Not So Fast~ Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families (book review)

Today’s frenzied families find themselves fragmented in this high-speed, fast-paced, goal-oriented society. Even while racing to second jobs, appointments, lessons, practices, games, and clubs, we crave an antidote. How do we counteract the effects of our over committed culture? Replenish our depleted selves? Restore our rushed relationships?

For those readers whose every hour is rush hour, author Ann Kroeker explores the jarring effects of our over busy culture and offers refreshing alternatives. Bypassing the fast lane, Kroeker’s new book, Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families (David C Cook, August 2009), urges families to discover how simplifying and slowing down can help restore strained relationships…and souls.

“We’re raising our kids in a high-speed, high-pressured, 24/7 world,” says Kroeker. “Pushing children to get ahead, we cram everything possible into our days to maximize their chance at success. We’re overloaded, overextended, over committed, and over-caffeinated. And we’re paying a price: Our relationships are anemic; our health, in jeopardy. Half-awake and half-hearted, we can’t sustain this pace.”

In Not So Fast, Kroeker relates her own story of how embracing a slower everyday pace has resulted in a richer, fuller, and more meaningful family and spiritual life. With practical ideas and insight that will spark creativity and personal reflection, Kroeker offers hope that families struggling with hurried hearts and frantic souls can discover the rejuvenating power of an unrushed life.

Not So Fast includes two practical features for those moving toward a more reflective and peaceful life—a life that makes room for knowing and loving God and people. At the close of each chapter, the “Slow Notes” section offers slow-down solutions to apply immediately. In “Live from the Slow Zone,” readers will hear inspirational stories from those who have learned to reap the rewards of life in the slow lane.

“For everyone who yearns for the benefits of a slower life, I want to point to Jesus and say, ‘Start here. Start with the One who offers true and lasting peace. Look to His Word. Meditate on that. Learn from Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light,’” writes Kroeker. “I wish we could see that the root of meaning and peace that we’re seeking is found not in a yoga pose or a mind-emptying meditation session, but in a rich relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Author Bio
Author of The Contemplative Mom, Ann Kroeker is an acclaimed writer and speaker committed to encouraging and inspiring families as they face the demands of daily living. A contributor to the award-winning Experiencing the Passion of Jesus, she has written for numerous corporations and her articles have appeared in a variety of publications including Decision, The Student, Christian Home and School, and Indianapolis Woman. Ann and her husband, Philippe, have been married 18 years and have four children.

Not So Fast is available from Amazon.com and Christianbook.com

This review was provided from B&B Media. They have provided me with a bookto review and information to share with my readers. I was given the book for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

HOPE UNLEASHED: serving God through words and actions (book review)

Some Christians are skilled at proclamation, while others specialize in social engagement. But the only way to really get the job of evangelism done, and give people something real to hope for, is to find that sweet spot of bold declaration and clear demonstration of the good news. In his new book, Hope Unleashed: Serving God through Words and Actions (David C Cook, August 2009), Andy Hawthorne inspires Christians to serve others through acts of kindness without compromising the gospel message.

“The famous words of Francis of Assisi are being bandied around everywhere: ‘Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words,’” writes Hawthorne. “The only problem is, I don’t really feel that this quote from the great man describes the heart of what we should be doing at all. A much better way of describing evangelism to me would be: ‘Preach the gospel at all times with your actions and with your words.’”

As a young man committed to bringing the Christian message to youth in his hometown of Manchester, England, Andy Hawthorne was shocked when a missions partner told him he shouldn’t just preach the gospel but also engage in community projects. What did washing someone’s car have to do with the gospel? But Hawthorne enacted the idea and today his mission organization, Message Trust, has been praised internationally as bringing hope and change to the roughest, poorest neighborhoods of Manchester.

“It’s right that you can’t get a ten-ton truck across a one-ton bridge, and that if we try and bring our great juggernaut of gospel proclamation into the community without any bridge maintenance, it’s all going to collapse,” Hawthorne says. “However, it’s equally true that if we build a beautiful, highly polished bridge of kindness, service, and generosity, and yet never bring the truck across the bridge, we haven’t got the job done either. For me, the secret to success in any ministry is to genuinely combine the two.”

Written in a warm, passionate, nonreligious style, Hope Unleashed is filled with practical ideas and strategies for Christian missions based on word and deed. While sharing inspiring stories from his own experiences in ministry, Andy draws principles from Scripture that will both inform our actions and keep us mindful of the need to “give a reason for the hope that is within us.”

Author Bio
Andy Hawthorne is a British evangelist, author, and founder of the Message Trust, an award-winning Christian mission organization dedicated to bringing the gospel message to the poorest neighborhoods of Hawthorne’s hometown of Manchester, England. A popular speaker at Christian conferences, Hawthorne is also a regular contributor to Youthwork and Christianity magazines. He is the author of Diary of a Dangerous Vision and The Smile of God.



