I just got the first sales numbers for Eats With Sinners and they are very encouraging. In the first month Eats With Sinners sold as much as my first book Running on Empty sold in the first year! Thanks to everyone who is buying, talking about, blogging about, and ordering my book.
This book is getting great reviews too.
Today, a blog tour of my book started–and the reviews are very encouraging. Let me share some of them with you. (btw–if you find any reviews for my book online or in a publication, please share those with me: arron@arronchambers.com).
I want to thank all of these reviewers for reading my book and for writing such fair–and encouraging–reviews.
From Quilldancer.com–
Eats With Sinners, is a wonderful book with the potential to be life changing. Aaron Chambers reminds us that as Christians our primary goal should be witnessing, but he doesn’t want us to preach. He wants us to witness by living out our faith. Wherever we go, people should be able to recognize us as Christians even of we never say so ourselves. And, we should not limit ourselves to Christian company only — in fact, Chambers is actively speaking against doing just that. As Christians we need to “Eat With Sinners” like Jesus did. We need to bring sinners into relationship with us so that they can meet Jesus through our actions.
Eats With Sinners, is not a light read. I haven’t finished the book yet. There are thirteen chapters that require thought and study. The questions at the end of the chapters require contemplation and reflection; and, if one really wants to change, each new idea requires prayer. I highly recommend this book. Buy it knowing you are getting a study book, not a story book — although there are some great stories of witness inside. There are also some great recipes!
From Word-Up Studies–
Here is my review of this incredibly inspiring book:
First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Arron Chambers and his publisher for sending me a copy of “Eats With Sinners” to review for them. I have always been grateful for this generosity, and I am trying to improve at being consistent in taking the time to thank these wonderfully giving individuals in a public forum. I really appreciate your time, effort and expense in making a reviewer copy available to me.
“Eats With Sinners” by Arron Chambers is an engaging non-fiction work that infects the reader with the desire to be a more effective witness. Centered around a meal motif, this “study” on evangelism is divided into 13 chapters. Each showcases a different “ingredient” necessary for developing relationships with the lost for the purpose of evangelism. There is a different recipe in each chapter, challenges to share a meal with someone to introduce them to Christ and begin building a friendship. There are also suggestions for developing yourself and creative methods for bringing the Gospel message to those around you.
This is definitely a book I will refer to often, and not just because several of the recipes look yummy! I will be trying the Red Beans and Rice this week. There are some uber-imaginative techniques that can be used to establish a dialogue about Christ with just about anyone, anytime, anyplace. And when it comes to sharing Christ, I can use all of the help and encouragement I can get. These methods don’t quite fit my personality and upbringing – meals were very intimate social occasions in my family. It will take a bit of practice to fully employ the practices suggested in this book, but I’m already laying the groundwork with a couple of co-workers with regard to Christ and dining together. I can’t wait to see what Jesus does with these relationships!
From Sunflower Faith–
Reading,“Eats With Sinners”, I really enjoyed the casual, conversational style with personal anecdotes that peppered throughout the book.
It was a very challenging reminder of how we, as followers of Christ, sometimes play it too sense and sometimes, borderline ‘Pharisee” with our faith and in the process forget about the people whom our Saviour sought the most often.
“Eats With Sinners” is a modern outlook that challenges the reader and the follower to redefine and re-look how we follow our faith and to step out of our comfortable safety zones and life and truly follow our Father as He calls us to.
This isn’t about going to a far off country, but just the simple of act of ministry, straight from our front doors. It could be our next door neighbors that rub us the wrong way, the homeless that we pass by each day on the highways and freeways, the single parent struggling down the street, our co-workers, strangers we just meet by chance.
Where-ever we are, “Eats With Sinners”, asks us to lift up our veils and judgement and truly minister to those who need Him with our love, our care and our hearts.
Simple-we say,but often we forget to minister even just by our presence at a restaurant tables, where our actions speak louder than our words. Ministering, doesn’t have to be grand-it can be something as simple as “sitting down and having coffee with someone”, as the publisher shares,
In Jesus’ day, eating with someone acknowledged that person as an equal. Religious leaders considered it unthinkable for a Jewish teacher to eat with common people. But Jesus cared more about saving souls than saving face.
So who are you eating with? Eats with Sinners introduces a biblical model for evangelism—building relationships like Jesus did, one meal (or cup of coffee) at a time.
