Samson: A Savior Will Rise

This book really hit home for me. My father lived on the polish boarder during WWII and my uncle was taken away to a concentration camp at the age of 16 to be worked and tortured to death. I’ve heard the stories, but never so detailed, never so graphic. The truth is the details and graphic descriptions, I think, are essential to try and capture the true horrors of the holocaust. Simply hearing and understanding history is one thing, but in reading Samson, the details and graphic descriptions of the horrors and struggles that prisoners faced allowed me to be transported into the time and place. It was as if I was one of the prisoners looking on to the events of Samson’s life.

I could feel the characters, I went through the emotions, my stomach would twist and my eyes would get watery. I cheered Samson on, I felt as though I knew him. This book is drama at its finest, but it’s not just drama – it’s reality, which is just incredibly difficult to comprehend.

Although this book is not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for children, it is a riveting, fantastic representation of the horrors that occurred just a few decades ago. The characters helped strengthen my theology and the author helped deepen my understanding of history. I come away with a greater appreciation for all those that spoke up and fought back against the face of evil.
Thank you to booksneeze for blessing me with a copy of this book.

The Spiritual World of the Hobbit

I love Tolkien’s work, love The Hobbit and love LOTR. I am also a passionate Christ follower and so couldn't wait to see the connection between the two. I found The Spiritual World of the Hobbit to be a beautiful guide to the masterful story. Having finished reading The Silmarillion and The Hobbit just days before embarking into this book I was curious to how James S. Bell would weave the spiritual world into The Hobbit. The Silmarillion made the spiritual world obvious, it was hard to miss the connection and similarities between J.R.R. Tolkien’s Iluvatar and the God of the Bible; however I found it rather difficult to see the spiritual connections in The Hobbit. That’s where this book opened up my eyes to the themes and relations I wouldn't have otherwise seen or guessed.

Reading The Silmarillion was hard work! It was a complex book, but without it the reader will miss much of the spiritual context of The Hobbit. James S. Bell does a fabulous job filling in the reader about the character backgrounds, how they were created, where they came from, and what their purpose was in Middle-earth. To anyone that has not read The Silmarillion, this book will fill in many of the missing pieces of The Hobbit and LOTR and provide a depth of understanding to the rich story.

As for the spiritual aspect, I was thoroughly pleased how James S. Bell weaved the spiritual into the mythical. Bell did not use allegory to explain the spiritual, as J.R.R. Tolkien never intended to use allegory, but instead displayed a beautiful parallel between Tolkien’s work and the Bible.

Any LOTR lover will love this book. Thank you to Bethany House publishers for providing me with a copy of this book to review. May God bless you as you enjoy this book.

This Beautiful Mess: Practicing the Presence of the Kingdom of God

Waterbrook Multnomah, Apr 23, 2009, 192 pages

I was hesitant before picking up this book; I was hesitant because I didn’t imagine I would find anything new between the pages. With a subtitle like ‘Practicing the presence of the kingdom of God’ I thought I knew where Rick McKinley was headed but I thought wrong. I was pleasantly surprised at a fresh look on the Kingdom of God and how our lives here on Earth are intertwined. Simple to read but so deep in meaning. 

Rick McKinley splits the book into 3 parts: Discovering the kingdom, Re-visioning life in the kingdom, and practicing the presence of the kingdom. All 3 parts allow you to discover and probe deeper into what is the kingdom and how do we practice kingdom living here on Earth?

In all honesty practically every time before I picked up the book to read I had been worn out from the days activities. I wasn't in the mood to read, and often, even in a bad mood. But something within the pages of this book lifted my spirits. Every time I found myself spiritually refreshed, encouraged, and motivated. 

I encourage all to read this book. You may be like me and find much comfort and healing within the pages, but you’ll also walk away with a new perspective on God’s kingdom and our purpose here on this Earth.
Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for blessing me with this book in exchange for this review. God bless.

True Love Dates: Your Indispensable Guide to Finding the Love of your Life

Zondervan, Oct 8, 2013 - 224 pages

I know my way around books dealing on dating, I’ve read countless. I myself am single at the moment but am no stranger to dating. Having been in many different relationships I can honestly say that if I were to follow the advice of Debra Fileta from her book True Love Date I wouldn’t have wasted so much time and energy in the past.

Her advice is sound, biblical, and logical. She splits her book into four parts: the first is dating inward. In dating inward she makes it clear that you need to discover yourself before you begin looking for others and lays out an outline how you can do so. The second part is dating outward. After discovering yourself do you know what you’re looking for in others? Do you know the differences between what you want and what you need? And do you know what constitutes a healthy relationship? In this part you will truly discover the right way to date. The third part is dating upward. Here Debra connects our earthly relationships and our relationship with God. The two cannot be disconnected and when we supplement or neglect our spiritual life to only focus on our earthly relationships we will never be happy and satisfied. Finally the fourth part is entitled ask a counselor, and here Debra answers some of the typical and most asked questions when it comes to dating.

I highly encourage and recommend this book for any age; honestly I can’t imagine a person who is single not coming away wiser and better equipped to face the dating world upon reading this book.
Thank you to Zondervan for blessing me with a copy of this book.

Closed Door

I once heard somebody say that God had closed a door on an opportunity they had hoped for. But I’ve always wondered if, when we want to do something that we know is right and good, God places that desire deep in our hearts because He wants it for us and it honors Him. Maybe there are times when we think a door has been closed and, instead of misinterpreting the circumstances, God wants us to kick it down. Or perhaps just sit outside of it long enough until somebody tells us we can come in.
- Bob Goff

Whirlpool Galaxy

This top picture (taken by NASA’s Voyager Telescope) is the Whirlpool galaxy, located about 31 million light years away. This galaxy alone display’s God’s granduer, encompasing over 300 billion stars, what a beauty, it is considered the gem of the universe.

The picture next to it is also taken by the Voyager, and it is actually the core of the Whirlpool galaxy. Look like something to you? Can we really look at this an say this was an accident? God displays his love for us throughout the whole universe. What an AWEsome God we serve!

Real Men Don't Text - A New Approach To Dating

Let me introduce myself: I’m a 20 something year old single male who can totally resonate with Ruthie’s experiences in this book (one of the authors of this book). Having failed time and time again with finding the right girl for myself I have decided to try this new approach to dating and so far it’s been awesome.

Not everything in this book is new and original advice, but all of it is sound advice. I love relationship/ dating books because after choosing Christ as savior what other decision is as important as finding the right mate, or something discussed in this book, being the right mate.
I mentioned that not all the material in this book is original but nonetheless they still do provide new and intriguing advice as well as give a fresh look on old advice you might have heard or read elsewhere.

When I first got the book I was unaware that the book is meant for a female audience, however, I found that it really doesn’t matter; the advice goes beyond gender roles. Furthermore this book could be that much more helpful to males for it teaches how to behave with girls and gives males an edge by knowing/ understanding what girls might expect from us.

Overall, having read many relationship advice books I can’t really think of what the Dean’s have left out or missed. Applying their advice I have more confidence in myself, I put more trust in God, I feel less pressured and less time constricted to jump into relationships. I now have better friendships rather than wrecked relationships and feel like I am making wiser decisions over all. I encourage all to read it, and maybe not everything will be applicable to you, some parts weren’t to me, but I am sure you will come away wiser and come away blessed.
Thank you to Tyndale for blessing me with a copy in return for this review.