Tired of Your Junk
Now, let’s make fun of books, ok?
I only have one more in the pipeline I agreed to read. It is a work of fiction and I hope it turns around in the next chapter or so. After this one, I am a new man!
I think I have only reviewed three books I actually liked. Most of the books I get completely suck. Seriously. Finding a guy like Chris Tomlinson is rare. I actually enjoyed his book. Most of the books I get from publishers are self-help books disguised as Christian books. They are full of mindless drivel. So many authors in the “Christian” market want you to believe it is easy to be a Christian and anything that suggest otherwise is wrong. The irony is, they are wrong. Contrary to what Family Christian Stores want you to believe, Christianity is not all sunshine and kitties. Most of the time it is cuts and bruises that pale in comparison to the blood shed on the Cross.
I reviewed the bad ones because I had to
I liked to think it was a public service. I was telling you what books to stay far away from. Unfortunately for you, I am tired of taking one for the team. I am wasting too much time reading things I don’t care about. If I had not agreed with the publisher to read the entire book, I would have practiced the art of book abandonment. If you must know the truth, some books have gotten so bad that I found myself speed reading through them and probably retaining about as much information had I not read them at all. Many of the books felt like homework. I was reading them and memorizing just enough to pass the test (or, write a review).
From this point forward
I am going to try and review books I actually want to read. Books I may find beneficial to share. Yes, there may still be some bad ones in there, but you cannot always judge a book by its cover (cliche, I know). I will be upfront and truthful if I abandon the text or cannot finish it.
I feel so…liberated.
I have several books on my shelf I cannot wait to read (and one on the way). I will be reviewing the following as I finish them:
John Piper
Don’t Waste Your Life
A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God
John Stott
Francis Schaeffer
Steve Timmis and Tim Chester
Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community (Re:Lit)
I think it is ironic I will be reading Don’t Waste Your Life as I think about all the books I wasted time reading…
-Don-
Win a Free Copy of Crave!
This Book can be yours. Free.
I will send you a brand new, unopened , never been read, shiny and sparkling copy of Chris Tomlinson’s new book, Crave: Wanting so Much More of God (see my review here).
How to play along
All you have to do is leave a comment or tweet a link to this post.
Stupid Rules.
You can have only two entries in this contenst. One entry for a comment, one for tweeting (make sure you include @Don_Dudley in your tweet!).
You have until Valentines day to enter (February 14th, 2010). Once the calendar flips to February 15th. Game over. Winners will be announced on February 16th.
Thanks and have fun!
Questions? email me: info[@]whoisdondudley[.]com
-Don-
Book Review: Crave, Wanting so Much More of God
Have you ever wished you could do that thing someone else is doing? Not just in regards to career or sports, but in regards to Christianity. You know those guys you see who can strike up a conversation about Jesus anywhere, even when they face intense scrutiny? Guess what, they have the same doubts and struggles you do.
I felt the whole time, author Chris Tomlinson had one goal, to tell others about his amazing, and at times awkward, relationship with Jesus Christ. He tells us stories from his own life about conversations he has with people about Jesus that only sometimes go well. Tomlinson uses everyday language to communicate his points, and never resorts to pride or haughtiness.
Tomlinson does his best to put the reader in the story. When he is describing a time he was waiting to be seen at the ER, you really feel as though you are waiting (for over six freaking hours) with him to see the doctor. Another time he describes some anxiety he has over talking to a girl on a plan who he fears may want to kill herself. It is very easy to put yourself in his shoes. Tomlinson is an excellent story teller who never fails to take the reader with him.
Crave: Wanting so Much More of God, is a decent book for this first time author. He combines John Piper theology with Donald Miller story telling. Nothing is left to be ambiguous and every story has a meaning. My only issue with this book is, some of the chapters seem to stretch on a little longer than they need to. A couple times I thought the next page would end the chapter, only to find out I was still five pages away. One thing I am happy about is, you will find this book sitting in the “Christian Living” section of your bookstores next to authors who claim health and wealth or ambiguous “non-judgmental” best sellers. I hope people will pass over these other authors and reach for this book instead.
I am giving this book a three stars. My reason is, Tomlinson is a first time author and sometimes it shows. He writes very well and I hope he continues to write and develop.
I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. Because I am given many free books, most of which suck, I did not allow this to sway my opinion in this review.
-Don-
PS. For more on the author, please visit his site, Cravesomethingmore.org
Book Review: Free Book*
This could be one of the top five worst books I have ever read. For the record, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, as a part of their “book sneeze” program.
At first, I thought this might be a worthwhile book to read and review. I live in the Cincinnati area and have been to Brian Tome’s church a couple of times. Its always good to know what is going on in ones hometown. I knew there would be some theological differences between us, but I had no idea what I was in store for.
Tome makes a point to put a disclaimer in his book. Within the first few pages he wants us to know he lobbied his publisher for the right to put in some swear words and they didn’t like it. During the same section he pointed out how he does not like having to wear a helmet while riding his motorcycle. Tome is trying to come off as anti-authoritarian. He wants to come off as sounding so “hard core” and only comes off sounding like a spoiled kid. Seriously, the first chapter of the book is a lame manifesto that could have been written by a troubled Jr. High student. I joked with my wife about how he needed a diagnosis out of the DSM.
Unfortunately, it gets worse. One sentence ruined the whole book. Tome writes:
The last thing we need is another book on the Cross…
To be fair, I will put the quote in context. Tome is trying to say we have tons of resources on the Cross, but what he feels we really need is a book on freedom. Hence his writing of Free Book. Let me pick this statement apart. The Cross is where we, as Christians, find the freedom this book is trying to proclaim. Without the Cross, there is no freedom. It is the pivotal event in all human history. Brian Tome ignores the cross for the majority of his book. I think the last thing we need is another book by Brian Tome.
Here are some other things I had problems with:
- Instead of calling them demons, Tome calls them “evil personalities.” (In my notes about this book, I wrote “WTF?”)
- Tome allows people to feel like victims of “evil personalities” but never really calls people to repent of sin.
- On page 103, Tome tells those who have been freed from any kind of demonic oppression they need to fill their lives with hobbies first, and then turn to God…
- He tells us the Holy Spirit equips us but never draws a line between those who have made Jesus Lord, and those who have not. It reads as though the Holy Spirit has equipped everyone, even non-Christians.
I cannot recommend this book. It is about as spiritually deep as The Shack. It preaches freedom by behavior modification, otherwise called “works based righteousness.” This book gets one star from me only because zero is not an option.
-Don-
