Sun Stand Still (book review)

April 5, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick is an amazing book!

The title and content of this book is based on an audacious, faith-filled prayer that Joshua offered in the Bible, where God actually allowed the sun to stand still so the Israelites could complete their battle before it got dark. What an amazing prayer: “God, please let the sun stand still”!

Steven leads us through the steps of getting a clear vision of what God wants to accomplish, and then activating that vision through audacious faith. He talks about the hindrances most of us will face in praying a Sun Stand Still prayer, about hanging on to faith during the waiting process, and even how to think about the times the sun goes down.

Through reading this book, I was so convicted that far too many of my prayers are puny, safe prayers; certainly not like the audacious Sun Stand Still prayer that Joshua prayed. But I was also encouraged and energized to begin to change the way I pray.

This book is easy to read and process, but it’s going to be a challenge for me to change my paradigms about praying sun-stand-still prayers.

For anyone who wants to see God do supernatural things in response to audaciously faith-filled prayers, I highly recommend this book as a valuable guide.

I am a Multnomah book reviewer.

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Fasting (book review)

April 2, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

It’s one of the age-old practices for nearly every religion, but there is still so much mystery surrounding fasting. But Scot McKnight’s book simply entitled Fasting is a simple, straightforward explanation of how to apply this ancient discipline.

I appreciated Scot’s blending of passages from the Bible, the writings of the church fathers, and examples and excerpts from modern writers to present a well-rounded look at fasting. Scot lays the groundwork in the opening pages by giving this working definition: “The Bible presents a responsive view of fasting. Fasting is a response to a grievous sacred moment.”

Throughout Fasting, Scot reiterates that we don’t fast to try to get God’s attention, but we fast because we are heartbroken over our condition or the condition of others, and we’re so desperate to see God move. In the process of fasting, our body, soul, and spirit become fully engaged and lead us into a place where we are the ones who are changed. We begin to see those “grievous sacred moments” through God’s eyes, and we begin to feel the same pain He feels.

“Those who yearn for God the most often realize the superficiality of their intimacy with God, fast in response to that superficiality, and then (on the other side) find themselves entranced in the presence of the angels and God.”

If you yearn for greater intimacy with God, I would encourage you to check out Fasting.

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.

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From The Library Of A.W. Tozer (book review)

March 31, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

From The Library Of A.W. Tozer is an incredible gift from James Stuart Bell to not only fans of A.W. Tozer, but anyone who loves the spiritual classics.

A.W. Tozer was a prolific and influential author in the Pentecostal evangelical circles beginning in the 1960s, but his writings are still influencing thousands today. In reading Tozer, it is obvious that the Scripture is his first and foremost text, but it is equally as obvious that Tozer was a well-read student of the classics. In this compilation, James Stuart Bell gives us access to Tozer’s library. We can read for ourselves the writings that influenced the fertile and productive mind of Aiden Wilson Tozer.

Nicely arranged in eight broad sections, you will read the profound thoughts of Augustine, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, William Law, Charles Spurgeon, Dwight Moody, A.B. Simpson, and G. Morgan Campbell, to name just a few of my favorites. This is a book that you will not only pick up often, but one that will whet your appetite to read more of these classic works yourself.

A wonderful read!

I am a Bethany House book reviewer.

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Costly Grace (book review)

March 29, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Jon Walker comes out swinging with his timely book Costly Grace. This book is subtitled “A contemporary view of Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship,” and it makes Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s challenging book come alive for a whole new generation.

“Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

If you have previously read Bonhoeffer’s classic work, you will appreciate the way Jon makes The Cost Of Discipleship understandable to this generation. He does this with watering down Bonhoeffer’s tone at all.

If you haven’t read The Cost Of Discipleship, Jon’s book should be just the primer you need to dive into Bonhoeffer.

In either case, be prepared: Costly Grace is no easy read. You will probably feel like your toes are being stepped on, and that Jon (and Bonhoeffer) are being too unreasonably difficult. This is a serious read for serious disciples of Jesus Christ. So if you are ready to step into a more mature walk with Christ, Costly Grace is an excellent place to start.

I am an ACU Press/Leafwood Publishers book reviewer.

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Biblical Ethics (book review)

March 24, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Like every book from Oswald Chambers, be prepared for Biblical Ethics to hit you right between the eyes! In my lifetime the term ethics has had so many qualifiers added to it: situational ethics … biomedical ethics … wartime ethics. As though ethics becomes something changeable if you are in a difficult situation.

But in clear, unequivocal language, Oswald Chambers brings all ethics back to the Bible.

Keying in most frequently on the teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, Chambers helps us get to the true intention behind the ethical requirements of God’s Law. For any who would say, “But it’s too hard to figure out what Jesus actually meant,” Chambers replies,

“When we come across something we don’t like, we say we don’t understand it; it is too plain not to be understood.”

This is not light reading, but it is valuable reading. Serious disciples of Christ will be well-rewarded by reading and studying the wisdom in Biblical Ethics. If you would like to read more thoughts from Oswald Chambers, check out my weekly installment Thursdays With Oswald.

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City On Our Knees (book review)

March 23, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

If you are familiar with the popular musician/songwriter TobyMac, you may recognize the title of this book from the song with the same name: City On Our Knees. And if you like the message of the song, you will find the book an excellent way to see the message in action.

