Wednesday Book Reviews – East of Ashes, Dirty God

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East of AshesEast of Ashes by Gideon Nieuwoudt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Such a promising beginning. My favorite time period, a book with good, solid, believable characters, a clear Christian message – so why only three stars? Actually would be 3.5 if I could do halves. The ending for me seemed truncated, cut off too soon. Its not that I didn’t like the ending, just that there didn’t seem to be the attention to detail that there was in the rest of the story. That’s too bad because the book was well written and I was hooked from the first few pages. I would read other books from this author in a heartbeat and do recommend this as a good read, just not a great one.
It is well worth your time though and I do respect how the clear Christian message was approached and executed. That aspect of the book gets 5 stars.
Give it a chance – I believe you will enjoy it.

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Dirty God: Jesus in the TrenchesDirty God: Jesus in the Trenches by Johnnie Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book and how the author illustrates the grace of God. What keeps this from getting 4 or 5 stars from me is that the message seems to get muddled a lot on the way. While it didn’t seem cohesive to me – perhaps better editing would have helped – what he had to say was good. I can see this book being helpful but rarely does the author use inclusive language “we”, “our”, etc.. so it reads kind of like a pep talk and not a conversation. Very useful for those confused about grace, Jesus and salvation or for brand new Christians just exploring their faith.

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Weekly Photo Challenge – Future Tense

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Weddings always combine the present with the future. Two lives becoming one, a future together – hopefully forever. This was taken in Malaysia as I came across a wedding being held in a hotel lobby across the street where I was shopping.

Malaysia Wedding Car

Wednesday Book Reviews

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9 partsNine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic WomenNine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book lifts the veil, so to speak, on the lives of women in Islamic culture. Written by a veteran journalist, it is both fascinating and disturbing. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to understand more about a culture that is still seen as mysterious and exotic by many in the West. Since it is a secular book, this book avoids religious biases and gives a clear picture of what the lives of Muslim women are like in different parts of the Arab world. I highly recommend this as a good read for any who seek to truly understand what goes on in a world hidden from view.

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c through marriageC Through Marriage: Revitalizing Your VowsC Through Marriage: Revitalizing Your Vows by Jim Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a definite must for pastors, marriage counselors and couples. It will go on my shelf as a great resource for pre-marital counseling and yet it will also be used to counsel couples in crisis. The book covers many subjects that come up in a marriage and tackles them all with tact and solid information from a Christian viewpoint. The author has a high view of marriage and this book will help couples solidify their relationship with their spouse. This would also make a great gift for newlyweds. I know, they will most likely put it on their bookshelf and forget about it, but when the inevitable problems arise, they might just pull it down and use it to help repair their marriage. I highly recommend this a good read.

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Book Giveaway Contest

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During the month of March, Author David Herndon is holding a drawing giving away 5 free autographed copies of the book – Is Jesus Enough? To enter, post a comment on this blog post announcing the drawing. You can also earn more entries in the drawing by posting an announcement on your Facebook page, on LinkedIn, or other social media sites, and on your blog or website, encouraging your connections to enter the drawing. Be sure to include a link back to this post, and when you leave your comment, include links to your announcements so that I can verify them. You’ll have as many entries in the drawing as the number of announcements you posted, plus the regular entry for leaving a comment! The winners will be announced on Good Friday.
Is Jesus Enough?

WORLD | In defense of Richard Dawkins | Marvin Olasky | March 16, 2013

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Another cowardly attempt to paint Christianity as evil and never address Islam. If we beheaded those who disparaged Christ would they stop their pathetic efforts to ridicule something they cannot possibly understand?
Why is it okay to slander Judaism and Christianity but not Islam? Dawkins is not only a fool (that’s what the Bible says about those who do not worship God) but an opportunistic coward. If he truly does not believe in a God, then it doesn’t matter what religion’s god is being talked about, Dawkins must show the same lack of belief in any of them to be consistent with his claim of being an atheist.
Of course, a true Muslim would be offended by his slander of the God of the Hebrews anyway – that is, if they read their Qur’an. So how about it Muslim world — any takers on defending God’s name?

WORLD | In defense of Richard Dawkins | Marvin Olasky | March 16, 2013.

Wednesday Book Review

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Each Wednesday I will try to review a Christian book or two. They may be fiction or non-fiction. I am eclectic in my tastes so the books will run a wide gamut. If you are an author and would like a review of your book posted here, contact me. Today, I have two books to review. The first is The Air We Breathe by Christa Parrish. This review has also been posted on Goodreads. The Air We BreatheThe Air We Breathe by Christa Parrish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book to review from Bethany House. Since this isn't my normal genre to read, I wanted other eyes to look at it also, so my wife was elected. This way, I wouldn't let my biases get in the way. Chrita Parrish writes a book that is full of rich detail, interweaving the stories of three individuals masterfully. The plot line was well thought out and the story kept our attention. The book elucidated many Christian values. Personally, I would have liked a clear gospel presentation given but since the goal of the book wasn't to use it as a witnessing tool, I can't quibble. It is easy to see why this author has won the ECPA Christian Book Award for Fiction more than once. I recommend it as a good read.

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The second book is called God on the Streets of Gotham: What the Big-Screen Batman Can Teach Us About God and Ourselves by Paul Asay
God on the Streets of Gotham: What the Big Screen Batman Can Teach Us about God and OurselvesGod on the Streets of Gotham: What the Big Screen Batman Can Teach Us about God and Ourselves by Paul Asay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well written and thought provoking. I went into the book a bit skeptical, even though I am both a minister and a comic book collector. With Batman being my favorite hero, I was apprehensive about him being forced into some Christian role model/hero. No worries. An extremely engaging book well worth your time to read - it will even give you a lot to think about

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MPACT Montana

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Ta Ethne attended the MPACT Montana Conference in Great Falls Montana, March 7-8. Many classes were offered on various subjects and Ta Ethne spent many hours networking with leaders and pastors about the need for training leaders worldwide. One of our highlights was time spent talking with Dr. Fred Luter, president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was gracious and kind, and accepted a gift from us. We gave him a gift bag filled with our books in the hopes that he will read them and understand our work here. Please pray for God to bless him in his role and also that God blesses us in our work. Who knows – partnerships may arise from this opportunity.

Dr. Fred Luter meets Ta Ethne

Dr. Fred Luter meets Ta Ethne

Weekly Photo Challenge – Lost in the Details

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Prayers are written and hung high above Swallow Cave in Yunnan, China. I watched as brave climbers scaled the cave wall to hang the prayers. How different than how I offer prayers to my God.

Prayers hung high in the air above Swallow Cave

Prayers hung high in the air above Swallow Cave