PATMOS BY C. BAXTER KRUGER

Dr C. Baxter Kruger is a theologian, but he’s not one of those stuffy, hard to understand ones. He’s the theologian that takes pains to make the works of the stuffy ones a little easier to understand. In addition to his own academic endeavours too. He is someone I admire and have learnt a lot from, especially about the cosmic and all pervasive nature of Jesus and the influence he has over the universe. He has written several books and essays, and given lectures all over the world on the Trinitarian life. And now he has added a novel to his list of accomplishments

The story of Patmos follows a Theologian, Dr Aidan, who is taken back in time by the Holy Spirit to the Island of Patmos during the time St. John the Apostle was exiled there. In the span of three days, the Apostle helps Aidan straighten out some wrinkles in his thoughts about God and brings him to begin to experience the living relationship open to us all by the power of the Holy Spirit. During these three days a friendship ensues that will affect both men for the rest of their lives

Dr Kruger uses the book to explore themes he has always covered in his books and teachings. The Trinity, union, inclusion and several others. It also gives us a glimpse at how he reached (or is reaching) the point where his knowledge is going beyond his head and becoming real and actually effecting changes in his life. The novel is no great work of fiction like Tolkein or C.S lewis at their finest but it holds its own and gives great insight about the life we live in the The Son, beholding the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit

Overall it’s a great read, full of humur and insight. I highly recommend it.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

I received this book free of charge from the publisher and writer via the Speakeasy network, I'm not under any obligation to write a positive review and the views I have expressed are entirely my own. I'm writing this disclosure in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

THE SEED A TRUE MYTH BY ERIK GUZMAN

The story of the Bible and the Gospel can be summarized this way:. God creates all things and it is good, man believes a lie and seperates himself from God plunging himself along with all of creation into utter darkness; and God becomes man in order to rescues him and all of creation from the darkness.

In “The Seed-the True Myth” Erik Guzman uses that backdrop and creates a story of eternal love and the triumph of Love over every darkness. The book portrays how in our brokenness and helplessness, we see the hand of God extended to us in Love with suspicion and fear. We are so lost that we saw the light of God’s love and viewed it as utter darkness. While we worshipped Satan and his principle of self-centeredness and fleshly indulgence. In the book he portrays how we view God as the taskmaster who expects us to work to the bone and who is never satisfied. He also portrays how many of us are so willing to serve this god and our feeble attempts at pleasing this god, in spite of the constant voice in our heads telling us we are not doing enough. We build bigger and bigger temples, doing more and more acts of service, offer bigger and bigger sacrifices and pray longer and longer but it is never enough. In reality, this “god” is Satan, using the madness we fell into at the fall to superimpose himself as God. In other words, he is filling the vacuum of the false impressions we have about God and gaining great power from it. Satan is the first and ultimate being that fell into the madness of flesh, and by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we joined him in his madness

But it’s not all gloomy, because Erik also shows how God who is Love came and shattered the power of Satan in a way he never expected or even understood, because it was through Love and Divine sacrifice and self-giving; A way Satan had abandoned eons ago. And God calls us to join him in that way again, his Holy Spirit is like a river flowing over the whole world beckoning on all mankind to drink of him and fill themselves with the light of his love. Halleluiah

This is a wonderful novel that wraps the Gospel in a beautiful fantasy story, much like C.S Lewis and portrays its beauty so wonderfully. I don’t agree with a few ideas in the book, but so what, he doesn’t agree with me too. In the grand scheme of things, the story is compelling and can be enjoyed just as a novel. But it is also a great portrayal of the Gospel.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

Now I have to say this (seriously, I do): I received this book free of charge from the publisher and writer via the Speakeasy network, I'm not under any obligation to write a positive review and the views I have expressed are entirely my own. I'm writing this disclosure in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

HEALING TROUBLED HEARTS BY DR. BILL DAY

Dr Bill day is an inner healing practitioner. When I first got this book and realized it was about inner healing I was skeptical. I have come to associate the words with two things:

1.      New Age Religion and 

2.      Ultra spooky charismatic Christianity

I find neither of these two very palatable so I prepared myself for a very annoying read. Much to my surprise, it’s not bad at all. It is counseling, psychology and psychiatry from a Christ centered point of view. In this book, Dr. Day uses his personal life experiences and the testimonies of his patients to highlight some very important points

