Book Review: Going all the way: Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance

Before I tell you about this book lets get to know the Author: Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv which is considered the largest church in the United States and has fifteen locations in five states. He is married with six children and lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, where LifeChurch.tv is based.

His orgnisation have online church also who really cannot go to physical church can attend online church http://www.lifechurch.tv/locations/church-online. And his church team have also designed the most downloaded and used Bible App Youversion. I think he is one of the weird pastor, by that I mean he is slightly non-traditional kind of Pastor who uses a lot of technology to reach out and which have also made him very popular and he is able to reach a great number of people.

Craig is excellent with his humor and how he adds his personal experiences and also he have a story ready for every situation, some of his own experience and some of others whom he know. And he gives very practical but oddly Godly advices to you and mind you they are really good.

Source:http://www.amazon.com/

So about the book. If you are looking for a marriage, relationship, or you are confused about living relationships, marriage, dating and you are standing on crossroads and you feel a little advice is required or you think it would be good to get a perspective on this subject. We might think he is a pastor and he will have some lengthy sermons on marriage, surprisingly as I said he is weird, he gives very practical, humorous and a language we young people use and when you read it, you will feel as if you were speaking to a close friend who is sharing his personal experience with you. And yes as he have experience he gives a great a perspective marriage learning from his own mistakes and how he want us not to repeat mistakes. And what were the principles he followed and helped him in his marriage that is going all the way.

If you are young and struggling whether to date or not? Pick this book up. Not because he gives you tips to date and neither it condemns dating but he gives a very balanced view on relationships. He uses a lot of illustration, first he numbers the person whom you want to love first and second and how that view will keep the marriage grounded and having a common vision. It will help you look for practical steps. He will challenge your thinking, he will challenge you to train your emotions, he will challenge you to change your view on very important thing like relationship, love, sex, marriage and how and what to expect from the opposite sex. He also draws amazing pictures for instance when growing in friendship he illustrates it with “gear system of a car” which makes it easy to remember and fun to read.

He will not let you get bored with theory but he will give you stories which he have encountered which gives us a taste of what if I do this or that what will it result in. Overall its a complete package of fun, learning and changing your perspective of marriage, sex, love and relationship that goes all the way.

          Name: Going all the way: Preparing for a marriage that goes the distance

• Author: Craig Groeschel

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590529383

Book Review: The Horse and his boy

Of course who have not seen the movie the Chronicles of Narnia and who amongst you don't remember Aslan, the Lion. Here I am to share what I think about one of the Narnian books I read recently called “ The Horse and his boy”(Chronicles of Narnia is a set of seven books).

Source: goodreads.com

But before I do that I must tell you few things clearly this is perhaps my fifth or sixth book which I have read and first story book. And I must tell you this that reading a story from a book is really more fun than watching it as a movie, there are many reasons for that one of them which I really think is the we interpret story line by line and thus not missing anything. When we read line to line we focus one by one and don't miss on any detailing of author want us to know. And what he is intending us to focus. Also our imagination can be far more better than the director who is interpreting the story. And we can be more imaginative and creative. Also we need to have patience to read line by line and enjoy every word, rather just watching the movie just for a short span. And when we read word after word and line after line the adventure and we can picture yourself in the boots of protagonist. And we don't lose the focus if we are careful to follow the author and use the imagination as we want. And the book keeps us glued until we finish and it is one of the kind experience to read a book and go in the miraculous world.

And special to me because one of my favorite author wrote this book C.S. Lewis. So do you want to know the author, Ah! I think we know him well but yet I have told you about him when I was reviewing the book Mere Christianity. But this two books are totally different, where the Mere Christianity will make you think and keep you engage intellectually and will tell you hard doctrines, the narnian books also keep you engaged but to wonder, thrill, hope and joy again and again.(And later discovered from a friend Aveek Das that its as intellectual as other books Lewis but it needs a different pair of lens to reach there)

Lewis have well thought about the stories and have kept the language far too common in order to make it easy for children to read it and understand well. But at the same time he have kept the central message as hard line, and thus making it a book which everyone without thinking of age should read. I don't want to tell you about the story but definitely I would tell you that it is one of the best stories I have ever read. I am sure you will connect with the story and see how uncertain lives are shaped and wove to a bigger and a beautiful story. Its a story where there is love, fight, war, ego, bravery, hope, faith, wonder, friendship, kings, queens, prince and princess and yes talking animals too.

