Angels -- Book Review and Giveaway

Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah is very complete on the subject of angels and extremely well grounded in scriptures. If you want to become an authority on the topic of angels -- what the Bible says, their role, their characteristics, what they are NOT despite public thought -- then this is the book for you. I found this book more "textbook" than engaging, but it's hard to be scholarly and definitive AND entertaining at the same time. That's not to say it's a hard book to read; in fact, it flows easily. If you're really interested in what the Bible says about angels, Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah is a must have book.

GIVEAWAY: I have one copy of this book to giveaway. To enter the random drawing, please e-mail your name and mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be announced Friday, February 5th.

You can purchase the book here:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601422699&ref=externallink_mlt_Angels_sec_1208_01

Below is the summary from the publisher:

Summary:
What are angels? What is their role in God’s plan? Are they present? Do they appear? Do they give us personal insight about our work, our worship?

Many contemporary beliefs about angels are based on misconception and myth. Dr. David Jeremiah uses scripture to unveil the remarkable truth about these agents of heaven, and their role and work in our world—and lives.

More than 60,000 units of this powerful book have sold in two past editions. This repackage of the original 1996 paperback will surely capture the attention of readers of all ages who seek a broad and thorough survey of scripture that clearly separates fact from fiction as it relates to angels. The book will appeal to the thousands who follow Dr. Jeremiah’s books, and radio and TV broadcasts.

Relevant, little known biblical facts help readers sharpen their knowledge and sensitivities toward the spiritual reality of angels. Dr. Jeremiah’s enlightening findings are supported with illustrations and insights from Billy Graham, Corrie ten Boom, C.S. Lewis, and more.

Author Bio:
Dr. David Jeremiah is senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, and founder of Turning Point Radio and TV Ministries. His radio program is carried on over 2,500 stations worldwide, while the TV broadcast is received by 500 million homes via cable and satellite. The recipient of numerous awards for broadcast excellence, his books have garnered Gold Medallion awards and become bestsellers with The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the New York Times. He is a sought-after conference speaker by organizations nationwide.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

40 Loaves -- Book Review and Giveaway

Do you have sticky questions about your walk with God? Are you afraid to ask those questions because it might make you look like a "bad" Christian? Then I have a little devotional for you! 40 Loaves, Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day by C.D. Baker is filled with honest, real questions every believer has struggled with at one time or another. And C.D. Baker tackles each question without making you feel "condemned" for asking . . . in fact, his illustrations and real life examples are reassuring and wonderful. It's a great way to open honest discussions between yourself and God! I really enjoyed this book and am tickled to have a free copy to give away. It would be a great stocking stuffer and is available for purchase here: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307444905

GIVE AWAY: To enter the random drawing for 40 Loaves by C.D. Baker, please send your mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com the winner will be chosen on Friday, December 18th.

Here's the summary from the publisher:

Why don’t I have more faith?

Why am I so bored with Jesus?

Why don’t I feel connected at church?

These are the types of questions the religious establishment often makes it uncomfortable, if not impossible, to ask. And by asking them, C. David Baker, author of 40 Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day hopes to start a conversation in people’s hearts, then with others, and ultimately with God. Many circles of Christianity have led us to believe that certainty and confidence are the proof of true spirituality; questions are discouraged.

But Jesus offered his followers an ongoing conversation—a relationship built around a free, open-ended discussion. Questions were encouraged. They were often impertinent, sometimes alarming, and the religious establishment was distinctly uncomfortable with them … just as it is today.

“40 Loaves is something of a collection of the kinds of questions I felt finally free to ask of myself and of my relationship with Christ,” says Baker. “It’s my belief that these questions are shared by many others who long for the freedom to simply ask them out loud. I hope this book becomes a platform that frees others to search their hearts more deeply and be fed with the Bread of life.”

