2 stars (Nothing New Here) - I had heard people speak of this book and saw the author on the news so I figured it was worth reading. Unfortunatley there is very little that is new here wich has already been said by others. I personally don't agree with a bit of Mr Warrens conclusions and statements about what God's purpose for us is. In my opinion if you want to know What God's purpose for us is, read Neale Donald Walsch's books "Conversations With God" series and the others he has written. These books have changed my life and how I view God. They give many more answers wich are true to me than does "The Purpose Driven Life". But I will also say that if this book helps you,I am happy for you and Thank God. 5 stars (Live life with a purpose!) - The book is extremely well structured. Plenty of material to read and reflect upon. I recommend as a 'must read' and 'act upon'. Personally, will read this book once again in 6 months. 5 stars (The Purpose Driven Life) - A book that will lead you straight to God. Second only to The Holy Bible. EXCELLENT reading for ALL Christians! ... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING SPIRITUAL GROWTH SPIRITUAL FORMATION :: Religion - Christian Living :: Religion :: Christianity - Christian Life :: The Purpose-Driven Life- What on Earth Am I Here For-
1 stars (An unfortunate addition to Rainer's fine history of work) - I am sorry to report that this is one of the worst books I have ever read. It's hard to believe it was authored by Thom S. Rainer. The fundamental problem with research stems from the selection criteria for "breakout churches". The criteria was so abysmally biased by Rainer's desire not to promote growth that stemmed from the involvement of a new pastor that they only produced 13 churches out of 400,000. Rather than taking another pass at identifying churches that would energize us in our calling, they instead decided to write a book lauding these 13 churches as the "good to great" of our time. Before you put this in your shopping cart consider the criteria led them to the selection of churches who: -Have pastors with an average tenure of 21.6 years with this one church (pg. 57) -Current pastor must have participated in both the declining years, as well as the break-out growth (pg. 16) -None of the 13 churches seek to discover a vision (pg. 111) -"Are careful, even plodding in making changes" (pg. 150) If you're looking for a book that will make you feel better about your church which has been declining for years, without giving you much in the way of actionable strategies, you've come to the right place. I hope Jim Collins received a quarter every time his name, his book title, or a page number in Good to Great was referenced! The only thing this book inspired me to do was re-read my copy of Good to Great! 5 stars (Character Counts) - I must start by saying that I am not an advocate of what is typically known as the "Church Growth Movement." However, I believe "Breakout Churches" breaks all the molds of this genre of books. What the remarkable research of this book has demonstrated is simple and yet profound in our day: Church growth is directly related to the godly passion of its leadership and not to the promotion of pragmatic strategies. Several things struck me about the results of... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHURCH AND MINISTRY CHURCH LIFE CHURCH GROWTH :: Social Theology :: Religion - Church Life & Growth :: Religion :: Parish And Churc :: Breakout Churches- Discover How To Make The Leap
2 stars (dissapointed...) - i could only read an hour of this. the 1st 3 chapters are on the bible code. the rest is probably just as bad. 5 stars (The Bible as a Whole) - I was exposed to this book as I was visiting Regent College and talking with Gordon Fee in his office there. It was about a week prior to the release of the volume and he was excited about it. Dr. Fee pointed out that this was actually mainly his own project and Dr. Stuart acted primarily as a consultant for the Old Testament material. He explained his vision in very canonical terminology. He wanted to create a reader's guide to the Bible as a whole and explained that this is more of a one-person project in order to give the book unity. Verses are descibed in relation to surrounding passages. These passages are included in the individual book of the Bible. The books are a part of larger section of Scripture (e.g., Genesis is part of the "Narrative of Israel in the Biblical Story"). These sections combine together to make the whole of the Bible itself. There is an overview to the whole Biblical story and one for each section. The chapters about the individual works of the Bible have the following setup (using Genesis as an example): ORIENTING DATA FOR GENESIS -Content (brief