BOOK REVIEW - K-9 NATIONAL PARK DEFENDERS (PACIFIC NORTHWEST K-9 UNIT BOOK 9) BY KATY LEE AND SHAREE STOVER

Why did K-9 officer Emily Eastwood's sister disappear from a burning cabin - while Emily was still in it? Meanwhile, is an old foe of Dylan Jeong starting another string of bombings, planning on starting the New Year with a bang?

I''ve now read five Love Inspired Suspense's multi-author series, but before now, I've only read the first eight of the series, which ends with wrapping up the stories that ran through the collection. This is the first time I've read the final book, which is a pair of novellas dealing with characters not yet finding the love of their lives. 

As being part 9 of the series, do you need to read the first books before this one? Yes. If you haven't, this book will spoil the stories it took several books to develop. 

As I said, it's a pair of Novellas. The first is "Yuletide Ransom," where Veronica Eastwood's sister and the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit's tech guru Jasmin is kidnapped while the girls try to have a sisterly bonding Christmas trip, and Veronica, her-former rival Parker Walsh, and their K-9s run to the rescue. The latter, "Holiday Rescue Countdown," pit Pacific Northwest K-9 officers Brandie Weller and Dylan Jeong, aided by the adorable St. Bernard Ridge, against a holiday bomber whose MO is like a former case of Jeong's - a creep who murdered his best friend and his K-9 partner.

Both of these are shorter than the other stories, but they were very enjoyable. I loved the character development as well as the plots filled with plenty of twists.

I recommend this book.

 

INTERVIEW WITH MUSICIAN EDDIE KROSS

Eddie Kross (left) at Kingdom Come Festival 2024 with Cole Plumley (drums) and Shawn Short (bass) 

It's a pleasure to interview Eddie Kross. He's part of the prayer group where we pray for Christian artists (musicians and novelists and the like). He has a concert in Lansing, MI coming up - I've got a poster for it at the bottom of this blog.  

JR: Welcome to the blog! I’ll start by asking how you came to Christ.

EK: I came from an abusive home and was in foster homes, juvy and other behavioral "placements" as a young teen... eventually ending up on the streets.  

One day when I was looking for a certain someone at their brother's house, I was met by three ladies having a prayer meeting.  God introduced himself to me at that meeting... and I ended up on my face before a Holy God that knew everything I had ever been through, and knew me by name.  Through His spiritual gifts at work through those Christian ladies, God said to me that He saw the times I had wept on my bed, crying stains on my pillow... that He knew what each tear stain had been and said that He had stationed an angel by my bedside to bring my every petition to Him.  

He went on to tell me: "This will be the covenant between you and Me: I will be your God, and you will be my son.  Over the next three seasons and I will make your ways My ways.  And I will make your music, My music.  And you will play My music to the masses." After that I immediately got off the streets and began to devour the Bible, finding myself in every verse.  I learned to work hard and went forward and upward with God, in life.  In 1994 I Got married and started a family.

JR: When did you start getting interested in music, and what led you to get into Christian music?

EK: I loved the sound of overdriven guitars from the time I first heard them (That, and synthesizers!)  Laying on my bed listening to the heavy metal greats of the 80's on my Walkman while looking at the artwork and reading the lyrics on the backs of the album covers was a humongous part of my growing up.

At some point I realized I wanted to be playing music like that.  So I saved money from a summer job and bought myself a nice Yamaha electric guitar and an amp (Peavey Envoy, I think?)  I was about 15 years old.

Fast forward to the time when God caught ahold of me at 19 and I started to seek "His music."  I had long since lost my Peavey and stuff.  Someone had given me an acoustic guitar, though.  

As I began writing lyrics and chord progressions while praying and worshiping God, I really felt like He was giving me the words.  And I was reading verses in the Bible like where Jesus is telling His disciples: "Don't worry before hand what you will say when you are brought before nations, The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say."  Plus, the words of the songs I was writing were riddled with stories and verses from the Bible... so in a way they were literally His Words.  I really believed he was giving me His music.

As I would go on to play these songs as a guest at churches, at backyard BBQs and really everywhere I could get the chance, I began to see God move on people's hearts.  Things would happen.  One time while playing a song called "Broken Hearts" the entire congregation began spontaneously weeping and people just began huddling together and praying together... It was amazing to see God move!

