Book Review: What If It's True by Charles Martin

About the Book:

Years ago, novelist Charles Martin cracked open his Bible and began wrestling with a few fundamental questions. He asked, “What if every single word of Scripture is absolutely true and I can trust it? How do I respond? Something in me should change, but what? How?” This book is the result of that exploration.

With the depth, sensitivity, and emotion that has made his novels beloved to millions, Charles ignites our imaginations as to what the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to us today. Charles asks, “What if dead and crucified Jesus came back to life by the power of the Holy Spirit and is alive today? Right now. What if that same Jesus, the One who walked out of the tomb shining like the sun, holding the keys of death and hades, is alive in me? I write fiction for a living, and that’s either the craziest thing I’ve ever heard or it’s the most important word ever spoken. You and I have a King who did the unthinkable.”

The answers that his writer’s imagination illuminates for us will change the way we think about the gospel and the way we live because of it.

My Thoughts:

If I described What If It's True? by Charles Martin in one word, it would be... piercing. He doesn't sugar-coat things. He fully believes in the Bible as inerrant and divinely inspired. He calls out false prosperity gospel movements. He tackles heavy topics such as rejection, resignation, sexual sin, generational curses, and forgiveness. He also devotes time to the love of God as being the basis of everything Christians believe and extending to anyone, no matter how far gone that person may seem.

In What If It's True?, Charles Martin stirs interest with a well-written narrative and then starts probing deeply into his topic. He uses a lot of Scripture and draws Old Testament and New Testament connections that I never noticed even though I've been a Christian for many years. While the focus is on spiritual matters, he shares some of his own struggles and situations. He does use plenty of imagination in his retellings of Biblical events. Some parts seemed more realistic than others. This didn't bother me, but others may balk at it.

I felt that the chapter on forgiveness missed the mark. As someone who has had to forgive some hard things, I know the beauty and necessity of forgiveness. Unfortunately, forgiveness was presented with a “forgive others or else God won't forgive you and you'll be separated from Him” mentality. Yes, I know there are verses that support that view. But as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I can say that is not what I needed to hear years ago when I was dealing with the muck and mire. What I needed to hear was.... God will guide and help you every step of the way. No, you haven't forgiven yet. Yes, you need to forgive. But God is with you and for you, even when you just aren't there yet. The author did give a few statements about abusive situations, but given how many abused, deeply broken people there are, I think it merits more than a few paragraphs about how forgiveness and justice can co-exist.

What If It's True? wasn't easy to read. I cried... a lot. I could only handle a chapter a day, at most. Sometime in the future, I'd like to go back and read it even more slowly. I loved the prayers he put at the end of almost every chapter. I cried as I prayed them. They helped me to explore and pray more thoroughly than I would have been able to on my own.

I recommend What If It's True? by Charles Martin to Christians seeking to deepen their relationship with God and find greater spiritual freedom. If you've read his fiction novel, Long Way Gone, you may remember he ends with an essay about how no one is too far gone. That particular essay is included in What If It's True?, but is actually one of the shorter chapters. So, if you aren't sure if you want to try What If It's True?, go back and read that ending essay in Long Way Gone to get a taste.

What If It's True? earned a five star rating from me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Warfare: Winning the Spiritual Battle by Tony Evans

About the Book:

Where do you need victory?

You feel stuck – or even held back – in your spiritual life. You want more for your life, but every time you reach for more of Jesus, you're knocked down again. Whether it's marital challenges, financial distress, or the recurring pain of old wounds, the Enemy finds a way to keep you discouraged and disabled.

Are you ready to fight back? Step one: Recognize you're on a supernatural battlefield. Step Two: Learn everything you can about this battle – how it began, how it will end, who's fighting, how to fight, and most importantly how to find victory.

Warfare is your introductory guide to spiritual warfare. In it, trusted pastor and teacher Tony Evans will teach you:

1. To identify how spiritual warfare is impacting your soul, family, church, and culture.

2. Who the armies are and what role they play – God, angels, demons, and the devil.

3. How to claim the victory God has already won.

The most dangerous battles you'll ever face are the ones you can't see. Learn to fight and win today.

My Thoughts:

In Warfare: Winning the Spiritual Battle, Dr. Tony Evans tackles the complicated topic of spiritual warfare. Dr. Evans spends substantial time fleshing out the history of spiritual warfare, who is involved in the war, and how to fight the war. He writes so that someone with little or no previous knowledge of spiritual warfare can get a comprehensive view of the subject matter.

In the pages of Warfare, I also found good, practical advice on matters such as: recognizing one's responsibility and power to direct one's thoughts/doubts, reverence for the Lord God, realizing that people/situations are not the real enemy and who the actual enemy is, the necessity of prayer, the danger of elevating things or people above God, and more.

There was one major idea in Warfare that Dr. Evans did not completely convince me about: that all spiritual warfare happens because Satan wants to steal God's glory and God is all about keeping His glory. Dr. Evans explains why he believes this, but I was not convinced. The way it was presented made God seem narcissistic. My personal belief is that spiritual warfare happens because God loves humans and wants a relationship with them while the enemy hates humans and works to prevent that relationship with God. Perhaps I am in the wrong, but I just wasn't convinced in this matter.

