Queen of the Tearling - Book Review

I picked this book out from our local library because I needed to read a "400 page or more book" from my book list. I took a look at some of the things some critics were saying and decided to give it a try. 

The book takes place in the very distant future, but time seems to have reversed and gone medieval. Not because of time travel, but more because I believe something awful happened that set humanity back into the dark ages. The book mentions something called "The Crossing" that I am somewhat curious to know what happened. The garb the characters wear involves armor, crowns and head pieces; and there are also swords, horse travel, and primitive homes. There does seem to be some form of technology still around, but it is very rare. There is an evil Red Queen that rules her kingdom and other surrounding kingdoms with terror with the help of the "dark thing". That's another angle the book has, there is a mixture of magic and human sacrifice in the book. 

There are some very evil characters, and a lot of human depravity in the book. The Queen of the Tearling is a young woman (Kelsea) that was raised by foster parents that trained her to become the next queen of a kingdom called Tearling. Kelsea's mother was not a very good queen and left it to her brother as regent until Kelsea came of age. Both Kelsea's mother and the regent did a horrible job as rulers allowing their people to be sold as slaves to the Red Queen through a lottery in order to keep her from attacking.  Kelsea does her best to cement her rule with the help of a really likeable guard named Lazarus aka The Mace and the magic of her sapphire necklaces. She is destined to become a queen of legend.


To the Christian: I don't usually read these kinds of books, but regardless it was still a well written book. The author does well in developing her characters, and the plot is okay. I really don't like how the author represents the church - which she makes out to look very Catholic, and that somehow has returned to pre-Reformation days. Either the book is fantasy or it is not. There is a lot of magic in the book which I don't mind, but placing it in a dystopian-post American-era and then adding on top of that the Catholic church really didn't jive with me. Kelsea is an adamant atheist, the Church is obviously one of the bad guys, and the Bible is another religious book that only has good advice in it. I usually wouldn't mind reading some things like this if I am reading historical fiction set in the Renaissance, but in a sci-fi/fantasy book, come on! I get it, you hate religion - specifically the Christian religion. There is  profanity and the violence and gore is descriptive. The Red Queen is an  awful and evil woman and she sacrifices children to a dark force known as the "dark thing". There are several sexual references that are demeaning and shameful. If this was a movie, it would be rated R.

This book is the first book of a trilogy, but at this point I am not sure if I am that interested in reading what happens next. According to IMDB this book is in development in becoming a movie starring Emma Watson as Kelsea and as executive produce. 

I really can't recommend this book. But if you like science fiction, dystopian or fantasy books with very strong female roles you may like it. I wouldn't like any of my teenagers reading this book.

Isabella Warrior Queen - Book Review

For the past two years I have printed out Tim Challies "Reading Challenge Book List". Last year I read a total of 17 books off that list and it was so much fun trying to find "new" books I wouldn't normally read. This year, so far, has not let me down!

The first option on the reading list is to read a biography. So I chose a book on Queen Isabella of Spain. I had never read on her and the few things I did know about her were indirectly because I am an absolute fan on all things relating to Henry VIII's wives. (Queen Isabella's last daughter was Katherine of Aragon and she became King Henry VIII's first wife.) 

The book "Isabella The Warrior Queen" covered everything about her and it also provided mini-biographies on other major people influenced by her like Christopher Columbus, Mehmed the Conqueror, Pope Alexander VI, Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, Henry VII of England and other very interesting people. 

The author - Kirstin Downey - did a very great job in providing first hand account information on both sides of history. The war accounts given in the book are bloody. The slavery, kidnappings, rape, torture, disease and outright hopelessness mentioned in this book really gave me a sense of gratitude that I live in the day in age I do. 

The Spanish Inquisition is covered extensively, but new insights of how many actually died in it were given.  And some of Isabella's thoughts on leniency in this matter are evident in her letters to her Inquisitors.

There is also a rather big section on the degeneration of the Catholic church. She boldly reprimanded Pope Alexander VI for his lascivious behavior and simony. She even imprisoned his son Cesare (yes, they are supposed to be celibate) for murder. Another large section on Christopher Columbus and the Americas was also surprising. She expected both these men to represent Christ (especially the pope!!) where they were at and she did not shy away from pointing out their many faults in their representation - always reminding them where their money came from. 

I was also very surprised by how well Isabella knew war and strategy. Even when her husband Ferdinand didn't think she could win, she proved him wrong several times. It was with her campaigning and insight that Spain was able to stop the Muslim expansion into her kingdom and because of her that they conquered even more ground. She truly was a warrior queen! It is even believed that the queen piece in chess was given more "power" in the game due to Isabella's prowess in war.

She loved her husband passionately and her children also. But she did not let that love hinder her from making sound decisions on all aspects regarding her kingdom.

I also couldn't stand King Ferdinand throughout the book. On Isabella's death bed, Isabella begged Ferdinand not to marry after she was gone so as not to jeopardize the inheritance of their children and grand-children destabilizing all they had worked for.  Ferdinand promised her he wouldn't, but less than a year later, he was married again. Throughout the book he is a conniving man that really got on my nerves.  Ferdinand died several years later due to a bad concoction of bull testicle juice that supposedly would help his vigor in producing a male heir.  Very fitting I thought.

There is so much more to her in this book that makes for a great soap opera and what is amazing is that it is true! She really existed! She really was a fascinating woman in a time when the only fascinating thing about women was their beauty. She was a great debater and protector of women and children. She was a learner, a warrior and a reader and she loved her God. The faults she did have, the whole world can judge for themselves on her motives. Regardless, I do not believe it takes away from what she accomplished. 

To the Christian: This year marks the 500 year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. I was very pleased to read in this book that Isabella was reading material that Martin Luther read as a young man and that influenced him later to nail his 95 thesis. She defended men who called out the outright debauchery of the Catholic church. I wondered a lot about where she would have stood during the times of the Reformation due to other opinions she had about the way the Church was going. This book also gives us plenty of  history of what was going on in the church and I shudder at what many did in the name of Christ. But there were glimpses of light still there during such a dark time. Some things to ask ourselves is how do we twist Scripture to enhance our fleshly agenda? How and when do we call out behavior that paints the Church or Christ in a bad light? How best can we exemplify Jesus in a world that is so divided and dark? With many flaws, Isabella did it in a way she thought best, having effects that still impact us today. For example, I speak Spanish and most of my family is Catholic even though we live thousands of miles away from her kingdom and it is because of her. What we do as Christians can also impact generations from now. 

May all we do bring glory to God.  


 

Pilgrim's Progress - Take 1

Last Sunday, my pastor gave us a brief biography on John Bunyan. What a beautiful life! Obviously, he also spoke about John Bunyan's famous book, Pilgrim's Progress. I vaguely remember a very poorly drawn cartoon I saw as a child about this book. Regardless, I decided to check the book out and read it to my daughter. 

