A Bounty of Books

Wounds Are Where Light Enters: Stories of God's Intrusive Grace by Walter Wangerin Jr. is a collection of short stories that illustrate the various facets of grace and how it is expressed in human beings. From the mundane to the extraordinary, the youngest child to the oldest man, the miracle of birth and the sorrow of death and everything in between, when one is looking, one can see grace anywhere.

Accidental Saints: Finding God In All the Wrong People by Nadia Bolz-Weber is a collection of stories of grace made evident through an unlikely group of people. Bolz-Weber is a Lutheran pastor who founded House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado. Most of these stories come from her interactions with people in that community.

Bolz-Weber's style is honest and raw, sometimes uncomfortably so. There is no element of the "safety" of anonymity in these stories. She shares them with her and others' brokenness out for everyone to see. She is unapologetic about her past or her present. While her transparency and openness are very appealing and winsome, there is a flip side to that. Her liberal use of offensive language completely turned me off at first. It took a conscience mental effort to set that aside, see past it, and learn form the truth of grace each story presents. Some people won't find it a problem, but for others, its something to be aware of. In the end, I'm glad I was able to set it aside and see the truth, because I benefited from it. However, I know some will be unable to do that, and its something I wish I had known in advance. Because I was completely unfamiliar with Bolz-Weber before reading this, it felt somewhat like an ambush.

Overall, each story told in Accidental Saints pushed against my experience and sense of grace. It did this in a good way, because it stretched me. I appreciate Bolz-Weber's willingness to point out how much more powerful (and real) grace looks, the messier the situation. Anyone who is ready and or willing to be pushed in the same way will benefit from reading Accidental Saints.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Messy Grace: How A Pastor With Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction by Caleb Kaltenbach is Kaltenbach's story of supporting the truth of the Bible in a difficult, and for him very personal, area of life. As the title states, Kaltenbach is a pastor whose parents both identify as homosexual.

In Messy Grace, Kaltenbach tells his story of growing up with an out mother in a committed relationship and a closeted father. Growing up, he was taught that Christians hate people, and originally attended church hoping to better combat the hatred he saw hurled at his mother and her partner by Christians. To his surprise, he fell in love with Jesus and has spent his life since then pursuing and serving Him.

Kaltenbach does an excellent job of laying out both his opinions and experiences and what the scripture says about homosexuality. He encourages everyone to re-examine their own preconceived ideas in light of what scripture says. Kaltenbach offers a good mix of personal experience and general principals and practices. Each chapter includes discussion questions at the end for a deeper look. The main theme is that there is a tension between grace and truth that every believer must follow. Holding a traditional, biblical view of homosexuality does not give Christians permission to either ignore or treat badly those in the LGBT community. In fact, the Gospel argues the opposite approach must be taken. Kaltenbach offers practical suggestions about the two communities engaging and interacting with one another.

Not everyone will agree with Kaltenbach's views, which he readily admits. His main goal is to move the conversation a little farther along than it was before. Messy Grace is an easy and practical read that will benefit many all along the spectrum of this important issue. It's a good resource and recommendable to everyone.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper is about how the love Christ and his extreme mercy/grace is completely overwhelming and transformational in a person's life. Written for women in a combination diary/devotional style, the book makes the reader feel as though Harper is a dear friend. This sense of connection allows a bigger impact to be made on readers, because of the centrality of connection in women's lives. Harper's main point is that even with all our mistakes, mess ups and stumblings along the path of righteousness, Christ delights in us and is beside us every step of the way.

Reading Stumbling Into Grace is a lot like ducking in a cafe during a rainstorm, and unexpectedly seeing an old friend. Harper's style instantly makes one feel at home and safe. Her honesty allows readers to connect with her in the unique way that only sharing sorrows and mistakes allows; it also gives her permission to speak truth into the reader's life. There are moments I laughed out loud as I read, and it was obvious she was laughing as she remembered the story herself. That shared sense of story seeped through her words, and lodged in my heart.

The way Harper breaks each chapter into three parts (personal story/scripture/interpretation of scripture) is very reader friendly. Each section is very manageable, if one wanted to use the book in a more devotional style. Her content was both challenging and inspiring. Her use and interpretation of scripture is sound. I recommend this book to any woman who would enjoy hearing the story of a fellow traveler on the journey of life as a believer.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Extraordinary: The Life You're Meant to Live by John Bevere, is a guide on how to break out of mediocre living and instead live an extraordinary life. Going off the premise that it is an inherent desire of humanity to live a life that is beyond normal, Bevere attempts to show the believer how he/she was intended to do this. He does this in a very systematic way, with one chapter building on the next, so that none of the basics are missed.

The main thrust is that believers already have the ability to live an extraordinary life, they just don't access it. In the first chapter Bevere says, "the power to accomplish remarkable feats and live an exceptional life is not tied to an occupation but to a disposition of the heart. This is not only God's will but also His great pleasure." (p. 4)

Unfortunately, Extraordinary is anything but. This is the first of Bevere's books that I've read, and I was very disappointed. While I agree with the basic premise that believers were meant and have the ability to live an extraordinary life, I am bothered by the way Bevere presents going about it. What he says pretty much boils down to the premise of the prosperity gospel - God wants all of His children to be wealthy and healthy, and when something goes wrong its because one doesn't have enough true faith.

Beyond the doctrinal differences I have with the subject matter, the book itself is redundant and hard to work through. Bevere states at the beginning that each chapter builds on the one before it, so each is key to the next. In reality, the same content is in several chapters. There isn't enough unique content to fill the entire book, so the same thing is said over and over again to the point that my brain shut off after awhile because there was nothing new. Overall, this is a very poorly written book that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255