The Next Target A Review

The Next Target

by

Nikki Arana

A Review

The Next Target was a heart stopper - Once started, I could not put it down.  The death of Sabirah because she had converted from Islam to Christianity was only the beginning.  Following her death, there was the continued danger for those who had been involved in leading her to know Jesus.

The story was well worth the time spent reading - at least till the climax and events following that climax.  The jump from climax to conclusion was too quick and unexpected, leaving this reader disappointed and expecting more.  Events were missed and left unexplained in the context of the story.  

That being my only disappointment, I found the book exciting and satisfying.  

A year ago, I was privileged to read another book that focused on the evangelism of Muslims.  The Camel: How Muslims Are Coming to Faith in Christ was a glimpse into the real lives of men and women who are sharing Christ to those who practice Islam.  Though fictional, The Next Target served as a good review to the task that must be faced by those who are presenting a Savior to a faith that has rejected Jesus’ divinity.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Four free Christian books for today:

1. The Church Choir: 10 Things Every Gospel Singer Must Know

2. The Furious Longing of God

3. Accused (Pacific Coast Justice) (Christian Fiction)
   You can find my review of this one here: Review

4. Holy Habits: A Woman's Guide to Intentional Living (Spiritual Formation Study Guides)

5. Fools Rush In (Christian Fiction)

Note - these books are free today (July 23, 2012), but the price may change at any time.  Be sure to verify the price before making your purchase.

Warehouse 13 Volume 1 - A Review

Warehouse 13 Volume 1

by

Ben Morse

A Review

Warehouse 13 Volume 1 is the best graphic novel adaptation of a TV show that I have seen.  It contains the same humor, intensity, and interest level, as the three year old SyFy Network series.  The plots held my interest - and brought me back to read more stories the more I read.   

If one is a fan of the TV series, there is no doubt that this book will be worth the time spent moving through the graphics and  stories.  Because the book provides no introduction to the back story that leads up to this book, it may not as interesting to someone discovering the storyline for the first time.  The comic may have done a better job of holding the interest of a new reader if there had been a short prequel or appendix that set up the cast of characters and their role in the on-going plot.  Even a seasoned viewer might find a brief review of help.

Take time to read Volume 1 of Warehouse 13’s graphic novel - the series has only been improved with these new stories.  
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Pastoral Graces - A Reveiw

Pastoral Graces

by

Lee Eclov

A Review

I am a preacher.  But I do more than preach - I reach broken people both in and out of the pulpit.  This book focuses on the work that the pastor does outside his or her pulpit ministry.  

Eclov begins by focusing on the preparation that the pastor receives outside of the traditional seminary by saying, “God sometimes enrolls us in His own kind of underground seminary to school us in grace before He even clears His throat for a call.”  Lee Eclov’s experienced that in the years prior to entering Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. (I was surprised to learn that Lee attended TEDS at the same time I was in attendance; though, now, 30 years later,  I do not remember meeting him.)  

But as he has prepared us to serve, he uses us as pastors to build his “temple”, the church.  Much as a woodworker can transform a dilapidated house into a mansion worthy of a king, the pastor is called to rebuild the “people of God whom we serve” into the “specifications of His holiness and mercy in Christ.”  

Eclov is very much aware that the church is built with broken people.  This is very true in two distinct ways.  First, it implies that the builders are themselves broken.  They come with burdens that are deep and hurt.  But they also work within a community of broken people.  The result is a broken church.  Pastor Eclov spends much of his book discussing how the broken pastor, working with broken people, can rebuild a broken church.  But it is clear that what he discusses is not unique to his experience - but seen throughout the church.  

To do this, the pastor must be prepared - he must be experience grace himself.  A pastor who is experiencing God’s grace is able to dispense that grace to God’s people.  

The book’s strength comes from Pastor Eclov’s use of very real experiences from his own ministry.  It provides evidence that he knows what he is talking about.  

The book is recommended for the pastor in training and for the experienced pastor seeking some refreshment for his or her ministry.  
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

The Soul Saver - A Review

The Soul Saver

by

Dineen A. Miller

A Review

Lexis Baltimore feels confused.  She feels trapped in a marriage to a man who does not share her faith.  She feels drawn to a pastor, Nate Winslow, who has sold his soul to the devil.  She feels the loss of her daughter who died a horrible death by cancer.

And now she finds herself in the midst of a spiritual battle that could totally destroy her marriage and witness.  

She also has Christians willing to walk alongside her - Abby and her group of fellow prayers are the most readily available, but there are others.  It will take the effort of all to resolve the tension rising to the surface in the lives of all those around.

Using the lessons in the author’s previous book,  Winning Him Without Words: 10 Keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage, Lexis begins to understand that she must ultimately trust God - she cannot drag her husband into heaven, only God can save him.  I was reminded of three questions that my wife and I have had to learn the answer to when faced with life’s most difficult circumstances:

1. Who is in control? - God
2. Who do I need to trust? - God
3. What else do I need to do? - Nothing

It would take time, but Nate, Lexis, and her husband would each learn these lessons.  And Satan would lose the battle for their souls and they each would individually experience God’s grace.  

Designed to encourage the spouse with an unbelieving spouse, the book will also provide support for the man or woman caught up in a spiritual battle or whose spouse is feared to be an adulterer; or serve as support for the person who is called to walk alongside those facing these difficulties in life.  
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.