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I had heard several mixed reviews of this book for quite some time, so I decided to pick it up and see for myself what the author had to say. He accurately sizes up the dating scene (particularly among Christians) and suggests that perhaps there is a better way –a way with less heartache. His proposal is that we shouldn’t date until we’re ready for marriage. I do believe there is some truth in that, but I would suggest that to a certain degree we are never “ready.” I think Joshua Harris is an idealist. Idealists really do have a solution for our world problems; however, they require that everybody be on the same page, with the same outlook and perspective. That will never happen this side of eternity. I believe he has good intentions, but I don’t think his idea(l)s will work in our fallen world.

My main frustration is that this book claims to be for “every” man. However, I cannot recommend it to any single Christian male. It is written by married men, for married men, and the authors fail to emphasize that. Honestly I believe this book can do more harm than good for single guys. I came away with more doubts and questions than answers. To be fair, there is now Every Single Man’s Battle written by one of the same authors after he went through a divorce; I believe that further emphasizes my point that the authors initially failed to recognize that there is a different sexual struggle between married men and us single fellas. Here’s my point: they iterate the fact that just because you get married you are not free from sexual temptation. I believe that. However, they fail to mention that once you get married, the rules change. The battle takes on a different form. If you’re married, it’s probably a good read. If you’re single, check out the other book.

The subtitle of this book “Christ and Creativity” simultaneously grabbed me and resonated deeply within me. “At last!” I thought, “someone is putting together the fact that God is a creative being and that we should look to Him for creativity.” Unfortunately, the inspiration didn’t carry through beyond the cover. The premise of the book is that we are created in the image of our Creator God, but it makes one feeble attempt after another at explaining how to embrace that and live it out in our daily lives. The book is filled with weak analogies of how Biblical events were intrinsically linked to creativity. Honestly, this is the sort of thinking that has bound Christians to mediocre work for far too long. I was sorely disappointed. (I struggle with giving this a mere 1 foot because I firmly believe in “criticizing by creating,” but I can’t, in good conscience, recommend it just because it claims the name of Jesus. If we have to encourage other Christians to support something, then perhaps it’s not worth supporting in the first place…)

This is the much anticipated companion book to For Women Only. It follows the same layout by revealing seven common misunderstandings men have about women, and then it spells it out in a language us men can wrap our minds around. I’m not sure if men will ever really get women, but this book significantly narrows the gap in our understanding. There are a couple points that I might argue are out of balance, but that does not negate a man’s responsibility to treat women the way God commands us to. I suggest that women read this book as well. After talking about a few points in this book with my sister she said, “Oh, that makes so much sense! I want to read that if for no other reason than to learn something about myself.” I don’t have much else to add. Read the book. Let it soak in and manifest itself in the way you treat the women in your life.

As you browse the “Christian Living” aisles of most bookstores you don’t find too many books about sin. There are countless books about living the life of your dreams and how God wants to bless us, but this book takes a refreshing yet disturbing look at sin. It’s a great reminder for those of us who have grown comfortable in our faith; without an understanding of our need for a savior we don’t fully appreciate what He has done for us. It helps give us a clearer picture of how God views sin, but it doesn’t lose sight of the fact that Jesus came that we might have life. It’s a short book and well worth your time to read it.

It seemed that no matter where I turned, I kept hearing about this book. I finally bought it myself to see what all the chatting was about. Somewhere around the middle of the book I found myself wondering, “Is this book popular because people like it, or do people like it because it’s popular?” Maybe my expectations were too high, but I honestly don’t remember having (m)any expectations going into it –mostly just curious. It’s a refreshingly honest read from an imperfect author (at least, one who actually admits it) and there were three or four points that really grabbed me, but for the most part it felt like a lighthearted read about Christian Spirituality. Even though this one didn’t rock my world, per se, I think we need more books like this –honest, real, imperfect. After all, we’re still a work in progress.

My curiosity got the best of me, and I’m proud to admit it. Every woman needs to read this book, and it’s not a half bad read for the rest of us guys either. In short, it points out seven key areas that women think they know about men, and then it goes on to explain how things really work in the male world. It’s an eye opener, for sure. Admittedly I was a bit skeptical when I noticed that it was written by a woman –”Seriously, what does she know about being a guy!?” I thought. However, skeptics can rest assured that everything she writes is based on hundreds of survey responses from men, and every guy I know who has read it ends up saying the same thing, “Yep. She pretty much nailed it.” Ladies, do yourself (and your boyfriend/husband/relationships) a favor and read this book. Gentlemen, let’s start being gentlemen and pick up the companion book for dudes. Highly recommended!

Conceptually, this book piqued my curiosity. It’s a fictitious story about a guy who gets an invitation to have dinner with Jesus. “Wow!” I thought, “Wouldn’t that make for an awesome conversation,” and then my mind went on to fill the pages of the book with Jesus speaking pointed truths into this guy’s life and how it relates to me. After having built up these expectations I began to read the book only to discover that it went off in a different direction than I had hoped. I realize that my interpretation of this book is based on the fact that it didn’t meet my expectations, but having finished it, I came away feeling like it would be better described as a gospel tract –better suited for skeptics of Christianity who perhaps have never considered a “religion” centered around a relationship with Christ. All in all, it’s a decent read. You can read it in one sitting –heck, you could read any book in one sitting if you can sit that long =) It’s not a book you read for encouragement or inspiration as much as it is one you would read for a short escape.

