Shine: Make Them Wonder What You'Ve Got

by Newsboys

When you think of the Newsboys, do you think rock and roll, gold records, concerts, and fame? Make Them Wonder What You’ve Got reveals the Newsboys in a way you have never seen them before--not just as performers but as Christians. Follow them as they travel through seasons of personal and spiritual growth, undergoing struggles that are common to all believers, experiencing faith-stretching circumstances, and seeking to live for Christ in an authentic way. Their spiritual journeys reflect a deep and growing faith that permeates their music while also transcending it. This new path challenges the limitations we’ve put on Christianity in our postmodern culture and seeks the essence of the Gospel. Shine will challenge and stretch your own spiritual expectations as you discover the dynamics of a living faith.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Christian Living, Religion, Spirituality, Christian Non Fiction, Inspirational

360 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is still so relevant, all these years later.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The small stories from the band members scattered throughout the book were interesting, but I found the bulk of Shine to be a rather tedious read. Very...mind-numbing, to put it lightly. I picked this up when it released (I was about 13) expecting it to be something like 5 short memoirs- one from each of the guys...but instead they (...or whoever wrote it?) just tried to get too technical, and went way too in depth into various ideas- it was endless!

Had this been written by a random Christian author, it might have made more sense, and thus, gone over better with me...but when your favorite childhood band releases a book, you expect it to be a bit more personal- I was reading it primarily because they put it out- I wanted to hear their stories, see things from their perspective...instead...it read as an over-bearing training manual of sorts, only occasionally broken up by very brief stories from band members.


If you're looking to read anything directly from the band members themselves, skip this book and go read some interviews/articles online...and maybe thumb through this in the bookstore or something.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I thought it was well-written, overall (I only noticed one or two 'mistakes' in which the same sentence was repeated twice). The authors are able to get their "points" across in an easily understandable manner. I enjoyed the 'personal moments' scattered throughout the book, where they share moments from their lives to highlight different points in the book as well as lessons they learned from various experiences they went through.

I thought they were quite relatable throughout the entire book. Even when they get 'somewhat technical,' they still manage to keep their message easily understandable to the 'general reader' as opposed to being focused solely on/for 'scholars.' I liked how they challenged readers to seriously look at their lives, at their testimony, in an encouraging fashion. I did not feel like there was any kind of condemnation or judgment in what they had to say over the course of the book. Instead, there was an excitement at what they felt God had shown them and a desire to help fellow believers to grow and mature in the Lord.

Some ‘things’ that stood out to me as I was reading:
1. You never know who is watching you, who is watching your walk. Live in such a way that points them to God, to Jesus, to salvation. You never know the impact you can have upon somebody by how you live your life, by a kind word spoken at the right time. It might not mean much to you, but your words and your actions (especially when both work ‘together’) can have a powerful impact upon the life of another person. This is so easy to forget!
2. We should treat everybody with dignity and respect because they are eternal beings created by Almighty God. The way we treat people can and will impact them for eternity, either positively or negatively. We need to treat people with dignity and respect, regardless of how they treat us or how they respond to it at that moment.
3. Jesus said the world will know we are His followers by our love for each other, the love that we have and share. This does not mean we accept or tolerate sin, but we are to still show love to each other. If the world does not see Jesus’ love in us being shared by us with others, than there is a problem and we need to either stop calling ourselves “Christians” or repent and “get with God’s program” (they never actually ‘said’ this ‘last point;’ it is more what I took from what they said. They did say we are to love each other and that if we do not have love, the world cannot recognize we are Christians or how we are different than anybody else who is not a Christian, though.).
4. Jesus is the Light that dwells within us as Christians and there is no reason we cannot “shine” for Him, let Him shine through us all day long, into the lives of those around us.

I am glad that I decided to read this book. I enjoyed it greatly, and it gave me some points to ponder upon further.

[Natalie Shawver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ready for a big admission? This book has been on my shelf since 2003! But hey, I finally got around to it and I'm proud of that.

I've always been a fan of the Newsboys music. Their songs are catchy and have a wonderful message about serving the Lord. Our son now loves them, too. The book, named after their big hit, "Shine," was a nice morning read over the past month. It bounces between typical Christian non-fiction and personal stories from band members. Here are a few of my biggest takeaways:

"Be faithful in the little things to be faithful in whatever you do."

"Christ says, 'Seek first the kindgom.' Anything less than that could be second best or twenty-second best, but it still isn't God's best for us."

"God desires us to love Him. This is more important to Him than all our efforts to please Him by doing or saying the right things."

"Christ instructed us to pray for our daily bread. He didn't say to ask what the future holds."

"The area in which most of us seem to want to hold on to our rights most tightly is in the area of forgiveness. When people do something to hurt us, we feel as if we have the right to hold a grudge. But, as followers of Christ, we must understand that the people who are the most blessed and happy are those who are continually filled with gratitude for their own forgiveness and who freely forgive others because they themselves have been forgiven."

Shine took me back to the '90s and I thank it for that. I'm not sure it would totally resonate with anyone else (unless you like the Newsboys and the '90s). It was a nice book, and I liked how they interweave some of their song lyrics throughout. Instantly made me want to listen to the song after reading.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Newsboys are right up there with Audio Adrenaline and Relient K among my biggest musical influences. While dc Talk easily had the biggest impact--they got me not only into CCM, but into popular/contemporary music in general--many songs from that band from down under are old favorites of mine, and have been for years; in the case of "Take Me to Your Leader," since the late nineties. So, when I saw this at my local thrift store, I had to pick it up.

What did I think? The overall message was very impactful; too many Christians--including myself--have become rather complacent in their faith, and this book challenges us to take a stand for Jesus and let our belief in Him impact everything we do and say. Testimonials from the band members were a big plus. The only things that keep me from giving this a perfect score are too much wasted space and too many stylistic similarities to dcT's Jesus Freaks books.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite band growing up. Definitely a good read.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually heard about this book originally because I am a Newsboys fan. A few years ago I really started getting into Christian music. I just love the message that the Newsboys have and really enjoy their perspective on how to live as a Christian when the world is totally against it.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book! Great inspiration to grow your faith and shine for Christ!

[Huggiworld]

Great book; motivating

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just finished and this book has definitely made me think about how I am living my life and whether or not my actions are in sync with my words and my faith. Great book!

[Kt, Kt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 5-06.
Loved it.

[Anthony Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!