ISIDEWITH.COM 2024 VERSION (OR 2025 OR MAYBE 2028)

 

Me with my friend and '24 candidate for US Senate Andrew Horning at the Compact for Liberty Signing in 2016.

I have been regularly taking the iSideWith.com polls, but this year, I didn't get around to it until... today, two months after the election! But I found the results interesting. Let me share some thoughts that stood out.

1. Top of the list of Presidential Candidates I agree with? President Elect Donald Trump with 92%. VP elect Vance? 93%. Who is on the bottom of the list? VP Harris at a dismal 12%. Her running mate Walz clocked in at 19%.
2. But this list had other parties as well, not playing the horrible 2 party game. Of course, I lean toward Libertarianism, and I agreed with LP candidate Chase Oliver 76% of the time - less than the 85% with '16 candidate Gary Johnson, but better than the 48% with '20 candidate Jo Jorgensen. What's interesting, though, is that the 48% I agree with Jorgensen were the issues most important to me, while I disagreed with Johnson on potential deal breakers. I did hear Oliver interviewed, and I liked him okay, but not enough to vote for.
3. Did I mention that Oliver was in 3rd place of the Presidential candidates I agreed most with? Who then was 2nd place? Robert Kennedy Jr.? No, he was in 4th place with 69%. Second place was... Peter Sonski of the American Solidarity Party with 80%? What's interesting is four years ago, the ASP Presidential candidate wasn't as high, but his 49% edged out LP Jorgensen for 2nd place. Yet when I look at the Party, I agree with the ASP a mournful 27%! Trying to figure that one out. (The LP agreed with me 65% as did the big government never-heard-of-before No Labels party; the Constitution Party was a close 2nd to the GOP, 89% and 91% respectively.
4. At the bottom, they asked about potential candidates for '28. I voted for the person I was rooting for in '24: Nikki Haley. The next and final question was "Why didn't I say I'd vote for Wes Moore?" Who? First time I heard of him! So where did he fare? Not as well as Nikki, who scored 87%, behind Republicans Vance (94%), Dan Crenshaw (93%), Megyn Kelly (90%) and Libertarians Justin Amash (89%) and Spike Cohen (88%). No, Wes scored with a measly 24%, though that's actually a high number... compared to his fellow Democrats. So why did they think I'd want to vote for him? (And no, there were other Democrats scoring higher.)
5. Finally, my good friend Andrew Horning was on the list for US Senator, but they didn't have any info, so I'm not sure - would I agree 100% with him? 0%? Or somewhere in between? (I have a hunch I know the answer.)

Okay, I found that fun. Do you have any comments on what I shared? Any advice? Maybe move from being a LP fan to the Constitution Party or the American Solidarity Party?

BOOK REVIEW - "BLOWN COVER" BY JODIE BAILEY

 

What is Makenzie Fuller's former partner - AWOL for a year - doing at her undercover assignment? Does Ian Andrew really have no memory of the past four years? And is their threat the associates of the now-deceased criminal Fuller's assigned to, or somebody they would never suspect?

"Blown Cover" is an excellently crafted, thrilling suspense novel by Jodie Bailey. The author keeps releasing books that I consider the best one I've read by her, and this is an example.

You may notice the cover has a car going off a cliff. Thus, I don't think mentioning that a car going off a cliff - with one of our heroes inside - would be spoiling the novel, nor that it occurs at the beginning. There is no drop-off in the suspense. The story of Makenzie and Ian is also well written.

I considered this the best novel I read in 2024. Thus, I'm sure you won't be surprised for me to highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW - "JAMES: FAITH/WORKS" BY MATT CHANDLER

I was in a Sunday School class where we went through this workbook. It is a 13 week expository series by Matt Chandler through the book of James.

This was a very good study. Besides discussion questions for the class, there is a pair of studies to do at home for each week. The book has a password so you can view videos for the lesson.

Differences between this and other studies I've done: 

1. The others were shorter, no more than 10 lessons; this had 13.
2. The videos were of Chandler preaching sermons. The others I've seen look like they're filmed at a stage and gave the impression that he was addressing a small group (maybe even the individual viewer); this study gave us the impression we were part of the congregation.
3. The videos are longer. Other series have videos that are about 20 minutes or less; Chandler's sermons were between 30 and 40 minutes.
4. If you're looking for an expository series, I would recommend this one. Our class also used J.D. Greaer's study on Daniel: Faithful in the Fire, but that one was more focused on Daniel's standing up in a hostile society and thus focused on the passages that fit the theme. Chandler's on James covered the whole book.

I would definitely recommend this book for a Bible study, either by yourself, or in a class.

FIRST BLOG OF 2025!

 

Missionary Learning Center, Rockville, VA

Yes, it's been a while since I've posted. This is not the first time I tried to write, but it's the first time I've succeeded. 

One quick apology. When I gave my list of favorite novels, I shared the links to my review of those books, except the first one I mentioned, which I said would be up on January 2nd. Uh, no it wasn't. It should be up tomorrow.

I probably was attempting to be regular on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays for the past couple of years. For the most part, I'll say I'll aim to get those three days. If you see a blog, it will probably be posted on a Tuesday, a Thursday, or a Sunday, with this being an exception (being written on Friday).

