Body of Christ

.... Very rarely am I at a loss for words but this book made me uncomfortable and I don't even know what to say about it. Like, I need to take a shower and call up Jesus and tell him I'm sorry for reading this. In this book, period blood screams, Jesus is made out of soggy communion wafers, a boy's father commits suicide by cops (the son then saves bits of his torn apart by bullets dad in a ziploc bag for later - yay father flesh!), and .... like there's more but I can't even. This book will make you feel like you just accidentally did crack and rolled around in shit and dirty glass. It's bizarre and not in a good way. It's unique but that don't make it good...

The Shack

I don't normally read books on theology but this was on The Great American Read list so I HAD to get to it. It wasn't an awful read, I loved the narrator who really made the whole sad story sound homey and comforting. Mackenzie Phillips isn't in a great place in his life. After the brutal disappearance of his daughter and the strain it placed on his family, he's hardly equipped to deal with religion, he's just going through the motions. One day he receives an odd piece of mail, a note from God telling him to meet him at the shack (the last known place his daughter was at), and against his better judgement he actually goes. What transpires there in that shack changes his outlook on life, his attitude, and his spirituality. This book questions your beliefs on God, Jesus, the Holy Trinity, the afterlife, the what ifs and many other questions, especially the classic; "why do bad things happen to good people?"

Ben Hur

FINALLY! This is one of those books that I thought would never end. It would go from super exciting to boring as all get out and it took me until the chariot race to even really get into it. It's cool that it was written by a Hoosier and was the first piece of fiction to be blessed by the pope, BUT... that's about it. It was written very prettily, I suppose but it won't be one I ever re-read or recommend to people. Unless they love historical, religious reads. Kinda wish I had just watched the movie.

Finding Jesus

This is quite literally the greatest search and find of all time. It's "Where's Waldo" but with Jesus. I knew I would love it when I saw "Seek and ye shall find - Jesus" emblazoned on the back. How is that for winning. There are sixteen different scenes in which to find Jesus. He's hiding at biker weddings, raves, grocery stores, and rock concerts. As the intro proclaimed:

"When Jesus told his disciples, I am with you always," most people assumed he was just adding a little figurative, feel good-good flourish. As it turns out, Christ is a pretty literal guy. Whether you're rocking out at a concert, dancing, at the club, or seeing a movie, our Savior is everywhere you go. Not in a creepy Police song way, per se, but more like a Godly wingman who knows how to appear and disappear on cue.... Bearded hipster or God's right-hand man? Hard to tell. Robe-wearing hippie or the risen Lord out for a good time? Your guess is as good as anyone's."

How can you not fall in love with a book after an intro like that? Finding JC in your everyday life has never been soo fun! He knows how to blend right in with the crowd, so get your magnifying glass ready! Perfect for anyone. Adults, kids, religious folk, hipsters, search and find fans, etc. This book is pure happiness :)

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.