synopsis) -Historical Coverage (estimation of time the events take place) -Emphases (short list) OVERVIEW OF GENESIS (few paragraphs to summarize material) SPECIFIC ADVICE FOR READING GENESIS (a page or two of advice) A WALK THROUGH GENESIS (divides the book into sections and gives short commentary on each section) The chapters end with a brief concluding paragraph which reiterates the books role in the whole of the Bible. This book is extremely accessible for the layperson wanting a guide to reading the Scriptures. All too often verses and passages are used apart from their biblical story and this guide is a wonderful reminder of those dangers as well as a helpful tool in changing our perspective. Of course it is hel... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: BIBLICAL STUDIES GENERAL STUDIES GENERAL :: Religion - Biblical Studies :: Religion :: Reading :: Criticism :: interpretation :: etc :: C :: How to Read the Bible Book by Book
5 stars ( Boundaries ) - This is the most life-changing book I have ever read (second the Bible)! I think every high school graduate should be required to read it! The authors describe in great detail what boundaries are, and who needs them. I experience a lot of guilt when I want to say no to someone's request. I feel that I am letting them down, no matter what the request is. The authors use scripture to help you determine what are appropriate things to say no to, and why you should not feel guilty. Even Jesus, the most giving person who ever lived, had boundaries! This book does not give excuses to get out of your responsibilities, but helps you to see what are unhealthy situations to avoid, and how to get out of them. It even gives some examples for parenting so you children will learn boundaries. I am grateful to have read this book, and find myself re-reading it often. 4 stars (inspiring) - I haven't completed the entire book as of yet but what I have read is very helpful and inspiring. For anyone who lacks confidence, this book is a God send. 5 stars (Extraordinary!) - The principles in Boundaries have revolutionalized my life. Well worth the time and money. It's way beyond "a good read"; it's extremely practical. I wish I'd read it years ago. I WILL be reading it at least once a year from now until I die. It's THAT good. ... Zondervan :: Religion & Counseling :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE PSYCHOLOGY :: Self-Help :: Religion - Christian Living :: Personal Growth - Happiness :: Inspirational :: Boundaries
5 stars (A Solid Foundation) - Saddleback Community Church gets a lot of criticism stating that it is too "seeker sensitive" and therefore implying that they water down or distort the truth. This resource is one example of how that isn't the case. The doctrinal studies found in the Foundations study are some ofthe best that I have seen in years. I have used these in small groups as well as adapted these for large group. These studies provide exactly what they advertise - Solid faoundations on which to build your life. ... Zondervan :: UNDATED ELECTIVE CURRICULUM ADULT BIBLE STUDY ELECTIVES TOPICAL :: Religion & Christian Life :: Religion - Christian Living :: Religion :: Christianity - Theo :: Foundations Participant-s Guide
4 stars (Good resource and guide) - This book is a good tool to use for small groups, fellowship studies, or sunday school class. I used it for my college sunday school class to place emphasis on embracing our Christian community. While John Ortberg does a good job at painting the picture for us, it is basically his "The Life You've Always Wanted" book re-done for small groups in a practical way. I enjoyed using this guide but had to restructure the questions and format to cater to a sunday school environment. I would recommend making sure you know your group, and understand their needs, and perhaps come up with additional questions to meet the needs of your group. ... Zondervan :: Religion & General :: BIBLICAL STUDIES BIBLE STUDIES TOPICAL :: Spirituality - General :: Religion - Christian Living :: Religion :: Christianity - Christian Li :: Groups
