God Is My Broker: A Monk-Tycoon Reveals the 7 1/2 Laws of Spiritual and Financial Growth by Christopher Buckley and John Tierney

Takeaway: If you don’t know what good satire is all about, you have not read anything by Christopher Buckley. Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Audible.com Audiobook I hate abridged audiobooks.  You never know what you really are missing, you just know something is missing.  Is it a good part, a lousy part.  Is it five minutes … Read more

Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar

Takeaway: There is a reason that the concept of paradigm shifts was originated in science history. Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook Science is a weak area for me.  I only had one science class in college and it was one of the weakest teachers I had in college.  And my high school science was … Read more

The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World by David Kirkpatrick

Guest Post by David Sawyer Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook Undoubtedly the most exhaustive book on Facebook’s history, development, and future going forward. If you’re just looking for a quick read in the form of a novel, check out Mezrich’s The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius … Read more

Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between the Rich and the Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz

Takeaway: It is easy to do more harm than good when working among the poor. Developing people and infrastructure is usually harder, but more important for the long term. Purchase Links: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook This is a book that has been on my to read list since it first came out about … Read more

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley

The Grace of God

My Takeaway: Grace really is the central message of the Gospel.

I have been meandering through this book for a while.  I bought it pre-release when it was sold at church (full disclosure, I go to Buckhead Church, Andy Stanley is my pastor.)  Then Thomas Nelson gave away the ebook if you signed up on the Facebook page.  So I waited for the ebook to come out.  Thomas Nelson only distributed it in PDF (they really should know better).  So I tried converting it to kindle format using Calibre and it did not look that great.  I eventually finished the book by reading it as a pdf on the iPad, a far from perfect experience.

This is my first of Andy Stanley’s explicitly theological books.  I have read some of his leadership books and I think leadership is where he really shines.  He is a great preacher and having attended the church for a while I can recall some of the sermons this was based on.  It is not a sermon series turned to book form.  But there are a few things that I recognize from earlier sermons.  I think there is just as much that will be in future sermons.  In fact, I recognize a couple quotes from the book as being in the last two week’s sermons and the book has been in my house for the past couple months.

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Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard

Takeaway: Classics are classics for a reason.  If you are serious about trying to follow after God, this is a book that will challenge you no matter what your maturity. Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook Finding God’s will is a common desire.  Often people can be paralized because they are afraid of not … Read more