Discouragement is a real problem in today’s society. Rich, poor, old, young…no one is immune. Today’s society demands more time than there are hours in the day, and the pressure to perform and provide often drive people to neglect family and church in order to achieve their “dreams”. Discouragement sneaks into our lives regardless of our circumstances, and unless it is met with the unyielding truth of God’s Word, it poses a dangerous threat to our faith.
Don Wilton’s latest book, A Hope and a Future, very thoughtfully and methodically tackles this topic with chapters that are filled with Biblical truth and sound advice. Wilton’s years in the pulpit shine through in his writing, and the wisdom and comfort he offers his readers does point to a Hope and a Future in Christ Jesus. Wilton talks about practical ways to combat this dangerous enemy such as reaching out to others, taking care of your health, spending time in God’s Word, and refusing to quit amid the dark storms of life. Many of the chapters are not unlike what I imagine his sermon outlines must look like, and take the reader clearly and logically through Scripture to find answers that will truly restore hope and renew their focus on service for Christ.
A Hope and a Future is a much needed tool in the Christian’s spiritual arsenal. If you know someone who is struggling with discouragement, please share this book with them! You can also visit Don Wilton’s website to learn more about his ministry of encouragement and pastorship.
People around the world are asking the same question, enraptured with Edward and Bella’s forbidden romance in the Twilight Saga, a four-book serial phenomenon written by Stephenie Meyer. The bestsellers tell the story of a regular girl’s relationship with a vampire who has chosen to follow his “good” side. But the Saga isn’t just another fantasy–it’s teaching girls about love, sex, and purpose. With 48 million copies in print and a succession of upcoming blockbuster films, now is the time to ask the important question: Can vampires teach us about God’s plan for love?
Touched by a Vampire is the first book to investigate the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer’s Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Beth Felker Jones examines whether the story’s redemptive qualities outshine its darkness.
Cautionary, thoughtful, and challenging, Touched by a Vampire is written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and pop culture enthusiasts. It includes an overview of the series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups.
My Thoughts:
I want to begin by stating that I have not read the Twilight series. However, Beth Felker Jones provides enough plot synopsis in her book, Touched By A Vampire, that I am able to appreciate all of the work she did to compile such a complete and thoughtful look at this series through the lens of Scripture and faith in Christ. What a blessing it is to have someone so closely examine the phenomena of a secular series of books in light of God’s word!
Jones takes a very specific approach to this book by addressing issues like love, sexual abstinence, gender roles, family, marriage and personal power in light of redemption. She leaves no stone unturned, and very thoughtfully places the dark themes of this series beneath the light of God’s truth. While I realize that teens are incredibly prone to follow what is popular in almost every area of their lives, I also realize the parent’s greater responsibility to place these issues within the context of God’s truth. Jones’ book is a fantastic tool for parents and teachers to use to open frank discussions about this series and the themes that run throughout the story.
There should be more books like this one. There should be tons of parents responsible enough for their children’s spiritual well-being that they take the time to examine the fiction fads that impact their teens’ lives. My hat is off to Beth Felker Jones! She did an excellent job of setting dark themes beneath the light of God’s Word, and she did it in a very open and thoughtful way rather than bludgeoning the author’s talent and the reader’s enthusiasm for the series.
You can purchase your own copy of this great resource HERE.
For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.
Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?
As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.
MY REVIEW:
“Am I who they think I am? Will I always be?” (p.305)
Thirsty. The title of Tracey Bateman’s latest novel was intriguing.The fact that the story had something to do with vampires was kind of creepy. The combination was irresistible, so I agreed to tour the book. It was interesting.Tracey Bateman has cleverly written a story that combines two very unlikely themes – vampires and addiction. Perhaps though, by the time you reach the end of this story, you will realize they aren’t such an unlikely combination after all.
