On The Verge (book review)

July 20, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I’ve only been acquainted with the writings of Alan Hirsch for a short time, but—wow!—do his thoughts resonate with me. On The Verge, which was co-authored with Dave Ferguson, is a thought-provoking, paradigm-challenging look at the potential of the church.

Alan and Dave make it very clear right from the outset that the church in America is at a crucial make-or-break point. They point out that the church in Europe and Australia have already lost their effectiveness in their cultures, and if the church in America doesn’t wake up soon, it will soon head down that same sad path toward irrelevancy.

The good news is that everything the church needs to become the disciple-making, missionally-minded, Christ-centered force it should be is right within it. If churches are willing to realign themselves with the apostolic gene at their core, they are right on the verge of something great!

On The Verge focuses on how churches can imagine, shift, innovate, and then move. Both Alan and Dave are well-suited to inspire their readers to take up this challenge before it’s too late. Alan’s thoughts about the church are so far ahead of the curve, and Dave is not just a church theorist, but he’s successfully doing all of the practices shared in this book.

Pastors and church leaders especially need to read this book. But—as Alan and Dave point out—this is not an issue just for professional clergy. In fact, if the church in America is going to survive and thrive, everyone needs to be involved. This will be a challenging book to read, but well worth your time.

I received a free copy of this book for review.

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Why Great Men Fall (book review)

July 19, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Dr. Wayde Goodall addresses a subject that I wish didn’t have to be addressed in Why Great Men Fall. Unfortunately, we’ve all seen it; perhaps you’ve even experienced it firsthand with someone close to you. How tragic it is when we see spiritual, business or political leaders lose their influence in the wake of a devastating fall.

Dr. Goodall pulls no punches as he identifies the things that seem to trip men up time and time again. He looks squarely at the root causes – not just the symptoms – and challenges men to do the same. We’re all susceptible to sin and failure. The Bible warns us: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

These words from J.C. Ryle are a sober reminder:

“Great falls seldom happen to a saint, without a previous course of secret backsliding. The church and the world are sometimes shocked by the sudden misconduct of some great professor of religion. Believers are discouraged and stumbled by it. The enemies of God rejoice and blaspheme. But if the truth could be known, the explanation of such cases would generally be found to have been private departure from God. People fall in private, long before they fall in public. The tree falls with a great crash, but the secret decay which accounts for it, is often not discovered until it is down on the ground.”

Why Great Men Fall is not a long book, nor does Dr. Goodall present complicated arguments. It’s a straightforward, easy-to-understand diagnosis of the most common things which trip up great men. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to not only read this book, but to read it with a friend who will hold you accountable.

Guys, your family, your church, and your community need you to STAND STRONG!

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Smith Wigglesworth On Faith (book review)

July 8, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

He may have a funny-sounding name, but—wow—can this man ever preach!

Smith Wigglesworth didn’t sit down to write a book, he just preached this book. In fact, Smith didn’t even read other books; he only read the Bible. So to read a Smith Wigglesworth book is really to “listen” to his power-packed sermons.

From 1900 to 1940, Smith traveled around the United States, speaking at various locations. His sermons are a heavy dose of Scripture, accented with frequent interpretations of a message in tongues from the Holy Spirit. So Smith Wigglesworth On Faith is a collection of faith-building sermons preached over a four decade time span.

If you want to have your faith (re)ignited, you can’t go wrong by listening (I mean: reading) these sermons. Highly, highly recommended!

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Radical Together (book review)

July 5, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

In Radical Together, David Platt follows up on his book Radical by focusing on how followers of Jesus need to rethink the purpose of the church.

Throughout the book, David continually challenges the age-old paradigms of “church,” and he calls on Christians to return to a more biblical approach to living out their faith. Some of my favorite wake-up calls come in these quotes:

“So we decided to stop planning, creating and managing outreach programs and to start unleashing people to maximize the ministry opportunities God had already planned and created for them.”

“Be careful not to let programs in the church keep you from engaging people in the world with the Gospel.”

“Discussions in the church more often revolve around what we want than what [God] wills. Almost unknowingly, the church becomes a means of self-entertainment and a monument to self-sufficiency.”

And he also addresses pastors specifically in the way they lead their churches. One quote from David really caused me to pause—

“The Bible is not in a church leader’s hands so he or she can give people answers to every question they have and guidance for every situation they face. Instead, the Bible is in a church leader’s hands to transform people into the image of Christ and to get people in touch with the Holy Spirit of God, who will not only give them counsel for every situation they face but will also walk with them through those situations. And when church leaders use God’s Word for this purpose, then church members develop a healthy dependence on God’s Spirit and a healthy admiration of God’s glory.”

