The True Christmas Story by Ran VanderLaan

Christmas Bible Study #2: The True Christmas Story by Ray VanderLaan

In this three-session DVD, travel with teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan to the land of Israel to discover the fascinating truths about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.  The True Christmas Story is strikingly relevant, packed with faith-building truths, and sure to speak to your heart well beyond the Christmas season.

The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren

 Christmas Bible Study #1: The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren The Purpose of Christmas DVD Study for groups and families features three sessions taught by Rick Warren on why we celebrate Christmas and how it can change your life forever. At the very first Christmas – the birth of Jesus – an angel announced three things in which we find the three purposes of Christmas: it’s a time for celebration, for salvation, and for reconciliation.

Checkmate by Steven James - REVIEWED!!!!

About the Book:
In Checkmate, critically acclaimed novelist Steven James offers a climactic chapter in his bestselling series, the Bowers Files.

When a clandestine FBI facility is attacked, Special Agent Patrick Bowers is drawn into the vicious, ruthless story that a killer from his past is bent on telling the world.

Clues lead to long-forgotten secrets buried deep beneath Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. Now Bowers is caught up in trying to stop one of the deadliest attacks ever planned on American soil.

Smart, tense, and full of mind-bending twists and turns, Checkmate explodes onto the scene, bringing this cycle of the Bowers Files to an unforgettable conclusion.

My Thoughts:

“He lived to see others die.  I would die to see others live.”  (p. 515)

Patrick Bowers fights an epic battle in the final book of the Bowers’ Files!  Checkmate is all I hoped it would be – and much, much more!!  If you are familiar at all with my blog, you know I am Steven James’ number one fan!!  I’ve had the privilege to meet him, watch him win Christy awards, interview him, and listen as he shares his heart about His Savior. 

And yet….to read the Bowers’ files takes you into some of the darkest places of the human spirit.  This is a vivid display of what spiritual warfare looks like when played out in the day to day lives of day to day folks.  Patrick Bowers is no pillar of the faith, but he is a man of faith in a way only he could be.  Life has shown him the worst of the worst, and he has lost much along the way.  From police detective to FBI agent, I’ve been able to be an observer in all of it.  It has been brutal at times, and then, at times, so tender and poignant that I had to weep.

Steven James is a masterful writer!  Tessa, Patrick and Lien-hua feel like family to me.  Each one so realistically flawed, so painfully poignant in their observation of the world!  When I turned the last page – and I devoured this story in less than 24 hours! – I was sad to know I’d reached the end.  For you see, there is no end to this – only a transformational journey that ended too soon!!  I know Steven has other characters in his head, other books to write, but Patrick Bowers….well he will always  by my hero!!

This is an action-packed thriller bar none!! It just doesn’t get any better!! I cannot recommend this book highly enough!!

About the Author:

Steven James is the best selling author of more than three dozen books, including the Patrick Bowers and Jevin Banks thriller series. In May 2014 he released the first book of his teen suspense trilogy, Blur, and a book on the craft of novel writing, Story Trumps Structure. Steven's other works span a variety of genres including non fiction, fantasy and drama. He has received wide critical acclaim including two Publishers Weekly starred reviews, three Christy Awards, and as a finalist for an International Thriller Award. Publishers Weekly calls him "[A] master storyteller at the peak of his game."

Steven is an active member of International Thriller Writers, the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and International Association of Crime Writers. He is also a contributing editor for Writer's Digest. He has a master's degree in storytelling and has taught writing and creative communication around the world. When he's not writing or speaking, you'll find him trail running, rock climbing, or drinking a dark roast coffee near his home in eastern Tennessee.

The Brothers' Keepers by NLB Horton - REVIEWED

About the Book:
A friend's deception. A family's dilemma.

While cataloging looted antiquities in Brussels, archaeologist Grace Madison learns that her daughter has disappeared in France, and daughter-in-law has been attacked in Switzerland. But before the Madisons can save themselves, they must rescue an old friend---if he'll let them. Navigating a deadly, four-thousand-year-old artifact trail that crosses three continents, they jeopardize hearts and lives against a foe as old as time---as time runs out.

Because choosing what's right is all that's left.

You can purchase a copy HERE.

