Secrets of a Prayer Warrior

Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, by Derek Prince, was a practical guide to biblical prayer. The first three chapters discuss the fundamentals of prayer and changing any preconceived and negative images of God.

In chapter four, the author discusses the twelve different types of prayer while chapters five through eight looks at discovering God's will, spiritual warfare and our response to God's purposes. The final chapter is a look at the church.

Subject and scripture indexes are also included for easy reference.

Beguiled

Beguiled is a romantic suspense novel written by former critique group partners Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand. This easy-to-read novel is along the lines of those written by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark with Christian characters included in the story.

Rylee Monroe is a dog walker for Charleston's wealthy when a series of thefts from her clients makes her the prime suspect. Logan Woods, a newspaper reporter working on his own crime novel, is afraid of dogs but attracted to both the dog walker and the story. Their lives intertwine and a relationship develops as they unravel the secrets behind the thefts.

The Penny

Although The Penny by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford is a work of fiction, Joyce has shared glimpses into the abusive relationship with her father during her childhood through her conferences and television shows. In this book, the main character, Jenny Blake, and her sister Jean endure a similar childhood.

Jenny is convinced her life changed the day she found a penny stuck in hot asphalt and is offered a job at the local jewelry store. She soon discovers the owner, Miss Shaw, harbors secrets of her own and an unspoken bond forms between them. At the same time, Jenny befriends Aurelia and her family where she finds the love of family, hears the voice of Jesus for the first time at the Antioch Baptist Church and witnesses the ugliness of racism firsthand.

The Reason for God

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller uses several disciplines, including philosophy and anthropology, to examine the Christian faith on an intellectual level. It is divided into two parts addressing the doubts about Christianity in the first part and looking at faith in the second part.

In part one, The Leap of Doubt, the seven chapters address the following topics.

• There Can't Be Just One True Religion
• How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
• Christianity Is a Straitjacket
• The Church is Responsible for So Much Injustice
• How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
• Science Has Disproved Christianity
• You Can't Take the Bible Literally

In part two, The Reasons for Faith, the seven chapters address the following topics.

• The Clues of God
• The Knowledge of God
• The Problem of Sin
• Religion and the Gospel
• The (True) Story of the Cross
• The Reality of the Resurrection
• The Dance of God

The epilogue concludes by addressing the motives, the cost and the commitment, and ends with the matter of grace. The book addresses many of the issues while being respectful to the readers no matter what their beliefs.

The Immortal

The Immortal by Angela Hunt was one of those bargain books on sale. Although it was published in 2000, it used the legend of the Wandering Jew to present the return of Christ and the subject of forgiveness and grace in a new way. The only distraction was the switch from first person, Claudia, to third person, Asher, and back. Thankfully, the story moved along at a quick enough pace to overcome it.

The story begins with Claudia, a jury consultant in New York, who moves to Italy to work for a new global company focused on world peace. She uses her interviewing skills to screen potential employees for the company and hires Asher. After they become friends, Asher tells her that he has been wandering the Earth since Jesus time and believes his purpose is to find the potential Antichrist in each generation and witness to him until Christ's return.

Green

Ted Dekker's Green is part of his Circle Series and he notes that this book can be read first or last as part of that circle. Since I read it last, I had to skim back over Black, Red, and White to understand the circle theory and place Green into the circle's sequence.

Thomas Hunter, the main character, continues to travel between the past and the future with dire consequences to both worlds. In the histories, the fall of mankind keeps good and evil in the spiritual realm. But, in the future world, good and evil can be seen, touched and tasted until mankind once again rejects that reality creating apocalyptic results.

The circle's story continues with the The Books of History Chronicles broken down into two additional series: The Lost Books (Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, Chaos) and The Paradise Novels (Showdown, Saint, Sinner).

Obsessed

In Ted Dekker's Obsessed, the death of a Holocaust survivor provides a clue that seemingly makes Stephen Friedman the heir to an incredible treasure. The story flashes back and forth between the 1940s, where two pregnant concentration camp inmates are tormented, and the 1970s, where Stephen becomes obsessed with learning his mother's secrets.

