The zombie within

"Christian Zombie Killers Handbook" by Jeff Kinley is about the 'New Nature / Old Nature' theme and dilemma in every Jesus follower and being a 'Walking Dead' TV Show fan myself, this little book got my attention right away.


THE DON'T LIKES
I like 'The Walking Dead' TV Show but not because of the zombies (I get really scared with scary movies) but because of the human drama that's envolved in every chapter of the series.
I like to watch those zombies but don't like to read zombie stories, so I didn't like the parts of the book where Kinley tells a story (divided in 'episodes') so I ended up not reading that. Sorry.


THE LIKES
The inner war within a christian is a real issue and there are a lot of books about it. Deep book. Light books. Good and bad ones. Long and short ones. In short: A lot of books.
The theme is not new at all but the way Kinley approach to it, is.
I think that, for the modern reader, there's hardly a better way to describe this battle and perpetual conflict that with a 'zombie within'!
Why?
Do I really have to explain why?
Ok. This is why: The 'old you', the 'dead you' is you, but without really ugly, evil, depraved and bad. That 'you' doesn't want anything to do with Christ. He hates God. He just wants to have some brains for lunch for the sake of eating brains for lunch because... well... a zombie can't die from hunger, right?
The 'zombie you' is dead but still wanting to kill every sign of life that crosses his way.
The 'zombie me' get along with other zombies but hate live people.
The 'zombie us' must be resisted and, ultimately, must be really really put to death.
And that's why I really like the way Kinley approach the book.

We christians tend to forget how really bad we are and how much we need the grace, the wisdom and the light of Jesus in everyday's life, so this is a good book that can help us to take a look (a real one) to the zombies that we're still carrying within and cry to Jesus for help, sanctity, power and life at each moment of our lives.

Mondays are mondays...

ºMondays with my old pastorº, by José Luis Navajo is... let's say... a good book.

However, I don't know if it was a little hard to read because of the day of the theme (mondays are mondays... boring... really boring...) or because of the writing style or because of the fact that, even though the author says he's been in the ministry for a lot of years, he seems to be some kind of 'rookie' because a lot of the wisdom written in the book is like 'Ministry Frustration 101' (or at least in my experience and those really close to us in the ministry has been that way).
For me, the book was really like a compilation of mondays: Sometimes... hard to continue with the reading; sometimes... less hard to get through the pages and sometimes; and sometimes... dangerously close to the give-up-button.
I guess I'm trying to be nice, but this book really wasn't up to expectations.
Sorry.

Little might be the new Great

"The little red book of wisdom" by Mark Demoss has been a delicious glass of fresh water in the middle of a 'wisdom desert' for me.

I work in advertising and, too often, find myself surrounded by anything but wisdom.

I thought this would be another 'illuminated but not understandable' kind of book but the way Mark Demoss share his business wisdom and then his life wisdom, both constructed with the Bible as the base, is powerfully simple.

And, since I have been a lot of my life in touch with people that talk a lot but say nothing at all, I really appreciate a simple truth told in a simple way.

I think that Mark Demoss book is the perfect example of one of the most amazing truths written in it: 'Under promise and over deliver'.

The little red book of wisdom is red indeed, its full of wisdom but its not little (as under promised), but simply great.

And that is how you over deliver something!

Called to Controversy, Ruth Rosen

Before reading this book I didn't know anything about Moishe Rosen and after reading it, I know just a few things: First, he was controversial for Jesus and willing to live up to his calling. Second, he wasn't 'perfect' (at least, not our common idea of perfection). And last, we should imitate his faith, as Hebrews 13:7 says.
In a country like mine (Guatemala, Central America) we christians don't know a lot of jewish people but we know a lot about religion and religious behavior. Even I have some bitter encounter with the 'status quo' that have been anything but pretty.
For me, the life of Moishe Rosen, his work for Jesus and his legacy in his family is an example of faith in the practice, because any christian should understand that he or she is called to controversy when called by Jesus to testify about Him in a world (the personal world) that doesn't want to know a thing about the King of kings.
The reading is good, but it feels long so, get yourself a 'patience tea' and stick to it because it's a good book.
I want to end this little comment with a great and powerful phrase from Moishe Rosen: "Don't let your friends happen to you; don't let life happen to you; don't let things happen to you. Make the kind of friends and the kind of life that you believe you ought to have" (emphasis added).
If you know that you have been called to 'greater things', then fight for that life, have the courage to look for it and found it in Jesus Christ.

Twelve Unlikely Heroes, by John MacArthur

This book really touched my heart and opened my eyes. Because it's just a G-R-E-A-T book!
If you're serving God with all your heart (and despite your heart at the same time) and somehow you feel like an 'unlikely and unfitted servant' this book will hit you right between the eyes.
Believe me!
MacArthur goes through all the Bible, founding the most unlikely heroes of the text to teach the reader the reality of God's work: If He wouldn't use the 'imperfect servants' then He couldn't use anybody!
And that is why I'm certain that you will identify with at least one of the heroes and by doing that, God will speak to your heart, comfort your soul and make you want to serve Him again.
That's what happened to me and because of that, I really wanted to share here a couple of paragraphs of the book (even I don't know if I can do it):

'God uses endless combinations of personality, cultural background, experience, and station in society to accomplish His will. He is not limited by age (Enoch lived for 365 years; John the Baptist for about 30); status (Jonathan was a prince; Onesimus was a slave); human strength (Gideon was a weak coward; Samson was supernaturally strong); or even past sins (Paul persecuted the church; John Mark was a deserter; and Jonah rebelled against God's command). (...) From the earliest points of human history (before de Flood) to the earliest points of church history (the generation after the apostles), God has been at work in the lives of His people through unlikely heroes.'