The main character, Nina Parker, is an alcoholic. The hellish chaos she has brought upon her family finally reaches a breaking point, and she comes out of rehab with the most incredibly weak hope of survival that your heart aches for her struggle. With no where left to go, Nina moves in with her sister, initially taking along her teenage daughter, Meg, in an attempt to reestablish some sort of relationship. What should have been a week of mother-daughter emotional/hormonal clashes ramps up into an unbelievably creepy tale, and all I can say is I’m glad I read it in broad daylight!
Bateman captures the heartache, the pain and struggle of a recovering addict very well in this story, and in some ways, I guess the vampire angle mirrors the addict’s struggle to finally be free from the overwhelming thirst for something that will ultimately prove deadly. The vampire story wasn’t overpowering, but instead just plain out creepy throughout. By the end of course, things got pretty dangerous, but the ending itself left the reader hopefully optimistic without tying things off in a neat little package.
The spiritual message was a bit mixed to me though. Nina kept waiting for God to “show up” when in fact, He had mercifully allowed her to survive as long as she did without killing herself or some innocent bystander. God had “showed up” in Nina’s life a multitude of times, but she was just spiritually blind to His presence. Spiritual maturity is a process. Salvation is not. Bateman was a bit fuzzy on this. However, this was a vampire tale, meant to be sensational, not deeply spiritual. It is highly entertaining.
I’m glad addicts can be redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I’m even more thrilled that His love never leaves me Thirsty.
“We choose how much we will carry away with us from the fire. Everyone else pretends they can’t even see the ashes.” (p.345)
Life is filled with fiery trials that often leave us with more questions than answers. Rather than admit we don’t have the answers, sometimes we just pretend that everything is fine, and we hide behind a mask of normalcy rather than face the truth of our shortcomings. Susan Miessner explores this concept in her latest book, White Picket Fences. The Janvier family lives in a comfortable, upscale community. Their two children, their nice home, their stable jobs all create a sense of security and normalcy that lulls them into forgetfulness. Then Tally arrives.
Amanda Janvier’s brother is missing, and his daughter has no place to go. When Tally’s nomadic existence comes in contact with the Janvier’s white-picket-fence lifestyle, no one is prepared for the fiery trial that erupts within the confines of their seemingly perfect home. Chase, the teenage son, is struggling with secrets from his past, Tully is struggling beneath the secret her father used as an excuse to leave her behind, and Amanda and her husband are wrestling against an ever growing chasm in their marriage. Nothing is as it seems. No one seems able or willing to face the truth. When Chase and Tully take on a school project that introduces them to two survivors of the WWII death camps, truth and trials suddenly come into a new light, and it becomes very important to everyone, one way or another, to reach the truth that lies behind their white-picket-fences.
Once again, Susan Miessner has written a haunting tale that pulls at your heart and imagination in a powerful way. On the surface, I couldn’t really figure out why it was so important for Chase to find the answers he wanted. I couldn’t understand Tally’s desire to be invisible. I totally didn’t understand what Amanda and her husband thought they were doing to protect their son. Then I looked beneath the surface. Their struggles belong to every man. Facing truth, speaking it to others and dealing with its reality is often an overwhelming task. And sometimes God alone can reveal the truth we are seeking. Finding the courage to ask for that revelation is not always easy.
I enjoyed this story. I think many who read it will question what lies behind their own picket-fences. We all live within created boundaries for one reason or another. Sometimes we think we are protecting ourselves and our love ones from the truth, when in reality we are just avoiding the truth altogether.
There are a few scenes that include curse words. I’m not sure why the author or the editor thought that was necessary. I imagine they thought it reflected the intensity of the moment. The spiritual content wasn’t a very integral part of the story, and the old WWII survivors were the only ones who portrayed much spirituality at all. The truth presented in the story is one of the human condition rather than a strong message of grace.
Look in the sidebar for a link to my give away for this book!
