"Christmas Books" Giveaway Hop

As a part of the "Christmas Books" Giveaway Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for the following book:


Christmas Uncut: What really happened & why it really matters by Carl Laferton. This Christian nonfiction is about what really happened at the first Christmas. You can read my review.

Scandal. Controversy. Massacres. Mystery... Christmas? This is a book about the real Christmas; the one that has been lost when we turned it into a children's nativity play and took out the difficult bits. The one that got buried under made-up details about donkeys and innkeepers and kings.

And this is a book about why what really happened at Christmas really matters for you--about how these amazing events can transform your life and your future.


This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @ChristFocus. Enter me in the giveaway for CHRISTMAS UNCUT Carl Laferton."

OR

2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement. I'd be fun if you also included why you're interested in reading this novel.


This giveaway ends on December 7, 2012 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on December 8, 2012 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the "Christmas Books" Giveaway Hop:

Josh McDowell's One Year Book of Youth Devotions

Josh McDowell's One Year Book of Youth Devotions by Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler ISBN-13: 9780842343015 Trade Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: April 15, 1999

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Aimed directly at the needs and interests of preteens and teens, "The One Year Josh McDowell's Youth Devotions" is a Right From Wrong devotional that helps young people apply the Scriptures in daily decision making. Covering a host of topics that are relevant to today's teens, this devotional encourages teens to think through difficult choices, enabling them to discover why certain choices are right or wrong.


My Review:
Josh McDowell's Youth Devotions is a daily, year-long devotional for teenagers. The authors used a tone and examples that teens will probably find engaging and even funny.

Each devotional was one page long, so they're quick to read. For each day, a short reading from the Bible was assigned. You needed to look it up yourself. Then a Bible verse was quoted, often from the assigned reading. Next, the main text was mostly a story or matching game that illustrated a point from that day's reading. A paragraph or two tied the Bible reading and the example together and stated the point clearly. The authors then suggested some things to reflect on and a prayer. They also sometimes suggested an activity that might help put the lesson into practice or remind you of the lesson.

Overall, I thought the points were good ones and that teenagers would be willing to do these devotionals. I'd recommend it.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Christmas Uncut by Carl Laferton

Christmas Uncut: What really happened & why it really matters... by Carl Laferton ISBN-13: 9781908762177 Trade Paperback: 64 pages Publisher: The Good Book Company Released: December 15, 2012 Publisher's Book Page Christianbook.com book page

Source: Review copy from the publisher requested through Cross Focus Reviews.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Scandal. Controversy. Massacres. Mystery... Christmas? This is a book about the real Christmas; the one that has been lost when we turned it into a children's nativity play and took out the difficult bits. The one that got buried under made-up details about donkeys and innkeepers and kings.

And this is a book about why what really happened at Christmas really matters for you--about how these amazing events can transform your life and your future.


My Review:
Christmas Uncut is a short, quick read about what really happened at the first Christmas. The tone was casual and sometimes humorous, but the author kept focused on his point. He accurately portrayed what the Bible says about Christ's birth and the purpose of his birth, life, and death.

Each chapter started with a short, funny story about a nativity play, and he used this to illustrate a point. The author then explained what really happened according to the Bible and filled in some cultural and historical background so the events can be understood better. He then explained why knowing the real story matters--how it changes our perspective of the events. He covered the angel telling Mary that she would become pregnant, the angels announcing Jesus' birth, the shepherds coming to see Jesus, the magi, how Herod reacted, what Simeon said, and why Jesus came in the first place.

While it's an interesting look at Christmas even for most Christians, the book seemed geared toward non-Christians familiar with nativity plays. Overall, I'd recommend this book, especially to those who don't know much about or haven't thought much about what the real Christmas would have been like.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt.

Commands of Christ, Series 3

Commands of Christ: The Curriculum of the Great Commission, Series 3 ISBN: 0-916888-26-6 Paperback: 80 pages Publisher: Institute in Basic Life Principles Released: 2002 Link to Publisher's Website

Source: Bible study group at a church I attend.

