Last week I had the opportunity to attend a pre-screening of a movie with my with my wonderful wife, Jenni (yay date night). “Courageous” is from the makers of last years “Fireproof”. Also, “Facing the Giants” and “Flywheel”. I have always enjoyed their movies but I have to say I was not prepared for last night. I was absolutely blown away.  I can honestly say this movie was the best movie I have ever seen. There is over-the-top, marked improvement in filming and acting on all levels. But also, the films over-all message was amazing and dead-on. In the span of the movie Jenni and I ran a gambit of feelings, excitement, fear, caring, anger, hope, loss, love, compassion, even humor, it’s all there.

While the movie is from a Christian organization, I felt, that they worked hard to and achieved a blend of the elements of a fallen, corrupt world without compromising the integrity of their core beliefs. This film proves that you can have high quality action and drama without all of the sex, extreme violence and foul language that is so typical these days in movies. All too often in Hollywood these elements seem forced into a script just to attain a different rating and increase potential ticket sales when the film would do fine, maybe even better without it.

All too often “Christian based” films have come across as cheesy or preachy. Courageous does not. There is a strong and firm stance of the underlying message but again it is blended well with the whole script. No one can deny message supported by the film that men need to step up as fathers and husbands. We all fall short of what we should be. Through the five main characters men will find themselves relating on multiple levels with each of them in their fears, failures and victories.

Big things will happen when Courageous releases September 30^th. I for one intend to be prepared. This film needs to be shared with our friends and families. The message in it is all too important to miss out on.  You can learn more about Courageous at www.courageousmovie.com or ask me by commenting here or by email.

Every once in a while I read a book and I get the sense that I know what it’s all about before I’m through the first few pages. That’s exactly how I felt with “Life Without Limits” by Nick Vujicic (pronounced Voy-a-chich) <yeah I always wondered too>. But something drew me in and compelled me to keep reading. Nick’s outlook on life and the stories he tells in this book are amazing testimonies to God and His ability to use us for His glory.

Nick Vujicic was born with no arms and no legs. He does have a left foot of sorts that he quite capable with. I expected more of an inside peek into Nick’s life and how he grew up but what this book offers is a look into his and others souls. The amazing things that God has been able to accomplish through this young man are an inspiration. He also introduces us to some other inspiring individuals that he has been blessed to meet and know through his travels and shows us how God is using them too.

I love to see examples of God at work around us in everyday life and that work is apparent in Nick and those he has been blessed to reach. I saw him speak once on TV and was quite impressed by his mobility but more so by his attitude which he spreads around the world through his speaking tours as well as from the pages of this book. Some may feel sorry for him but I have to say I’m a bit jealous and embarrassed. I’m 40 years old and have all of my limbs and I haven’t done a fraction of the things he’s done. Not just the exciting, dare-devil things like surfing and scuba diving but more importantly, the God-driven outreach and mission work that Nick has done.

Nick shows us what it is to really be the hands and feet of Jesus and he doesn’t have any of his own.

FTC DISCLAIMER: “I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

All good people go to Heaven, right? What classifies as good? What percentage of good do I need in my life to counter-balance the bad? How many of the Ten Commandments do I really need to keep, if any? Who makes the final call? Did Mother Teresa throw of the cosmic grading curve for us all? These and many more questions are explored in Andy Stanley’s book “How Good Is Good Enough?”

If you’ve always or never asked these questions or never truly explored the answers I urge you to take a moment out of your schedule to read this book. Come on, it’ll take less than two hours. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

This little book is a short read but I pray that for many, it will have an eternal impact. Andy Stanley has done a tremendous job of compiling, simplifying and condensing the hurdles a person most often faces in accepting Jesus as their savior. In only 92 pages many questions are explored and answered and in the end the big secret is revealed… “What does it really take to get to Heaven?”

For the Christian this material is, hopefully, nothing new. It is however a new and refreshing way to view it and to relay it to others.

This is a great tool for anyone wishing to speak to others about Christ. I just learned that our church has ordered 60 copies to give to first time guests. I’ super excited to see the Kingdom impact that will have. I also can’t wait to pass my copy on to a list of people that I have been praying for, for quite some time now.

Andy Stanley serves as senior pastor of the campuses of North Point Ministries, including North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia; Buckhead Church in Atlanta, Georgia; and Browns Bridge Community Church in Cumming, Georgia. Each Sunday, more than twenty thousand attend one of these NPM campuses. Andy is the bestselling author of Visioneering, The Next Generation Leader, It Came from Within!, and How Good Is Good Enough? Andy and his wife, Sandra, have two sons and a daughter.