More unique features that could be found are easy to follow, actual recipes that are shared, side notes about traditions from Our Saviour’s time,case studies and more.
From Book Reviewer:
I love the idea behind this book. In simple and direct words, the author encourages every Christians to step up to the plate and eat regularly with non-believers in the hope that our friendship will bring them to realize their need for God. Packed with down-to-earth examples, the book will motivate you to reach out to the ones around you in various ways.
While I read this book, it reminded me of a ministry we had created at one point in the church we were going. Called GEM, Greet-Eat-Meet, the idea was to get other people over to your house, share a meal together and discover possible new friendships. It was working for a little while but in the end the ministry died because after the people were paired up sometimes the effort of inviting the guests was not made. Even within the Christian circles today, meeting new people calls for effort and people don’t like going out of their way to meet new families. Why is that I wonder? The idea was different and pretty good.
I was excited to see that the author was creative while writing the chapters in East With Sinners because you will find a new recipe include for each chapter. You will find the following recipes: Never Fail Pie Crust, Everyday Fruit Salad, Aromatic Lamb, What a Catch Fish Packets, Friendship Chocolate Pie, Can You Tolerate the Heat Chili, Resolution Red Beans and Rice, The Harvest Is Ripe Soup, Compassion Chicken Soup, Humble Apple Pie, Darkness to Light Cookies, Celebration Cupcakes, and the I Can See Clearly Now Carrot Cake. With titles like that for the recipes, how can you not invite others over for supper? Along with the recipes, you will also find a meal prep section which will help you identify the things that need to be put first in your life. Each meal prep section will concentrate on the subject written in the chapter. You will also find ideas on how to reach out to the lost people around you. I particularly liked the facts and stories that the book contains as well as some grace prayers. Finally, each chapter ends up with a Meal Plan which is more for a personal study and reflection or a group study and discussion. This section is full of questions that will make you stop and think about the chapter you have just read.
I strongly recommend Eats With Sinners for every one who want to reach out to others around them. It takes time and effort but in the end it will be worthwhile and a celebration will be in order.
From TheNotSoPerfectHousewife.com–
Being reminded that we’re all not perfect is a good thing…
Being reminded that we’re surrounded my imperfect people is better..
Sharing with them the LOVE of Christ is AMAZING
Eats with Sinners will inspire you to build relationships just like Jesus did.
This is one person who is forever thankful that Jesus sat down with this sinner.
From MizB–
MY REVIEW: Author, Arron Chambers, has a true passion for reaching lost people with the Good News of salvation, and it shows through this book!
Arron suggests that we set up regular times to meet with people who don’t know Christ, and to share a meal with them. Over those meals, we can get to know each other, and share our stories of what Christ has done for us, and how our lives have been changed because of this. Also suggested is that we go where the lost are… instead of waiting for them to come to us. As Arron says, fish don’t just jump into the boat!
I loved chapter 2: “Accessibility” as it talked about the ways we make ourselves inaccessible to those who are searching. We wear fancy clothes to church and tend to shun those who don’t feel the need to do so (Finally! The permission to wear my jeans to church! LOL), and we expect the lost to come to us instead of going to where they are.
I also loved that there were recipes shared throughout the book! Some of them look really good, and I think I’m going to give them a try!
At the end of each chapter are questions for digging deeper. Also, there are suggestions throughout for how we can put what we’ve learned in the book into practice — some practical ways that we can do more to reach the lost.
Overall, this is a great book. It’s humorous, honest, and down-to-earth. And, I think that Arron’s right… it doesn’t take a lot for us to change the whole world — it just takes a firm resolve to step out of our comfort zones & be obedient to God’s leading.
From Hip2BHomeschooling.blogspot.com–
My Thoughts:
Have you ever wanted to share your relationship with Christ, but didn’t want to come across sounding pushy or preachy? Want to know what “ingredients” you need to do this? Plus, get some tasty recipes while you’re learning?
Many books I have read on this subject are dry and boring. Not Eats with Sinners! I know the authors mean well, but if I feel like snoring while I am reading the book, I probably will not be inspired to share. Instead, Mr. Chambers talks to us as if he is having a personal conversation. He talks about subjects such as integrity, tolerance, and humility. He makes people want to study the gospel.
This book can be used as a personal or a group Bible study guide. Thought provoking questions are included at the end of each chapter. An added bonus is the recipes scattered throughout the book. Perhaps one can discuss the book over Friendship Chocolate Pie?
