Messy Grace its for everyone

How to love others without sacrificing convictions. This is the basis of this book. The author was raised by Gay parents so he gives a very insightful perspective in how to deal with, love the Homosexual. The title comes from when we share truth but with grace it gets messy. "To understand messy grace , we have to understand how to love people no matter who they are" and when you deal with people, you'll get messy.

The LGBT community is a group that most Christians try to ignore or avoid,Mr Kaltenbach reminds us that Jesus pursued people whose lives were messy and their hearts were far from God, He met them where they were. Since God demostrated His love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us, why should we expect others to change before they come to Jesus. This book will help the reader better minister to the LGBT community, just as Jesus would if He was on earth today. Of course the best way to do this is through building a relationship that one has already formed. We can't do it with a us vs them mentality after all we accept others as friends and family without approving of their life choices.
The author is Biblically sound in his dealing with this subject. This is a good how to book and it is a book everyone should have on their book shelve. I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for honest review of which is my own. 

Book Review Bringing Heaven to earth

This book is a quick read, but Biblically it raises reg flags with some of what the authors write, maybe it has something to do with their Progressive Christianity. Foe example on page 33 they say heaven is less a location and more a reality defined by God's will being done and on page 68 "Usually when Christians talk about heaven, the discussion becomes either abstract or exclusionary. The conversion turns to streets of gold and gates of pearl of the talk soon turns to who is in and who is out. I think God will be more generous then any of us image. That's the meaning of mercy none of us deserves it (which is true) yet all of us are in desperate need of it (also true). Keep in mind the sheep and goats story. You might be convinced you're a sheep, and you find out it's better to be a goat. (We don't decide who's a sheep or a goat, God decides that . Matt 25). Also on page 68 the authors write here is what the gospel points us to : the world one day is going to be set right. What Jesus accomplished through His death,burial, and resurrection reverses the curse of the Fall. What the authors leave out is: heaven is for those who have Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, no where do they ever mention that we are sinners and need Jesus to save us, nor can we decide ourselves whether we want to be a sheep or a goat, that Jesus decides this is clear in Matt 25.

A second red flag I see is on page 160 where the author quotes 2 Peter 3: 7-9 and said's it's important to note the fire mentioned by Peter is not a reference to any intentions on God's part to destroy the world. Well I guess the authors should have went on and quoted verses 10, 12, of 2 Peter 3. Theses verses are clear that the world will be destroyed by fire. 3:10-But the days of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done will be exposed. vs 12- waiting for and hastening the coming of the Day of the Lord because of which the heavens will be set on FIRE and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt away as they BURN. Then the new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.. come down out of heaven from God. Rev 21:1&2. 

There are more red flags but this review is long enough. The authors basis principle is heaven comes to earth every time Christians show compassion, justice, etc. to people . I