Making Giving Fun!!!

Wednesday March 4, 2015- Recently I read a book by Brad Formsma for review.  I highly recommend this read to anyone. Here is the review.

"This was a great book on such a hard topic for Christian leaders. We all ask ourselves, "How do I talk about generosity and it be a fun topic"? Brad really captures that "FUN FACTOR", with the truths of God's Word. Chocked full of great stories and teachings, but of the entire book, the quote from his grandfather jumped out as brilliance. His grandfather left him a note saying, "...you make a living by what you earn, you make a life by what you give". That is Awesome!!! I would recommend this a read for anyone young or old, but for the Christian leader, it is a must have. Great Book".

Wednesday June 5, 2013- I just finished a book review on Joshua Harris's book "Humble Orthodoxy". Out of all the books I've read this year, this one challenged me the most. Here's my review...

This book absolutely blew me away. I guess the reason is that I have been moving towards becoming the rude orthodox guy lately. I've been guilty of picking apart other people's doctrine but this book really convicted me to take a step back. Josh is a young man filled with wisdom that can only come from God. Since reading, I have become more aware that as a rule, people have reasons for the things they say and believe, and most of the time, they believe what they do because that's what they read in scripture. Now don't get me wrong, if I see someone in error on the essentials of Christianity, I will say something. I'm still very aware of doctrine, because people souls are at stake, but I now try to first look at what is said, why it is said from the other persons perspective, and then try and reason how Jesus would approach the conversation.
 
I've found that using this formula leads me to a more "Humble Orthodoxy".
 
Josh inspired me to see orthodoxy more through the eyes of Christ than my eyes who judge and condemn without fully knowing. I've mellowed in my approach and it has made me a happier person with a lot less sin of my own to deal with. Great Book! 

One Nation Under Attack Review

Tuesday April 2, 2013- Today I finished reading Grant R. Jeffrey's book "One Nation Under Attack". This book caused me to experience many emotions. Some good, others bad. But in the end, I walked away impressed and enriched that this book is on shelves. Here's my review...


I must say the first couple of chapters had me ready to write this book off as another uber right-wing fanatic bent on making our executive branch out to be a joke. But as I read on, I realized that Grant is a well researched, insightful watchman to a nation that clearly is heading in the wrong direction financially. 

There is some great research in this book. Cudo's for doing your homework. But the most impressive thing about this book is the application (part of the application anyway). I don't really follow all the rave about precious metal commodity. We've been going down that road for years, and I believe that in itself is some kind of conspiracy put in place by those who have something to gain in the industry. I did however love the stuff on protecting your finances and choosing and following up on the well-being of our banks. 

Overall I felt educated and informed by the content and I think this book would be a great help to many Americans.

 I would lay off the negativity about our president though.

Review on the God you Never Knew

January 31, 2013- Robert Morris has written many books that I found so enlightening because he never writes about things he hasn't lived. So when I found he wrote a book on the forgotten 3rd person of the Trinity I was pumped to get the chance to read it. This book makes a great stride to clear up some of the mystery and confusion that surrounds God in this person. It started off with a bang, but I found the quest of solution waning in the end.

The first half of the book gave great attention to the growing hunger for the Spirit that we are seeing in all denominations(or most) in the church today. It is scriptural and doctrinal, and does a great job of painting the reality of the Spirit to the church who desperately needs an outpouring of the Spirit's power. The great thing about Robert Morris is that he is REAL. He tells it through his eyes and how those eyes were opened. That is what I love about his writings.

But, the second part of the book doesn't hold up the expectations set out in the first. It seems to drift into a realm of scattered thoughts and directions, which don't lead a person on a journey of finding and experiencing this 3rd person of the Trinity for themselves. Only more stories about the confusing parts of the doctrines of the Spirit. So the reader finds himself just as lost in the end.

Though the thoughts seemed scattered and it seemed like so many sermons I've heard with a very catchy title of answering a much asked question (the hook), only to not answer any real questions, just something to get you thinking.  So you see, in the end, he probably accomplished what he set out to do. That is to get us thinking, and studying ourselves.