My Thoughts:

“At least we hadn’t lost everyone – yet.”  (p. 95)

Well, I’ve come into a series half-way through, because The Brothers’ Keepers is the second in a series.  While there are many references to the last rescue, and the fact that Maggie is the target of kidnappers on a regular basis, the story was intriguing!!  There is a bit of a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” feel to the mix of high-powered chases, gun-fights and the race to capture an important antiquity.  People and objects get misplaced, found then misplaced again.  There is a definite sense of trying to figure out who is on which side of this conflict!  The bad guys aren’t always easily identified!  Just a head’s up!

Oddly enough, the only thing that even sort of bugged me about this story (I mention it only because it happened over and over again) is Grace explaining terms used by spies and secret agents.  There are both spies and secret agents in the story, but the way Grace interrupts her thoughts to explain the terms she hears, or thinks, or whatever….was just annoying to me.  That’s petty, but compared to all the excellence that fills this story, that one detail distracted me every single time! 

Other than that one very small glitch, this was a very excellent suspense novel!  I will have to go back and read the first novel in the series, When Camels Fly, before the third installment releases.  If you like an action-packed, historically significant artifact search (think Indiana Jones) then you will LOVE this book! Horton is a new author to me, and I am SO HAPPY I found her!!

About the Author:

After an award-winning detour through journalism and marketing and a graduate degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, NLB Horton returned to writing fiction. She has surveyed Israeli and Jordanian archaeological digs accompanied (twice!) by heavy artillery rounds from Syria and machine gun fire from Lebanon. Calmly tossed a tarantula from her skiff into the Amazon after training with an Incan shaman. Driven uneventfully through Rome. And consumed gallons of afternoon tea across five continents. Her first novel, When Camels Fly, was released in May, 2014.The Brothers' Keepers her second in the Parched series, will be released November 17, 2014. The third in the series will release in the fall of 2015.

You can find out more on her website, and on Facebook.

The Answer To Our Cry by Rick McKinley - REVIEWED

About the Book:
We all long for freedom. Freedom from anxiety, fear, and sin. Freedom to love others completely as God loves us. And yet we are shackled by insecurity, prone to selfishness, and wary of letting down our guard. That's not the life God designed for his followers. When his people cry out to him for freedom, he hears--and responds.

Now pastor Rick McKinley shows how true freedom--the kind we see as God delivers his people in the Scriptures--is always in the form of relationship with God rather than our popular notion of complete independence. He calls us to look to the Father, Son, and Spirit for the model of perfect, self-giving freedom and shows how that kind of freedom can utterly transform us.

My Thoughts:

“There is freedom when we’re sons and daughters of God.  This freedom invites us into a courageous life” (p. 143)

Freedom.  What exactly does freedom look like in the lives of Christ followers? Rick McKinley succinctly explores this topic in his book, The Answer To My Cry. He looks through the lens of Scripture, he clarifies common misunderstandings, he explores examples of this freedom – and the lack of freedom – in the lives of Biblical characters – all of this and much more in a power-packed 155 pages.

This won’t take you long to read, however, I’d make time to re-read passages frequently and often as you discover what this freedom – what this very intimate relationship with the Triune God can look like.  I wanted to experience this book, because it seems that The Lord is infusing every area of my life with this call to freedom.  I realized, while reading this book, that there are still areas where I need to surrender and take a fresh look at my relationship with the Father.  I tend to get hung up in my day to day and temporarily forget who I belong to.  Who I worship. Who I love. Whose child I am.

This book has served as both a comfort and a challenge to me.  This book can and will be a tool the Lord will use to draw others into this most profound freedom and deep relationship.  This is a MUST READ for all Believers!!

About the Author:

Rick McKinley (DMin, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is the founder and lead pastor of Imago Dei Community. He is the author of four other books and serves on the faculty of Multnomah Biblical Seminary. Rick lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and four children.

JEAN WATSON BRINGS HER CELTIC-INFUSED CHRISTMAS MUSIC TO THE WORLD

 Destined to become a Yuletide classic, Christmas...Not the Way It Seems blends time-honored, beloved carols like "Do You Hear What I Hear," "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "The First Noel," with melodic renditions of less familiar holiday songs like "Pat A Pan," "Coventry Carol" and "Lo How A Rose,"along with Watson's newly-penned Christmas hymn, "Not The Way It Seems."