Each “loaf” here is a big question that stimulates discussion, investigation, and contemplation; it will take hours—or days—to digest. Conversational, inviting, disarming, and real, 40 Loaves nourishes self-examination and offers validation for those who feel discouraged, guilty, or even shamed when the realities of their lives don’t match up with the ideals of the Christian establishment.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Book Reviews: Wisdom Hunter and Shadow Government

Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur follows the life of a “hellfire and brimstone” preacher who, eventually, comes to realize the love and grace of God and the error of his legalistic, intolerant, know-it-all ways. He undergoes a series of crushing traumas that cause him to question everything he’s ever been taught (and subsequently taught others) including the existence of God. Eventually, he is reconciled with God with a more clear and valid theology and a more loving nature and his beliefs are strong and unshakable because of the depth of his questioning. Unfortunately, I grew up with a pastor such as the “before” version of this main character so I identified well with the book.

I also had the opportunity to take the “plank” out of my own eye before worrying about my brother’s splinter. There are times that I get too judgmental over the “right” or “wrong” doctrine when, in fact, some things are non-negotiable, but a good many are unknowable. This book does a great job gently and kindly bringing you back to the truth of the Bible versus the cultural spin we put on scripture and call it the truth. I think just about everyone needs a reminder of this now and then.

Wisdom Hunter was a great, fictional story of spiritual maturity, repentance, forgiveness, mercy, grace and restoration. Also hard to miss is the theme that when we try to control our own lives, our circumstances eventually spin out control, but when we surrender to God’s ways and God’s timing, he never forsakes us.

I would strongly recommend Wisdom Hunter as an excellent read with fiction that easily translates into spiritual reality.

Unfortunately, I don't have any copies of this book to give away, but you can buy the book here:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601422996&ref=externallink_mlt_wisdomhunter_sec_0908_01
Here't the summary from the publisher:

Pastor Jason Faircloth knows what he believes. His clear faith, in fact, is why he is one of the most prominent pastors in Atlanta. He relies on it to discipline his daughter, his wife, his church. He prays daily that others would come to see God’s ways as he does.

And it is about to cost him everything.

Groping for answers in the face of tragedy, Jason begins a search for the only family he has left: the granddaughter kept hidden from him. Soon he finds himself on an international adventure that will take him straight into the depths of his soul. He is determined not to fail again.

A fast-paced suspense novel rich in spiritual depth, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism—and discover why grace can mean the difference between life and death.


Shadow Government by Grant Jeffrey discusses the technological age of the 21st Century, the “flattening” of the world with the spread of globalization, changes to modern governments and politics and how this all merges with up end-times prophecy and the ability of the Antichrist to rule the world. While I do agree that Big Brother is a real threat to our personal freedoms and that modern institutions do have a number of factors in place to align with Biblical prophecy, I thought Shadow Government was a little paranoid and far fetched in some areas. The points raised by Grant Jeffrey are certainly ones we should think about, but I didn’t find the book entirely credible to take all its claims at face value.

I don't have any copies of this book to give away, but you can buy the book here:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074426&ref=externallink_wbp_shadowgovernment_sec_0908_01
Here's the summary from the publisher:

Security cameras, surveillance of private financial transactions, radio frequency spy chips hidden in consumer products, eavesdropping on e-mail correspondence and phone calls, and Internet tracking. No one is protected, and privacy is a thing of the past.

An ultra-secret global elite, functioning as a very real shadow government, controls technology, finance, international law, world trade, political power, and vast military capabilities. These unnamed, unrivaled leaders answer to no earthly authority, and they won’t stop until they control the world.

In Shadow Government, prophecy expert Grant Jeffrey removes the screen that, up to now, has hidden the work of these diabolical agents. Jeffrey reveals the biblical description of Satan’s global conquest and identifies the tools of technology that the Antichrist will use to rule the world.

Readers will have their eyes opened to the real power that is working behind the scenes to destroy America and merge it into the coming global government. Armed with this knowledge, readers will be equipped to face spiritual darkness with the light of prophetic truth.

These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.