Enemies of the Heart - Slow Start, Good Finish

Although it took a bit to get to the point, Andy Stanley is on point with this book. The negative thoughts and emotions we think are buried deep inside are really right on the surface controlling our lives.

Great for group study or personal study, Stanley's book takes you to the heart of these emotions using Scripture and his own experiences to lead you on a journey to a changed life. He teaches you how to confront the enemies of your heart, pointing out things I'm pretty sure we know, but haven't quite been ready to face.

If you aren't ready to really committ to changing your life, this book isn't for you. Stanley has a lot of thought-provoking questions for you, not just in the discussion section at the back if the book, but throughout the book. These questions are meant for you to see clearly how the four enemies (guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy) have kept you in bondage and have kept your relationships broken. From reading this book, you will see just how much you are responsible for the current situation of your life and what steps you can take to change your life for the better.

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

The Wild Side of Jesus

Untamed: How the Wild Side of Jesus Frees Us to Live and Love with Abandon by Lisa Harper


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Through reading the book Untamed, I have become a fan of the author, Lisa Harper. Her humor is very refreshing and makes such an enjoyable read! I found myself relating to her in so many ways as my relationship with Jesus grew stronger.

In the first two pages of the book, Harper writes, "Choosing the safe but boring path is an apt metaphor for the years I spent rather numbly and halfheartedly pursuing God." This is definitely how I've become over the years (safe and boring) as I've tried to prevent chaos and pain from entering into my life. However, chaos and pain have still managed to wiggle their way into my life and my relationship with Jesus has been lukewarm. Harper invites you to "reawaken the sense of adventure God hard-wired into your soul" and Untamed surely does that!

Now, Harper has a very sharp sense of humor that some might find offensive or sacrilegious. She talks about paralytics who turn cartwheels, how Tamar's first husband and Onan were stinkers so God killed them, and she calls John the Baptist "Johnny B." I had reached a point that I thought, okay, this might be too much, but then changed my mind when two pages later I was laughing out loud at the vision of John the Baptist "with locust legs stuck between his teeth." Harper was talking about the type of people Jesus hung out with, and right after the locust legs comment, she writes a profound piece that makes your heart swell over the Jesus who loves us:
"But Jesus is the friend who lovingly sticks by every repentant sinner's side through thick and thin. Even when we blow it or get distracted by other interests, He doesn's stop loving us. In fact, Jesus' unwavering commitment to us is what ultimately compelled Him to lay down His life in exchange for ours. His devotion to broken people like us is remarkable."

Throughout the book, Harper shares her personal experiences (that I'm sure many of us can relate to) and connects them to biblical stories, illuminating the true Jesus that loves and accepts us all. The end of each chapter also has questions to help the reader dig deeper, not just within themselves but through God's Word.

I highly recommend this book and am grateful to have received it free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for my review.

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Someone Please Awaken Me

Lazarus Awakening: Finding Your Place in the Heart of God by Joanna Weaver

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I was so looking forward to reading this book. I think the message, "Finding Your Place in the Heart of God" is an important one and one that I certainly need to read more on, but it isn't what I got from reading it. Not long after I began, I was bored to tears and totally confused.

The book and its stories were choppy and metaphors seemed forced. There was no flow and after having read it, I honestly cannot even tell you what the book was about. Weaver used so many personal viewpoints throughout the book that I just became annoyed. "Maybe they thought..." "Perhaps she said..." "He could have done..." "She possibly was feeling..."

I became somewhat disturbed and literally groaned out loud when I read her description of how fortunate she was that her son didn't play mental games with her like greeting her with a cold shoulder when she goes away (as "most kids" do). She writes, "Instead of sulking, he's the first one to meet me at the door" and "He doesn't wait until I reach out to him. He leaps towards me." That was a slap in the face to any mother who wasn't greeted by her child at some point. I'm quite sure she isn't the perfect mother that all her stories in the book make it seem.

Lastly, Weaver depicted the betrayal of Judas as Judas "hoping to force the Son of God to do his bidding and declare Himself king." Say what? All four Gospels describe Judas betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

At this point, I truly had to force myself to continue reading. After all, I did receive this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for my review. I feel bad about not liking the book and posting an unpleasant review so I will add some positive notes about this book:

1. I did like the "Dethroning Lies" piece that discusses employing four principles to assist the Holy Spirit in ridding you of harmful and untrue strongholds. Those principles are asking God to Reveal the stronghold, Repenting to Him for seeking comfort in them, Renouncing the hold they have on you, and Replacing these beliefs with Scriptures.

2. I liked the sections "Disciplining Your Mind" and Appendix D "Who I Am in Christ" in which she affirms cognitive psychology with Scriptures, helping us to understand that we are accepted, secure, significant, and loved by Jesus.

I have never read any of Weaver's books before this and can assume from this that she isn't my cup of tea. However, if you enjoyed her first two books, I'm sure you would enjoy this one, as well, as it is the last of the trilogy.


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Tags: Christian Non-fiction

Fierce Beauty: Choosing to Stand for What Matters Most by Kim Meeder

I really enjoyed this book.  First off, Kim Meeder has a delicious and poetic way with words!  A great storyteller, Kim takes you on a magnificent adventure through God's beautifully created world.  Whether canoeing through the swamps or hiking through mountains and boulders, the rich imagery shows you how creative God is and that *all* of His creations are beautiful.

Meeder starts each chapter off with a vivid event from her own life and ties them together with spiritual disciplines and application.  She speaks of living a life committed to Jesus and what that entails.  She tells women to take off their princess crowns, put the mirror down, and get down and dirty in a life for Jesus.

"We often chase after this world's definition of beauty and value and reject genuine worth offered by our Lord."  Meeder defines True Beauty using God's definition instead of the world's, "...beauty is not from the outside in...but the inside out," and she quotes 1 Peter 3:4.  She tells us that what makes us beautiful is God's glory *inside* of us, and that this is truly reflected to the world around us when we are serving others.

Through each chapter, we learn the price of sin, the depth of sin's hold on us, and how to release it to Jesus.  We learn that our hope is through our King, His promises, and His plans for our lives.  We learn that no matter what has gone on in our lives, Jesus is with us.  "Even if we're discarded by those who promised to fill our lives with love, the Lord Himself vows to always be with us, no matter what wilderness we find ourselves lost in."

The book closes with a beautiful call for us to do our part and to stand strong, to praise and adore not our own reflections but the One who created us to begin with.  Instead of being a princess, stand as a warrior for Christ. "But no matter what blows he (Satan) might deal, and though you are wounded and worn, stand and fight in the truth..."  as a bride of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Read an excerp here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422033&view=excerpt
See a video here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2010/05/10/video-fierce-beauty-kim-meeder/

Tags: christian non-fiction