Surfing for God - Michael John Cusick

Surfing for God was a very eyes opening look at the cause and effects of a porn addition.  After having spent much of my life after the age of 15 addicted to porn I began to understand what was causing this addiction.  The most surprising to me was that the addition had nothing to do with sex.  Some of the ideas that the author suggest guys could really be longing for while looking at porn are; attention, affection, affirmation, acceptance, satisfaction, significance or security.  While we have all these needs for the the greatest need I was looking for was attention, longing for meaningful friendship.

The thing about this addition is that Satan takes these weaknesses and picks that them causing the issue to constantly be on the surface.  “In the embers of your wickedness, weakness, and woundedness, the Enemy lurks, seeking to throw gas on the fires of brokenness.”

Even while realizing this I can tell you that the author’s story of his own struggle with porn proves that there is hope.  His story was fascinating and a realization that no matter how deep into the addition one feel, there is always hope.  A hope that can only be found in the confidence one must place in Jesus Christ.

John MacAuthur The Truth about Grace

“The Truth about Grace”, is one of a series of books written by John MacArthur breaking down common areas of theology that are misunderstood and often times exploited by modern liberal churches today.  John MacArthur is a fundamentally conservative Biblically centered pastor who has written countless books, sermons, and articles teaching and leading people to a better understanding of the most elementary and basic  yet vital aspects of their faith in Christ.

Just like every other MacArthur book I have read he breaks down his thoughts point by point, backing everything with scripture that is always in proper context.  He does a great job of this particularly in the chapter regarding how Grace is twisted and misunderstood. 

The one thing that I will take away from this book is an acronym that I had never heard before regarding GRACE; God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  While John explains that this is a great way to characterize grace, but theologically there is is much, much more.  His definition of grace is far more detailed and to the point.  “the free and benevolent influence of a holy God operating sovereignly in the lives of undeserving sinners”.  While I agree with this definition, it is difficult to share this definition with new believers of Christ.

I love John MacArthur I sometimes find him to be somewhat legalistic in his approach and theology.  This book is no exception.

I received this book free through booksneeze.com.  While the book was free the opinions are my own.

“Simply Grilling” by Jennifer Chandler

Being in the summer mood after such a wonderful and simple winter I was excited to see that booksneeze was offering a book on grilling, something that is nontraditional for the booksneeze reader program.

The book is “Simply Grilling” by Jennifer Chandler.  She has been featured on both The Food Network and Martha Stewart Sirius Radio program.  With this background I was concerned that this book may be over my head.  I am slightly more than a novice griller and I felt that this book would either help me or be so over my head.   I was a little of both.

Much of the book offered simple recipes and starts with the very basic information including information on different grills, rubs, marinates, and the differences between them.  Once you have selected a recipe there are tips including; prep work, variations, suggested sides, and if the food can be converted to an indoor pan.    There are however a few recipes that would be easier for a more experience grill master.

This book would make a great gift for any occasion but with Father’s Day coming up; it would be a wonderful option for any man who desires to be a master griller.

I received this book for free through the booksneeze blog review program.  While I was given the book the opinions are my own.

KJV American Patriot's Bible

I reviewed the KJV American Patriot's Bible for the Thomas Nelson book review program in return for a honest opinion. I must say that this is an attractive Bible. This Bible has a very nice sized font that is very easy to read. At the beginning of each book their is a nice description of that book.  Throughout the Bible there are quips from different parts of American history. Some of them are stories, and stories you may have never heard ( I might add).  For example,  in the book of Genisis it talks about the Apollo 8 crew and how they took turns reading Genesis over the air. Some of the other ones are full picture, in color with stories or quotes. This book has a nice secure binding. I would say that the only 2 down sides are that 1) the cover is just a paper jacket (underneath is plain red Bible) 2) At times it may be distracting to some who may get sidetracked into reading some of the stories instead of reading the Bible.

The Coming Revolution written by Dr. Richard Lee

This is the first book written by Dr. Lee and I must say, it will not be the last.  Dr. Lee shares many thoughts and feeling that I find not only true but also vital to the survival and resurrection of this country back to the top.

Going back to the Christian roots of America we see that the foundation this land was formed upon is nothing like we see it today.  We are told that the Constitution is an antiquated document that should be read as if it was written for their time and altered for ours.  That is simply not true.   However the same issues that were going on before the time of first Revolution are some of the same issues that we face today.

While this revolution will not contain muskets it will need to stand up for what is right.  We must be willing to fight for the return of our country to the Christian foundation in which it was created upon.  People will try to teach that is wasn’t built on Christian roots but anyone who takes a deeper look at the Founding Fathers own words will see the truth.  False idea, false religions, and false principles are invading our country.

 “A democracy is always temporary in nature;  it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.  A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover  that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.  From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates  who promise the most benefits from the public treasury,  with the result that every democracy will finally collapse  due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship”- Alexander Tytler 1787.  We must be willing to role up our sleeves and do the hard work that will need to be done to ensure that we pass on a better land and we were given.  That is the true American dream, to give our kids a better opportunity.  With Dr. Lee’s vision, it is possible.

I will given this book through booksneeze.com.  My opinions are my own.

A Year with Jesus, a devotional by R.P. Nettelhorst

 A Year with Jesus, a devotional by R.P. Nettelhorst is a great daily devotional that is numbered daily (not set dates.) The format of this book is broken down into categories, such as Love and Hate, Truth and Lies. Each daily devotional is laid out by scripture first then how that scripture can apply to our lives. There are a total of 365 devotions.
I would say that this is an excellent devotion. One of the nice things is that it is not dated so you can pick up from where you left off if you miss a day. I would say that it is not over the top in depth but is enough of a reminder of certain verses in the Bible and how we should apply them. If you are looking for great depth instead of just guiding this isn't the book for you. I have not read the whole book but I have done daily devotionals for a couple of weeks out of this book. Easy to share with others.
I received this book from Thomas Nelson in return for an honest review.

Excellent Devotional for Husbands

When I saw that there was a devotional geared toward men about marriage I was actually excited about the idea.  My wife and I had taken the Love and Respect course at church so I was already familiar with Dr. Eggerichs ideas. “The Love and Respect Experience; A Husband-Friendly Devotional that Wives Truly Love”  is written by Emerson Eggerichs founder of Love and Respect Ministries.

This devotional is not set up the same as a traditional devotional.  Instead of a daily devotional this is a weekly devotional.    Included with each devotional is a set of discussion questions that brings a better understanding to the teaching. The devotions are short, but direct, attacking the heart of both the husband and the wife.

This format, while the text is geared towards the man, is great for taking a year to work on your relationship in a way that isn’t so demanding.  The best way to use this book is to have each person review the information, answer the questions, and then come together and share your thoughts for the week.

As a added note this book would make an attractive gift as it is bound, not as a hard cover, but with imitation leather, making this book even that much more attractive.

I received this book free from the publisher through the www.BookSneeze.com, book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.