Hope Unleashed is available from Christianbook.com and Amazon.com

This review was provided from B&B Media. They have provided me with a bookto review and information to share with my readers. I was given the book for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

Christianish, what if we're not really following Jesus? (book review)

"In a world where too often evangelicals take the easy road of shrinking back into our own subculture, Christianish is a must read." ~Stephen McGarvey, executive editor of Crosswalk.com and Christianity.com

Somewhere between cold faith and hot pursuit lies lukewarm spirituality. And in the median between the wide path and the narrow road we find the middle ground of the spiritual walk. It's something not quite Christian. More like... Christianish. Christianish may feel like authentic faith. Yet it's often easy to settle for the souvenir t-shirt the appearance of a transformed heart instead of taking the actual trip through true life change. We find ourselves settling for a personal faith that's been diluted by culture and other people's takes on spirituality.

Christianish tells the story of one man's journey to move from the in-between to a life that's centered on Christ. Through stories and insight, Mark delivers a compelling look at what our faith is all about. Readers will be encouraged to become true Christ-followers, and to just ditch the ish.
About the Author
Mark Steele is the president and executive creative of Steelehouse Productions where he creates art for business and ministry through the mediums of film, stage, and animation. Mark is the author of Flashbang: How I Got Over Myself. He lives in Oklahoma with his wife, Kaysie, and their greatest productions: Morgan, Jackson, and Charlie.
Read Mark's blog at halflifediealready.com

Christianish is available from Amazon.com and Christianbook.com

This review was provided from B&B Media. They have provided me with a bookto review and information to share with my readers. I was given the book for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

The Cross: Arthur Blessitt (book review)

38,102 Miles
38 Years
1 Mission
Arthur Blessitt walked his 38,102nd mile in Zanzibar, on June 13, 2008. Zanzibar is off the coast of Tanzania. Arthur had started his 38 year journey in 1969 carrying a twelve-foot cross as he walked December 25th, 1969. He successfully carried a large wooden cross into every nation and major island group of the world!

Follow Arthur's journey from his initial call from God to carry a cross from Hollywood, where he was known as "the minister of Sunset Strip," across America to its capital, Washington, DC.

Accompany Arthur as he hacks his way through the Darien Jungle from Panama to Columbia. You'll join Arthur and his son, Joshua, as they take the cross to South Africa in 1986. Enter into the stories of how God used them to bring people spiritual, physical, and relational healing during the final tumultuous days of racial apartheid. Trek with Arthur and his wife, Denise, as they cross desert sands to take the cross to Saudi Arabia when the nation was closed in the various regions of the former USSR just weeks after its collapse. You'll be amazed by how people in all cultures respond to the cross.

As Arthur has traveled around the world, he has found the cross to be a universal symbol of God's love that breaks down the barriers of language and culture. He writes, "Perhaps I'm the only person in history who has been physically shaped by the weight of the cross. But the changes the cross has brought to my physical body are not important. What is important is how the cross has changed my life, and the lives of so many others, from the inside out!"
Blessitt’s journey has attracted worldwide attention, and his story has been covered by ABC News, Christianity Today, Variety, and a host of other noted media. The Cross offers Blessitt’s perspective on the most fascinating moments such as meeting with Yasser Arafat on two different occasions, once after walking through a battle between five different armies with his twelve-year-old son. Blessitt was also able to share the message of Jesus with Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. On another occasion, he was beaten and jailed along with a group of Spanish pastors under Francisco Franco’s fascist regime.

Blessitt has befriended presidents, held audience with kings, and spoken before crowds 500,000 strong, however, his ministry was never about seeking the spotlight. More often than not, he has sought “the least of these”—the nameless victims of war, the obscure tribe on a hidden island, the oppressed people forgotten by the rest of the world.

The power of Blessitt’s cross has not only changed the world, it has transformed him. “Many people have dreams and visions of doing mighty things for God and making an impact on the world. That was my prayer also.”

About the Author
Arthur Blessitt has devoted his life to carrying the cross in every nation. When he isn't traveling, Arthur speaks nationally and internationally. He is married to Denise and has seven children.

Available at Amazon.com and Christianbook.com

This review was provided from B&B Media. They have provided me with book to review and information to share with my readers. I was given the book for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

"Make Love, Make War" ~ living a life of radical worship! (Book Review)

In his first book, Make Love, Make War: Now Is the Time to Worship (David C Cook, August 2009), award-winning songwriter Brian Doerksen challenges Christians to make their lives an offering of radical worship.

