Frame 232 by Wil Mara (A book review)

What would you do if you received an inheritance, part of which is a secret that can turn the world upside down and provide new clues to a major event of history? Would you tell someone or let secrets remain secrets? Sheila Baker is faced with these decisions in Frame 232, the new novel from Wil Mara.
After her mother's death, Sheila inherits everything, including a key to a safety deposit box. Inside the box is a film. And on the film is the footage made by the "Babushka Lady," a lady seen in photos taken at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, the day of President Kennedy's assassination. The Babushka lady had remained unidentified until now, over 40 years later. Sheila's mother was the Babushka Lady.

After watching the video, Sheila discovers why her Mom had kept it secret. Not knowing what to do, Sheila contacts billionaire Jason Hammond, a man who involves himself and funds the search for answers to secrets of the unknown. Sheila and Jason are propelled headlong into a whirlwind of shady characters and governmental figures that will stop at nothing to keep the truth of the Kennedy Assassination from being revealed.

Having been born 2 years after the assassination of Kennedy, I only know what I have read or heard about, including all of the conspiracy theories. I didn't know much about the Babushka lady, so I found this book to be very interesting, even though it was only a fictional "what-if" thriller. Mara keeps his readers on the edge of their seats as the bad guys do everything they can to keep the incriminating film from going public. The characters are well developed and he makes you care what happens to them, a quality of a well told story.

I had a great time reading this book. It was great fun to enter the  Kennedy assassination story, one fraught with conspiracy theories and a wide assortment of opinions. I recommend this book to anyone simply wanting to read a thriller novel, but especially anyone interested in the Kennedy assassination.

Watch the video below as Wil Mara introduces his new book.




I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Clear Winter Nights by Trevin Wax (a book review)

Chris Walker is at a breaking point. He is a recent college graduate, is engaged to be married to the love of his life, and is soon to be a leader of a new church. But Chris is doubtful about it all. He doesn't know what he believes about life anymore. Breaking off the engagement and stepping away from all of his life plans, he goes to the only person that has ever been able to provide him clarity, his grandfather, a retired minister.

In one weekend together, Chris and his grandfather embark on theological discussions that cover most of the hot topics of the Christian faith and why many object to it. The grandfather, Gil, provides clear explanations of his Christian faith and gives Chris much to think about and chew on. Chris is confronted with himself and has to make decisions about who he is.

Clear Winter Nights, the debut novel of blogger Trevin Wax, is called "theology in story" (says so right on the cover). It is exactly that. When I first started the book, I expected it to be contrived and preachy. I was wrong. I could relate to some of the doubt of Chris and his frustrations with what he believes about Christianity and how it contrasts to what he sees in the lives of people professing it, like my own. I found myself learning the basics of Christian theology all over again while engaged in a story with doubts not unlike many we all share from time to time. Though the discussions between Chris and Gil felt rushed at times, the main points were still made.

This book will be good for people struggling with their faith. It is a quick read, coming in at 147 pages in an undersized paperback. It has a conversation guide with questions in the back as well.
This book will also be helpful for people with no faith but are wanting to at least understand where Christians are coming from. It will give them a more accurate picture than what they would see or hear on their television or favorite news program.Caution: this book is not intended to and will not replace the more comprehensive books on theology

I enjoyed this book, but I would have liked to know more about some of the story items that were left incomplete. Not sure if Wax has sequels in mind, but I want to know more about what happens with the father and girlfriend...and even the grandfather.

(I received this book from the Waterbrook-Multnomah Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.)

when mockingbirds sing by Billy Coffey (a review)

Leah Norcross and her family are new to the town of Mattingly and are not feeling very welcome, since people from Away are viewed with suspicion. Leah mostly keeps to herself and her stutter just adds to her lonely existence.  When Leah begins painting detailed pictures depicting future events, given to her by her imaginary friend, the Rainbow Man, the quiet community of Mattingly is plunged into chaos and confusion. Could the Rainbow Man be God or is he evil or does he exist at all? Does Leah have a special gift or is she crazy?  