Although Radical Together was really written as a sequel to Radical, I didn’t read the first book. With that being said, I didn’t feel like I was only getting part of the story, as Radical Together clearly stands alone.

If you are tired of same-old-same-old church, Radical Together just might be the wake-up call that you need.

I am a Multnomah book reviewer.

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Be The People (book review)

June 30, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

If Carol M. Swain’s book, Be The People, sounds like the opening words of the Constitution of the United States of America, it was fully intended that way.

Be The People is a clarion call for American citizens to return to our roots. And Dr. Swain makes no attempt to hide the fact that our country’s roots are firmly grounded in biblical truth. The first section of the book is three chapters long and is called “Broken Vows: Forsaking What We Once Knew.” In language that is sometimes scholarly, sometimes biblical, but always straightforward, Dr. Swain systematically lays out where we’ve come from, and how we’ve abandoned God’s ways to get to this point in our country’s history.

The second section — which makes up the remainder of the chapters — lays out what we can do to reclaim our Judeo-Christian heritage. Leaving nothing to the imagination, Dr. Swain lists several action points at the end of each chapter. She also includes the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution at the back of the book. There are no excuses for her readers not to be fully informed of the stark divide between our Founding Fathers’ original intent, and the beliefs and practices of those currently in political power.

Parts of this book surprised me; parts disgusted me; still other parts gave me a greater appreciation for our heritage. But the entirety of this book called me to action. After reading Be The People I feel more prepared to defend what I believe about our great country, and more motivated to get involved.

If you are upset with the current highly-politicized, Scripture-eschewing, heritage-denying atmosphere among the current office-holders in the USA, Be The People is just the book for you.

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.

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Home And Away (book review)

June 29, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I just finished reading Home And Away, by David & Nancy French, and I have tears in my eyes. I readily admit that I’m a “patriotic crier” whenever the red, white and blue is involved, and this book hit me right in that patriotic soft spot.

A real quick summary of the book goes like this: David & Nancy French have an ideal life in America (family, home, career, etc.), but David feels compelled to serve his country in the armed forces in Iraq. So David enlists in the reserves and is stationed away in Iraq for a year, and Nancy tries to adjust to life home without her husband. The book alternates chapters, with both Nancy and David writing about the war from their perspective.

But what was invaluable to me was the insight into the emotional life of this couple. Both of them explain so clearly all of the feelings that are swirling around inside of them. You can feel the frustration as they try to explain their feelings to others, who don’t quite seem to get it. Even David has trouble grasping all that Nancy is experiencing, as Nancy tries to come to grips with what David is going through. In the end, I have a much greater appreciation for both our soldiers away in harm’s way, and their families who attempt to carry on at home without them.

If you want to know how to better support and pray for our armed forces and their families, I highly recommend Home And Away to you.

I am a Hachette Group book reviewer.

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Soul Work (book review)

June 24, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

You probably think that being a monk is a full-time occupation, right? But what if you could learn from the most committed monks, without actually moving to a monastery? That’s exactly what Randy Harris shows us in Soul Work: Confessions of a Part-Time Monk.

I’ll admit that I was hooked more by the subtitle of this book. After all, whoever heard of a part-time monk. Randy Harris set out to find out more about the deep spiritual walk for which so many monks and hermits are renowned. In the beginning of the book, Randy states that there was something he disagreed with in almost every monastery or hermitage he visited. But he culled through all they had to offer, and presented the best practices in Soul Work.

In short, there is much to learn from the unhurried, quiet, peaceful, and deeply-abiding lives of those who separate themselves from general society. What a huge contrast with our frantic, noisy, stressful, superficial lives. Randy shares what he learned about…

  • Deeper intimacy with God
  • A more refreshed outlook on life
  • A life infused with hope
  • More meaningful prayer times
  • Greater levels of obedience
  • God-honoring humility
  • A more satisfying relationship with God

But we won’t pursue any of these things unless we are truly dissatisfied with our current spiritual level. As Randy wrote,

“We do not move in our spiritual lives until we experience some dissatisfaction with what we’ve got. … The first step toward living an intimate life with God is to realize our own desperation, and that desperation comes largely by developing some sense of God’s holiness.”

This is not a casual read. It’s a book that forced me to confront how much more of God I really wanted in my life, and if I was willing to make the necessary changes to achieve greater intimacy. I was challenged by Soul Work, and I think you will be too.