There were two books to choose from at our local library and I picked the one with the prettier cover. (YES! I broke the first cardinal rule of book worms! Stop judging, you've done it too!) Although the illustrations were great, this particular book (published by Christian Focus) was in its original text, and I had all kinds of trouble reading it out loud to my daughter. So as I read, I "translated" it to a more modern English, but that got a little frustrating. Also, there were asterisks almost on every page about odd sentence structure and word usage and where I could go in the book for an explanation of what the heck I just read!

Needless to say, we didn't finish the book. The story - regardless of my choppy reading - was interesting to my daughter though, so I still think it will  be a great book to read to her. I will just get a version that uses a more modern English. 

I do not recommend this specific translation of the book, unless you are studying the English language or want to expand your knowledge of the language. It was a tough read, even for me. 

This is something Charles Spurgeon had to say about the book: 
"Next to the Bible, the book I value most is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. I believe I have read it through at least a hundred times. It is a volume of which I never seem to tire; and the secret of its freshness is that it is so largely compiled from the Scriptures."

The Alchemist - Book Review

If you are looking for a good book on audio, then this is a great book!  I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! I had never read a Paulo Coelho book, but had heard of him. This book came as a recommendation from some of my family members, and I am so grateful to them for it.

The book is about a young man who is looking for his treasure and his personal legend. Throughout the book the reader is unaware if the treasure is actual gold and jewels or if it's a person or if it's some form of knowledge. The young man sets off to find this treasure and meets several very interesting characters along the way. The story is set in southern Spain and North Africa and there is a lot that I learned from that part of the world in regards to their culture and customs. The book also provides a bit of magic in the book that is just enough to make for a great story. 

The book is easy to understand and at the same time it is very deep and profound philosophically. There are a lot of life lessons and positive perspectives that could be learned from this book. The boy in the book is a natural optimist and that was very attractive to me. He learned a lot on his travels and we learn with him as he journeys to find his treasure. 

Recommendations: I recommend this book to the wanderer or traveler at heart, to the person who loves stories about wonder and adventure, and to those who may want something easy and fun to read. I also recommend it to anyone who has an unfulfilled dream that they may still aspire to accomplish one day.

To the Christian: The book is clean and at its center it reveals a God in control of His creation. Knowing the history of southern Spain and northern Africa, you would assume that there is a lot of mention of the Muslim faith, and there is. There is even mention of some Hebrew practices. I had a slight problem with God and Allah being interchangeable in this book, but I took all this very lightly due to the magical and fantastical subjects found in the book. For example, one of the characters found a way to change any metal into gold; and the sun and wind can literally speak. There is also transfiguration and immortality is attainable. So I didn't take his interpretation of God too seriously. The alchemist in the book does cite Jesus' words several times as words of wisdom, and unlike a devout Muslim, he even mentions Jesus as the Son of God. There are also dreams and visions that are important within this book and the author references back to Joseph the son of Jacob and his ability to interpret those dreams and visions. My only caution would be that Mr. Coelho does have a universalist leaning, but again, to me that wasn't a problem due to the fantastical prose of the book. There are some beautiful things written about God. If you have a young reader this would be a good book for them to read. You could discuss with them later about who God truly is and what God's Word has to say about man and the nature of his heart. Mr. Coelho believes that God can be found if we look within ourselves. I would argue that we, ourselves, are found if we look within God. 

You can get the book here. 

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

I have a confession to make. This is my first C.S. Lewis book. I cringe to write that, but it is true. I have had the best of intentions to read Lewis, but never got around to it. Countless of times I have read so many beautiful quotes from him. So many pastors who I admire have quoted Lewis in their sermons. The quotes being full of wisdom and intellect in their distinctly-Lewis way. I loved the Narnia movies (well the 1st one and 3rd one, not the 2nd one so much) and fell in love with Aslan and Mr. Tumnus. But unfortunately, I had never read an entire book by him.

With that being said, it was with great joy for me to get this audio book. I really do not like fantasy that much, but this particular book was fairly short and I thought it would be a good start where I could cut my teeth in regards to this genre. 

The book was okay. It had some good quotes here and there, but the story was just too fantastical for me. At the beginning of the book there is a warning that the story is not meant to be theologically accurate, and it wasn't at all. And I think that is where most of my problems were with the book. It's not like Narnia, where everything is a fantasy. Everyone is made up and certain characters allude to Jesus or to God. In "The Great Divorce", the ghosts are experiencing Hell and working to get to Heaven whilst being in Hell, and I just couldn't get past that as I read. I know the story is meant to help the reader understand sin and repentance and ultimately the joy of Heaven, but I just couldn't stop thinking about how death didn't seem so final in this book and that all were technically given a second chance after it. But I continued with the story despite my reluctance. 

Lewis did have some good imagery regarding ghosts who struggled with sins we tend to overlook like: manipulation, gossip and vanity. But I just wished they would not have been "dead already" dealing with these sins.

A quote I really liked from this book was:

 There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ 

I do believe I am a bad judge when it comes to the fantastical. I usually don't read it. I wanted to like this book, but I really didn't. I do want to say though that Lewis was still profoundly effective in explaining sin and the ugliness of it. His word imagery to analyze and clarify the problem with man and the love and joy of God was paramount. (SPOILER ALERT) And then it was somewhat compensating at the end when all of it was just a dream for the narrator of the book. Somewhat . . 

Recommendations:  I recommend this book to those who like metaphors and allusions. Also those who are more philosophical in their theology and who do not mind thinking "what if" on things dealing with the afterlife. 

To the Christian: The book does well in further explaining what sin does to us and how repentance leads to joy. The recurring sin in our lives affects us and those we love more that we could ever imagine, and Lewis does a great job in portraying that with the different characters the narrator meets on his way to Heaven. 

You can buy the book here.

The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

This book is about Henry VIII's last wife, Kateryn Parr. Again Mrs. Philippa Gregory does a superb job in telling us the story of yet another queen. Besides telling us about the life of Kateryn Parr as queen, Mrs. Gregory also reveals to us the tumultuous times of the first baby steps of the reformation in England. As a Christian, this book really helped give a great amount of insight of the Biblical battles happening during this time.  The Church in England had separated from Rome, and the Bible had been translated into English. 

It was refreshing to read about how much this queen contributed to learning and Biblical scholarship. She was an author in her own right and someone I really grew to love in this book. Her faith and the love she had for the Word of God gave me a renewed passion to study mine even more. A lot of people died to translate the Bible into English. Even she came close to losing her life over her love for the new faith. 

