The Hard Way

My four-year-old daughter wanted to watch a movie tonight and she asked me to go turn one on for her. When she didn’t get the answer she wanted, she climbed up on my lap, put a hand on each side of my face, and tried to make my head nod. I shook it simultaneously, resulting in my head going around in circles. She backed away from me and said, “Are we gonna have to do this the hard way?” She climbed onto my back and began repeatedly pushing my head forward so it would nod. Then she climbed down, stood in front of me and said, “You said yes, Mommy, so go do it!”

Taste and See

“Sometimes we have to work to find delight in God’s Word. Jeremiah said that when he ate God’s words, they became a joy. They don’t become a joy sitting on a shelf. We have to taste to receive them.…” Dug Down Deep, by Joshua Harris, p. 71.

If you’ve ever given up sugar (assuming, of course, that you’re in the majority and include sugar as a dietary staple), you might have noticed that your body went through stages of withdrawal. Stage 1 – Craving. You want sugar all the time in nearly any form. For me, this lasts about 10 days. Stage 2 – Contentment. The cravings stop and you’re satisfied with your new, healthier way of eating. Stage 3 – The Aha Moment. You realize that these healthy foods actually do have flavor. The really good, I-could-actually-live-on-this sort of flavor. Foods you didn’t care for are delicious. Foods that you liked, you love. And those sugary foods don’t hold much appeal for you anymore. When you do decide to indulge in something decadent and sugary, the anticipation far outweighs the actual flavor. Stage 4 – Wisdom. What’s best for you tastes really yummy and you know it.

Isn’t our spiritual diet like this? We devour (at least I do) much reading material, but sometimes don’t have much appetite for our health food. Scripture doesn’t tempt me. Like salad at an all-you-can-eat buffet, I often read my obligatory chapter before moving on to the “good stuff.”

Only if we persevere, if we cut out the sugary “foods” (and this can be good, Christian material like fiction, blogs, e-mails, etc.), and eat primarily the healthy stuff, our cravings for the sugary stuff decreases and our cravings for the Word of God increases. And if we persevere, we will reach the point where we get it. Not only is Scripture the best food for us, but it tastes better than anything else.

So let me encourage you today to taste from God’s Word.

Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O LORD, God of hosts. --Jeremiah 15:16 (NASB)

The Least Among You (DVD) - Lionsgate

Based on a true story, this was an interesting look at a young man's journey to faith. He was raised by a mom of faith and a mostly absent dad in a neighborhood fraught with drugs and violence, blaming God for many things. Through a series of circumstances - the Watts Riots, a probationary year at an all-white seminary, and the friendship of the groundskeeper, Richard Kelly encounters God. He becomes a man of faith, of conviction. A man who knows that strength comes from surrender. A man who knows that with God, all things are possible, even for a young black man unwillingly studying in an all-white seminary.

This film looks at racism in the church in the 60s. It looks at watered down Bible teachings that are so prevalent today in the American church. And it looks at the impact that one man can have on another.

Extremely disappointed that the film earned it's PG-13 rating with a completely unnecessary use of the "f" word. While some unsavory things were depicted that were relevant to the story, showing the lifestyle Richard came out of, the language - the only language besides the a-- word - added absolutely nothing to the story. Having watched the movie with my kids, it was doubly disappointing to try to explain why a Christian film would have added something so vulgar, especially when it in no way enhanced the story. In fact, I believe it detracted from the story.

With that exception, it was a moving story about faith transcending circumstance.

A complimentary review copy of this DVD was provided with no expectation of a positive review.

Tub Texts

So, we were at the cell phone store today because our contract has run out and it's time to get new phones. The salesperson was showing us our options and mentioned the military phone. It's nearly indestructible and completely waterproof. It's also pretty pricey! Anyway, I can see how this could be helpful for some people, but the salesperson said it's especially popular among teens. Why? So they can text in the shower! What a sad commentary on the world today.

Judgment Day by Wanda L. Dyson

Missing teens. Sensationalist journalism. False Accusations. Murder. Mystery. Motive. Suzanne Kidwell and her stretch-the-truth reporting land right in the middle of all of it. She is forced to turn to a private investigator, her ex-fiancé, and his wealthy female partner for help.

A fast-paced story of suspense, Judgment Day is full of twists and turns, well-developed characters, and layers of mystery. While the "whodunnit" seemed evident fairly early on, there were enough rabbit trails to make the reader doubt his or her conclusions.

