Review: The Coffeehouse Gospel

I got this idea from my friend Greg. He's been starting to put some of his own book reviews up on his blog. I liked his format, so I'm going to borrow it, I'm thinking he'll be okay with that, since I'm citing him and whatnot. Anyhow; this is something I'd like to do more often since I do read my fair share of books. Let me know what you think and hopefully you pick up a book or two.

The Coffeehouse Gospel by Matthew Paul Turner

161 pages.
Premise: (Back Cover)

Ever wonder if you'll have the right words to say when talking about your faith with a friend or stranger? The Coffeehouse Gospel reveals how you can use your personal life stories as an effective tool to share Christ in a relevant way. It takes the fear out of casual conversation and empowers you to engage those around you in meaningful and purposeful conversations.

What I liked: It is a quick and easy read and the author writes in a serious yet exciting way. He's an upbeat an funny guy and I really enjoyed the way he communicated a challenging message. I really resonated with the message he told. He didn't give step by step instructions, but rather commented on how irrational it would be to do so. He was real. He was honest with his story and truthful about how hard it is to actively be sharing our faith in today's society.

What I didn't like: A couple of typos here and there, but nothing that bad. The organization seemed a bit erratic at some parts. The flow from topic to topic occasionally left me a bit confused,

Favorite Passage:

Christians have a responsibility in the life of the Gospel. As Christians, our life is the Gospel. We are part of the redemptive plan of God, so why hide or lives, our stories, from the rest of the seeking world? When we realize our part in the very Gospel itself, we assimilate it more into our lives. It doesn't matter if we don't have all the answers. We have Jesus. We have two ears that were created perfectly for listening to other people's stories and the ability to identify with the lives of others so that we might share the Gospel more thoughtfully. (p161)

Random Passage:

So no matter how weird and seemingly senseless God's concept of our time schedule is, we're on-call to be His disciples whether or not we like it, desire it, or understand it.