 Most of the history I knew on Kateryn Parr was after the death of King Henry, so for most of the book I kept waiting for King Henry to die and then read about the second part of her life. But I was very grateful that Mrs. Gregory focused mostly on Queen Kateryn during her reign because there is just so much about her that I didn't know. 

The book also mentions the martyr Anne Askew. I had read about her before, and I was pleased to see her interact with Queen Kateryn and her ladies. 

King Henry was a gluttonous monster and as always, Mrs. Gregory depicts and develops this character so well. I found myself hating him and then feeling sorry for him and then hating him again throughout the book. 

Recommendations: I recommend this book to anyone who loves the idea of women learning, especially learning about God's Word. Also to the person who appreciates the Reformation and all the sacrifices made by both men and women for their faith. If you have read Philippa Gregory books before, you will not be let down with this book. It is gripping and it is suspenseful. Even though I knew Kateryn survived, the book still leaves you fearing for her death and rooting for her as she courageously faces the bully, King Henry, over and over again. 

To the Christian: I have always loved the first of Henry's wives the most. But reading this book, I really have grown to love Kateryn. She is a fellow sister in the faith and was a true Reformer. In the book, she does struggle with adulterous thoughts, but that in itself is the beauty of her because there is an actual struggle. She doesn't let these thoughts overtake her though. She fights them with prayer. There is a love scene at the beginning of the book, but it is not long and it is not graphic. There are several love making flashbacks that she has, but they are not more than a sentence or so long. There is a somewhat long scene of King Henry abusing her that is graphic and quiet horrible. There is a recurring dream that Kateryn has that is pretty spooky and another dream describing the interrogation of Anne Askew that is also quite terrifying. 

You can buy the book here.  

Carol Wallace's Ben Hur - Book Review

I recently joined Audible and the first fiction book I purchased was Carol Wallace's "Ben Hur, A Tale of the Christ". Mrs. Wallace is related to the original author of "Ben Hur", Lew Wallace and being an author herself, modernized the book written by her great-great grandfather. I do not think Mrs. Wallace's intentions were to change the story, but to simply make it less burdensome to read for this generation. I cannot completely compare between the two books because I didn't finish the original written by Lew Wallace. His form of writing was meticulously descriptive of the Middle East and I found myself reading pages and pages of him trying to give the mind an idea of what this part of the world looked like. I understand why since he wrote this book during the time of the American Civil War and most of his audience could never imagine the panorama or culture Jesus lived in. But for me, it was a bit exhausting, so I found myself skimming a lot of the book since I know what a camel looks like, or I know what Arab nomads in the 1st century wore. Needless to say, I didn't get far in the book, but learned of the "new" book by Mrs. Wallace and decided to listen to it on my walks.

To make things clear, I absolutely love the "Ben Hur" starring Charlton Heston. The chariot scene in this movie will forever be a part of American movie culture. Saying this, I did go into Mrs.Wallace's book with my biases, but I can safely say that both movie (1959 version) and book are good. The movie is a classic but does exalt Judah Ben Hur in a way the book doesn't. In the book Judah's thirst for vengeance and war is insatiable. Messala is a scoundrel. The horrors of Rome and the pain suffered by Tirzah and her mother made me silently weep for them. What abhorrence! And then comes the contrast. Jesus. Judah expecting a Messiah to come and save his people from Rome doesn't realize that He has come to save them from something more. He has come to not just save them from death, but to also give them eternal life. What a beautiful story!

Mrs. Wallace is a wonderful author! Her word usage is superb and throughout the book there are appropriate times of lightheartedness that made me laugh out loud. The characters in her book are well developed and even if you've seen the movie (again I'm talking about the 1959 movie), she has added a climax I didn't expect. I actually gasped!

About the new movie that came out starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Huston, I really don't plan on seeing it. Frankly, after watching several trailers, I really don't think their acting is the greatest. And by "their" I mean the dialogues that happen between Judah and Messala throughout the trailer. Even Morgan Freeman seems a bit dampen. Also, the scene on the boat makes it appear that Judah was still chained to the boat, an imperative difference in both the book and the 1959 movie. I may be wrong regarding that part though. In other words, I just don't think I will be able to handle the poor acting and the director's artistic freedoms with this story.

I personally have heard mixed reviews on the movie though.

About Carol Wallace's book though, read it! There is fighting, violence and death. There are insinuations of sex and debauchery, but Mrs. Wallace leaves most to the imagination and isn't descriptive at all in these scenes. The scenes involving the lepers are fairly graphic, but necessary.

Recommendations: I believe older teenage boys would really enjoy this book as would any historical fiction lover. I bought this audio book for my father and he absolutely loved it!

To the Christian: The redemptive climax of the book is elating! Although, there are small glimpses of Jesus throughout the book, and the book focuses a lot more on Judah and those around him, Jesus is the hero in this book. He is the true champion that saves at the end of the day. I truly recommend it.

Calvary Road - Book Review

This is a book I am going to keep in my purse and just be constantly reading. It is a book on how we can have continual revival as Christians and by default, in the church. This book has really changed a lot of my perspectives on peace, loving others and confession. Never in my Christian life had I thought about living constantly in a Spirit-filled state. Never! As many, I thought there were low times and high times, and according to this book, that is not the case.

The book focuses on what revival is and how the church can experience revival. The books says that revival begins individually and slowly spreads (sometimes quickly) from you to other believers in your church.

There are no secret formulas, no to-do lists or 5 point lessons. It is all quiet and personal. Here is a quote:

You and I full of the Holy Spirit all the time, loving others and concerned for their salvation. No struggling, no tarrying. Just simply giving Him each sin to cleanse in His precious blood and accepting from His hand the free gift of His fullness, and the allowing Him to do the work through us. . .  There is nothing spectacular about this life, no emotional experiences to sigh after and wait for. It is just plain day to day living the life the Lord intended us to live. This is real holiness. 

The book emphasizes that when we love God we cannot help but to love others. And these loves cannot be separated. It says that the outcome of loving God comes the natural outflow of love towards those made in His image. Mr. Hession goes on to say: Our relationship with our fellows and our relationship with God are so linked that we cannot disturb one without disturbing the other. 

The awareness of our sin and the confession of it, is also something the book speaks a lot of in order to have revival. According to the book, "sin is the only thing that hinders the revival of His Church". What a convicting statement! This book forced me to take time to sit and have the Holy Spirit help me look into my heart and purge the sin in my life. I spent a whole prayer session just confessing my sin to God. There was just so much there. Tears came to my face as I thought of my dastardly deeds. And peace soon came upon me as I placed my trust again on the Cross. Living in a constant state of peace also is an attainable goal. And the lack of peace in our lives, Hession states, is a very good indicator of unconfessed sin in our lives. He says: ". . . the sign of the Spirit's presence and fullness will be peace. This is indeed to be the test of our walk all the way along. Le the peace of God rule [arbitrate] in your hearts" (Col. 3:15) . . . if our peace is broken, then it can only be because of sin.

