Book Review | The Unexplainable Church by Erica Wiggenhorn

unexplainable church

The Unexplainable Church is incredible! It’s a ten-week study, or fifty-day journey into the book of Acts, starting in chapter 13 and continuing through 28. Wiggenhorn’s first Acts study is called An Unexplainable Life and focuses on Acts 1-12.

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Erica begins the study with a divine invitation for us to listen to the Holy Spirit. He calls in Acts 13:2, to “Separate yourself for the special work I have planned for you.” And from there, we chronologically work through the rest of Acts. I found the workbook format to be easy to read, each section is timely spaced, and engaging for groups or individual study. I liked the detailed questions and areas to reflect. I would highly recommend it for groups or individual believers who are looking for a deeper study that makes you think, makes you dig deeper into God’s Word and ignites a greater understanding of the Holy Spirit’s insistence on the urgency to share the truth of the Gospel.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Moody Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I appreciate the opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy to do so. 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 | Delighting in God by A.W. Tozer

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“Delighting in God” is a follow-up to “Knowledge of the Holy”, and is published posthumously from Tozer’s sermons. Aiden Wilson Tozer used his words to speak TO the church about finding peace and contentment with God. He had a conversational style approach to his words, reminiscent to me of how Dr. Charles Stanley speaks when he preaches. He really gets your attention, and states his case as if he’s processing Scripture with you and then comes to an important conclusion.

A. W. Tozer writes as a man determined to point the church back to the Word of God, so as a church family, we can be content in the Christian life and realize the peace Jesus brings. His words are timeless, and any one of his sermons are still relevant today. I’ll share with you one point he made about Apostle Paul in speaking on Paul’s passion:

“To know God was Paul’s passion, and nothing else really mattered to Him. Three things helped Paul focus on God (from the Scripture quoted [Philippians 3:10-11]).

The first was ‘the power of his resurrection.’ Becoming a Christian is not just nodding to a few truths and then saying, “I accept Jesus.” It is infusing into your life the divine power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. This is the tremendous work of the Holy Spirit to bring you into the divine world of redemption.

The second was ‘the fellowship of his sufferings’. This was Paul’s identification with the Christ who died on the cross and rose the third day. What Paul meant by this was that his Christianity was a result of his relationship with God. And Paul was willing to follow Him at all costs. This passion of Paul got him into a lot of trouble. I think I can safely say that Paul’s attitude was that Christ’s enemies were going to be his enemies and Christ’s friends were going to be his friends. Paul did not expect the world to treat him any better than people treated Christ. They crucified Christ, and they finally killed the apostle Paul. All of this was the result of his love for God that could not be satisfied with anything but God himself.

Paul’s third focus was ‘being made conformable unto his death’. This was the key to the apostle Paul’s ministry and the passion he had for God. When Jesus died on the cross, it was for our sin. It was his desire to bring his life into conformity with the death of Jesus Christ so that the resurrection power of Christ could usher him into worship and praise.”

Grab this book for spiritual, Scriptural truths from a man steeped in godly wisdom. It will benefit your spiritual life and challenge your faith. And once you’re done, pick up some of his other titles.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Baker Publishing House (Bethany) 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 | Everyday Grace: Infusing All Your Relationships with the love of Jesus by Jessica Thompson

Everyday Grace

So, this past year, I’ve been doing some soul searching (aren’t I always?) and Bible reading and it has occurred to me that even though I’m waking up every morning and living my life, sometimes there are still areas I’m struggling. And I’ll even admit that sometimes I don’t allow the Holy Spirit to do what He does best, which is transform me. #imaginethat

I have wonderful relationships, but they could certainly be better.

You may be significantly different from me by color of your hair, skin or eyes, but I’m pretty sure grace is not something any of us are born with. Sure we see children who have compassion for each other, but take their favorite toy away and see if they’re still as gracious. And I’ll admit, sadly, I’ve seen some adults who still have that reaction; faster than you can say “Golden Rule”.

What makes this book so special? There are many books on the topic of grace, loving others, even having the love of Jesus. What made this book stand out to me, and why am I recommending that you take time out of your precious day to read it? Because it’s unlike any other “Christian help book”.

Jessica starts out by addressing what we all need to know: that we are all sinners who need a Savior. One line from her book that struck me (and will resonate with you too) is the following: “We are a performance-based people, which is completely ironic, because our performance every days is far less than perfect. We live in performance-based relationships.” We tend to ask what others can do for us, instead of seeking to meet their needs. From there, she goes right into the truth of our need for a Savior who can meet us in that place, and change us. Once we recognize our need for love and grace, we can accept it with the help of the Holy Spirit and then let Him transform us so we can give those inhuman attributes to those around us.

The other beautiful thing about this book is that she ACTUALLY goes into HOW to give grace in the relationships we tend to have: children, friendships, communities, marriages, families, church families, and coworkers. She doesn’t give step-by-step instructions with bullet points, but provides relevant and Scriptural sound advice on how to deal with our own insecurities, so we can give the best parts of ourselves to others. We can move from “what can you do for me” to “what can I do for you” without batting an eye.

It seemed to me that every word written was necessary in this book; there wasn’t a ton of “filler”. Everything was beneficial to tie the ends together and I think it’s a lovely read, with a powerful message. Do you want to have healthier relationships? It starts with us loving like Christ.

Pick this book up today!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Baker Publishing’s book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions 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.”