It feels magical all over, the landscape, the river, the desert, when you read all that you feel the air touching you, some time the heat of the desert will touch and every moment you are thinking what will happen next. Like other stories this story also have great message and insight at many levels. I must say its a must read book.

Book Review: Mere Christianity

C S Lewis is not a cup of tea for many because he tends to take a deeper look to every issue and likes and makes you think deeper than you would have expected. Very classical thinker who was one of the best Philosopher I ever read. Thats why in many places you will see his quotes. Most of apologetics and apologists will quote him every now and then.

Source: Wikipedia

I really like the title of the book and author have done justice by narrating about the same in the best manner. Its amazing that the book is actually a collection of radio talks which were later collected and noted down. But I am glad Lewis took the pain to write it down and it become a most widely and most popular book amongst the intellectuals and Christians. If you like reasons and logics and want to make use of your brain, this book is for you. Author gives very common but very connecting illustrations of many things in order to explain the deeper philosophy which have been lifesaving for me, because without those examples it would have hard to retain what the author intend to say. But a lovely book explaining the philosophy around Christianity and christian claims.

The author will ask you to think, he will make your mind open, he will argue with your will and your choice, he will direct you towards the philosophy he believes in but not a blind push but he will give all possible arguments not just arguments he want to push on you but all the logical which will move towards building a solid evidence on what he believe and why he believes in it. Not only that he asks you to think on those logic and see whether those work or not. He not only gives theory but few things which are very practical. In many of his writings you will find his examples are such which will make Christian harder virtues explained with examples and brought to practice. He not only makes you think, but compels you to follow them. He is not arguing or criticizing something. He is not sugar coating any of his views or while explaining the doctrines but he gives all possible logic and reasoning for it and makes it practical for us.

The book I will never able to read completely because I will read it again and again because as I told you its highly intellectual but yet very practical. Which really gives you some solid food to chew in your mind and very important as its practical. I am very thankful for this book as it helped me to get a very good idea and it shone light on many Christian virtues too. I would definitely recommend you to read this book. If you are a christian its a must read and if you are not a christian still it remains a must read for you as well. Because he gives reasons and logics for both audience and I hope you will really like it.

If you want an ebook please visit : Mere Christianity Ebook

Book Review: More than a Carpenter by Josh Mcdowell

I generally don't read books and neither am I a great book reader, therefore me review will also not sound that great and deep, indeed this is my first attempt towards a book review.

Source: Internet

Well lets know a bit about Author Josh Mcdowell, a graduate of wheaton College and magna cum laude graduate of Talbot Theological Seminary, is a travelling speaker for Campus Crusade for Christ and resident instructor at The Julian Center in Julian, California. He wrote many famous books which includes Evidence that Demands a Verdict and Secret of living. He is a visiting instructor at the International School of Theology and at the Simon Greenleaf School of law.

He is a well known author He have helped many young people and I have enjoyed listening to many of his talks. Josh is one of those people who will speak a very common and a young boy language. And such was his writing. I am not a very expert on any literature but his book was more about facts and data collection and as if building a case by providing multiple cross reference. Well this helps one to cross verify the authenticity about the topic Author is telling but its really amazing how people remember names and quote them appropriately.

This books observes very carefully about the Person of Jesus Christ, His claims, His life, His death and resurrection more through under a suspicious lenses. The Author discuss what Jesus said about Himself and what Christians believe about Him, and why do they do so? Its a very advocating approach to look at the case of Christianity. As he comes with various different points to prove the point that Jesus is more than a carpenter.

Well if you think you have doubts or intellectually or Historically Jesus(His life and resurrection) or you think why or why not this Historical fact be believed as truth? I would recommend you to read this book, as it carefully tackles this questions and give you some solid undeniable and reprovable proofs which he himself found very methodically. Its a must read for those who want to know the facts about Jesus.

One of my favorite quote from the book is

“In the Old Testament there are sixty major messianic prophecies and approximately 270 ramifications that were fulfilled in person Jesus Christ.”

I simply loved the way the book is written in simple language and a very informative and methodical way and cross reference make things very verifiable and thus trustworthy. If you have read the book as its a very old book please share your comments and if you have not, please pick one and read.