Our church is seeking revival and this book was recommended by my pastor. It has changed my Christian life and I hope it changes yours. I recommend this book to all Believers. It is a very short book also and can be read in one sitting. My version of the book was only 114 pages. Be sure to have a pen or highlighter near by though because there are a lot of sections that are very insightful. My husband bought about 10 of these books and gave them out as gifts. If you would like to purchase this book, I found a pretty good deal here.

The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges - Book Review

It took me a while to finish this book simply because of the richness of the content. This is the second book by Jerry Bridges that I have read and I have loved every single one of them. Both of his books are full of passages I have underlined, margins I have written in and beautiful quotes I have highlighted. He is truly a gifted writer and I am glad that a pastor I was listening to mentioned him in a sermon.

While reading this book, Mr. Bridges passed away to be with our Lord and it gave me a sense of pleasure reading about his hope of Heaven knowing that he is presently with God. What a beautiful thought!

The book is not hard to read, but there is just so much good stuff in it that I couldn't help but pause and think about what I had just read. I didn't want to just skim through it. This book is a rich dessert or a full bodied aged wine that is meant to be enjoyed slowly. So if you want a fast read, don't read this book. But if you want a slow dance with words that help you understand the beauty of Grace and what this MOST HOLY GOD has done for His children and how we can live a more holy life, then by all means pick up this book.

The book emphasizes that we should preach the Gospel to ourselves on a daily basis. It also does prick the heart of those who have been stagnant in working on their sanctification (haven't we all?).  The last 5 chapters were very helpful, my favorite chapter being on conviction. Not the kind where I feel bad about something, but the kind that I have a strong belief. Here is an excerpt I underlined and "starred":

A conviction is a determinative belief: something you believe so strongly that it 

affects the way you live. Someone has observed that a belief is what you hold,

but a conviction is what holds you. You may live contrary to what you believe, but you 

cannot live contrary to your convictions. (This doesn't mean you never act contrary

to your convictions, but that you do not consistently violate them).

Isn't that just beautiful!! At moments while reading, I caught myself just exclaiming, "Yes! Amen! Preach it!" And at other moments, words like "I'm a wretch, I'm a sinner, Thank you for the cross!" came out! 

Mr. Bridges also asks a lot of questions through out the book which is why there were times when I just paused and stopped reading. Here are some questions:

What does your mind turn to when it is free to turn to anything?

The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, . . . is not believe that He loves you. Does that sentence surprise  you?

To what degree does a belief that the Bible sets forth absolute truth determine the way we live?

As Christians, should we view ourselves as saints or sinners? 

There are so much more sprinkled throughout the book!  Some he answers with Godly wisdom, others are left open for us to use to search our hearts and hopefully lead us to prayer. He corroborates all he says with Scripture and often times I had to stop and read the Scripture again because it was just so refreshing. I remember several times thinking: "That's in the Bible!?!" What sweet surprises!

If you are struggling with Grace, which most Christians do at some point in their lives, this is a great book to read. If you are in a time of darkness, hating your sin and/or yourself and seeming like you just can't get out of the mire; this book will help point you to the cross and also equip you in ways to combat the sin in your life. 

Mr Bridges eloquently balances the pain of sin, the joy of grace and the work of sanctification in this book. Obviously, I highly recommend it!

Although there are many quotes I underlined and wish I could share with you, I will not and allow you to dig up these treasures on your own. But here are a few I HAD to share:

Sin . . . creeps up on us little by little. What was once unthinkable become thinkable, then doable, and finally acceptable to society at large. Sin becomes respectable, and so Christians finally embrace it. It is my perception that Christians are no more than five to ten years behind the world in embracing most sinful practices.

We should not seek holiness in order to feel good about ourselves. . . Far too often our concern with sin arises from how it makes us feel. Sinful habits . .  cause us to feel defeated and we don't like to be defeated in anything.

Our greatest source of temptation dwells within us. 

The pursuit of holiness must be anchored in the grace of God; otherwise it is doomed to failure. 

We cannot serve God or pursue holiness with any vigor at all if we are dealing with a guilty conscience. 

Oh there are so many more! I know you will really grow in your faith in reading this book, but it is meaty and it does prick at our hearts and like all good things, it does take some time to finish.

You can buy this book here.

Playing with Fire - Book Review

Our family seems to always be traveling somewhere, so on a short trip to southern Illinois to spend some time with my husband, I found this audio book at our local Cracker Barrel. I have never rented from them, but in case you are wondering how it works, it is fairly easy. You pay for the actual audio book, and are charged $3.57 for a week rental. Once you are finished, you return the audio book and are reimbursed for the whole charge except the $3.57. It's not really convenient for non-A types like me, because I frankly don't like returning things to begin with. Things get really complicated for me so very quickly.

About the book: Tess Gerritsen is just a superb storyteller and you are left wondering what is going on until the very end. If you are a music lover, you will just be enraptured by this book. The book begins with a violinist who finds an old piece of gypsy music in an old book store in Rome - specifically it is a waltz. From there, the history of the waltz unfolds and the bizarre behavior of the violinist's daughter just mystifies the story even more. Like the mysterious waltz, the book is haunting with an overtone of sadness. In this book, there are two stories which Mrs. Gerritsen unravels perfectly. One story takes place in 1930's Italy and details the history of the musical piece and the other story takes place in modern times discovering the violinist and her family's past. The book ends too quickly and not how I thought it would (which makes me love it even more!). I waited an extra day to finish listening to the book because I didn't want to part with it, but alas, all things do have to come to an end.

I strongly recommend the audio book because Mrs. Gerritsen actually plays the violin in it and was the one who actually composed the somber waltz! She is just so talented! The lone violin playing in the background just adds to the depth of the book.

To the Christian: (I will leave this part vague as to not spoil the book.)The atrocities in this book remind us of the sin of man and the hope we have in the return of Christ. The physiology of the mind is just a small picture of how magnificent God is in the creation of the brain. God lavished beauty for our eyes, for our taste, for our ears and for all of our senses. In music we get a foretaste of the majesty of our Creator.

After reading this book, I did indulge in listening to some classical violin music and all I could do was just listen in awe at how fallen man can create such beautiful things - an imprint of our Creator.

There is nothing in this book that is coarse or tasteless. I would allow my tween or teen to read it.

You can buy the book or audio book here

Angel of Darkness - Book Review

I read the Alienist several years ago and absolutely loved it. Mr. Carr did an excellent job building the twisted character of the abuser and murderer of the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about his second book.

