Review: Loving My Actual Life: An Experiment in Relishing What's Right in Front of Me

Loving My Actual Life: An Experiment in Relishing What's Right in Front of Me by Alexandra Kuykendall
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book has a unique format, somewhat like a daily journal for one month "experiments" in every chapter. So because she has actually tried to put these ideas into real life practice, the book doesnt come across as the work of a wannabe psychologist-cum-life-coach-author giving her two cents worth. While I do appreciate the practical suggestions and see how they could actually be quite useful when implement in my own life, I do wonder what the references or sources are.

To be honest, after the few few chapters, I found it extremely difficult to read through every single day of the journal entries. I guess if I were Kuykendall's close friend, I'd be sincerely interested. Or perhaps if Ravi Zacharias or D A Carson (or whoever your favourite authors/theologians would be) were to share their day-to-day lives with readers, then it would be a great delight. But for me, I felt that it was a bit too much detail that did not catch my interest.

A caveat though... Although I get the impression that the book seems to be a Christian title, I was hard pressed to find citations of Scripture or perhaps even quotes from other authors from the field of Spiritual Formation/Christian Living. So I guess this book would be an ideal gift to pre-believing or post-Christian friends you think may need find useful a regime to cope with their busy lives a little bit better?

I received this book from the Baker Publishing Group's Blogger Review Program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Review: Mommy Needs a Raise

Mommy Needs a Raise by Sarah Parshall Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First things first, while the title does not specify this, the author's primary target audience is not the mother balancing work and motherhood, but the Stay at Home Mum (SAHM as Sarah terms it). That is not to say that husbands and working mothers would not enjoy the book, because I, a recently married husband without any kids on the way, sure did thoroughly savoured the read. More so than I had expected - for it helped me glimpse into and made me fear and appreciate the awesome task that lies ahead for my beloved bride when the little ones would come along. As soon as I closed the final pages, I was thinking that it would be a waste to simply leave the book on my bookshelf, I had to give it away to a friend who is the midst of wrestling in the ring of SAHM. (Sadly my wife is more of a numbers person and would read hear a verbal summary than plough through the leaves of a book, no matter how good I tell it is!)

Usually when I discover that a book is a sneaky biography (unlike what the title had misled me to believe), the feeling would be discovering that your favourite chocolate milk in your fridge had turned sour - I at least do not appreciate paying $10-20 to read about a person's self-praise and self-glorification etc. BUT not only does Sarah write well, I really enjoy reading about her larger-than-life arty-farty personality and probably connected with her earnest humility of the heights from which she has fallen to be a SAHM. I appreciated she was honest and forthright in declaring this was a book about her journey and her family's right at the get-go.

The reason I did not award a 5 star rating is that many of the references were Amercian (I am a Singaporean and could guess what Patient First and Mr Coffee meant, but other non-Amercians may not). Therefore the book is not really catered to an international audience, as Sarah did not footnote to explain what localised references meant (perhaps in the next revision that could be done)? While the first half of the book was amazingly exciting to read, the second was in comparison not as engaging. Perhaps it is none of Sarah's fault that the working woman's lifestyle seemed so much more exciting than the SAHM.

I received this book from Baker Publishing Group's Revel Reads Blog Tour Program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Review: The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives

The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives by Peter Scazzero
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I first attempted to read this book in 2015 and now (in 2016) I read it again for the purposes of a school assignment.

While the content is not overly complex, I am quite puzzled as to where Scazzero plants the foundation of his thesis from. My polytechnic diploma in psychology better prepared me to read the book critically and yet I came away quite disappointed. I do understand where he is coming from, basically to embrace the brokenness in you (and your family) and not to work yourself until you have nothing left. I do hope to see some proper citations from the experts in field of psychology to add some credibility to the "emotionally healthy" schema.

The Scripture references were often proof-texts of a point he was trying to make, and after a while I had to force myself to finish the book. Basically if you are looking for a (as the subheading goes) strategy, a work-based step-by-step formula, this is the book for you. But if you are interested in meaty ecclesiology, look up Timothy Keller's Center Church or Edmund Clowney's The Church. See also Carlson and Lueken's Renovation of the Church for an account of how two co-pastors moved away from formulaic style approach to running a church.

To top off my discomfort with this book, Chapter 12 was basically advertisements to Scazzero's other books and programs. I cannot recommend this book because of its questionable psychology, allegorical use of Scripture and outrageous self-publicity.

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Review: Beloved Mess: God's Perfect Love for Your Imperfect Life

Beloved Mess: God's Perfect Love for Your Imperfect Life by Kimm Crandall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some authors dispense advice from a third person perspective, they have neither lived through similar situations or perhaps even journeyed extensively with multiple people in such trying times. Crandall writes from the pain of her depression and struggles to cope with life. The authenticity is alarming for an asian like me to come to terms with, and yet I appreciate how the book is not just a sob story about how terrible her life is - she makes a continual effort to point us back to the gospel.

