The Vow: The Kim and Krickitt Carpenter Story - 4 stars

The Vow: The Kim and Krickitt Carpenter Story **** By: Kim Carpenter, Krickitt Carpenter, Dana Wilkerson

      

 To Have and to Hold

This is a true story of how a couple's love persevered and triumphed, only by the grace of God.    After their wedding in September, Kim and Krickitt Carpenter were involved in a devastating life changing car accident, on their way to Krickitt's parents for their first Thanksgiving that November. As a result of the accident, Krickitt lost almost two years of memory. She didn't remember meeting, dating or marrying her husband, Kim.

The book chronicles Kim and Krickitt's life together. Since they were married for less than three months before the accident, most of the book covers very little of their life before the accident but focuses more on their life after the accident. After many frustrating months, Kim and Krickitt had to accept the fact that Krickitt's memory may never come back. Through the help of a great counsellor and the by the grace of God, Kim and Krickitt struggle to date again, love again and eventually re- marry.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the Carpenters lives, the writing was not so great. The writer who helped put the story together did not do justice (in my opinion) in the portryal of Kim's love and feeling for his wife. While I understand the writer was trying to help us understand Kim's frustration with the fact that the love of his life has no recollection of who he is during the recovery, instead, he was portrayed as bossy and overbearing. The writing was very mediocre. It seemed like a rush job. While the writing may not be the best, the story is absolutely wonderful, it is worth buying the book just for the story.


Reading level: 12 and up.

Redeeming Love - 5 stars

Redeeming Love  ***** 

by Francine Rivers

The True Face of Unfailing Love.

The book is an allegory on the OT story of Hosea. As most Christians know, the Lord asks Hosea to go marry Gomer a prostitute and to love her as a wife. This was to be a type of the relationship between the Lord and Israel. .

The story is set in the 1800's during California's gold rush. Gomer is portrayed in the book as a prostitute named Angel, while Hosea is portrayed as a farmer named Michael Hosea. As to be expected of a prostitute who has led a very hard life, Angel is a very beautiful but  mean, hard, unemotional and uncaring hard hearted woman. Hosea on the other hand loves her and obeys the Lord by treating her as a proper wife and not the prostitute she is. In true prostitute fashion, she returns to her old life and ways again and again, yet in true godly fashion, Hosea goes after and brings her back again and again all the while, begging the Lord to change her heart.

The book was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it for the story. It is based on the book of Hosea in the Bible where the Lord attempts to show us His undying love for His people. This book is NOT meant to be a manual for how to live your life as a believer ( God will it not ask a believer to go marry an unbeliever), it is meant (just like Hosea) to teach us that:

God demonstrates His love to us that while we were still in our sin, Christ died for us. (Rom.5:8) and

even when we are faithless, God remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself. (2Tim.2:13).

I really do not care for romance novels, but the biblical story behind this story is what drew me and held me captive to the end.


Reading level:  adults only.

Same Kind of Different As Me -- 5 stars

Same Kind of Different As Me 

by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

 

A true story that reads Better than fiction.    A true page turner and a call to authentic  Christian service! 

 

This book is a true story of three very different people whose lives come together by divine appointment. The people are Ron a very wealthy art dealer who travels the world selling rare paintings to his extremely wealthy clients, Denver, a mean, rough and rugged homeless drifter who escapes from modern day slavery (share cropping) in the deep south only to end up as a homeless bum in Texas, and Debbie the arts dealer's wife, a woman of true faith, love and compassion.

Debbie felt the Lord was calling her to move beyond charity dinners for the less privileged in society to showing His love to the "least of these". Like most women, she draws her husband, Ron into serving with her at the shelter.   Ron on the other hand agrees to help just to please Debbie and appease his conscience. While they are serving the homeless, Debbie encourages Ron to develop a friendship with Denver, a very mean and rough homeless bum whom she is convinced the Lord will use to bring change to the city.

 This book was very touching and will change the way you view the less privilege. This book showed me what it really means to help the less privileged. Helping the "least of these" is more than visiting them as a group to feed them and "share the Word" with them. Truly caring for the under privilege is getting to know them and being involved and truly concerned about their lives. This book has really changed my life.

My favorite part of the book was when Ron asked Denver he could be his friend. Here is how Denver responds (very profound):

 "I heard that when white folks go fishin they do somethin called `catch and release.'" Catch and release? I nodded solemnly, suddenly nervous and curious at the same time.

 "That really bothers me," Denver went on. "I just can't figure it out. 'Cause when colored folks go fishin, we really proud of what we catch, and we take it and show it off to everybody that'll look. Then we eat what we catch . . . in other words, we use it to sustainus. So it really bothers me that white folks would go to all that trouble to catch a fish, then when they done caught it, just throw it back in the water." He paused again, and the silence between us stretched a full minute.

