CowboyTacos

At its simplest, Be Still And Listen is a book about contemplative prayer, or more specifically, centering prayer. This book is more than that though. Author Amos Smith gives the reader a crash course in Christian Mysticism and Contemplative Christianity.  Be Still And Listen is written like a devotional. It contains ten chapters that are divided into short daily readings. Each chapter can easily be read in a week.  There are a couple of things that I disagree with in the book, especially some of the author’s more “progressive” views. But as a whole, I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the contemplative tradition.  I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Paraclete Press, in exchange for an honest review.  Amos Smith  has been an ordained United Church of Christ pastor for 18 years. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary and teaches Contemporary Christian Mysticism at the Redempt...

Evangelist and former hardcore vocalist Mattie Montgomery chose a slightly provocative title for a book on a very unpopular and misunderstood topic: the fear of the Lord. Most people claim the fear of the Lord either doesn’t apply to New Covenant believers or that it just means “respect” or “awe”. Montgomery would choose to disagree. He believes that “fear” simply means fear.  In Scary God, Mattie goes against the current of “casual Christianity” and the notion that God exists for the sole purpose of blessing us. The God of the Bible is far from the god of American Christianity. He is powerful, fierce, and sometimes even scary. I highly recommend this book and the author.  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Read An Excerpt Here

I was first introduced to the ministry of speaker, writer, advocate, and denominational leader Heath Adamson in 2017 when I attended a conference in which he was one of the speakers(he was also my favorite speaker). That’s why I got a copy of Grace in the Valley as soon as possible.  In Grace in the Valley, Adamson provides fresh perspective on one of the most well known and most quoted passages in the Bible: Psalm 23. The book is mostly a commentary of this chapter, providing insight into King David’s life and sharing real life stories in an attempt to bring out the nuances of this passage. I highly recommend this book and Heath Adamson’s ministry in general.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Heath Adamson's  life was changed dramatically when, at the age of 17, he was saved out of a life steeped in drug abuse and the occult. Now a popular and powerful speaker at conferences, seminars, universities, and churches, ...

In The Secret to Experiencing God’s Presence, pastor, worship artist, and author John Belt offers practical tools to the reader to help them live in the Presence of God, or in his own words “Experience God not just once in a while, but every day”. Belt covers a wide variety of subjects in this book including worship, soaking, spiritual warfare, the prophetic, church, health, and holiness. All of these topics are taught from experience and are highly practical. I highly recommend this book. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. John Belt  is a recognized writer and worship producer and the co-founder, with his wife, Brandi, of Overflow Global Ministries. With joyful candor John helps people discover abundant life in God's presence through personal devotion, prophetic release and spiritual breakthrough. John travels throughout the United States and abroad speaking and leading worship. He has produced more than thirty worship a...

Jesus Revolution by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn tells the story of the Jesus Movement, a major revival that broke out in the ‘60s and ‘70s and strongly impacted the West Coast, especially the hippie culture of the time. The book is written mostly as a biography of Laurie and his firsthand experience with the revival, Calvary Chapel, and people like Lonnie Frisbee and Chuck Smith. It also gives an overview of the ‘60s and ‘70s culture and how it is really similar to today’s culture. I highly recommend this book.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Greg Laurie  is senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, with campuses in California and Hawaii. He began his pastoral ministry at the age of 19, leading a Bible study of 30 people. Today, Harvest is one of the largest churches in America. More than 5.6 million people have attended Laurie's Harvest Crusades since 1990, and more than 500,000 people have registered profess...

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:2 NLT The Imagine Heaven Devotional by John and Kathy Burke is a 100-day devotional based on John Burke’s book, Imagine Heaven. The Devotional contains near-death experience stories from Imagine Heaven, Scripture readings and a prayer in each day’s chapter. Most of the devotional is adapted from the original book, but there is some new content. I would recommend this Devotional to anyone with an interest in near-death experiences.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  John Burke  is the  New York Times  bestselling author of  Imagine Heaven ,  No Perfect People Allowed ,  Soul Revolution , and  Unshockable Love . As an international speaker, John has addressed hundreds of thousands of people in 20 countries on topics of leadership and spiritual growth. He is founder and senior pastor of the multi-site community of Gatew...

  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” -Matthew 11:28-30 MSG In The Eternal Current, pastor and worship leader Aaron Niequist shares the story of how he nearly lost the shallow faith of his youth and in the process found something deeper. During his crisis of faith Niequist discovered the truth about the Kingdom of God: it’s not just a future destination but an ever-present reality. This revelation caused him to search for ways to stay rooted in this reality. That’s when he discovered what he calls “practiced based faith”. Niequist’s practice based faith is exactly what it sounds like: faith based around spiritual practices. He explains how spiritual practices like...