A Book Every Christian Woman Should Read

On April 6th I woke to a beautiful day, had a glorious personal time with the Lord, and read from the current book I was reviewing, A Deeper Kind of Calm by Linda Dillow.  15 minutes later I received a phone call which would drive every blessing that the Lord had given me that day, deep within my being.  My mother had had a stroke.

As I sat with her during the following weeks in the emergency room, the ICU, the hospital room and the rehab home, precious lessons from A Deeper Kind of Calm kept sifting through my heart: 

1.      We all have problems that we go through and they seem major at the time we are going through them.

2.      We should remember that God is our strength and as we have been helped in the past, He will continue to help us.

3.      When we are overwhelmed we can hide ourselves in Him and find comfort and strength to continue.  And…

4.      When it seems that the pressures of this life are too much to bear we need to cling all the tighter to our Father.

This book begins by asking three questions:

1.      Is it possible to go through the Valley of Weeping without falling apart?

2.      Is it possible to have joy in the midst of suffering?

3.      Is it possible to grow in intimacy with the Lord as we travel through the valley?

God has given many answers in His Word and Linda has gathered them together to teach us how we can be calm even in the midst of our tribulations.  Each chapter begins with a Psalm that illustrates how God wants us to handle our problems.  Starting from there, Linda dissects the Psalm searching for its full and deeper meaning.  She includes the background of the Psalm in which it was written.

This little book (103 pages) is chocked full of personal stories which illustrate the points she is making.  The back of the book includes a four-week study that can be used on your own or as a group Bible Study.  The questions are well-thought out and encourages you to think through what God is teaching you in His Word.

I highly recommend this book.  I rarely give a book my highest rating, but I would give this book a 10 out of 10 on my scale. J

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review 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 Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A Quick Update

Sorry, about not posting in the last two weeks. My mother had a Cerebellar Stroke and I have been a little busy taking care of two households. She is getting better now and I have a bit of time to read and post here.

An excerpt from The Lightlings

Since this is a page that Amazon shows, it is probably okay to publish it.  It is not my favorite, but it is good.

Delightful Story, Beautifully Illustrated

The Lightlings by R.C. Sproul

God is Light,

And in Him

Is no darkness

At all.

I John 1:5

When Charlie wonders why he is afraid of the dark, his grandfather tells him that some people are afraid of the light and relates a story about the Lightlings, a people made by the King of the Light.  They lived happily in a beautiful, bright, sunshiny garden. The King of Lights gives them everything they need and even visits with them at the end of every day.  They are happy until they decide to do what they want to do, instead of what their King commands them to do. Sin causes their light to dim and they are embarrassed to be seen by the King, so they hide in the darkness.  Time passes.  One day they see a bright light shining through the trees, most are afraid, but some set out to find what is making the light.  The little Lightlings find a baby son of the King of Light who brings light back to the world.  When they return with this Light, some of the Lightlings embrace it while others continue to hide from it.  Those with the Light find that they can run and play without stumbling or falling or bumping into trees.  They find it is much better to live in the Light.

This is a delightful story of the fall of man and redemption through Christ, beautifully told and fancifully illustrated with fairy people.  Young children (and adults, too) can identify with Charlie when he wonders why he is afraid of the dark.  It is a good, biblically correct analogy that reminds us that the only way to the Light is through Christ.

The book includes good discussion questions that parents can have with their children.  Each answer is a quote from the Bible.

I will receive a free copy of the book from Reformation Trust Publishing as compensation for my review.

Books Two and Three Forthcoming ...............

WooHoo!!! That last book was finished toooo quickly!  A couple of days ago Reformation Trust Publishing sent me the .pdf of The Lightlings by R.C. Sproul.  Just a quick look and I think I am going to LOVE it.  I'll let you know after I read it. It is full of color and I can't wait to read it.  Only problem is that I usually read in bed and it is hard to take a .pdf book to bed, but I'll try. :)

Today, I received my second book from NavPress called A Deeper Kind of Calm by Linda Dillow, "A Steadfast Faith in the Midst of Adversity".  It is a book in and of itself, but it can also be used in a four-week Bible study group.  I think I am going to enjoy this.  Sounds like food for my soul.

I'll be seeing you when one or the other book is finished, if not sooner. Bye for now.

Finding Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson

For three years typical teenager, Scotty, and her Grandmother, Charley, has eluded Biker Guy, staying just one step ahead of him through the warnings from the mysterious stranger. Quietly Charley works on the film set of her friend, Jeremy in Marshall, Texas, while Scotty gets to know the locals. As Scotty stays hidden from Biker Guy and works on her homeschooling, she becomes involved in a romance and helping a troubled teen.  The book ends with a showdown that changes Scotty's and Charley's lives forever.

Such is the plot of Finding Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson.  The book is laced with humor and romance.

