Book Review: So Shines the Night

I was very intrigued by the concept of this Christian Novel.  The first church as described in Acts and the apostle Paul's writings is one of great fascination, awe, honor, and even curiosity.  I was excited about the idea of a novel that would place me in that time and place as it is not a common timeframe for fiction.

So Shines The Night is a story that involves rescue and redemption.  Two people- Daria and Lucas come from two very different places and yet their paths converge as they seek similar answers in life.  Daria seeks a place of acceptance and a way to justify her quest for knowledge with the seemingly unending path towards acceptance with the gods of her religion.  Lucas seeks revenge that will give him peace after his failures that money could not make go away.  All of these personal trials set in the bustling city of Ephesus in the shadow of the great Temple to Artemis. A spiritual and sometimes physical war is on the brink between the Jews, the followers of the many gods of Rome and Greece, the worshippers of Artemis, and the new group called the Way who follow the teachings of Jesus under the missionary Paul.  Lucas and Daria end up in the middle of this battle- a battle not only for their lives, but their souls.

Overall, the storyline and concept was fascinating and the town of Ephesus in the first century did come alive.  Higley's writing was descriptive, almost to the gory point with sorcery and dark magic scenes.  However, it was a cumbersome book to get through.  It was very long, and seemed like it didn't need to be.  Higley's writing is not concise as her use of adjectives and descriptive sentences is overbearing at times.  I would have enjoyed this book much more if it was more concise and focused on the subjects of the story.  It was just a hard read to get through which took a lot of the enjoyment that typically comes along with reading Christian fiction.

I wouldn't put this at the top of my recommendation list, but it is an intriguing read for those really interested in that time period.

*I was given a copy of So Shines the Night by book sneeze and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

Book Review: Intentional Parenting

I'm not one to underline in books.  I read them, enjoy them, and apply them without the need to go back and reread.  Rarely have I come across a book that is filled with so much tidbit wisdom that I long to share with my spouse and I am itching to implement.  I found myself oozing with ideas, wisdom, and courage after reading Intentional Parenting.  It has been marked up, highlighted, a to do list written in the back, and ideas sketched in the margins.  Intentional Parenting is perhaps one of the best parenting books I have ever read.  Written by three counselors from Daystar Counseling  (Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan), the book is segmented beautifully into different areas where parents can be intentional when raising their kids (patience, consistency, spiritual, merciful, and more).  The book has the perfect balance of psychology pedagogy, child development, and scripture verses all from the perspective of a Biblical worldview.  This book not about how to fix kids, it is about being transformed as a parent and growing spiritually as a man or woman of God through the raising of our children.  I appreciated the examples from their own lives and counseling experiences that mixed with practical applications that I can implement in my home.  This book touches on all stages and phases of raising children so you know what it can look like to be an encouraging or playful parent to your 3 year old, 8 year old, and 15 year old.  As a mom to 3 girls ages 6, 3, and 3 months I found myself armed with great ideas for now, and methods to keep in mind for the future.  The only downside of this book is that I longed for more!  I cannot wait to get my hands on some of the other resources they suggested and referred to in their book.  I plan on getting this book for any new mom or dad in my sphere of influence.  While new parents may not appreciate it at first, it will not take long for them to realize how powerful it can be.  This must be on your reading list!

"Whether he is a mystery or more familiar, our job is to become a student- to seek to understand the work that God began and is faithfully completing in the lives of our children.  Our job is to steward that, not change it."  p. 18

Thank you Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest review.

Book Review: Next Door Savior

Max Lucado is a writing legend, known for his clear and direct writing that often opens a window to a simple and fresh take on scripture.  Next Door Savior is no exception.  Each chapter focuses on scripture or a story of Christ and how despite is full divinity, was also fully man.  Often with prose and examples taken from contemporary times, Jesus becomes a man you can relate to, a friend you may have over for coffee rather than an unreachable deity.  My favorite quote in the book seems to sum it all up for me

"His uncommon approach to his common life groomed him for his uncommon call."

Next Door Savior is not a long book that requires a front to back reading for understanding.  Rather, each chapter is almost like a stand alone devotional- often focusing on a certain topic.  When you feel like you are struggling in a certain area, you can just look up that chapter in this book and be encouraged by a Jesus who was just like you.  I would see a great use for this book as a devotional tool for meetings, classes, or groups to use.  

Do not read this book with the intention of having a proverbial 2x4 to the head.  This is book is not overly deep in its undertaking- but its clean approach to the stories of Christ will be uplifting and encouraging.  It may even help you see in your day to do day that we truly do have a friend in Jesus- a man who came and lived as we did, not unreachable, but a neighbor. 

*I received a copy of this book from BookSneeze in partnership with Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Though Mountains Fall

I have been itching for the next book in Dale Cramer's The Daughter's of Caleb Bender series- and its finally here!  Though Mountains Fall continues the struggling Amish church settlement in Paradise Valley, Mexico centralized on Caleb Bender and his family.  We left the family torn to pieces over the death of their older brother and healing over the kidnapping of Rachel and coming to grips with the inevitable love of Domingo (the Mexican hired hand) and Miriam.  This next installment brings intense drama as the Amish struggle to maintain the peace in the valley as bandits and soldiers disturb their lives.  This book is about choices- decisions have to be made not only about the future of each character and family, but of the entire Amish settlement.  Will Miriam choose her love for Domingo over the faith of her family?  Will her family choose love for their daughter over the rules of their church if she is banned?  God forgives us, can we forgive others?