Such is the basic plot of Billy Coffey’s latest novel, when mockingbirds sing (Thomas Nelson Publishers).  Being from a small town myself, I am a fan of stories that portray small town life. Coffey has accurately described the possibilities of what could, and would, likely happen when the normal is disrupted by the magical or supernatural in a small “leave us to our ways’ type of place. The reader of when mockingbirds sing will walk with a host of characters (including Leah’s spunky best friend Allie) through Mattingly and wrestle alongside them with the deeper issues of life, including relationships, priorities, friendship and family, faith and doubt, good and evil, and questions about the existence of the unseen. Along the way, you will laugh and cry and, in the end, you will be satisfied with a story well told.  When I turned the last page, I was somewhat sad to leave Mattingly, but I was pleased to find out that Coffey would return there with another upcoming novel.

If you want a good summer read, this is one you should pick up. I am confident you will be glad you did.

(I received this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review)

A Dream So Big by Steve Peifer

Steve and Nancy Peifer experienced tragedy when their son Stephen was born with trisomy 13 and died after only eight days. Overtaken with grief and seeking God to make sense of the pain, Steve sensed God saying to him, "Make your wife's dream come true." Nancy's dream was to be a missionary. Out of tragedy, God took a grieving heartbroken couple and their family to rural Kenya to be dorm parents at Rift Valley Academy, a boarding school for missionary kids. A Dream So Big recounts their journey and how God made beauty from ashes, taking an unlikely man and using him to start a feeding program in schools throughout Kenya and to build computer centers to train these children in technology to help educate them out of poverty.

I have a heart for Africa and read books any chance I get on how people are making a difference there. This book was different than most I had read. I think it is the honesty in which it is written. I appreciated and could relate to the struggles that Steve encountered as he wrestled with Kenyan culture and the obstacles he faced in trying to feed the children. Much of the story is told through excerpts from emails he sent to financial supporters in the states. Some of the emails were humorous stories of life at a boarding school with the students and other were heartbreaking stories of poverty.

A Dream So Big has something for everyone. While reading this book, I learned more about third world relief work, about boarding school life, and about how God makes heroes out of people who will for the most part live in obscurity with virtually no recognition for the difference they have made. These people, like the Peifers and others you will meet through this book, are the modern day heroes of the faith.

This book will educate, challenge and inspire you to dream big, to live a life of purpose in service for others, especially those who have are born into and live in poverty.



I received this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Jeremy Camp-I Still Believe (A Review)

Even when I don’t see, I still believe

Jeremy Camp penned these words to a now familiar song just two weeks after the death of his first wife, Melissa. They had been married only 3 ½ months when ovarian cancer took her life. He was in a fog and felt like God wasn’t there and even if he was, he wasn’t listening.  After crying out to God, he received an answer to his sadness from God: “Pick up your guitar.”  Jeremy did and wrote “I Still Believe,” a song that summarized that moment in his life but was a reality in all that had come before that and all that has followed.

In his recent book, I Still Believe: a memoir (previously released in 2011 under the same title but different subtitle), Camp shares his story.  He begins with the early years and speaks openly of the mountaintops and valleys of his life journey. He speaks openly about his father’s drinking and his father’s   conversion to Christ, which takes the Camp family on a completely different course. Jeremy writes about what it was like growing up in poverty, yet having parents that were rich in the Lord. Surrendering to Jesus is a trait that Jeremy learned from his parents and one that he carries to this day. He recounts his battling of competing desires in his heart and the triumph of Christ as his chief desire.

The greatest test of his faith came in the death of his wife. Struggling for answers and wrestling with God about why this happened to such a faithful girl, Jeremy ultimately surrenders to the foundational timeless truth: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68).

Jeremy Camp began using his place as a young widower to magnify the glory of God in the pain so others could see and believe that God truly can and will make all things new for those who believe.

Even when I don’t see, I still believe.

Since the passing of his wife, God has blessed Jeremy Camp with a new love, three children, and ever-increasing career success. I am inspired to read of how his second wife is strengthened by the story of Jeremy’s first wife and wants him to keep sharing the story so others can grow in their faith for the glory of God’s name.

This story is an illustration of how God makes beauty out of ashes. Fans of the music of Jeremy Camp would benefit from reading about the life behind the songs. It will give new meaning to the words that will drive us all forward in the journey:

Even when I don’t see, I still believe.

watch on tyndale.com

This book was provided by the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for an honest review.