The overriding message in the song is one of choice:

If you gotta start somewhere why not here
If you gotta start sometime why not now
If we gotta start somewhere I say here
If we gotta start sometime I say now

You and I can choose to start something that will make a difference. This book is a collection of short stories that show people who did just that: they made a choice that made a difference.

They are stories set in the present, and stores from a couple of hundred years ago; they are stories of the educated and the illiterate; the young and the old; the trained and the untrained; men and women. Everyone can find a story that will energize them and help them to choose to act… to choose to make a positive difference.

I can imagine these short stories being especially impactful around a family dinner table, in a Sunday School class, or maybe in a youth group. Wherever you read these stories, let them be the catalyst to help you start now!

I am a Bethany House book reviewer.

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Remember Why You Play (book review)

March 17, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

The subtitle of Remember Why You Play by David Thomas is a bit of an understatement: Faith, Football, and a Season to Believe. It is so much more than another football book.

I picked up this book because I had heard the story about the Faith Christian Lions playing against the Gainesville State Tornadoes in 2008. Gainesville State is a maximum-security juvenile detention facility, and Faith Christian is a squeaky-clean Christian high school. Yet the Faith team and fans handled this game in an unbelievable way. Kris Hogan, Faith’s head coach, asked the Faith parents to cheer for the Gainesville players… to cheer against their own sons. These incredible families responded in the most loving, Christ-honoring way, leaving an indelible impact on the 14 Tornado players dressed for that game.

But, as David Thomas said, you have to go back to look at the Lions’ 2007 season to truly understand why a team—a whole school—would respond this way.

Kris Hogan is a highly successful coach in the state of Texas where football is king. Because of his success on the field, he has been offered positions at other schools, making a lot more money than Faith Christian can pay him. But he continues to coach at Faith because he believes that is where God has placed him. And because he believe that, he is much more than an Xs and Os football coach.

Football is simply the backdrop to the life lessons Coach Hogan is trying to teach his players. He views it as his mission to prepare these young men for life after high school, so football games and practices just become the means by which he can apply the valuable lessons.

Sports fans will definitely enjoy this book, as will any current or former football players or coaches. But I also believe parents of teenagers and even youth pastors will find a lot of life lessons in Remember Why You Play to pass on to the young men in their lives.

I am a Tyndale book reviewer.

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A Treasury Of A.W. Tozer (book review)

February 16, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I find A.W. Tozer’s writings to be so thought-provoking. Even though his books were all published before I was even born, his writing always seems so applicable to me right now.

A Treasury Of A.W. Tozer is a good starter book for those new to Tozer. This collection gives selected chapters from over a dozen of Tozer’s books. It’s a good way to sample his writing, discover a topic that is especially convicting/enlightening/energizing to you, and then you know which full book to dive into headlong.

There are far too many quotes I highlighted in this collection to begin to share here, but let me close this review with one of my all-time favorite Tozer quotes. This is one which helps remind me that my agenda is not my agenda…

“The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross.”

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Lee: A Life Of Virtue (book review)

January 18, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I’m thoroughly enjoying The Generals series from Thomas Nelson Publishers! The latest installment that kept me turning page after page is Lee: A Life Of Virtue by John Perry. (By the way, my review of the first book in this series is here.)

You probably think you know quite a bit about General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After all, in our American History classes, we heard all about how Lee went to war to protect slavery, right? At least, that’s what I thought. But did you know that Lee signed the papers to free the slaves his family had inherited? And that Lee was working with other leaders to find the best way to free all of the slaves in the South?

This biography portrayed a side of Lee I had never heard before. John Perry does a remarkable job of showing us a man who quietly and resolutely relied on his faith in God for so many crucial decisions; a man who lovingly cared for his invalid mother; a man who continued to court his wife all throughout their marriage; a man who dearly loved his children; and a man who made his battlefield decisions based on what was best for his men.

The title is so apt: Lee was a man of virtue throughout his life. Always exercising self-control, always considerate of others, never cutting corners nor compromising.

If for no other reason, I recommend that you read Lee just to get a complete picture of a man who was so much more than an outstanding general; he was an outstanding man.

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.

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Soulprint (book review)

January 14, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I’ve read (and re-read) all of Mark Batterson’s books, and with each one, I find such clear-cut biblical truths that I can immediately apply. Soulprint was a little different… I was hooked from the opening paragraph:

There has never been and never will be anyone else like you. That isn’t a testament to you. It’s a testament to the God who created you. You are unlike anyone who has ever lived. But that uniqueness isn’t a virtue. It’s a responsibility. Uniqueness is God’s gift to you, and uniqueness is your gift to God. You owe it to yourself to be yourself. But more important, you owe it to the One who designed and destined you. … You were created to worship God in a way that no one else can. How? By living a life no one else can—your life. [italics in original]

This book was so challenging, and so encouraging at the same time. Mark leads the reader through the different aspects that make up our unique soulprint, which is as unique and individualized as our fingerprint. Using the life of the biblical character David as a backdrop, Mark shows us how to discover our soulprint by…

  • Reviewing our memories through God’s eyes
  • Keeping “lifesymbols” around us which keeps our past memories current
  • Paying close attention to our conscience
  • Allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the parts of us we cannot see ourselves

To further help in discovering our unique soulprint, the questions at the end of the book will stimulate invaluable introspection and helpful discussion with others in a small group setting.

The back cover of Soulprint says, “God would like to introduce you to yourself.” And that’s exactly what this excellent book will help God do. I highly recommend Soulprint!

I am a Multnomah book reviewer.

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