Essentially this book was written as as a sort of Wild at Heart for women. As such, it follows a similar patterns and carries the same themes, only from the perspective of a woman. Based on the women I’ve talked to, they have a similar reaction to this book that we men have toward Wild at Heart –it resonates and inspires. It alludes to a life of hopes and dreams and suggests that it can be a life lived even in today’s world. Coming from my male perspective, the “woman of God” as described in this book is not altogether different from the sort of woman I hope to marry someday. I think John and Stasi Eldredge are on to something with these books.

This is a self-published book written by my pastor. If I’m being honest, the title doesn’t really match the content. He has four main points, all of which are very good, but for most of the book it seems as though he gets lost on various thought tangents. In all fairness, these tangents are very thought provoking and convicting –definitely what I needed to hear in a few instances– but overall the book feels rather directionless. In summary, just about everything he says in here is really good, but the thoughts don’t necessarily flow logically together. I think the chapters and sub-chapters are perhaps better suited for individual essays or sermons.

I didn’t intend to read this book. I didn’t seek it out. It was “assigned” to me. Honestly, I was kinda dreading it. ….until I read the introduction. In the 12 or so pages before the first chapter I was hooked. Every now and then you come across a book that totally changes the way you look at things. It only seems fitting that a book whose topic is “worldview” would do just that. The author has a way of breaking down hugely complicated topics and tracing them back to the point where you can’t help but understand them. She iterates the important of living a life of faith no matter your vocation. It’s a lesson in theology, history, science, culture, and philosophy. There’s something in it for everyone. I can’t count the number of times I’ve recommended this book to others. (If there were one thing that would keep me from giving it the 5th foot it would be the fact that the second half of the book more or less turns into a long evolution debate –which is good, but perhaps it overshadows the first half of the book.)

A friend recommended this book to me, and told me how it’s one of her favorite books. I, on the other hand, came away wondering why she liked it so much. To me, the book feels like an overdone interpretation of Rembrandt’s painting. There are a couple nuggets buried in it, but for the most part I thought the book would be better suited in the Art Appreciation section of the bookstore. I tend to think that this book would not likely have been published if Nouwen’s didn’t already have a solid reputation as an author. By and large the book didn’t reach out and grab me, but clearly that’s just me. It did, however, carry me away on an interesting thought train…

Wow. This book should be required reading for every Christian. The wisdom of C.S. Lewis shines through this book in a big way. The book progresses from the position of a skeptic to a theologian in a logical, clear way that is unparalleled by anything else I’ve read. Lewis has a way of describing complex things in simple ways; I marvel at his ability to communicate and teach. Before reading this book I always imagined that Lewis lived so long ago and that his writings were hard to understand or not relevant any more –boy was I wrong. Before I even finished the preface, I was hooked. This is undoubtedly one of the best books ever written about Christianity, period.

“Understanding Visual Media and its Impact on Our Lives,” is the subtitle for this book. For someone like me who wants to be a filmmaker and a teacher, this books sounds just about perfect. …until you start reading it. Basically the book contrasts Lord of the Rings against Harry Potter. In so many words, the authors basically claim that LOTR is Jesus, and Harry Potter is the devil. It gives many one-sided arguments to support its cause, as well as a list of what Christians should be doing about it. It does accurately asses the need for Christians in the Arts, but does nothing to equip us to make any proactive changes. This is exactly the sort of work that gives Christians a bad rep. If the authors wanted to make a difference, they should have made a difference, not a book. Criticize by creating!

The back cover says it best: ““Modern Christianity tells us to kill our desire and call that sanctification.” The overriding message behind this book is that too often we stifle our desire, rather than allowing ourselves to desire the life God intended. Like most of John Eldredge’s books, it strikes a chord deep inside of us that perhaps we have forgotten about, ignored, or been told to suppress. As this book shows, the devil is so quick to manipulate our desires, but God wants to redeem them for His glory. That’s what this is all about: giving God permission to ignite our desires and become fully alive as the men and women of God He has made us to be. It serves as a much needed wakeup call to the Church.

I don’t know how many times I’ve recommended this book to my friends. The author asks the question, “What does it mean to be a man of God?” and then he contrasts that with modern church-going males. Sadly, the two descriptions are almost polar opposites, but this book goes a long way toward bridging the gap. It speaks of something undeniable at the heart of men –the life of adventure, battle, and heroism. It causes us to look back on our life at instances where we have stifled our masculinity and bowed to social expectations. It then brings Jesus into the picture and, in a way, gives us permission to be real men. It calls us to a higher standard –a more exciting and fulfilling life– and suggests that perhaps that’s the way God intended it to be all along.