Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Exceptional Life by Stephen Arterburn




I recieved this book from Baker Publishing Group.
My life is better for having read it.

Arterburn wrote an other book earlier this year which I reviewed for Thomas Nelson titled, Healing Is A Choice. It was a good book but this most recent one, The Exceptional Life, is a better book.

This book is shorter and therefore easier to commit to read. In this book, the author goes over 8 areas of life where we can all be blind sided and miss our walk with God.

He uses stories about people he has worked with in the past or he has some people write dialog about their experiences and he then incorporates their experiences as examples.

The last chapter was the best written and dealt with addiction. The author needs to write his next book starting out with addiction and in fact, write an entire book about addictions.

I believe he has a lot of experience in counseling but I dont know that I would say I agree him on all points.
His chapter on helplessness was also a very good section of the book.

I would have to give this one 5 stars, just because I feel like I am stronger for having read it. That is a pretty strong endorsement.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Then Sings My Soul Vol3 by Robert J Morgan




I was so excited to receive this book from Booksneeze. I so love Robert J Morgans work and this series is his fines hour. I was hoping he would keep the volumes coming. In this volume he offers gospel songs and origins and information about the author or things that were happening at the time the author wrote the song, Historically.
I love his work and because of this particular volume, Robert J Morgan is starting to pull ahead of Max Lucado as my favorite author. Not the song sections that put the book over the top for me but the 2 final chapters, if you will.
One discusses how song are a form of ministry to our souls - which I have written several times as being a personal belief and then a chapter of embracing interwoven worship (musically speaking).
I agree with him 100%. His information on the songs is educational and interesting and you actually get the songs so it is more of a Hymnal with a study application that you can use for life enrichment!!
Some people need their dose of church preached to them; but I happen to think of it this way: church is the strawberry short cake of this world and the sermon is the juicy berry and the music is the whipped cream topping.
Reading Robert J Morgan is like getting to smell that short cake and imagine how good its going to taste. An example that the author feels the same way can be found in many places, but I like the way he says it on page 252 "You don't always have to even sing the hymns. Simply reading them is dipping into the richest sacred poetry of the ages....many hymns have been written for close of day, and they can serve as a veritable benediction as you fall asleep."
I just can not think of a better use of a cold evening than reading this volume 3 of the Then Sings My Soul collection.
It is inspirational, informative and a great devotional/Biblical aid.
I can not wait for volume 4 !!