Book Review: Passion by Louie Giglio

Passion by Louie Giglio is a pretty good book, not one of the best that I have read this year. The reason I desired to read this book is because It looked appealing, I figured it would talk about the passion conferences which are always cool to hear about, and produce a lot of cool music. I was right in that it would talk about the history of passion and it also had messages from many big name preachers including: Louie Giglio, John Piper, Judah Smith, & Francis Chan. All of that being said I did like the book, but didn’t love it. It held my attention okay. Unless you are a huge Louie Giglio fan or LOVE passion then I would just recommend borrowing the book or passing altogether. But if someone is offering you the book or you are interested in Passion then it is worth a read

My Recommendation: Borrow
My Rating: 3/5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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: Jesus Is _______. by Judah Smith

Jesus Is _____. You fill in the blank!

Let’s be honest. Mostly good people like to look down on mostly bad people. We enjoy the feelings of condescending pity or self-righteous outrage. We gleefully hold up notorious evildoers as marvels of depravity, examples of just how bad people can get. Then we finish off our lattes, load our 2.2 children into our almost-paid-off SUVs, and head off to contribute to society. Notice how I just included myself in the “mostly good” category. I didn’t think about it. I just did it. That’s what bothers me the most.

I read this just a few pages in and I said to myself “This dude’s on point” (forgive my young adult mannerism) Jesus Is ____. is one of the best books I have read in quite a while. Judah Smith’s message here is broken up into different sections such as Jesus is your friend, grace, the point, happy, here, alive. If I had to classify Smith’s message it is this Hope, Love, Change, and Being like Jesus.

I found this book incredibly interesting, so much so that I had a hard time putting my iPad down. This book does great at challenging us to love sinners, not being so judgmental. I would definitely describe Jesus is ____. as a thought provoking book, that will definitely hold your attention. I was actually surprised because I had never heard of Judah Smith, but he writes so well that I will have to read his future literary works. Now one point I always hit on when reviewing a books is “did the author sucessfully convey biblical truths?” The simple answer, Yes and No. His message for his book is matched up accurately with scriptural truth, but his doctrine that doesn’t have to do with the message of the book is not biblical. Otherwise, for a mainstream Christian book I loved it!

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.”