Eventually I would be in some Christian bands and over the years I have played everything from blues, jazz, alternative, country rock, reggae, metal...

JR: I enjoyed listening to your music, especially “Me Again.” Would you like to tell us about that song and also your most recent project?

EK: After I came back from fighting in Iraq with the US Army in 2005 I spent about a decade running away from God... in the bottle... smokin' dope and other sins I'm ashamed of. In 2014 I returned to God and He delivered me from all those addictions cold turkey (March 3rd, 2014!).

Shortly after that I developed some pretty serious medical problems and I didn't think I would ever be able to sing again.  I stopped playing music altogether for a while. Then I thought, well maybe I can record an instrumental album.  I worked on that for a while but then I cried out to God: "Please God, I don't want to be in exile any longer... Please Lord, let me sing Your praises once again!"  I vowed that if He would let me sing again I would sing every single note for Him! Wouldn't you know it, he gave me back my voice and I began writing Christian hard rock/metal songs.

Sometimes Satan works pretty hard at reminding me of my wayward choices during that falling away period I went through and also the brokenness I experienced as a child. And I think a lot of times people get these labels attached to ourselves... It's like we hear voices from the past saying: 

   "You're not good enough."

    "You're a failure."

    "You never had any friends."

    "You're a drunk."

    "You ARE the sins you've committed!"

"ME AGAIN" is sung from the perspective of someone questioning those (demonic) voices and reflecting on choices that they've made.  And ultimately longing for peace in their life... and to be set free from the past and hoping for a bright future.

Upcoming projects? Well, right now I'm busting my keister getting ready for this show we are putting on September 21st in Lansing, MI! We're actually throwing the concert so I have been programming lights and doing a lot of promo, organizing volunteers, etc, etc.

JR: If I remember correctly, you were at the Kingdom Come Festival this year. What was that like? I was there, but I was helping at the welcome station when you were on.

EK: It was awesome.  Man, Chris Bousum and the folks that put on that show really know how to take care of the artists and bands!  That was our 2nd stop on our little REBORN tour and believe me, it was the highlight of the summer.  I think because we're new on the scene this year we were a surprise to folks at the show, too.  We played a great set and the response afterward was overwhelming (All Glory To God).  Plus, it was awesome to get to see and meet other great Christian metal bands that were there.

JR: For years, I’ve had the impression that Christian rock is on the front lines of spiritual warfare, with attacks coming from satan, from the world, and from the church. Would you agree? If so, what does this look like, and how has Christ and other brothers and sisters come and helped fight with you?

EK: Let me tell ya, it has been one constant setback after another ever since we put our hands to the plow. Cancelled flights, sickness, drummer got bit by a deadly spider, people you're counting on just drop off at the last second, misunderstandings and conflict, people being quick to get offended and worrying over penny-anny stuff.... I'll tell ya.  Don't get into Christian metal, if your "metal" hasn't been tested.  Because it's not for the weak.

There are some really great servants of the Lord who are out there though... people who are specifically praying for and supporting Christian rock and metal bands in any way they can.  Thank God for you guys!

JR: Thank you for your time. Do you have any web-pages to keep up with what you’re doing? Anything interesting coming up? And anything else you’d like to share?

EK: Hey, thanks Jeffrey!  It's been fun.

Here are some links, including one for our upcoming show! We are really asking people to listen EDDIE KROSS REBORN on Spotify and to please add those three songs to their playlists.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0jOU3OuKuf9JRAk8kT6wRT

Webpage: https://eddiekross.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EddieKrossOfficial

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@eddiekross2130

Underground Christian Rock Show! (Facebook event) https://www.facebook.com/share/J7zkKqfC1G5WxR5q/

After this last show of the tour season we're gonna focus on releasing all the video footage we've accumulated from the shows this summer.  Including our first official Music video. And focus on increasing our social media, Spotify viewership, etc. 
...and we have some new music to release this fall and winter!

SATURDAY CONTROVERSIES: ARE WE CALLING ON GOD AND JESUS PROPERLY? (PART 2)

Jesus and the Children; artist unknown (at Rutland Chapel at Ridgecrest).

