Category Archives: Thomas Nelson

Wordy Wednesday…You’ve Got to Read This Book!

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Book Review, Books, Holy Bible, Sharing Jesus, Sticking through tough times, Thomas Nelson, Thoughts and Prayers

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I originally chose the book Miraculous Movements How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims are Falling in Love with Jesus by Jerry Trousdale because I have been very intimidated and fearful about the spread of Islam. I felt hopeless. This, in spite of the fact that for the past five years my family and I have worshipped at a church side by side with several people who have come out of Islam into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. I’ve seen the proof, yet, the continued reports about the spread of Islam in Europe has, frankly, scared me. I needed this book.

City Team International trains people in a deceptively simple discipleship technique that is very effective among the people of Islam. Based on a deep and committed prayer life, City Team teaches new converts to approach the Bible with a holy simplicity, to obey God’s commands and to raise up new believers. Many of these believers very quickly share the gospel with others and, soon, a “church” has been born, often in very hostile regions. By “church” they mean a church that may be small and may be underground but converts are taught, discipled, baptized and sent out. It is a church in every sense of the word.

The stories in Miraculous Movements are sobering. Many of the new converts suffer for their faith, indeed, they are taught (from God’s word) that they can expect persecution. There are many encouraging stories of the seed that is sown in hard places in Africa and the Middle East that takes root in spite of very difficult circumstances. The stories remind us that the earth is teaming with people who are in darkness and they are longing for the light.They are a spiritually hungry people.

The book is practical, applicable and encouraging but, most of all, it is inspiring. After reading the many accounts of what God is doing in places of great darkness, I was convicted of my lack of prayer and my shallow faith. I was brought to my knees in wonder and awe at what our Great God is accomplishing for His glory.
It took me several months to get my review of this book written because I kept rereading parts of it. I highly recommend this book.
I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson publishers for review.

Wordy Wednesdays Cookbook Review

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Book Review, Books, healthy and quick recipes, Recipes, Recipes, Thomas Nelson

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We had the joy of experiencing Southern cooking first-hand when we lived in Waxhaw North Carolina many years ago. I became a huge fan of crusty cornbread, fried chicken and, even, Hoppin’ John! Traditional Southern cooking is not known for being health food, however, and it is easy to err on the side of fat, sugar and lack of fresh ingredients.

Tammy Algood (a food personality on Nashvilles ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates) has created recipes which use farm-fresh ingredients yet remain faithful to tradition.

Farm Fresh Southern Cooking Straight from the Garden to the Dinner Table is a delicious way to enjoy traditional southern cooking with a nice,fresh twist.

Recipe Sections include Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Sides, Breads, Entrees, Desserts, Breakfast and Brunch as well as Canning Instructions. The cookbook is paperback and printed on high quality paper with gorgeous photographs. Recipes such as Fresh Peach Salsa, Mixed Pepper Turnips, Dried Pear Bacon Bread and Citrus Zest Waffles will inspire you to try something deliciously different.

The cookbook is also sprinkled with the names and addresses of Southern suppliers of catfish farms, pecan orchards and farmers markets. This cookbook is delightfully different. I highly recommend it!

Lighter-Than-Air Peach Mousse:

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons cold water
2 Teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup peach preserves, melted
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 Cups heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon sugar
Fresh peach slices for garnish

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the water and gelatin. Let stand 1 minute; then microwave on high power 1 minute. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cheese, confectioners’ sugar, preserves and butter. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Beat in the reserved dissolved gelatin until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cheese mixture until well combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Garnish individual servings with fresh peach slices.

I received this cookbook free of charge from Thomas Nelson/Booksneeze for review.

And the Winners Are…

31 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in Book Review, Books, Give Away, Holy Bible, Sharing Jesus, Thomas Nelson, Thoughts and Prayers

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I am pleased to announce the winners of the two books from my blog.
The winner of the e-book O Lord, Hear My Cry by Zari Banks is Mollie! Mollie, if you would contact me and give me your best email, I will attempt to send you the e-book (a new experience for this technically challenged blogger:-).

