Review | Pedestrian God

Book Review: In His Image

May 14 2018

If you’ve spent much time around me, you’ll know that I’ve been gradually becoming more and more a fan of every Bible resource that Jen Wikin has put out in the past couple years.

I was first introduced to her book None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different from Us (And Why That’s a Good Thing) in which she brilliantly explained our human limitations when it comes to characteristics such as omnipotence, sovereignty, and self-sufficiency. This book encouraged us to repent of all the ways that we’ve tried to become God in these areas of our lives.

So when our church did her podcast-based study on 1, 2, and 3 John called Abide, I was excited to hear her Bible teaching in conjunction with my personal Bible study. And it didn’t disappoint.

Jen Wilkin has something I have been wanting to see for a while in “popular” Christian, women authors – a deep love for Scripture and a dedication to teach women how to understand it on their own. In a Precepts-like method, Jen asks us to seek God’s wisdom and teaching first. She points us to Scripture continually. It’s beautiful.

When I received a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas, only one book got me truly excited to spend it – her follow up to None Like Him. All I knew was that it was called In His Image and would follow the same pattern as the first book. Except this time she would examine 10 characteristics that we share with God.

I pre-ordered the book. It arrived last week. I spent this weekend reading it. I’ll tell you on the front end, this book is every bit as hard of a hitter as the first. The questions after each chapter are extremely challenging – in a good way. They ask you to truly examine your heart and motives. I did not spend this weekend answering all the questions. I’ll go back and do that in my own personal studies. I simply read through the book in order to turn around and tell you as quickly as possible – GO BUY THIS BOOK FOR YOURSELF AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!

Actually, if you haven’t read None Like Him, start there. This really isn’t a sequel. But you won’t appreciate the impact that we share characteristics with God until you understand how much we don’t have in common (ughh…sin…)

Music Review: Rend Collective’s Good News

Mar 06 2018

Three months ago, Spotify offered me three months of their premium service for just 99 cents. I decided to give it a try. And as a result, I have listened to nothing but Spotify at the office since December. I was able to listen to entire albums without ads (I didn’t realize how annoying ads were until they were suddenly gone!).

A couple weeks ago, I noticed that Rend Collective had posted a new album, Good News. So I listened to it once. Then twice. Then every day for the past two weeks. I was hooked.

I’ve previously been a fan of Rend Collective, primarily “You are My Vision” and “Build Your Kingdom Here.” But there’s something special about their new album. Something that makes me listen to the entire album on repeat for days.

So let me walk you through the first half of the album to display what continues to draw me back to it.

1. Life Is Beautiful: The intro music is a bit fanciful, like a dream. Then the opening lines are beautiful poetry:

Painter of skies, maker of stars
Holder of seas and all our hearts
Artist of life, father of lights
When I’m with you my soul ignites
You see my sin but love me the same
Breathe on my hurt and raise me again
Up from the ash, up from the dust
You’re recreating us

I will not waste this day you’ve made
I will be glad

Rejoice, rejoice

2. I Will Be Undignified: The singer is dancing like David danced and proclaims, “I will be undignified. I will praise the Lord my God with all my might. I will leave my pride behind. I will praise the Lord my God with all my life.” This song makes my Baptist-raised heart want to lift my hands and dance along with him!

Book Review: Wonder

Jan 09 2018

Today’s book review is a departure from the norm for me. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that I semi-regularly post reviews on Bible studies and other books related to spiritual development. But today, I’m writing about Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

This review isn’t intended to be an in-depth look at the literary features that Palacio uses. But rather, a reminder to parents to know what your children are reading and have open conversations about it. Because, to me, there was one terrifying lesson that I came away with after reading Wonder.

Book Review: Fervent

Aug 15 2017

My first introduction to Priscilla Shirer was her Bible study on Jonah (Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted). I loved it! I was an almost-college-graduate who joined this study with the married women in our church. Each week we gathered together to watch Priscilla’s teaching videos and discuss our homework.

Since then, I have followed Priscilla Shirer on social media but haven’t had the opportunity to participate in another study. So I was absolutely thrilled when I came across her book Fervent.

I eagerly began to read. The book was incredibly timely because my prayer life had been gradually fading and her entire emphasis was prayer. Then, it felt too timely. So I quit.

I walked away from the book. Every chapter was more convicting than the last and I just couldn’t deal.

I moved onto a long string of just-for-fun books. The stress level of adding a foster child to our house caused me to withdraw from my spiritual growth books. I’ve always favored literature and fiction, but I had been carefully selecting at least one spiritual book to read every month or two.

It was time to finish what I had started and put Priscilla’s fervent prayer life into practice. So early August, I picked it up again. And it was every bit as challenging, convicting, and encouraging as it had been the first time.

Book Review: Unashamed

Sep 07 2016

When Lecrae Moore watched his son take his first step, he knew it would be followed immediately by a fall. One step. That’s all his son could take. In the process of learning to walk, falling and injury were expected. This is how Lecrae’s faith in God developed also. One step followed by tumbles and stretches of time refusing to get back up.

But today, Lecrae is known for his commitment to his faith and as a hip-hop artist. Among numerous accolades, he is a two-time Grammy Award winning hip-hop artist whose studio albums and mix tapes have sold nearly 2 million copies. His 2014 album, Anomaly, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.

Many of us know the Lecrae who achieved musical success. In his recent autobiography Unashamed, Lecrae recounts the painful years of his life spent for his own glory.

Lecrae writes openly about his rebellious childhood filled with poverty, physical and sexual abuse, drugs, and fights. But through a college Bible study, he came to know a personal relationship with God. It was a shallow faith that he packed full of legalistic rules.

In fact,he threw away his secular CDs and taped the empty cases together into a 5 foot pillar in his room to brag about how great of a Christian he was since he sacrificed so much. Reflecting back, Lecrae calls it “a monument to my own self-righteousness.”

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