Desiring God, a Review

John Piper's Desiring God is one of the most influential books in Christian non-fiction.  First released in 1986, Piper burst into the scene with his radical idea of Christian Hedonism, a term specifically chosen.  Now, twenty-five years later, Piper's fourth edition of Desiring God has found its way into my hands for review.  I already owned the 3rd edition, though I had not progressed past Chapter One of the book.  This time around, I made my way through Piper's elegant writing and beautiful theology.

Desiring God is a collection of ten essays, dealing with a different element in Christian lifestyle.  Piper devotes a chapter each to happiness, conversion, worship, love, scripture, prayer, money, marriage, missions, and suffering.  He also includes a thorough appendix and study guide in the back of the book to assist the reader.

As Piper says in the Introduction, the purpose of Desiring God is to help the reader understand how Christian Hedonism should not only be pursued, but that its pursuit is biblical and ultimately satisfying to God.  Piper turns the Westminster Shorter Catechism on its head by substituting the word by in place of and, yielding the thesis for Desiring God:

The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

Much of Desiring God deconstructs modern thinking with clear biblical examples.  Truly, Piper's desire to share his joy is not exhaustive, though it is rather thorough.  There were times when I was scratching my head after re-reading a paragraph three times and still confused.  Other times I was shaking my head and silently amen-ing.  And more, the evidence as proposed by Piper does in fact seem biblical and liberating. 

This book has not redefined my views as much as Kevin DeYoung's powerful Just Do Something did, but still, there is wisdom to be found in the pages.  I can imagine a world filled with Christian Hedonists, running around and acting like Christians ought.  I daresay that if more Christians acted like they ought--like the bible prescribes--and if more Christians had joy in their lives then we would have more people coming to God.  To that end, Desiring God teaches a vital message.

A time or two it felt like Piper's firm belief in TULIP* (and his being a 5-point Calvinist, as much as I hate to use labels) was shining through his writing.  It wasn't a pounding over the head as some are wont to do, and I do not fault Piper for letting his belief's influence his writing, though some surely do.  As such, I care not one jot for Calvinism and Arminianism and I find this endless debate tiring and detrimental to the gospel Jesus preached.  Thankfully this has very little to do with Piper's book.

In the end, Desiring God is an excellent book that has affected many, myself included.  It would be a great book for a Sunday School class to discuss, or a discipleship group to meditate on.  It's not an easy read, and it definitely requires a critical mind (and possibly a dictionary), but its teachings are worth the effort.  Anything that pursues glorifying God is worth the effort, and if you're looking for some savvy non-fiction Christian thought, this book is perfect for you.  Or, conversely, if you're curious about Christian Hedonism and its tenets, I can easily recommend John Piper's Desiring God.

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Piper explains at the end of the book how he receives no royalties from Desiring God and that any money made from it goes to a fund to further the gospel by providing various resources for free.  A number is listed to contact Desiring God Ministries for free resources, including this book, as well as many others.  Also, Desiring God can be read for free on the DGM website, or also downloaded as a pdf and/or ebook.  Finally, as with other great books, if anyone would like my copy of Desiring God, shoot me an email or leave me a comment and I'll get the book to you.

Like Piper, anything I can do to help spread the good news of Jesus (and further glorify the Father) I will do, and I would love to give you this book to that end.

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*If you are not aware of this centuries old debate, then I don't recommend you educate yourself about it.  It's ultimately disheartening and has caused way too much conflict within the world of Christianity.

FTC Thingy:  The 25th Anniversary Edition of Desiring God was provided to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I am not required to endorse the book, and my doing so was of my own volition.  There was no hypnosis.

When God Created My Toes, a Review

When God Created My Toes, by Dandi Daley Mackall, is a cute, rhyming children's picture book.  It's beautifully illustrated with bright, vivid drawings by David Hohn.  The plot is simple, written in short, catchy refrains, dealing with childhood musings by a young girl wondering if God had to hold his nose when He created her toes. 

The book progresses up through her body, asking similar questions for when God made her knees, ears, etc.  I thought the illustrations were stunning, and combining these with the verse, I think any young child would be able to pay attention to the read.

When God Created My Toes is a short, fun picture book, perfect for children learning to read.  It poses funny scenarios and wonderings, and also provides a way for parents to encourage their children to come up with their own rhyme.

*FTC Thingy: When God Created My Toes was provided to me freely from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review, which I've also posted elsewhere on the mighty Internets.

Also, if you want to help me out, feel free to rank this review using this handy star rating system.  Thanks.