FTC DISCLAIMER: “I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

As you can see from the majority of my posts I like to read and share about the books. I tend not to buy books these days since I have a large selection from the publishers I do reviews for. I do tend to pick books that peak my interest and “Forgotten God” is no exception to the peaked my interest category however I did buy this book. <GASP> Yes, I parted with $14.99 and made this purchase but now that I have finished the book I believe that it was very much due to a prompting from The Holy Spirit.

<Double GASP>”did he say the Holy Spirit told him to buy a book? Oh, great, now he’s really lost his mind!” Say what you will but this book by Francis Chan is turning my world upside down. I can’t even give him the credit. It is from an opening of his life to the Spirit that even put these words on paper.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe all of the books in my previous postings are God and Spirit inspired and the authors have truly embraced and obeyed the calling of the Spirit. But, Forgotten God has helped me to better understand how to put all of that and all of this “Jesus stuff” into perspective. The perspective that I believe God intended.

I love to tell my story as well as hear other’s testimonies to how their lives have changed through an acceptance of Jesus Christ as their saviour.  Now, I better understand why though. It’s because a these stories are a testimony to an amazing God. They are evidence of the Holy Spirit acting in people’s lives.

We all too often take or give credit to those performing some act or feat when in fact the credit goes to the one who gave them that gift or ability in the first place. The glory goes to the Holy Spirit in them. I’m not here to debate the Trinity either. (just read the book) Jesus Himself told the disciples in John 16:7  “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” The Counselor He speaks of is the Holy Spirit promised in John 14:16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

I’m also not hear to “officially review” this book I am simply responding to a calling to pass on this knowledge as Francis Chan has done in writing the book. I know the words “Holy Spirit” raise concern or caution for many people but just read the book and you’ll understand. Here’s a tasty quote that should smack us all upside the head…

“You would think that learning more about God would be a good thing… and it can be. But when we gain knowledge about God without responding to Him or assimilating His truths into our lives, then it is not  a good thing. According to the Bible it’s sin.”

So, trust me get this book and read it! You can find it anywhere. And, thank you Holy Spirit for inspiring and engaging Francis Chan and all those involved in “Forgotten God.” To God be the glory.

Author and Pastor Mark Batterson knocks another one out the park with “SoulPrint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny.”

There never has been and never will be anyone quite like you. But that isn’t a testament to you. It’s a testament to the God who created you. Unfortunately, many of us go through most or all of our lives without discovering our unique God-given identity or “soulprint.” In this book Mark takes on a journey with King David that helps us to reveal our own soulprints.

In a world where we are told what and how to be by  television, magazines and movies every time we turn around, “Soulprint” encourages us to be unique, just as we were created. There’s no denying that David was a unique individual. Just as God created him He has created each and every one of us as a unique person on a life mission that is as unique as we are. To lead a life that does not pursue this mission that has been designed especially for us is to waste a life that was important enough to the Creator to be given in the first place. Our acceptance or denial of this mission not only affects our own lives but it affects the lives of those God has put around us.

A legacy has been left for you to fulfill. Discovering and using your “soulprint” will help you to better understand yourself and to be more God-honoring and obedient in all that you do. I challenge you to read this book and walk away the same.

Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. NCC was recognized as one of the most innovative and influential churches in America by Outreach Magazine in 2008. One church with ten services in six locations, NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the D.C. area. NCC also owns and operates thelargest coffeehouse on Capitol Hill, Ebenezers, which was recently recognized as the #1 coffeehouse in the metro D.C. area by AOL CityGuide. He is a daily blogger at www.markbatterson.com and the author of the bestselling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Wild Goose Chase, and Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity. Mark and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill with their three children.

FTC DISCLAIMER: “I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

Let’s be honest, marriage is difficult at times. Early in our Christian walk together my wife and I were blessed to have friends strong in faith that suggested praying and doing devotionals together. We started with an excellent couples devotional truly inspired and inspiring. However, we soon discovered that book was a minority among couples devotionals. The others we came across were just… ok, and nothing like the first one, until now. “Love & War” by John and Stasi Eldredge has ranked up there with us.

