to use them well.

This is the topic of Reinke’s book, 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You. He does not argue that smartphones are inherently bad or that we should get rid of them. He even includes a bit by pastor John Piper who was overjoyed at how digital devices have been able to enhance his ministry. Reinke wants the readers of his book to know that phones are a tool. They can be used for good but also for ill.

While phones can increase productivity, some studies have linked increased screen time to a rise in anxiety, sleeplessness, and even depression. Our phones are not purely good. Their tremendous computing power and seemingly limitless functionality (There really is an app for everything) gives them persuasive power over our thoughts, our actions, and our time.

It is a powerful book, a bit startling, and sometimes convicting, but very important for understanding how to live wisely in an era that is dominated by the internet.

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8 Great Smarts Book Review

Posted on by Marius Sodonis

8 Great Smarts

 

by
Kathy Koch, PhD

“Smart is a power word. Everyone wants to be smart…if some children believe others are smart and they’re not, they can give up…This is also true of adults. Language is powerful. Words matter.”

In her book, 8 Great Smarts, Dr. Kathy Koch challenges the popular notion that some people are intelligent and others, unintelligent. Everyone is smart, she explains. The question, then, is not “if?” but “How are they smart?” or “How are we smart?” individuals who are thought of as unintelligent often simply haven’t been given the opportunity to explore their design. Without the ability to discover, nurture, and respond to different talents and experiences, they will not be able to fully develop into the individuals God has made them to be.

Character is just as important if not more so than the smarts. It is best developed alongside them. Any talent or ability can be used for good purposes or for ill ones. The Bible provides us with wisdom for discerning the difference. In this book, Dr. Koch helps us understand how both interact.

8 Great Smarts is both for parents who want to raise their children well and for teens and adults who want to grow in understanding how God has made them.

Nature or Nurture? The answer is a resounding  “Yes!”

 

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Amusing Ourselves to Death Book Review

Posted on by Marius Sodonis

 

Amusing Ourselves to Death

 

Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business 
by Neil Postman

A recent Nielsen study found that the average American watches four and a half hours of television a day. That amounts to twelve continuous hours by age 65. It cannot be denied that, in the twenty-first century, entertainment is a very significant part of our lives.

In his book, Postman does not argue, even though the title might suggest, that entertainment is harmful. Entertainment can very well be a good thing. The issue comes when we turn serious modes of public discourse, like news, politics, education, and religion, into entertainment. By carefully curating all of these subjects into thirty-minute segments (sometimes even 30 seconds) as modern broadcasting has done, we have changed their purpose. They are no longer intended to inform but to excite. One study conducted found that 51 percent of viewers could not recall a single item of news a few minutes after viewing a news program on television. Another study found that 21 percent of television viewers could not recall any news items within one hour of broadcast. Something seems wrong here.

As Dr. Mark Mitchell noted, it becomes a problem when serious things are treated frivolously and frivolous things, seriously. Entertainment ought to be enjoyed as a means to an end, not as an end in itself. This book will help you understand the difference.

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Pilgrim’s Progress Book Review

Posted on by Marius Sodonis

Pilgrim’s Progress

by John Bunyan

Don’t be fooled by the title; this book was not written in 1620, and it is not about the Mayflower or Plymouth Plantation. Pilgrim’s Progress is a book about what it means to be a Christian. 

 

 

Although it was written over three-hundred years ago, it still holds much value for modern readers. It is the story of a young man on a journey to the Celestial City. Written allegorically to reflect the lives of those who follow after Christ, John Bunyan’s story is a powerful example of the importance of faith for the layman.

 

 

Bunyan follows the life of a man named Christian from the moment he becomes a Christian until the moment he joins his LORD in eternal glory. Through both incredible joy and terrible peril, Christian’s faith is put to the test. It is a beautiful picture of Christianity and a raw depiction of a life lived for Jesus. 

 

 

Pilgrim’s Progress is timeless precisely because it holds so true to the Christian experience. It is nearly as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1678.

 

 

No matter where you are in your faith – how young or how old, how experienced or how inexperienced – we sincerely hope you will be encouraged by this rich and enduring piece of Christian literature.

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