All Consuming : Jeff Noble

Consumed "Chosen [CHOSEN]"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:38:40 GMT

Chosen [CHOSEN]

by Ted(Author) Dekker

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:45:19 GMT

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell

WORTH IT!

Consuming "Seven Practices of Effective Ministry"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:00:12 GMT

Seven Practices of Effective Ministry

by Andy Stanley

Consuming "It's Not About Me"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:58:57 GMT

It's Not About Me

by Max Lucado

Not worth the paper (rated 1 star)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:35:40 GMT

The Best American Short Stories 2005 (The Best American Series)

I waded through the first story, F-bombs and all. Then came the second story with more of the same…

What?!

Really?!

If these are the “Best American Short Stories of 2005,” we’re really hurting.

I was looking for brilliance and all I got was bawdiness. It’s hard for me to read stories and appreciate their content when they’re clothed in profanity. Sorry. There are too many really good books out there to waste any more time on this grab bag publication.

Consumed "The Best American Short Stories 2005 (The Best American Series)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:35:40 GMT

The Best American Short Stories 2005 (The Best American Series)

Consuming "Courageous Leadership"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:58:06 GMT

Courageous Leadership

by Bill Hybels

Consumed "The Children of Húrin"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:57:40 GMT

The Children of Húrin

by J.R.R. Tolkien

WORTH IT!

Review: Crazy Love (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:02:05 GMT

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

by Francis Chan

My short synopsis is: “One of those simple but powerful books that challenges comfortable “Christianity.” Can being a Christian really be “comfortable?” Peaceful perhaps. But anything but comfortable.”

This is one of those generational message books. It seems that often the Lord seems to raise up a message and a book for a particular time in the life of His church. Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God was/is one of those books that surfaced in 1990. John Piper’s book, Desiring God (1986) is another, in my opinion.

Francis Chan is the pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in California, and as a dynamic and uncomfortably authentic communicator, he is able to couch a stinging rebuke of western Christianity into a gracious and loving message. It is biblical exhortation in 21st century style.

I love a book that asks great questions. This is one of those. Some of the questions are hidden in the middle of chapters, but a few that I caught and pondered were:
• Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?
• Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?
• So why does God still love us, despite us?
• Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?
• Are you satisfied being “godly enough” to get yourself to heaven, or to look good in comparison to others?
• Is the idea of the non-fruit bearing Christian something that we have concocted in order to make Christianity “easier?”
• Was your decision to follow Christ flippant, based solely on feelings and emotion, made without counting the cost?
• Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?
• Why do so few people genuinely find joy and pleasure in their relationship with God?

These are just a sampling. Any one of them is enough to ponder seriously and lead to life-altering change.

If you haven’t read the book, imagine what he says rather than just what he asks.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus Christ taught similarly. In Luke 9.25, He asks, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

It’s all about a love relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It’s been my life theme, and Chan’s Crazy Love challenges you to make it real.

Consumed "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:02:05 GMT

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

by Francis Chan

WORTH IT!

Consuming "The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love With the God Jesus Knows (The Apprentice Series)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:30:40 GMT

The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love With the God Jesus Knows (The Apprentice Series)

by James Bryan Smith

Review: Green (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:49:20 GMT

Green (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End)

by Ted Dekker

I have read the Circle Trilogy and reviewed Black and Red on my blog. I was thrilled to see that Thomas Nelson publishers was offering Green as part of their blogger review program.

After receiving it from them, I tore into it, and after a week of steady reading, I have to say that Ted Dekker’s prequel of the Circle Trilogy is superb. Dekker has effectively created a spiritual epic series that is moving, powerful and provocative.

Green opens on Thomas of Hunter’s life years into the future of the Circle – a group of Elyon’s followers. They are living lives of seclusion from the Horde and a new group called Eramites. Both of these groups have rejected Elyon’s ways. The Eramites follow the counsel of an audacious leader intent on destroying the Horde, while the Horde rejects Elyon completely and instead follows the teachings of the evil being Teeleh.

After years of Elyon’s silence and supposed absence, things are beginning to unravel in the circle. Thomas’ own son, Samuel, questions the ways of Elyon and whether he is even alive.

Dekker portrays a startling parallel in this fictional series with the apathy of the church. His tale exposes the tendency of Christians to withdraw from the world rather than seek to redeem it with the gospel of Christ.

Green is a real nail-biter and it sets up the conflict between good and evil, holiness and pragmatism in a profound way. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all Dekker’s books so far. This was no different.

Consumed "Green (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:49:20 GMT

Green (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End)

by Ted Dekker

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Bringing Up Boys"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:49:07 GMT

Bringing Up Boys

by James C. Dobson

A review of "Bringing Up Boys" (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:49:07 GMT

Bringing Up Boys

by James C. Dobson

Too little biblical authority; way too much reliance on statistical data and personal anecdote. Read “Raising a Modern Day Knight” by Robert Lewis instead.

Review: The Heavenly Man (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:46:01 GMT

The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

by Brother Yun

Even before I was able to read this dynamic account of Brother Yun’s life as a Chinese pastor and underground church leader, my book was persecuted. I found it on the floor one morning with the front cover partially ripped and chewed off – a victim of our dog.

The Heavenly Man will definitely challenge the Western Christian’s comfortable assertions of one’s right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” So many American believers claim those rights that they forget they are found in a Declaration of Independence – not in the Word of God.

In fact, it should concern every Christ-follower that too many American churches equate democracy with Christianity and the tenets of capitalism with the teachings of Christ.

The dramatic experience and story of Brother Yun is one of torture, faith, persecution, and soaring victory. Yet it is a deeply disturbing one.