"Jean is a gifted soul and person. Very seldom do I find someone with incredible gifts in songwriting, singing, and violin all in one person," says Grammy Award-nomina

ted producer Billy Smiley, who, in addition to his Grammy nominations, has produced more than 100 albums and 30 No. 1 songs, and is a

founding member of legendary Christian rock band WhiteHeart. "It has been a pleasure to see her wings unfold throughout the recording process. It will be so exciting for the world to see and hear this beautiful talent!"

Musically, the album employs rich, emotive orchestration which, when combined with Watson's ethereal yet resilient vocals, is reminiscent of such world music artists as Enya, Maire Brennan, Clannad and Kristen Getty.

 

For more information about Watson or Christmas...Not The Way It Seems, visit jeanwatson.com.

PS...you can go HERE and read my interview with Jean.  We discuss her Christmas project!

The Advocate by Randy Singer - REVIEWED

About the Book:
At the trial of Christ, Theophilus, brilliant young assessore raised in the Roman aristocracy, stands behind Pontius Pilate and whispers, “Offer to release Barabbas.” The strategy backfires, and Theophilus never forgets the sight of an innocent man unjustly suffering the worst of all possible deaths—Roman crucifixion.

Three decades later, Theophilus has proven himself in the legal ranks of the Roman Empire. He has survived the insane rule of Caligula and has weathered the cruel tyrant’s quest to control the woman he loves. He has endured the mindless violence of the gladiator games and the backstabbing intrigue of the treason trials.

Now he must face another evil Caesar, defending the man Paul in Nero’s deranged court. Can Theophilus mount a defense that will keep another innocent man from execution?

The advocate’s first trial altered the course of history. His last will change the fate of an empire.

My Thoughts:

“The whole truth is more powerful than a partial lie.”  (p.403)

Theophilus…who is this man to whom the book of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles is written?  Randy Singer explores the life of this man in the gripping setting of Rome around the time of Christ’s birth, death and resurrection…and beyond…to the time Rome burned. 

To say this is an epic story is an understatement.  This book narrates a man’s life from boyhood, through manhood and into eternity.  The lives that are woven into the fabric of Theophilus’ story include powerful leaders of the Roman empire, Vestal Virgins, gladiators, lawyers, advocates, slaves….it is such a finely woven tapestry of lives that mirrors Rome and its surrounding cities and provinces.  This story places you in Galilee, in Judea, in Rome, in the heart of the birth of Christianity.  This story is both broad and intimate in its details, and the characters become real and vital to your heart.

This story displays the power of God’s Word – when it was the Living Word and as it became the Written Word.  This is a testimony of transformation, of the sacrifices demanded by the Jews prior to Jesus’ ministry and the sacrifices Rome demanded after Christianity began to change the landscape of the known world.

Theophilus remains the centerpiece of this story from beginning to end.  The method of crucifying people – they reasons behind it and the practice itself is a common thread that really serves as a transformative power as the book draws to a close.

Truly, this is a book that needs to be experienced.  It will change face of your faith in the Risen Savior. I think this book will be one God uses to reach skeptics, academics, and a multitude of people in desperate need of salvation.  For me, it is hard to find words powerful enough to express the deep gratitude I have for Randy Singer’s patient work to bring this story to the printed page.  Thank you, dear brother! Thank You!!

About the Author:

Randy Singer is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author and veteran trial attorney. He has penned more than 10 legal thrillers and was recently a finalist with John Grisham and Michael Connelly for the inaugural Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction sponsored by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal. Randy runs his own law practice and has been named to Virginia Business magazine's select list of "Legal Elite" litigation attorneys. In addition to his law practice and writing, Randy serves as teaching pastor for Trinity Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He calls it his "Jekyll and Hyde thing"—part lawyer, part pastor. He also teaches classes in advocacy and civil litigation at Regent Law School and, through his church, is involved with ministry opportunities in India. He and his wife, Rhonda, live in Virginia Beach. They have two grown children. Visit his website at www.randysinger.net.