Review: It Couldn’t Just Happen by Lawrence O. Richards

Title: It Couldn’t Just Happen
Author: Lawrence O. Richards
Category: Christian, non-fiction, science
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; August 2, 2011
Page count: 234
Source: ARC from the publisher
Star rating: 4 out of 5

Originally published in 1987 and now updated with new text and all-new photos, It Couldn’t Just Happen is a little book packed with lots of information proving Creation of the Bible over the theory of evolution. Richards starts with the Creation event itself and follows with amazing facts about the human body, animal and plant life, fossil records, weather events, and nature’s impossible-to-ignore reflection of its Creator. Throughout, he uses Scripture proofs and without hesitation says the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and that there is no room for doubting its validity when it comes to Creation, historical Adam and Eve, and the proof of God’s handiwork in humans and nature.

If the book falls short for me, it’s that it doesn’t state definitively how long Creation took. Richards leaves the door open for the day-age theory, which states we cannot know how long a “day” in the Creation story is. Perhaps it is a strict 24-hour period, as we know a day to be, or perhaps a “day” could have been millions of years long, which would allow for gradual changes we collectively call evolution. Myself, I’m a strict six-day Creationist. The word for “day” in Genesis, in the Creation story, is the same Hebrew word used for a 24-hour period elsewhere in the Old Testament. God is not a god of confusion or doubt, leaving us stranded without critical pieces of information. We know all we need to know in this life on Earth about Jesus, heaven, miracles, prophecies, and so forth, so why would He keep from us the full truth of our very origins?

Despite this personal quibble, which is easily a teachable moment for my son once it’s time to teach him in-depth about these things, It Couldn’t Just Happen is an invaluable resource for Christian parents. The Scripture texts used throughout are appropriate for the topic at hand, and each chapter ends with a “Just for Fun” page of questions and activities designed to challenge thinking and look at Creation in a fun and imaginative way. I would not use this as the primary text for teaching my son or a class about Creation, but I will certainly keep it around and use it as a supporting text.

This book was given to me for free by BookSneeze, Thomas Nelson’s program for book bloggers, in exchange for an honest review. The publisher did not influence my review, and all thoughts and opinions stated here are my own.

Women of Faith: Imagine

Exciting news! I’ve been selected as a blogger for the Women of Faith Imagine event in Atlanta August 12-13! I’ve never been to one of these events. In fact, I’ve never been to a conference specifically for women! I’m really hoping my mom can go with me. It’d be great fun to spend the weekend with her – not to mention thousands of other women!

There are two Women of Faith conferences running concurrently: Over the Top is West of the Mississippi River, and Imagine is East. Here’s the preview video for Imagine.

I’m especially excited about hearing Sheila Walsh, Angie Smith, and Laura Story. I’m not too familiar with the others, but I’m ready to listen and learn!

I’ll be posting more about the event before, (maybe) during, and after. Thanks so much to Women of Faith and Booksneeze for this opportunity!

Review: Max On Life by Max Lucado

Title: Max On Life
Author: Max Lucado
Category: Christian living
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2011
Page count: 256
Source: review copy from the publisher
Star rating: 2 out of 5

Max Lucado is one of those superstars in Christian culture. His books sell by the truckload, he’s often quoted in blogs, on Twitter, and on Christian radio, and he’s a sought-after author and speaker. I’m instantly suspect of anything or anyone so widely popular. Maybe I’m just a cynical old Reformed chick, but I’m naturally a little wary of big names.

Lucado breaks this book into categories:

• Hope
• Hurt
• Help
• Him/Her
• Home
• Haves/Have-Nots
• Hereafter

Each section contains letters Max has received through the years, asking questions on the listed topics. Max sets about answering these questions in each chapter. The book is touted to be aimed at new and mature Christians alike, but while there’s nothing inherently wrong with what Lucado says, the book surely won’t be particularly helpful for mature Christians. Let’s face it: You know what you’re getting with Max Lucado. Inoffensive, gentle, humorous advice, but not exactly earth-shattering or hard-hitting. He loves the Lord, and he loves people, but he’s not a great theologian or a tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy like John Piper or Al Mohler. If you want to be shaken, convicted, and edified, just go read Piper or Mohler or a host of other writers.

In fact, if I had things my way, we’d see somebody like Piper or Mohler, or Tim Keller or D.A. Carson, write a book like this. Now that’s something I could wholeheartedly recommend.

Disclosure: I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson’s book blogger program, Booksneeze, with the expectation of a review. All thoughts are my own and were not in any way influenced by the publisher.

Review: Johann Sebastian Bach by Rick Marschall

Title: Johann Sebastian Bach
Author: Rick Marschall
Category: biography
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2011
Page count: 145
Source: review copy from the publisher
Star rating: 3 out of 5

My childhood was full of good music. My father knows more about classical music than anyone else I’ve ever known, and our house was always full of it (plus jazz, Broadway, country, pop – I heard it all). Early on, I knew one of his favorite composers was Bach, and it wasn’t just because of the glorious and beautiful music he wrote. It also had a lot to do with Bach’s faith, a faith we share with him. He began every composition with the words “Jesu, Juva” (Jesus, help me) and ended each with “Soli Deo Gloria” (to God alone be the glory). And now, as an adult, I’m privileged to be in a church choir that still sings the important works of important composers such as Bach. There’s nothing like singing his music; you can feel the praise in every note and ever word.

