It's only a luxury...

When I first ordered this book, I was pretty excited. It turns out this book is basically a database of the most important stories in the bible. I thought they would rewrite them, so they would be in a better "story" form, but they didn't. It's not a bad thing, but not what I was expecting.

I think this is best for reading through the stories of the old testament. It gets rid of all the boring genealogy and laws and gives you the meat of the old testament. If you had always wanted to read the bible in a year, or one of those things, this would be a great way to do it.

I've found this book to be helpful in my study of the bible. It is easy to use, and if you are doing something like Chronological bible study, or "storying" it would be perfect to use. Each lesson could be one chapter, and you could do a chapter a week.

To sum it up, it's basically a bible, and it makes it easier to find bible stories. No one needs this book, because it is just the Bible, and 92% of American's own a Bible. I gave it 3 stars because it is definitely good, but it's just a luxury.

The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield

Stephen Mansfield brings some great insight into the world of beer. Mansfield has undoubtedly brought forth a great deal of research to the table. In order to write this book, Stephen goes to the Guinness annals and researches the beginnings of the beer that we know as Guinness.

In all of this astute research, Mansfield doesn't keep the reader hooked. Their is no denying the interesting facts, and history that he shows us, but that doesn't equate to a good book. If you like to read history textbooks, then this is the book for you.

The beginning of the book goes through a history of the Guinness family, and the history of beer in the church. Beer in the church has a rich history. Many prominent church leaders loved beer, and it is evident in their writings. Martin Luther, in a letter to his wife, tells her to send his whole wine cellar, and beer to him, while he is in Dessau. Katie, Luther's wife sent it to him.

I think in all the borish words, Mansfield does supply us with an interesting take on what it means to be a Christian. He doesn't address the spiritual repercussions of drinking beer, but what he does do is show that their is a rich history of beer within the church. Some denominations, and people don't allow drinking. While I think drinking could become very dangerous, it isn't bad. When we start living a legalistic life, basing our lives on "Do's" and Don't's" we become pharisaic. Our lives, as Christians isn't about living the most pious life, it's about loving God, and loving others.

All-in all, I would give this book a 3 1/2 but only because of Mansfield's research.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

Donald Miller was down, and depressed. He had written a best-seller, and was a much sought after speaker, but success doesn't always bring happiness.

Donald received a call from two gentlemen who wanted to speak to him about turning "Blue Like Jazz," into a movie. Needless to say, Don didn't know how to take it. His world renowned book was a memoir, and a collection of essays, not a story.

Miller talks to these movie producers, and they give Don a chance to re-write his story. He relizes he has been writing stories for a living, but not living them. We are the author of our own stories, and as humans, we don't want to take risks. We want to have a nice comfy life. Miller learns he not only doesn't want a nice life, but he needs God to write his story for him.

Through all this Miller decides to travel to Machu Pichu in Peru, to get to know a girl he likes, he meets his Dad, and he rides his bike across the U.S. All of this in search of living a better story.

As is in his other books, Miller isn't lost, and ambling through life. He has a sense of clarity about life, that it can be great, and not just ordinary.

I highly recommend this book to everybody. It is a must read for anyone who wants to live a better life.

Called to Worship by Vernon M. Whaley

In Called to Worship Whaley presents a story of how God is worshiped. The book asks the question: Is How we worship God truely biblical? The only way to answer that is to see what the Bible says about worship, and that is what Whaley does. He begins in Genesis, and ends in Revelation, and goes through the Bible and studies how people are called to Worship God the Father. Called to Worship studies both biblical heroes, and ordinary bible characters to give us a good understanding of what God intends worship to be.

I play in the praise band at church, and thouroughly enjoyed reading this book. I will definitely tell my brothers and sisters at church to read it. It opened my eyes to what God intends worship to be. I highly recommend it to, just as so many others have, to anyone serving, or interested in worship(which should really be all Christians) to read this book.

This book has been recommened by many contemporary students of worship including: Charles E. Fromm, Ph. D., Publisher of Worship Leader Magazine, to Dr. Ricky Skaggs, Blugrass Musician. They agree it is one of the most comprehensive books written on worship, and the depth of scriptural understanding is incredible.

Book Reviews: The X and Y of Buy

The X and Y of Buy written by Elizabeth Pace looks at the psychological and anatomical differences between men and women, and why it is important to market, and sell differently to each gender. According to Pace, men and women were created differently, for different purposes. Men are not better, and women aren’t better, but they are very different. According to The X and Y of Buy, Men and woman are as genetically different as two animals of the same species can be, while still being of the same species.
While Pace does express that men and women aren’t any better than each other, she does seem to be a little sexist. She obviously comes from a woman’s point of view, but she doesn’t always seem to see things from a male’s perspective.
It is full of good information on what makes men and women different. One of the main differences between men and women, is that men developed skills to be hunters, while women developed skills for childcare. This is why newborn girls prefer looking at faces, and newborn boys prefer looking at objects; Women are more relational.
In light of this, The X and Y of Buy is a very informative read, and I would recommend it to anyone who even wants to learn about gender differences.