As a fan of Ted Dekker's books, I agree with some reviewers that this wasn't his best book. The characters make weird decisions along the way and it doesn't have that "wow, I didn't see that coming" ending I've come to expect. But, it did give the reader a chilling reminder of the evil of the Holocaust.

And, I disagree with a reviewer that felt this book crossed the line exploring the darkness of evil by portraying characters involved in satanic rituals. Since the "sheer depravity of the deeds" made the reviewer uncomfortable, wasn't that the point? Ted Dekker is known for his confrontations between good and evil so readers that are uncomfortable with spiritual warfare should steer clear of them.

Power Thoughts

Power Thoughts, by Joyce Meyer, offers an updated look at many of the issues addressed in her original Battlefield of the Mind book with 12 strategies to win the battle of the mind.

Based on Proverbs 23:7, it examines the idea that we become what we think. Unlike many of the humanistic books I read in the 1980s that put "me" at the center of using the mind and positive thinking, this book uses a biblical perspective.

As the introduction points out, this book is more of a study guide for practical use, not just a book to be read. Part one contains four chapters with questions to think about and answer for your own situation. Part two focuses on the power thoughts program with questions and scripture to study.

Driven by Eternity

Shortly after reading John Bevere's Driven by Eternity in January 2007, I joined the Christian Writers Guild and began a quest to expand my technical writing career to include writing for eternity. I recently read it again and reflected on how it motivated me. 

The book opens with a discussion about eternity and how, even though we can't comprehend it with our minds, we somehow know internally that it exists. The introduction and the first chapter started my thought processes down a path of contemplating life and eternity, but it was the allegory in chapters two through eight that motivated me to take action.

The allegory is set in the kingdom of Affabel and the school of Endel. At the end of ten years, students are given wealth and responsibility for a five-year period that determines how they'll live for 150 years. The allegory follows five students (Independent, Deceived, Faint Heart, Selfish and Charity) during the five-year period of testing and ends with the day of judgment.

Dead Heat

Joel C. Rosenberg's Dead Heat is the fifth and final novel in his geopolitical thriller series. The author's note prefacing the first chapter reiterates that the novel is fiction, but it still makes one wonder about the turbulent world we live in and what role, if any, the United States will play in the end times.

President MacPherson's second term in office is ending, a new dictator is rising in Iraq, Israel is on a urgent quest to complete the Third Temple, China and North Korea forces appear ready to strike and  the world is on the verge of a mammoth disaster. After terrorists attack the United States, Jon Bennett is called upon again to help. But this time he is in a remote Jordanian refugee camp with his wife, Erin, who has contracted a potentially fatal illness.

Although it is a fast-paced, action-packed and thought-provoking read, I add my prayer to the author's that the events stay fictional.

Scream

Scream, by Mike Dellosso, is a thriller that will keep you glued to the pages. The main character, Mark Stone, has his phone calls interrupted by otherworldly screams, the kind of screams that remind him of the weeping and gnashing of teeth describing hell.

When Mark realizes that the people on the other end of his phone calls die shortly after hearing the screams, he begins to search for their meaning. While struggling with his own broken faith and marriage, he receives a phone call from Cheryl, his kidnapped estranged wife. That phone call sends Mark racing to save Cheryl from both the kidnapper and the screams.

A final note from the author points out that while the book was written to entertain, it was also written to challenge us to think about life and death, heaven and hell, and where we will spend eternity. He also gives a call to action: to accept Jesus and then tell everyone about it. A good reminder that the Christian supernatural thriller I'm working on also has that dual purpose.



 

BoneMan's Daughters

Ted Dekker's BoneMan's Daughters is about a serial killer looking for the perfect daughter. He kidnaps teenage girls and then kills them by breaking their bones when they fail to live up to his expectations.

The main character, Ryan, is an intelligence officer who is kidnapped while in Iraq. After he escapes from his captors, he returns stateside to face the challenges of an unforgiving family. However, when his estranged daughter is kidnapped by the real BoneMan, the hunt is on to find her before she is killed and he is sent to prison for the murders.