The winner of the book Called to Controversy The Unlikely Story of Moishe Rosen and the Founding of Jews for Jesus by Ruth Rosen is Joann! Please send me your snail mail, Joann, and I will get the book sent to you.
If I don’t hear from the winners by April 15th I will select others!

Thank you for your interesting comments. A blessed Palm Sunday and Easter week to everyone.

Wordy Wednesday; A Book Review and Give Away

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Book Review, Books, Give Away, Thomas Nelson, Writing

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Called to Controversy The Unlikely Story of Moishe Rosen and The Founding of Jews for Jesus by Ruth Rosen is a weighty biography written by daughter about her father. When I first received it in the mail from Thomas Nelson, my heart sank. It is 307 pages long and, since it was written by someone related to the author, I feared it would be mired in minutia and endless, boring details. I was wrong.

Ruth Rosen writes with clarity and honesty about a very outspoken man and the ministry he founded called Jews for Jesus.

Born in 1932, the story of Rosens’s childhood is worth reading for its insights into wartime America and the first impressions of God on a boy growing up in a Jewish community. I enjoyed the direct recollections of Moishe throughout the book.

Moishe Rosen came to Christ as an adult through the influence of his wife who had also been raised Jewish. His struggles to assimilate into the American Christian churches of the time are both comical and enlightening. His first impressions of a Christian church service are invaluable for anyone who wants to share Christ with others.

Ruth Rosen writes sensitively about her father who was outspoken, flamboyant, opinionated and deeply committed to serving Jesus Christ. Moishe’s own words often leap off the page to inspire and interest the reader.

Moishe said this, “I never liked being boss. I never sat down with someone to plan out what they should be doing. And, if they didn’t know exactly how to do it, I’d trouble-shoot it.”

He was the kind of man who was probably a little like a bull in a china shop; he got things done, he didn’t apologize and he kept on going in spite of the crash of broken china around him. His daughter does a good job of sharing his story without glossing over his weaknesses, yet, her love for him shines through.

As someone who became a believer in 1978, Rosen’s approach to serving Christ was, in some ways, typical of that era (including the founder of Calvary Chapel, Chuck Smith). Those were the days of bold, young “Jesus Freaks” who obeyed first and thought about “how” later.

His daughter Ruth said,

“My father would be the first to tell you that what you think of him makes little, if any, difference. It’s what you think of Jesus that really matters.

So while this book is not meant to force beliefs on anyone, please excuse this one burst of gospel fervor: if you don’t know Jesus and will consider him with an open mind and heart, I believe God will bless you beyond anything you have ever dreamed possible….We can spend our brief lives any way we choose, but we can spend them only once.

It’s important to recognize value, in ourselves, in others, and in whatever work God calls us to do. That’s something I learned from my father.”

If you enjoy lengthy insights into interesting people, I recommend this book. I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

To be entered to win a copy, please leave a comment and share what historical or contemporary person you find interesting! I will pick a winner on March 31st!

Wordy Wednesday; My Review of Going Deep by Gordon MacDonald

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Book Review, Books, Holy Bible, Sharing Jesus, Thomas Nelson, Thoughts and Prayers

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Going Deep by Gordon MacDonald was a challenging book to read. First, it challenged me to think about what makes “deep” Christians and second, it challenged me because, frankly, it was long and wordy. I stuck with it, however, because Gordon MacDonald has proven to the world that he is a “deep” Christian with other books he has written such as Ordering Your Private World which impacted myself and many others in the 1980′s.

What is a “deep” Christian? According to this author it is someone who is committed to maturing, growing and passing on the faith no matter the cost. In Growing Deep, MacDonald uses a fictional account (based on his personal experience) to show the reader what a pastor and his wife might experience as they strive to develop deep people within the church. All that is well and good but why did it take such a lengthy book to reveal that to the reader? I found myself growing very impatient with the many conversations between husband and wife as they tried to discern God’s leading, as they searched for words to describe what they were experiencing and as they wondered and prayed if their church would get on board with what was essentially going to be a very in-depth discipleship program.

