Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper

The author brings the reader face to face with Jesus with regard to Real Life, Real Gifts, and Real Growth in topics concerning fear, addiction, and danger, as well as the need for forgiveness, touch, humor, community, and rest, and battling criticism, dishonesty, discontent, independence and lack of gratitude. Lisa Harper does a good job making her points while using illustrations, both funny and poignant, from her own life. Lisa’s writing style is very conversational, which makes it easy to read.

Each chapter is structured in such a way that the author shares an anecdote, illustrates her topic with a scriptural passage, elaborates in her own words, and gives an application. Included at the end of each chapter are excellent questions for personal reflection or group discussion.

This book is well written and thought provoking with Scripture used effectively.

I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Billy Graham in Quotes by Franklin Graham

This book, almost 400 pages long, delineates Billy Graham’s thoughts in more than 100 categories, from Abortion to Young People. This is a book well worth reading, as Graham is articulate, biblically sound, and wise. Those three qualities make for a treasure trove of quotations. Billy Graham’s quotes range from the pithy to the poetic, and the majority are exceptionally thought provoking. Billy Graham’s effectiveness as a public speaker does not fade one iota when captured in print.

In the chapter on Strength, Graham’s devotion to and understanding of the Bible is captured thus: “We must learn to let the Word of God feed us and strengthen us in our faith in God its author, Christ is message, and the Holy Spirit its teacher.”

In the chapter on Preaching, Billy Graham’s deep understanding of the human condition is reflected here: “When I preach—no matter where it is in the world—I can always count on five areas of human need that affect all peoples. Emptiness, loneliness, guilt, fear of death, deep-seated insecurity.”

The words of the evangelist who has almost undoubtedly shared the gospel with more people in the last 70 years than anyone else are well worth reading. If you don’t already know the reason for his effectiveness, humanly speaking, you will understand when you read his words.

This book was interesting, challenging, and thought provoking, reflective of a man of deep understanding of God and mankind. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Voices of the Faithful, Book 2 by Beth Moore

This devotional book was written by missionaries. It is a typical devotional volume, with a verse at the top of each page, a short story, and a prayer at the end. There are 365 devotionals, divided into 12 topics, one for each month. There are helpful indices at the back of the book, with a listing of devotional titles by month and by Scripture. If you like a “Daily Bread” kind of format, you will like this book.

One of the advantages of this book is that it highlights mission work around the world. It aims to increase the reader’s awareness of and concern for missions. At the end of the book are helpful articles encouraging the individual’s and the church’s roles in missions.

This book uses Scripture effectively. The stories are touching and challenging.

I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright

This book traces back to Genesis the ever-present conflict in the Middle East, showing how the factions stem from Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, ancestors of Arab and Jew. Back to Abraham can be traced three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Wright takes half the book to lay out the story of Abraham, the Abrahamic covenant, Sarah and Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael, Isaac and Rebekah, and Esau and Jacob. If one had no familiarity with the Genesis narrative, this almost too-careful retelling by Wright might be helpful. For those well acquainted with Genesis, this first half of the book bogs down, as the author hammers and re-hammers his points for almost a hundred pages.

The second half of the book focuses on the Jewish, Islamic and Christian perspectives of the history of the Middle East. Wright gives a clear and adequate picture of each perspective. Again, if one has little to no familiarity with each religion’s perspective, Wright’s writing is helpful.

Biblical truth was communicated clearly and well. I recommend Seeds of Turmoil as a good primer with regard to Middle East conflict; it would be interesting and enlightening reading for one who knows little or nothing about the Middle East. If one wants an in-depth analysis, this is not the book to choose.

The Way Home

This movie is based on a true story about a father whose two-year-old son goes missing when his father becomes distracted. Throughout the search, the community supports the father and mother.

This is a good, but not a great, movie. It helped to know it was based on a true story. For me, who has no children, it was a good reminder of what’s really important in life and how many people will come to your aid when you’re tested.

The movie moves at a good pace and draws you into the story. It’s worth watching.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

Max Lucado’s newest book exhorts believers to be intentional and bold in allowing God to use us to make a difference in the world, challenging us to consider the need (the world) and the tools (we believers). The author encourages to assess our abilities, team up with others, consider the ministry of hospitality, the ability to microfinance, do good quietly, help the poor, be humble, overcome our biases, see others through God’s eyes, and pray.

This book was a good reminder of the importance of people as ready, willing tools in God’s hands to do His work His way. The one change I would make in this book is to incorporate the suggestions in the Discussion and Action Guide into each chapter in order to help people apply practically what Max Lucado advocates.

As usual, this author’s book is well written and biblically sound. It was interesting and challenging. I recommend it to anyone.

I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program: http://brb.thomasnelson.com

“Let’s Do Lunch” by Roger Troy Wilson

The cover of this book says, misleadingly, “Eating all the CALORIES and CARBS you want to lose weight!” The true premise of this book is to replace all simple carbohydrates with fruit, beans, corn and peas, eliminating all sugar, potatoes, rice, bread and pasta, not as a temporary diet, but as a lifestyle. The author lost 230 pounds this way. Needless to say, the author is someone to whom excess seems normal, and this diet/lifestyle he advocates is excessive. Certainly there are a few for whom this diet/lifestyle would work, but they must be prepared to be excessively disciplined to overemphasize some food groups, such as fruit, fruit, fruit, and beans, beans, beans, and underemphasize others.

Breakfast is as much fruit as you want, with a few supplemental typical breakfast foods if you cannot stand to eat only fruit. Lunch is a big meal with protein, soup, salad and/or vegetables. Dinner is as much fruit as you can eat. If you cannot be satisfied with that, you can add soup, vegetables, beans, peas or corn, but no protein. Evening snacks? You guessed it, fruit. If all these beans and fruit bother you, the author recommends Beano and Imodium. What a way (not) to live.

The author made extreme statements, such as, “. . . in your body sugar turns to pure fat . . . .” and “these foods [bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice] turn into pure fat.” Certain foods do not turn into “pure fat”. The body stores any extra calories as fat, no matter the source of those calories.

“Let’s Do Lunch” isn’t the way to lose weight unless you are firmly convinced and committed to living permanently without simple carbohydrates or complex carbohydrates from grains. If you are willing to limit your food intake to lean meat, beans, very little cheese, very few grain-based crackers, vegetables, and lots and lots of fruit, then this is for you. If not, then skip it. This strikes me as an unhealthy way to live because it is unbalanced. Portion control in conjunction with the food pyramid is a much more healthy and successful way to lose weight and to eat in general.

I would not recommend this book to anyone, as I think it would be discouraging, not to mention unhealthy. While there are apparently those for whom this eating plan works, they certainly must be few and far between.