Ministry Journey Blog

Thoughts on Ministry

20 May

Book Review-Unleashed by Erwin McManus

Posted in Uncategorized on 20.05.11 by Merlyn

Book Review

Published on Book Sneeze & Amazon

Unleashed by Erwin McManus

This book Erwin McManus is a revision and re-release of his book The Barbarian Way, which I have read several years ago. I have heard Erwin speak and have always found his material to be enjoyable. In this book, Erwin challenges the corporate, safe, neutered faith that many Christians have chosen. McManus calls all followers of Jesus to a Barbarian faith, one that is raw, authentic, risk-taking, and kingdom minded. McManus is a great storyteller and uses a lot of personal stories, especially relating to his own family to talk about living a passionate faith that is not tamed by the expectations of the church or the world.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a fast and easy read. Even though I had read the previous book, I did not feel as though this book was a repeat at all. I enjoyed the stories in the book, although sometimes they were hard to follow or longer than they needed to be. McManus give the American church a message that it needs to hear, that we have packaged our faith and are not living it out with passion. No matter where you are in your faith journey, this book will encourage you to something greater. I found the message of the book to be a kingdom message. The book is more motivational than it is practical or theological which did not weaken it at all. Erwin brings a kingdom message and reminds his readers that Christ has come to transform our lives and that we are called to transform the world. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants more of the abundant life that Jesus has promised his followers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Rev. Marcus J Carlson

 

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07 May

Tired

Posted in Uncategorized on 07.05.11 by Merlyn

There seem to be times, phases and seasons of ministry that require varying levels of energy. Additionally there seem to be times, phases, and seasons of ministry that produce energy while others produce tiredness. Right now, I feel like life is like the rainy day in the picture above. Ministry is good and things are not particularly tiring or difficult right now, but as I approach the end of the school year I find myself feeling very tired. Maybe it is a result of the end of the school year or just a byproduct of ending one season of ministry and preparing for the summer season. Perhaps the issue is that I need a vacation. I often take all of my vacation at once and now that I have four weeks, I might want to reconsider that approach. I lead a full and busy life and I do not often rest. While I am not worried about it, I want to be sure to be attentive to it and think about what it really means.

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