·        We all have baggage and are damaged because we have come to believe lies about ourselves and about God

·        These lies are so embedded in our subconscious that we sometimes don’t even realize it

·        Conventional counseling techniques, which majority of Church counselors also adopt can neither reveal nor dislodge those lies from our minds

·        It takes the HOLY SPIRIT to not only reveal them, but to shine the light of Jesus into the darkness and replace the lies with the truth of Jesus

As I read the book, I realized the very salient point he is making. Christian counseling and psychology should be just as Christ-centered as every other aspect of the Christian life. The most beautiful part of this is that he has seen it all; been through different types of religions and all forms of spirituality. In his quest for personal fulfillment and emotional stability, he went from Secular Humanism to learning New Age spirituality in San Diego and here’s what he has to say:

“In San Diego I had learned that self-actualization could be achieved without much conflict, that the intrinsic goodness of the human self would come through once people saw the truth and light of innate human goodness.”

“In this system of thought (and I ran across many expressions and varieties) there was no need for a Savior. Suffering and evil were seen as resulting from ignorance, avoidable by learning and applying true knowledge”

In hindsight, he shares with his conclusion on these schools of thought:

“Reflecting on this time in my life, I think it was a robust round of whistling in the dark. After all my study, striving, practicing meditation, and other spiritual exercises that promised enlightenment, no significant transformation had taken place”

I must be honest, I really like this book and I would recommend it for anyone who is being led by the lord into the ministry of counselling and therapy. I would also recommend it to all people in general. He gives practical tools to inviting Jesus into our baggage to heal and transform us himself.

Dr. Bill points out that we cannot relegate God to just the opening and closing of therapy sessions; We pray to at the beginning of the session and then use our educational and professional skills for the whole session, and when we’re done we pray to him again. He believes that God must be allowed to actively run the session; directing, speaking and healing. The counselors job should be to facilitate this engagement and make the client aware of the great physician’s presence.

“The finished work of Christ will be finished when these ultimate intentions of God are realized. Redemption is God’s story; it is about His ultimate intentions. The whole panorama is about Him, for Him, by Him, and in Him…and especially in Jesus”

Selah 

THE NEW COVENANT BY BOB EMERY

Nothing explains complex concepts better than a good story. Jesus used stories a lot. Of course he told parables, whose sole purpose was to conceal his message and make it unclear. But he also told stories that clearly illustrated his point of view. It is with that in mind that i'd like to recommend "The New Covenant" by Bob Emery.

In this book, Bob distils vital concepts of the New Covenant. He revolves the story around the Apostle John and creates a wonderful fiction of John teaching young Christians about the Christological meaning of the Temple, the Jewish sacrifices and several other things

I believe the aim of the book is to reveal that these concepts have serious revelatory truths that are quite lost on the modern Christian. The story teaches us that they are shadows of a greater substance; Christ himself and his finished work.

 He also has John teach on a less emphasised aspect of our spiritual life; the dream of God for his Church. He explores the great vision of God for the Bride of Christ and how she is more than a human institution. The church is an organism of great beauty and worth to our Lord. She is the Eve to his Adam; the one for whom he died, that she might emerge. It is interesting that the Revelation of Jesus Christ by John ends in this picture of the Church. It tells me that all the symbols and signs in the book of Revelations culminate in the Revelation of the Bride of Christ.

COSMOS REBORN BY JOHN CROWDER

If you are feeling worn out by your spiritual life, wondering whether or not God still loves you, tired of the constant struggle to keep all the rules and principles which you've been told must guide your life. Then i think you need a heavy dish of happy theology, and in "Cosmos Reborn" John Crowder serves it up really nice. This is theology that will make you leap and shout for joy. It will make you fall in love with God again as he explores how much God is in Love with you.