This was a good mystery and I enjoyed some of the unique characterization of Marcus, Alex, and Razz, the private investigators and their tech guy. Stand-alone sequels using the same team of investigators would be well received.

Love's First Bloom by Delia Parr

To protect her, a minister accused of murder sends his daughter, Ruth, into hiding with a false identity. As she tries to survive the blemish on her father's name, the lies weigh heavily upon her. Comforted by the love and acceptance of the young girl placed in her charge and the family who took her in, Ruth manages to hold onto a thread of hope and faith. When tragedy strikes and Ruth realizes that she may never be able to return home, she doesn't know who she can trust. With reporters trying to locate her, she lives with constant fear of discovery. One of those reporters, Jake, is trying to redeem himself and hides behind a false identity as well. As he gets to know Ruth, he faces a difficult choice.

More entertaining than challenging, this historical romance was an enjoyable read. Navigating the many complications surrounding the main characters kept the story fresh and intriguing. The characters were well-developed and likeable. Though I did keep waiting for the "truth will set you free" message, Jake and Ruth eventually knew the truth about each other. A little romance, a little mystery, and enough minor character revelations to lend itself to a stand-alone sequel, I would recommend this book.

In Every Heartbeat by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Three college students, friends from the orphanage they grew up in, seek to find their place in a world on the brink of World War I. Libby, desiring to be taken seriously as a journalist, finds that proving herself as a writer in a man's world can be challenging. Pete, called to be a minister, struggles with a disability and bitterness toward the parents who gave him up. And Bennett battles jealousy in his desire to belong. As these three friends try to find their way, they begin to discover who they are and what they believe about God, each other, and themselves.

I enjoyed watching these characters grow and develop in their love, confidence, and faith. The first two or three chapters moved a bit slowly, but the story was compelling enough to encourage this reader to continue. Sawyer presented the struggles of faith, friendship, ambition, family, and belonging in ways that may speak to many of us as we battle within ourselves - old man versus new.

It is a story primed for a sequel, as not all was resolved. This reader will certainly be reading it when it becomes available.

Complacency

It's easy, especially in this country, to become complacent, satisfied, in our faith. Satisfied to live out each day as the one before, we stagnate. We stop looking for the miracle, stop seeking His face, stop growing in our faith. But we are to live life abundantly! So, fall on your face! Search Him out today. Expect miracles. God is so much more than we can even comprehend. Let's not stop trying to know Him more.

66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb

Have you ever read your Bible and wondered what it has to do with you? Have you ever struggled with the God of the Bible? If so, you are not alone.

In 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You Into His Story, Dr. Larry Crabb takes an honest approach to the Bible, often asking the hard questions. "Presented as a dialogue between one man and God" (book sleeve), Dr. Crabb uses an easy-to-read, conversational style to summarize of each book of the Bible. It delves heavily into application. How does this book impact me? What should I be getting out of this book?

This is a book that makes you think and rethink your relationship with God. It gives you a better understanding of the role of the Church. And it helps you see Christ in every book of the Bible.

With an available free study guide from the author's website, this book lends itself to personal or group study and would be best used over time, as a supplement to reading through the Bible. Having said that, it is enjoyable enough and holds enough truths that it is sometimes hard to put down. My advice? Enjoy it, but use it as a jumping off place to go back and search the Scriptures for yourself, perhaps seeing them in a new light.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to buy several to give away. Five stars.

A complimentary review copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers with no expectation of a positive review.

Masquerade by Nancy Moser

Lottie, a wealthy, spoiled, young Englishwoman and her ladies maid, Dora, sail across the ocean so Lottie can marry American wealth. As they near their destination, Lottie determines not to marry the American and comes up with a deceptive scheme designed to make both girls happy. They switched places. Once their plan is set in motion, the girls encounter one complication after another, as they try to pull off their charade. When their plan begins to unravel and the truth rises to the surface, the girls discover who they really are and what is really important in life.

Well written, enjoyable, and historically accurate, Nancy Moser has written another great novel. The description is a bit heavy and therefore slows the pace of the book, but the reader does walk away with a better picture of late 19th century America - the conditions that greeted the immigrants who came to America for a better life, the lifestyle and fashion of high society, the marked division of the social classes, and the expected roles of women. All in all, a good read.