The Angel of Darkness is a sequel and there is a new mystery to be solved. A high profile little girl has been kidnapped and the trail begins. But it is a very long trail. The book completely feels like most sequels do. And the style it is written in, gets very frustrating especially in a 700 page book! It was very difficult to finish this book and where Mr. Carr's first book was very realistic, this one was almost silly - in one scene, Theodore Roosevelt comes to save the day along with his shipmates!

There also seems to be an agenda. It feels like Mr. Carr is fighting for women's equality, but going about it in a very disturbing way. He tries to persuade the reader that women are equal to men but not in mind or intelligence, but in how evil they can be. Frankly, that is not the equality I would like championed for me.

I really don't recommend this book to anyone. It really was a bore and the writing style made me ache.

To the Christian: Mankind is depraved to the core. If any of us has any good in us, I believe, it is a grace from God. This book highlights just how depraved a human being can be, even a woman, even a mother. Psalm 14:1b says . . . "there is no one who does good"

There is some gore in the book, and detailed beatings. There are innuendos of sex, but nothing graphic.

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert - Book Review

Ever since I heard the testimony of Rosaria Butterfield, I just fell in love with her. I spent a couple of days looking her up on youtube and other sites and just listening to what she had to say. When I found out that Mrs. Butterfield wrote an autobiography, I just had to read it, so I added her book to my Christmas list and I got it. Needless to say, I read the book in two days!

On youtube and other sites, a lot of the focus of her testimony is that she was a lesbian, Marxist progressive and that she no longer is now. Although that is important, there is just so much more to her than her past lesbianism. In her book she does mention her life before Jesus, but she also speaks vulnerably about her transformation into a repenting Christian and even mentions her current sin issues and how horrible they are to a Holy God. Rosaria beautifully speaks of the struggles in the life of a Christian. My sins, the currents ones I am committing as I write, God hates; but because of the trust I have on the work of the Cross, I can boldly approach this Holy God and plead for forgiveness, and because He is faithful to forgive, I can jump for joy that He is a great God! She also reveals the Gospel in such a way that it just grabs me by the hand and takes me along for a journey in getting to know this forgiving God! Rosaria's story (like all Christians) doesn't stop once she converts!

I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that she also wrote about worshiping God through hospitality. She mentions the lack of hospitality among Christians and the plenitude of it among the LGBT. And I had to agree with her. Why are we quick to look the other way when someone needs attention or even just a hug? Why do we not open our doors enough to the wretched, the ugly or the lost? Why do I turn up my nose to the depressed, the emotionally needy, the poor, the pill poppers and the losers? What is the point of my candle light shining in an already lit room? Have I forgotten the mire of where I came from and where I still continue to go?

A specific sentence she wrote really captured my attention. On page 24 she says that looking back at pictures of herself, she no longer recognizes herself. Am I transforming in my Christian life that much that I too do not recognize myself? My life before my conversion was despicable. But am I continuing to change to become more and more like my Savior. Am I different from the person I was last year or even last month? Or do I still continue with my same sins, not caring about the monotony of my daily besetting transgressions?

I loved this book! And I recommend it to all Christians! I do not want you to think for a second that this book is only for those struggling with same-sex addictions or inclinations! It is not! It is for the Christian who struggles with hypocrisy (me). It is for the Christian who feels that God cannot heal him from a besetting sin (me also). It is for the Christian who is at peace with their holiness (the self-righteous). It is also for the lost. It is for all of us.

I also want to tell you that the book is not graphic. There is nothing obscene or tasteless in the book, unless words like "drag queen" or "butch" offend you. Not once did I flinch, or think she had crossed a line. Rosaria does well writing her autobiography in a way that exalts her Savior, not her sins (past or present).

I leave you with several excerpts from her book:

Undisciplined taste will always lead to egregious sin - slowly and almost imperceptibly. (pg30)

 In regards to evangelism - The integrity of our relationships matters more than the boldness of our words. (pg. 48)

I felt and feel no solidarity with people who think their salvation makes them more worthy than others. (pg. 81)

People whose lives are riddled with unrestrained sin act like rebellious children. Sin, when unrestrained, infatilizes a person. (pg. 108)

We in the church tend to be more fearful of the (perceived) sin in the world than of the sin in our own hearts. Why is that? (pg. 115)

Our plans are not sacred. (pg. 126)

You can help, but only Jesus can heal. (pg. 146)

There is so much more in this book, but I want to leave it to you to discover on your own. You can buy this book here!

The King's Curse - Book Review

King Henry VIII was never a favorite monarch of mine. I really do not believe he reformed the church do to Scriptural conviction, but more out of convenience. He desperately needed an heir and the Catholic Church was in the way. His father's greatest fear was that his line would die out and I am sure that fear was passed on to his children. In the book "The King's Curse", I just hate Henry more. He was a despicable man. The story is told from the view point of Margaret Pole, countess of Salisbury. Her father was the brother of Edward IV. This book is excellent! Philippa Gregory, the author, really captured the constant ebbing and flowing of fear and peace that was the reign of Henry VIII among those that may be a threat to the throne. No body was safe with him, not even his own children. Even though I knew how Margaret died, the book still gripped me and I anxiously waited the ending. This book was a great book and one of my favorites that Ms. Gregory has written. This book is the last in the series of the Cousins' War Series.

To the Christian: The Reformation is in its infancy during this era. The struggle between tradition and Scripture was almost at its boiling point. Margaret Pole is Catholic and I do feel sorry for her because  Henry's "reform" utterly destroys the practices that have been a part of her faith for centuries. It brings homelessness and destitution to the monks and nuns that have spent their lives in cloister. I believe he does these atrocities not in the name of God, but to satiate his power hungry ambition. During this time, Henry burns at the stake William Tyndale, a man that translated the Bible into English, so that all may partake and read Scripture.

There is no explicit content in the book.

You can buy this book here

The Queen's Vow - Book Review

I will admit that I do not know much of Queen Isabella. I knew she was a warrior queen and that her youngest daughter, Catalina married Henry the VIII of England. I also knew that she promoted the Spanish Inquisition and the forced exile of the Jews. She also fought the Moor and expanded her kingdom with the marriage to Ferdinand and through war with the "infidel". So needless to say, I went into this book with my own biases of this queen. When I thought of Isabella of Castile, I thought of a strong powerful monarch in her own right; but after reading this book, I really didn't get that out of her. She seems to have minded Ferdinand and her religious leaders more than what she wanted to. In the book, she really doesn't want to begin the Inquisition, but Ferdinand and Talavera (her confessor) coax her into it. She really doesn't want to force conversion of the Jews, but again she is influenced to do so. She really doesn't want to throw out the Conversos (Jews that have  converted to the Catholic faith) but again she does so against her moral judgement. It's like the author wants you to like her and think of her as a tolerable monarch, but because of circumstances, she had no other choice but to do the dirty work of the Church. I really believe Isabella knew what she was doing to her people and did so in the name of God. I believe she (like all monarchs of that time) thought of herself as anointed by God to do His will and that will was to bring reform, holiness and obedience no matter the cost.  I believe she brought order and fear to her people. 

