BOOK REVIEW: “Sun Stand Still” a delightful surprise …

“Let me ask you: does the brand of faith you live by provide the kinds of results in your life that you read about in the biblical stories of men and women of faith?” is the great question asked, and addressed, by Steven Furtick in his book “Sun Stand Still” (published by WaterBrook Multnomah).

We read in the Bible of the many great experiences faced by multiple biblical characters, but rarely does our own Christian experiences come anywhere close to what these great men and women of faith realized. Why?

That’s the real and deep question this young pastor does an admirable job exploring in depth in this book. I found “Sun Stand Still” to be a delightful surprise because it wasn’t any of the three things it easily could have been.

First, when you have a dynamic pastor of a megachurch who has strong communication skills, you often find some of their better sermon series published as books. Not necessarily because of the depth and quality of the content, but because they have a ready-made audience for selling books. In this case, this 30-year-old pastor who planted Elevation Church and has led its growth to more than 6,000 in weekly attendance in five years, has a real message of substance and a passion for sharing it.

Second, when dealing with the topics of faith and prayer, many books are more positive-thinking oriented, with the pastor being a cheerleader for encouraging some kind of “amazing” faith. Furtick goes beyond the rah-rah stuff to clearly define the concept of “audacious faith” and provide a biblical roadmap for how every Christian can experience “Sun Stand Still” movements of God.

Third, sermons by megachurch pastors that are turned into books can be biblically shallow. Not in this case. Furtick does a good job of making scripture the guide in responding to the initial question he posed, as well as providing additional sound biblical insight into prayer.

If you want a faith so substantial that you experience movements of God like those realized by the men and women we read of in the Bible, then I recommend you pick up a copy of “Sun Stand Still” and use it as a tool to grow an audacious faith that changes your life that far more greatly glorifies God.

Scotty

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their 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.”