Tag Archives: Review

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Book Review: Life Of John Knox

Life of John KnoxBiographies are one of my favorite genres to read.  There is so much that a person can learn from the life of someone else.  Plus, the fact that I love history only adds to the enjoyment.

So it was no surprise that I enjoyed reading the American Sunday-School Union’s Life of John Knox.  Originally published in 1833, this short biography has been reprinted by Attic Books.

I’ve known of John Knox for several years.  He first cropped up in my study of church history in college at Ozark Christian College.  And he has popped into my reading on occasion since then.  But I’ve never taken the opportunity to read his life story until now.

I’m glad that I did so.

Knox was a central figure in ousting Catholicism from Scotland in the 1500s.  Feeling that the papist rule was wrong, he stood up against it and suffered was persecuted greatly by Mary, Queen of Scots and several other leaders of Scotland and England.

But he persevered.  He was steadfast in his preaching the truth of the Gospel.  He was unwavering in his opposition of the Catholic church’s rule.  And he was constant in his display of integrity and honesty.

Knox was an incredible leader, and a key person in the Reformation, both in Scotland, and on the European continent.

I loved reading the Life Of John Knox.  If you enjoy history or biographies, you will too.

If you are interested in reading the Life of John Knox, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master 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.“

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Book Review: Couples Who Pray by Squire Rushnell & Louise DuArt

Couples Who PrayCouples Who Pray was an intriguing book.

While not a deeply thought provoking book, it did highlight some great points and was very encouraging.

Authors Rushnell and DuArt have developed a 40 Day Prayer Challenge.  The basic idea is that married couples spend at least five minutes a day praying together for 40 days, and see if that doesn’t change their marriage for the better.

Of course it will.

Drawing on the stories of several prominent public couples, such as Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford, Donna Summers and Bruce Sudano, and Gavin and Patti MacLeod, Couples Who Pray is a treasure of encouragement.

Although it is encouraging, it isn’t all that deep.  It has some great points, but lacks a solid biblical foundation.  They quote several passages from God’s Word throughout the pages, but they seem to be almost afterthoughts, and not basic premises.  And the chapter where they talk about generosity, giving and tithing is poorly defined.

While there were some great points made in this book, I feel as if there are several other books out there that do a far better job of establishing prayer as the basis for any marriage.

That said, I’m still glad I read it.

If you are interested in reading Couples Who Pray, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

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.“

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Book Review: Chasing Elephants by Brent Crowe

Chasing ElephantsI didn’t get what I expected when I read Brent Crowe’s Chasing Elephants:  Wrestling With The Grey Areas Of Life.

I expected it to be a book where he examines several “untouchable” topics.  Topics such as the back cover lists: social drinking, homosexuality, social networking, and more.

I was interested in reading his opinions on many of these topics, and how he landed on his conclusions.  But what I got was a lot more.

As I started reading Chasing Elephants, I was initially disappointed.  It wasn’t what I expected.  BUt as I continued to read it, this book has turned into one of the more dog-eared, written in, highlighted books that I own.

Instead of tackling each of the mentioned topics one chapter at a time, Crowe instead has written a great book describing and explaining Christian freedom.  He has formulated a series of sixteen questions, a grid, so to speak, that a person can use to answer questions about any of the grey areas in life.

Instead of addressing half a dozen touchy subjects, Crowe has developed a tool that can help you establish your beliefs about any such area.  These sixteen questions have become extremely helpful for me.

Brent Crowe has done his homework concerning the the topic of Christian freedom.  He examines most of the major biblical passages and does a great job of writing very clearly on the subject.

And then, in the last five chapters, he addresses specifically some of these untouchable topics, viewing them through the grid of these sixteen questions.

And he’s done a great job doing it.

I highly recommend that you read Chasing Elephants.  It will help you solidify what you think and believe on so many different levels and subjects.

If you are interested in reading Chasing Elephants: Wrestling With The Grey Areas Of Life, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from NavPress 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.“

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Book Review – Dragons: Legends And Lore Of Dinosaurs

Dragons: Legends And Lore Of DinosaursLegends of dragons have always fascinated me.  As a kid, I read dozens of books about dragons, some fictional, others reportedly true.  And I loved every word.

My passion for early earth history, as recorded in Genesis, has lead me to many stories and reports of man encountering these incredible creatures.  This makes sense from a young earth point of view, because God created most of the dinosaurs on Day Six, along with the rest of the land animals. Of course, aquatic dinosaurs would have been created on Day Five…

But the word “dinosaur” wasn’t coined until 1841 by Sir Richard Owen.  What were these creatures called before the word dinosaur was invented?