Last week, I looked at the doctrine of the Trinity and whether it was a first tier (i.e. salvation) issue. I'm staying with the doctrine of God, but I'm dealing with an issue that most Christians aren't concerned with but those that are make a big deal about it: God' and Jesus' names.

Let's start with looking at how God is addressed. He has several names but most add one of these four names: 

1. God (Hebrew El or Elohim; Greek Theos) - the word for God, whether the one true God or false gods (idols).
2. Lord (Hebrew Adonai; Greek Kurios) - the word for Lord, whether the heavenly Lord of all or the earthly Lords and kings (sometimes Kurios is translated "sir").
3. Father - this is primarily  used of God the Father in the New Testament. There are a few OT references to God as the Father.
4. Yahweh/Yah - The name of God. (Erroneously written as Jehovah.) In the OT, it's translated as LORD or GOD (all caps in both situations). 

Now, should we call Him by His name? Some make a big thing about His name, but I see that more as something to boast over others about. Israelites felt they weren't worthy to say His name, so they substituted "Adonai" (Lord) for Yahweh. Originally, Hebrew didn't have vowels and later added vowel points; when they got to Yahweh, they put in the vowel points for Adonai, which is where they got Jehovah (more on the letter "j" later). 

My dad had a good answer for a Jehovah's Witness on why we don't use God's name. He pointed out he never called his earthly father by his name out of respect. Same reason the Jews wouldn't say "Yahweh," why the New Testament writers used "Kurios" instead of transliterating Yahweh into Greek, why most English translations use LORD/GOD. If you want to use His name, go for it, but it's not a salvation issue.

Then, we come to Jesus. Some point out that when He was on earth, He was called by his Hebrew/Aramaic name Yeshua (the vowels may vary, because of what I mentioned before). I know a person who's offended when He's called by Jesus instead. Allow me to point out three facts:

1. Yes, He was called Yeshua during the incarnation. But Yeshua was not a unique name - it was also the Hebrew name of Joshua Son of Nun or Joshua the priest in the return to Judah. The importance is on the meaning - Yahweh saves - than on the letters and sounds.
2. He was the savior, not just of Israel but of the whole worlds. He also told His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. He didn't tell them to teach the world Hebrew so they could understand the Gospel. At that time, most of the known world spoke Greek, so that made it easier to spread the good news. Was that an accident? Nope. So it would be expected to be preaching the Messiah in Greek to the Greek speaking world.
3. Unfortunately, not all alphabets have every sound. Spanish has no "j" sound (nor does Hebrew or Greek) and English does not have Spanish's trilling double "r." Greek lacked a single letter making a "y" sound, and lacked an "sh" sound. They did get the "y" sound by putting an iota ("i") before another vowel. This problem was dealt with a couple of hundred years before Jesus' birth - Jesus (or Joshua) became Iesous. So as the Gospel spread, the Messiah was known as Iesous instead of Yeshua. Did this take God by surprise? Seriously? No, not at all. 

Add these together, and I don't doubt that it was a big deal to God or Jesus that in different languages His name fit the language.

By the way, one argument I hear is that "j" is a new letter. Ah, but what sound does "j" make? In Spanish, "j" makes an "h" sound; In Serbo-Croation, "j" makes a "y" sound (the "j" sound is spelled "dz"). My hunch is originally it made the "y" sound, because the "j" replaced the "i" in names starting with a "y" sound.

The reality is God and Jesus knows who is being addressed whether by Yeshua or Jesus. The Devil and the world hates us equally whichever name we use.

 

BOOK REVIEW - "SNOWBOUND ESCAPE" (PACIFIC NORTHWEST K-9 UNIT BOOK 8) BY DANA MENTINK

 

After seven months on the run, can Mara Gilmore survive long enough to clear her name as a suspect of a double murder, even though her father and brother are threatened by the real killer? Will K-9 Officer Tanner Ford and his Boxer partner Britta be able to to protect Mara from the murderer and his henchman during a blizzard? And which of three candidates for the unit's two open positions be disappointed?

"Snowbound Escape" by Dana Mentink is the thrilling conclusion of the eight part multi-author Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit series. Okay, there is a book 9, featuring a pair of novellas, but all the main story threads are wrapped up in this story.

