Tuesday, February 28, 2012

My Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos

This book is surprising in many ways. I think the quote on the cover of the book (my version of the book anyway) "Think Monty Python meets C.S. Lewis" (Relevant Magazine) is quite accurate. There were many times I was laughing hysterically in the book and other times I had tears coming down my face. I also don't think I have seen the name "Jesus" written so many times in one book.

Those are my initial reactions to the book but the heart of the book is fantastic. I think Mr. Mikalatos gets his point across in a humorous yet powerful way. The ridiculousness of all the different Jesuses really made a point to me and I can see how most of us create our own image of who He is in some way or another. It definitely made me think about how we view Jesus and our life circumstances can change our viewpoint of who He is. Yet He is the unchanging one, we are the one who changes who we think He is based on our circumstances. I really enjoyed this book but you have to be able to handle humor and satire. If you can't, I could see how this may be an annoying book that you wouldn't get.

There is also a reading guide in the back and I thoroughly enjoyed the author's notes that go along with some of the questions. This is completely worth the read. I highly recommend this book.

I recieved this book free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my review.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

If I Gained the World by Linda Nichols

This book was really sweet.  The picture makes it look like a dated book but it wasn't so don't go by the cover!  It did get a little slow in the middle but picked right back up again.  The main guy character really ticked me off for the longest time and so that made me root even harder for the girl.  The author does a good job of weaving characters together and giving a great description.

Great for a winter weekend by the fire or a summer beach read!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Viral by Leonard Sweet

I found this quite an interesting read. The book begins by pointing out the major differences between two cultures of Gutenberger's and Googler's. The generations have some major differences and should be addressed in light of how we share the Gospel and build relationships with others. I think he made some great points about how social media can be used to share the Gospel. I also think this is quite a timely book since social media isn't going away. It's growing and will continue to grow so I believe its beneficial to be knowledgeable about this Googler generation. I will say that certain chapters are drawn out and I felt like he kept repeating his point which caused me to skim certain chapters. All in all I thought it was a valuable read and would recommend it.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.