An imperfect and true servant of the Lord Jesus Christ can not afford not reading this book.
Now... Go and read!

Constantly Cravin, by Marilyn Meberg

I didn't like this book. Seriously.
I think that 'Constantly Craving' is suit for those 'mature adolescent' that are so abundant in these days (at least in my country).
And who are the 'mature adolescent'? Well, people around their 30's who still don't know who they are, what they want, are still looking for 'the one' (the dumbest term in the history of relationships) and stuff like that.
Anyway, for me, the book killed my reading craving.

Jesus. Lord. Period.

"Would the coming of Jesus Christ tomorrow mess up your plans?"
The Truth About the Lordship of Christ, by John MacArthur is a troubling and eye popping book.
It is like salt spread over an open wound because, well, the one thing that we christians love to talk about but don't love to take to practice is the Lordship of Jesus.
We forget that the term 'Lord' doesn't accept negotiation nor unions. It doesn't take under consideration the slave's own will. And it certainly doesn't take 'I don't feel like doing that' or 'I don't have time for that right now' for an answer.
Justification is a one-time event but sanctification is a process and we can't be sanctify unless we put ourselves under the Lordship of Christ because we won't let the lord work the transformation intended for us if it is not 'part of our plans'.
This book hits hard the comfortable 'christianity' of this day and age and make the reader remember something: Jesus said 'follow me' and he wasn't asking; he was commanding.

Dormir en lugar de clamar • Sleeping instead of claiming

ESPAÑOL
En Jonás 1:5-6 dice que, en medio de la poderosa tormenta, todos los marineros clamaban a sus dioses mientras trataban de mantener a flote el barco. Y al mismo tiempo, Jonás estaba abajo, durmiendo.
Es impresionante ver cómo, en medio de una tormenta, los que nos llamamos cristianos y decimos ser hijos del único Dios verdadero, tomamos la misma actitud de Jonás: Mientras todos claman a dioses falsos, aquellos que pueden clamar a Quien tiene el poder de calmar la tormenta... duermen.
Mientras el mundo se deshace en guerras, hambrunas, enfermedades, violencia y muchas otras cosas, la Iglesia del Señor... duerme y se entretiene.
La tormenta no fue enviada para destruir a los marineros (ni a Jonás) sino para despertar al profeta rebelde a la voluntad de su Señor.
¿Será posible que estemos dormidos?

ENGLISH
In Jonah 1:5-6 says that, in the middle of the storm, the sailors shouted to their gods for help while trying to maintain the ship floating. At the same time, Jonah was downstairs, sleeping.
It's impressive to see how, in the middle of the storm, we who call ourselves christians and declare to be sons of the only true God, take the same attitude than Jonah: While everybody shout to their false gods, those who can claim to the One who has the power to end the storm... are asleep.
While the world tears itself apart in wars, hunger, diseases, violence and many other things, the Church of the Lord... is asleep and entertained.
The storm wasn't send to destroy the sailors (nor Jonah) but to wake the rebel prophet up.
Is it possible that we're sleeping?

Our Favorite Sins by Todd Hunter

I've read a lot of books about temptation but Todd Hunter really gets to the point when take the reader into the heart of the matter and take away the 'mystery clothing'. I mean, temptation is some mysterious weapon in the hands of the enemies of Jesus' people, but if you see it for what it is, well, you can see that temptation is a pretty dull thing.
If I'd have to choose one phrase out of the whole book it would be this: 'I can be tempted only when a desire I already have within me matches something that comes to my attention.' James said it in his epistle and Hunter translated it for us in his book. That's the reason why some people are tempted with drugs, some with social internet and some with gambling, for example.
The book tries to make the reader to understand that Temptation is not that powerful and that, if wanted, desires can be reoriented, defeating temptation in the process.
The only thing that I felt really strange is the 'prayer reading' stuff, but I suppose that this is because I'm not from that kind of church background.
Do I recommend this book? Well, if you're fighting with temptation and really want to start winning the battle, I strongly recommend the book.

Has God Spoken? by Hank Hanegraaff

It's been a few years since I've read this type of book and, even I loved it, it has some parts that are just too much. I mean, the author became a little redundant sometimes explaining things that were already clearly explained.
The other thing that I didn't like was the 'personal' confrontation type of writing. Hanegraaff wasted a lot of pages trying to show the lies in some of the 'christianity detractors' and, although it is ok (and I love to witness a good theological and logical confrontation), it go and go and go and go for pages and it eventually became a boring thing.
Nevertheless, I recommend this book because it is pretty much actual in the 'prophecy fulfillment' department.