Primal
Breaking the fast for one post before the New Year:
Primal, Mark Batterson
I wanted to hate it. I really did. Just a page or two into the introduction, and I was convinced Primal wouldn’t be any different than any other book criticizing modern Christians for being “lukewarm.” I knew it was going to rant and rave through 192 pages. I was convinced that I would drag myself through and write the obligatory blog post.*
But when I hit the first chapter, my perspective changed. Batterson walked me through a reinvigoration of loving God with all (more) of my heart, soul and mind. His early admission of his personal fascination with science uncovers itself in nearly every chapter. While at times it appears that illustrations are injected for the sake of an illustration, the stories each add a layer to Batterson’s point and provide credence to his writing style. He’s well-read and well-thought, and writes out the intersection of faith in God and the intricacy of creation and science.
Primal is exciting. It’s inspirational and encouraging. It makes me eager to seek out God more clearly in my life. The early fear of an angry author attempting to change “the next generation” was thrown out the window along the way. Batterson’s personal creativity, both in his own life and in ministry, speak to me.
I didn’t hate it. In fact, far from it.
*my copy of Primal was provided by Multnomah Books, the publisher of the book. No other compensation was provided.
Review: The Expanded Bible
Bible. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2009.”]![The [Expanded] Bible. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2009.](http://www.rvaym.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/200_1000_Book.75.cover.jpg "The [Expanded] Bible")
How do you review The Bible?
The [Expanded
Really, you can’t review the text itself. You can review how it was written and the style, but not the content.
Thomas Nelson released The [Expanded] Bible this summer with praise from John Ortberg. Based off the New Century Version [NCV], The [Expanded] Bible takes the original text of Scripture and fleshes out English words with multiple meanings and expanded descriptions in order to more fully understand the movement of the text. For instance, John 3:16 reads this way:
[For] God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only [only; unique; only begotten; 1:14, 18] Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost [perish], but have eternal life.
Would I use this Bible on a regular basis? Really, I probably should. As I read through a passage, it would help me re-tell the story by knowing more of the true essence of the original text. I don’t use the NCV on a regular basis, though, so that makes it slightly more difficult. It does give a good glimpse into another way of reading Scripture, but I think I’ll wait until the full Bible is released in this style.
Caring for the Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell tells stories. And he tells stories well. Lots and lots of stories.
That is the premise of his writing style, drawing the reader along his journey to discovery.
Discovery, in this case, is the phenomenon of outliers, those people who fit into a demographic mold unlike the majority of the population.
Gladwell tells the story of the Rosetan immigrants to Bangor, Pennsylvania, and their unique community which kept them healthy despite the societal norm in east-central Pennsylvania.
He tells of the two top teams in the elite junior hockey league in Canada and discovers why young men become elite hockey (and after a separate analysis, baseball) stars. Continue reading