This book is another installment of Thomas Nelson’s “Christian Encounters” series. Each slim volume presents biographical information about its subject, giving chronologies of childhoods and upbringings, shedding light on how each came to be such a unique and important person in world history. (I reviewed another Christian Encounters edition, on Winston Churchill, here.)

If anyone had a right to feel prideful about his enormous gift for music, it would be Bach, but Marschall shows the composer’s humility through quotes and anecdotes. Always, Bach’s goal of glorifying God comes through in his words. Take, for example, this quote: “The aim and final reason of all music should be none else but the glory of God and refreshing the soul.” Bach took Soli Deo Gloria to heart and lived it.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to be inspired by a fellow Christian who achieved the pinnacle of worldly accolades while doing it all for God’s glory. Anyone involved in church music would find this especially interesting. There probably isn’t anything new for people who are highly knowledgeable about classical music or Bach himself, but for the novice or someone needing a history refresher, this book would do the trick.

Disclosure: I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson’s book blogger program, Booksneeze, with the expectation of a review. All thoughts are my own and were not in any way influenced by the publisher.

Review: God’s Promises Devotional Journal

Title: God’s Promises Devotional Journal
Author: various
Category: Christian living/devotional
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, March 22, 2011
Page count: 382
Source: ARC from the publisher
Star rating: 5 out of 5

I’ve never been one for written devotionals. I’ll read Scripture, read daily devotional writings, and pray, of course, but the discipline of sitting down and journaling my thoughts or prayers has always eluded me. But even without a recent desire to journal more in my “quiet time,” I was intrigued by the God’s Promises Devotional Journal, published by Thomas Nelson. It features quotes and book passages from 22 Christian authors, and it claims to be “365 days of experiencing the Lord’s blessings.” That blurb would usually sound a bit touchy-feely for me, a little too Purpose-Driven Life or Prayer of Jabez , but the list of authors convinced me otherwise. A few of my favorites are:

• John MacArthur
• Sheila Walsh
• Billy Graham
• David Jeremiah
• Anne Graham Lotz
• Elisabeth Eliot
• RC Sproul
• Max Lucado

The hardback book is set up like a journal, with the date, a Bible verse, a quote from something one of the contributors has written, a question prompt, and plenty of lines for writing in your own answer. Several different Bible translations are used, some better than others. If Bible translation matters to you, as it does to me, you’ll want to be aware of the different translations of the Bible used before you buy this book. Some are quite good; some are wholly objectionable for their use of gender-neutral pronouns. Here’s a breakdown:

Gender-Specific translations used:

• The New King James Version
• The Message
• King James Version
• New American Standard Bible
• The New English Bible
• New International Version
• The Living Bible

Gender-Neutral translations used:

• New Century Version
• New Living Translation
• New Revised Standard Version

For more explanation on the dangers of gender-neutral translations, see this article by Ligon Duncan of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the leader in complemantarian education. Also see Focus on the Family’s list of recommended and not recommended translations.

Here’s an example of a day. I’ll use March 4, since that’s the day I’m writing this review. The Scripture quoted (from the New King James Version) is Matthew 6:26. The devotional passage is by Bryant Wright, from his August 2011 devotional book Right from the Heart, and is an anecdote about watching the birds in his yard get to work early in the morning and not care about the worries of their day, because they’re simply doing what their Creator made them to do. The question of the day is: “What can you do differently to show more trust in your Creator? In what areas of life can you worry less and work harder?” I can immediately think of a number of areas of my life that need exactly this kind of reflection, prayer and work. I’ll fill my answers in and think about them throughout the day. The day’s passage will prompt me to think and pray, and possibly take action, and isn’t that the book’s point?

If you’re looking for a devotional that will solely point you to the Person and work of Christ, or to teach you more about God’s attributes, or to draw you deeper into theology, this is not the right book. There are countless fine devotionals that do exactly that. But this book is just fine in its own aim. It uses Scripture and writers’ thoughts and probing questions to make us reflect back on our own lives, to see God’s power and His desire to bless us when we are walking faithfully with Him (Psalm 37:4). For a personal time of reflection born out of a desire to see the Lord’s blessings all around and go about our day more aware of them, this book is excellent. Highly recommended.

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This book was provided free to me by Thomas Nelson through its BookSneeze program for book bloggers. While it was provided to me with the expectation of a review, all opinions are mine and are not influenced by the publisher or by BookSneeze.

