Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


KINGDOM VALUES: Character > Chaos – by Tony Evans

This book has two parts. Part one: The Foundation of Biblical Character focuses on Truth. He addresses what Truth actually is, why there is an absence of it, and how to return to it. And then he has a great chapter on “Merging Love with Truth”. Evans says, “Our job as representatives of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords in the church and outwardly to the world is to inform culture about what heaven thinks on every subject.” He points out that we are to be showing the world around us what it means to live out the truth of God, and do this with love.

Part Two: The Components of Biblical Character is a great journey through the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. He shows how a correct relationship with God will enable us to be better at living out truth.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


PEOPLE TO BE LOVED: Why homosexuality is not just an issue – by Preston Sprinkle

Preston Sprinkle provides a well thought out and Biblical response to questions about homosexuality. This is a much-needed book for our world and for the church. Sprinkle is writing about an issue that is important for him as he has gone out of his way to develop friendships with many gay people. He is writing about how to love real people and how to maintain truth. He does a thorough job of looking at scriptures, even refuting some that have been used as “anti-gay” artillery, while highlighting others that are clearly lay out God’s view against homosexuality. He helps us work through certain definitions that clarify what we are talking about. I appreciate how his struggle to maintain God’s truth as authoritative and maintain loving friendships with gay people is evident in his book. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a solid understanding of God’s view regarding people with same-sex attraction.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


UNSTUCK: A Nine-Step Journey to Change that Lasts – by Tim Lane

Tim Lane walks through a 9-step process to deal with lasting personal change. If there is an issue or a habit you are dealing with and would like to change, he believes his 9 steps will help you work your way through and overcome. He uses some examples from his own life and people he has helped to show how to work the process. If you are looking to make personal change, check out this book.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD – By Brother Lawrence

This book describes how Bother Lawrence practiced the presence of God in the mundane practices of life. It was in 1666 that he became a lay brother among the Carmelites at Paris. His main role was to work in the kitchen. He practiced the presence of God in his everyday activities, so much so that he felt that time for devotions distracted him from his time with God. He was continually aware of God’s presence, as if he had a continuous uninterrupted conversation with God. “I desire only Him, and to be wholly devoted to Him. He pointed out the need to be fully committed to God, “no soul which delights in earthly things, can find full joy in the Presence of God.” This is a little old book that packs a big punch if you want to draw near to God.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


7 FRIENDSHIPS EVERY MAN NEEDS – by Justin Erickson

Erickson suggests that every man needs these 7 friends in their life to live a full life. Here are his seven friends: a mentor to disciple you, a Peter to encourage you, a best friend to uphold you, a courageous brother to confront you, a faithful disciple to follow you, a lost seeker to hear you, and a gracious Savior to befriend you. He presents some well though out chapters on the value of each one, comparing them to the value of a pit crew to a Nascar driver. While I do agree that most of us men could use more friends, I think it is highly unlikely that any man will have seven solid friendships in their life at the same time. Some of those roles may be played by the same person, or at times we may have a friend in a certain role for a season, yet his premise holds true: Men need to find more good friends to walk through life with.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


LEADING WITH A LIMP – by Dan B. Allender, PhD.

Allender states this as his core assumption for the book: “To the degree you face and name and deal with your failures as a leader, to that same extent you will create an environment conducive to growing and retaining productive and committed colleagues.” If you try to hide your failures as a leader, you will need to be more controlling of others around you. He says that in God’s leadership model, “He calls us to brokenness, not performance; to relationships, not commotion; to grace, not success.” While leaders often feel compelled to show they know everything and are definitely the right people for the job, they would be better off admitting their weaknesses since  everybody else can see them anyway, and work more on a good relationship with people than just trying to get the most out of them for the task at hand. Allender offers this great quote as he talks about the difficulty of being a leader and casting vision. “One can speak of vision and mission, calling and opportunity until the cows come home, but when the day ends, most people want nothing more demanding than some television and a few uncomplicated laughs.” He speaks honestly of the hard work of being a leader while giving hope from God’s perspective. A great leadership book that makes one think.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


GETTING NAKED – by Patrick Lencioni

Getting Naked: a Business Fable, by Patrick Lencioni is exactly that. It is a well written story of a businessman sent to check out a smaller company that has just been acquired by the company he works for. He expects that, because it is a small company, it will not have anything to teach him. He is surprised by the things he discovers. He learns that they have a much better way of handling clients and doing their work than what he is used to. Lencioni concludes the book with a few key points that are already clearly shown at work in the story. A great book on how to benefit from being vulnerable in business.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


CHURCHLESS – by George Barna & David Kinnaman

Churchless: Understanding Today’s Unchurched and How to Connect with Them – by George Barna & David Kinnaman.

If you are familiar with the Barna Group, you know that they do ongoing research focused on the church and aspects of the church. This book is all about what the unchurched in our world are like and what they think of the church. It may not surprise you that most don’t think about the church hardly at all, and when they do, it is either with a negative or neutral view for the most part. At the same time, there are still people out there who would attend church with you if you only invited them. They will be more interested in the church if the church is known for its care for the community and meeting real needs. A good sermon or music will not draw most of them in. If they want entertainment, they can find better stuff in the world. A good place to start in connecting with the unchurched is to develop friendships as many people are lonely. It’s a great book if you want some real statistics. If you want the most up-to-date stats go to Barna.com.

Boor Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


NECESSARY ENDINGS – by Dr. Henry Cloud

In Necessary Endings: The employees, businesses, and relationships that all of us have to give up in order to move forward, Dr. Henry Cloud explains why good endings are needed for good beginnings. He uses a number of great examples to show how appropriate endings at the right time can be very positive for you personally and for the organization you are part of or leading. Some endings are forced on us, and some are ones we choose, in either case we can determine how we will use that ending as an opportunity for something new. When you end something, you have room for that next thing that can be even better than what you just ended. A very helpful book!

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.


SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH EASE: How the love of Christ can flow naturally from your life – by Thom Rainer

In Sharing the Gospel with Ease, Thom Rainer explains how sharing the gospel should be a natural experience for a follower of Christ. He reminds us of our calling in the Great Commission from Matthew 28 and our encouragement and empowerment in Acts 1. Thom points out that many of us use excuses for not sharing the gospel. We complain about having no time. But the average Christian is also apathetic about the gospel. We say that we realize unbelievers will miss out on heaven and end up in hell, but we don’t seem to care enough to do it. Thom Rainer encourages us to allow it to be a natural part of our life. And to pray that God would guide us and open doors for us to share. A good little book.