Tag: memoir

Book Review: Jesus Has Left The Building

Jesus Has Left The Building

By Paul Vieira (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

Paul Vieira, a post-modern, Gen Xer, shares his experience within the traditional (institutional) church and his call to “leave the building” so that he could encounter a more “organic” church experience.

What he seeks is something that is more in line with the church that Jesus started and as shown in the gospel accounts.

Just as Jesus “left the building,” both then and, in many respects, now, he is calling his church to follow suit, leaving the comfortable confines of a building and going out into society, just as he did. Vieira shares seven secrets or lessons that can be gleaned from the church that Jesus started.

Drawing parallels between today and the message of Jeremiah and the example of Daniel, Vieira encourages Jesus’ followers to do the same. They are to act counter-cultural (as Jeremiah called the Israelites to do) within their society so that they can be God’s voice when called upon.

Today’s institutional church has been marginalized and discredited; society no longer looks there for answers. However, a Jesus follower, truly engaged with his or her culture, can be a source that people turn to for real answers (as was the case with Daniel).

[Jesus Has Left The Building, by Paul Vieira. Published by Karis Publishing, Inc., 2006, ISBN: 978-0971804081, 276 pages.]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices. Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life

By Jeff Goins (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

Wrecked is what happened to Jeff Goins when God figuratively tapped him on his shoulder, causing him to turn around and actually see what he had been conveniently overlooking. As a result, his self-centered, non-committed demeanor was pierced.

Other people were hurting and Jeff had to help. His once contented life was wrecked by God—and that was a good thing.

As the subtitle of Jeff’s powerful first-person story proclaims, being wrecked is what happens “when a broken world slams into your comfortable life.” Even so, his transformation did not happen abruptly, but gradually as he became open and willing to engage it.

In an accessible style, Jeff relates his story and those he meets on his journey in an inviting manner, tangibly showing what a wrecked life is like. It may not be an easy one, but it is a good one. Being wrecked is living to truly love, to give and not take, to show mercy and grace, and to promote justice.

Maybe you’ve already been wrecked and could benefit from vicariously walking with Jeff on the same path. Perhaps you were wrecked once, but that was long ago and you’ve shoved it aside to do what was expected by others or considered normal by society.

Possibly, you’ve shut your eyes and covered your ears so God could not wreck your life. We each fit in one of these three categories and regardless of which one, Wrecked was written for us.

[Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life, by Jeff Goins. Published by Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2012, ISBN: 978-0-8024-0492-3, 169 pages, $13.99]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices. Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Isn’t it Time for a Coffee Break? Doing Life Together in an All-about-me Kind of World

By Amelia Rhodes (reviewed by Peter DeHaan

In her new book, Isn’t it Time for a Coffee Break?, Amelia Rhodes shares her journey of connecting with others, to form community and provide encouragement.

Amelia six chapters, cleverly build on coffee metaphors—the aroma of relationships, brew a strong cup, the variety of blends, and so forth, using narrative to show the value of pursuing deeper friendships.

Her personal experiences add delightful flavor, while her ample use of scripture provides valuable external support. Life is better when shared.

Although written from a female perspective, Coffee Break, offers application for both women and men. While perhaps more accessible to women, the message may be needed more by men to combat a tendency towards isolation.

Even more so, the lessons of Coffee Break are ideal for couples desiring to work together to form a meaningful faith community with others.

One engaging story is her husband’s desire to use his past pizzeria experience to host monthly homemade pizza parties for their growing network of friends. He plans to make the crust (his specialty) and supply the sauce and cheese.

Everyone else brings his or her favorite toppings. They will make homemade pizzas, share food, spend time in community, and connect their friends. The first event is “mayhem,” but everyone returns the next month and continues to do so for the next few years until Amelia and her family move.

With 25 to 40 people present, half under the age of six, it’s organized confusion, but with the intent of providing hospitality to friends rather than entertaining guests, it’s hugely successful.

Though Isn’t it Time for a Coffee Break? is of practical application to both genders, it’s unfortunately marketed to women.

[Isn’t It Time for a Coffee Break?: Doing Life Together in an All-About-Me Kind of World (Circle of Friends), by Amelia Rhodes. Published by Barbour Publishing Inc. 2012; ISBN: 978-1-61626-887-9; Kindle, advanced reader copy.]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices. Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny

By Amy Julia Becker (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

How do we react in the presence of someone who is physically or mentally different from us? Do we accept them, ignore them, or retreat? Do we say the right things, the wrong things, or say nothing?

These are all issues that confronted Amy Julia Becker after she was informed her daughter Penny was not what she was expecting. Penny had Down syndrome.

In A Good and Perfect Gift, Amy Julia shares her story as she struggled to understand, accept, and finally embrace the gift God had given her in Penny.

Amy Julia writes with transparency and integrity as she honestly relates her questions and faith struggle—and later reveals insights and an enlightened comprehension of Down syndrome and what it means in the world today.

There are things Penny will never realize because she has Down syndrome, but there are also things—special and amazing things—she will exhibit and give, only because she has Down syndrome. To miss those would be to miss much.

Penny is indeed a good and perfect gift.

[A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny, by Amy Julia Becker. Published by Bethany House Publishers. 2011; ISBN: 978-0-7642-0917-8; 237 pages.]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.Save

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices. Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Kingdom Journeys: Rediscovering the Lost Spiritual Discipline

By Seth Barnes (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

Seth Barnes begins Kingdom Journeys by relating one of his own—a journey both physical and spiritual—one he first took as a 20-something college graduate. It resulted from restlessness, an inner desire to do something that mattered. It bubbled up inside.

He needed to be more, to be part of something greater. “I had trusted Jesus to save me from hell,” he recounts, “but I hadn’t begun to understand the life he offered before death.”

Not content to simply share his own story, Seth relates the accounts of many other kingdom sojourners, of Jessi, Claud, Eugene, Miguel, David, Marlena, Matt, Tiffany, Ruth, Keturah, and many more.

He weaves in practical biblical teaching and the wisdom of others to support the practice of pursuing a kingdom journey, which asserts Seth Barnes, is a spiritual discipline.

Although there is renewed interest in pursuing spiritual disciplines, one often overlooked is the discipline of a kingdom journey. The first such journey happened about 2,000 years ago.

Jesus sent his followers out in groups of two, with no provisions and no plan other than to heal the sick and proclaim his kingdom. We will do well to emulate their example and follow Jesus’ instructions. “God is not in the destination,” teaches Seth, “but in the journey.”

Over several decades, Seth has encouraged thousands, including his own children, to pursue their own kingdom journeys. Embarking on an extended kingdom journey—not a short-term mission trip—is not just for young adults but is for people of all ages and at any stage in life.

Seth wraps up his thoughts on the importance of taking a kingdom journey, saying: “To end well, we have to fight our natural tendency toward self-preservation and control. Jesus tells us that losing our life is the only way to discover it.”

[Kingdom Journeys: Rediscovering the Lost Spiritual Discipline, by Seth Barnes. Published by Ashland Press, 2012, ASIN: B009EW6MUW, Kindle.]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.Save

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices. Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.