This is what you expect suspense to be. There are more twists and turns than there are on Tanner and Mara's escape route. And speaking of Tanner and Mara, you have two well developed characters. And of course, there's Britta.

By the way, did I mention this is the eighth book in the series? Should you read them in order? At this point, absolutely.  I read books 3-5 before 2, and that wasn't a problem. But that's not true as everything is being resolved. And speaking of resolved, I had a suspicion of which recruits would become part of the team, and that proved right. But my lips are sealed. I'm not telling.

I absolutely loved the whole series, and "Snowbound Escape" wrapped it up on a high note.

BOOK REVIEW - "IDENTITY AND IDOLATRY: THE IMAGE OF GOD AND ITS INVERSION" (NEW STUDIES IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY)

 What should we consider the source of our identity either as a human being or as a believer? And why do we end up falling into idolatry?

In "Identity and Idolatry: The Image of God and its Inversion," Richard Lints gives an interesting persective in this book. With all the emphasis on our individual identity (e.g. race, gender, etc.) I expected this to be a critique of this mindset and pointing out that image seeking could be rooted in idolatry. Nope. He goes back to the beginning (Genesis 1), and investigates what is meant when the Bible teaches mankind is made in the image of God. He then goes to how humans have rejected worship of God and have created idols, such as when a month after Israel heard the voice of God give them the Ten Commandments, they ask Aaron to make a golden calf, and then declared that statue was the God who delivered them.

Lints also looks at how Christianity attacked idolatry, and then how Enlightenment Philosohers like Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche use the arguments Christians employed to discredit idols to discredit Christianity (and religion as a whole).

Definitely a though provoking book. I recommend it and also the New Studies in Biblical Theology series "Identity and Idolatry" is a part of.

SATURDAY CONTROVERSIES: IS THE TRINITY AN ESSENTIAL OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH? - PART 1

 

The Plains of Heaven by John Martin

In introducing this series, I tried to say that I'm dealing with issues that are second and third tier issues, not those of utmost importance. But is the Trinity a first tier issue? 

One thing that made me feel good about my thinking is to hear something I had thought about in dealing with a theological issue stated by a respected theologian. In this case, I'm referring to a concept that James White, author of the excellent "The Forgotten Trinity" mentioned. This thought is represented by a triangle, but not what you think it stands for. One of the sides is labeled "Only one God." The second side is labeled "Jesus Is God." Finally, the third is "Three Persons, One God". 

Allow me to say that the Trinity is a simple concept to say but difficult to comprehend. Any attempt to illustrate it - such as H20 being ice, water, steam, or an egg being yolk, white, and shell - fails in at least one point  Does that weaken this doctrine? I. Don't. Think. So. We are talking about God. Of course, dealing with God and His nature should be expected beyond our fallible mortal paygrade. To be able to comprehend God is lowering Him to our level.

Anybody disagree that the Bible teaches Monotheism as an essential belief? If you're not a Trinitarian, let me give a fact that some are either unconsciously or consciously ignoring: All Trinitarians believe Monotheism is an essential belief. Trinitarians do not believe in three Gods, but one God in three persons. Any other "god" deserves the quotation marks. 

Most Trinity deniers have one target they attack - the Deity of Christ. Some say He was just a man, while others say He was a spiritual being such as an archangel. But the deity of Christ is not only taught throughout the New Testament (Jesus forgiving the sins of the paralytic, which only God could do in Matthew 9:1-7; saying "Before Abraham was I Am" in John 8:58; Jesus accepting worship which the disciples and angels didn't and Herod did and died as a result), but in the Old Testament there are appearances of God to Jacob, Samson's parents, and Gideon; since no one saw God (John 1:18) and God is Spirit, it is logical that these were pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus Christ.

There is another group of Trinity rejecters that affirm that Jesus is God. But they don't believe in three persons to the one God. Rather, they believe Jesus is God and that He sometimes take the role of the Father, sometimes that of the Son, and yet other times as the Spirit; this belief is called Modalism or Sabellianism. Now, while Scripture makes the case of Monotheism and Christ's Deity are essential, does it state that believing one God in three Persons is a salvation requirement? While most Trinitarians believe it is, others are open to Modalists being considered believers. One problem, though, is that most Modalists also believe their view is an essential tenet of faith.