 

Dirty God by Johnnie Moore (A review)

When asked what is unique about Christianity as compared to other world religions, C.S. Lewis answered without hesitation, “It is grace.” Grace is what I need so desperately and what you need as well. It is the only thing that can give each of us that offend God a chance at peace with Him. It is a gift from God and cannot be earned. We are saved by grace and depend on grace for every breath we take.

Dirty God is a book about grace. 

Johnnie Moore, vice president of Liberty University, divides his book into two parts: Getting Grace and Giving Grace. 

In part one, Moore writes about the God who didn’t mind getting his hands dirty to extend his love to people in need. Jesus entered without reservation into leper colonies and into the homes of social rejects. His entire life and ministry was characterized by grace. Through impactful stories and anecdotes, Moore calls for believers, who are the recipients of God’s grace, to be happy and free in who they are in Christ. God accepts and loves imperfect people. He has used ragtag people in the past for his purposes and continues to pour out favor on the outcasts to this day. Jesus is in the business of being a friend to the friendless.  In the last chapter of the first section, “How to Miss the Grace of God,” Moore warns of the dangers of faking, pretending to have a relationship with God. He writes that “Looking good isn’t the same as being good. Faking it never works.” In faking, we miss grace because grace is in opposition of looking good and living to impress others.

Part two of Dirty God is a call for grace in action. “Grace is radical, and it’s meant to be lived in radical ways.” Moore writes:

The kind of grace the world needs, and the kind of grace Jesus gives, is the kind of grace that will cost us something. It’s the tough grace that causes us to chance losing a friend because we finally tell her what she needs to hear. It’s the kind of grace that causes you to put yourself in great personal danger to stand up for the disenfranchised or enslaved. It’s the kind of grace that might make people think you’re weak, when you’re actually strong – the kind of grace that will be misunderstood in a world that looks out for number one…grace intervenes…grace stands up for truth when people don’t want to hear it and grace stands in the gap for those who haven’t a voice. Grace takes the hit. Grace decides to charge injustice from the front lines. Grace sometimes says what no one wants to hear and then keeps saying it until everyone has heard it.

Dirty God is a book that will help you understand the grace of a loving God who was willing to sacrifice His son to save us. Moore will challenge and inspire you to be a giver of grace to this grace-starved planet.  It is time to get our hands and feet dirty in the trenches with Jesus as we live out grace.

(I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Booksneeze.com )

20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith

We all want meaning. We all want our lives to count for something, to make a difference that outlives our time here. When I first saw 20,000 days and Counting, a new book by Robert D. Smith, I was curious and skeptical. Curious as to what the 20,000 days represented and skeptical primarily because of the subtitle which says the book is "the crash course for mastering your life right now."  I have read many books (far too many,actually) about life meaning and making the most of your life, living a life that counts, etc.so when I here THE crash course, I was questioning if the author was making some sort of claim to his course being the definitive course in life planning or maybe it is just the only "crash course" he knows of. After brief research, I agreed to read and review the book. And I liked it.
So what is 20,000 days? Smith recounts how in his 54th year of life, it hit him that he had been alive almost 20,000 days. On his 20,000th day, he celebrated the occasion by putting himself through a crash course in planning his next 20,000 days. The result is contained in this book.

Smith explains in the beginning that he wrote the book so it could be read quickly ( I finished it in about 30 minutes or so). His short chapters and straight-to-the point writing style help to make it a fast read.  He did this "because this could be your last day...and you have important things to do." I was impressed that he doesn't want us passing time reading his book. His desire is for us to grasp the concepts and principles quickly and get busy living them out.

I found this book to be beneficial in bringing clarity to some problem areas in life planning. His steps, questions and "things you can do now" are helpful to get me moving. Reader will find something in this book that connects, whether it be his words about motivation being a myth, the importance of eating dessert first, or the story of William Borden and his "No reserves, No retreats, No regrets" life.
Whether or not this book helps you master your life will depend on how serious you are at changing and how quickly you implement Smith's point that you have only two choices which encompass every decision you make for your life. You can decide yes or no. He quotes Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back: "Do  or do not: there is no try."

Great gift for people struggling with finding meaning or needing a nudge to get over a hump or lull in life. People like me. I will keep this one handy for when I need a nudge.

I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.