Hubs and I often tune into NewSpring Church services, via the internet, where Perry Noble is pastor.  We really enjoy Perry’s teaching style, and his sermons are timely and relevant.  Back in September, we received a copy of Perry’s new book Unleash! in it’s pre-release .pdf format for review.  I was actually supposed to write my review of it by September 25th, as part of the book launch team.

Trouble was, I had bitten off more than I could chew with the home remodel, and then I had to start seeing the pain management specialist, too. Etc.  Etc.  So, the book languished on my PC.  That is in no way a reflection of the text, but of my poor organizational skills and time management (or lack thereof).

Anyway.

Back to Perry Noble’s book. 

Perry start’s off the book with a story about him driving his mother-in-law’s Mustang.  After driving it all day, he wondered if the car had an power under the hood.  Duh.  He then unleashed the power harnessed therein and stomped the one on the right.  Yah.  That one.  Very quickly he realized he needed to let off the gas before he lost control.  Afterward, he thought “If I had known this car had that kind of power, I would have driven it a lot differently today—and I would have had a lot more fun while I was at it.”  Perry goes on to correlate that experience to the Christian life and how many of us go through life without a clue as to the power that is available to us. 

Perry goes on to ask “If God, the Creator of the universe, created on purpose, with a purpose, and for for a purpose, then why in the world would be willing to settle for anything less (p. 64)?”  He negates the excuses one might use  and uses the life of David to illustrate what living life Unleashed! looks like.  He uses humor and personal life stories to keep it real. 

Check out this book trailer…

Unleash! by Perry Noble (Trailer) from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to give this book to someone seeking a relationship with the Lord or to a new Christian.

Unleash! is available at http://www.unleashbook.com/, on Amazon, and wherever Christian books are sold.  The Unleash! curriculum, which corresponds with the book, is due to be released this month. 

I’ve confessed it before… I’ve never been much of a history buff.  I did well in history in school, but only because I couldn’t stand to do poorly at anything.  I never really cared about the subject.

When we were growing up, Mom had a little rule of thumb for squabbles… “If it’s twenty four hours old, it’s cold, it’s in the past, leave it there.”  That is how I felt about history.  It was old and cold, and for the most part, I thought, “Meh, they’re dead, so who cares.”

That is, until this last year.

I realized, albeit a bit late in life, how much I could learn by examining the lives of others.  It started with a little book called Martin Luther had a Wife, which was recommended by my pastor.  As I read about the marital blunders made by of some of the heroes of the Christian, I was encouraged to protect my marriage in light of ministry.

When I received an opportunity to read 10 Christians Everyone Should Know, from BookSneeze® , I figured if I liked what I read about each of the ten, I could delve into their lives some more, but if not, I hadn’t wasted too much energy on reading about them.

The book is split into ten chapters, a chapter for each Christian that everyone should know.  Some of them are well known to many, some of them pretty obscure.  They include Saint Patrick, Galileo, Anne Bradstreet, John Bunyan, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jane Austen, D.L. Moody, George Washington Carver, Sergeant York, and William F. Buckley Jr.

I was most interested in the lives of Jane Austen and George Washington Carver.  I’ve long been a fan of Jane Austen’s literature, and enjoyed learning how her faith and her upbringing influenced her writings. I heard a quote, a few months back, that was attributed to George Washington Carver.  It was, “Lose, if need be, without squealing. Win without bragging.”  I’ve repeated the phrase often to my son, and wanted to learn more about the man who uttered it.  I had never heard of Sergeant York, but want to know more about him now.

All in all, the book 10 Christians Everyone Should Know is good book.  It is dry and slow in some places, but makes up for it in others.  I would recommend reading a chapter, then read something else, then come back for another chapter.  That’s what I did.  Of course, if you are a history buff, you could likely digest the book in an evening.  It took me a couple of weeks.

***Product sample received to facilitate review, all opinions are my own.***