Book Reviews: Sexy Christians; Confessions of a Crack(ed) Pot; God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea

Sexy Christians, by Dr. Ted Roberts and his wife Diane is all about the issues couples might have that keep them from intimacy. I bought this book after seeing the title (Ahem!) and reading part of the first chapter, thanks to Amazon’s wonderful Look Inside feature. I was not disappointed!

The authors use the term intimacy much more than sex. I found their approach biblical and wholesome. Best of all, they tackle the root causes of problems with intimacy, not just the symptoms.

This is not a goofy sex manual or a how-to. Instead, it’s a book that can make the difference between ho hum and oh yes.

After each chapter, there are little quizzes and analytical sections. (A few of them lost me, as they referred to movies I had never seen and probably wouldn’t care to.) There is frank talk about what to do if there is pornography or infidelity in your marriage and some sexual techniques people have questions about. This is a book for married people only, of course.

If you’re looking for a truly helpful book for restoring intimacy in your marriage, I can recommend this one. If you are in Christian ministry and helping couples, I think this is a good book to have on your shelf.

Confessions of a Crack(ed) Pot: The Restoring Power of God’s Amazing Love by Elise Vazquez is a much better book than the cover design indicates. This is the very mature testimony of a woman who went through many horrible experiences—a sister’s suicide, abuse, broken marriages, fear, and a form of religion with no knowledge of God. She chronicles her journey without giving too many unpleasant details. I appreciated both her telling and her restraint. She was a perfectionist, always striving for it in her own life, and miserably failing. She was a pastor’s wife whose husband was unfaithful. She hated herself. Elise says, “I had to come to a point where everything dear to me was stripped away so God could get my undivided attention and begin His work in me.” She identified with the Samaritan woman at the well. Her best friend was able to get through to her by saying, “He (God) loves you very much.” That broke through to Elise, the woman who didn’t think she was worth loving. She says, “That day I came face to face with One who knew everything about me and still loved and accepted me right where I was.”

Another quote I really appreciate is this one, “I learned God had made me a human ‘being’ not a human ‘doing.’” She speaks of the transformation in her mind from “stinking thinking” to thinking how God thinks. This is excellent! There are several paragraphs about who she is now in Christ that are wonderful and would be helpful to any woman anywhere. I have shared them with several women already.

I definitely recommend this book (Available on Kindle only, from what I can tell.) It is transparent without giving too many details, and it points to the healing that Jesus offers. I would recommend it for anyone who works with counseling women and to any woman for inspirational reading. Five stars.

Rose Chandler Johnson’s new devotional book, God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is a lovely combination of homey, inspirational readings, Bible verses, and a few meaty thoughts. Its strengths are in its excellent organization, short daily readings, and in the beautiful writing. Rose begins with the Bible verse, “O Taste and See that the Lord is good. . .” which sets the tone for the rest of the book. Each of the 57 entries has a Bible verse, followed by a short reading. Then, she offers complimentary Bible passages for extra reading, space for journaling—with thoughtful questions, a suggested prayer, and her trademark “Sweet Tea Moment,” where she recaps the lesson with one memorable statement. I personally like the “Prayer Focus” at the very end of each devotional, because Rose points out a group of people to pray for that you probably don’t have on your prayer list.  It’s a lovely devotional book that’s sure to be a blessing.