Cherished by Kim Cash Tate: A Review

About the Book:

Kelli London once dreamed of being a songwriter. As crazy as it seemed, she hoped that God would use the lyrics that came to her even while she slept. She dreamed about Brian too, that the love they shared as high-school students would grow into marriage. But choices that still haunt her destroyed those dreams. Until now-when a series of love letters reawakens her hope for the future.

Heather Anderson's life has spun out of control-first, an affair with a married man, then a one-night stand with the drummer of a popular Christian band has left her devastated. Broken and alone, she cried out to the only One able to save her. He met her there, but it was just the beginning. Because now she must take a different path. And the one God has planned for her looks nothing like the one she envisioned.

My Comments:

If you like your Christian fiction on the religious side, this is the book for you.  It starts off in church, at a wedding.  We meet women who are in a Bible Study/Accountability group together.  One character is a Christian rapper.  Not long after the book opens we visit a conference for those who hope to sing Christian music, and there we learn that not all Christians are as Christ-like as we would hope.  I read 87 pages and I don't think there was a paragraph that didn't involve religion in one way or another.  It just didn't seem realistic and as I don't really care for the sermon dressed up as a novel type books, I'm marking it DNF and moving on to something else.

I'd like to thank Thomas Nelson publishers and the BookSneeze program for providing a complimentary hard copy of the book.  I also received a NetGalley.  I was not obligated to provide a positive review.  

Review: Thomas Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts

Nelson's Complete Book of BIble Maps and Charts, 3rd Edition

Wow.  As I've noted here before, for all the religious books I read, the amount of time I have put into actually studying the Scriptures is relatively minimal.  By the time I reached an age to undertake serious study of the Bible, our religion classes had denigrated to values-clarification sessions with little substance.  I've picked up books now and then through the years, but never one that was as helpful in visually depicting the flow of Bible history, the themes in Biblical writing and lots of Bible triva.

For each book of the Bible (except the Deuterocanonical books which were omitted)the chapter in Nelson's Complete Book of BIble Maps and Charts, 3rd Edition beings with a short paragraphs describing the content.  That is followed by information on the author, the dates the book was likely composed as well as the dates written about.  Next, they discuss the themes and literary structures in the book, and there is often a map showing where the events happened.  Next, there is a chart showing the focuses of the chapter, the verse references for those focuses, divisions, topics, locations, and time periods. For example 2 Samuel has three focuses:  David's Triumphs, David's Transgressions, and David's Troubles.  Under David's Triumphs, the divisions are:  Political Triumphs, Spiritual Triumphs and Military Triumphs.  The Topics for all three of these divisions are Success and Obedience.  The location of his Political Triumphs was Hebron, the others were in Jerusalem.  His political triumphs lasted 7.5 years, the rest of the book lasted 33 years.  This is followed by an outline of the chapter.Finally, there is narrative giving more history or information about people or places.  The chapter on 2 Samuel talks about polygamy as a cause of the problems in David's family.

The book includes lots of interesting charts like Women of the Old Testament, Women of the New Testament, Couples in Scripture, Jewish Feasts, Herod's family tree and a diagram of the Temple.

I looked at some "hot button" issues to see how they were handled.  Regarding creation, it is mentioned that some scholars see the "days" as 24 hour days, while others see them as periods of indeterminate length and others see the six day creation sequence as a literary framework.  In other words, it takes no position on creation vs evolution except to say "God created the world in orderly fashion as part of a master plan.  The world did not evolve on its own or by accident".  When discussing Paul's epistles, much is made of Paul's  teachings that we are saved by faith.  When discussing the Book of James, it is noted that Paul and James were writing to different audiences for different purposes and that their writings were not really in conflict.  Rather, James points out that faith has to be more than intellectual assent, it has to bear fruit.

When the Gospels are outlined, some stories don't receive the titles or prominence they might if this was a Catholic publication.  For example, the Last Supper is mentioned, and the institution of the Memorial Meal, but the word Eucharist is not used.  There is a section where Peter's confession of faith is noted, but not the fact that he was given the keys to the kingdom.  Still, on the whole, I'd say this is a good book to get an overview of the Bible and to learn a lot about Biblical history and geography.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publisher's Book Sneeze program for providing me with a complimentary review copy.  You can learn more at their product page.

