Tag Archives: book review

Past the Beauty, and to The Beautiful

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Carl Simmons

It starts kind of slow, but bear with it. Because, after all, this book is about slowing down enough to recognize God’s reflection in all of creation—as well as in our own creations, as we too reflect the Creator. Steve … Continue reading →

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Going to God Like a Cigarette

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Carl Simmons

Our rather provocative titular reference above is nonetheless a good place for us to start, because this is a book about pursuing God with a single-minded passion. And you’ll have to discover the story that goes with it for yourself. … Continue reading →

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Naming and Un-claiming Your Idols

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Carl Simmons

“So much of life comes down to the following three questions,” says Ed Welch: “Who is God? Who am I? Who are these other people?” The answers to those questions reveal what we truly care about and who we trust, … Continue reading →

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Remembering Our True Example

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Carl Simmons

To be fair, I went into this expecting something more like a far more orthodox The Last Temptation of Christ—i.e., something that really focused on Christ’s humanness rather than His divinity. And the introductory material—especially the opening salvo “Did Jesus … Continue reading →

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It’s the Song, Not the Singer

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Carl Simmons

Let me put my personal prejudice on the table, and then we can all feel free to ignore it: I’m not a fan of Leonard Sweet’s style of writing. Nonetheless, because of the focus of this book, I took a … Continue reading →

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An Offer You Could Refuse… But Why WOULD You?

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Carl Simmons

This week’s Other Voice… is you. Well, that’s actually up to you, but that’s the offer I’m putting on the table. Here’s my dilemma: For the past year, my 6-study series Growing Out has been wandering the earth without a … Continue reading →

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Learning to Live Out of Our Identity

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Carl Simmons

Basically, what we have here is a book about finding, and resting in, our identity in Christ,  and you can never have enough books like that out there. And for the record: We don’t. David M. Showers. Ten Steps to … Continue reading →

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Go With God, and Keep Going

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Carl Simmons

I was half-thinking of riffing on my last book review and titling this “So Simple, Even a Senior Pastor Could Do It.” I eventually thought better of that idea, but my reasoning was sound… granted, someone could also have fun … Continue reading →

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So Simple, Even a Small-Group Leader Can Do It

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Carl Simmons

…and for that matter, so concise that small-group leaders will actually read it. And if they do, they’ll come away with a framework that can be easily transferred within any small-group ministry. Jim Egli and Dwight Marable. Small Groups, Big … Continue reading →

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Truth Is More Useful Than Fiction

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Carl Simmons

I have to admit: Unless your name’s John Bunyan, fictional accounts of God’s hypothetical real-life work in the church has never really done it for me. (I have to wonder how I’d feel if I were to read In His … Continue reading →

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