Now make no mistake, this is not some mamby pamby, lovey dovey, silly book. John Crowder unpacks a lot of concepts in simple easy-to-read form; this is Trinitarian theology for the regular guy. In Cosmos Reborn John writes about a wide range of topics; from the incarnation to good works to Hellfire and universalism. He explores them from an Incarnational Trinitarian perspective. This is heavy stuff. But he writes it in a fashion that the regular guy can understand. It's not simplistic and dumb, it's just simple

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. People have the idea that theology is just a bunch of abstract thoughts on religion by stuffy academicians who wish to make life more complicated for everybody. The truth is whether you like it or not or know it or not, your life is shaped by a bunch of theological concepts. Theology is nothing more than the logic of God; it's our thoughts on how and why God operates in our midst. The truth is we all have our ideas about how God thinks and the wrong theology will lead you to a life of misery, performance anxiety and constant guilt. The right theology is shaped by one simple fact; Jesus is the one and only template through which we can know God. He is God and there is no sinister GOD behind his back waiting to get us.

This is the crux of Trinitarian theology and it is the principle behind John Crowder's thoughts. The premise of the book is that through Jesus Christ, the recreation of the Universe took place, given the very biblical fact that the whole universe exists in Jesus Christ; the second person of the Trinity (Colossians 1:15-17). With that in mind, he begins to look at all aspects of Christian thought from that perspective. I would suggest you do the same too.  In case you don’t have the time nor the energy to do the same, (which most people don’t) I’d suggest you simply get yourself a copy of this great book. It is very disturbing to me that the word Trinitarian has become a bad word in modern evangelical circles. It’s almost as if to say you’re Trinitarian is to say you’re a heretic. At the same time, all these people pay lip service to the fact that they believe in the doctrine of the trinity. I wonder, are we supposed to say we believe in the Triune God but not allow it to shape our lives? I suspect that many people have not taken the time to really think about that concept and its implications on our spiritual life. This is due in part to the disdain for theology perpetuated by many leaders in charismatic and evangelical circles.

I don’t wish to spoil it for you by delving into any of the topics. I’ll just encourage you to get the book, read it and be happily surprised at just how good this good news is.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

Now I have to say this (seriously, I do): I received this book free of charge from the publisher and writer via the Speakeasy network, I'm not under any obligation to write a positive review and the views I have expressed are entirely my own. I'm writing this disclosure in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

"THE BILLIONAIRE'S GIFT" BY EDWARD IWATA

First of all, I would like to explain the reason for another long hiatus; I was extremely busy and suffering from serious writer’s block. Secondly, I haven’t really had access to the internet on my computer for a while now, which makes it kind of difficult for me to post anything.  As a matter of fact this review was supposed to have been posted weeks ago. So without further ado, here it goes.

“The Billionaire’s Gift” is a strange book. It’s strange to me because I don’t really know how I feel about it. The reason for that is partly because the majority of the book reads like one long introduction. He spends so much time introducing the characters; telling us their history, detailing life impacting moments in their past e.t.c while giving us bits and pieces of the story. This might be a style of writing other people enjoy, but I personally find it frustrating. That being said, the book tackles some important subject matter; the poisonous nature of greed and the vanity of pursuing the accumulation of wealth.

It tells the story of an old billionaire (of course) who reflects on his life and sees his whole life of chasing nothing but money as an absolute waste. He then tries to make the rest of his life mean something. It promised to be a good book, but I was sorely disappointed; partly because of the aforementioned long introduction and partly because I felt the story was too short. (This of course might have something to do with almost all the chapters of the book feeling like introductions!!)

This book is Edward Iwata’s first foray into non-fiction. I must admit I've read worse debuts. I wouldn't say it’s a bad book, it just whet my appetite for too long and became quite miserly on the main course in my opinion.

Disclosure of Material Connection:

Now I have to say this (seriously, I do): I received this book free of charge from the publisher and writer via the Speakeasy network, I'm not under any obligation to write a positive review and the views i have expressed are entirely my own. I'm writhing this disclosure in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

THINKING NAUGHTY THOUGHTS BY JOHAN VAN DER MERWE

If you are an intelligent man in the Church, you have definitely had naughty thoughts. Naughty thoughts are those thoughts you have about the weird and strange practices that you know do not really fit with the teaching of Jesus or are just counterproductive; the sacred Cows that are not supposed to be touched. The Church is filled with so many ideas and practices we have been conditioned to just accept, we are told that things are the way they are because that’s the way they’ve been. When people begin to poke holes and question these concepts, Scriptures are twisted and misconstrued to sustain them. The person questioning is branded a heretic and sometimes excommunicated from the fold

