Customer Reviews

I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Replacing Souvenir Religion with Authentic Spiritual Passion

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think that this is Vince's first book, and after reading "I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" I hope that it is not his last. I was challenged over and over to rethink some of the assumptions that the church has made about itself over the years.

I know that there are a lot of people that have either grown up in church or become a Christian only to find that the experience was less than fulfilling. Vince uses a lot of funny stories to remind us that God cares about people, and that following Jesus will lead us to an adventure.

If you are ready for the life Jesus really promised, not the one on the sidelines watching others live, (or want to know what that life is really like) then this book will be a joy. As a minister I appreciated Vince's honesty more then anything, this is not another "Hey look at me" book.

Vince hits a home run in his first book! I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to know how faith in Jesus can be so impactful. I've traveled the globe with Vince - he's real deal and what he writes is straight from the heart and relevant to all of us especially the church today. Keep livin' it Vince and writin' about it - bobby g - author Transformation, Glocalization, & The Multiplying Church.

Last night I finished reading Vince Antonucci's book, I Became A Christian And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt. When I turned the last page I was genuinely sorry that T-Shirt was coming to an end.

Vince, in a very candid and authentic manner, discusses what it means to be a follower of Jesus. He exposes many of the misconceptions and misrepresentations that are tragically corrupting the current state of Christianity.

I found myself laughing out loud and softly crying as I read this book. God has gifted Vince with a marvelous sense of humor and is using his writing to ask all of us some very probing questions.

Pick this one up!!!

I wanted to read Vince Antonucci's book, I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy T-shirt, because I like Vince. I don't really know him, mind you, but I like him. I like his courage. I like his humor. I like his messages. I like his church... I have been a fan of his from afar for a while now. He's a brother from another mother. I like him.

But even though I liked him, I never expected his book to be any good. I figured I would read it because the idea alone was a good idea... The image makes sense and so I signed up to take my church through his series because it sounded cool. We bought a bunch of the books, and I obligated myself to reading one too.

Honestly, I really didn't know what to expect.

Funny thing is, the book is really, really good. Not good in a "Christian book" kind of way; good in a Blue Like Jazz kind of way. I remember reading Miller's book and going - "Wow, this guy gets it." Vince gets it too - but he also gets something else: He gets me.

Vince gets what its like to want more. He gets the frustration. He gets the American way of making disciples - which sucks and basically says, "Come to church and you'll figure it all out, oh, and tithe too." Vince gets that there are huge problems with the church that we all love and lead. Vince is transparent and funny, but Vince is dead on. Vince understands and voices things that most of us religious leaders are afraid to say. He gets it.

And thankfully, he points the way to something much better. He reminds us that this life with Jesus is all about Jesus. It's all about following him. It's all about being in his presence and then following where he takes us. And when all of that is done right (by the way, Vince, I totally get the soccer illustration!! I coach two of my kids teams and do that drill often...) it can be quite a trip! A trip through serving and loving and touching sick folks and rejoicing - and quite James Bond-esk.

Thanks Vince. I needed the reminder. May God bless you ...for if nothing else, you helped me.

Vince's hilariously surprising, off-the-hook, writing style is not what you'd expect from a Christian book. It's far more exciting. Which is sort of the point of the book. For many people, Christianity becomes a set of boring, mundane rules. Vince, though, breaks the rules of Christian writing to show us that the Christian life should be so much more than that. It should be an adventure. We should have some fun along the way.

Vince packs truth into a fun-filled adventure through the book, and in doing so, sheds a light on the adventure that the Christian life should be.

Stop wearing the T-Shirt, and get this book.

Out of all the books I've read on finding spiritual passion, Vince's book ranks at the top. From the first page, it's engaging, funny, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, brutally transparent and honest. It takes guts to be so upfront about personal struggles with spiritual passion while, at the same time, leading such a relevant church. I don't know of too many books which will have you laughing out loud one second and seriously examining your journey with Jesus the next.

Hats off to Vince for being so honest, so real, and so willing to help others take a long look at their own spiritual passion. If you're bored with your faith, don't pass go and don't collect $200. Read this book.

I read the reviews on this book before buying it for myself and thought the reviews must have been submitted by Mr. Antonucci's friends -- that the book couldn't be that good. Nope, it is that good! Guess you could conclude that the reviews were more than a tease (forgive the lousy pun).

I have read a few books by famous christian authors. At the end I was disappointed because they went on and on and never seemed to get to the point. The only disappointment I had with this book was that it was over. I hope the author is working on another!

If you are satisfied with your life, as an ordinary Christian, please put this book back down! But if you are looking for a book that will help transform your thought processes and get you on the right track, this is the book for you.

I found myself in several chapters, literally unable to put it down. As a result of this book, I truly believe, my Christian life is much the better.

From the opening pages, Antonucci grabs your attention with stories that are real, down to earth, open and honest. Like the hit TV show House, M.D. Antonucci says many of the things that most of us think about, but never say. His mix of humor, sincerity and spiritual truth can at times be disarming, but they have firmly earned Lousy T-Shirt a place on my bookshelf between the honesty of Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" and the hard-hitting truths of Yancey's "What's So Amazing About Grace."