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Plain Promise is a quick and fun read.  Beth Wiseman draws the reader in with the quiet and peaceful setting of the Amish community.  Yet, not all is peaceful within the hearts of the people.  A young widow, Sadie,  rents out her extra cottage to a new tenant, only to find out he is a famous, wealthy man.  Kade is attempting to escape his life and “hides” among the Amish.   Seemingly, Sadie and Kade have nothing in common and yet attraction continues to grow.   At the same time, Sadie has been writing and communicating with Milo, an Amish man she has yet to meet.   Further complicating Sadie’s world is the arrival of Kade’s son, Tyler who is autistic.   Kade does not know what to do with his son, how to communicate or how to take care of him.  It is through Sadie’s special touch and love that a family is born.

Though the romance side of the story is predictable, I also enjoyed the deeper aspects that Ms. Wiseman added to the story.   Kade must struggle with forgiveness of the deepest kind – his best friend marrying his ex-wife.    Kade also must struggle with how to relate to a son who he has not spent time with.   I also appreciated the way autism was looked at.  Sadie points out the “innocence” that accompanies a child who is autistic.   Finally, I also enjoyed the tension of a relationship against two different worlds and how Ms. Wiseman resolves it in the end.

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Fearless by Max Lucado is a timely message to this generation.  Everyone is tempted to worry and be anxious about something.  Mr. Lucado addresses several major areas of concern that are especially prevalent in today’s economy.  Mr. Lucado is careful to take the reader to scripture not only to show that we are not to have fear but that we have every reason to trust because of who our God is.

This book is a gentle read in that it is not terribly deep theologically.  I enjoyed Mr. Lucado’s story telling format as he presented how a Christian can live fearlessly.    My only wish is that Mr. Lucado would have stressed more often that these promises from God are truly only for the believer.  The world can not have peace without belief on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Overall, an encouraging and easy read.

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Advertised as a study tool and aid in reading the bible, I was very excited to obtain a copy of The Expanded Bible.    I eagerly opened it up and was dismayed to find my expectations were not fulfilled.   To be fair, my husband is in seminary and so we are exposed to deep material.   This bible might be okay if you are just trying to get a sense of what the text is trying to say but it is not really a fair translation; it is more of a paraphrase.   Imbedded in the text are examples of what the words could otherwise mean like the red [burgundy, rouge] flower [plant, leaf].   I found this to make the text more distracting and choppy.   Personally, I would rather sit with my bible open and a dictionary or commentary next to me.   One thing about translating original language into modern day language is that while words can have different meanings, they can’t have all the meanings within that context.  No translation will be perfect but scholars work very hard to find the BEST meaning within the given CONTEXT.   One can get themselves into all kinds of trouble when applying just any meaning of a word to the text.

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I enjoyed reading the Toddler Bible with stories retold by Gwen Ellis.  The pictures are vivid as well.  One thing that I appreciate about the way Ms. Ellis retells the stories is that she simplifies them without losing the important components.  She is not afraid of the “bad” parts of the bible.  At the end of each chapter or section, there is a small box for the parents giving ideas for a craft that will help the child remember each lesson.   There are also ideas for discussion questions for taking each story a bit further.    For those with older kids as well, at the top of each page is the reference in the Bible from where these stories come from.   I look forward to using this book with my little ones.

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With a one year old, I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of bible stories for little ones.   We want to establish a routine of devotions and reading through the bible even at a very young age.   We started going through this book with our little one about 2 months ago.   She likes the pictures but of course doesn’t really get what we are reading yet.  Unfortunately, we do get what we are reading.   I know that a lot of the stories need to be simplified for the younger but this book has taken it too far.   God’s work of redemption is so watered down that you can barely see His hand at work.   The great lessons of the Old Testament which point to Christ have instead been made into nice little moralistic stories.     Another aspect which I take concern with is the way this book deals with the not-so-nice parts of the bible.  I understand that some subjects are not appropriate for little ones, but making up details to make the story nicer is a far grievous error.  This is misrepresenting God’s Word – even to our little ones.

The book also came with a cd with 100 bible songs which are supposed to correlate with the bible stories.  Some of them do, some don’t.   It was kind of fun hearing and singing songs that I haven’t sang since my own childhood.   Now my husband knows where they come from.

I am thankful that Thomas Nelson has a new bible stories out for toddlers.  I look forward to giving that one a try and seeing if that one is better.

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In the Footsteps of Paul is an amazing collection of photos following Paul’s life.   I thoroughly enjoyed letting my imagination go and recalling the stories from the Bible in context now with the photos.  It is easier to understand certain portions of Scripture having seen what the walls or trees or landscape really looked like.  So often, we allow our own preconceptions color what we read.   I also  appreciated the quotes and scripture verses that go along with  each photo which gives context.  The only pictures that seemed out of place were the ones of paintings in churches.  Overall, a great resource to have and amazing pictures!

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The Noticer is a nice story but completely gives a completely false dose of reality. The basic premise is that if you think positively, then positive things will happen to you. If you surround yourself with successful people, then you too will become positive. If you just think about things in a positive way, then life becomes that much more wonderful. The book centers around a man named “Jones” who steps in and out of people’s lives, encouraging them to notice the positive and to make changes in their lives. These stories are miracle stories; marriages are saved, lives changed, businesses created, children inspired.

