Just the jumpstart you might need

Jolt!, by Phil Cooke, will not be a book for everyone, because some people are content with the status quo.  They’re perfectly fine with punching a time-clock, putting in their hours, and just wishing their lives could change.  If, however, you are one of the rare breed of person who wants to take your life to the next level, you need to read Jolt!

In the book, the author uses 25 “jolts” that all of us can relate to in order to jumpstart our desire for growth in those areas.  Topics such as forgiveness, integrity, failure, priorities, and making better choices are discussed, and in each of the 25 chapters, Cooke challenges the reader to see the positive side of each area.  For example, in the Jolt on failure, he writes:

We must stop labeling failure as negative.  There are no real failures – only options.  Some options work, and others don’t.

Cooke’s writing style will not be for everyone.  There are a plethora of quotes throughout the book, and while I love books with lots of quotes, some readers may find that to have been a bit overplayed. Jolt! will not be the deepest book you’ll ever read, but in the end, a jolt isn’t something that sustains, but rather a short burst of energy which gets your attention, and in this regard, I would say that Phil Cooke has done an excellent job.

I received this book from BookSneeze in exchange for this review.

Small, but challenging.

After finishing my review of Soulprint (read it here), I was eligible to request another book from the Blogging for Books program at Water Brook Multnomah and so I had them send me a complimentary copy of The Treasure Principle, by Randy Alcorn.

When I ordered it, I knew it sounded familiar, and I was right. Seems I already had a copy, but like a lot of the books on my shelf, I’d only read a few pages of it, and that was a looonnnggggg time ago. I knew the copy being UPS’ed to me was an updated copy, but I went ahead and read what I had, and even though this one is short (under 100 pages), it took the week to read it because of how thought-provoking it was.

The Treasure Principle is a book about money, and more specifically, our money.  Alcorn shares what he calls the treasure principle, which is: You can’t take it with you- but you can send it on ahead. It is a lesson he learned the hard way, after a pro-life demonstration at an abortion clinic went wrong and he found himself on the bad side of a $8.4 million judgement that would have his church salary garnisheed and given to the clinic. Not willing to have his pay go to support what he opposed, Alcorn chose to resign his position and work for minimum wage so his salary wouldn’t support abortions.  I’m sure you can learn more with a Google search, but my purpose in sharing it here is just to give some background about how the author came to view possessions the way he did. Continue reading

Ever feel this way?

Love Jesus, Hate Church, by Steve McCranie, may have been one of the more interesting books I’ve read so far this year, and it’s probably worth your time to read it, too.  It’s one of those “no holds barred” type of books, a sort-of “tell all” expose on church life.  Granted, it’s written from one guy’s perspective and experience, but there’s a lot of stuff in this one that will ring true with you, too.

McCranie does have a rather lengthy writing style, which means there were times that I was finishing a sentence and then trying to remember what the original thought was.  He also falls victim to a huge pet-peeve of the B99, and that is the need to say something and then follow it up with 3 or 4 examples of the point you were making when the original point was already understood.  I think it’s ironic that he writes like a long-winded pastor who would typically be in the pulpit of a church somewhere that the author would most likely never attend.  I also find it ironic that I just used 2 very lengthy sentences right after saying the author has a lengthy writing style.

McCranie mentions a handful of times throughout the book that he does, in fact, love the real church, which he sees as very different from the business of church, or the “well-oiled machine” as he likes to call it.  It was nice to see him clarify the two, because I’ve always felt like people who dump on the church are like bullies picking on a girl without realizing that her bigger boyfriend is right behind them.  I’m all for pointing out mistakes and practices in the church that can – and should – be corrected, but at the end of the day it’s important to remember that we’re talking about Jesus’ bride, and that should give us some pause.

The book felt angry at times, and probably should have since the author wrote this right up front:

Confession: I Love Jesus with a burning, all-consuming passion. He is the source of my life and the best thing that has ever happened to me. In a word, I am literally obsessed with Him.

But make no mistake, I Hate Church and everything it has become today. I Hate Church with a raw, loathing vengeance, with unleashed rage, with every fiber of my being. It’s like church pushes me right to the edge, right to the point of no return – and then sadistically pushes even harder, mocking, sneering, and demanding I respond. (p. 14)

Love Jesus, Hate Church is that raw and honest from the first page to the last, and McCranie does a good job of filling it with personal stories of things that he has experienced in the church and outside the church that have shaped the way he views the “well-oiled machine.”  It is very possible that you’ll be put off by some (okay, most) of what he writes, but at the end of the book you’ll be wondering if the reason you were bothered is because you are part of the problem.

Truth, as they say, can set us free.  Sometimes, though, it cuts us a little as it tears away the chains that held us.  For me, freedom is worth the pain of being set free.