I found the conversation between the pastor and his a local Rabbi fascinating as the Rabbi pointed out that Christians completely overlook Jesus’ rabbinical approach to his disciples. That chapter, alone, was central to the book.

I (again) wondered about the purpose of sharing a conversation between a successful hotel CEO and the pastor. We all know that we do not run most churches with the same kind of skill and leadership that we run a successful hotel but…so? What’s new?

This book was challenging to me as I considered how the church is supposed to help others mature. How do we develop future leaders? How do we discern who is willing to be committed to the hard work of stepping into maturing. How did Jesus do it?

I liked the book but I felt that the format was too wordy. Why did Gordon MacDonald tell it in such a lengthy story form? The book could have been shorter but still been motivating. Perhaps Mr. MacDonald wanted to convey that discerning God’s leading in the church is never easy but always worth it.

I would recommend this book to church leadership with reservations.

I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson for review.

Happy December 21st! Some Gifts to Celebrate!

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Book Review, Books, Give Away, Holiday, Holy Bible, Inspirational Mama, Practical Help, Reading Aloud, Rest and Refreshment, Sharing Jesus, Thomas Nelson, Thoughts and Prayers, Writing

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During these last few days before Christmas I have three gifts for you :-) and because it is December 21st I also have reason to celebrate because today is the shortest, darkest day of the year! That means (for those of us in the far North)things are looking up.Yes, this is the “turn” of the year. Tomorrow (December 22nd)I will be publishing my interview with a lovely children’s author who is giving away a wonderful book(the drawing will be on January 8th).

The next day (December 23rd) I will be sharing a free recording of a message I gave to a beautiful group from MomsNext about the life of little Mary, the mother of Jesus. Finally, don’t forget that I am giving away a copy of Why Men Hate Going to Church on Christmas Eve (December 24th…as if you didn’t know:) so leave a comment on that post. Merry Christmas from Doug and Jill, Lorna, Phillip, Rosie, Hannah, Kealen, Noah, Abby and Patrick Farris. Emmanuel! God is with us!

Why Men Hate Going to Church (A Book Review and Giveaway!)

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in Book Review, Books, Give Away, Marraige, Thomas Nelson

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Over twenty years ago my husband and I and our three small children were members of a Mennonite Church led by Pastor Ed Miller. In our small church of less than 100 members, Pastor Miller made sure that each family had a mail “slot” where we received church “news” on a regular basis and he insisted that the name on those church mailboxes be the name of the head of the family (ie., the John Campbell family) even if John Campbell never darkened the door of the church.
Sunday after Sunday Mrs. Campbell and her children might be the only family members in church but that name on the mailbox in the lobby reminded us all that the Campbell family had a head and that he was missing.

I don’t have statistical evidence but I am pretty sure that that little church had a higher than average conversion rate for men simply because the congregation was continually reminded to honor them, pray for them and immediately recognize them when they came in the door, “Oh, yes, John Campbell, so good to meet you! I’ve seen your name on your mailbox.”

Why Men Hate Going To Church by David Murrow addresses the problem of the missing men in the Christian church and affirms that Pastor Miller was on the right track with those mailboxes.

Based on extensive research as well as a working knowledge of church history, Mr. Murrow tackles such topics as who are the missing men, twelve things men fear about going to church (this chapter is worth the price of the book), how churches drive boys away from the church, why mega churches are mega and how to minister to men.

After wading through the research about the missing men in the church (and why it matters) I read eagerly, hoping Mr. Murrow would give some solid answers to this very real crisis in the Christian church. I was dismayed to discover that he spent a lot of time on what I consider to be peripheral details; start and end the services on time, don’t use “church speak”, don’t ask men to share their feelings, and other predictable ideas.

