Kyle Idleman

becoming a completely committed follower of Jesus

Not a fan

Lauren Grey

This review is from my blog http://thebittersweetbookworm.wordpre...

My small group last year read this book. By “small group” I mean maybe four or five people actually finished it. I would read a couple paragraphs while I was in my car waiting for school to start. I didn’t think I needed to read a “find Jesus” book… I had been a Christ-follower my whole life; there was no way I needed to hear what this book had to say. I didn’t apply to me. Once I got a couple paragraphs into the third chapter I just quit reading altogether. I kept the book in a bucket in the backseat of my car in case anyone asked, but I was actively reading it. No. I was so against admitting that maybe this author was right. He was hitting on things I had been thinking about, but didn’t want to own up to. For some reason I brought this book with me to college and yesterday I felt compelled to start reading it. I finished it today, in between studying for my Psychology exam tomorrow and I am really glad that I took the time to actually think about what the author was saying.

The main reason why I liked this book so much is the voice. All through school they teach you that in your writing you need to develop your voice. The reader needs to be able to feel you in your writing. I could definitely feel Kyle Idleman through this book. Now I don’t know Kyle Idleman, but his voice was so loud. His personality really shone through and I really enjoyed this book, because of the small footnotes that he put in there for fun.

There was a “not a fan” story at the end of most of the chapters and they really made you think. People weren’t afraid to admit that they had messed up, gone down the wrong path, but that through those mistakes they found or re-discovered Christ and were now following him whole-heartedly and completely. A few of these stories hit close to home, some made me tear up, and others inspired me. I wish he would write a book just filled with these kinds of stories.

I liked how honest and ‘in your face’ this book was. I am not normally one for a flashing light or an ‘in your face’ type of reading, because quite honestly when it comes to my faith I basically think i’m perfect even though I know i’m not, but like Idleman says in his book we compare ourselves to the people around us and compared to the people around me… I’m doing pretty good.

I would recommend this book to anyone- current, used to be, never been Christ-follower. I have been a Christ-follower since I was in elementary school and have been attending church since I was born, but I found this book extremely convicting, but I will be honest and say that i’m not kidding when I say it is ‘in your face’. It will make you think, re-think, and think again about how you act, what you think, and so on.

Jeni Enjaian

I'm glad that I did not spend more than an hour reading this book. With the exception of only one book in this category, I have struck out with every Christian non-fiction book that I have read this year. This book, like most of the others that I read this year, shied away from any indepth discussion of real truths in favor of copious examples whether contemporary or Biblical. After 16ish years of messages full of illustrations and very little doctrine, I'm tired of it. When I read these books I want to be challenged. I want to dig deep in the truths of the Bible not wade through page after page of illustrations that all "prove" the same point and rendering the many chapter divisions completely irrelevant.
I do not recommend this book.

Not a fan becoming a completely committed follower of Jesus

Reviews