Glorious Mess by Mike Howerton

★★★★★
We all spend a significant portion of life running, chasing down our own plans and desires. Despite God's call on our lives, we, like Jonah, are often found rowing against the storms that God is using to pull us back on course. But God's relentless grace is always there, in the midst of the messes we make and no matter how far we've strayed. In Glorious Mess, Mike Howerton clearly reveals God's perfect love for imperfect people. He shows you how to hear God's voice, how to embrace God's calling, how to make the most of your messes, and how to see God working through them. Howerton encourages, inspires, and challenges you to be your best self before God and others.

I really loved Glorious Mess!  On the front cover, Rick Warren, Author of Purpose Driven Life (which is awesome!), says, "This book is pure gold!"  I decided I needed to read it!

The main theme of the book is that God can and DOES use you, no matter what your situation is.  So many times we think we are such messes of individuals, that we're not ready to be used.  Howerton takes Jonah's response to God's calling (Jonah initially runs away from what God is asking him to do), and he likens it to our own reaction when God calls us to do something.  We don't feel ready or equipped to walk out God's calling on our lives.  But the great message is this... all those people in the Bible that we read about were messes, too!  None were perfect.  God is simply asking us to be obedient... he can use us in all our Glorious Mess.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan

★★★★☆

God is love.  Crazy, relentless, all-powerful love.  Have you ever wondered if we're missing it?

It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor—loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.

Whether you've verbalized it yet or not, we all know something's wrong.

Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts-it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.

Crazy Love is a really good book to put our time here on Earth in perspective.  We aren't here strictly to be comfortable, happy, and occupied.  We are here to love others.  The author argues that the 'American Dream' most people strive for is the exact thing that can keep us away from God.  He talks about the fact that the lukewarm Christian isn't a Christian at all, and what God promises to do those that are lukewarm.  He argues that there is plenty of grace for us when we fall down and sin, but that having a relationship with Him simply does not allow us to be lukewarm.  This really is a great book!

Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar

★★★☆☆
Michelle Aguilar’s inspiring story goes beyond her grand-prize victory on television’s immensely popular The Biggest Loser. Becoming Fearless is about having faith in God when you’ve lost faith in yourself. It is an encouragement to “feel the fear” in any obstacle in life without being paralyzed by it. Finally, it is a story about reconciliation between Michelle and her mother, an exploration of the difficult and freeing work of forgiveness, and a reminder that what you learn on the journey is even more important than the destination.

This book is a story by Michelle Aguilar, one of the winners of the TV Show The Biggest Loser.  It was a decent book, but I thought it would be more about her journey of faith throughout the process based on the summary!  It was more about the Biggest Loser process and the issues she had (still has?) with her mom.  It was a decent book, but I guess I was hoping for something more!

When I Lay my Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances by Carol J Kent

★★★★★
-This is a true story- When the phone call came at 12:35 a.m., a bleary-eyed Kent listened as her husband passed on the unbelievable news that their son, a Unite States Naval Academy graduate and Navy lieutenant, had shot and killed his wife's ex-husband. During those first few hours after receiving the harrowing news, major decisions, both legal and financial, needed to be made quickly. So began the Kents' two-and-a-half-year journey that led to the trial, conviction and sentencing of their son for first-degree murder. Kent (Tame Your Fears; Becoming a Woman of Influence; Secret Longings of the Heart), whose position as President of Speak Up Speaker Services made her the family's primary breadwinner, had no option but to continue working and speaking throughout this ordeal. She wondered if people would even want her as a speaker if they knew she was the mother of a murderer. Using a biblical story from Genesis 22 where God asked Abraham to literally "lay down his Isaac" as a sacrifice and then intervened at the last moment, Kent prayed for a similar miraculous outcome for her son. She shares her story with a transparency and vulnerability that readers will find both disarming and bracing. The Kent family's ongoing fight against despair and hopelessness is fittingly paired with their resolute faith in God's ability to transform even the most crushing circumstances into something good.

When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances is a fantastic book.  It is a true story written by Carol Kent, a Christian speaker and author.  When something unthinkable happens, their upstanding son commits murder and is sentenced to life in prison, the Kent's world is turned upside down.  You can sense her vulnerability and transparency in her writing - she feels angry, depressed, shameful, guilty.  Even though the Kents' reaction was to be angry with God for allowing it all to happen and for not stepping in, in the process they came to the realization that God loves us more than we love our 'Isaac' (Genesis 22).  They find hope in what appears to be a hopeless situation.  This book is very powerful, and the Kent's story shows how they were able to find a new meaning for their lives after all their dreams for their son's future were destroyed.  I would recommend this book for anyone, especially those that have had life-altering situations (death, illness, job loss, etc.) and are having trouble coping.