John & Stasi Eldredge

The Eldredge’s have compiled a devotional for couples that is not only inspiring and thought provoking but challenging and confirming. Aptly named “Love & War”, this book captures many of the struggles and victories that we have encountered in our 22 years and helps to reveal how God can, does and will use our differences as men and women to compliment and enhance each others lives. I often strongly urge couples to pray and study God’s word together and this is a good book to help guide you through that. I do feel I have to warn you though. As with anything good in your life or marriage the enemy hates it and will throw challenges your way as you take this journey together. We take that as an indicator that we are on to something good and trust in God to protect us and guide us through it as He has done once again.

So, take the plunge and check out this book, you won’t be sorry.

FTC DISCLAIMER: “I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

I’m over here this week. Check out the group blog project I took part in for Less Clutter Less Noise by Kem Meyer. An excellent book on communications.

I came across the poem below on Tim Challies’ blog. It is an amazing yet frightening look into a devastating problem in our world. An epidemic that is commonly ignored and seldom talked about. A plague that wrecks more individuals and families lives than we may ever know. This poem speaks volumes from the side of the often overlooked victims of this horrific affliction.

“I Looked For Love in Your Eyes.”

I saved my best for you.
Other girls may have given themselves away,
But I believed in the dream.
A husband, a wife, united as one forever.

Nervous, first time, needing assurance of your love,
I looked for it in your eyes
Mere inches from mine.
But what I saw made my soul run and hide.

Gone was the tenderness I’d come to know
I saw a stranger, cold and hard
Distant, evil, revolting.
I looked for love in your eyes
And my soul wept.

Who am I that you cannot make love to me?
Why do I feel as if I’m not even here?
I don’t matter.
I’m a prop in a filthy play.
Not an object of tender devotion.

Where are you?

Years pass
But the hardness in your eyes does not.
You think I’m cold
But how can I warm to eyes that are making hate to someone else
Instead of making love to me?

I know where you are.
I’ve seen the pictures.
I know now what it takes to turn you on.
Women…people like me
Tortured, humiliated, hated, used
Discarded.
Images burned into your brain.
How could you think they would not show in your eyes?

Did you ever imagine,
The first time you picked up a dirty picture
That you were dooming all intimacy between us
Shipwrecking your marriage
Breaking the heart of a wife you wouldn’t meet for many years?

If it stopped here, I could bear it.
But you brought the evil into our home
And our little boys found it.
Six and eight years old.
I heard them laughing, I found them ogling.

Hands bound, mouth gagged.
Fisheye photo, contorting reality
Distorting the woman into exaggerated breasts.
The haunted eyes, windows of a tormented soul
Warped by the lens into the background,
Because souls don’t matter, only bodies do
To men who consume them.

Little boys
My little boys
Laughing and ogling the sexual torture
Of a woman, a woman like me.
Someone like me.

An image burned into their brains.

Will their wives’ souls have to run and hide like mine does?
When does it end?

I can tell you this. It has not ended in your soul.
It has eaten you up. It is cancer.
Do you think you can feed on a diet of hatred
And come out of your locked room to love?

You say the words, but love has no meaning in your mouth
When hatred rules in your heart.
Your cruelty has eaten up every vestige of the man
I thought I was marrying.
Did you ever dream it would so consume you
That your wife and children would live in fear of your rage?

That is what you have become
Feeding your soul on poison.

I’ve never used porn.
But it has devastated my marriage, my family, my world.

Was it worth it?

You were born with your own Chazown. Do you know what it is? First off we need to define the word. Chazown: (pronounced khaw-ZONE) from the Hebrew, meaning a dream, revelation, or vision. Now check out Craig Groeschel’s book “Chazown, Define Your Vision. Pursue Your Passion. Live Your Life on Purpose” for help finding your own personal chazown.

I have been truly inspired and challenged by Craig Groeshel’s preaching and the vision he has been given for LifeChurch. Their willingness to share the gifts, knowledge and creativity that God has given them is a lesson for all churches. But, I had not yet read any of Craig’s books until now. “Chazown” does not disappoint. Craig takes the reader through an easy, step by step of discovering God’s vision for your life that works for all, young or old, new or long time believer. “Chazown” is challenging, inspiring and affirming. I’ve read a lot of books on discovering purpose and I can’t find anything Craig missed in this journey.

Each of us has a chazown, as it has been said before “God don’t make junk.” He has created every one of us with a purpose in life whether we choose to discover that purpose and seize it is entirely up to us. “Chazown” can certainly be that next step for you.

For a brief word from Craig on “Chazown” watch the video below.

Thank you Craig for listening and obeying your chazown in writing this book. God Bless.

FTC DISCLAIMER: “I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.