The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari, a Review

The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari is a cute kids book about a turtle named Roger and a dragon named Padraig. The two decide to spend an entire night out camping, beneath the stars and alone all by themselves. While out, the familiar spooks and noises born from childhood imagination appear, and Roger and Padraig struggle to endure the long night.

One thing I thought funny (and somewhat bizarre) was the high, Old English language the two buddies used to speak to one another. "I say my good man..." "Capital!" "Jolly ho." This stuff was fun to read but slightly odd.

The illustrations (by Vincent Nguyen) are all beautiful and rich. Many forest animals appear and all are drawn very child-friendly. The night landscapes are also pretty. The book is a very full and vivid picture book for young readers.

The themes are great for young kids, teaching them the values of friendship and of helping others. Also, on the back cover of the book there is a collection of questions to ask your kids to prompt them to respond to the story.

Overall, The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari is a fun book for young children that teaches good morals and tells a fun story along with it. There is a lot of verbiage, so a parent may be used to help younger readers. 

FTC Thing: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. 

Mere Churchianity, a Review

I had never heard of the Internet Monk prior to receiving this book, nor had I heard of Michael Spencer, the name he went by outside the blogosphere. No, I chose this book for two reasons: One, the title, Mere Churchianity, was clever and Two, I was interested in this so-called "Jesus-Shaped Spirituality." So the book arrived, I discovered it was published posthumously, and I dove in to see what this was all about.

To say I was immediately hooked would be misleading, though I was. For one, the author told a story at a Dairy Queen on Hartford Road, which, coincidentally, there was a DQ on a Hartford Rd just a few miles from my house. The story was a sad, indicative reflection of many modern youth groups and how they react outside of the church. But the sincerity of Michael Spencer's voice was heard: there was a problem with our churches.

A few pages later I discovered that Spencer grew up in the town I now call home, a small(ish) city in Western Kentucky. To make things even more interesting, his family still abides in these parts. So learning that Spencer was a local might have buried the hooks even deeper into me, assuring that I continue reading.

Yet, even without these coincidences, I would have had no problem finishing Mere Churchianity. The subject is something I believe is vitally important in our current, fast-paced, instantaneous society, and Spencer highlights many of the same problems I see all around me.

Churchianity is the art of shaping one's life after the church, as opposed to Jesus. Some may find this discrepancy negligible or a matter of semantics, but it's not. Look around. How many churches are truly following Jesus? How many pastors are standing in their multi-million dollar buildings wearing their fancy clothes and proclaiming that Jesus wants us to "have our best life now"? How many church goers are bigots? Racists? Homophobes? It doesn't take a genius to know that the word "Christianity" carries negative connotations, that all Christians are judgmental and close-minded. While this is untrue of all Christians, largely, to the rest of the world we're a religion that is intolerant of anything that doesn't fall under the OK of our set traditions and customs, most of which originated from the church, not Christ Himself.

Jesus was the ultimate example of love and humility. Who did He spend most of His time with while He was in His ministry? It wasn't the religious folks, that's for sure. No, He hung out with prostitutes, liars, thieves, tax collectors, Samaritans, and all the other lowlifes of the times. Jesus said in Matthew 9, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." How does this compare with our churches of today?

Largely, this disconnect is the focus of Spencer's Mere Churchianity. The book was written for people that had left the church or were thinking about it, people that were dissatisfied with how things were going, people that wanted a REAL church, not a group of hypocrites.

I found myself shaking my head at many of the things Spencer was saying, agreeing that we need to be REAL and dependent on each other, as the early church. There were some things that I disagreed with, of course, and I recommend reading these types of books with a critical & careful eye. Still, for the most part, Michael Spencer was absolutely right. Our churches are screwed up and are too busy focusing on things that don't matter and ignoring the One who does.

I very much enjoyed this book. My copy has notes and underlinings all over the place. Spencer wrote conversationally, but with conviction and honesty. This is the kind of book I wish more people read so as to see that we're not all judgmental and uncaring. I can recommend this book for the target audience (those leaving or thinking about it), but also for the lay church attender as well. The argument is urgent, and if churches don't start fixing things, I fear for the future of the bride of Christ.

*This book was received from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Tea With Hezbollah, A Review

I don’t read a lot of non-fiction.  So when I do read a non-fiction work, it must have something special about it to make me finish.  Tea With Hezbollah, by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis, had that special something in it.  

I’m a Ted Dekker fan.  He writes great, action-packed thrillers time after time, and when I got an email from a publisher with this book for review, I immediately responded that I’d be interested.  From the onset the authors state that this book is not about religion and it’s not about politics, it’s about humanity.  They ponder if Jesus’ greatest teachings—to love God and to love your neighbor—are still applicable today.

