Overextended by Lisa Harper

While I’ve enjoyed other books by this author, this one was a clunker. It will be of interest to Lisa Harper’s family, friends and fans only. I fit none of those categories. I was unimpressed by the style, that popular, and supposedly clever, way of both exaggerating and minimizing in the same sentence that leaves me feeling whiplashed by both the ideas and the words. Throw in some references to flatulence, feminine products and the like, and you have the makings of a book bordering on the offensive in the name of cuteness. This book will only be of interest to you if you are wondering about the author’s bumpy journey toward adoption and challenging childhood. If you do not have a specific interest in either or both of those subjects, this book can seem interminable. You must enjoy reading about travel to and from Haiti coupled with an interest in the inconveniences of flying, because the book drones on about it, as if the author were among the first to ever face these challenges. Scripture is used sparingly but effectively. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Forgiveness by Matthew West

This small book weaves together the words of the author’s hit song, others’ brief accounts concerning forgiveness and West’s insights around the topics of forgiving others, asking for forgiveness, forgiving yourself and embracing God’s forgiveness. While many of the topics were very basic and even self-evident, there were good insights. One of the most profound was from a survivor’s story: “Sometimes what we think of as rejection is really protection.” This book was thought provoking and insightful, using Scripture very effectively. It is written in a conversational style, not like a theological treatise, which makes it feel more approachable. While there are better and deeper books on forgiveness, this volume is a good choice for an introductory look at a very difficult subject. The one drawback was that after a while it felt very formulaic: song words, short story, author’s narration, again and again. Because of the seesawing between stories surrounding forgiveness and the author’s narrative, the book can feel a bit disjointed. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

The Mercy Prayer by Robert Gelinas

This book is about the Bible’s most frequently prayed prayer, and the author does an excellent job of demonstrating the occasions for those requests and the responses from God, especially in times of sin and suffering. At times, this book is profound, such as when it contrasts two accounts, in Matthew 9 and 20, of blind men seeking healing. The author shows that while those mercy pleas both resulted in healing, in the first account, their blindness caused the men to follow Jesus, and in the second to face the ramifications of what healing would bring. From these accounts, the author extrapolates the premise that sometimes mercy says “yes”, and sometimes mercy says “no” for a time, and either answer can draw us closer to God. Taken to heart, this book could change your spiritual life, helping you to see that a plea for mercy can become like breathing, leaving you constantly leaning on God for strength. This book referenced Scripture skillfully and effectively. It challenged me and changed me. I highly recommend it. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Downside Up by Tracey Mitchell

This exceptional book on benefitting from rejection is a game changer. The author hands you numerous tools to take the sting out of what is for almost everyone a painful experience, helping you see rejection objectively and equipping you to unhook from those who aim to destroy you through the use of the forceful impact of their negative opinion. In a well-written book, the author effectively ties her nuggets of truth in chapter after chapter to the Bible, giving appropriate illustrations and examples of overcoming rejection, and each chapter concludes with its germane points. Tracey Mitchell also has a way with words in that she can be pointed and concise without being too blunt. She gives you much to take away. One caution I would give: do not attempt to read this book in a few sittings if rejection is more than an intellectual topic to you, because you will need time and space to digest the important topics addressed. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Bound Together by Chris Brauns

The author presents a strong case for the fact that people are linked to one another, in large and small groups and in good and bad ways, calling it “The Principle of the Rope.” Clear examples include spouses, families, and nations. Ones less obvious are mankind’s tie to Adam in the Fall and the offer of rescue by the Second Adam, Christ. Chris Brauns emphasizes that while current culture teaches that every person is individually responsible for their own thoughts and actions, this fairly recent viewpoint is not accurate and certainly is not in keeping with what the Bible teaches. He carefully builds the case to show that even still, the choices of one affect many. The greatest value of this book is its demonstration of how connectedness with Christ can change humanity and how the church can battle radical individualism, calling people back into the relationships for which they were designed. This book was interesting, challenging, and well written . It incorporated biblical truth, and I would recommend it. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas

