Review: Unveiling Grace

Lynn Wilder is amazing, all at the grace of God, of course. Her book "Unveiling Grace" does a fabulous job of clearly laying out what the life of most Mormans looks like, all while showing God's amazing control over her journey in this autobiographical account of Wilder's own journey out of Mormonism.

Wilder weaves key Mormon teachings, both publicly touted and kept more secret, throughout her account, pointing out the strong contradictions between Mormon beliefs and Christianity, as well as the contradictions within the Mormon faith. But Wilder also has an incredible love for the Mormon people, one that allows her to tell her story in an easy and loving way.

It's a book you'll have to read more than once or take regular notes on to really solidify the great takeaways. If you're looking for a book on Mormonism that's more of a story than a straight-forward non-fiction, this book is for you. And if you're merely interested in different religions, this is a good book. This is a good book for any believer to read.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review

Review: Eye of the Sword

I have no idea why it took me so long to finally read Karyn Henley's fantasy book, "Eye of the Sword." I started reading it months ago and then set it aside in disinterest. A few days I picked it up again and could not set it down. I became entranced by the characters and their world full of angels, alchemy and magic.

The main character, Trevin, has fallen in love with a princess, but his heritage is unknown and his past is not pleasant, and the princess' first priority is to find the lost and stolen harps that may restore the stairway to heaven and put an end to the evil Reijus' expanding reign. Of course, as this is a trilogy, the harps are not reunited by book's end, and Henley definitely leaves her readers in suspense, wanting more. She pulled me in with Trevin's zero to hero story, and now I want to finish the series and return to the first book, which I never read (that did contribute a bit to how easily the book read, but I got the hang of it as it went on).

I recommend this book for any fan of fantasy fiction. It's clean. It has some Christian metaphors and parallels, but none of them are too obvious. It's just a fantastic book.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review of it.

Review: The New Spirit-Filled Life Bible NKJV

Why is it so difficult to find a good Bible these days? In the last year, I've received a few different study Bibles that included the kinds of study materials I love, but also came with either a liberal interpretation (i.e. The New Living and New Century versions) or, as in the case of "The New Spirit-Filled Life Bible," a Charismatic and Arminian interpretation of key passages. The least they could do for the more debatable passages is include references to both sides of the argument. It's rather disappointing, because, if it were not for the study Bible's clear view that you can lose your salvation and that the speaking of tongues still exists, this would be a great study Bible. And I still plan to use it, but with care. It has great every-day applications of verses, wonderful word definitions, and extensive notes. Any Pentecostal or Charismatic will certainly love it. I'm close to loving it.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from BookSneeze for my honest review of it.

Review: The World of Jesus

It's no surprise that Dr. William H. Marty is a professor. His book "The World of Jesus" reads like a text book, complete with both incredibly obvious or ridiculously difficult discussion questions at the end of each chapter. The only bits that do not read like a history book are the chapter openings, particularly useless narrative shorts based on Bible and history stories. But the book itself isn't entirely useless. It's a great history of the times leading up to and following the Gospel accounts. Reading the book brought back memories of my high school days when I loved reading my history text books. Unfortunately, this history book doesn't actually provide all that many insights for understanding the New Testament. It's mostly a flat history of people and places, but not so much culture or Biblical insights, and I only made about three underlines. But it's still a great read if you're interested in the history behind the Bible.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The World of Jesus

Review: A Noble Groom

Jody Hedlund's "A Noble Groom" is one of those Christian romance novels written to please the reader. There's nothing groundbreaking about it, and it follows the usual formula, but it's written rather perfectly, drawing in the reader with relatable characters and a story that keeps your interest. I had a hard time putting down the book, as it exemplified the way a man and a woman should interact, what a godly relationship looks like and what it means to rely on God and realize that He's always there, even for you, no matter how low on the totem pole you are.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review of it.

Book Description:
Recently widowed Annalisa Werner has the feeling her husband was murdered but can't prove it. Alone with her young daughter in 1881 Michigan, she has six months left to finish raising the money needed to pay back the land contract her husband purchased, and the land is difficult to toil by herself. She needs a husband. With unmarried men scarce, her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.

For nobleman Carl von Reichart, the blade of the guillotine is his fate. He's been accused and convicted of a serious crime he didn't commit, and his only escape is to flee to a small German community in Michigan where he'll be safe. He secures a job on Annalisa's farm but bumbles through learning about farming and manual labor. 

Annalisa senses that Carl is harboring a secret about his past, yet she finds herself drawn to him anyway. He's gentle, kind, and romantic--unlike any of the men she's ever known. He begins to restore her faith in the ability to love--but her true groom is still on his way. And time is running out on them all.

Review: Revealing Jesus

Darlene Zschech's new year-long devotional, "Revealing Jesus," has many appealing, charming elements to it. I love that many of the devotionals come from a series of scriptures and are in order, reading like Darlene's own, personal daily devotionals as she reads the Bible. Darlene also includes a classic devotion at the end of each month not written by her. But her organization isn't the best, and not all the devotions line up with their month's topic. Truth is, I'm not much of a devotional person, as they never get deep into Scripture and most of the time involve feel-good messages. But most people will enjoy this new devotional book. It's made a good, encouraging read before bed each night, even if it doesn't stick with me.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review of it.