Every now and then I’m asked by a publisher to do a book review. Not long ago, Zondervan offered to send me the book Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas for free if I’d be to write a blog post about it. Well, uh…yeah! I love to read and stuff that is free. Plus the topic of the book intrigued me.

The title is a play on words – it’s not talking about everybody but every body matters. Thomas connects our spiritual being with our physical body. When you take care of your body with healthy eating and physical exercise, you’re empowering your spirit with zeal to do good work for God.

Thomas is quick to point out that he’s not promoting one to build his or her body to be admired by others, but instead to strengthen it in order to serve God.

Lately, I've had trouble focusing when it was time to read the Bible. I realized that this was largely due to the fact that I have not been following a reading plan this year. During odd-numbered years, I read through the whole Bible, usually using this plan. But during even-numbered years like the one we're in now, I have historically taken a more systematic approach. For example, one year I focused on the Sermon on the Mount (using this excellent book by John Stott as an accompanying text), another year I used Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology and read scripture as I studied particular topics.

Jonathan Acuff from Brandon Setter on Vimeo.