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.  

Trauma Plan

by

Candace Calvert

A Review

People handle life’s difficulties in different ways:

• Some people run, rather than face their problems
• Some people renew their faith
• Some people find new faith
• Some people find their faith is just what they need
• Some people lash out and hurt those they love

Candace Calvert’s Trauma Plan includes all five.  As in her previous books (I reviewed Code Triage), the characters came to life as I read the book.  There were times I wished that the story was true - I wanted to pray for those who found themselves in various stages of resistance or danger.  

The arrival of a new critical care center designed to meet the needs of the poor and needy near a posh housing addition has many of the residents on edge.  It appears that crime (both simple vandalism and more serious activity) is on the increase.  Those who oppose Dr. Jackson Travis’ new center express a serious concern for the safety of their neighborhood.   

Riley Hale, an experienced Trauma Nurse and, now, Trauma Chaplain, finds herself in the midst of the crisis building around the critical care center.  Friends, acquaintances, and patients, also join in the fight - for what is right and in support of the critical care center.  
Ultimately, the answer comes as people learn to trust (and in at least one case, not trust) those around them.  Faith plays a vital role in the lives of the characters in the story.  It is a faith that is planted, lived out, and grows, as Riley, Jack, Vesta Calder, and Bandy Biggs, interact and find the value of faith in their individual lives.

I found the book an interesting read, partly because I spent a year working as a chaplain in a variety of hospital settings as part of my education in ministry.   The people that Riley Hale meets and deals with are real - and exist in any hospital setting, or in any setting for that matter, hopital, job, or church.       
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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.  

Assassins Code - A Review

Assassins Code

by

Jonathan Maberry

A Review

If I had known where Assassins Code was going before I started it, I would not have chosen to review the book.  And though, now that I do know more about the book and author and will not intentionally read another,  I have to admit that I did enjoy the book.

Several elements caught my intention when I originally requested to review the book -

1. The book was a thriller - a genre I generally enjoy.
2. The location of most the book is the Middle East.
3. The religious undertones of the book were inviting to this reader

However, once I began seeing hints of vampires and zombies (from a previous book), I began having my own doubts about the book.  However, Assassin’s Code continued to draw me in and I found myself interested in the characters and relationships developed in the book.

As Maberry writes, he integrates the concerns of Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism - along with an army of vampires - into a believable (though clearly fictional) story.  

Joe Ledger is an experienced member of the armed forces and trained investigator - yet he is caught by surprise at the enemy which he and his team now face.  As he explores the legends (true and false) which define much of our knowledge of the Catholic Church and vampires as presented in literature from a variety of cultures, Ledger learns a great deal about the “real” vampires he is encountering.  

The story held my attention, the characters were believable, at least within the confines of the story, and writer is a skilled artisan.  I read the book through to the end - I wonder “How many brownie points do I have now?”   
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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.