My Book(s) Review: To own a Dragon, It came within, and more...
I've just finished reading three books. So here is my take on each one:
"It came from within" by Andy Stanley
I picked this newest Stanley book up at "Thirsty" a couple of months back if not for any other reason then I've read everything else by him so I wanted to keep the streak alive. All of his previous books have been really strong and this one was no exception. I won't bore you with the details of what it's about but I will say he does another remarkable job of making the obvious seem so profound. My only problem with this book (and it's the same I have with all his books) is that he makes the bible and our walk with Christ to textbook. What I mean is he states the problem, tells why the problem is bad, then goes through a series of steps to solve the problem. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong but I don't think God's word and our lives can be simplified into an equation format. If you do X and Y then Z will happen. Maybe he's right, I don't know. But I do know I enjoy his books and they always push me to dig deeper. 3.5 out of 5 stars
"The unquenchable worshipper" by Matt Redman
I love Matt Redman's music and his heart so I was really looking forward to reading this. I've had it for a while but each time I tried to get in to it, something just didn't connect. So I'd put it down and try again later. I finally made myself push through it hoping it would get better. For me it didn't. I know several people who have read this book and loved it but to me it felt like the same old stuff I have heard 100 times, just with different terminology. I felt like he used a lot of words to say the same thing over and over. Well, maybe not a lot of words, the book is only 120 pages long. If you're a worship leader at a church or if you have no idea what it means to worship God in your personal life, then you may enjoy this book. But for someone who has been around church circles for a while and has a pretty good grasp on what true worship is, then this book might seem a bit familiar. 2 out of 5 stars
"To own dragon" by Donald Miller
I was a little hesitant about buying this book even though I'm a huge Donald Miller fan because of the subject matter. It's written for guys that grew up without a dad and the importance of realizing that God is our ultimate father. Not only did I grow up with a dad, but my dad is a really good dad by all accounts. So much like the above mentioned Andy Stanley book, I just wanted to read it to keep my streak alive of reading all of Miller's books. "To own a dragon" not only turned out to be the best of the three books I've just finished, it my favorite of all Miller's books. It's a must read for any guy. Miller does an amazing job of painting a picture of God The Father. It may not have been a huge help for me dealing with my dad but it certainly helped me understand the correlation between my relationship with God and my relationship with my kids. When I was finished reading, I was sad the book was over. It has caused me to evaluate how I see God and the job I am doing copying His fatherly love for me with my kids. This is a must read book. 5 out of 5 stars.
"It came from within" by Andy Stanley
I picked this newest Stanley book up at "Thirsty" a couple of months back if not for any other reason then I've read everything else by him so I wanted to keep the streak alive. All of his previous books have been really strong and this one was no exception. I won't bore you with the details of what it's about but I will say he does another remarkable job of making the obvious seem so profound. My only problem with this book (and it's the same I have with all his books) is that he makes the bible and our walk with Christ to textbook. What I mean is he states the problem, tells why the problem is bad, then goes through a series of steps to solve the problem. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong but I don't think God's word and our lives can be simplified into an equation format. If you do X and Y then Z will happen. Maybe he's right, I don't know. But I do know I enjoy his books and they always push me to dig deeper. 3.5 out of 5 stars
"The unquenchable worshipper" by Matt Redman
I love Matt Redman's music and his heart so I was really looking forward to reading this. I've had it for a while but each time I tried to get in to it, something just didn't connect. So I'd put it down and try again later. I finally made myself push through it hoping it would get better. For me it didn't. I know several people who have read this book and loved it but to me it felt like the same old stuff I have heard 100 times, just with different terminology. I felt like he used a lot of words to say the same thing over and over. Well, maybe not a lot of words, the book is only 120 pages long. If you're a worship leader at a church or if you have no idea what it means to worship God in your personal life, then you may enjoy this book. But for someone who has been around church circles for a while and has a pretty good grasp on what true worship is, then this book might seem a bit familiar. 2 out of 5 stars
"To own dragon" by Donald Miller
I was a little hesitant about buying this book even though I'm a huge Donald Miller fan because of the subject matter. It's written for guys that grew up without a dad and the importance of realizing that God is our ultimate father. Not only did I grow up with a dad, but my dad is a really good dad by all accounts. So much like the above mentioned Andy Stanley book, I just wanted to read it to keep my streak alive of reading all of Miller's books. "To own a dragon" not only turned out to be the best of the three books I've just finished, it my favorite of all Miller's books. It's a must read for any guy. Miller does an amazing job of painting a picture of God The Father. It may not have been a huge help for me dealing with my dad but it certainly helped me understand the correlation between my relationship with God and my relationship with my kids. When I was finished reading, I was sad the book was over. It has caused me to evaluate how I see God and the job I am doing copying His fatherly love for me with my kids. This is a must read book. 5 out of 5 stars.
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