Johan Van Der Merwe is one of such people, he refused to just accept the status quo and started thinking deeply about the way we practice Church life. These thoughts have led him out of the institutional Church and into developing and living a more authentic, relational and communal life with fellow believers. In “Thinking Naughty Thoughts” he shares these thoughts with us and gives a few conclusions of his own. With chapters like “Do I really need to belong to a local Church?” “Why all the fuss about leadership when Jesus hardly ever spoke about it?” “Why does the pastor insist on 10% of my income when he drives a luxury car and I can hardly make it through each month?”   And my favourite; “Do you really expect me to believe that God lives there?”  You know that it’s an interesting read

However, Johan didn’t write this book to give you answers about the things that have been bothering you concerning the traditional way things are done. He writes this book to spark the discussions and the thought processes that will lead us to a more balanced and wholesome way of being the Church. He does lend his opinion about some topics and I don’t always agree with him. I think he can handle that. Johan doesn’t strike me as someone who will be have a good opinion of someone who swallows ideas hook, line and sinker. We are individuals whose lives have been shaped and conditioned in unique ways. It’s only right for us to not be on the same page on every single detail and that’s alright. And that should be especially alright in the church. As a matter of fact, here’s a quote from the book

“Why can’t we sit around the same fire or build meaningful and intimate relationships with people whom we generally like and get along with quite well but disagree with on some points of belief and doctrine? Why is belonging to the group you belong to with your set of beliefs a prerequisite for our friendship and fellowship?”

On this point, I agree with Johan 100%.  One of the points I disagree with him most strongly about is the attempt at trying to determine whether or not a Church is spending too much on its facilities instead of using it for charity. This is something common among people from the emergent and organic church “movement”. The argument that churches are wasting money because the amount that is being spent on equipment and managing the building could be spent on the poor and the needy. Now hold on, before you start yelling “Yes!!! The Church is being wasteful and you should know that too!!!”  Please hear me out. Who are we to determine how a person should spend his money. What is the prescribed ratio of spending on oneself to spending on the poor? Should I buy clothes for the poor and fund a homeless shelter rather than build a house for myself and my family? An honest answer to this will be “It depends on what God tells you” These are not things we can determine for individuals neither can we determine them for Churches. They are solely dependent on our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We cannot judge people on such issues, otherwise we become legalistic and whatever is being done by the Church for the downtrodden is never enough and whatever she does for herself to have a more conducive and fun meeting is too much.

In conclusion, the book is not about someone who has got it all figured out and is now teaching us how to do it. At best it is about someone who is still on the journey and is sharing some of the insight he has gathered along the way. The book is not too long (only about a hundred and ninety pages) and it’s an easy read. So if you have been thinking naughty thoughts, this book will encourage you and clarify some issues. If you haven’t been thinking naughty thoughts, open your eyes and smell the coffee. This book will also be helpful in that regard

You can purchase the book on amazon by clicking the link below

CROSSROADS BY WILLIAM PAUL YOUNG

Have you ever wondered what happens to people when they die? Does God give them a chance to accept his redemption in Jesus? The honest answer to such questions is: we don’t know for sure. In “Crossroads” Paul Young gives us a very hopeful outcome.

In a story that channels C.S Lewis and George Macdonald, Crossroads tells the story of a self absorbed, "self made" man and how God takes him on a journey to discover the emptiness in his heart and the redemption that ensues. He suffers a brain tumor and falls into a coma.  His soul encounters Jesus and the Holy Spirit who take him on this fantastic journey.

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag; suffice it to say that once again Paul Young helps us to explore those dark parts of our soul that we refuse to acknowledge. The truth is that those parts are the things that impact our personalities the most. Our fears and disappointments-coupled with fake religion have resulted in our distrust for God, survival mechanisms and over reliance on self.  

The thing I like most about the book is that it shows us that no one is all bad. Some people are mostly good, while others are mostly bad, but they’re not all bad. We are all in a journey trying to find happiness in a heavily tainted world. And God is with us helping us find our way through the darkness. As with the Shack, Paul emphasizes the fact that God in his love for us will not complete the healing process without our participation. It always starts with an invitation o participate. Even the Gospel we preach is an invitation to participate in his Life. Even though he has finished it all, died on the cross and included us in the life of Christ, he still beckons us to believe and participate. This shows love and respect for his creation.

