Review-J.R. Hudberg-Unto Us a Child is Born

Unto Us a Child Is Born by J. R. Hudberg

Published October 6, 2026

Advent is one of my favorite times of the year. There is something special about slowing down, remembering why Jesus came, and preparing our hearts for Christmas. J. R. Hudberg's Unto Us a Child Is Born is a devotional designed to help us do just that.

The book is built around four familiar Advent themes: hope, peace, joy, and love. Hudberg takes each of these themes and connects them with people and stories from Scripture. This is something I try to do when I am writing an Advent sermon. What I especially appreciated is that he doesn't simply retell the Christmas story. Instead, he helps us see how the coming of Jesus meets some of the deepest needs we experience as human beings.

One of the strengths of the book is the way Hudberg connects the Old Testament with the life of Jesus. Stories involving people such as Adam and Eve, Job, Jacob and Esau, and Hagar are brought alongside events from Jesus' life. At times, people tend to forget that the Bible is one connected story and that it points us to Christ. This book does a good job of reminding us.

I particularly liked the emphasis on the fact that Jesus doesn't just give us hope, peace, joy, and love, He is the source of those things. We can look for peace in our circumstances, happiness in our possessions, or hope in the things happening around us, but those things can disappear. The hope and peace Christ gives are different because they are rooted in Him.

Another thing I appreciated is that Hudberg doesn't leave Advent looking only backward. The book also points us toward Christ's return. We celebrate the first coming of Jesus while looking forward to the day when He will come again. That is an important part of Advent that can sometimes get lost in all the Christmas activity.

The devotional format makes the book easy to use. It is divided into four weeks, with short daily readings that can easily fit into a busy December schedule. I can see this working well for personal devotions, but it could also be useful for a small group or even a family reading through Advent together.

What I came away with most was a renewed appreciation for the simplicity of the Christmas message. We all have needs, sometimes needs we can't fix ourselves. We need hope. We need peace. We need joy. We need to know that we are loved. And Advent reminds us that God didn't simply tell us He cared about those needs. He sent His Son.

Unto Us a Child Is Born is a warm, accessible, Christ-centered devotional that would make a good companion for the Advent season. It encourages us to slow down, look beyond the decorations and busyness of Christmas, and remember the One whose birth we are celebrating.

Review-D. L. Webster-Curing Christianity

 

D. L. Webster’s Curing Christianity is an honest and provocative examination of some of the unhealthy ways Christianity can be practiced and communicated. Webster argues that Christianity itself does not need to be abandoned, but that Christians need to confront fear, shame, church hurt, unhealthy religious practices, and questionable interpretations of Scripture.

A central theme is the contrast between fear and love. Webster believes Christians can become so focused on judgment, rules, and religious performance that they lose sight of the character of God revealed in Jesus. His discussions of hell, purity culture, sexuality, mental health, and biblical authority are intended to help readers rediscover a healthier faith centered on Jesus and love. 

Many of the points Webster covers are ones that I have preached on.  I believe that too many Christians get distracted by fears instead of focusing on God.  Many times, Scripture tells us to “fear not”.  God wants us focused on what He tells us to do instead of living in fear.

From a traditional evangelical perspective, Webster raises some important questions. The church should certainly reject shame-based Christianity, fear as a tool of manipulation, and the misuse of Scripture. His reminder that our Christianity should actually look like Jesus is particularly valuable.

At the same time, I found some of his conclusions more difficult to accept. Love cannot replace the whole counsel of Scripture. God is love, but Scripture also teaches that God is holy and just. We should reject distorted presentations of hell without rejecting what Scripture teaches about judgment. Likewise, Christians can misuse the Bible without diminishing its authority.

Ultimately, Curing Christianity is more valuable as a conversation starter than as a complete theological treatment. Webster asks questions the church should be willing to consider, even when his answers require careful biblical examination.

The cure for unhealthy Christianity is not less Jesus or less Scripture. It is more Jesus and a deeper, more faithful understanding of Scripture.

Recommended for readers interested in church hurt, Christian deconstruction, spiritual health, and examining how faith is communicated and lived out.

Review-Angie Smith-Into the Deep

 

Into the Deep: Finding Relief from Pressure, Exhaustion, and the Need to Perform in a Shallow World by Angie Smith will be published October 6, 2026.

The main idea behind Angie Smith's “Into the Deep” is not “I’m tired in a need a nap" way. But tired in a "why does everything feel like performance" way. Smith, who's got a PhD in psychology and a knack for making hard truths feel like a conversation with a friend, is basically saying: I see you, and I know why you're exhausted.

The setup is relatable to the point of being a little uncomfortable.

·         We say we want rest, but we fill every quiet moment with noise.

·         We say we want to be known, but we're really good at hiding the messy parts.

·         We talk about wanting freedom, then try to control everything we can.

·         We say our faith carries us, but our actual behavior tells a different story.

 Smith's point isn't "you're doing life wrong", it's that these are learned survival habits, not character flaws. At some point they made sense but they don't anymore.

So instead of handing you another five-step plan to fix yourself, she goes underneath the habits-perfectionism, impostor syndrome, the comparison spiral, the low-grade anxiety of constantly performing-and asks what's actually driving them. Her explanation is we're trying to solve deep, soul-level exhaustion with surface-level fixes, and it's not working, because it was never going to.