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews, Illustrated by Philip Hurst

The Boy Who Changed the World is a children's book with a message. It tells the true stories of four boys, Norman, Henry, George, and Moses, each of whom changed the world. And it tells how Norman was influenced by Henry, who was influenced by George, who was influenced by Moses.

I enjoyed this book tremendously, although I read it to my daughter with tears in my eyes. The book demonstrates "the butterfly effect" for children, showing them how their ideas and actions affect others. Beautifully written and illustrated, this story is engaging enough to capture the attention of my four-year-old and has a message applicable to all of us. What you do matters. You are important. God has a purpose for your life. You can be the boy (or girl) who changed the world.

A complimentary review copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers with no expectation of a positive review.

Book Review: Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Heartless, the debut novel by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, is an engaging story of a young princess, competing suitors, and the strange and magical world she lives in. A world filled with myth and magic, faeries and dragons, good and evil. A world where anything is possible and all is not as it seems.

Despite a slow start, Heartless is filled with memorable characters, witty dialogue, and so many twists and turns that the unexpected is the norm. With generous use of foreshadowing, the author encourages the reader's curiosity. The writing seemed a bit stilted at first, but quickly settled into a smooth read.

This was not the best novel I've read recently, but enjoyable nonetheless. Enjoyable enough that I plan to read future books by this author. I believe she has a lot of promise, especially for the young adult reader, and I expect her name to become well-known within Christian fantasy circles.

Book Review: Stealing Home by Allison K. Pittman

A well-written story about an alcoholic baseball player, an "old maid" who pretends the town's opinion of her doesn't matter to her, a twelve-year-old black boy who wants a better life, and a deaf feed store clerk who is secretly in love, Stealing Home was a historical look at baseball and racism in small town America.

As a secular novel, I would have given it higher ratings, but I've come to expect more from a Christian novel. While God, Christianity, and church were sprinkled throughout the story, the supposed God-change took place virtually without God. The story was primed for a redemption story, but only hinted that God MIGHT have had anything to do with it. I know that God works through people, as He did in this story, but I would have preferred to see transformation take place with God clearly at the helm. So, all in all, it was a good story, well-told, but had a faith element that for me, was lacking.

Jack and the Beanstalk

The other day, I was "doing school" with my 3-year-old and we were reading from a book of fairy tales. As I finished the story, what struck me was the moral of the story. I know fairy tales sometimes have different versions, but the one I read basically said this...Jack disobeyed his mother and sold their cow for magic beans. Jack's mom got mad and threw the beans out the window, which grew into the clouds overnight. Jack climbed the beanstalk, found a giant's castle, snuck in, and stole gold and a hen-that-lays-golden-eggs. He lost the gold as he ran from the giant owner, but managed to hold onto the hen. He climbed down the beanstalk and chopped it down, killing the giant following him. And the hen gave him a golden egg daily. The moral? Disobey, steal, and kill and riches will be yours. There is something seriously twisted about this story. "Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum!"

Book Review: The Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

Three friends - a reporter, a federal prosecutor, and an FBI agent - all work to uncover the truth about a missing Senate page while supporting each other through the twists and turns of their own lives. A political thriller, this book will keep you turning the pages. But if you're expecting a Christian novel, you might be disappointed.

This book could have been published as a secular novel, albeit a cleaner version than many of this genre. There was no clear Christian message, although one character is clearly a Christian. So if you're expecting a redemption story, this book is not for you. If, on the other hand, you simply enjoy this type of book and are tired of the rated-R nature of many of them, this might be a nice alternative. It is fast-paced, well-written, and exciting!

I did enjoy this book and plan to read the upcoming books in this Triple Threat Series. And I would not hesitate to recommend it as a good - and safe - read. I just wish it had a bit more of a Christian message. Perhaps by the end of the series, that will be the case.

A complimentary review copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers with no expectation of a positive review.

Book Review: The Gift of Psalms

A beautiful book, accompanying CD, and daily devotions all wrapped up into one package.

The devotions in this book are great and reflect the praise and comfort that the Psalms often bring. But what makes this book unique is the packaging. From the classy cover to the soothing tones on the accompanying CD, this devotional book really stands apart. The CD, with the psalms and devotional reading included, allow for one to have devotions while driving or getting ready in the morning. It is also very nice for those with vision difficulties. The book itself has a luxurious feel, inviting the reader to sit and ponder its words.

If you're looking for a gift or to treat yourself, this devotional book is a fantastic choice!