Review: Who Is My Shelter? by Neta Jackson

Title: Who Is My Shelter?
Author: Neta Jackson
Category: Christian fiction
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Page Count: 427
Source: ARC from the publisher
Star Rating: 3 of 5

Gabby has had a rough time recently. Her husband has betrayed her, locked her out of the penthouse they shared with their sons, and their marriage has ended. Lost, confused, and lonely, Gabby determines that she will make the best of her unhappy situation, and she throws her energy into the shelter where she works. Almost six months go by, and Gabby opens House of Hope, a homeless shelter for women and children. Just as things are getting off the ground with the new shelter, her husband re-enters the picture and needs her help. He has been badly beaten, and Gabby is torn helping the father of her children, and still feeling hurt over his betrayal.

Despite their past, can Gabby learn to help and trust her husband again? Is she willing to forgive him and take him back? And how much has her understanding of her relationship with God changed? This is the story told in Who Is My Shelter?, alongside other stories of women in the shelter Gabby runs.

This book is the fourth and final installment in the House of Hope series by the author of the popular Yada Yada Prayer Group series. I confess this was the first book from either series that I’ve read. I probably could have understood and enjoyed it more had I been familiar with the other books and recurring characters, but as it is, the story is clear and explained enough to work as a stand-alone. I would recommended starting at least from the beginning of this series for this enjoyable and satisfying story.

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This book was provided free to me by Thomas Nelson through its BookSneeze program for book bloggers. While it was provided to me with the expectation of a review, all opinions are mine and are not influenced by the publisher or by BookSneeze.

Review: A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck

Title: A Billion Reasons Why
Author: Kristin Billerbeck
Category: Christian chick-lit
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, February 2011
Page count: 299
Source: ARC from the publisher
Star rating: 2 out of 5

I tried so hard to like this book. Honestly, I did.

Katie McKenna is from New Orleans and has lived in California for a number of years. She’s a school teacher, and one day her ex, Luc DeForges, shows up at school and whisks her away (literally) to sing in his brother’s wedding back home in New Orleans. Katie tries to resist him, but Luc eventually wins her back, and then it’s happily ever after with a totally implausible surprise wedding at the end. There’s also a lot of strange stuff about Katie’s father’s death, and weirdly stereotypical New Orleanians. It’s a hot mess of plodding confusion, honestly.

There are so many (a billion?) reasons why Christian fiction gets on my nerves and makes my skin crawl. As a rule, I don’t read it, and this book reminded me why. It’s full of cliches. The characters are unbelievable. The action is so ridiculous, but presented as the norm. Christians should be making the very best art, not this stuff that gets published no matter how bad it is.

A few things bothered me about the author’s characterization of New Orleans. Billerbeck is from northern California, and much of the New Orleans in her story seems to be culled from Wikipedia. For example, Katie is from the Irish Channel neighborhood. Yes, the neighborhood gets its name from the 19th Century Irish immigrants who settled there, but that doesn’t mean that Katie’s father would have spoken with an Irish brogue. Billerbeck seems to have completely glossed over the fact that today, the neighborhood is poor and mostly populated by African-Americans, not first-generation Irish immigrants yearning for the homeland. Also, Katie loves the 1940s and swing/big band music, which Billerbeck apparently thinks is a major facet of New Orleans’ musical history. What a lost opportunity. Instead of teaching readers about jazz, Billerbeck confuses it with swing and entirely misses the mark. I wonder if the author has ever even visited New Orleans, honestly. The way she’s written the city is just bizarre. Authors, do not write of what you do not know. Please.

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This book was provided free to me by Thomas Nelson through its BookSneeze program for book bloggers. While it was provided to me with the expectation of a review, all opinions are mine and are not influenced by the publisher or by BookSneeze.

Review: Winston Churchill by John Perry

Title: Winston Churchill
Author: John Perry
Category: biography
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2010
Page count:158
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Star rating: 4 out of 5

This little book is a condensation of historian John Perry’s larger work on Winston Churchill, a towering figure not only in English history, but in worldwide history.  We all know the face and voice of the man who looked a bit like a bulldog, and his most well-known quotes and speeches are recognizable by even the most novice history buffs, but what was behind the public figure, and what made him the man who guided England through some of its darkest days?

Perry begins early in Churchill’s life and details how Churchill loved and nearly idolized his parents, who were not as nurturing as parents should be. His nanny was much more influential and more of a mother to him, and she deserves a great deal of credit for the man Churchill would become.

We see throughout the book that Churchill could be haughty, arrogant and self-centered, believing he was set apart by God to do “the Lord’s work.” Whether Churchill was ever truly saved is still a mystery, and while he said many of the “right” things, it’d doubtful any historian can give hard and fast evidence for his salvation.

Whether Churchill was saved or not, one thing is certain: he was clearly, as he said, spared and set apart for a reason. His contributions to English history, and to the state of the world during and after World War II, cannot be downplayed. Christian or not, he had a large measure of grace to accomplish his work. This book makes that clear, even if it reaches a bit and tries to finesse Churchill’s incomplete belief system into a Christian worldview.

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This book was provided free to me by Thomas Nelson through its BookSneeze program for book bloggers. While it was provided to me with the expectation of a review, all opinions are mine and are not influenced by the publisher or by BookSneeze.