Grade A- (A Catholic version with all the books in the Bible would have gotten an A+)

Jack Daniel's Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook by Lynne Tolley and Pat Mitchamore: My Review

I like cookbooks, but find they are often divided into two types: 1) "Kitchen Porn"--those with pretty pictures of fantastic food that are utterly impractical for the average family or 2) Basic cookbooks filled with the kind of food real people cook, but not many pretty pictures. Jack Daniel's Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook is one that transcends those categories. It is an attractive, photo-filled book with recipes that real people actually make. However, most of the photos are of the people and places in Tennessee, not of the food in the book. There are chapters on Drinks, Appetizers, Soups & Salads, Vegetables, Breads, Entrees, Outdoor Cooking, Desserts and Cakes & Pies. Given the name of the book, it should come as no surprise that many of the recipes contain Jack Daniel's whiskey; however not all do.

In general the recipes are short and contain ingredients found in most kitchens. I'll share two with you--one with Jack, the other without.

Mashed Potato Casserole (page 71):

6 medium potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
butter

Preheat oven to 400. Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and mash. Add onion, sour cream and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into greased 1.5 quart casserole. Sprinkle with bread crumbs dot with butter. Bake until brown.

Pineapple a la Jack Daniel (page 36)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey
2 fresh pineapples, cut into cubes

Bring sugar and water to boil, simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Add Jack Daniels Whiskey. Pour over pineapple cubes and chill for a few hours in the refrigerator.

I can hardly wait to start cooking some of this food!

Thanks to the Thomas Nelson Book Review Program for providing a complimentary copy of this book for my review.

To purchase from Amazon: Jack Daniel's Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook

Thomas Nelson Product Page

Note: The cover of my book does not look like that shown above; mine resembles the Jack Daniel's label.

Review: Seaside Letters

Thanks to the Thomas Nelson Book Blogger Review Program for a funny, sweet and serious romance, Seaside Letters The hero, Tucker, meets the heroine, Sabrina but she won't let anyone get close to her emotionally as she has just been dumped by her fiancee in favor of the cousin with whom she grew up. He suggests she post something to an internet message board, and when she does, he emails her using a screen name. She responds, not knowing it is him, using a screen name. He knows it is her; she doesn't know it is him until he sends a photo. She is falling in love with him, but doesn't want him to know it is her--but she doesn't want to give up the relationship either. She emails him a photo of another cousin. Then he hires her to help him find this woman with whom he is in love. Next, the cousin whose photo she sent him shows up.

In some ways the book is a comedy; it is funny watching Sabrina try to figure out how to hold on to Tucker without letting him know who she is, while we know he already knows.

The author explains at the end of the book that in her romances she tries to show the love of Christ through the love of her characters. In this book Tucker pursues Sabrina even though he knows her faults; he loves her more than she loves herself.

The book is Christian fiction, though for most of the book you wouldn't know it--except that it is a clean romance. I enjoyed it and think that most people who enjoy clean romances will like this one.

Author, Denise Hunter's webpage
Book Preview
Seaside Letters">To Purchase from Amazon

Plain Promise: My Review

I enjoyed Beth Wiseman's Plain Perfect last year so when the Thomas Nelson book review program offered her new book Plain Promise (A Daughters of the Promise Novel) I was happy to request a copy.

Plain Promise is the story of Sadie Fisher, a young Amish widow who rents out her guest house to a single man from California. Shortly thereafter, his autistic young son is dropped off by his ex-wife, who shortly thereafter is killed in a car accident. Kade is a wealthy developer who, despite all his toys, is deeply unhappy. She feels attracted to him, but knows that being with him would mean leaving her family and friends. She has been corresponding with an Amish man in Texas for some time; will she marry him? Kade is attracted to her, and to some extent, to the Amish lifestyle, but can he fully accept the Amish lifestyle? The book also contains a sub-plot about a romance between two elderly Amish, which I thought was sweet.