Like his other books, this one takes you through a series of twists and turns without knowing how it will end. Once you get past the first sentence, it is a good read. The words "might have begun" were unnecessary and confusing ... not how you want to start out reading a book. However, since I'm a big fan I continued reading and was soon lost in the story. I was also glad to see it in paperback. Most of the time Christian fiction is in hardback or a large paperback edition that costs a lot more. This one was affordable without having to head to the clearance rack.

Saint

I attempted to listen to the audio book version of Ted Dekker's Saint several months ago to no avail. My attention span for listening I soon discovered is much shorter than it is for reading so I put the audio book aside and read the actual book.

Those who enjoy supernatural suspense will be glued to the pages while anticipating the next move. I enjoyed this book, like many of Ted Dekker's books, because I kept thinking I had it figured out until the final chapters  took an unexpected turn in another direction.

The main character is Carl Strople, a professional killer, trained as part of a covert secret group in Hungary. He begins his journey of betrayal, government cover-ups, and political conspiracy in New York, but  in his search for truth ends up in an unexpected place confronting unexpected forces.

The Associate

The Associate by John Grisham is another vintage law thriller. If you like Grisham's books, you'll enjoy this one about a law student who ends up in the middle of a conspiracy - complete with a prestigious law firm, government defense contractors, the FBI, and dark secrets.

While I enjoyed reading the novel, I also saw it as a reflection of reality. With the financial problems, power plays, and corrupt government antics playing out in the media these days, the potential for this reality is probably just the tip of the iceberg. It was particularly chilling when the main character, Kyle, said near the end of the book that he didn't believe goons were blackmailing him. He thought they worked for "... the same government you and I send our taxes to."

In true Grisham style, he also has a Christian character in the storyline, which I always appreciate. While the last chapter answers most of the questions, it also leaves a loose end that may or may not end up in another book. How I aspire to master the art of storytelling like he has.

The Circle Trilogy

The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker consists of three books: Black, Red, and White. The trilogy is about the main character, Thomas Hunter, living in two worlds. He falls asleep in one world and wakes up in another. Although he isn't sure which world is the real one and which world is the dream one until the very end, he comes to realize his actions in one world has an impact on the other.

I must admit I struggled reading Black in the beginning and had to get past the first several chapters before I was hooked. Once I reached that point I spent several late nights (too late I'd discover the next morning) absorbed in the books and racing to find answers to Thomas Hunter's questions.

The story continues with the The Books of History Chronicles broken down into two additional series: The Lost Books (Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, Chaos) and The Paradise Novels(Showdown, Saint, Sinner). I didn't realize Showdown was part of the this story and read it many months ago. It will fun to go back and scan through it in the context of the chronicles.

"Vanish" Book Review

Tom Pawlik's "Vanish" is the Christian Writers Guild 2006 Operation First Novel winner. Since it is in the supernatural thriller genre I love to read and write, I fully expected to enjoy this book and it didn't disappoint.

It was top notch. In my opinion, it was as good as any Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti book I've read. It drew me in so much that I kept turning the pages to see what was going to happen next and I even finished reading it in one evening.

I love a suspense thriller that leads me down a road where I think I know what is going on, encourages me to figure out where it is going and how it is going to end, and then either totally catches me by surprise or is similar yet different than I imagined.

"Vanish" is just such a book. My thought process was anticipating the true identity of the creatures as spiritual beings, but the circumstances were completely different than I thought they were and the ending was a surprise.

Thank you Tom. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

Springtime and Wildflowers

Springtime and wildflowers - celebrating birth, renewal, life.

To casual observers, Florida seasons are essentially non-existent or limited to hot and warm, tourist and non-tourist, summer and not summer. To natives, the seasons are subtle, but distinctive.

In springtime, babies abound in open spaces of the interior pine flat lands. Calves and colts cling to their mothers while quail, scrub jays, and mockingbirds guard their nests. In the wetlands, baby alligators and snapping turtles take their first swim. Weeds drink April showers and dance in the breezes to transform into yellow, pink, and lavender kaleidoscopes. "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." Luke 12:27 (NIV)

This flurry of activity in nature sets the stage for Easter. New life is born and weeds are transformed. " ... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 (NIV) Souls are reborn, lives transformed, new creatures in Christ. Easter - celebrating rebirth, renewal, life. He is risen!