Saturday, June 7, 2014

The God-First Life by Stovall Weems

The emphasis of this book putting God first by exercising the basic disciplines of the Christian life, such as praying, reading the Bible, church involvement, and being part of an active community. As someone who has read a lot of books on the basics of learning to walk with Christ, I would say that this book is about average in its approach, scope and depth. It is a good book to help someone get started with God. The book's doctrine is biblical and sound. Every once in a while there is a new nugget in this book, such as when the author talks about worship being a "space maker", by which he means that when we worship, we "make a space of praise for God to inhabit." The author gives the example of God fighting a battle for Jehoshaphat: "They did what they could do--they worshiped him and praised him. And then he did what only he could do--he defeated the enemy when they did not have any hope. The place of battle became a valley of blessing, and the outcome hinged on the worship of the people." Of particular value are the chapter notes at the end of the book, in which are listed many supporting Scriptures. The book is well researched and supported by appropriate Bible passages. I received this book free in exchange for a review on booksneeze.com