When Mr. Murrow finally got down to brass tacks I was heartened to find that he grasped the real problem. Here is one part of his excellent chapter entitled, Getting the Big Picture Right. He writes, “…if we are going to transform men from passive pew-sitters into battle-ready warriors, we must get the big story right. The gospel is the story of a courageous man who is out to save the world against impossible odds…He is calling you to risk everything to come under His command…That’s the message men crave. It’s a message that’s lost in today’s therapeutic church.”

I found the book enlightening although I did find the lengthy introduction by the author (including the reasons for the additions and revisions) a bit much to wade through early on. I advise skipping the intro and coming back to it later.

My other concern about the book is that it is formatted in a way that makes it difficult to use as a reference book for those who need the information and want to refer back to it. If Why Men Hate Going to Church ever needs to be updated or expanded again I hope the author just turns it into a second book.

I was given a free copy of this book to review for Thomas Nelson.

To be entered to win a copy of this book please leave a comment and share what you think about this problem or if you think there is one? I will draw a winner on December 20th.

How Not To Live Your Life…A Book Review!

30 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in Book Review, Books, Give Away, Thomas Nelson

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One Call Away; Answering Life’s Challenges with Unshakable Faith by Brenda Warner with Jennifer Schuchmann is a memoir by the wife of NFL player Kurt Warner.

The book should be titled How to say you’re a Christian, make really bad life choices and give God a teensy bit of the credit when nice things happen to you.

Brenda Warner grew up in a blue collar working class home with parents who passionately loved each other and their children (Brenda has one sister). The entire family came to Christ when Brenda was a teen but, except for that moment in time when she walked the aisle, there is little in her life story to show a commitment to Christ.
After high school Brenda joined the Marines where she said she eventually “rationalized” giving up her virginity because, “everyone was doing it.”
Although her boyfriend warned her that he had had brain surgery and the drugs he was on affected him, Brenda moved in with him, married him and had a baby with him (in that order). Neil (unable to work because of the drugs or a bad attitude…readers are never sure which) stays home to take care of the baby but apparently doesn’t do a great job because he drops the baby in the bathtub resulting in permanent brain damage. Even though her husband initially lies about the accident causing his son to suffer through days of unnecessary tests while doctors try to determine what is wrong with him and even though Brenda insinuates that it might have been deliberate abuse, she remains with Neil and decides it is time to have another baby.

In the middle of that pregnancy Neils mood swings and really awful behavior finally prove too much for Brenda and she divorces him.

Readers follow Brenda as she struggles through life as a single mom (we are told frequently throughout the book how “strong” she was as a single mom juggling college and parenthood).

Still, Brenda and her mom still find time to go dancing regularly at a country western bar and it is there Brenda meets a handsome college football star Kurt Warner. Kurt is not a Christian when they meet but Brenda dates him and has sex with him while pressuring him to commit his life to God before they really get committed.
One terrible phone call Brenda receives is from her sister telling her that both their parents had been killed in an Arkansas tornado.

The other bad news Brenda receives throughout the book is often tied to Brenda choosing to do what feels good at the moment and ignoring the advice of those who love her (when she first moved in with Neil her mother told her, “Nice Christian girls don’t do that).

Eventually Kurt does commit his life to Christ (he has to break it to Brenda-the-Christian that sleeping together before marriage is a sin) the two of them marry and have five more children together.

Kurt’s income increases into the millions, they establish a charitable foundation and they enjoy giving God the glory for the lifestyle they enjoy.

I kept waiting for Brenda to share how differently they are raising their children now that they are committed to God or how she has looked back on her life and realized that God could have kept her from some really terrible relationships/tragedies if she had obeyed His word, but there is little humility or wisdom in this book.

I got to see Brenda in person at the Seattle Washington Woman of Faith event. Read my impressions of her there.
I got a copy of this book to review from Book Sneeze.