Letters To A Birmingham Jail edited by Bryan Loritts

This is an important book for all Christians to read and to help them understand how to pursue Christ exalting diversity. Beginning with Dr, Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," 10 Christian leaders address the problems that still plague the church in the area of racial reconciliation. The contributors of various ages and ethnicities address that only Christ can bring about true unity, but that the gospel also demands justice. No longer can the church remain passive in the area of racial inequality and prejudice.

The contributors included are John Perkins, John Piper, Crawford W. Loritts, Jr., John Bryson, Bryan Loritts, Sandy Wilson, Albert Tate, Charlie Dates, Matt Chandler, and Soon-Chan Rah. These authors present their own unique response to Dr. King's letter and it makes for fascinating reading and much food for thought.

I would highly recommend it to all who truly want to learn more about how the church can become a truly multi-cultural church. For me, I will begin by reaching out to those who are not like me in the body of Christ. We can each make a difference to bring about reconciliation between races and cultures.

I received this book from Moody Publishers for this review.

Chase The Lion by Mark Batterson

"Chase the Lion" is a call to arms to pursue God-given passions and to set God-sized goals. Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church (NCC) in Washington, D.C., encourages the reader with examples from Scripture and real life stories to illustrate his idea of being a Lion Chaser.

Some of the principles he includes are: go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention; face your fears; burn sinful bridges; blaze new trails; live for the applause of the nail-scarred hands; and don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God.

This is an encouraging and challenging book for any Christian who desires to pursue their God-given dream or come along someone who has one and share in the adventure. The impact you make will not only make a difference now but have ripple effects in years to come.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
       

Messiology by George Verwer

George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization, one of the world's largest  missions organizations has coined the term "missiology." The term has to do with how God can use our failures and messes and use them for His purposes. This is basically a collection of thoughts as the author reflects back on over 60 years in ministry.

Throughout the book, the author also shares many books which have impacted his life. He challenges the reader to focus on the big picture in Christianity and to work together despite some of our differences in worship styles, leadership roles, etc. He challenges those who are caught up in any form of legalism that hinders the work of the Gospel and points out that God can still use those with whom we may disagree.

There are many helpful insights in this book and it is a short book. The downside is that the thoughts he shares are somewhat disjointed and the book overall does not flow well. Overall though is a worthwhile read.

I received this book from Moody Publishers for free in exchange for an honest review.

Warfare Praying by Mark I. Bubeck

There are many books out on prayer, but I found this book especially practical and helpful. The author shares personal examples to illustrate the truths he presents. The battles we face are not against people and circumstances as they are battles in the spiritual realm. Pastor Bubeck addresses the issue of spiritual warfare and how to use the Word of God and prayer to do battle. The book is divided into sections entitled: The Supremacy of Christ; The Work of the Holy Spirit; The Whole Armor of God; and The Weapon of Prayer. I especially appreciated the section on the armor of God and the in depth description of each part of the armor and its practical application.

Also after each chapter there is a prayer to apply what has just been presented. At the end there are several pattern prayers given for revival. I think this is a book I will refer to often during my prayer time.  

I received this book from Moody Publishers for this review.