Yun is gracious in his comparisons of the faith life lived by Chinese believers and that lived by Christians who are not persecuted daily for their beliefs. However, you can’t help but marvel as you read page after page of accounts of healings, miracles, signs and visions and compare them to our own poverty of the same.

His perspective of the miraculous is powerful, as is his reflection on living in a country whose political system is defiantly opposed to the Gospel:

Once I spoke in the West and a Christian told me, “I’ve been praying for years that the Communist government in China will collapse, so Christians can live in freedom.” This is not what we pray! We never pray against our government or call down curses on them. Instead, we have learned that God is in control of both our lives and the government we live under… God has used China’s government for His own purposes, moulding and shaping His children as He sees fit… We shouldn’t pray for a lighter load to carry but a stronger back to endure.

On the signs and wonders:

Many Christians have also asked me why miracles and signs are so prevalent in China, but not so evident in the West. In the West, you have so much. You have insurance for everything. In a way, you don’t need God… In China, the greatest miracles we see are not the healings or other things, but lives transformed by the Gospel. We believe we’re not called to follow signs and wonders but instead the signs and wonders follow us when the Gospel is preached. We don’t keep our eyes on the signs and wonders; we keep our eyes on Jesus.

I can’t recommend this book enough to those who are steeped in Western churchianity. If you’re offended by that term, “Western Churchianity, then you most definitely need to get a grip and understand that what too many embrace as Christianity is actually what Paul describes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3.5 happens in the last times. It’s only dead religion – “a form of godliness but denying its power.”

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3.1-5)

If you’re looking for a reading prescription to renew your perspective and allow your heart to drink deeply of God’s heart for the nations, I’d suggest the following books:

• From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, by Ruth Tucker
• Let the Nations Be Glad, by John Piper
• Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (if you can, find a Perspectives class and take it!)
• The Heavenly Man

What other books or resources are you familiar with that will be good electro-faith-shock therapy for a comfortable Christian?

I’d close with these words from Brother Yun, “I can assure the Western church with absolute certainty that you don’t need any more church buildings. Church buildings will never bring the revival you seek… The first thing that is needed for revival to return to your churches is the Word of the Lord.” God’s Word is missing. Sure, there are preachers and thousands of tapes and videos of Bible teaching, but so little contains the sharp truth of God’s Word. It’s truth that will set you free.”

Note
Brother Yun’s fantastic account of the growth, persecution and ministry of the underground church in China has been attacked significantly by some claiming he is a charlatan. Here is an excellent response to their attacks.

Consumed "The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:46:01 GMT

The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

by Brother Yun

WORTH IT!

Review: The Toyota Way (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:08:37 GMT

The Toyota Way Field Book

by Jeffrey Liker

It’s not that I didn’t like The Toyota Way. On the contrary, the principles behind the Toyota Company’s process and philosophy are dynamic. This book, however, is drier than Corn Flakes.

I plowed through a full 50% of it before I finally set it down. The author was completely unengaging. It’s a shame to make the TPS (Toyota Production System) as boring as he successfully did. Because TPS is anything but boring.

Toyota’s revolutionary way of doing business has defined, and in some sense, is the model for lean manufacturing. For them, money is not the bottom line. Rather, making a lasting contribution to society is. That, and their people are the foundation of all they do and drive their ultimate decision making processes.

I took a lot away from the book – simply by skimming to get the dynamics and highlights of the material. In particular, we have even begun to implement some of the thoughts behind what is known as visual management by beginning a simple wipe erase board process in our church office. We had a friend and disciple of the TPS help our church staff implement the basics of it.

The Toyota Way as a book is a real snoozer. The Toyota Way is definitely not. Read the Cliff Notes or find another book on the business principles beside this one.

Consumed "The Toyota Way Field Book"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:08:37 GMT

The Toyota Way Field Book

by Jeffrey Liker

Consumed "Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's "Misquoting Jesus""

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:55:30 GMT

Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's "Misquoting Jesus"

by Timothy Paul Jones

WORTH IT!

Review: Put Your Dream to the Test (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Jeff Noble) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:52:09 GMT

Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions that Will Help You See It and Seize It

by John C. Maxwell

It’s been a while since I read a book by John Maxwell, and now I remember why that is.

Maxwell’s most recent publication, Put Your Dream to the Test should be a must-read for anyone wanting to see their hopes and ambitions become reality. But it isn’t.

For starters, I’m not really sure who actually wrote the book – John Maxwell, his staff of quote researchers, or the hundred+ people whose quotes and anecdotes he strings together to try to make a cohesive statement.

Don’t get me wrong. At times, PYDTTT soars and is inspiring. At other times, it plods. Maxwell’s uncritical use of quotes and their context is like reading a Chicken Soup for the Soul book (He tells the story of the chicken soup books in this book).

He does help you evaluate your dream/goal with diagnostic questions which form the basis for each chapter’s content. The 10 questions are:

1. The Ownership Question: Is my dream really my dream? (I would love for him to ask, “Is my book really my book?”)
2. The Clarity Question: Do I clearly see my dream?
3. The Reality Question: Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?
4. The Passion Question: Does my dream compel me to follow it?
5. The Pathway Question: Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
6. The People Question: Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?
7. The Cost Question: Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
8. The Tenacity Question: Am I moving closer to my dream?
9. The Fulfillment Question: Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?
10. The Significance Question: Does my dream benefit others?

The chapter on the cost of your dream was, for me, the best one in the book. I found myself underlining more there, at least.

Each chapter begins with an inspirational story of someone who has achieved a great dream. These stories alone make the book better. It’s when Maxwell attempts to derive steps and propositional bullet points from their experiences that the book becomes stale and linear.

Andy Stanley’s Visioneering remains one of the best books out on the subject of vision/dream pursuit. Maxwell’s book, Put Your Dream to the Test is inspiring, but its content seems to be more cut and paste than cohesive.