Unfortunately, in this book, she didn't seem to have too much depth. She seemed more tame that what I had imagined her to be. She seemed more agreeable than strong-willed. She seemed out of her league in war and looked outright stupid in a particular war scene in the book. 

I do not know how historically correct this book is, but my romanticized view of a strong, independent warrior queen was really broken with this book. Isabella's best friend Beatriz and even King Enrique IV's wife, Juana seem to have more spirit that Isabella herself. 

Even the cover of this book is disappointing. Isabella was a blonde with blue eyes - a true Tratamaran, but in the cover of the book she looks more French or Moorish. Overall, I really didn't like the book.

To the Christian: Thankfully, this book leaves a lot to the imagination when it comes to sexual encounters. There are slight references to homosexual pedophilia, but nothing at all vivid. There is adultery and children born out of wedlock. The intimacy between Isabella and Ferdinand is not vulgar or graphic. There are no bad words. 
                                     Reading this book strengthens my belief on how important it is to read the Bible and obey it and to properly interpret it. So much pain could be averted if we just did what it said. Isabella didn't need to force conversion on anyone to win God's favor. God is our Potter and He does with His creation what He wishes. Isabella and the Church tried in vain to do the work of the Holy Spirit. Nowhere in the Bible are people forced to conversion by other people. God does that work and turns a  heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Not one disciple brought harm to his enemy. On the contrary, Jesus showed them to pray for your enemy and do good to those that hurt you. She did a lot in the "name of God", but it wasn't the God of the Bible. While reading the book, I remember thinking, "Where did you get that from Scripture, Isabella"; "no, that's not what that means at all!". Isabella and her Church didn't interpret Scripture correctly and allowed their own biases to twist Scripture. In an age of so much information, we have no excuse to "not know better". 

Counter Culture by Davit Platt

When we ask Christians what they think about ending sex trafficking or poverty or the helping the orphans, most will agree that these causes are worth fighting for. Most will voice their opinions about how we as Christians should do something about these things and most will not expect much rebuttal or disagreement. But why does the conversation get a little tense and the lines get a little blurry when those same Christians have a conversation about same sex marriage and/or abortion?

In his book Counter Culture,  David Platt challenges us to be passionate not only for the issues that are popular or where everyone is on the bandwagon, but also for those issues that may ostracize us from our friends and family and maybe even our church.

Mr. Platt starts off the book stating the obvious that we seem to forget when dealing with any sin and that is that we have a problem with a statement like: "There is a God who sustains, owns, defines, rules, and one day will judge you." (pg. 3) The natural man's reaction to this is to be offended by such a statement. Deep down we just want to do what we want and we will collaborate, manipulate, interpret, make excuses, etc just to be our own god and get our own way.

Mr. Platt speaks on all the issues (easy and difficult ones) and lovingly and respectfully explains using God's Word and other information where Christians need to start when dealing with them. Like all the books I have read by him, he uses examples to help the reader understand how important it is for the Christian not to idly stand by as so many evils are happening. At the end of every chapter he guides the reader on what to pray for, where to get more information and what he/she can do start doing something. He also includes eye-opening statistics that made me cringe some times.

Here are some excerpts I highlighted and wanted to share with you:

Regarding abortion he gave this statistic: an estimated 92% of all women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to terminate their pregnancies.  (pg 67)

Regarding orphan, widow and foster care: "For we are not rescuers giving our lives and families to save orphans and widows in need; instead, we are the rescued whose lives have been transformed at our deepest point of need." (pg 104)

Regarding racism he cited this verse: "From one man (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26 NIV"

Regarding illegal and legal immigration he says: "The gospel compels us in our culture to decry any and all forms of oppression, exploitation, bigotry, or harassment of immigrants, regardless of their legal status. These are men and women for whom Christ died and their dignity is no greater or lesser than our own." (pg 205)

Regarding religious liberty. David Platt along with other religious leaders of different faiths (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism) signed a document expressing their convictions of religioius liberty. This is what part of the document said. While Mr. Platt strongly disagrees with them, he joined with them to protect our religious freedom. The end of the document these men signed says this:
"We will not . . . bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstance will we render to Caesar what is God's." (pg. 222)

Regarding religious liberty: Tolerance implies disagreement. I have to disagree with you in order to tolerate you. (pg 225)

Life for the Christian living in the U.S. has changed. Mr. Platt warns: Gone are the days when it was socially beneficial to be in church at the beginning of the week. Gone are the days when it was publicly accepted to follow Christ every other day of the week. Here are the days when holding fast to the gospel, actually believing the Bible, and putting it into practice will mean risking your reputation, sacrificing your social status, disagreeing with your closest family and friends, jeopardizing your economic security and earthly stability, giving away your possessions, leaving behind the accolades of the world, and (depending on where and how God leads you) potentially losing your life. (pg240)

I strongly recommend this book!

We should love our enemies, we should bless those that persecute us, but we should not dilute the truth that ALL OF US are in need of Savior. That ALL have sinned and fall short. That ALL struggle with sins that are heinous to a HOLY God. And that the Gospel IS GOOD NEWS.

Mr. Platt does make an interesting statement towards the end of his book. He speaks about the overflowing amount of Bible knowledge that the U.S. has and how even with so many Bibles, so many seminaries, so many churches, we seem to be more blind and more deaf to the Gospel. He speaks that maybe it is because we need to go OUT of the U.S. and into other countries where the Gospel seed will land on fertile soil. I couldn't help but ask myself if God is allowing us to wallow in our sin and has hardened the hearts of many?

The last sentence of the book is this: He (God) has called you to himself, he has saved you by his Son, he has filled you with his Spirit, he has captured you with his love, and he is compelling you by his Word to counter our culture by proclaiming his Kingdom, not worried about what it will cost you because you are confident that God himself is your great reward. (pg. 254)

There is so much more in this book that I could share! Like every other book of his, I was challenged to do something with my faith. This book will not make you feel good, or will not help someone with  low self-esteems or make you richer. It doesn't give you advice on how to make friends. On the contrary, it challenges you to go against the grain, to counter the culture that has normalized so many things God calls sin.You will lose friends, you will not be popular, you will "lose" money. But what do those things matter, it was never about you (me) anyway.

