The book emphasizes togetherness… learned in the context of the small group. Better Together calls us to Love, Reach Out, Fellowship, Grow, Serve and Worship Together. All good stuff!

The next step? Carrying the theme out into the world. I like that… let’s all learn to do good together, then let’s all put on our Jesus and do good everywhere, all throughout the week! A key verse from the book for Community: “You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common” 1 Corinthians 1:10.

Confession: I’ve spent 4 months in this book. Yep, a few extra days marinating in the concepts here… this was intentional on my part. As you know, the Capital U for Unity is a big deal to me in my special world.

If you haven’t done so I would encourage you to read this book with your small group. It’s meaningful and excellent!

Q’s: Have you read any other good books on Unity? How can we make sure our interactions collectively as Christians are a testimony of the love of Jesus to our community?

The post Book Review: Better Together: What On Earth Are We Here For by Rick Warren first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

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Have you ever read the Bible and really didn’t get it? When I first started reading the Bible it was like a foreign language… difficult to understand and interpret (and I’m not even referring to Jesus’ parables!). As I started to read more and more some of it started to make sense… or so I thought at the time. My first big boy Bible, given to me by Grammy Ann, was the New International Version (NIV). The NIV is sort of the modern-day speakeasy version of the big book. I now have 3 Bibles, adding to the NIV an Amplified Bible and the New King James Version, which is now my favorite.

My mom gave me “Living By The Book” not long ago. It’s like a college text for theologians (which I’m not… I’m just an average Joe who happens to love our Lord and Savior). Written by Dr. Howard G. Hendricks and his son, William. Dr. Hendricks was a distinguished professor and lecturer at Dallas Theological Seminary. This book is basically Dr. Hendricks “how to study the Bible 101 course.” I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn more of The Word. Through it, as Charles Swindoll says, “the Bible became user friendly.” I agree with Swindoll. This book opened up my mind to parts of Bible verses and passages like never before. This takes work and practice… and Dr. Hendricks book is instrumental in learning how, focusing on Observation, strategies for reading, keys to Interpretation and, of course, Application. I learned how to read a verse in its proper context, feeling the power of the individual words, along with getting the big picture of each of the books within the Bible. “Living By The Book” is a powerful tool to learning more from the Bible.

Are there any books you could recommend that help one absorb more from the Bible?

The post Book Review: Living By The Book, by Dr. Howard G. and William D. Hendricks first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

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Yep, another Andy Andrews book… out for release TODAY. Just when you think they can’t get any better, Andy does it again!! An absolute masterpiece.

This book continues the story of David Ponder, the time traveler from Andy’s “The Traveler’s Gift.” Please read my previous review on The Traveler’s Gift. This time, Ponder is commissioned by the archangel Gabriel to lead the other Traveler’s in “examining the accumulated wisdom of the past in order to determine the future of humanity. Or if there is even to be a future on this earth–”

You see, God has decided that man has once again gone too far… as Gabriel says: “For many years, you have progressively turned away from the real truth and in its stead have attempted to create your own version of a ‘truth’ that your intellect can comprehend. In so doing, you have become increasingly hungry for the attributes of destruction – an unquenchable thirst for riches, a disdain for your fellow man, and power for its own sake.”

Ponder was chosen to lead this group of Traveler’s in making a choice… a decision of how to proceed… indeed, Ponder was chosen because “he was the ideal example of the human race… uncertain of life’s purpose, inconsistent in his actions and attitudes, and angry about it all…”

David Ponder leads us to doing the ONE THING we must do when we don’t know what to do…

The incredible story unfolds from there, a remarkable work by Andy Andrews. Andy inspired us with normal, everyday language that is engaging and keeps you coming back for more.

The Final Summit is surely heading for the top!

Any guesses on the ONE THING that we must do??

I received this book for free from the publisher, and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The post Book Review: “The Final Summit” by Andy Andrews first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.