Then: "Did you hear what I said?" I nodded, afraid to speak, afraid to offend. Denver looked away, searching the blue autumn sky, then locked onto me again with that drill-bit stare.

"So, Mr. Ron, it occurred to me: If you is fishin for a friend you just gon' catch and release, then I ain't got no desire to be your friend."

 This book will challenge any Christian to seek the Lord more and also to love as we have been commanded to. Debbie was a true woman of God who was willing to serve the Lord where ever He took her. This book deals with heart breaking tragedy (the death in the book really affected me), prejudice, crisis of faith, forgiveness and authentic Christian love.

While I love the portrayal of Christ's love in the book, there were some troubling theology present. Like someone having a "visitation" from a dead person. Scripture does not teach that the dead can "visit" with the living. Having said that, this does not in any way take away from the greatness of the book.

 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is 17 and older.

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms -Two Stars

The Scent of Chery Blossoms

by Cindy Woodsmall   **

 Plain Truth Review

 This book in set in Amish / Mennonite community. I am not one for love stories, but I don't mind it sometimes, however, this book was a drag. It took everything in me not to toss it aside. The characters were not well developed and the story line was cliche.

The book is about forbidden love. A Mennonite girl (Annie)and her Amish childhood and family friend (Aden) fall in love even though they know intermarriage between the two sects is forbidden. Not only is it forbidden, Aden's family stand to lose their business if he and Annie don't stay away from each other. There are many obstacles to their relationship one of them being Aden's wheel chair bound twin brother Roman who is determined to stop the relationship for his own selfish motives.

I couldn't wait to get through the book, it was very boring. I have not read anything by this author, so I am not familiar with her other works, but this, in my opinion did not make the grade. I have read a lot of Amish stories, but this will be my first "Amish Romance" and it was not a pleasant read, I am very doubtful I will read any other "Amish Romance" again. It was that bad.

I received a kindle version of this book for free from Waterbrook Multnoma Publishing Group for this review. 

 Reading Level: 16 and up.

Hinds Feet on High Places - 4 stars

Hinds Feet on High Place **** 
by Hannah Hurnnard

 A True Depiction of the Christian Walk


This book is a powerful allegory depicting the Christian life. This book is a lot like Pilgrim's Progress. As a matter of fact, the author was greatly influenced by Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.

The story is about a girl named "Much-Afraid" who lives in the "Valley of Humiliation" who has a crooked mouth and crooked feet. Even though she is a member of the "Fearings" family, she loves the Shepherd with all of her heart and desires to be in His service. She longs to have "hind's feet" and "leap upon the high places". She also loves the Shepard and desires to be with and be one of his servants. The Shepard knowing her desire to be with him, agrees to give her hinds feet and take her to the high places on one condition - he must place the thorn-like seed of love in her heart.

As a member of the Fearing family, plans were under way for her to marry "Craven Fear", who also happened to be her cousin. However, since Much-Afraid has fallen in love with the Shepherd, she no longer desires the things her family members desire. She absolutely does not want to have anything to do with her family nor is she interested in marrying "Craven-Fear". All she wants is to follow the Shepherd to the high places.

The Shepherd grants her request and sends her on the journey to high places. He also sends along two companions to help her along the journey, they are to follow her all the days of her journey to the high places. Who are these companions? They are not goodness and mercy, but the very ones whom they Bible tells us will help to build patience and character in our lives as we serve Christ.

Along the way, "Much-Afraid" builds a lot of altars where she sacrifices her own will and takes up the Shepherd's will.

Through much suffering and enduring, storms, ridicule from loved ones and going through deserts, valleys and pit falls, "Much-Afraid" and her two companions finally reach the high places where their names are changed and they are transformed. Although the journey to the high places was rough and tempestuous and sometimes very scary, the shepherd was always a call away.

This is an awesome book that does not paint a rosy "name it and claim it" picture of following Christ, but accurately depicts what it means to follow Christ. To be a true follower of Christ, you have to do what Jesus said to do, which is deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him. This book will make a great addition to your Christian library.

It is sad to note that towards the end of her life, the author of this book Hannah Hurnnard wandered away from the Christian faith into the "New Age" movement. As one raised in a Christian home, it seems she knew about Christ, but never really knew Him. Very sad indeed.


Reading level 10 and up.

Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God (5 stars)

Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God
* * * * *

 by Noel Piper

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary God!