You can buy this book here

Book Review - Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

Pinocchio by C. Collodi

I love old books! I love the way they smell and the way they feel. I love the fonts they used and the color the pages have turned. Everything about old books just brings about a sense of assurance for me, that things can last generations and still bring about strong feelings of wonder and fascination. 

Several years ago my husband and I were at an antique store and found an old copy of Pinocchio. The copy we bought was written in 1914. So being a pretty cherry red book with bold black letters, I placed it among other old books and stared at it for a while. About three days ago, after finishing up a very serious book on culture and the degradation of American Christianity, I decided to take a break from the moribund and picked up Pinocchio and read it. I loved it!

Now, I do love the classic Walt Disney animation, but it pales and is outright tame compared to the revelries found in the book!  I mean, Pinocchio squashes the Cricket in the first couple of chapters! The fairy is a shape-shifter. The Cat gets his paw bit off by Pinocchio. Pinocchio is hung, drowned, burned alive, starved, robbed, humiliated, sent to prison, eaten alive, beaten and so much more! All the animals speak in this book and some give good advice while others cajole and lie. The morals in this book scream at you and you just can't believe how naughty Pinocchio is.

This book would be a fantastic book to read aloud to our children. It speaks on the importance of education, honesty and hard work. And it is outright entertaining. There is not a moment when things get a little boring. Not with Pinocchio. The story coaxes the imagination to come alive in a fantasy where the consequences of idleness, dishonesty, and entitlement have "interesting" repercussions.

Obviously this is an older book and older language is used. There is a term that I probably wouldn't use if I were reading it aloud to my kids, especially the older kids. When Pinocchio is taken away to a place where there is no school and only play. That place is referred to the "Land of Boobies". Clearly, it is not speaking of a woman's breasts, but speaking of a "Land of fools". So I would used "the land of sillies" if I read it aloud.

The book is a little morbid. But I think it is to cause a shock to the reader and imprint Pinocchio's consequences into the reader's mind. In the beginning of the book, Pinocchio sits too close to a fire and his feet are burned off. Also when he turns into a donkey, he is bought by a peasant that is going to skin him and turn his hide into a drum. If that wasn't morbid enough, the peasant ties a large rock to his neck and drowns Pinocchio at sea in order to get his skin. While under water Pinocchio the donkey has his flesh eaten up by fish and as the fish keep eating, they only leave behind Pinocchio (the wooden puppet). Also Pinocchio hides 4 golden coins in his mouth and the Cat and Fox try to pry open his mouth to no avail. They then try to kill him by hanging him in hopes that when he is dead, his mouth will open up thus releasing the coins he is hiding. It is apparent in the book that Pinocchio could have prevented all of these things from happening, if he had just obeyed his father or the good advice given by the Fairy. And that "fear" that is generated from these scenes are meant to be remembered and to then to hopefully steer a bad decision into a good decision.

Although a fantasy, the book speaks a lot of truth regarding behavior and work ethic. Pinocchio continually spends a lot of time wishing he would have made a better decision. People he loves die and suffer because of his bad and selfish decisions. Isn't it so in our own real life?

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a break from serious books. I also recommend it to read aloud to older children.

It didn't take long to read and if I hadn't had seen the animation first, I think it would have been even a more exciting read! Disney (understandably)  left out a lot of parts from the book so it was still entertaining. I giggled and was amazed at what predicaments Pinocchio got himself into. In the end, he does learn his lesson, but at a huge cost to himself and those he loved.

Tozer on Worship and Entertainment - Book Review

This book was put together by James L. Snyder and is a collection of sermons snippets, essays and book excerpts of Tozer's commentary on worship and entertainment in the church.

Almost ever paragraph in this book is quotable. I collect quotes that make me think and I love word play to make a point, and this book is full of them. I want to say this because despite the awesome quotes, the book was almost unbearable to read. It was unbearable only because Tozer would say something awesome on church culture and then you would get to the end of the paragraph and that was it. It was just  a snippet of something he said and Mr. Snyder would move on to the next snippet. It was so frustrating! I wanted an elaboration on what he just said. I wanted some verses to dig up. I wanted his whole thought process and another example. It was like being hungry at a restaurant and having the waiter come bring your meal, eating one bite of it and then having him take it away.

Despite the frustration though, there were great things I got from this book. I couldn't believe how long ago Tozer wrote this, and throughout my reading I wondered what he would have to say now that there seems to be more lights and sounds and "entertainment" techniques used during church service.  So much of what he had to say on this subject can be applied as a warning and a grievance of the condition of the American church today.

I've included some of the best quotes in the book below:

"We can't worship these days because we do not have a high enough opinion of God. God has been reduced, modified, edited, changed and amended until He is not the God Isaiah saw high and lifted up but something else.. .. Worship rises and falls in the church altogether depending on whether the idea of God is low or high"

"The holy art of worship seems to have passed away . . . As a result, we are left to our own devices and forced to make up the lack of spontaneous worship by bringing in countless cheap and tawdry activities to hold the attention of the church people."

"...if your life doesn't worship God, your lips don't worship God either."

"Let us practice the art of Bible meditation. But please don't grab that phrase and go out and form a club - we are organized to death already. Just meditate. Let us just be plain, thoughtful Christians. Let us open our Bibles, spread them out on a chair and meditate on the Word of God. It will open itself to us and the Spirit of God will come and brood over it"

"If you do not know the presence of God in your office, your factory,  your home, then God is not in the church when you attend"

"The presence of God in our midst - ...godly fear - this is largely missing today. You cannot induce it by soft organ music and light streaming... You cannot induce it by any kind or any amount of mumbo-jumbo. What people feel in the presence of that kind of paganism is not the true fear of God. It is just the inducement of a superstitious dread."

"God wants worshipers before workers"

"We begin to grow up when our worship passes from thanksgiving to admiration"

"We cannot afford to let down our Christian standards just to hold the interest of people who want to go to hell and still belong to a church."

There were many more quotes I wanted to include, but I think you get the idea with the couple I have sprinkled here. This is a great book when one is looking for quotes or insights for a sermon or a Bible class on the subject of worship and entertainment. Thankfully, Mr. Snyder provides where each snippet or excerpt is taken from just in case the reader wants to research more. Because of this book, I will have to add more books to my reading list!

As I mature in my faith, the thought of worshiping God forever seems more attractive and desirable.  I love those moments when His awesome splendor and holy majesty leave me speechless. I cannot even come close to imagining feeling that way for eternity. I feel like I would burst!

