geoffreybaines

• Rated 3 stars

“This is another book passed to me by someone to read this year. It's a good little book on the arts, with some very helpful thinking about how to be a Christ-follower whether you are in the arts or not.”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Saturday, December 27 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I love anything from Erwin McManus. Just recently, when asked for my favourite book, it was one of Erwin's I could pull from a list of candidates ('The Barbarian Way'. Probably the fact that I'd read it once a year over the four years had something to do with it.

This book is a further development of what Erwin has to share about the creativity of human beings. Whilst not as tightly written as other books by him, there are many good ideas and thoughts to explore as a fellow traveller of one who wants to dream wide awake.

As always with his writing, there is a sense of a quest beneath the surface, which builds up the meaning of what we shall find when we awaken the hero, as: artist, explorer, alchemist, believer, seer, activist, hedonist, romantic, human. There may be some words amongst these that don't seem to belong for a follower of Christ, but read on and you won't be disappointed.”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Tuesday, December 23 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“A brilliant read, with Seth Godin challenging the status quo in all kinds of institutions, as "heretics" step up to lead "tribes" of people to live lives of "faith," taking on "religion" that seeks to keep the status quo rather than supporting faith.

You would think this was a book about the church or some world faith, but no, Seth Godin is still a marketing guru, but what he has to share is permission-giving to people who hope for some kind of better world. I feel that this book is, more than ever, Godin's contribution to the tribe of people wanting to see a better world, challenging those who "have," who are able to speak of opportunity, to see what they have before them is an "obligation." There are lots of great stories and examples towards this. ”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Saturday, November 29 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“This is challenging book from Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw; at times it is a very uneasy read - I fully recommend it to you.

One of the things you'll notice is that it's a very attractive book - multi-coloured pages and scrapbook/journal format. This doesn't mean it's a light read, though it can be difficult to read the text on some of the pages, so read in good light.

The book considers how Jesus and his followers lived in the politically charged world under the control of the Roman Empire. The authors then lay out how the followers of the way chose to live comparing this with believers under and within the American Empire today (they point at that both Rome and the US spent/spend the same amount of their budgets on the military). They tell more stories of how people live a third way today: watch out for the story of the Belize farmers.

Although this is written primarily for an American audience, it has a lot to offer to Christians everywhere, who are reminded that there lives must be about love first of all. It doesn't do any harm, either, to know that there are people believing and living in these ways in the USA.”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Friday, November 28 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“There's a lot about this book I didn't understand (I'm not a scientist by any sense of the imagination), but what Thomas Kuhn shares about how paradigms come about (over and against the natural science of ongoing work within a theory or paradigm) and the kind of people involved in introducing them was fascinating stuff.

Read this if you are struggling with the changes outside the organism or organisation you are a part of, but are not seeing the changes needed within.”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Monday, November 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I loved the title: when there are frustrations about moving on when the things that are being done ain't working, I need something like this.

I didn't know anything about Richard Branson before reading this, but very much appreciated the way this man lived to his strengths. It wanders through the points that it makes, but that's Branson's way and once I got used to it, it was fine.

”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Monday, November 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I wish I could get a copy of the book this accompanies. This is very much a guide and relies on the source book. However, there is still a lot of excellent things concerning the mission of God in its pages. It makes me want to get hold of the book it accompanies even more.”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Monday, November 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I needed a book to read at the end of the day and this was all there was around the house that I could find at the end of the day.

When I began reading I thought that it was going to be a little gory, but the story moved on unexpectedly and very engagingly.”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Monday, November 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“This is a very practical book to pick up. It's a lot about using it rather than reading it - made up as it is of a DVD, a 110 page book, and a notebook to carry around.

Marcus Buckingham is clear and succinct, passionate about what he is sharing, and offers an excellent resource to help people explore just how remarkable they are, linked to five tenets, including: "You'll never find the perfect job." That might sound unexpected from Buckingham if you know anything about his work - but read on and you won't be disappointed.
”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Monday, November 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I was passed this book to read by someone in my church family. The most obvious thing to say about it is that it is not very easy to read for anyone outside of the USA as it is very much about what is going on there. Having said that, what I read was surprising because in a country where church attendance still tops 30 percent of the population (compare with 7-8% for England and 10-11% in Scotland).

Unchristian is the new name for a Christian and guess why. Yes, that's right, it's a in-depth survey of what different generations think of Christians - it's a sobering read.

The book is a result of a Barna study which was commissioned by Gabe Lyons, from whom some pages are included in the back of the book - these pages might be worth reading first.

What are some of the best and most helpful reads for everyone are the considerable number of contributions from different writers, pastors, and leaders inserted at the end of each chapter.”

geoffreybaines wrote this review Friday, October 17 2008. ( reply | permalink )