Tithing:Test Me In This

Tithing:Test Me In This by Douglas Leblanc is book seven in the Thomas Nelson Ancient Practices series. The series takes a look at several aspects of many ancient religions with a slant towards how they apply to Christianity. In this book the topic is tithing. However, instead of a heavy, scholarly discussion about what tithing is and how it is to be acted out, Douglas Leblanc has decided to use his journalistic skills and set off across the country to tell the stories of several individuals that have made tithing an essential part of their lives.

I am not sure I would recommend this book to others as a book to learn about the practice of tithing. There is very little concrete discussion about what the ancient practice of tithing is or was. Occasionally there is some discussion of this, but it is brief and mixed inside people’s stories. Further, I find the theological messages within the book to be confusing and problematic. It is not the main message that you should tithe that I find problematic, but the overall sense that the book tries to to imply that if you tithe, God will grant you wealth. With that being said, I did enjoy reading the stories of those who Douglas Leblanc choose to interview. So, overall, I am not sure I would recommend this book unless perhaps it was in the bargain rack. I just don’t feel that in a series devoted to the ancient practices of religion that this book holds up its end of the deal.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a truly inspiring book that will make you rethink the way you are living. The book starts off with Donald describing how his life had sunk into a funk after writing his successful New York Times Best Seller entitled Blue Like Jazz. He explains that life had become somewhat meaningless and that his days consisted of mostly sitting in his comfortable chair, eating ice cream, and watching Oprah.

Until his life was given an inciting incident, a phone call from a movie director. The director’s desire was to turn Blue Like Jazz into a movie (www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com). However, the book needed to have a little artistic license taken with it in order to make it a better story, regardless of the fact that Blue Like Jazz was a true story about Donald’s life. This sets Donald off on a quest to learn to tell a better story with his life. This book is that story. It is a truly inspiring tale that will make you want to tell a better story too. This is a must read.

One of the points Miller makes about telling a better story is that you have to “save the cat”. Well, ok not necessarily a cat but the point is you have to show that you’re a good person because only actions speak. So, if you’re interested in picking up this book and want to start telling a better story yourself head over to the Mentoring Project, an organizations founded by Donald Miller himself, agree to make donate at one of the preset levels and receive a free signed copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. (http://thementoringproject.org/donate.html)