This year will have some of what you'd expect from me. For example, I've already put down the dates for NCFCA speech and debate contests... well, I've already participated in two tournaments - one on-line and one in person - and will be doing another on-line tournament the end of the month.

How about Kingdom Come Festival? Yep, that's on the calendar in ink, which will be the 19th-21st of June. Normally, it's on Father's Day weekend, but I'm guessing that it's on the 3rd Saturday, which for six out of seven years will be the day before the 3rd Sunday (aka Father's Day); this is the exception.

Other things on the list? Some are too soon to tell, some are waiting to iron out various details. 

As far as this blog, I'm sometimes ready to give it up. Maybe I should, maybe I should work harder on it. Thank you for your prayers. I will be posting reviews still. Interviews? Those have been a struggle this year.

Well, that's it for now. See you all soon.

FAVORITE NON-FICTION 2024

I believe the quote is from C.S. Lewis, though I could be wrong.

Yes, this is an annual tradition, but I save the non-fiction for last. I have yet to hear anyone saying I should have my favorite fiction or favorite songs being the one to save for last, but as I said before, I believe these may have more impact than the other lists. 

This is the list I most often would countdown to #1 (or count down from #1), but this year I'll go with my more normal approach by putting them in alphabetic order. 

One comment I'll make - more than other years, there are authors on this list that I either know personally or interact with on-line. That is more typical with the novelists and musicians that I follow, but not as much with non-fiction. So I'm very happy with this list. 

So are you ready? Like the fiction, I'll add a link on the title to my review of the book.

1. DANIEL: FAITHFUL IN THE FIRE, by former SBC President J. D. Greaer. This was the workbook for an eight part Sunday School class study. The focus is how Daniel remained faithful in the midst of an ungodly nation. Thus, more attention is given to the historic segments than the prophetic side.
2. FIVE TRAITS OF A DISCIPLE MAKER, released by Navigators, edited by Doug Neunke (U.S. President of the Navigators). This is an excellent devotional study, just taking a few minutes a day. Each of the five traits are divided into several devotionals.
3. GOING THERE: TALES FROM THE RIVIERA AND BEYOND, by Donna Fletcher Crow. Regular readers will recognize Crow's name, and may even realize that she wasn't mentioned on the fiction list this year (which is definitely not typical). This book is a blend of experiences and history of a trip Donna made during the height of COVID and some short stories featuring characters from her mystery series. This book was considered both as fiction and non-fiction, and I chose for the latter.
4. GOOD NEWS GOING BAD: A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF A MODERN MISSIONS MELTDOWN, by Dr. Jim Baugh. I had the honor of having Jim Baugh as one of my classmates in college. This book deals with missionaries who are more concerned about not offending the lost than they are with being faithful to Scripture.
5. IN THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF PERSECUTION AND DISCIPLESHIP, by Glenn Penner. Penner used to be director of VOM-Canada and a professor at Oklahoma Wesleyan before he went home to be with the Lord. You may have seen me have other books from the New Studies in Biblical Theology series; this is not one of them but it could be. Definitely an eye-opening book.
6. NOW AND NOT YET: THEOLOGY AND MISSION IN EZRA-NEHEMIAH, by Dean Ulrich. Speaking of New Studies in Biblical Theology, here is a good book from that series.
7. RELIGHTING THE TORCH, by Andrew Horning. Another book by a personal friend. Probably the only political book in the group, but it includes annotated versions of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Amendments. 
8. STONES THAT CRY: GOD'S PRECIOUS METAL, by Glenn Remsen (art by Scott Remsen). Is all mainstream rock/metal music as evil as we think? Or is there some searching among the artists? I have a few controversial books in this list, and this probably would be at the top of the list, but it definitely made me think. By the way, I'm a Glenn Remsen fan, and love his podcast Lithoscry.
9. THE THRILL OF ORTHODOXY: REDISCOVERING THE ADVENTURE OF CHRISTIAN FAITH, by Trevin Wax, vice-president of research and resource development of the Southern Baptist Convention. I discovered Wax with his 22 part pod-cast "Reconstructing Faith," where he would mention this book each week. This definitely is a deep book, and probably one I'll reread. Its point is that the Christian life should be exciting.
10. 31 SPIRITUAL LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY DOG, by Raylene King. I've had this book for years, maybe even decades, but I'm familiar with Dennis and Raylene King, and Cosmo, the Dachshund referred to in the title. It's an excellent month long devotional.

FAVORITE SONGS - 2024

Hello Luna at Kingdom Come Festival

 This is the third song list I have, and like last year I'm making it a top 20. A lot of good songs. Once again, I'm putting them in alphabetic order.

Before I start, I will comment that I've discovered a lot of good bands and singers I was unaware of until 2024 - ten of them, to be exact. A couple were introduced to me on Glenn Remsen's Lithoscry broadcast, and several more via my connections with Always 1 Ministries which puts on Kingdom Come Festival. However, there's also one "old-timer" who made it on the list. I'll let you figure out who that iconic band that's joining more recent groups on this list.

