Ten: Words of Life for an Addicted, Compulsive, Cynical, Divided and Worn-Out Culture

by Sean Gladding

To most people living in today's world, the Ten Commandments represent archaic rules dictated by a taskmaster God, meant for a society long gone. Many see them as irrelevant, even unattainable, today. But what if we're not that different from those who gathered around Moses as he handed down God's Ten Words to his people? What if they were never meant to be a set of rules, but instead a promise of a covenant relationship? In Ten, Sean Gladding invites you into the story of John, a pastor who spends his mornings in a local coffee shop, as he engages the viewpoints of regular people who wonder at the relevance and meaning of those Ten Words today. Sit in on their lively, heart-felt conversations as they tackle each Word over a cup of coffee and realize the hope of God's promises to his chosen people―yesterday, today and forever.

Genres: Christian

266 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2013

About the author

Sean Gladding is a storyteller, community gardener, backyard chicken keeper and YMCA soccer coach. He is married to Rebecca, is father to Maggie and Seth, and they live, love, work and play in the MLK neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky. He is part of the Fig Tree Collective (www.figtreecollective.org) and is cultivating a more loving way of life with his neighbours.

Reviews

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book not only stretched my understanding and application of the 10 commandments but each chapter was very disarming like I was in a real conversation with a group of people of diverse age and interest. I think each chapter would make for an excellent live drama or video at church, or better yet I'm inspired to want the same kind of conversation starter each week gathering with friends over coffee. I really liked how the author made the unusual choice to go from the end to the beginning of the 10 Words. You can always identify with someone in the diverse discussion group represented, the questions and comments they make, and even how uncomfortable some of the comments make you. Highly recommended not just for personal devotion but as a model of discussion starter with friends.

[Jim Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I suggest it as required reading for every human on the planet. I feel it will improve your life, our lives together and, therefore, your relationship with God. It is well written and will keep you reading. Make sure you get a copy of the reading guide - this is not an ordinary reading guide. It guides you to personalize what you are reading, it guides you to changes you can make and it includes a great collection of prayers from over the centuries. Move this to the top of your reading list.

[Sue Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I would normally not pick up but it was for a Sunday school discussion group. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Sean Gladding took a look at the 10 Commandments in a way that I'd never thought of before.

He used an everyday coffee house with everyday people as the means to discuss the Commandments. It was not the typical "thou shalt not" way that is most often used. Instead, he started from the 10th commandment and worked his way to the 1st. This was not only creative but probably less threatening. It allowed the characters to ease into the power of the commandments. Talking about envy or deception on a personal level is easier than bringing up idol worship and God with a group.

His characters talked about a different commandment each week. The examples used were different that I'd ever thought of. For example, one of the teenagers idolizing other kids instead of being happy with herself and of adults forming committees to look into something instead of actually getting things done for others.

This is a good book to be reminded of the commandments in a non-threatening way. It is an excellent group study book. The characters are not well developed but they do serve as a means to bring up the topic. And, I was disappointed that this book started out strong with many examples and different ways of looking at each Commandment but that lessened as the book continued. I believe that if the author would have started with the 1st then 2nd commandment, this book would not keep anyones attention.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gladding takes another narrative approach to Biblical material, much in the way he did with "Story of God, Story of Us". First, it must be said this book is not strong fiction. The characters are fairly shallowly-developed, and the dialogue is far from realistic. This may be especially grating in the beginning of the book, as the reader is adjusting to the style. Nevertheless, Gladding is not attempting to write award-winning fiction here, and I think that he succeeds wonderfully at what he is attempting to do, which is cast the 10 commandments in a totally new light, in a way that feels refreshingly relevant to our culture. As the book continued, and the characters began opening up in their personal stories, I did find myself caught up in the emotions they experienced, and I found myself thinking in new ways about the 10 commandments themselves.

If you liked "Story of God, Story of Us", you will almost certainly like this. If you can swallow some stilted dialogue between characters that don't exactly feel like real people all the time, then I can strongly recommend this book. It's an approachable, and honestly rewarding, trip through the 10 commandments, as well as an honest look at the shortcomings of the culture we live in.

[Dawn]

This book was incredible. Since I began going to church and learning more about God I've realized that society has a whole has lost it's moral standards mainly because we've either forgotten or disregarded the ten biggest guides God instilled for us to live lives full of joy. While most people have gone on even in the church believing that the commandments have no place in modern life this book takes a hard look at how wrong we are. These ten words are so important then and now and the struggle is really in assessing our own lives and rooting how we break these bonds that hold us back from the joy God has promised us. I really enjoyed learning these lessons and having my eyes opened.