Brian believes that God is calling us to both love and to battle, to spread peace and wage spiritual warfare. We do this through how we live, how we serve Him, and how we protect and fight for what matters most. For Brian, music was his answer to this provocative call.

Now, Brian shares the stories and inspirations behind some of today's most acclaimed songs of worship, including "Come, Now is the Time to Worship," "Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing)," and "Refiner's Fire." Brian shares rich truths and insights that informed twelve of his greatest songs, and offers special tips for aspiring songwriters. Readers will be encouraged to wage spiritual war and share His love through a life of radical worship.

An acclaimed songwriter, recording artist, author, conference speaker, and pastor, Doerksen believes God is calling us to love and to battle—to spread peace and wage spiritual warfare. “Each is essential to our daily spiritual walk,” writes Doerksen. “We do this through how we live, how we serve Him, and how we protect and fight for what matters most. One of the ways I make love and war is through music.”

“I believe that we know love and war are at the heart of everything inside us, and everything going on all around us,” says Doerksen. “We sense that there is nothing that Satan hates more than the worship of Yahweh by those who are faithful to the Lamb. He spends more than a little energy convincing us that there really is no war going on, and that the sum total of our lives’ calling is to be nice. But God is provoking us to rise up and fight. The war He calls us to make is always for the sake of love!”
Author Bio
Brian Doerksen has always had a passion for expressing worship through music. He is an award-winning songwriter of some of today’s most popular songs of worship. He is currently developing a musical of hope based on Luke 15 called “Return.” Brian, his wife, Joyce, and their six children reside in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.
Available at Amazon.com & Christianbook.com.

This review was provided from B&B Media. They have provided me with books to review and information to share with my readers. I was given these books for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

"God Has Never Failed Me..." & "The Buzzards are Circling..." : Stan Toler

Celebrated author of over 70 books, Stan Toler has touched countless hurting people with his timeless stories of hope and encouragement. Discover Toler’s best-selling books as David C Cook introduces the updated editions of two of Toler’s most beloved collections—"The Buzzards Are Circling, But God’s Not Finished With Me Yet," and "God Has Never Failed Me, But He’s Sure Scared Me to Death a Few Times" (David C Cook, August 2009).
On the landscape of life, buzzards are inevitable—those challenging events and situations that encircle us, eyeing us as prey and swooping down to cause hurt and heartache. A late-night phone call delivering bad news. Losing a job. Struggling with bankruptcy. No matter what form these buzzards take, the pain is universal.

In The Buzzards Are Circling, But God’s Not Finished With Me Yet, Stan Toler takes a lighthearted look at some of life’s more serious subjects. Drawing from his own personal struggles, Toler offers a generous dose of encouragement for the troubled heart, helping readers find hope, joy, and peace, even in the most trying of circumstances. In chapters such as “When the Fountain of Youth Has Rusted” and “I Know I’m Lost, but the Scenery Is Spectacular,” readers will find the strength they need to shoo away any buzzards and face life’s difficulties with the security of knowing that God is in control.

In God Has Never Failed Me, But He’s Sure Scared Me to Death a Few Times, Toler gives a humorous twist to the challenges that place us in faith’s waiting room. Though we know that God’s provision is always on time, we’ve all had close calls waiting for His help. For anyone who has ever felt frazzled, stressed, confused, hurt, angry, undone, or any other emotional response to the difficulties and uncertainties of life, Toler serves up a delightful combination of poignant and hilarious reminders that God is still at work in the world.

Filled with heartwarming stories and humorous anecdotes, this charming collection offers hope and peace for the weary, waiting heart. Toler combines a rich blend of spiritual truths with humorous insights as he reminds God’s children of His unfailing love. Through it all, readers will discover a God who is always faithful, worthy of our trust, and never late with His help.

Author Bio
Stan Toler is senior pastor of Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was recently elected as the 39th general superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene. For several years he taught seminars for Dr. John Maxwell’s INJOY Group, a leadership development institute. He also serves as the executive director of the Toler Leadership Center, located on the campus of Mid-America Christian University, and is the co-founder of BGW Forward in Faith. Toler has written over 70 books, including his bestsellers, God Has Never Failed Me, But He’s Sure Scared Me to Death a Few Times; The Buzzards Are Circling, But God’s Not Finished With Me Yet; God’s Never Late, He’s Seldom Early, He’s Always Right on Time; The Secret Blend; Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry; Total Quality Life; and his popular Minute Motivator series.
The Buzzards Are Circling, But God’s Not Finished With Me Yet $14.99, and God Has Never Failed Me, But He’s Sure Scared Me to Death a Few Times $14.99 both available at Christianbook.com and Amazon.com.

This review was provided from B&B Media. They have provided me with books to review and information to share with my readers. I was given these books for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.