Dragons.

Master Books has put together an incredible summary of dragons in many different cultures around the world, called Dragons:  Legends and Lore of Dinosaurs.  Piecing together eyewitness accounts and multi-cultural stories, along with many other evidences, they’ve created an extremely interesting account.

Dragons are found in dozens of cultures around the world.  They are mentioned in many ancient texts, including more than two dozen references in the Bible alone.

Along with this evidence, there are many archaeological finds that have dragons depicted on them.

How did so many diverse societies develop such similar creatures.  Mythology isn’t enough of an answer.  There had to be something more.  That these people saw such creatures is the only possible explanation.

I’ve read much of the information and stories presented in Dragons:  Legends and Lore of Dinosaurs before.  However, there were a few places where I read something new.

Dragons:  Legends and Lore of Dinosaurs kept me fascinated the entire time I perused it.  It will make an excellent resource to keep on my shelf with the rest of my creation materials.

This book is incredibly interesting.  I suggest you read it today!

If you are interested in reading Dragons: Legends And Lore Of Dinosaurs, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master 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.“

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Book Review: The Alarmists – by Don Hoesel

The Alarmists by Don HoeselI love a good suspense novel.

The Alarmists is the newest work by author Don Hoesel.  I enjoyed it immensely!

Here’s the plot.  The world is quickly approaching a watershed moment in history.  Similar to Y2K, this moment could make or break humanity.  What moment is this?  The end of the Mayan calendar in December of 2012.

Sociologist Brent Michaels is contracted by a special unit of the military to help them examine the date of several strange occurrences around the world.  These could be coincidental, but they seem just a little too structured.  They have to be man-made.  But how?  And by whom?

That’s what Michaels has to figure out.  Is there really a plot to take advantage of a doomsday scenario for financial gain?  Just how far are these people willing to go with this?

Michaels teams up with one of the members of the elite military unit to figure this out.  While is is a committed atheist, and sees no need for faith, his team mate, who he’s increasingly attracted to, is a strong Christian.

The Alarmists is an intriguing story of suspense and fear, and humanity and faith.  I really enjoyed it.  If you like suspense fiction, then you need to pick up a copy of The Alarmists.  You’ll be glad you did!

If you are interested in reading The Alarmists, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group 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.“

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Book Review: Max On Life – by Max Lucado

Max On LifeMax Lucado’s new book is different thank anything I’ve ever read by him.

Usually, Lucado’s books are developed around a central theme, and that topic is discussed throughout the book.

Not so with this one.

The concept of this Max On Life is a lot like the FAQ section for life’s manual.  Lucado takes almost 200 questions that he’s collected over the last several years of his ministry and answers each of them briefly.

Topics range from hope and grace, pain and suffering, relationships, sex and marriage, heaven and hell, money, Scripture, prayer and more.

While interesting, I really didn’t like the format.

It was too brief.

There were a lot of questions that I felt Lucado could have delved into a little deeper.  There were a few answers that I felt he was off base.  I just didn’t think this book flowed as smoothly as it could have.

Sure, there were a few nuggets here and there that were good.  But there was a lot of reading in between those.

In my opinion, if you want information on any of these individual topics, there are much better resources out there that specifically speak to that issue.  Use those resources.  Max On Life is ok, but it isn’t that great of a help.

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. 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.“

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Book Review: The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

The Final SummitAndy Andrews has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

I was first introduced to his books a couple of years ago when I read The Noticer.  Another of his stories that I loved was The Heart Mender.

And I think he’s done it again.

The Final Summit is Andrews‘ newest book.  I sat down with it and read it straight through.  I didn’t stop until I was finished.  It kept my attention the entire way through.

While not as captivating as The Noticer or The Heart Mender, The Final Summit is well-written and extremely interesting.

Here’s the main idea:  David Ponder is nearing the end of his life, so he thinks.  Suddenly, he is visited by the archangel Gabriel, who has come for him. But not in the way David thinks.  Gabriel has come to escort David to a Summit, full of history’s most brilliant minds.  Their goal:  to find the solution that will save humanity from the horrific disaster looming in front of them.

David is allowed to choose only a few of the world’s best leaders and thinkers to help him discover the solution.  Can he do it in time?

I would highly encourage anyone to read The Final Summit.  Even though it’s a fictional story, it is full of incredible insight and wisdom, much like many of Andrews’ other books.  You need to read this one.  It will change the way you think about life.  It will change the way you involve yourself in the world that surrounds you.

Do something.  Read this today.

If you are interested in reading The Final Summit, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

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.“