Friday, September 20, 2013

"Dangerous: Engaging the people and places no one else will" by Caleb Bislow

I am always excited to come across a Christian book that calls us to live radically for Jesus, and this book is exactly that kind of book. Caleb Bislow is a man who tries to live a life dangerously for the Lord, he is not willing to settle for the apathetic lifestyle that so many of us do,but he tries to live outside of his comfort zone. In this book Caleb tells us of his trips to Sudan and many other dangerous place and how he shared the gospel, oftentimes with amazing results.

I highly recommend this book to everyone,because in reality we all need to get out of our comfort zone and live dangerously, and that is exactly what this book calls us to do.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House publishers, but the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Redeeming love by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers is one of the premier Christian authors and there is a reasons why. She is willing to tackle difficult issues (like abortion in the book "Covenant Child") and weave them into a story in such a powerful way that leaves the story resounding in your sole long after you have finished the final pages. As with her other books, Francine Rivers' "Redeeming Love" does not disappoint. We are swept into a story loosely based on the story of Hosea and Gomer in the Old Testament. Angel has endured nothing but cruelty at the hands of the men in her life, sold into prostitution as a child,Angel has used anger and hatred of men to help keep her going. Enters into Angel's life Michael Hosea, a godly man who feels like God wants him to marry Angel. As Angel struggles to comprehend Michael's love for her, and even more importantly God's love for her,she runs, back to that ugly things of her past. Will the redeeming love that is shown to Angel be one that she can ever accept?

Because of content issues I would only recommend this book to older mature teenagers or adults.It is not an easy light read that is enjoyable.It is a good read,but it deals with some very unsavory stuff, that even as an adult can be hard to take. That being said it does a great job at making the story of Hosea and Gomer all the more alive and for that reasons alone I highly recommend it.

I received this book in from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.All of the views expressed are entirely my own.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

A home for my heart by Anne Mateer

For anyone who got hooked on Christian fiction because of authors such as Jannette Oke then author Anne Mateer will not disappoint! This is the 3rd book I have read by her and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors as her books always have likable characters, wonderful dialogue and intriguing plots and "A Home for my heart" was no exception!
Young Sadie loves her work at the local orphanage,but she also longs to someday marry her wonderful beau, Blair, all of those plans might be in jeopardy as the headmistress of the school is going to get married, thus making Sadie the head of the orphanage which is something Sadie longs to do. But will Sadie be able to make a choice between having a home of her own or taking care of the children she loves?

As always I thoroughly enjoyed Anne Mateer's writing,she has wonderful plots and great characters. If you are looking for a enjoyable, good read then look no  further!

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House but the opinions stated in this review are entirely my own.

Saving Casper by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper

When I had read "Jim and Casper go to church" years ago, I absolutely loved it! I mean how often do you get to read a book about how an atheist views believers and various churches? And it was written in a thought provoking way. So after several years we get to hear again from Pastor Jim Henderson and his atheist friend Matt Casper. Many people have wondered if Casper ever got saved and what became of this dynamic duo. This books goes about answering that question, and once again offers raw, authentic insight to how Christians can have the best intentions but go about it all wrong, and ways we can improve.

I thought this was an interesting, thought provoking book. I wasn't quite as sold out on it as I was the first book by these authors,but I thought it had some good insights and was an interesting read. That being said I think this book has some very valuable advice and is given from a unique perspective.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale, but the opinions state here are entirely my own.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Strangers at my door by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

I am all about Christian books that talk about stepping out of ones comfort zone and radically following the Lord, and this book was one of the best! Jonathan Wilson- Hartgrove not only wanted to read his scriptures, but he and his wife wanted to live out the scriptures so they decided to open their home to anyone who came knocking, what followed was an exciting journey full of many unexpected turns, some sorrow, but most importantly full of joy as Jonathan and his wife answer the call and seek to reach out to those around them in need.

This book was wonderful and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to be encouraged and challenged by the saying of Jesus "I was a stranger and you welcomed me" and the results that followed.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, but the opinions expressed are my own.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta

I was so excited when I received this book as the premise of it sounded so wonderful and the cover was so beautiful. Unfortunately, the book turned out to not be nearly as good as I was hoping. :( The book was about Julia who has not been shown kindness in her short life and when she is left an orphan at the tender age of 17 she quickly realizes that her life is not really her own. As Julia quickly finds herself as a pawn between two powerful men and finds out more about her Mother's mysterious life and death she is not sure where to run.

I was really wanting to like this book, it sounded exactly like the sort of books I would adore, but I was not crazy about the style of writing nor the subject matter she choose to put in the book. I thought for a Christian book it was a bit more sensual writing than I cared to read.
I am sure that some people would enjoy this book,but I personally did not find it to be to my taste.

I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Unforeseeable by Nancy Mehl

I was so exited to receive a copy of the 3rd installment in Nancy Mehl's "Road to Kingdom" series and "Unforeseeable" did not disappoint. If you have not read the two previous books,I recommend you do as they are really good and it will mention characters from the previous books.
Callie is thrilled with the direction her life is going,she is finally engaged to the love of her life, Levi, and she has a job she loves,working with great people. Very soon her life is turned upside down when a person is killed outside of Kingdom, and it appears to be done by a serial killer. As the small town of Kingdom deals with the prospect that there might be a killer among them, Callie wrestles with her own past and also is struggling with why her fiance seems to know more than he is telling. When things get desperate Callie quickly learns where her strength lies, but will God get her through alive?

I have enjoyed Nancy Mehl's books in the past as they are always enjoyable reads with enough mystery to keep them interesting.This book was did not disappoint and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good read.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.