Book Description from Publisher's Website:
The Commands of Christ series is a set of seven study books focusing on 49 general commands that Jesus gave.

The books may be used in a group setting or as a personal study. Each lesson includes an in-depth commentary, study questions, a character quality and songs that amplify the command, questions and commitments for personal application, and a journal page for recording your own insights and progress as you incorporate Christ’s commands into your life.


My Review:
I was involved in a small group Bible study which used this book. We had a lot of good, in-depth discussions based on the study's commentary and in coming up with specific examples of how one could put these commands of Christ into real life practice. I'd recommend this study to other small groups. You can also do it as a personal study.

I felt this study did a good job in exploring what the whole Bible (both Old and New Testaments) had to say on the subject. Each lesson would point out two similar situations and then explore the similarities and differences in the situations to better understand why God acted one way in one situation and another way in the other.

The "command" verses under discussion and the related verses referred to in the study were fully quoted in the book so you don't have to look anything up. The commentary included relevant cultural background information and short word studies to further clarify our understanding of the verses. At the end of each study, there was a page of personal application questions and another page with suggested take-away resolutions and a place for personal notes.

This is the third book in the series. You technically don't need to read the previous two books before you read this one as the lessons don't directly build on each other.

The seven commands covered in the seven lessons of this book were Judge Not (Matthew 7:1-3), Don't Cast Pearls (Matthew 7:6), Ask, Seek, and Knock (Matthew 7:7-8), Do For Others (Matthew 7:12), Choose the Narrow Way (Matthew 7:13-14), Beware of False Prophets (Matthew 7:15-16), and Pray for Laborers (Matthew 9:37-38).


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Beyond Buddhism by J. Isamu Yamamoto

Beyond Buddhism by J. Isamu Yamamoto ISBN-13: 978-0877849902 Hardcover: 141 pages Publisher: Inter-Varsity Press Released: 1982

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Born between two worlds--the Buddhist faith of his grandfather and the Christian faith he came to embrace--J. Isamu Yamamoto reflects on the ancient religion of his ancestors. He begins with the life and times of the historical Buddha, discusses three major philosophies of Buddhism, and gives a brief history of the religion.

Then Yamamoto explains the schools of Buddhism, including Zen, which are significant to American society. Finally, he delineates the fundamental differences between Buddhism and Christianity, concluding with his own experiences in Japan. His reflections form an introduction to Buddhism and then point beyond to a faith which he believes satisfies the longing of the human heart.


My Review:
Beyond Buddhism is a book that introduces readers to the history of Buddhism and the basic beliefs of the many forms of Buddhism found over time and over the world. He then contrasts those beliefs to some foundational teachings of Christianity.

The author views Buddhism with respect because he saw that his Buddhist grandfather was a kind and gentle person. However, he pointed out several critical differences between the teachings of Buddhism and Christianity and explained why he choose Christianity.

The focus of this book is not really "how to argue a Buddhist into converting," but the author does educate the reader on what various Buddhists believe and the main differences between that and Christianity. It's an easy, quick read while still being very informative. I'd recommend it to any Christian how knows a Buddhist and who would like to better understand them.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Table of Contents:
1 Portrait of Grandfather

2 The Buddha
  Siddhartha Gautama
  The Historical Buddha
  The Dharma, The Teachings of the Buddha
  The Sangha, The Buddhist Monastic Order

3 Philosophies of Buddhism
  Theravada Buddhism
  Mahayana Buddhism
  Vajrayana Buddhism

4 The History of Buddhism
  India
  China
  Tibet
  Japan

5 Contemporary Buddhism Movements
  Theravada Buddhism
  Chinese Buddhism
  Jodo Shinshu
  Nichiren Shoshu
  Tantric Buddhism
  Zen Buddhism

6 Jesus Christ
  A Question of Suffering
  Different Paths to Different Summits
  Beyond the Grave

7 Reflections in Japan

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

On Sunday, November 4, Christians around the world will participate in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This video can help you know what to pray for.