As American's we have lowered worship to be about us. It isn't. It cannot be. Whether our preference is hymns, contemporary, acapella, lights, no lights. All of it is for naught if we do not look at the words being sung and what we think when we hear those words. Amos 5 warns the false worshiper. The one who doesn't humble himself before God. The one who lives his life without fear of God. In verse 21 in that chapter God says, "I HATE, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me! And in verse 23 "Away with the noise of your songs!" There is a wrong way to worship God. Anything where He is not center, is not worthy of Him.

You can buy this book here

Last To Die - Book Review

This book is part of a series involving the main character Jack Swytek. If you love mystery and intricately woven plots, you will enjoy this book. This is a classic, "who done it" kind of book and it left me guessing until the end.

The story unfolds with the story of a woman (Sally) who loses her daughter in a brutal murder. She is also attacked. Years later, fate and a rich inheritance, allows her to take matters into her own hands to find the murderer of her daughter and in order to do that, she has herself killed. The tale slowly unfolds as the puzzle pieces come together as Sally names the people who have hurt her the most as heirs to her 46 million dollar inheritance. But there's a catch - only the last person alive can inherit Sally's money.

Jack Swyntek is a lawyer who represents one of the "murder" suspects. The suspect is a contract killer with a shady past that everyone warns Jack about. He is also the brother of Jack's best friend, Theo. To thicken the plot, this suspect is also named as an heir to Sally's millions. Tatum (Theo's brother and Jack's client) claims his innocence and Jack takes on the case to represent Tatum.  Soon one by one, the heirs start to die. 

The story is fast paced and Grippando does an excellent job keeping the story fluid and believable. He develops his characters very well and the ending has several climaxes as all is finally tied together. I will definitely be reading more of his books!

I recommend this book to the classic mystery lover.

You can buy this book by clicking here. 

To the Christian: This book is of this world. There is no mention of God unless the author is making the reader aware than the character doesn't believe in Him. Several times throughout the book people swear. The lawyers are greedy, the main character is selfish and the women are all "hot" and "beautiful".  (I am always surprised by the lack of ugly women in some novels.) There are sexual innuendos but nothing graphic.There are some graphic murder scenes. There is some interesting over-seas humanitarian work that is mentioned quite extensively.

This book allowed me to see life outside my little Christian world. I, like many other Christians, have Christians friends, usually read Christian material, listen to sermons and Christian music and mostly interact with my family or others from my church. So it is always a bit shocking when I read secular books of fiction. As I read, I am constantly thinking, "he needs to pray, I can't believe he didn't call out to God to help him, they are worth more than that, I hope she makes it to Heaven, why doesn't she seek God, etc). My Christian life is not the norm and it's not supposed to be (Matt. 7:13-14), but books of fiction have allowed me to remove my "blinders" to see "normal" people, acting and behaving "normally" as the world would behave. It sounds a bit silly, but these kinds of books have helped me understand people better and hopefully help me in better serve my fellow man and bring glory to my God some way.

 

Book Review - Doctrines that Divide By Erwin Lutzer

Doctrines that Divide by Erwin Lutzer

"Doctrine is a vital part of the Christian faith, but certain doctrinal 

beliefs have divided the church for centuries. Today when many are calling

for unity by glossing over major theological differences, Lutzer revisits

those differences and shows not only how the divisions came about but also

why such divisions were necessary." (back of the book)

This book does not have to be read chronologically. If there are specific questions to specific doctrines, this book makes it easy just to jump to the chapter that pertains to the readers question. Here is a list of all the chapters and doctrines this book covers:

          1. Is Christ Truly God?

          2. Is Christ Truly Man? 

          3. Was Mary the Mother of God?

          4. Was Peter the First Pope?

          5. Justification: By Faith, Sacraments, or Both?

          6. Why Can't We Agree About the Lord's Supper?

          7. Why Can't We Agree About Baptism?

          8. How Many Books Are in the Bible?

          9. Predestination or Free Will: Augustine v. Pelagius

        10. Predestination or Free Will: Luther v. Erasmus

        11. Predestination or Free Will: Calvin v. Arminius

        12. Predestination or Free Will: Whitefiled v. Wesley

        13. Can a Saved Person Ever Be Lost?

I read this book in order and was just amazed at the different questions Lutzer raises that I had never even thought to raise. Important questions. 

For example: I always knew I believed in the Trinity, but when asked, "Did God die on the cross?" I answered "No, God does not die". So was Jesus God? I answered "yes". So did Jesus die on the cross? I answered "Yes". So did God die on the cross. Ummm "yes?"

I believe it is a good thing to wrestle with these very deep theological truths. It is good to understand that God is mysterious and that the creature will never completely understand the Creator (Job 36:26). As a Baptist, I "know" what I should believe and I trust those who teach me, but I think there is a time to reflect on "why" I believe certain doctrines and not others.

Lutzer does a great job unfolding and unpacking what other doctrines uphold to. And I found myself understanding where the opposition came from and why they believe their doctrines, but in the end, I was grateful for a clearer picture of my own convictions. The knowledge obtained by reading this book is priceless. In an age where doctrinal lines are being blurred for the sake of unity within the "body", this book is invaluable. 

Here is a small excerpt that really caught my attention: "I have learned never to let a person tell me that he believes in Christ without asking, "Which Christ?". Albert Schweitzer, the humanitarian, believed in a Christ who was essentially insane; Rudolf Bultmann, the German theologian, believed in a mythological Christ; Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher, believed in a human Christ; many modern cultist believe in a created Christ."

What we believe about Jesus is crucial! It is so easy to dismiss learning and studying these things because we believe these pursuits to be for pastors or professors, but nothing can be further from the truth. Lets look at Scripture:

Hosea exclaims: "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6)

                           "... a people without understanding will come to ruin!" (Hosea 4:14)

Isaiah explains: "my people will go into exile for lack of understanding" (Isaiah 5:13)

Jeremiah perceives: " they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God. (Jeremiah 5:4)

Proverbs says: "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge (Proverbs 19:2)

Paul expected us to learn: "I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of  goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another." (Romans 15:14)

Paul implored: It is important that we go forward in the light of such truth as we have already learned. (Philippians 3:16)

Paul prayed:  "...asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9-10)

And there are so many others!

One of my favorite verses is this: 
 ^{. "}but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," ~ I Peter 3:15

The experience I had from reading this book is that I know nothing! And I say this not to discourage you from reading it, but as an encouragement TO read because God is just so deep, and so wide, and so big, and so awesome that we will never fully "know" Him. But this excites me! He is so NOT boring! He is so NOT ordinary! He is so NOT bland! And the more I learn about God, the more I want to learn about God. And the more I learn about God, the more I learn about myself. Who I am? Who I want to be? He reveals all my what's, why's, where's etc through Himself. 

I really hope you consider going deeper in your faith by learning more and more about our Creator. 

You can buy this book on Amazon here.

5 out of 5 stars

Book is 243 pages long