Judah Smith - Jesus is _______.[Book Review]

You should never judge a book by its cover. You should never. Whatever that really means with Judah Smith’s Justin Beiber-endorsed book (I am serious. You didn't watch the E! interview?) I’m not sure yet but here are some thoughts I had about this book immediately I got into the first chapter.

-          - Bubble gum gospel! It is obvious Judah Smith has served as one of those teen pastors that make you roll your eyes with their ‘uncalled for’ illustration of the bible with modern parallels that don’t really match.

-        -   It is obvious Judah Smith is obsessed with pop culture and his reference to it in his book unlike other new generation preachers is very distracting. Honestly I’m expecting ‘Jesus is your homeboy’.

But that was just a chapter into the book. In ‘Jesus is_____’ Judah Smith, Lead pastor of City Church Seattle helps us see who Jesus is fundamentally. And the interesting thing is most people (Christians alike) have glossed over these fundamental expressions of Jesus. I soon found myself highlighting the book all through into the second chapter ( in fact it wins for me 'most highlighted book of the year'). 

The interesting thing is Judah Smith leans more to a writer than just a preacher. You would feel the poetic and artistic elements seep in at times and then there are moments here and there and sometimes oh, it’s gone again. It’s obvious this book was likely written over a long period of time cause there are really deep rich moments in chapters that would leave you with a new definition of you, your reality and the world at large (and yes Jesus too). And there were chapters that would leave you probably rolling your eyes ‘what was that for exactly?’

Before I got this book, I heard so much buzz about it, read some ‘bad’ reviews and I actually found it hard to find a good review that told me exactly why the reading experience would be a good one. So is ‘Jesus is____’ worth getting and reading? Yes. I really think so and this is why: this is a book that explains as simple as possible the grace God offers the world through Jesus his son. It’s not preachy, non-linear and the writer does the job in a beautiful and artistic way. It’s the best I have come across on this subject and even if you are a veteran, you are bound to still have an epiphany.

I also searched for quotes from the book to help decide to make my choice but really found some ‘drabby’ ones (even from the author’s site) compared to some really great ones from the book that would sure get people more intrigued and here are a just a few

-        -   In the name of hating sin, the Pharisees ended up hating sinners

-       -    Mentally chastising the bad deeds of other people is more comfortable than dealing with my own

-      - The enemy is not bad people- it’s badness itself

-        -  Jesus sees our sin more clearly than anyone, yet he loves us more than anyone

-         -  Grace and Truth aren't enemies. They are on the same side.

-          - When some people hear about grace, the first thing they think is: so I can go out and do whatever I want, and God has to forgive me? They haven’t met grace- they have met a concept. They’ve met an idea. They've heard a nice sermon.

 Honestly this a tip of the tip of the iceberg, want more? Go get the book. I’m glad I didn't judge this one by its cover. I'm glad I went past the first chapter. All in all I'm glad (and better off) I chose to read Judah Smith's Jesus is_____. So glad I did. 

MARIO BROWN - GLORY

Artist: Mario Brown


Album: The Mario Brown Project: Glory

Record Label: Malak Entertainment

Street Date: August 20, 2010.

Album Length: 14 Tracks. 1 hour, 1 minute, 41 seconds.

Genre: RnB/ Urban/ Hip Hop

IPod Pick: Take Me Away



Lovers of soul classic RnB of the likes of Trey songs, Chris Brown and Brandy are in for a swell time on this one. Mario Brown’s new album is simply packed!

The album starts off with an Acapella tune reminiscent of Brandy’s Acapella (Something’s missing) from her Human album. The opening Acapella (Get to Know Ya) utilizes fine voice strings and studio perfection making it something you might soon be leaving on repeat. The next track ‘Grace’ sounds like something fellow contemporary Christian musician Anthony Evans might place on an album, very nice, bouncy and catchy. ‘Glory’ slows things down a bit, reflecting on a life that is to be lived totally for God. The vocal styling on this track would bring to mind the early days of veteran artist R. Kelly.

‘Take me away’ is just a hit! It’s one you would fall in love with after first listen. ‘I can Live’ is a sweet RnB ballad about how we can’t live our lives without God. You would hear strong lyrics like ‘I’ll surely die without you’ on this one. ‘Losin’ it’ sounds like a tune Justin Timberlake and Maxwell might just come up with if they had a collab but the lyrics are sure real and God centered. Mr Brown’s son Jae’min Brown appears on the beautifully penned ‘A Father’s Love’. A song centered on the relationship between a father and a son. Note this might just bring tears to your eyes before the track fades. And Jae’min has an amazing voice in the likes of Justin Beiber. The Party ready ‘I can do’ comes up next. Other highlights in the album include ‘Revealed’, ‘Don’t Let Me Die’ and ‘Proven’.

I don’t mean Mario Brown doesn’t bring originality to the table by comparing him to contemporaries in the music industry. In fact his sound is very new and fresh. Though the album falls into a couple of familiar pot holes of clichés on some track but never the less, Mario Brown’s new offering is something we could all use especially for those who have searched long and hard for a Christian alternative to the big names on the RnB and Hip Hop scene. Say ‘Hello’ to Mr. Brown’s ‘Glory’, people.