This book is about seven men—George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II and Charles Colson—who lived lives well worth emulating. The author makes it clear that his goal in writing such a book is to provide role models for those in today’s world who emulate no one. Metaxas shows us how Washington determinedly refused personal power for the sake of the country; Wilberforce persisted in work that changed the world through social reform; Liddell chose principle above fame; Bonhoeffer sacrificed his life to save victims of the Nazi regime; Jackie Robinson pioneered breaking through racial barriers at great personal cost; Pope John Paul II set an example of compassion, intelligence, and humility; and Colson faithfully used his deserved incarceration to give birth to a new work: prison ministry. This book was very interesting, as Metaxas writes in an appealing and compelling way. It inspires the reader to want to be deliberate about choosing character and principle as life compass points. I would recommend this book to others, as it describes lives well worth emulating. It was an interesting, enlightening read. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians By Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert, and Nina Shea

This book gives a clear picture of the situation facing many Christians today. It is a sobering, hard-hitting account of the hardships encountered by much of the modern Church. The stories are detailed and personal. On the one hand, it is a book that hurts to read, but on the other, the stories are so compelling, they make the book difficult to put down. One of the effective actions all believers can take on behalf of persecuted brethren is to pray. You will come away from this book with a clearer understanding of what many face today with a determination to make a difference. This book will challenge you, and it will not be easy reading. It is worthwhile, though, and a good exercise for those of us who have things so easy. The least we can do is to become informed and caring about those who suffer. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Stumbling on Open Ground by Ken Mansfield

Stumbling on Open Ground chronicles the author’s journey through two kinds of cancer over 13 years. In his younger years, Ken Mansfield was with Apple Records and worked closely with the Beatles, with all that lifestyle entailed, and became a Christian in the decades following the Beatles’ glory years. The description of the author’s conversations and walk with God is the best thing about this book. His prayers are honest and beautiful, such as this one: “Father, I love the search—the involvement of trying to place my will into yours. I wish I could reach out to you all the time like I do when I am really hurting and pleading on my knees for your presence within me. In the fleeting moments when everything seems okay, I miss the searing intensity of your all-consuming fire blazing in my face—when conviction is hot on my trail and the heat of the trial burns your purpose into my heart.” There is much to learn from Mansfield’s unwavering faith and his refusal to lose ground with God, even while physically suffering in almost unimaginable ways. If you are not a Beatles fan, the author will seem to have been starstruck, as in this description of his presence at the last Beatles’ performance: “Little did we know then that this would be one of the most historical moments in rock and roll, and that those of us who were there would be members of a very special and intimate society, eternally bound together by the sheer emotional immensity of that day.” I hate to be the one to break it, but this is pop music; barely worthy of an asterisk in “history”, and eternity is a long time to be “bound together” by something as frothy as that. The worst thing about this book is the sense it sometimes conveys of the author’s being impressed by his own turns of phrase, the worst of which was a chapter title: “Days of Yore—Daze of Your.” If that kind of attempted hypercleverness intrigues you, then this is the book for you. If it repels you, be forewarned. While this is an interesting, challenging and inspiring book, it bogs down in the last quarter, reiterating previous thoughts so that I felt I was waiting for the book to end. Biblical truth is conveyed effectively, but the book is overlong and overarticulated. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program. http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

When Your Parent Becomes Your Child by Ken Abraham

This book chronicles the author’s journey with his mother through dementia. It provides both instruction about the decline and encouragement through the process. Having no experience with anyone with dementia, I found this book very interesting, discovering that its effects are more far reaching than simply memory loss. Ken Abraham put a very human face on the process, both for himself and for his mother. While I appreciated the author’s desire to be thorough, at times the book bogged down with repetition. This book was illuminating, but I would not necessarily recommend it to everyone. The author’s honest description of his mother’s decline, especially her physical decline, could be very disheartening to someone at the beginning of the journey with someone. It is a good work to read before you know anyone facing this disease; it could be very bleak to read it while going through it with someone. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.