Written in the first person it was difficult to get into.  By about a third of the book I finally realized how the book was laid out.  The book begins with a Hollywood blog written to the Nobodies (hence the name). The story's chapter titles are dates and the chapters are kind of like journal entries, but they aren't, because you find out later that Elaine is Scotty's diary, and the chapters where she writes stuff in her diary begins, "Dear Elaine...."

In addition to Ms. Samson's writing style, I had a problem with some of the messages that were coming through the pages, loud and clear.  Scotty is protrayed as a typical teenager (not sure whether she is a Christian or not) who is homeschooled.  One of the clearest messages was that "defying authority has no consequences" and "you can do what you want, as long as you think it is right".  Her grandmother tells her not to eat cheese nor drink cola, but she purposely eats cheese throughout the book and stashes cola to drink whenever she chooses.  She even leaves for Tulsa, Oklahoma, on her scooter, and refuses to turn back, even when all the adults that she respects in her life tell her to, because 'she knows' that this is the right thing to do.

Having homeschooled my own children I am sensitive to messages that are being written about homeschooling.  Many in our culture today think that homeschoolers don't get a good education, that they miss out on a lot of stuff, that they get to play all the time and sleep until past noon. They also think that homeschoolers are socially inept and nerdy.  The reality is that homeschoolers work hard and as a group score above the national norms.  They are well-rounded, have a good self-image and enjoy the company of all ages of people in any social setting. They are also able to pursue their own passions and interests.

Some of the myths of homeschooling were dispelled in this book, but others were reinforced.  Scotty is very well-adjusted socially, but she has to teach herself (not common in the homeschooling world).  She is taken to a high school football game and makes a big deal about it, because she is homeschooled and has never done such a thing before.

My biggest disappointment was the spiritual message in the book.  Purportedly this book should teach teenagers about prayer and, in a way, it does, although Scotty is very confused by it. Simplistically, Scotty learns that she, herself, can talk to Jesus.  I feel that Ms. Samson is selling our teens short. The spiritual message just seems to be thrown in, without any solid foothold in the story.  It would be almost the same story if the entire part about prayer were taken out.

I will generously rate this book a 4 out of 10 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review 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 Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Received First Book from Publisher

I am soooooo excited. I received my first book to review from NavPress.  It is called Finding Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson.  I will have a review for you shortly.  Stay Tuned. :)

Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey

Dragonsong is the first book of the Harper Hall Trilogy (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragon Drums).  Menolly, the daughter of Half-Circle Sea Holder, Yanus, is a tall, gawky teenager.  Although she demonstrates outstanding musical talent her father is ashamed of her, because music and teaching are not proper roles for women.  When he allows her to become physically disabled (thereby destroying any chance she may have had with music) she runs away.  As she attempts to hide out from the searchers and the periodic threads which fall from the sky and burn all organic life, she discovers fire lizards, and saves some. During this time, the Harper Hall is frantically searching for the musical talent that is at Half-Circle, not knowing that they are really searching for a girl. When Menolly is saved from threadfall by dragons, she figures that the weyr (dragons' cave) is the place she should be because of her fire lizards (which resemble small dragons).  Harper Hall finally realizes that Menolly is the true musical talent and she is coaxed into realizing her greatest desire... living, eating and breathing  MUSIC!

This is such a good book that I have read it and Dragonsinger numerous times.  Anne McCaffrey does an excellent job of character building, even secondary characters have depth and touchableness.  Pern is a world inhabited by humans, very similar to us in thoughts and actions but different in many ways, from the indigenous creatures to the food humans eat.  Dragonsong is a book that you won't want to put down until you are finished and then you will want to immediately pick up and read Dragonsinger, which continues the story of Menolly. I wish Ms. McCaffrey would have continued the story of Menolly, but Dragon Drums takes one of the secondary characters and builds a story around him)  This reviewer gives Dragonsinger a rating of 8 out of 10 stars.  

Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000

Battlefield Earth (1982) is a book written by L. Ron Hubbard. It chronicles the life of Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, an adventurous sort who would put himself in danger rather than risk the life of a friend.  An alien race, the Psychlos, have taken possession of the Earth and eradicated all humans except those living near areas of radiation. With the help of some Scots, Jonnie overcomes many obstacles to win back the Earth only to find that the Psychlos aren't the only alien race who has eyes on obtaining the earth and its human inhabitants.

This book is over 1000 pages in paperback and will keep you on the edge of your seat through each and every page.  It is exciting from start to finish, although it does detail a few of the grosser activities of the Psychlos and their allies to help the reader understand the motivations behind the heroes' actions.  Humor is appropriately sprinkled within and you connect with many of the characters, both human and alien.

Battlefield Earth is a fun read that is difficult to put down.  The main idea of the story is don't give up, no matter what the circumstances. This reviewer gives it an 8 out of 10 rating.