I enjoyed the book. There were a few references to characters featured in Wiseman's other books, but this book is fine as a stand-alone novel. As in Plain Perfect, the outsider comes to Lancaster County looking for peace on his or her own terms and finding it on Amish terms. I'd be real curious to know how often people to convert to the Amish faith/lifestyle and how often it really sticks. As fascinating as I find the Amish, I find it extremely difficult to imagine leaving this life for theirs. Faith is a part of the book, but isn't really preachy.

Plain Promise is an easy feel-good read and I recommend it to those who enjoy books about the Amish or those who like clean romances.

For more information, check out Beth Wiseman's website, her blog or follow her on Twitter

Click to Purchase from Amazon: Plain Promise (A Daughters of the Promise Novel)
Thomas Nelson Product Page (Includes preview of book)

Review: Read and Share Toddler Bible by Gwen Ellis

Thanks to the Thomas Nelson Book Blogger Program, my five year old and I were able to review The Read and Share Toddler Bible, which comes with a DVD showcasing fourteen favorite Bible stories.

The book contains twenty-five Old Testament stories and fifteen New Testament stories. In some cases though, on event takes two stories to tell, probably catering to the short attention span of young children. For example, one story tells us how God told Noah to build the ark, and shows the ark being loaded. It tells us that the rain started, but that those inside were snug and safe. The next story tells us about the dove going out and the people leaving the ark. It ends with the rainbow. The illustrations are bright, colorful and well-done. The wording includes plenty of sound effects that make the book fun to read aloud.

On the last page of each story is a Parents box which offers activities and discussion questions. For the Noah's ark story, the first box suggests letting your little one pretend to pound and saw like Noah and pretend to be the different animals climbing up the ramp. After pitter-pattering like the rain and howling like the rain, parents are asked to help the child thank God for keeping him safe. After the second story, making a rainbow is suggested, along with talking with your child about how the rainbow stands for God's promise.

Looking at this book from a Catholic perspective, I found no errors of commission--what was there appeared to be accurate. I realize that a book like this can't include every story or every detail, but it contained no mention of the Last Supper or institution of the Eucharist and, in telling the story of the Annunciation, it did not mention anything about Mary being extraordinary in any way, nor did it mention that her "yes" was an important part of the story.

The video is cute and my five year old has enjoyed it. I'd recommend this book to anyone with young children and think it and the activities in it could be used not only with your own kids, but also with a preschool religion program or, with some of them, for a Liturgy of the Word for children.

You can view part of the book here.

Book Review: The I Believe Bunny by Tish Rabe

Thanks to the Thomas Nelson Book Review Program, my five year old assistant and I spent some time tonight with The I Believe Bunny. This lovely hardcover book is illustrated in pastel colors and the cover shown above is illustrative of the style of the pictures. The words have rhythm and rhyme, making it a fun book to read aloud.

I Believe Bunny heard a mouse drowning in the river. He stuck a stick in the river to pull the mouse to safety, but felt he was losing his grip, so he prayed that God would help him be strong. Friends showed up and together they pulled the mouse to safety, showing that God answered his prayer. Near the end of the book, it says:

Have faith in God's love,
and you'll find when you do,
nothing you try will be
impossible for you.

This a beautiful book and my daughter enjoyed it. I can see it becoming part of the regular rotation of bedtime stories. However, I'm a little concerned about the message shown above. Yes, I believe God answers prayers. No, I don't think that praying about something means you are necessarily going to get it. Now, in this story, the bunny prays for strength, but gets friends instead, so I am going to point out that God knows better than we do, and that He doesn't always give us what we want. However, there are going to be times in that bunny's life when he prays for strength to be able to do something, and what he'll get is the strength to deal with the fact that he couldn't. I know that doesn't make for cute kids stories, but I'm a little concerned with telling kids that if they want something, they just need to pray and have faith and it will be granted.

Thomas Nelson product page.

