Book Review – The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack
It’s been a while since I read something so inspirational that it brought tears to my eyes. But that’s exactly what happened as I was finishing The Fourth Fisherman, by Joe Kissack.
In 2006, something happened that went largely unnoticed by the American media. Three Mexican fishermen were rescued near the coast of Australia, after being adrift at sea for over nine months. Embarking on a three day fishing trip off the western coast of Mexico, five men had no idea what was in store for them. Three of them made it. Two did not.
Unknown to these fishermen, TV executive Joe Kissack was falling deeper and deeper into a morass of his own making: work problems, alcohol, drugs, marriage and family struggles all contributing.
In The Fourth Fisherman, Kissack interweaves these two stories, telling each on it’s own, until the point where two world’s collide.
Written in a back-and-forth fashion, jumping from one narrative to the other for much of the book, The Fourth Fisherman isn’t so much about these two stories as it is about a third story: God’s story. As Kissack discovers that fact, everything starts to click. And the results are simply miraculous.
The things that happen, and they way that they unfold are truly inspirational. Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. I read most of it in one evening, finishing it the next day.
And I loved every bit of it.
I highly recommend that you pick up a copy and read it today. You’ll be glad that you did.
In your life, where do you most need to see God’s hand moving right now? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you are interested in reading The Fourth Fisherman, by Joe Kissack, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“
Book Review – The Founders’ Key by Larry P. Arnn
I quite typically enjoy reading books that are historical in nature, especially concerning our nation. I love reading about our founding, the strength of will that it took to accomplish, and I believe that we have drifted away from many of those principles in more recent history.
So I was excited to receive a copy of Larry P. Arnn’s The Founders’ Key. However, I was quite disappointed.
Subtitled The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It, I was sure this would be an enlightening read. I was wrong.
I agree with much of the premises outlined by Arnn in The Founders’ Key. I just could not read it for any extended period of time without getting extremely bored.
What Arnn had to say was valid, and his point is quite accurate. But his style is dry and hard to take. Much of what he says has been written in other places, and his bibliography is full of other excellent resources containing similar discussions. But Arnn has alienated much of his audience with his dry prose. While I agree with most of what he says, I could barely make it though the way he said it.
The most redeeming aspect of the book comes in Part II: Foundational Readings. Here, Arnn has collected several fundamental American documents, gathering them into one convenient place for reference. These documents include:
- The Declaration Of Independence
- The Constitution of the United States of America
- Federalist No. 10: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection (Continued)
- Federalist No. 39: The Conformity of the Plan to Republican Principles
- Federalist No. 48: These Departments Should Not be So Far Separated as to Have No Constitutional Control Over Each Other
- Federalist No. 49: Method of Guarding Against the Encroachments of Any One Department of Government by Appealing to the People Through a Convention
- Federalist No. 51: The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments
- “Property” by James Madison
While fundamentally I agree with most of Arnn’s work here, and I love the collection of early American documents gathered, I was disappointed with The Founders’ Key. My recommendation is to save your money. If you need a collection of early American documents, try The Portable Patriot or The American Patriot’s Almanac. Like me, I’m sure you’ll like these much better.
Do you enjoy early American history? If not, what period is your favorite? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you are interested in purchasing The Portable Patriot or The American Patriot’s Almanac, you can find them at Amazon.com. Click on either title to be taken to the appropriate Amazon.com page.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“
Book Review And Contest – As One Devil To Another by Richard Platt
Tyndale House Publishers recently gave me a copy of As One Devil To Another to read and review here on JeffRandleman.com. They also sent me a certificate for a free copy of the book by Richard Platt to give away. I’ll explain how you can enter to win that in a moment.
The Scenario
I am a huge fan of most of the work of C. S. Lewis. I’ve found very little written by him that I don’t like. He was a literary genius, as well as a brilliant theologian. Some of my favorite works by Lewis include Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, God In The Dock, and, of course, The Screwtape Letters.
The Review
When I first heard about As One Devil To Another, and that it was written in the same style as The Screwtape Letters, I was skeptical. I’ve read a few other books written in this genre made popular by Lewis, and was less than impressed with any of them. And so I wasn’t really expecting Richard Platt’s attempt to be any better.
However, once I started reading As One Devil To Another, I couldn’t put it down. It’s an easy read, which I finished in a couple of hours. But there is a lot of significant stuff floating beneath the surface of this collection of letters from a mentor demon to his protégé. Platt gives great insight to the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) deceptions that the enemy often uses to keep us from growing closer to the One he calls the Adversary (meaning God, of course).
The young demon, Scardagger, has just graduated from Temptation University, and has been assigned a human target and is overseen by his uncle and mentor, Slashreap. Through a series of letters from Slashreap, we see Scardagger’s progress in bringing down his target. We see the deceptions used to trip her up, and the tactics applied to distracting her from any meaningful events or relationships in her life that could draw her closer to God.
Platt weaves a brilliant narrative through these letters; one that seems almost to have been written by Lewis himself. After finishing the book, I had to admit that it was the best attempt in this genre I’ve seen since Lewis’ own work. I was impressed, and still am.
The Conclusion
I was completely fascinated with As One Devil To Another. Although I’m not sure I could have immersed myself into the mindset of the deceits described here to write such a book myself, Richard Platt did a phenomenal job with this book! I highly recommend that you read it!
The Contest
Tyndale has graciously given me a certificate good for one copy of As One Devil To Another, redeemable at any bookstore where this book is sold. Here is what you’ll need to do to be eligible to win:
- Leave a comment below, telling me why you’d like a copy of this book.
- Retweet a link to this post, or post it on Facebook.
- On Friday, May 18, I will randomly select a winner from the comments.
That’s it. Easy enough. And if you don’t win a free copy of As One Devil To Another, you can buy a copy for yourself. I would suggest you do so. I’m sure you’ll like it.
Do you have a favorite book by C. S. Lewis? If so, what is it? If not, who is your favorite author? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you are interested in reading As One Devil To Another, by Richard Platt, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“
Memorize Scripture – Week 19
My family is embarking on a new chapter of our lives. We moved to Florida at the first of the month. There are a lot of new experiences we are facing, most of which require a significant amount of trust in the Lord.
The Bible tells us frequently to trust. One of those statements is found in Psalm 37:5-6:
Being a family with roots in the Bible Belt of the Midwest, Florida comes with a bit of culture shock. There are several things we will have to adjust ourselves to, including the weather.
But there are many things different here; the culture, the very mindset, is something new to us.
And so we are called to trust.
That can be very hard, especially when everything you know is 1000 miles away.
But when we trust, the psalmist says, God will make our righteousness shine.
Every time I’ve ever leaned on God, he draws the glory to himself. He displays himself through me.
Funny, isn’t it?
In what circumstances do you need to commit yourself to trusting God right now? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Back In The Saddle Again
Gene Autry wrote and recorded a song in 1939 called Back In The Saddle Again. Reminiscent of the Old West, Autry’s distinctive voice carried this song through the years to become a well-known classic. Here are a few lines:
I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle againWhoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin’ to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again
It has been a very busy season for my family, especially for the last couple of weeks.
In case you missed it, we moved halfway across the country, from south-central Missouri to the Gulf Coast of Florida. We left Missouri on April 30, arrived in Florida on May 2, and have been unpacking boxes ever since.
No Limitations
