Why Church Matters by Joshua Harris

The title of this book caught my attention as I scanned some titles on http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/. As a Student Minister who works for a congregation I am very passionate about the Church. I have read books by Joshua Harris before and wanted to see what he had to say. It was a little slow getting into the book but the further in I went the more I was grabbed and the more I wanted to read. It is a very fast read (only 119 pages before the resources in the back).

Harris takes us on his own journey. He once did not view the church as something particularly important. He did what he calls "church shopping," and would stay at one as long as he pleased and then moved on to the next. As time went on, through the teaching of some mentors and a preacher on a cassette, Harris began to realize that the church was important.

He points out that the church is the bride of Christ. We really cannot confess to love Jesus but hate His bride. If we love Jesus, then we should care about the same things He does. Jesus deeply loves the church, so that is our example. It is not okay for us to not commit and just belong to the universal church. There is a special connection we receive through the local church. It is one way we grow that we simply cannot if we do not connect. In one chapter Joshua Harris lists 10 things to look for when looking for the right church to join. It was a very good list (not superficial like just finding the right kind of music).

I was very impressed with this book and will be sharing it with others. Harris really ended the book with the feeling of urgency and passion. I felt it and I want to pass it on.

Going Deep by Gordon MacDonald

I got Going Deep through Booksneeze.com from free. It was shipped to my house and I started reading. MacDonald tells the story of "the great idea." It starts with a conversation with his non-Christian neighbor that grows into a huge discipleship tool. He recounts conversation after conversations with people involved in the development of this idea. The chapters are divided up into certain time periods. Some take place over just one day while other chapters cover a couple months.

This book has absolutely blown me away. I love the idea of cultivating Christians. It was actually a word I was thinking about before reading this book. This book has got me excited about the possibilities! MacDonald's insights are profound. I could not put this book down. I am not a fast reader but I had this 383 page book read in a week. It is an easy read because he is just telling a story. It flows very nicely and it is very conversational. I would encourage others to read this with someone so that you can discuss it as you go through it. The ending is wonderful, pretty much exactly what I had hoped would happen. Going Deep is a must read for any leadership in a church, as well as those who are serious about growing their faith.

Book Review: Torn by Jud Wilhite

Torn is a book about dealing with pain. Jud Wilhite is a pastor our in Las Vegas and he has encountered a lot of questions about pain. The most common question being "Why?" People want to know why certain painful events have happened to them in their lives. Wilhite does not really deal with that question in his book. Instead he answers "Who?" Who will you trust? Who will you turn to when times get difficult? His answer: God. He writes that God does not stop loving, He does not stop being in charge when times get bad. He says we get into a huge mess when we try to answer the why questions while we are in the midst of the pain. Instead we should turn to God and hold onto Him tight through it all because He will see us through. He gives examples of people he has known and others he has read about going through extremely painful experiences.
This book is wonderful for anyone currently going through a painful time in their lives or if you are helping someone through a painful experience. I truly appreciated that he did not answer the "why" question. I think it is too messy and we do not understand the problem of evil and pain completely enough to write a generalized answer. I loved how Wilhite kept pointing right back to God and Jesus. I was encouraged by this book. I work with teens and they often go through hard times. This will be a book I pull back off the shelves from time to time to refresh on the attitude I should have as well as encouraging others through their pain. I received this book free from http://waterbrookmultnomah.com through their blogging for books program. It was worth it!