Book Review: Preacher’s Sourcebook Vol. III by O.S. Hawkins

Preachers Sourcebook Vol. III is a book filled with a collection of sermons, illustrations,  sermon outlines, and “innovative worship services” for every week of the year. To be completely transparent I accidentally ordered this book, I didn’t mean to. That being said since I did get it I did read through it, and it has good content; that being said I don’t really think that a preacher should get their sermons from a book. They should get it from the Bible itself. I am more of a preaching on your feet kind of guy. I don’t think sermons should be scripted, an outline is necessary but you should preach from what God imparts into you. So like I said it seems like a good idea, but not necessary. Also the book is $25 at retail, so with good content since it isn’t by any means a necessity I wouldn’t recommend buying it.

My Recommendation: Pass
My Rating: 3/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Monday Musings #29

 

I hate to be one of the firsts to give a book a bad review, but for a few reasons I must do so. Firstly, for some reason the writing style is incredibly boring. Next my problem is that this book is a work of fiction, I believed it was a non-ficition story recounting the tale of Moses. This wouldn’t be such a problem, but it is hailed as scripturally accurate telling of the story of Moses; and simply it isn’t. One such example would be that Nelson in the first chapter talks about Moses as having accepted the polytheistic Egyptian culture that he was living in and that he had become a part of the royal family (the Pharaoh was his grandfather, his daughter; Moses’s mother, etc.) When it’s plain in scripture “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;” (Hebrews 11:24 KJV)

The book is not scripturally accurate, it’s hard to read as it doesn’t hold your attention well, I would give props to the author for giving some life to the relatively bare account we have of the first 80 years of Moses’s life in Exodus, however all this being said I wouldn’t recommend this book

My Recommendation: Pass
My Rating: 1/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men by Stephen Mansfield

I loved this book, from the hilarious cover and title to the poignant message. This book is, in case you couldn’t guess, about being a man. I firmly believe that we’re in an age where men need to act like men. Men can’t lead if they don’t act like men.

The Four Manly Maxims 
Manly men do manly things
Manly men tend their fields
Manly men build manly men
Manly men live to the glory of God

Throughout most of the book Mansfield talks about traits of men and relates them to people in history and relays them back to the four manly maxims. Some of the people Mansfield talks about are: Jabez, Winston Churchill, Jonathan; son of Saul, General Patton, Lincoln, G.K Chesterton, The Apostle Mark, Harry Truman, and quite a few others.

Manly Men pretty accurately portrays biblical truth, and was written very well. I read it in two days, it held my attention very well. If you’re a man, or a young man buy this book. If you’re a woman, don’t, there’s no point.

My Recommendation: Buy
My Rating: 4.5/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Samson by Shawn Hoffman

During World War II. Jewish men were forced to box on Saturday night for Nazi entertainment.
The winner got extra food.
The loser went to the Gas chambers

There is so much to say about this book. Any book that accurately tells about the horrors of Auschwitz is one that will be met with a flurry of emotions, & truly I had times where I was inspired and deeply sickened by the atrocities written about in Samson.

This book is about Samson Abrams a Polish-Jew living in Krakow before him and his family are shipped off to Auschwitz. In the beginning it is very apparent Samson doesn’t have faith. Throughout the novel that changes. Samson is a man who has vowed to protect his family and, he does such to the best of his ability. This book was very hard to read, because it was so real. Even as an aspiring historian I HATE this time period. It is a very good story, and a story that needs to be told.

My Recommendation: Buy
My Rating: 5/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Humility by David J. Bobb

Humility is a book that talks about what the title would suggest, filled with some micro-biographies about how many of the people showed humility when they had the opportunity to be filled with pride.

I had some problems with this book, that I thought I would love. Firstly I am studying History as a profession and when Mr. Bobb was talking about ancient Rome he used jargon that was almost too hard to comprehend, and where I would believe most of the people reading this book aren’t familiar with ancient Rome speak. I also found it odd that in the early pages he quoted a Bible verse that isn’t in the traditional cannon of our Holy Bible, which could indicate some problems with Mr. Bobb’s theology.