Many other books raise such high standards of spiritual discipline and asceticism that you end up with a feeling of inadequacy. This book however, makes you appreciate the spiritual in the mundane; seeing God in everyday life. I personally don’t enjoy climbing mountains, taking hikes or going on fasts. I rather enjoy family, friendships, and laughter as gifts from God.  To me these things are most holy.

So grab a copy and enjoy a moving story about Gods amazing Grace and his unrelenting pursuit of humankind. I’ll leave with one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“But don’t I need walls? Aren’t they good things?”

He felt the hug from behind. “You need boundaries” said the voice of Jesus, “but not walls. Walls divide while boundaries honor”. Tony let himself relax into this tender embrace, his tears unexpectedly appearing and spilling softly onto the ground. 

THE SECRETS OF LEAVEN BY TODD WYNWARD

Seldom do you read a “Christian” novel that captures your imagination and keeps you turning the page. “Secrets of the leaven” does. In his first novel, Todd Wynward spins a story filled with suspense and intrigue. With each turn of the page something new happens. The story progresses and just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He spins a story of conspiracies and ideas that give “The Da Vinci Code” a run for its money.

The story revolves around Thomas Whidman a young seminarian who has lost his faith. His uncle and one time mentor is a famous revivalist and televangelist. He finds out about an ancestor whose very existence is a family secret and meets a mysterious Zen teacher who wishes to introduce him to a long forgotten brand of Christianity and an old secret society that follows Jesus in a way Thomas and much of mainstream Christianity has never experienced. The lives of these people come crashing together in a battle between orthodoxy and revolutionary thinking.

One thing I like about this book is that it explores difficult theological concepts without being too preachy. Tom Wynyard weaves his rather strong views in the story and the conversation seamlessly, without sounding forced, winding and boring to the reader. The central theme of the book, to my mind, is the age old debate amongst preachers and theologians; James versus Paul; faith versus works. While I have personally reconciled whatever contradictions might seem to exist on the surface, many people still believe there is a conflict in the two books. While Todd does not discredit Paul totally, he certainly leans more on the James side of the argument. Faith without works is dead and we who claim to be followers of Jesus need to get our faces out of our selfish little worlds. We need to get out of our comfort zones and reach out to the hurting, the homeless and the lost. We need to start loving these people without an agenda; preaching with our actions rather than with empty words.

But I believe this book falls into a ditch that Frank Viola always points out; boxing Jesus and his kingdom into a certain category; this time it’s to the realm of social justice. While the Kingdom of Heaven includes social justice and social welfare that is not all there is to it. The kingdom of heaven is Jesus himself, a man who is not just a man but God in the flesh. Yes, the modern institution that parades itself to be Christianity leaves much to be desired in the realm of true religion, the same can be said of a religion that focuses on ascetics and just being good. To my mind, they are two sides of the same coin. Now, I’m not saying Todd doesn’t believe in the other aspects of the Gospel. I just think this book leans more on the “doing” aspect. But I guess that’s what happens when we realize one of God’s desires in our hearts. We become so obsessed with that cause that we think that being a follower of Jesus is all about this cause or ministry God has given us. It’s a problem we all have. But Jesus is much bigger than any concept or ideas, he encompasses them and goes beyond them because He is I AM, a being that is the root and sustainer of all being. He is not just a “doing”.  He is not God because he did anything; he does what he does because he is God. That distinction is very important in shaping our Christian worldview.

This difference in opinion aside, “Secrets of the Leaven” is a great book. This book is good if you seek to be challenged in your walk with God or if you just like good stories with well rounded characters and a well thought out, suspense filled plot. However, be warned. This book raises some serious questions and makes some really strong assertions. He rejects some long-held sacred traditions of Christianity. So if you are one of those who is easily offended by anything that rocks your theological boat, this book is not for you. Or maybe it is exactly for you. Maybe you need to start asking questions. Maybe you need your faith-boat rocked to see whether or not that boat can stand stormy seas or it will be shipwrecked. We all need to be shaken sometimes. That way only the things that are real and true about God remain. Or you could read it and regard it as just a wonderful thriller.

I read the book and did not lose my faith. Rather my faith was strengthened and it brought some things to my mind that I hadn't considered before. Now go get the book, I'm off to read the Epistle of Saint James