3 stars (Not bad, but way below my expectations) - I think one of the most important subjects in christian theology is Grace. After reading the book by Erwin Lutzer titled ''How you can be sure you will spend eternity with God'' (one of my favourite books on that subject), i decided i need to give more time reading and studying about Grace. That's how i stumbled upon Whats so Amazing about Grace. Reading a fairly good reviews about it, i was so anxious to get it. But alas, i was very disappointed. The book has some excellent chapters and ideas for sure, but all in all, i am afraid its a boring book and doesnt present any new insight on Grace. Some ideas are very redundant and repeated over many chapters. The author uses very very limited bible referencing and you feel as if the author isnt bothering with scripture, and speaks more from a ''social'' point of view. I agree with another reviewer when he said 'Grace got lost in the way' as Yancey doesnt speak about the real Grace (God towards man) but more like grace as in man towards man. At the end of the day, i didn't learn anything new on Grace and was more or less bored. This book is ''ok'' but nothing more. I would give it 2.5 over 5. 2 stars (Grace gets lost in the mix) - I have read and reviewed The Jesus I Never Knew and Rumors of Another World by Yancey and loved them both...See reviews on those pages. However, I was completely disappointed with this book. There are few pages on which Yancey does not accuse and condemn the church for various imperfections. He uses several stories to show how the church lacks grace. Several of these include non-Christians accusing Christians of lacking grace. Yancey seems to side with any who condemn Christians for what they deem as "ungrace." One example is an addicted mother of a 2 yr old girl who has prostituted the girl for drug money. She states she did not go to a church because they would make her feel bad. This story opens the book and is referred to several t... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING SPIRITUAL GROWTH SPIRITUAL FORMATION :: Religion - Christian Living :: Religion :: Christianity - Theology - Sot :: What-s So Amazing About Grace-
5 stars (good as it gets) - I have read several of John Ortberg's books and this one is no exception. If you are truly looking to seek God and have a personal relationship with him in your life... but need help, this book (with your bible of course) can do just that... using it as Sunday school material in our church... they really like it.. 5 stars (The Life You Always Wanted) - This is a fresh look into how you live your faith and how you look at your faith. The book provides a simple look into several areas of your life and tips on how to live life to its fullest from a spirtual viewpoint. I found it to be very insightful. 5 stars (Book for practical spiritual growth) - This is an excellent book from an accomplished author. John Ortberg makes growing spiritually a realistic task, not some unattainable mission that only a priest or monk could hope to achieve. I highly recommend it. ... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING SPIRITUAL GROWTH SPIRITUAL FORMATION :: Spirituality - General :: Spiritual life :: Religion - Prayer & Spir :: Life You-ve Always Wanted- The
5 stars (Heart-healing for the Agnostic) - I found this book full of surprises, relevant to the secular-religious debate and an entertaining, thoughtful read. Yancey opened and enriched my perspective on Jesus. 5 stars (Thought provoking...) - It is an amazing book that forces me to look at Jesus from a totally different perspective. Basically, it appars that God accepted Job's implied challenge to see the world through "Human" eyes, and history is made and the world is changed forever. Excellent reading... 3 stars (I wanted more.) - I wanted more. Miracles, Yancey quotes C.S Lewis stating that miracles work by natural laws. When Jews changed the water too wine suggested natural laws were used to create the miracle. This is not rationale to me. The logic goes as follows, the water was consumed by the grape, the grapes grows from nutrients and sunlight, the grape is harvested, the grape juices ferment, the end result is wine. The wine is a product of natural, mechanical, and manufacturing processes, a feat reproduceable by any mortal. What about the parting of the red Sea? One could state, this phenomena was the result of high speed winds that separated the water, dried out the land, and allowed the children of Israel to cross over, and as the Egyptians attempted the crossing, the wind stopped blowing, and the water buryed the Egyptians. So, Natural laws combine with time manipulation explaining the miracle. The implication being that if man could manipulate time and mechanical processes, any miracle could be performed by applying natural laws. Furthermore, one could might conclude miracles are a lack of scientific knowledge and if one possessed such knowledge there would be no miracle just rational application of information. For example, if a bioengineering gene therapy was used to kill cancer cells then the miracle is the application of the medicene, not a divine intervention. People would not be inclined to thank a loving God for their miracle bu... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE PERSONAL GROWTH :: Religion - Biblical Studies :: Religion :: Christianity - Theology - Christolo :: Jesus I Never Knew- The
