A Bounty of Books

Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann is an intricately woven suspense story set in a little mountain town in Colorado. Focusing on two main characters with an intriguing supporting cast, Indivisble explores the bonds that tie us all - and the consequences of trying to live without any bonds- through a disturbing series of crimes, and a tortured courtship.

Fans of Kristen Heitzmann will find the unique characters and hidden motives familiar; however, Indivisible is more suspensful and action driven than most of her work. It captured my attention more than any fiction book I've read in quite a long time. The disturbing set of crimes that forms a thread through the novel literally made me unable to read it right before bed for fear of what was just around the corner on the next page. I was both hesitant and anxious to find out what happened next.

The character development was more in depth than some novels of this type. While I couldn't imagine anyone doing the things that were done, when the criminal was revealed it made total sense and kind of completed that character. Overall there was a redemptive theme that reinforces the idea that God did not create us to live alone; we are meant to be tied to many people in varying ways and degrees. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter really added to this overall theme as well as the development of the story.

I'd recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel, as well as anyone who needs to understand the utter brokenness that occurs when we resist being connected with others.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers 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

The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ by Charles Foster is one barrister's attempt to present all of the most widely accepted facts and arguments on both sides of the debate over whether or not the historical figure known as Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Foster uses two fictional people - X and Y - to present both sides of the debate regarding the sources, the death, the burial, the empty tomb, the post-resurrection appearances, whether or not the early church believed in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and where Christians got their idea of the resurrection.

There have been very few books in my life that I have started and not finished either because I enjoyed reading them, or out of sheer stubbornness. The Jesus Inquest was one of the few that I simply could not bring myself to read all the way through. After slogging through the introduction and first 3 chapters, I skimmed the rest until the conclusion, which was not really a conclusion at all.

One reason is that Foster's format is confusing. He lists all of the arguments from X on the chapter's topic, then has Y list all of his. The problem is that there are numerous arguments dealing with each chapter's topic. It is difficult to truly see both sides when one has to think back through a bunch of other arguments. Perhaps a dialogue format would have been more conducive what Foster was trying to do. Besides the confusing format, the tone is often unnecessarily sharp and disparaging of the other side. The content is comes in such a way that at times it feels like being shot at by a machine gun. The lack of context, and the quick blurbs of information that flow one right after another leave one little time to process, much less compare both sides to decide which one to agree with. To his credit, Foster does provide several appendices to supplement his text, as well as thorough documentation of his sources. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone but someone who already has a firm scholarly grasp on the overall topic.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers 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

The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher is a personal reflection of Communion. Part of The Ancient Practices Series, which examines seven ancient practices of the Christian faith, The Sacred Meal examines how central communion is to both the church as a whole, as well as the spiritual journey of the individual believer. Though each tradition handles Communion differently, and even calls it different things - Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper - it is one of the most ancient and central sacraments of the church.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers 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

Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright can be summed up in its tag line: "The Biblical Roots of the Inevitable Crisis in the Middle East." Wright discusses how the decision of one man - Abraham - to not trust God spread and multiplied into the crisis that is the Middle East. According to Wright, the fierce and unending fighting among the peoples who inhabit the Middle East are inevitable in light of biblical history, and will not end until Christ returns. He fleshes these ideas out in Seeds of Turmoil.

Based on the title and description, I was initially excited to read this book. As a Christian and a history buff I thought it'd be both interesting and informative. In was informative, but only on the most basic level. Seeds of Turmoil would be a good primer for people who have little to no knowledge of the Middle East and the people who inhabit it, or an understanding of the origins of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. While presented in a logical manner, the information given seemed to be repeated many times throughout the book. The author's obvious bias for Israel was almost overwhelming at times. In a topic such as this, it's natural to have a bias for one side or the other; however, when attempting to address the matter factually, the bias shouldn't take over as it did in this book.

Wright's handling of the Scripture used throughout is true to the Word, though some of his interpretations and extrapolations of interactions between people that weren't recorded are somewhat iffy. Nothing that causes a serious doctrine issue, but more poetic license than one would expect in a book like this.

Overall, there may be certain people I recommend this book to, but they would be few and far between. It's pretty fluffy and there are better works on the topic.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers 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

Those who know me know that I am a big fan of anything written by John Eldredge and his wife Stasi and/or that comes out of Ransomed Heart Ministries, their ministry. The first book of theirs I read, Wild at Heart, remains one of the top five most influential books in my life, though if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Waking the Dead. That is why when I had a chance to receive a copy of their newest book, Love & War, for free if I simply reviewed it on my blog, I was beyond thrilled.

Love & War's (L&W) tag line is "finding the marriage you've dreamed of." Those familiar with the work of Ransomed Heart and the Eldredge's will find familiar themes throughout L&W, placed this time in the context of marriage. The main theme of L&W is that marriage is an epic love story set in the middle of war; there is an enemy, but it is not each other. It encourages couples to rediscover what they once wanted out of marriage, and to fight for one another and alongside one another for the greatest marriage possible. The core of the book can be summed up by a quote from page 38 which says, "We are created to love and be loved. And there is no greater context, no better opportunity to really love someone and to be loved by them throughout an entire lifetime than you will find in marriage. Of course it is dangerous as well - the two always go together. There is no greater place for damage, too, because there is no greater place for glory. God uses marriage to bring us the possibility of the deepest joys in life; Satan tries to use it for destruction."

By pointing out the centrality of marriage in God's plan, both for humanity as a whole and for most individuals, the Eldredge's help their readers to grasp the significance of marriage in the overall narrative. L&W is full of personal stories and examples. The points made and advice given are not just theoretical tips; they come from hard won experience, and the Eldredge's give their readers an up close and intimate - sometimes embarrassingly so - look how they arrived at these conclusions to prove it. Their honesty helps tear down the facade we so often want others to see and take an honest look at ourselves.

Even as a single person, I found this book very encouraging. The story told throughout L&W is centered around marriage, but almost everything in it can be applied in other relationships on some level. As part of a generation plagued by divorce in our own lives and that of our families, it was refreshing to get a glimpse into a marriage that has had its ebbs and flows over the years - even walking to the brink of divorce at times - but in the end is as rich and fulfilling as its ever been because each party is willing to fight for the other, and for the greater glory of God.