I am an ACU Press book reviewer.

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What The Bible Says About The Holy Spirit (book review)

June 22, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I know a lot of people get uneasy when people starting talking about the Holy Spirit. But what about when the Bible talks about the Holy Spirit? In Dr. Stanley M. Horton’s book, What The Bible Says About The Holy Spirit, you won’t get opinion, just Scripture.

I’m a fourth generation Pentecostal, which means I’ve grown up in an environment where the discussions about the Holy Spirit were numerous and candid. As a result, I thought I knew quite a bit about Him, but it turns out I was so wrong! Dr. Horton is a brilliant scholar, and his knowledge of Scripture is wonderfully on display in this book.

Dr. Horton begins with the Pentateuch and progresses all the way through the Bible, showing exactly what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. Other books I have read talk more about what the Holy Spirit does, but Dr. Horton pulls out the Scriptures to show Who the Holy Spirit is. And, believe me, there’s a huge difference! The first approach broadens your mind; the second approach deepens your relationship.

If you want to go deeper in your relationship with the Holy Spirit, or if you are simply interested in learning more about (as Francis Chan calls Him) the Forgotten God, then check out What The Bible Says About The Holy Spirit.

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Leadership Is Dead (book review)

June 21, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

It’s not that we don’t need leaders anymore; actually, we need more leaders. But we also need the right kind of leaders. It is exactly those right kinds of leaders that Jeremie Kubicek calls upon in Leadership Is Dead: How Influence Is Reviving It.

Many leadership books tend to be very head-oriented. That is, most leadership books give you the how to’s. Jeremie takes a different approach. Instead of leading with the how to’s, he leads with the why. From the opening chapter Jeremie wants his readers to look deep inside to find out why they want to be a leader, or a better leader. Then once that is firmly in mind, he begins to dismantle all of the self-serving motivations, and replace them with the ultimate tool for effective leadership: influence.

In many ways this book is as much a people-skills book as it is a leadership book. But, after all, unless you are leading sheep, you need to know about interacting with people. Rest assured, Leadership Is Dead is not a touchy-feely book; it is an in-your-face confrontation about doing reviving true leadership.

The last chapter is called “Why You Probably Won’t Do This.” In this chapter, Jeremie says, “Most leaders never reach the levels of significant influence because their instincts for self-preservation are too strong.” And then he adds, “True influence comes when you change yourself to change the world.”

Do you want to make a lasting impact on your world? It starts when you can make the changes in yourself that will lead to greater levels of influence on those around you. Because in order to change your world, you’re going to need a lot of help from a lot of other people! This book can help.

(Special thanks to Michael Hyatt for selecting me as a winner on his blog, so that I could get a copy of this book. And thank you as well to Howard Books for making these books available to Michael Hyatt.)

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I Knew Jesus Before He Was A Christian (book review)

June 14, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

You know the cliché: “Never judge a book by its cover.” But with Rubel Shelly’s book, it’s really hard not to give in to this! The complete title is I Knew Jesus Before He Was A Christian… And I Liked Him Better Then. Provocative, huh?

His idea is that the Jesus that is presented in the Bible—which is also the Jesus that is presented to someone who doesn’t have a personal relationship with Him—is different from the Jesus people see in the organized church and in professing Christians. The Jesus in the Bible (or before someone becomes a Christian) is seen in freedom and abundant life. But the Jesus in the church (or after someone becomes a Christian) is a rule-keeping killjoy.

Honestly, I expected this book to be a church-bashing book. I excepted Rubel Shelly to come out blasting away on the rephrase I-love-Jesus-but-I-can’t-stand-His-followers! So I was more than pleasantly surprised right from the first chapter—appropriately titled “Pro-Jesus and Pro-Church”—that this book was not taking that track. Instead, Shelly makes the distinction between “institutionalized religiosity” and a vibrant personalized relationship between God and mankind. Then out of the overflow of this personalized relationship with God, a Christian’s outward lifestyle toward others should be notably more Christ-like.

This book is not targeted at any one segment. There are parts that every pastor would do well to heed. Then there are other parts that anyone who calls themselves Christian should read. And there are even parts that those not involved in a church or a relationship with Christ should take note of.

If, by the title, you were expecting to see the church get beat up, you will be sadly disappointed. However, if you feel like the Church has no room for improvement, you will not only be disappointed, but probably a bit angered too! On the other hand, those who love Christ and love His Bride (the Church), and want to see the Church operating more as she should, you will find much to process in this book.

I am an ACU Press book reviewer.

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