Surrender to Love, by David Benner

Topic: Spiritual formation

Summary: An exposition on the importance of seeing God's love as foundational to the transformation process.

Positives: Explains how experiencing the love of God is needed for transformation of our heart; expertise is in the area of psychology, which he brings to bear wisely; anticipates and handles objections; provides many helpful stories of people he has worked with; provides "homework" assignments at the end of each chapter;

Negatives: Lacked some of the "how-to" stuff that I love so much; some people will think he's downplaying sin (though I would disagree); short (but maybe that's a positive); girly cover and name made me feel awkward reading it in public.

Conclusion: Worth reading, especially if you're into formation/transformation. Gets 4/5 stars.

* - Wish I hadn't wasted the time
** - Maybe other people would be interested in the topic... maybe
*** - Worth reading selected chapters
**** - Worth reading in its entirety
***** - Will read again; goes on the nightstand (if I had a nightstand)

Spiritual Leadership, by J. Oswald Sanders

Topic: Christian leadership

Summary: Lectures from the mid-20th century by Sanders to a missionary organization on the nature, scope, and practice of Christian leadership.

Positives: Insightful; challenging; practical; applicable; biblically sound; found useful throughout generations.

Negatives: Some of the applications are a bit aged, as are some of the metaphors; written for missionaries in a cross-cultural context.

Conclusion: I'll use selected chapters in the future, but the whole thing would be worth reading. Gets 4/5 stars.

* - Wish I hadn't wasted the time
** - Maybe other people would be interested in the topic... maybe
*** - Worth reading selected chapters
**** - Worth reading in its entirety
***** - Will read again; goes on the nightstand (if I had a nightstand)

My plan for this blog

For me, a blog is a good intention with little chance of success. It's like the eight journals with two entries each, but at least blogs are free.

Well, here's my minimalist hope for this blog - when I read a book, I give a 100 word summation and review here.

When I don't read a book, I look at the blog and remind myself of all the books I have read, thus satisfying my ego for a moment.