Book Review: The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

I recently finished reading this book for the second time.  I don't know how I missed this book when it was released in 2007, but I am happy I got to read it now.

If you are like me, and had your head in the sand when the book was widely discussed and shared, pick it up now and read it.  It is a very influential work of fiction.

Click below if you want to read more.

Book Review - AHA - Awakening.Honesty.Action by Kyle Idleman

Ok, I admit it.  I am a huge fan of Kyle Idleman.  This would be my third post about a book he has written.  To see my thoughts about the other two, click on the titles: Gods at War and Not a Fan.

If you are familiar with his work, you would notice sound biblical teaching peppered with a great sense of humor.  This book is no different.  Make sure you read the footnotes, as some of these made me laugh out loud.*

The book follows the very familiar parable of the lost son found in Luke (Luke 15:11-32).  You may be familiar with the story, but to quickly recap, a man has two sons, one who worked hard, and one  who rebelled and traveled to a distant country with his future inheritance.  After hard times hit, the son had a sudden awakening, was brutally honest with himself, and took action to return home to amend his relationship with his father.

Kyle takes the passage, and breaks it apart in a very real way.  He describes our own acts of sin and rebellion as a trip to the "distant country."  He explores the concept of a sudden awakening moment - the moment you realize the consequences of your sins.  He then is very brutal in his honesty of these sins, discussing the difference between regret and repentance.

The awakening must lead to honesty.  Conviction must lead to confession.  This is the biggest difference between regret and repentance.  Many of us will have an awakening and regret that things have turned out the way they have, but we won't repent of our part in it. (Chapter 5)

He noticed that Christians find ourselves struggling to be honest with ourselves, let alone with others when it comes to the secrets sins we harbor.  He then goes one step further and says it's even worse for pastors.  He says we all need someone in our life with whom we can be brutally honest.  This person should be one you trust and who trusts you completely, one who is honest and who shares in your convictions, and above all, one who has freely received grace from Jesus and freely offers grace to others.

Is this someone you have in your life?

The third part of the book is the last piece of the puzzle: taking action.  Kyle challenges the excuses we all take when we fail to act, even after recognizing and confessing our sins.

I am currently reading this book for the second time, taking advantage of the study questions at the end of the book.  I highly recommend this book for small groups or leadership teams, or even just for personal study.

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." ~James 5:16 (NLT)

*It's the random stuff, like the usefulness of Jedi mind tricks that make me laugh out loud.

Gods At War - Book Review

I have developed an appreciation for the writings of Kyle Idleman.  He is the author of the book, Not a Fan, that I reviewed a while back.  You can check out that review here.  He wrote a new book in 2013 that I just completed, and he is due to publish a new book on March 1.  God has really blessed him in writing and publishing.

The book, Gods at War, focuses on idolatry.  His basic premise throughout the writing is that whatever sins we face or struggle with are not isolated.  They are rooted in our misalignment of priorities.  When we place something into the position of an "idol," we then struggle with it.  An idol is defined as something that attempts to take the place of God in our lives as first and foremost.  Kyle explains that ANYTHING can become an idol and thus a stumbling block in our walk.  A good test to see what consumes our thoughts would be examining our own google search history.  What hits are most frequent?  Are they mostly centered around food?  Are they sexual?  What is consuming your thoughts?  After we do a little thinking and reflecting, there are chapters dedicated to specific idols in our lives.  The last chapter is the one I struggle with the most, the idol of "me."

I found it interesting that even the good things in our lives can become an idol.  I was fascinated with the stories of real Christians who struggled with the specific idols in their lives.  There were stories of denial, fall, repentance, and restoration.  It does not matter what is your idol, what matters is what you do with the idol when you identify it.  God belongs in the forefront of your thinking.  There can be no other "gods" in His presence.  He demands all of you.

Kyle and his father Ken are going to be speaking at the Elders' and Church Leaders' Conference at Lincoln Christian College this Saturday.  I am really looking forward to seeing them speak.  The topic of the conference is "Lead, Follow… or Get Out of the Way."

The first commandment given to Moses was:

"I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery.

You must not have any other god but me."

Examine your hearts.  Remember our Lord is a jealous God.  

Are You a Fan or a Follower?

I was given a book recommendation by a good friend, and this got me back into reading books written by pastoral leaders.  Last Sunday, I opened up the book, Not A Fan, by Kyle Idleman.  Immediately, after reading the prologue and Chapter 1, I felt compelled to share it.  The author shares his revelations in a very real way, and he uses quotes from some of my favorite movies.  I think he is a fellow geek!

I pondered the primary question: Am I just a fan (defined as "enthusiastic admirer"), or am I a true follower of Jesus? The first part of the book helped define the relationship.  Each chapter in this part identified a behavior, and challenged it.  For example, are we following Jesus in just a part of life, but do we "put him away" in other parts, i.e. work? Do we really know Jesus, in the "yada" way, which could be defined as an intimate mingling of souls, or do we just know about Him?  He wants us to be His one and only.  He wants our complete insides, and not just the outside show we put on for others.  

Part 2 (Chapters 8-11) is a study of Jesus's words in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."  The author was careful to say John 3:16 is about believing, while Luke 9:23 focused on following.  There is no believing without following.

What is neat about Part 2 is the breakdown of the single verse.  The words "If anyone…" clarifies ANYONE.  Anyone means everyone is invited.  Ex-con?  Yes.  Current con?  Yes.  Alcoholic?  Yes.  Addict?  Yes?  Sexual past?  Yes.  Divorced?  Yes.  Anyone means EVERYONE is invited. The words "come after", meaning to passionately pursue.  The author compared passionate pursuit to the initial chase after a loved one.  He told cute stories of the things he did to win his wife's love.  He said Jesus wants us to passionately pursue him as we would a new romantic love.  "Deny himself" means I am saying, "I choose Jesus over my family.  I choose Jesus over money.  I choose Jesus over my career.  Even if it costs me everything."  There are no exceptions.  He spoke about the references the New Testament apostles used - "slave".  This is the picture of what we must do.  We must give up our whole self and becomes slaves to our master, Jesus.  He must own us. "Take up his cross," means Come and Die.  He discussed the cross and noted the symbols of humiliation, suffering, and death.  Taking up a cross means allowing ourselves to be subject to these things for the sake of Jesus.

Part 3 specifies that we must be willing to follow Him wherever, whenever, and whatever.  That means going to a specific place, maybe one you would not go if He was not leading you.  He means for you to follow TODAY, and not to wait for tomorrow.  He means for you to drop all your stuff, much like Elisha did in 1Kings 19 when the prophet Elijah him to be his successor.  Drop the stuff that prevents you from going "all in."  No reserves.  No retreats.  No regrets.

Very rarely can I say a book has convicted me like this one did.  I highly recommend it.