Their plan was simple and built on a whim.  They would travel into the Middle East and meet with prominent leaders of Islam thought: muftis, sheikhs, ayatollahs, and others.  From leaders of non-violent protests to US deemed terrorists, from Arabic taxi drivers to Osama bin Laden’s brothers, Dekker and Medearis were granted intimate access to some of Islam’s most valuable minds.  They traveled across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Israel to make these meetings.

Their interviews were simple.  They brought out the humanity of the people, showing that they are real people not so unlike you and I.  Muslims believe Christ was a great prophet and that his words are important.  What, then, do they think of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan?  This was the driving question behind everything. 

I found the book fascinating.  The author’s fear was palpable on each page, questioning whether or not he would survive the trip.  The questions were intriguing and insightful.  “What makes you laugh?”  “What kind of car do you drive?”  “When was the last time you cried?”  The answers could just as easily have came from a neighbor or a friend.  “What’s the biggest misconception American’s have about Muslims?”  Vice versa.  These answers were always similar, that we American’s tend to distrust all Muslims, that we think they all are terrorists.

I felt challenged and sad after reading this book.  The label of Christian is a dirty and bloody one.  So is Jew.  So is Muslim.  All three of the Big Religions have a dark history filled with violence.  There has been just as much bloodshed by Christian hands in the Middle East as by any other group.  All in the name of God.  All in the name of Jesus, who told us to turn the other cheek and to love our neighbors, our enemies, as ourselves.

Tea With Hezbollah is an amazing, short read, topping out at just over 230 pages.  Along with an interesting and complex history lesson, you also get insight into another world of thought.  This is the kind of book I hope others read and take to heart.

That said, I was given an extra copy of Tea With Hezbollah to give away here on my blog.  If you would like to be eligible for this book, just send me an email (subject: TEA) or leave a comment saying so.  Make sure I have your email address so I can contact you if you win.  I’ll let the contest run until next Monday.  And tell your friends, if’n you want to and if’n you think they’d be interested.

You can purchase the book from Random House, here, as an e-book or hardcover.  It also is available at Amazon or your local bookstore.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, a division of Random House.

God Gave Us Christmas, God Gave Us Love, and Treasured

God Gave Us Christmas, written by List T. Bergren and illustrated by David Hohn, is a children’s book describing the importance of Christmas and what it truly means. The story is simple and easy to understand and I think children would understand the meaning very easily. The major plot involves a young polar bear asking her mother questions about Santa Claus, who in turn decides to take her daughter on a trip to understand the importance of Christmas, and in turn, God.

I found this book good to listen to, as my wife read it aloud to me and our puppy. Childrens books are meant to be real aloud, after all. After leafing through the book myself, I find the drawings pretty and aesthetically pleasing. The only real problem was that I found some of the font color choices a bit hard to read at times (the black font on the deep blue/green sky was tough to make out, I thought), but this is easily overlooked. Overall, this is a great children’s book to add to any Christmas collection.

God Gave Us Love is another book by Lisa T. Bergren, though this one is illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. The plot again is simple and easy to understand, perfect for a children’s book. Basically, Little Cub gets a bit perturbed at some pesky otters and her grandpa has to remind her about love. They go on a similar journey (to God Gave Us Christmas) where Little Cub learns about God’s love and how she should act towards others.

I found the illustrations from God Gave Us Love pleasing and pretty, and I found the story delightful. I think these kids books offer a great lesson to inquiring minds, and I’m sure when I have kids I’ll be reading them to them.

Treasured, by Leigh McLeroy, is a book about finding God in everyday things. From the simple, routine checkout lines of grocery stores to the harrowing apartment fire, God is there in everything. Leigh offers personal stories and anecdotes from her own life to the reader, inviting them to learn with her. She shares her pains and her joys and how she sees God in them all.

This book serves as a reminder that in everything we do with our lives, God is there, watching and weaving His will. Leigh has no answers for the tough times of life (why do good people suffer?), but only reliance on God. I found her stories interesting and poignant and easy to relate to. The only real problem I had with the book was that I felt that it was more targeted towards women, which isn’t really a problem, but that I was in the wrong audience. Overall, this small book helps the reader realize God’s presence in the everyday life, and that is a good thing.

In conclusion, I enjoyed these books. They all are pure and simple in their messages, and that’s that God loves us. These books would make great Christmas presents for the upcoming holidays, and you can purchase them by following the links in the paragraphs above, clicking on the covers, or by going to Amazon.

All three of these books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.