Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber

This book is about a young woman's journey through life at Oxford and how she met God in the process.  It is a lengthy book, but so worth the time it takes to read it.

It is the story of how Carolyn Weber comes to know God and the reader is given a front row seat to the feelings and thoughts that go along with such a journey.  Throughout the book, you meet her friends and are able to see how the Lord used them in her life to draw her closer to Himself.  It is a very personal account and proves to challenge the reader's own thinking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Weber caused me to think, had me wrapped up in her conversation with friends about God, and had me continuing to turn page after page to follow her through her time at Oxford.  She held my attention through the 400+ pages of her memoir, which is no easy task.  She invited me, the reader, into her world with wonderful descriptions of life at Oxford and her interactions with those she crossed paths with.  To see how God used her time there and how he called a woman, who was a self-proclaimed agnostic, to himself made for a great read.  While I may not agree with everything she concluded, I appreciate her story.



*I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Same Kind of Different As Me

How can I sum up this story? Bottom line - a woman whose immense faith spilled over into action is used by God to link together a creative, wealthy entrepreneur and an illiterate, broken-down former sharecropper. The story is powerful. 


This is a true story about two men and the very different lives they lead. One is a well to do business man and the other is a modern day slave. This book documents their story as their paths cross and their lives influence one another. Each chapter alternates, telling the story from one mans point of view, then the others. It takes an honest look at the way we see others and ourselves. A very engaging account of two totally different types of people who are brought together by circumstances neither would have foreseen or even wanted.


You will be challenged to look at life differently. 

Book Review: Change Your Church For Good

Book Review: Change Your Church For Good

So, I review books now for Thomas Nelson.  It’s a good deal.  Pick a book that looks interesting, they mail it to you and then you write a review on your blog and Amazon.  And I’m always up for a free book!  Now, periodically, there will be book reviews on my blog. 

I’ve just read Change Your Church For Good by Brad Powell.  Powell is pastor of NorthRidge Church in Michigan.  This man loves the church but sees great room for improvement. This we agree on.  Throughout the 300 pages (which drag on at times), he lays out the problems and then gives his opinions on how to remedy them.  He presents it all quite clearly and it’s very easy to read and understand.  His conclusions about the church are harsh, but true.  Powell charges the church with being irrelevant.  While this may be true, I felt that his focus was in making the church seeker friendly.  He makes the point that “most churches are organized to serve the interests and well-being of the insiders rather than the outsiders,” I agree.  I believe he goes too far to the other extreme. 

His strengths lie in the way it all is laid out.  If you like things given in steps, you’ll like this book.  With each problem, Powell spells out a certain way it can be approached.  The fact that he is using his own experience and his previous churches as case studies helps make application to his points.  I didn’t like how seeker friendly he was, but that is a personal opinion.  

Would I recommend this book?  If you want quick, easy answers, then yes.  The church today has problems that need addressing. I don’t think becoming ultra-relevant and creating services that entice those outsiders to come visit is what will fix the problem.  He doesn’t really address the heart of the church, but focuses on things that can be done to get more people inside. Reasons that I think are surface level.  For what he is trying to accomplish, the book does exactly that.  While the solutions are not what I would recommend, some of the problems he gave are quite valid and the church should take time to hear them. Powell desires for the church to do a better job of reaching those outside the church…. we just disagree on what needs to change in order for that to happen.