Monotony Report

My Grandma got me up at 2:00 P.M. today to help in the yard. It was hot. I hate heat. It was sunny. I hate sunlight.

Then I went to my Chaplaincy class and turned in my book report.

I then came home and watched "Signs" with my Grandma and Grandpa (he is actually my step Grandpa, I call him Bert.)

Here now, is my book report:

A Exercise in Monotony

A book report by Noel Reichel



"God @ Work" is a book by Rich Marshall. Rich feels that everyone is called to the ministry, no matter what his or her occupation is, and he feels it very strongly. That is the main point of the book. The author tells us the main point over, and over, and over again.
Rich Marshall uses the first eighteen pages of the book to establish that he will use the term "priest" to mean one anointed for the ministry proper, and the term "king" to mean one anointed for business of some sort outside of the church. He uses the first eighteen pages to tell us this and of course, tell us the main point of the book a couple of times as well.
The rest of the book is a collection of testimonies, stories, and Bible stories to back up his point. There is also the great advice he gives, "We must guard ourselves in the area of moral purity, and from seeking power and position". I have never heard anything remotely close to this, so I cracked my Bible, and lo and behold it is in there. In chapter eight he has this to say, "What I am recommending is that it is wise to obey the Lord in all things he asks of you". I wish he would not be so deep. Here again is ground breaking wisdom. I cannot tell you how many nights I would smoke a joint and read a Hustler and wonder why I was making no spiritual headway in my life, but thanks to this book I realize it is because I did not obey the Lord.
I did enjoy chapter eleven. Chapter eleven is the testimony of Dennis and Megan Doyle, and Megan Doyle wrote it. In it she talks about how her and her husband have used their business as a ministry, and the fruit it has yielded. There was nothing in really mind blowing in this chapter, but it was not written to be included in a book either. I got the feeling it was a letter written to the author and the other included it in his book. The parts about the threefold purpose of their business were probably the most useful and practical parts of the book.
The author certainly did achieve his purpose of declaring that everyone is called to the ministry, and he does it with all the subtlety and finesse of a manic welding a chain saw. He beats you over the head with this bit of information the same way your girlfriend's husband would beat you over the head with a two by four.
I did not find anything really outstanding in his writing style, but really there does not need to be anything outstanding for the concepts he is trying to convey. And maybe it is better this way. Perhaps being less simplistic would hurt the overall intent of the book. So I do believe that the writhing style was effective for the message he was trying to send.
"God @ Work" is the biggest exercise in monotony I have seen since I counted the individual furs on my cat to make sure she was not over shedding. It is not that what the author has to say is not good, it is very good. He just does not need 136 pages to do it in. About 10% of the book is new idea, and the other ninety is just recycling the 10% in new ways.
Although what he has to say is good, it really is not new. I can't imagine anyone who has been a Christian for over a year not to have heard or figured out that they were called to minister to the lost yet. It goes without saying that this would include using their jobs as a ministry place where possible. I may be different because I feel God has lead me to my current place of employment, but this was not revelation to me when it happened.
"God @ Work" is a fantastic book for a new Christian who is wondering how he or she can minister effectively, or may be wondering what they are called to. For any other Christians, they should read chapter eleven and be finished with it, as the rest will probably be redundant and a waste or their time. I give this book two fingers out of five.