Allow me to mention some highlights with the performances. I had the honor of seeing two of my favorite drummers to watch on Saturday morning: Mark McKowen of Divine Martyr and Christian Dunkel of Undefeated. These two bands and I Am The Pendragon, Reclaim the Day, and True Revival put on a great show as usual. There were great times of worship led by With Lifted Veils and BRVVE, But the show that blew me away was Hello Luna.

So here's the list of songs that blessed me this year. I'll put asterisks by the artists I've just been introduced to this year. I'll also include a link to my list on Spotify.

• "Above All Names" by Mr. Weaverface.*
• "Absolution" by Divine Martyr
• "Buried On The Inside" by Hello Luna*
• "Come To Forever" by Counter*
• "Cost Me Nothing" by Steph Andrews*
• "Enter The Light" by Counter
• "Fight, Fight, Fight" by Worhol
• "Help Us See Jesus" by Sovereign Grace Music
• "Life Inauthentic" by Worshipwired*
• "Lighthouse" by Crystoria
• "My Path To Walk" by David Pataconi. This one is my favorite of the year. The more I hear it, the more I'm moved, especially knowing the challenges Pataconi is facing. By the way, while this is the first time you've seen Pataconi's name on the list, I'm not including an asterisk because he's part of a band that made last year's list, and coincidentally (I promise) that band is the next entry on the list.
• "Overthrow" by TheoTerran
• "Paper Kingdoms" by Steph Andrews
• "Rise" by Undefeated
• "Rumble" by Tierra Vacia;* They also have an unplugged version; I'm including both on the playlist link.
• "The Declaration" by End of I,* featuring Deshiel Lynn*
• "Time To Go" by McKenna*
• "When We Were Kings" by Stryper
• "You Raise Me Up" - AL-TIRAH*
• "You Won't Ever Abandon Me" by Allie Crummy*

As said, here is the link to the playlist if you want to be blessed... I mean, if you want to hear the songs on my list.. Also, I'm waiting to see which songs I listened to the most this past year, and will be sharing that early next year.

FAVORITE FICTION - 2024

Courtesy of Enclave Publishing

My annual favorite lists start today with fiction, followed by songs with non-fiction the day after that. I'll call today's list a top ten, though I'm combining two books from the same series as one of the ten. 

I'll wait to next year to recalculate the novelists I read the most of, but I've read 3 novels by one author, which puts them in a tie with James Blish in 6th place at 13. 

Once again, I'll put them in alphabetic order by name. I don't want the author who's in tenth place disappointed they didn't end up higher, but I figured the real reason is that it puts all on the list on a level plane for potential readers. If you want to see the review, click on the title (one review won't be posted until January 2nd). So here goes:

1. "BLOWN COVER" by Jodie Bailey. A non-K-9 book from Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense. I've lost track on how many books are in this series she's written. This is one of two stories where the male character has amnesia for most of the book. Book review will be up January 2, 2025.

2. "COLD THREAT"/"COLD VENGEANCE" (Ryland & St. Clair, books 2 and 3) by Nancy Mehl. These are the second and third of the Ryland & St. Clair trilogy. This series is one that I thought got better as it got further along. 

3. "ICE LAKE" (A Katy Russell Mystery, Book 1) by Jackie Zack. Cozy mysteries are my comfort food, and this one fit the need. Looking forward to the rest of the series. 

4. "K-9 NATIONAL PARK DEFENDERS" (Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit, Book 9) by Katie Lee and Sharee Stover. This is a two novella conclusion of the Pacific Northwest K-9 unit. Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense has an annual multi-author K-9 series, with the main continuing stories resolved in book 8, but includes a two novella Christmas wrap up. This is the first of the concluding novellas I've read, and it won't be the last. By the way, this is the fifth of those series I've read, and is definitely my favorite.

5. "OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN PURSUIT" (Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit, Book 4) by Jodie Bailey. Yep, the second Jodie Bailey book I've mentioned, as well as the second Pacific Northwest K-9 story. 

6. "RHATALOO" (a Takamo Universe Novel) by Kerry Nietz. This is a prequel to his Muto Chronicles ("Rhats," "Rhats Too," and "Rhats Free" are all out). This story has the man-sized rats landing on a primitive earth in the days of Napolean. 

7. "SECRET SABOTAGE" by Terri Reed. Like "Blown Cover," this is a Love Inspired Suspense story where the male lead has amnesia through most of the book. I'll let something slip here: those were my two favorites of the year. 

8. "SCENT OF TRUTH" (Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit, Book 2) by Valerie Hansen. In this book, the heroine is trying to solve killings and bad behavior from someone who looks just like her.

9. "THREAT DETECTION" (Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit, Book 5) by Sharon Dunn. You might look at the list, and realize I have 4 books from this series on my list, just less than half. Well, I actually have the first book on last year's list, meaning over half the books have the "honor" of being one of my favorites!

10. "WITNESS IN PERIL" by Jodie Bailey. The third Jodie Bailey book on the list. It takes place at the Grand Canyon, helping me feel homesick. 

Have you read any of these books? Any that you want to add to your list to read?

Tomorrow, I'll be looking at my favorite songs.