My Review: His Name is Jesus

I'd like to thank the Thomas Nelson Book Bloggers Program for this lovely book. His Name is Jesus is a beautiful pictorial meditation on the high points of the life of Jesus. Thomas Nelson Publishers markets it as a gift book, and includes a matching case with the book.

Covering stories such as the Nativity, the calming of the storm, healing Jarius' daughter, feeding the five thousand, healing the blind man, the washing of the disciples feet and the crucifixion, the book is printed on glossy paper and is illustrated primarily with photographs of nature. The stories not only include the words of Jesus from scripture but also set the scene and point out the emotions of those in the story. For example, regarding the stoning of the woman caught in adultery, Lucado says of those questioning Jesus "Cocky with borrowed courage, the smirk as they watch the mouse go for the cheese". About the woman, at the end of the story, he says "Maybe she expected him to scold her. Perhaps she expected him to walk away from her. I'm not sure, but I do know this: What she got, she never expected. She got a promise and a commission. The promise: 'Then neither do I condemn you'. The commission: 'Go and sin no more'".

The book is really designed to be picked up and savored in short sessions, rather than read through. There is extensive use of calligraphy and poems are scattered here and there. As it is Holy Week, I'm using the sections on the passion this week.

Unfortunately, the book does have some flaws. The first is an omission. While Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is covered, as is the agony in the garden, there is no mention of the institution of the Eucharist. The second problem that I had was that when telling the story of Jesus giving Mary and John to each other, Lucado speaks of Mary having raised a house of full of children. We know she didn't have other children, and I have to wonder where Joseph's other children were when they went to Bethlehem, if they were young enough to need raising.

On the whole, however, it is a beautiful and inspiring book.

My Review: In the Footsteps of Paul

In the Footsteps of Paul is a beautiful coffee table (or as the publisher refers to it, “gift book”) which combines photography and scripture. The author follows the journeys of St. Paul using the Act of the Apostles as his source material. The two page spreads generally begin with a quotation from Acts and have two (but sometimes one, or more) photographs showing the area referenced. There is also usually some narration by the author or a quote from someone famous.

The photography is absolutely gorgeous. Either Photoshop did a great job or the blue of the Mediterranean is like no water I’ve ever seen. It matches the sky in places. Of course the photos were recently taken so they can’t completely illustrate the world as St. Paul knew it, but many of the pictures are of ancient ruins. Being from someplace as new as the United States, it is interesting to see those ancient aqueducts going through modern cities.

One thing I found helpful in the book was the maps showing Paul’s journeys and naming the towns discussed in Acts. I’ve seen the maps in Bibles, but these maps were followed by pictures of the places, making it easier to get a mental picture of what they must have been like at that time.

If you are trying to learn more about St. Paul during this Pauline year, but aren’t looking for heavy-duty reading, this book may be for you. I enjoyed it and it is landing on my keeper shelf, not in the giveaway box. Thanks to the Thomas Nelson Book Blogger program for sending me the book. Their product page, which will allow you to look into the book, is here.

Good Material; Fair Animation

Thanks to Thomas Nelson's Book Blogger Program, my little one received a DVD of Bible Stories. The stories include the annunciation, the nativity, the birth of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, the feeding of the 5,000, Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, Jacob and Esau, and more. While the characters did not directly quote scripture, the paraphrase was generally close enough to be familiar and there was not a lot of extraneous material in the stories. For example, no one told Mary or Elizabeth that her baby was cute.

I realized when I requested the DVD that this wasn't likely to be a high-budget Disney-like presentation. However, even given that lack of expectation, I found some of the animation jerky and not well-coordinated with the sound. However, even though they were relatively simple, I think the illustrations did a good job of tellig the story being narrated.

Of course with a cartoon presentation like this, Mom's opinion is only part of the equation. The intended audience is somewhat younger than I am, so I am please to report that my four year old likes the DVD and has requested it several times. I guess it succeeded at its mission.

Since the DVD sticks pretty much to scripture to tell the story, rather than interpreting it, I didn't see anything that should give a Catholic parent pause; though the publisher is not Catholic. Thomas Nelson's product page is here.