Monday, March 16, 2015
Book Review: Heaven, How I Got Here by Smith
This little book was something that I had the enjoyment of reading in one sitting. It is unusual for this to happen for me because my life is full of activities all around me as any mom understands. However, I was blessed to read this book that way. It was not a long book and it was written in a very easy reading style. It flowed well from one thought to the next and it was interesting enough to keep the attention of the reader.
This book takes a look at what the thief on the cross next to Jesus may have thought about the entire ordeal of the cross. The thief has such a short account in the Scriptures but this fictional book takes that account and makes it fuller by the reader's imagination. I like what the author did with this story.
Though this story is a fictional account of the perspective of the thief on the cross, this little story is fully packed with the gospel. The good news of the gospel is expressed over and over again. It was done in a great way.
I believe that the length was just enough to confidently pass this on to someone wondering about Christianity. It would be a great time to give it to people during this time of year because of Easter. It is also good for believers to read because it encourages faith and points to Christ's finished work on the cross.
I received a copy of this book free of charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.
You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Book Review: Fierce Convictions by Prior
This was a great biography about a women I have never heard of until now. Hannah More was a strong Christian who used her gifts for the greater good. She lived in a time period when Wilberforce was working to abolish slavery and when John Newton was a great preacher. This was also a time period where the church's eyes were being opened to the need for world wide missions and Carey was establishing missions worldview. This was a booming time to live in BUT the fact that a woman made a great impact during this time period was very encouraging to me even today.
Hannah More was a great writer who wrote to make an impact. She was friends with Newton and Wilberforce and aided in the abolition of slavery. She also found education very important and did great work of missions in her own country establishing schools for the poor even after receiving criticism for doing so. She and her sisters were a great team and support for one another.
Though her life was not perfect by any means, this biography is real in detail about shortcomings and challenges but I believe this is what makes it great. It was real, moving and challenging. It will inspire any Christian who picks it up but especially young, single women. For Hannah did all of this without a husband.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Christian history or biography. It was a good read and is worth the time.
I received a copy of this book free from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.
You can get a copy of it from Amazon here. AND it is only $3.99 for kindle at the time of this writing!
Book Review:The Romantic Rationalist by Various Authors
I have been greatly impacted by the writings of C.S. Lewis so it was natural for me to have a desire to review this title. It was a good book that detailed various aspects of C.S. Lewis's life. There were several contributors which made the book enjoyable because of the different writing styles. Because of the different contributors, naturally, certain readers will prefer some over others which works brilliantly to make this book versatile for a wider audience.
C.S. Lewis is a well loved influential Christian that it benefits others to know more about. Knowing more about strong Christians from our past serves to help us grow in Christ. I found this book to be both challenging and informative. Any reader will grow in their walk as they are challenged by Lewis's thought and life.
One particular way this book challenged me was in using my imagination. God does sanctify our imaginations and Lewis's literary genius was because of God's gifting him that way. Lewis could write an incredible fiction piece from a Christian worldview and also write some deeper theological non-fiction pieces that were just as good. He was not educated in theology but literature so he did not claim to be an expert but did write some amazingly moving things that still impact generations. This inspired me in my own writing. I can stretch myself more in who Christ made me to be instead of trying to fit a certain mold that may work for others. In fact the variety of writing by the various contributors also helped me see this. In a way this book was freeing for me as I use my own God given giftedness in Christ.
I am thankful for this title and do recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about Lewis or who want to be inspired.
I received a copy of this book free of charge from Crossway for the purpose of an honest review.
You can get a copy of this review from Amazon here.
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