2 stars (What's all the hype?) - I am about done with "velvet elvis". I give it two stars since it is a good read, but only give it two stars because the author makes it see like what he says is brand new. That he is "repainting" the Christian faith. All you have to do is pick up Philip Yancey (The Jesus I Never Knew, Reaching for the Invisible God, The Bible that Jesus Read, Soul Survivor) who is a much more thoughtful author, or take a sememster at your local seminary and sign up for a hermenuetics class and you will see that what Bell says is nothing new at all. In fact what he says is in the book is the rule of thumb for interpreting scripture... CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT. There you go... nothing new. So for me, when reading this book, I was thinking, Why all the hype? Nothing I haven't heard before... from some of reviews it seems like this book is an ephiphany. I don't know where you have been going to church, but Rob doesn't hold the corner of truth. Now, with that said, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the book. It is good, and insightful... but again... nothing new here. I liked learning about the women with a hemorrage and the significance of here touching the bottom of the robe of Jesus and that was here proclamation of Jesus being the Messiah. I learned something there. I also liked his take on the superpastor... but again nothing new... nothing that you wouldn't hear at a Promise Keeper Conference. I disagree at times with Rob on the binding and loosing issue. He does leave the Bible much to open ended for me. But I wouldn't call him a heretic. I think I understand what he said regarding the Trinity, but he does say it in an awful confusing way. On one hand he says he affirms the trinity, yet on the other hand he seems to say it's OK not believe it. I do agree the term "trinity" is not found in the Bible. The term trinity was used to describe the God-head, that all three persons are of one essence. Scripture is filled with this message (both OT an... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE GENERAL :: Sociology - General :: Religion - Christian Living :: Religion :: Faith :: Culture :: Christ :: Velvet Elvis - Repainting the Christian Faith
5 stars (Wonderful Analysis of Porcupine's Dilemma and Relationships) - In this classic book the author Ortberg zooms on the things that make community tick. He elaborates in the chapter `Porcupine's Dilemma' "Community is the place God made us for. Community is the place where God meets us. Here is the rub : How to get close without getting hurt? How do you pursue this beautiful dream of community with actual, real-life people? Weird, not-normal, as-is, dysfunctional real life people? Your friends, colleagues, your children, your parents? Can it really happen? The Hebrew prophets had a word for connectedness of all things : shalom - the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight. The connectedness has also been called `reciprocal rootedness'. The North American Common Porcupine is a member of the rodent family that has around 30,000 quills attached to his body. Each quill can be driven into an enemy, and the enemy's body heat will cause the microscopic barb to expand and become more firmly embedded. The wounds can fester; the more dangerous ones, affecting vital organs, can be fatal. Ortberg analyzes the Porcupine's Dilemma : How do you get close without getting hurt? This is our dilemma too. Every one carries our own little arsenal. Our barbs have names like rejection, condemnation, resentment, arrogance, selfishness, envy, contempt. Some people hide them better then others, but get close enough and you will find out they are there. We, too, learn to survive through a combination of withdrawal and attack. We, too, find ourselves hurting (and being hurt by) those we long to be closest to. We try to figure out how to get close without getting hurt. We wonder if there is not a softer, less-barbed creature out there - a mink or an otter, perhaps. We can usually think of a number of particularly prickly porcupines in our lives. But the problem is not just them. I am somebody's porcupine. S... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING SPIRITUAL GROWTH SPIRITUAL FORMATION :: Religious aspects :: Religion - Christian Living :: Religion :: Fellowship :: Everybody-s Normal Till You Get to Know Them