The book's brevity makes it an apt choice for the non-bookwormish Christian you may want to gift it to. Depression and hard times in life is no respecter of a person's theological grasp and this would cater to the average sister in Christ going through a rough patch. Crandall's citations of quotation and choice of real-life stories from the people she knows to complement each chapter are spot on in engaging my mind, heart and spirit.

I received this book from the Baker Publishing Group's Blogger Review Program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Putman on how the devil changes God's definitions

As I reflect upon this profound thought, I'm compelled to consider how very tragic it is for us to have deviated so very far from God's ways. Have imposed our own man-made ideals and made what is actually opinion/feelings into "law"? Is the focus on the surrender of our wills to God, or is it just another strategy to get God to answer our prayers and meet our desires?

Perhaps it is easy to blame the dogmatic church leaders that have nurtured a hatred in me for institutionalized religiosity, but that would be ignore the sinful condition of my wretched heart. Oh Lord, help me to see the folly of my seared conscience and deliver me from the temptations that I feel that I cannot bear. Remind me evermore of the finished work of the cross and the resurrected Christ, that bought my freedom to live for You and to die to self. Amen.

From 69-70 of Power of Together

Worship has become about music that creates feelings rather than about surrender and praise to God. Leadership has become about dictatorship or politics or giving people what they want rather than what God says they need. The church has become a building rather than a body of believers. And love has become a feeling.

Review: Power of Together

Power of Together by Jim Putman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Growing up as a Christian, I had never considered the church to be a place whereby it was a family. Leaders who were once upon a time, the most wonderful of spiritual parents or elder siblings, would disappear from life once they were reassigned to other locations or who left for other churches. Yes we were all taught (what I regarded to be spiritual gibberish) about weekly commitment to youth service, morning and evening sunday service and cell group. Because the church lacked a formal membership structure, and yet exercised discipline over extra-biblical matters (issues which do not have a Scriptural basis), I did not see a good reason to want to belong to such a dysfunctional family. Even when I had moved onto another church, I often debated fiercely with the pastoral team about how unconvinced I was of the value of church community. I thus had read this book with relatively sceptical lenses.

I was pleasantly surprised that I had enjoyed the read. I found myself cheering multiple times when Putman would candidly point out what was wrong with the church, but was happily disappointed that he did not share the same hatred and suspicion for the church and its leaders that I used to have. As I read through the book, I was relived to not have read allegorical assertions based on hermeneutically violent twisting of Scripture. Putman masterfully explains Scripture and sprinkles real-life stories from his church community in between the chapters. The accounts were gripping and authentic - not only providing just the heartwarming fairy tale endings, but also the pain and brokenness of the failed attempts to journey with certain individuals in Christian community and in his own family.

I regard myself to be a highly intelligent young thinker, and it is not too often that I would be brought to a position to consider that my theology is faulty. In reflecting about what I had read, I was compelled to reevaluate my attitude of "if I find that something about this church sucks, I'll just leave and go to another, or not to go to any at all." I think that I caught a bit of Putman's deep passion and love for the church. I hated (probably still vehemently dislike) legalism and dogmatic leadership, but I saw how his church community was based on sacrificial love and rock-solid commitment. Because it was not something imposed upon, but an invitation to enter into, it weirdly makes me want to be part of such a family! The follow up action I would take probably would be to read up on other books that talk about church membership to better understand the reason for such a practice.

I heartily recommend this book to all Christians, even those who (like me) are deeply suspicious of and/or have been hurt by Christian institutions and leaders.

I received this book from Baker Publishing Group's Blogger Review Program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Keller on the effect of quick programs on new converts

I am compelled to reflect on my own christian walk as to whether it is a desire to submit to the Lordship of Christ, or if it stems from a desire of seeking my own will be done and demanding that my prayers be answered. Without a weekly exposition of Scripture, and a platform to faithfully apply the principles of the text as a community, we are but a sorry lot - bending the meaning of the original biblical author to try and bring about temporary moralistic behaviour change. Church membership, while it is a new concept to me, seems to be something that I think would be good for me to embark on a journey toward a formation of my heart condition to be more like my Creator's.

From Page 57 of Center Church  

Our truth-allergic, experience-addicted populace wants transformation but doesn't want the loss of freedom and control associated with submitting to authority within a committed community. Many "converts" seem to make decisions for Christ but soon lose their enthusiasm because they are offered quick programs for follow-up and small group fellowship rather than a lifelong, embodied experience of community. Many churches do not even have a process for becoming a member. As a result, converts' lives are often not visibly different from those in the culture around them. The older, more communal processes of traditional churches are better at bringing about a more thorough transformation of life.