It is important to note that Warfare is written from a conservative, evangelical worldview. Those who disagree with said worldview will likely disagree with several things including Dr. Evans' view of the necessity of the wife's submission in marriage.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen Chapter 9 go into further detail about the weapons we can use in this war – commonly known as the Armor of God in Ephesians 6. (Dr. Evans' daughter, Priscilla Shirer, has a fabulous in-depth study on this particular topic if you want to explore more with practical application)

Lastly, I noted that the copyright page shows that Warfare is a condensed version of Tony Evans' book, The Battle is the Lord's, and that part of chapter 1 is excerpted from his book, Kingdom Man. So, just a heads-up that if you have read The Battle is the Lord's, the material might be very similar.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Spiritual Warfare for Your Family by Leighann McCoy

In Christian circles, spiritual warfare ranges from being unheard of, to being ignored, to being embraced in a mystic sort of way, and everywhere in between. In Spiritual Warfare for Your Family, Leighann McCoy aims to educate the reader regarding what spiritual warfare is, the importance of spiritual warfare, and how to successfully fight to protect yourself, your family and other loved ones.

There are several chapters that explain the basics of spiritual warfare – what it is, why it happens, where it happens, etc. She addresses some hard questions like, “Why did God create the devil?” and “Why do we still struggle with sin if Jesus has already won victory and empowered our lives?” I felt most of the information was Scripturally sound, though at few things might have been a bit edgy.

After the basics are laid down, McCoy moves into tactics to fight the enemy. Although these lessons are framed as tactics within the concept of spiritual warfare, most of them are basic Christian living principles that people just need to put into practice. Forgiveness, love, prayer, resisting fear, surrender to God, etc.

Lastly, McCoy offers several chapters that address particular life stages and common issues in homes. These down-to-earth principles offer suggestions on how to try to prevent situations from happening as well as what to do if they have already happened. I appreciated her honesty as she shared her own failings and what, in hindsight, she believes she should/could have done differently.

Some of the lessons I gleaned from this book included: 1.) Confess your worst fear. Then focus on God, not you. 2.) Give up your own will completely. 3.) Tear down the “High Places” in your life.

McCoy points out that she isn't a prosperity preacher advocating health and wealth if you serve Jesus. Living the Christian life is often more about surrender and sacrifice than pleasant desires and luxuries. Even the basic principle of forgiveness can be terribly difficult if the wrong has been severe enough. I think that most Christians would find parts of this book challenging to put into practice, but the application of difficult principles can lead to spiritual growth and victory in the spiritual realm.

Overall, I think Spiritual Warfare for Your Family: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Children by Leighann McCoy is worth the time to read. I plan to keep it and read it again in the future.

Read an excerpt from Spiritual Warfare for Your Family on the publisher's website.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Designed for Devotion: A 365-Day Journey from Genesis to Revelation

Biblical study is a lifelong apprenticeship for the dedicated Christian. Although no book can replace studying the Bible itself, Designed for Devotion: A 365-Day Journey from Genesis to Revelation offers a companion-of-sorts to the reader who desires to increase his or her knowledge of the Bible and dedication to God. In Designed for Devotion, Bible teacher Dianne Neal Matthews comprehensively explains the main stories, people and teachings of the Bible. Additionally, she provides relevant historical background, Old and New Testament Scripture correlations and practical applications for the reader to implement.

I used Designed for Devotion: A 365-Day Journey from Genesis to Revelation by Dianne Neal Matthews as a supplement to my regular Bible reading. I think new believers will find the book especially helpful as it hits all the major Biblical events, people and lessons. I liked that Bible references were given along with each devotion. There were a few stories that I was not familiar with and it was good to be able to go to the Scripture and see exactly what it said. Believers with more knowledge of the Bible can also benefit from reading Designed for Devotion. Like most devotional books, to receive the greatest benefit and impact, the lessons must be read slowly and seriously. Each entry is less than a page long, so there were times it was almost too easy to breeze though. However, serious, thoughtful reflection on these lessons and the corresponding Scriptures will certainly lead any believer to new discoveries and lessons.

Read an excerpt from Designed for Devotion: A 365-Day Journey from Genesis to Revelation by Dianne Neal Matthews here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Max on Life by Max Lucado

Whether we admit it or not, we all have questions. There are situations that we don't understand and questions we lack definitive answers for. Those gray areas can be challenging to consider. What if we never find the answers we are searching for? Or worse... What if we can't live with the answers that we find? It takes courage to face the hard issues of life and kind wisdom from a friend can help us along the way. In Max On Life, Pastor Max Lucado responds with wisdom to all kinds of questions, including the hard ones. Lucado uses Scripture and poignant illustrations to guide the reader into a deeper understanding and fuller peace about who God is and how to relate to him. Lucado doesn't have answers for every situation in life, but he does point the reader to the One who holds all of the answers.