Along the way, she pulls in stories of biblical figures who wrestled with the same stuff- identity, worth, fear of being fully seen-not as tidy examples, but as proof that this struggle isn't new, and that it's never been met with judgment. To truly fix the problem, we need to address it from a spiritual point of view.

The big idea she keeps circling back to is the world's going to keep telling you you're not enough. That's not new information. What she's offering instead is permission to stop trying to control it — to take a breath, loosen your grip, and trust that the deep water, as scary as it looks, is actually where you find solid ground. And the solid ground we find in the deep water is Jesus Christ. It is not a one-time epiphany but a slow unlearning of the scripts you didn't even realize you were performing. It is changing the way you look at yourself from seeing yourself through the eyes of the world to seeing through the eyes of God.

The bottom line is less a shortcut to being a better you and more let’s look at why you’re so tired of pretending. This is a book for anyone who is ready to stop managing appearances and start on the path to actually living.

Review-A. W. Tozer-The Radical Cross

 

The Radical Cross is a collection pulled from Tozer’s teachings from the 1940s-1960s centered on the cross of Christ and its impact on everyday Christian discipleship. Tozer's central concern is that Christians can become satisfied with a comfortable, cultural  version of Christianity while neglecting the radical demands of following Jesus. As I have found out from other Tozer books, even though it was written many years ago, it is still lessons we need to learn today.

The cross, for Tozer, is not merely the place where Christ paid for our sins. It is also the pattern for the Christian life, a call to surrender ourselves to God.

Some of the themes he covers in this collection are:

·         The cross is more than a doctrine.

·         At times, Christians can affirm the historical reality of the cross without allowing it to transform the way they live.

·         Grace does not eliminate surrender.

·         Tozer strongly emphasizes that salvation is God's gift, but genuine discipleship involves yielding our lives, ambitions, desires, and will to Christ.

·         The Christian life involves dying to self.

·         One of Tozer's recurring themes is Paul's statement in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ.” The cross confronts our determination to remain in control.

·         Comfort can become an enemy of discipleship.

 Tozer challenges the tendency to reduce Christianity to personal happiness, security, and blessing. Following Christ may require sacrifice and obedience.

The purpose of surrender isn't misery for its own sake. Tozer believes that relinquishing self-rule opens the way to a deeper experience of God's presence.

Tozer repeatedly calls Christians away from superficial religion toward holiness, reverence, obedience, and genuine communion with God.

The author makes the cross personal. Tozer doesn't allow the reader to keep the cross at arm's length as merely something Jesus did for us. He asks what the cross means for us today.

He challenges comfortable Christianity. This is probably the book's strongest feature. Tozer asks uncomfortable questions about whether our faith has actually cost us anything.

His writing is direct and memorable. The author has a gift for turning theological ideas into statements that stick with you. His tone can be confrontational, but that is intentional. He wants to wake the reader up.

 He emphasizes God Himself. Even when discussing sacrifice and self-denial, Tozer's ultimate concern is not religious performance. His goal is a believer who wants God more than anything else.

The same intensity that makes Tozer powerful can also make the book challenging.

At times, his language can seem overly absolute.

His critique of modern Christianity can feel repetitive.

Readers may occasionally wonder whether his emphasis on self-denial gives sufficient attention to the joy, assurance, and freedom that are also central to the gospel.

The Radical Cross is not primarily a book about understanding the mechanics of the atonement. It is a book about what the cross means for the person who claims to follow Jesus.

Tozer's basic message could be summarized this way:

The cross that saves us is also the cross that calls us to surrender.

That makes the book particularly valuable for Christians who have been walking with Christ for many years and find themselves asking whether their faith has become too comfortable or routine.

Its call to move from believing about Christ to actually surrendering to Christ.

It is best to read this slowly, perhaps one chapter at a time, with an open Bible. Tozer is much better suited to reflection and examination than to simply reading quickly for information.

The Radical Cross is a challenging and spiritually provocative Tozer book. It will probably not make the reader more comfortable, but it can make the reader think more seriously about what it means to belong completely to Jesus.

This is a book I will return to in the future.  Tozer’s themes and approach were a wake-up call for me. It is one of my favorite reads of 2026.

Review-Esau McCaulley-God's Colorful Christmas

 

God’s Colorful Christmas written by Esau McCaulley and illustrated by Rogerio Coelho. Published September 8, 2026.

Esau McCaulley offers a fresh and thought-provoking look at the Christmas story in God’s Colorful Christmas. He reminds us that Jesus’ birth is not simply the story of a baby in a manger, but part of God’s larger plan to bring people from every nation, culture, and background into His family.

He engages the reader with sections such as the description of the shepherds.  By describing them as “they didn’t get invited to parties for the rich and famous” and not being chosen first for sports teams, I believe this is something that readers of all ages can connect to.

The description of the wise men traveling to see Jesus is used to remind us that God still brings people from all over the world to see and worship our savior.

The book challenges Christians to see the church as a reflection of that diverse family and to resist attitudes of exclusion and prejudice.

This is a short but meaningful Christmas book that encourages us to look beyond the familiar nativity story and consider the broader implications of Christ’s coming.

Coelho’s art is stunning.  It helps bring the text to life.  When you read this book, take the time to actually look at the drawings.

I highly recommend this book for children.