i am not.

            Every man has made the mistake at some point in his life of either believing himself more important than he is, or devaluing himself that he sells himself short.  The problems of pride and stress are things that unite all of mankind.  In his book, I Am Not, But I Know I AM, Louie Giglio uses Scripture and personal anecdotes to weave together an effective teaching that addresses both of these issues and how to overcome them.

            By being transparent enough to reveal his own personal struggles, Giglio uses his life as a backdrop for how to effectively apply the teachings in I Am Not.  My favorite anecdote from the book is one where Giglio shares about being the keynote preacher at a Dove Awards Banquet who delivered a message about our more or less insignificance when compared against God's greatness to a room of multi-platinum recording artists.

            The reader should be aware, however, that while the teaching in this book is great and passionate, Giglio does a better job teaching through speaking.  A reader picking this book up and expecting the same dynamic teaching like one would encounter at a Passion conference will be let down, but only a little.

            Ultimately, I Am Not, But I Know I AM is the perfect read for the Christian who wants a good read to remind them of how much they are loved.  

I received my copy of the book free from the publisher in exchange for writing a review.  The opinions contained are my own; I was not required to post a positive review.

Persecuted by Marshall, Gilbert and Shea

            I live a sheltered life, religiously speaking.  By this, I do not mean that my contact with people is minimal nor that I encounter circumstances and perspectives that perpetually challenge my beliefs.  What I mean is that I am able to practice my faith without fear of death and persecution.  I knew that in reality I was in a minority to find myself like this, but Persecuted opened my eyes to an even darker reality about Christian persecution than what I had thought existed.  Any (Christian) reader who hears the word "persecution" and isn't instantly stirred needs to pick this book up, as it will change everything.
             With an even-handed, academic approach the writers of Persecuted tackle the global issue of Christian persecution and the social injustices that accompany it with a level of emotional appeal that one would not assume to find in a book this loaded with research.  At times, the writing seems a little dry and repetitive, and it can feel easy at times throughout the book to let the gravity of the situations diminish in the mind simply for the fact that it happens so much and is discussed endlessly throughout the book.  If there are any critiques over this book, that is the main and only one for me.
            Persecuted is an accurate, current expository look at the issue of Christian persecution across the planet and persuasive critique of why we need to be aware of it.  Any reader who has picked up Fox's Book of Martyrs would find this a good next step for reading.

I received my copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review of the book.  The opinions in this post are my own; I was not obligated to give a positive review.