Dale Cramer has become my favorite new novelist and I hope that this is not the last installment of the Caleb Bender series and that there are future ones like it.  The story lines are the perfect blend of fresh ideas merged with the classic topics (Amish lifestyle, faith, love) that keep us reading Christian fiction.  Cramer's writing has beautiful voice which I connected to greatly- which is not always easy from a male author writing from a primarily woman's point of view.  If you are looking for a new author or a new series- I cannot recommend this series enough- just be sure to start with Books 1 and 2 before you jump into this wonderful novel.  You will miss a great deal and will not be disappointed.

*I was given a copy of the book from Bethany House publishers in exchange for my honest review

Book Review: The Bridesmaid

Beverly Lewis and Amish Fiction are really synonymous with one another.  Time and time again Lewis captures imaginations and hearts through telling the tales of the Amish people- their pleasures, struggles, beliefs, and seemingly constant toil between who they are as Amish and who they are as God's child.

I had the opportunity to read her newest novel from the Hickory Hollow series entitled The Bridesmaid through Bethany House book reviewer program (in exchange for the book I am asked to give my unbiased review of the work).

I am usually a devout and loving fan of Lewis' work, but I was quite disappointed with this novel.  The main story line is that of Joanna and her dreams of being wed, despite her 'old' age and being 3 times a bridesmaid.  Reaching what seems to be the end of her courting years with now prospects in sights, a happen chance meeting on the shoreline with a boy from another state re energizes her desire for love, marriage, and an Amish family.  Eben and Joanna begin a long distance courtship through letters and weekly phone calls, but many bumps hinder their plans.  This is where I lost love with the novel.  There were too many subplot story lines that never seemed to 1) be explained as to why they were problems in the first place (like the troubled relationship between Joanna and her younger sister) or 2) that were brought up but never really dealt with again.  I felt like the entire book was a constant cycle of Joanna receiving a letter, fighting with her sister, lamenting to a wiser woman in her town, and then writing back to Eben.  Chapter after chapter never really seemed to go anywhere.  There were also many subplots that just hindered the telling of the story and detracted more than added value (The quilt storyline was neat and would have loved to hear more about it, but it ended up just being a distraction in my point of view).

The nature of the Hickory Hollow series is that they are supposed to be stand alone novels.  Therefore, many of the storylines I felt were not wrapped up well (like Joanna's love for writing and whether it became an issue).

Overall, I love Lewis as an author and is the go to source for great Amish fiction, but I would point those seeking that genre to another one of her great series.

Here is a link to the book's trailer.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOP-s-AWa-4&feature=context-gau  

Book Review: 12 Unlikely Heroes

I was really excited about the concept of John MacArthur's book Twelve Unlikely Heroes.  I have been on a journey of faith in recent months that has been exciting- and feel God is using me (despite feeling under-qualified and not the best choice for His task) do do something great.  I thought it would be a great read of encouragement to see how God uses the unlikely to do the unexpected.

While there were highlights of the book and I enjoyed getting to know some of the unknown faces of scripture a little better, I came away feeling underwhelmed and disappointed   In many ways I felt MacArthur took too many liberties with analyzing a person's personality profile.  One example was how MacArthur portrayed Gideon as a man completely void of confidence, a weak person who in today's terms I would say would be someone you could just 'walk all over'.  While I'm not saying I know better than this great scholar, I don't think that it was necessarily that Gideon was that weak, but more that he felt unworthy and and under prepared to do the task God had laid before him.  I see Gideon not as a man who was unwilling to step up, but more unsure that He could fulfill the greatness God had laid out.  I feel in this instance there was an overreach of assumptions in order to make a point.

I felt as though the writing was lacking luster and life.  It was a rather boring read and lacked the vigor and excitement that these stories I feel naturally bring to the table.

I enjoyed reading about James, Jesus' brother and the amount of historical information provided as insight into his story.

Overall, I felt the book had great potential, but lacks what I was hoping to get out of it.  It does show how God chooses to use anyone to fulfill his will here on earth and to never underestimate what God may have for you.

I received this book as a reviewer on BookSneeze.com in return for my honest point of of view.

Book Review: Called to Controversy

I was given a copy of Called to Controversy which is a biography of Moishe Rosen who was the founder of the Jews for Jesus.  This was nearly two months ago.  I had a such a hard time reading this book and really could not motivate myself to read through it in a timely manner.  The writer, Ruth Rosen, is Moishe's daughter.  It was just a boring  and unfortunate retelling of what could have been a more interesting story.  The book is filled with way too many side stories, family characters, and experiences that take away from the point of the story.  I was distracted by the constant flow of characters that I could hardly keep them straight.  The amount of detail into seemingly irrelevant events was also a contributing factor in how hard this book was to read.  I loved getting the little quips into Moishe's growth as a speaker and as a missionary to his own people.  Give me the cliff notes version an I will be happy to pick up a copy!

*I was given a copy of this book by BookSneeze in return for my review, all opinions are my own.