Put Your Dream To The Test ::: John C. Maxwell
(10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It)

I’ve read bits and pieces of Maxwell’s writings over the years, but never actually sat down and read one of his books all the way through. While this book isn’t breaking new ground, per se, it is a solid compilation and practical approach to pursuing and realizing your life dream.

Each chapter is an exploration of a question the author is posing to the reader. The questions challenge you to make sure that you’re approach is based in reality rather than just pie-in-the-sky hopes. In fact, at the back of the book there is a practical study guide called “My Dream Map”. It walks you through the 10 questions and offers exercises for you to work out the concepts introduced throughout the book.

Each chapter also includes a real-life story of someone who has followed their dream and succeeded. I thought this was a great addition to the content because it took it beyond theory and showed real-world application.

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I Knew Jesus Before He Was A Christian…and I Liked Him Better Then

Now there’s a book title!

To be honest, I was a little cautious diving into this book. I wondered if it would be another one of the “I love Jesus but I don’t like church” books that Christian publishers have been churning out over the past couple years. It wasn’t. I was pleased to find the author’s approach and tone to be fair, conversational and engaging.

The heart of the book is a compare and contrast of the Jesus that is described in the Bible -vs- the Jesus that a great deal of modern Christianity presents. I found myself very intrigued by the discussion of Christian faith and religious expression in the pre & post Constantine eras. Shelly contends that there is a clear distinction of the church that grew organically pre-Constantine and the church that has grown organizationally post-Constantine.

A good portion of the book looks at what church could be like if we approached it in the way Jesus modeled it. In an honest assessment of the modern American Church, I agree that we see many flaws and ways it has failed in living out the true message of Jesus in our world today. Within institutionalized or establishment religiosity there are gaps between the Gospel message of scripture and living a relational faith that is compassionate and authentic.

So long as church is a place or a series of events on certain days and at certain times, it will continue to have minimal-to-decreasing influence for changing the world.

I am still processing a lot of what I read in this book…I like a book that makes me think. I appreciate that it isn’t a ‘bash the church’ book and that a balanced look is given to the reasons the church is where it is today, as well as some of the ways we can be different as we look to the future.

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