5 stars (Awesome Learning Tool) - These cards are amazing. They offer the word in greek (with the genetive and the article) and on the back of the card is the translation in English. Also, if you have the author's book "Basics of Biblical Greek" you may look up the page were that word is in the book. The cards are numbered, and there are more than 950 cards. Just great! 5 stars (Great Vocabulary Tool) - I wish I had ignored the advice of my Greek professor and purchased these cards from the outset of my second year of Greek. These cards are great for vocabulary memorization and review. A great feature is the size of the cards (different and easier to handle than the Vis-Ed cards) and the inclusion of the principal parts on the verb cards. Buying a set of these would have saved me a lot of unnecessarily spent time creating my own cards (I have a wife and four kids and better things to do with my time). Fortunately, for the rest of the year I can do other things with the extra time I'll save. 5 stars (Best NT Greek Vocab Cards Ever) - Keeping it simple: Buy these cards! Zondervan's Greek vocabulary cards are dramatically superior to the VisEd cards. The printing is in a large easy to read font and the card size is just right. For those familiar with the VisEd vocab cards, these are about 1/4 of an inch higher and about 1/4 of an inch narrower. This makes the cards much easier to hold and flip through. Mastering the vocabulary on these cards is absolutely essential to reading the Greek NT. One of the "lies" I was told in Seminary was that you only needed to learn those words used 50 times or more. If you follow that advice, you will need to carry a dictionary with you everywhere you take your Greek NT. The joy and usefulness of NT Greek depends on your memorising all the words used 10 or more times in the NT - and these cards from Zondervan make it easier than ever to do just that. ... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: BIBLICAL STUDIES LANGUAGE TOOLS GENERAL :: Religion - Biblical Studies - Language :: Religion :: Christianity - Christian Life - :: Basics of Biblical Greek Vocabulary Cards (ZONDERVAN VOCABULARY BUILDER SERIES)
5 stars (God Is Closer Than You Think) - I think the book was great. Easy to read & a lot of ideas to think about. 5 stars (as expected) - The book was well-packaged. I recieved it on time, and everything was as I expected it to be. 4 stars ("Closing the Gap is our Choice") - In Michelangelo's painting of God and Adam, Ortberg makes the point that God is so close to Adam, all Adam has to do is lift his finger to touch God, but God purposefully left that space in order to leave room for man to choose whether or not to be intimate with Him. This book is written is an easy almost conversational style; you feel that you are simply listening to the author speak . His spontaneous sense of humor breaks in frequently as his serious train of thought is mentally interrupted by a comical twist . He can't resist - and lets the reader in on the joke (often in brackets). The smile in his words is infectious and you find a smile on your own face in response. Because the author writes with warmth and simplicity you are drawn into the embrace of his message - intimacy in your daily walk with God. Ortberg expresses the invitation of a God who is close - and who yearns for fellowship with those who are His - a God who is there in the mundane moments of our life - as well as our mountain-peak experiences. He is a God who hides Himself in the daily events of our life - not to make it difficult for us to find Him but to give us room to recognize Him or not if we so choose. Ortberg has a way of gently reaching into the heart of the reader revealing what has perhaps been covered over. His gentle rebuke resonates the truth that we turn away from God because we are doing something we don't want Him to see. We hide , just like Adam and Eve in the garden after they had sinned . He talks about the seven pathways in which we most naturally sense God's presence and experience spiritual growth. We are all different and for each of us one pathway will come more easily for u... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING SPIRITUAL GROWTH SPIRITUAL FORMATION :: Spirituality - General :: Religion - Prayer & Spirituality :: Religion :: :: God Is Closer Than You Think - If God Is Always with Us- Why Is He So Hard to Find-
4 stars (Get Your Small Group Out of the Boat) - Ortberg's small group series are among the best, if used with his teaching DVD's (Zondervan, but you'll have to find that elsewhere, it appears). This particular study appeals to a broad range of backgrounds, and experience levels. We all wrestle with "staying comfortable" vs. "stepping out in faith" when the situation calls for it. Through excellent groups discussion and Scripture investigation questions it is easy to guide a group to go beyond their current "comfort zone" and take steps of faith "outside the boat." But purchasethe DVD for best results (use an Internet search engine and you should find it quickly). Ortberg is a master teacher, and his 25-30 minute teaching is a must. ... Zondervan :: UNDATED ELECTIVE CURRICULUM ADULT BIBLE STUDY ELECTIVES TOPICAL :: Religion & Christian Life :: Religion - Biblical Studies :: Religion :: Christianity - Chri :: If You Want to Walk on Water- You-ve Got to Get Out of the Boat - Participants Guide