Thank you Mrs Piper for such a treasure! If you are like me and love reading biographies of ordinary Christians who made themselves available so the Lord could do exploits through them, then you will certainly love this book. This is the biography of five ordinary women, who lived in different eras in history and in different countries who were willing to be used by God in extraordinary ways. The women are:

Sara Edwards - A true Titus 2 woman who selflessly supported the ministry of her husband, Jonathan Edwards;

Lilias Trotter - She was born in to an upper class family in Victorian England but chose to served God as a missionary in Algeria North Africa;

Gladys Alward -She left her home in England in 1932 to serve the Lord in China;

Esther Ahn Kim - stood along side the persecuted believers during the Japanese occupation of Korea;

Helen Roseveare became a doctor to the people of the Congo.

I love the way Mrs Piper showed how the Master Designer of the universe was working to bring the ministries of these women to pass.

“With one exception, these women didn’t know each other. But I can almost picture each one passing the baton of faithfulness from her generation to the next.

In 1758, as Sarah Edwatds lay dying in New England, “she expressed her entire resignation to God and her desire that he might be glorified in all things; and that she might be enabled to glorify him to the last.'

Not quite 100 years later in England, Lilias Trotter was born into a family of a similar social standing as the Pierreponts, Sarah Edward’s family. When Lilias dies in 1928 in Algeria, Gladys Aylward was in London trying to persuade her brother and friends that someone needed to take the gospel to China. Soon she realized that God was calling her.

In 1940, as Gladys was trekking across the Chinese mountains with 100 children, Esther Ahn Kim had already been a prisoner for the gospel’s sake for a year in Korea. Esther was released in 1945, the year that Helen Roseveare, a medical student in England, became a Christian.

And Helen Roseveare’s life crosses the years of our lives, as she passes the baton of faithfulness to us, this generation.

May God give us eyes to see the crossings of these womens lives with our lives. And even more, may we see God more clearly in our own lives because of what we see in the loves of Sarah Edwards, Lilias Trotter, Gladys Awlard, Esther Ahn Kim, and Helen Roseveare."

Not only was I captivated by the stories of these women, I was also challenged to live a life worthy of the Lord where he has called me to serve, which is wife, mother, Church member and Christian sister.

These biographies are not very in-depth and as such make for a very easy and enjoyable read, it does serve to wet your appetite by creating a desire in you to want to know more about the life and ministries of these ladies.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have read it twice and can see myself reading it a couple more times. This book will bless you and your family tremendously and will definitely be a great addition to your library.

Reading level 10 and up.

Book Review -Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire - 5 stars

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire * * * * *

by Jim Cymbala

A House of Prayer!

 

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire will challenge you to pray and seek the Lord in everything and for everything. The book challenges you to pray, not just for results, but to get to know the one who loves you.

This is the story of how God took a struggling dying church with a struggling minister and turned it into one of the biggest churches of our time. This book is filled with story after story of how the Lord transformed the lives of people with the gospel and the power of prayer. What good is it to have the right teaching and doctrine, but no power from the Holy Ghost? Pastor Jim Cymbala not only teaches sound doctrine, but also emphasizes the importance of personal and corporate prayer without all the theatrics of the charismatics.

Pastor Cymbala does not just talk about prayer, he prays, his church prays.  Even their choir practice is a prayer service!   In most mega churches where thousands attend Sunday morning services, only about a few hundred usually show up for their weekday prayer meetings. Not so with the Brooklyn tabernacle, not only do thousands show up for Sunday morning worship, thousands also show up for Tuesday night prayer meeting. As a matter of fact, people show up and wait in line for hours before the church doors are open - for the Tuesday prayer meeting!

Through his sound biblical teaching and corporate prayer, the Brooklyn Tabernacle have been able to reach all kinds of people, from prostitutes to cross dressers to crack addicts, drunks and homeless bums, all have not only experience salvation, but a true change in their life styles with evidence.

Here are some quotes: " The more we pray, the more we sense our need to pray. The more we sense a need to pray, the more we want to pray."

"Prayer is the source of the Christian life, a Christian lifeline. Otherwise, it's like having a baby in your arms and dressing her up so cute - but she's not breathing! Never mind the frilly clothes; stabilize the child's vital signs. It does no good to talk to someone in a comatose state. That's why the great emphasis on teaching in today's churches is producing such limited results. Teaching is good only where there's life to be channeled. If the listeners are in a spiritual coma, what we're telling them may be fine and orthodox, but unfortunately spiritual life cannot be taught."

"If my church or your church isn't praying, we shouldn't be boasting in our orthodoxy or our Sunday morning attendance figures."

The book is filled with testimonies of lives that have been transformed through the prayer of the saints. Pastor Cymbala also shares a testimony of how God transformed a member of his family through the prayer of the saints.

Once you start to read this book, you won't be able to put it down. This is a must read!

Reading level: ages 18 and up