The book gets increasingly better around chapter four (George Washington); so if you could just rip out the first fourth of the book you can actually enjoy it without having to try to translate overly technical jargon.

My Recommendation: Buy, hesitantly…
My Rating: 3/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan

In The Beauty of Broken, Elisa Morgan, one of today’s most respected female Christian leaders, for the first time shares her very personal story of brokenness-from her first family of origin to the second, represented by her husband and two grown children. Over the years, Elisa’s family struggled privately with issues many parents must face, including:

• alcoholism and drug addiction
• infertility and adoption
• teen pregnancy and abortion
• divorce, homosexuality, and death

This is the type of book that is about a woman, written by a women, and aimed for women. There are christian overtones in this book, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a christian book; it’s about brokenness. It was written fairly well, It didn’t hold my attention too well. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book, but if you want to read it by all means.

My Recommendation: Pass
My Rating: 3/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Monday Musings #17

 

Okay so this is a book review I had just completed yesterday, so I figured that would be a good post to double as a Monday Musing. Honestly I think this is a good book, I liked it a lot. It really piqued my interest because you don’t really see many books on accountability, maybe on one of the facets of accountability, but not the topic itself. Craig Gross in this book talks about different methods, and ideas for putting together an accountability group, what accountability is, and why you should be accountable. There are more reasons than just lust. . .

This book was very interesting to me, and it kept my attention fairly well. Open made me think, and overall I like the way this book was presented, it was very cohesive. Now my problem with this book is that Mr. Gross presented a mixed message on a some Christian convictions, which doesn’t make sense when the book is about staying accountable in areas of sin. That doesn’t make sense to me. However besides that fact, I did like the message and information presented in this book. I would definitely recommend this to youth groups, young mens groups, and young adults groups.

 

My Recommendation: Buy
My Rating: 3.5/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas

Out of all of the books I have reviewed for BookSneeze, 7 Men is by far my favorite! In this book Eric Metaxas writes seven “micro-biographies”  about seven of histories great men. Some of which all of us have heard of and some you’ve likely never heard. All of which are very inspiring and informative. The seven men that Metaxas chose to write about really are great lives including George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II, & Charles Colson.

This  book inspired me so much, just by telling what these great men went through! It was so good that I didn’t want to put it down. Every story and life flowed cohesively through the book it was expertly written. Unlike most books I review there really isn’t much biblical basis to the book for me to review if it’s an accurate representation of scripture. However each life does illustrate how their faith helped them through their trials. I loved this book! I am a bit of a history nut, but I truly think all would enjoy it.

My Recommendation: Buy!
My Rating: 5/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Boundaries for Leaders by Dr. Henry Cloud

 

“In the end, as a leader, you are always going to get a combination of two things: what you create and what you allow,” (p. 15).

This statement very early caught my eye. This is a different type of book than I usually review, in the way that it isn’t necessarily a “christian” book. It has Christian themes and overtones, but it is primarily a book for leaders rather that be ministerial or business. So many fantastic ideas and points are made in Dr. Cloud’s book. In the middle it is somewhat dry, and boring, but I rather enjoyed this book.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking to have a successful business or ministry, because to do so you have to set up clear boundaries. This book is a valuable asset for any leader!

My Recommendation: Buy
My Rating: 4/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Clean by Douglas Weiss

Every Christian man is born into a sexual war. The enemy attacks the young, hoping to scar them permanently and leave them ruined. But your past is not enough to keep you from the enduringly clean life you want and deserve.

Clean is a priceless, no-nonsense resource for every husband, father, brother, son, friend, pastor, and Christian leader on the front lines of this war. It is a soldier’s handbook for those ready to reclaim their homes, churches, and nations for the God who has built them to succeed.

This book was interesting, it kept my attention pretty well. Dr. Weiss has  pretty good ideas with some of the methods he spoke about here for sexual purity. I really wouldn’t recommend this book for women, it’s a man’s book… if that makes sense. Anyway, Dr. Weiss successfully conveys biblical truth. I would recommend this book to any man, struggling or not.

My Recommendation: Buy
My Rating: 4/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”