4 stars (Learn to trust God...with some smiles (and few yawns) on the way) - John wrote this book to address what each and every believer face daily: fear. He invites us to get out of our comfort zone and take a bold step in trusting God in every move we do. To better draw his conclusions, he built this book on the scene in Matthew 14 where Jesus walks on water towards his disciples sitting in a boat : first fear struck them, then Peter had enough faith in Jesus to actually step out of the boat, but again fear struck him when the wind blew and he began to sink. The author couples humor with sincerity and the love of a true friend while analyzing the subject of Fear vs Trust, in every part of the boat scene. The book challenges you but at the same time instruct you on how to become a better christian, letting go of our fears and placing our mind and heart towards God. I loved that about Mr. Ortberg. The weak point about it, is that it tends to become a bit boring at times with a redundancy of ideas that get repeated in different parts of the book. You'll get excited at times, smile with John's humor and yet yawn a few pages along the way. All in all, important subject presented in a challenging, honest and loving approach. 5 stars (Powerful!) - I love this book! This is a powerful and thought-provoking book....it's helped me tremendously in my walk of faith! 5 stars (If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat) - Good humor. Good wisdom. ... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING SPIRITUAL GROWTH SPIRITUAL FORMATION :: Trust in God :: Religion - Christian Living :: Religion :: N T :: Jesus walk :: If You Want to Walk on Water- You-ve Got to Get Out of the Boat
5 stars (Makes the Bible More relevant and fun To Read) - A great help in understanding the Bible and applying it to today's culture. Prevents making serious errors in interpreting scripture. 5 stars (An Excellent and Informative Book) - This is an excellent primer for those concerned with understanding the Bible and making applications in one's life of Biblical teachings. This eminently readable book is good scholarship authored by two theologians in the evangelical tradition. The thrust of the book is spelled out in the title, "How to Read the Bible." The authors do not insist on a particular interpretation, but show the reader HOW to go about discovering comtemporary meaning and application from these ancient documents and how to avoid faulty hermeneutics. I cannot recommend it too highly. 5 stars (great resource) - This is a great book to own if you are a serious student of the Bible. It is extremely helpful in understanding various types of books in the Bible. The title is exactly right - it helps you read the Bible for all its worth. I read it through, but I will continue to use it as I study. ... Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: BIBLICAL STUDIES GENERAL STUDIES GENERAL :: Study and teaching :: Spirituality - General :: Religion - Biblical Studies :: Religion :: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
4 stars (A Good Version to Have) - This parallel version of both Bibles is helpful. The NIV side has chapter and verse notation while The Message side does not. The Message version is very easy to read and understand. I like having them side by side because I can easily compare how one relates to the other. Reading The Message has helped me understand the meaning of some verses that have been tricky in the past. However, it can be bit easy to get confused with which side you are reading when you turn the page and then you have to back track to get in the correct spot. The pages are very thin and it can be visually distracting to see backwards letters through the page. 1 stars (Poor At Best) - This bible is plain and simply stupid. I can't believe that anybody would prefer a paraphrase of the bible over an actual translation ie: English Standard Version. Don't waste your money on this, instead get the Reformation Study Bible ESV. You will grow much more spiritually when you can read something that actually is not altered. For an example of why i think the message and message remix are so ridiculous read Psalm 63 in the ESV and then the message. 5 stars (Great Format) - Nice large letters, so much better than having several bibles open. I love the format! I have found nyself using this bible more than my regular bible. ... Zondervan :: Religion & Bibles & New International :: Religion :: Bibles - Parallel Editions :: Bibles - Other :: Bibles - New International :: Bibles :: Zondervan :: :: NIV-The Message Parallel Bible (New International Version)