Max on Life is the fourth book I've read by Max Lucado and I always have the same impression when I read his books. Lucado's tone of writing is like have a conversation with a close friend. He is gentle with the reader, but firm about his beliefs. Overall, I feel that the doctrines/beliefs in Max on Life line up with the Bible. There were a few things here and there that I wasn't quite convinced about. I appreciated that almost every question and answer entry had Scripture in it. I find the use of Scripture highly important to the credibility of any devotional book. I used Max on Life to supplement my daily Bible readings. Most of the 172 entries are one page or less. Some are two. Each is short, yet powerful. The flexibility of the book lends itself to convenience. One can use it to supplement Bible reading, to fill a few moments of the day, or to read before going to bed.

The most wonderful thing about Max on Life is that I believe that someone could read this book and get saved. The book's layout is perfect. It starts off with some basic questions about God and Christianity, progresses into the message of salvation, and then addresses issues of the Christian life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookSneeze as part of their Blogger Review 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food by Lysa Terkeurst

Did you know that it's okay to crave and not feel guilty about it? In Made to Crave, Lysa Terkeurst leads women on a healing journey from the captivity of guilt and repetitive cycles to freedom and empowerment found through healthy choices. With extreme transparency, she writes of her own struggles with the foods she loved and the truths she learned of how to satisfy her cravings with God, not food.

Made to Crave is a book for any Christian woman, regardless of her weight or waistline. Terkeurst advocates that shifting to healthier eating habits, whether you are overweight or at a healthy weight, is actually a way to draw closer to God. I confess, I never thought of it that way before this book. However, she makes valid points and backs it up with Scripture. The author writes in such a way that it feels like she's a close friend sitting across the table from you. While the book is easy to read and has a good dose of humor, addressing the deeper issues in this book is not so easy. The author freely admits that the journey will be hard, but follows it up with encouragement that it can be accomplished.

Some prominent thoughts from this book:

1. Perspective changes things. It's better to view the process as embracing healthy choices rather than having to repeatedly deny myself the foods I want. It's about being healthy, not about self-denial.
2. Use a food craving as a prompting to pray. It's not very appealing when that brownie is sitting in front of me begging me to eat it, but it is very effective.
3. I was made for more. I was made for more than repetitive cycles of failure. I was made for victory and freedom.

There were plenty of other good points, as well. I recommend this book to any woman who desires to grow closer to God as she grows closer to her ideal weight.


To read an excerpt from Made to Crave, click here.


To visit the blog tour for Made to Crave, click here.

Lysa TerKeurst is an author and speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith through following Jesus Christ. As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa has led thousands to make their walk with God an invigorating journey.

 

Lysa wrote the book Made to Crave from the perspective of a woman who has never craved a carrot stick in her whole life. Having struggled with her weight her whole adult life, Lysa knows what it feels like to be in the vicious cycle of gaining and losing, but never feeling at peace in her struggle. Everything changed when Lysa decided to have her deepest desire met by God not food. Now, armed with the spiritual motivation she gained in her own journey, she is inspiring others to find lasting victory.

 

As a nationally known speaker, Lysa has been passionately teaching women God’s truths for years. Lysa’s personal adventures of following God led to appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, USA Today newspaper, Woman’s Day magazine, and Focus on the Family radio.

 

Today, Lysa and her ministry team at Proverbs 31 Ministries encourage more than 375,000 women through their daily online devotional. In addition, she co-hosts a 1-minute inspirational radio program aired on more than 1,200 stations around the world. Plus, she touches hearts through their monthly magazine, P31 Woman. Lysa’s blog averages over 70,000 avid readers per month. She is the award-winning author of 14 books, including her newest releases, Made to Crave and Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl. Other noteworthy books include What Happens When Woman Say Yes to God, What Happens When Women Walk in Faith, Capture His Heart, and Capture Her Heart. Visit Lysa's website for more info and to visit her blog! http://www.lysaterkeurst.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Amazing Adventures, Creative Connections and Daring Deeds: 40 Ideas That Put Feet to Your Family's Faith

Amazing Adventures, Creative Connections, and Daring Deeds by Tim and Alison Simpson is a family devotion book aimed at getting families to reach out with their faith. Rather than simply, reading a devotion and talking about it, by using this book, the family will also have ideas to put each person's faith to work in a very real and meaningful way. Topics include: The Ten Commandments, Giving to the poor, Fear, Forgiveness and many more.

Each devotion is only a few pages long and includes four parts. The first part is a text that the family will read together. This is followed by an activity that is done within the family. The third part includes Scripture reading and discussion questions. There are different questions suggested for different ages. Remember, this part is about discussion, not just answering the questions. The questions are actually designed as icebreakers to get discussion flowing about the topic. The final section is often a challenge of sorts. It gives guidance about how to take this devotion and apply it by reaching out to those outside of the family.

This book is very flexible. It is definitely suited at families that have children. Personally, I don't think a family would do more than two of these devotions a week. The things-to-do in the final part of each devotion are often time consuming or cost money. For example, the very first devotion in the book challenges the family to pack up every bit of non-perishable food and give it away. In my house, that would be very costly. This is not necessarily bad. It just makes for something that is not quite feasible for everyday use.

On a side note, with a little adaptation, many of these devotions could be used as Sunday School or Children's Church lessons.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."