My main issue with the book is that it is once again the “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps” mentality. No where is there any persuasion to depend on Christ, to completely cast all your cares upon Him. There is also an underlying assumption that suffering is only due to self-made problems. Scripture clearly teaches that we will have suffering because we are servants of Christ. We learn more through our suffering oftentimes than when life is great.

What is so appealing about this book though, is that there is a little bit of truth hidden amongst the pages. We are in control of how we think and act. Rather than practicing “happiness” to gain success, one should practice being content and resting in who God is. It is a practice and one must continue to work at it. We shouldn’t merely accept the bad things but instead of just wanting a better life, we should be longing to be sanctified and grow more in knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Christianity in Crisis is an educational look at the contemporary leaders in today’s faith movement.  Hank Hanegraaff exposes the lies that have invaded the modern church and duped so many unsuspecting souls.     In the first section of the book, Hanegraaff looks at the teachings and how they have been taken from scripture but then abused.   He compiles the teachings of various leaders into a creation account.  I found it to be revolting and yet this is what is being taught in many churches around the world.   Hanegraaff also gives a “cast of characters” with detailed research into what each person’s particular slant is with quotes from the pulpit.   This is very helpful if you have a friend or neighbor that is reading some of these authors and you can show them exactly what is wrong with their theology.

Hanegraaff extensively deals with all the components of the broken down gospel as it is being portrayed today.   A big characteristic is the idea of “faith in faith”; that there is this force that we can call into being.  Another aspect is that we are “little gods”; that since we are created in the image, we are actually gods in and of ourselves.

The fourth section deals with “atonement atrocities”.   So much of the teachings in modern leaders attack the essence of who God is when they take away from the work that God did on the cross.  The fifth and sixth sections of the book deal with further misconceptions of faith.  “If you truly had faith, you would be wealthy and healthy”.   This has to be one of the most hurtful components to the average person.   Being poor, suffering or being sick is a sign of doubt and lack of faith.   In reality, we know as Christians, that we were promised suffering and pain.  Yet another way that the devil attacks the work of Christ.

Hanegraaff ends with a reiteration of the true gospel of Christ and reminds the reader of Truth.  A very informative look at the destructive teachings prevalent in today’s ‘church’.

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The Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy is an intriguing story of family and friendships and what happens when touched by power.  Shauna woke from being in acoma for 6 months.  She doesn’t remember her boyfriend or anything that happened the night of the accident.  In addition, Shauna is being charged for being durg impaired while driving.  Even though Shauna can’t remember the past 6 months, she knows the accusations are completely out of character.  As she struggles to regain the past, Shauna quickly finds out there are many people who don’t want her to figure it out.  Shauna learns that no one is to be trusted.  Her main way to recover the past is to use other people’s memories.  It is through this fascinating ability to “see” that she is able to discover the plot to destroy her father, who is running for President.

            The Kiss is a page turner – a fascinating read unlike any other I have read.  The book delves into deep issues of medical ethics; both on a corporate level and a personal level.  While some of the things that happened in the book probably are science fiction, it does ask the reader to think seriously through his or her own preconceptions.  Enjoy reading – you might stay up all night to finish!

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Rex by Catherine Lewis

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Rex is an honest portrayal of a mother’s journey to accept, love and enjoy her son’s diagnosis of blindness and autism.  Catherine Lewis, author and mother, draws in the reader as she describes her life living with Rex, her son who is blind, autistic and yet a musical savant.

            Rex was born blind to a surprised mom and dad.  As he developed, doctor’s found a cyst on his brain that led to further complications.  Rex was also found to have autism.  Catherine graciously and humbly recounts these first years as she longs for her little boy to be “normal” and yet love this little one God had given her.  Providently, she was able to place Rex in a school for blind children at 6 months.  Through their help, Rex made incredible gains for a child in his situation.  It was during this time that Catherine’s marriage fell apart which is unfortunately very common for parents with children born with disabilities.  Ironically, it was Rex’s father that was instrumental in helping Rex discover his musical abilities.  For Christmas, Rex’s dad brought over a keyboard.  At age 3, Rex was playing Mozart.  Rex’s abilities on the keyboard surpassed all that anyone thought possible.  Rex was labeled as unable to “cross-over” his body (example – his right hand couldn’t go to his left side) and yet on the piano, he was able to cross-over.  In his house, Rex struggled to get around and yet on the piano, he was completely spatially aware.

            The book once again highlighted the miracles that God works in the human body.  Autism is a “disorder” that completely challenges what we think about how the brain works.  With Rex, he is able to create and perform music that is completely beyond his years.   

            One of my favorite aspects of the book was Catherine’s relationship with the Lord.  It was during the first few difficult years that she was encouraged by her brother to attend church.  God used Rex to bring Catherine to Himself.  This is not just a temporary turn to God as I see so often, but rather a genuine belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

            You’ll love reading Rex and you’ll see God’s hand in almost every page.

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