What the Bayou Saw is not a light piece of fiction by any means.This is a brutally honest story about racism and the lies that maintain this practice until this very moment.I struggled a bit with the author’s style initially because it seemed difficult to separate the present from the past. However, as the story progressed, it became evident that the main character, Sally, was desperate to separate the two herself.The events that take place within this story will cause you to examine your own heart and determine how you define racism in your own life.
Sally is a college professor in Normal, Illinois. However, she grew up in Texas in the 60’s, and racism was taught to her through every adult in her life. And while the media and others would have you believe that racism is a one way street, I can promise you as a Southern native, it is very much a two-way attitude. Patti Lacy’s book reflects that truth too, and I was glad to see the honesty regarding both sides of this issue – especially since the main character, Sally, has to face both sides of this story in some very painful ways!
The things that took place in Sally’s childhood reflect what true relationship between races should look like when the color of skin is not even considered. Ironically, as she grew older, Sally began to lie about certain events in her life, and her subliminal ideas of racism fell victim to those lies.The perpetual state of untruth that bound Sally’s future to her past robbed her of far more than she ever realized for more than 25 years.Virtually every relationship in her life was tainted by her lies, and when one of her black students is assaulted and some of her white students are blamed, Sally finds herself face-first with both her past and present prejudices! And the final twist in relationships at the end of the story…brilliant!!
Overall, I thought this story was well-done, and I think the author did a great job dealing with some very difficult topics. Truth has been and always will be our most powerful liberator whether dealing with racial issues or any other issue in our life.Facing the truth isn’t always easy or pain-free, but the rewards can often be eternal!
Folks, life has sent a tsunami of events my way....and I'm behind. No apologies! I'm exhausted and need some time to read and catch my breath! Back at ya on Monday!
“I should have trusted God to make a way for us, but instead I thought I had to do it myself.” (p. 312)
How easy it is to grow desperate amid trying circumstances and move forward without heeding God’s direction! Madeline Clavell never dreamed that her youthful friendship and blossoming romance with King Louis XIV would cast shadows over her life for years to follow! When we first met the Clavell family in Shadow of the Sun King, they were in grave danger for practicing their Huguenot faith instead of the Roman Catholicism dictated by the King. The price this family paid seemed to be more than any one family should ever endure! But endure they did, and as A Prisoner of Versailles opens the reader quickly learns that the trials faced by those who chose to disobey the King were dire indeed!
The court of Louis XIV was an extremely dangerous and duplicitous place to live and survive. Everyone had their price, and no secret was safe no matter who the confidante might be! Once again, Madeline and her family are separated by the King’s selfish and unyielding demands. Louis uses Madeline’s love for her family as a wicked tool to try and break her down and cause her to turn from her faith. Her prayers will linger in your heart and mind long after you finish the book, dear reader!! Talk about bearing the soul to the Savior! WOW!!
A Prisoner of Versailles showcases the grace and mercy of God within breathtaking historical settings. The reader is transported to a time and place where religious persecution was far-reaching and fierce! At one point this statement is made; “…a river of darkness and loneliness wound its way through the halls of the palace and touched us all.” (p. 341) From the dungeons of the palace, to the heart of the Bastille and throughout the glorious kingdom of Louis XIV, the reader learns what it was like to be a prisoner of both darkness and light. This is truly a set of historical fiction that MUST be read!! It is MOST EXCELLENT!! The prayers alone are worth the read! I happily and heartily recommend the writing of Golden Keyes Parsons!
I just wanted to state clearly here on my blog that the books I review are provided to me in exchange for my opinion and thoughts. I am a member of two blog alliances and I work directly with publicists and publishers at their request to review a variety of Christian fiction and non-fiction books. I receive no compensation other than free copies of the books to read, and when a give away is offered, that copy of the book is also provided by the publisher for that exact purpose.
I give my opinions both positively and negatively and will continue to do so as time permits and as I am able. I do this because I love to read and I love to share my thoughts with others who love good books and Christian stories.