Re-Focus on Mission

March 18, 2012- This book was so refreshing. When I first saw the title, I thought, "wow, I need to read this". I thought it was a book that would show me this revelation on the mission of the church. But as I read, I found out it was so much more than that. This is incredibly simple and applicable, but so over looked in church and in the normal lives of Christians.

If you have never experienced a dry season in your life spiritually, you might not understand the genius of the first mission Steven lists, but it was such a confirmation to me. You can operate in ministry without intimacy with God, but you can't do it with any power or long term effectiveness. This part of the book was so helpful to me. Thank you Steven.

Next, he moves into a progressive discipleship strategy to accelerate that growth. Again, huge help. Then that discipleship flows into multiplication and fulfillment of the Great Commission. We are called to make disciples, not converts. This third mission is great for anyone wanting to teach or to do what Jesus called us to do. Incredible.

The last mission I think is a description of what every church in America should be focused on right now. That is to Impact the lives of non-believers. Not only in church, but in our lives, in our workplaces, in our communities, and in our families we should be doing this.

Then Steven gives a clarion call to all of us to play our part. We have a part in the continued Gospel to play. Ours is a story to be written. So what will your story say? I want mine to read like the book of Acts. This book has rekindled a fire inside to take the teaching of Jesus literally and to engage in a lost world the needs to know the savior of the world.

I'm sold. This was a great book and I highly recommend it to any church leader, and all Christians in general. Run out and grab a copy. Steven K. Scott knocked it out of the park.

Digging in

Wednesday December 21, 2011- I just finished reading *Dug Down Deep*. I have to admit I was expecting more. I am not a theology book reader, but enjoy learning more about God, His character, and nature. The book started slow for me, but as I began to think about what Joshua was trying to accomplish with this book, it began to draw me in. The truth is, people do need more theology. When he gave the example of the parable of the builders, I GOT IT. I really got it. He found a way to put the dusty, dry, terms of theology into a book that anyone with a hunger for God will pick up and read from cover to cover. The reason the story grabbed me so hard is the truth that lies within. The average Christian has the desire but not the discipline to dig deep. But that is precisely what needs to happen for our life to line up with the nature and character of God. Joshua does a great job in accomplishing what he sat out to do. Overall a great book, Joshua has an incredible testimony that inspires many church leaders. His transparency and willingness to share his struggles helped me and I am sure it will help many others. Good book.

(Click here) to watch video promo.

Grace covers our finances...

Friday November 25, 2011- I've been doing some research on the economy of our country and it is really easy to get bummed out if we forget that we are CHILDREN OF GRACE. The world economy has been in real turmoil lately. The stock markets are swinging up and down. Housing markets are a mess. Currencies are crumbling. Unemployment is rampant. And none of this likely to stabilize any time soon. While this can be a bit harrowing to watch, it is key for every Christian to remember that we have a source much more stable, reliable and abundant than the world economy. We are plugged into the Kingdom Economy! The economy of heaven is an economy of plenty, of exceeding abundance. It never knows lack. It never experiences recessions or depressions. It is an economy based on God’s promise that He will meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). All the silver and all the gold are the Lord’s. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to our Father (Psalm 50:10). And He promises that all that He has is ours as His children (Luke 15:31).

While the world economy is being shaken, Christians have nothing to fear — if they know how to plug into the economy of heaven. In Jeremiah 29:11 God announces that His desire is to prosper us. In Deuteronomy 8:18 He declares that He has given us the ability to make wealth. The way He does this is to teach us key kingdom principles that will allow us to plug into His economy of abundance no matter what is going on in the world. We see Him do this for His people all through the Bible. Isaac prospered in a time of lack. Abraham knew abundance in every land (and economy) he went into. Joseph received strategies from God on how to see a whole nation thrive in the midst of a time of terrible famine. The Lord is no respecter of persons, what He makes available for one He makes available for all! We just need to know His principles and promises so that we can plug into the economy of His Kingdom.
Our God is a God without limit. In Him there is an abundance of provision and blessing that we have not even begun to tap into. So I encourage you not to look at the situation going on in our countries economy, and dig in to God's kingdom principles.