12 Faithful Men by Collin Hansen and Jeff Robinson

I did receive this book at no charge from the publisher for my unbiased, honest opinion.

Disclaimer: I am not this books target audience. The target audience for this book is specifically for pastors, deacons, or other (mostly male) heads of the church. Here after all heads of the church will be grouped together under the term Preacher.

The book boils down to one main premise: that all preachers who are truly called to be servants of God as preachers tend to have a somewhat tragic life in some form or fashion. All of the biblical scriptures and each of the ’12 Faithful Men’ mentioned are examples to back this belief. He gives examples of how even in biblical times, the Apostle Paul had to experience tragedy, and how in many of Paul's letters, he mentions that to truly be a good teacher of God’s word then you would need to go through many tragedies not only to test your faithfulness but to be a better preacher. Paul (and thus the author) further explains that through these struggles, you will be able to better connect to your congregation as you will be more understanding and compassionate. His main biblical scripture he continues to draw from being Corinthians and more specifically 2 Corinthians, although he does utilize other passages as well to support his view.

Further, he does give additional examples from other preachers to show the struggle of those called to serve, such as those, that like Paul, were also imprisoned for sharing the gospel, as well as personal tragedies, such as the loss of spouses, children, and other loved ones. He gives examples of those that have been pushed out of their congregations or due to circumstances, were forced to preach where they weren’t truly wanted, as well as, some that had their own personal, inner struggles.

While I did feel that some of the stories could have definitely been shortened a bit and were only drawn out to give a bit of filler, overall it was a good book. I would definitely recommend this book to pastors, preachers, or other heads of the church, especially those new to the calling.

Let me state that while I am not part of the target audience in this instance, I can appreciate the subject matter. There are several examples and scriptures mentioned that I can definitely see myself drawing back on during my own difficult times.

Comments

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W Carr (the Darkwater Saga)

I did receive this book at no charge for my unbiased, honest opinion. Let me start by saying this is part of a series, which I did not realize when I ordered the book. However, even though this is part of a series, it was easily read even without the context of the other books in the series. It is definitely a story in the same fantasy genre as LOTR, Narnia, or Harry Potter. Very well written with great detail, it easily allows you to imagine the journey on which the characters embark. There are only 2 real complaints I have: 1] that the story line jumped around a bit; I feel like the author could have made it a bit easier to realize when the story jumps to another character's leg of the journey as it was a little hard to follow from one jump in the story at times. And 2] while the story isn't numbered or if (like me) you miss the small note in the upper corner of the cover indicating that it is part of a series, as the reader, you have no idea there are books before it; t...

After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

Disclaimer: Please note, I did receive this book from the publisher at no charge for my unbiased, honest opinion. When I read the publisher's synopsis of this book, I selected it on a whim. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy reading it, but I decided to select it anyway. Even after the first chapter, I was unsure if I would be able to finish it. However, the more I read, the more the story developed into a book I absolutely loved! It had elements that provoked surprise, compassion, frustration, and so many other emotions. It was a good example to show how everyone deals with grief and life's obstacles differently. Further, it is a good example of how a small, southern town in America really is: how isolating it can be; how important family and reputation can be in these areas. Neighbors really take care of each other (depending on who you are) or they may completely ignore you. If your reputation is tarnished they will ostracize and abandon you. Between hoping Em...

Battle Ready by Kelly Balarie

I did receive this book at no charge from the publisher for my unbiased, honest opinion. This book is fantastic! As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I can absolutely see the benefits that this book will bring for many years to come. It is not your typical book that you read once and are done with it. This is one of those books that you can read and re-read, over and over and always get something new and helpful from each time. The author outlines 12 mindsets that we all at sometime or another get stuck and how to correct these mindsets to make our lives better. Each chapter is gives an example of how someone has struggled with that mindset. She breaks the examples down so they are easy to follow and understand. She goes over how each issue has different points of view (or mindsets) that you could view the issue and how each of those points of view provides different possible outcomes. It helps you to understand your options in similar situations, and since each...

The Legendary Library