Desert Gift - A Review

Desert Gift by Sally John is definitely a book worth reading. It is about a married couple who after twenty-four years together finds one of them asking for a divorce. Jill Galloway is a nationally known marriage expert who has a radio show and is about to release her first book when her husband says he wants a divorce. Jill decides to visit her parents who live in the California desert. Their marriage and their lives both are represented by the desert, dry and dying; but God’s hope is there to help them get through this difficult time in their marriage. “Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after” but God was there to help them put the pieces back together. They come to find out the importance of being best friends to each other in the marriage.

The author has enough seriousness and humor in the book to make it interesting. Sally John not only deals with the marriage proper, but how other relationships (i.e. parents, children, siblings, and friends) as well. “Black and white thinking” (not realizing there are some gray areas in life), being judgmental, personal space, and genetic traits are dealt with in the book. The concept of “let go and let God” by turning our “garbage” over to God is mentioned several times throughout the book. It is a great book in learning about relationships and how God is always with us during the difficult times in life.

Written with the assistance of my wife using a free copy of the book provided by the Tyndale Blog Network.

A Review: Sword of the Lord:The Roots of Fundamentalism In An American Family

The Sword of the Lord:
The Roots Of Fundamentalism In An American Family

A Review

I do not consider myself a Fundamentalist. But in the late 1970’s I did become acquainted with Dr. John R. Rice while at seminary. My on campus job was as the serials librarian at Rolfing Library at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. One of the periodicals we received regularly was John R. Rice’s periodical The Sword of the Lord. I appreciated scanning each issue as it arrived in the library before adding it to the library holdings.

This past month, I discovered that John R. Rice’s grandson had written a history - of the church in America, of fundamentalism, of the Rice family, of his grandfather, and of his own faith. The author has woven together a tale of spiritual growth across generations. It was instructive to see the Christian faith move across America. Like most of church history, it was a spotted history - with times to celebrate as it took off and changed the nation and times to cry as it brought blight upon the church. The book was a pleasure to read - a better history book than most that have crossed my path.

Whether you are familiar with the core character, John R. Rice, or not, I would recommend this look at church history by an author who grew up in a family that defined much of that history.

This review is based on a copy of the book provide free of charge by the publisher.