I do believe the Bible clearly teaches the Trinity (see Matthew 3:5-7; 28:19). Main reason - it's a uniquely Christian doctrine. There are triads, but no other religion teaches in a Trinity, or maybe better called a Tri-Unity. There are religions, though, that are Monotheistic but not Christian.  

Some claim that the pope originated Trinitarianism. Uh, at that time there was not an official pope - that happed a couple of centuries later with Leo the Great. More often, Constantine is blamed for starting a new religion to control the people, but why then did he not hold on to emperor worship? Plus, the originator of the term "Trinity" was Tertullian, a century before Nicea. 

One other point - Under Trinitarianism, God had fellowship between the Three Persons before man was created. God didn't need us for fellowship, nor were the created angels sufficient for fellowship. To me, the Trinity makes perfect sense.

BOOK REVIEW - "COLD CASE KILLER PROFILE" (QUANTICO PROFILERS BOOK 2) BY JESSICA PATCH

 

Did discovering the latest victim of the Sunrise Serial Killer put forensic artist Brigette Linsey in the murderer's radar? Can she manage this mystery while dealing with her father who has dementia and FBI Agent Duke Jericho?

"Cold Case Killer Profile" is the second book of Jessica Patch's Quantico Profilers series, but if you missed book one, you'll still enjoy this one; there are some common characters, but this is basically a stand alone.

This story is full of surprises, some of which are unsettling. The lead characters work well together. There also are faith themes in it that blend in with this novel.

I recommend this book.

2024 INTERVIEW WITH KERRY NIETZ

 

Since I started this blog, I've only had one repeat interviewee, that being Donna Fletcher Crow. Well, now Kerry Nietz has become the second. I have interviewed him a couple of other times when I was a contributor on a couple of other blog pages.

JR:  Welcome back to the blog, Kerry. It’s been almost four years since I interviewed you last. To put it in perspective, it was about 6 months into COVID. Anything you’d like to update us about from that time?

KN: Great to be back, Jeffrey. Hard to believe it has been that long. Much has changed since we last talked, not the least of which is that society has pretty much returned to normal. No more masks or quarantines. No more infection counts. 

My family marked a couple milestones since then too. My wife and I celebrated our 20-year anniversary a couple years ago. I now have a child in college and two more in high school. We also took one epic cross-country family trip since then. 

I became a 3D printing enthusiast during that time too. Even printed myself a full set of Halo armor to wear at a writers’ conference. (Realm Makers.) That armor now serves as a cool office decoration.

JR: I remember a line from Steve Taylor’s song “Am I In Sync?” about a scientist who “lost his mind to renegade mice.” For some reason, that makes me think of your Takamo universe series known as The Muto Chronicles, consisting of "Rhats!" (2018), "Rhats Too!" (2019), "Rhataloo" (2021), and "Rhats Free"! (2024). What’s a muto, and would you like to tell us about the series?

KN: Mutos are man-sized space-faring rodents. They hail from a portion of the Takamo Universe called the Rhatsibahn Empire. They’re typically scoundrels and lackeys (think Star Trek’s Ferengi) but occasionally a nobler character emerges. My stories follow a couple of those honorable types.

JR: Hearing about the Takamo Universe makes me hungry, though it might be that I confuse it with the Indianapolis pizza chain Jokamo’s. For those like me who forgot your explanation four years ago, what is the Takamo Universe? Are mutos a regular part of that realm, or are they your unique contribution to this literary world?

KN: Takamo started as a turn-based mail-in computer game (meaning the computer ran the numbers and gave the results) back in the eighties. It was crafted by a handful of college students and grew to have over 10,000 participants. Along the way, an encyclopedia’s worth of lore developed. 

Mutos have been part of the mythos since the beginning. In fact, "Rhataloo" is based on established Takamo canon, though I added a fair deal to the story. The other Muto Chronicle plots are mostly my creation. Randall Ritnour, the driving force behind Takamo today, suggested places for my rhats to visit, what they might be searching for, and who they might encounter. I took it from there. 

JR: You had at least one non-muto book since I last interviewed you, a novel that captured my imagination: "Lost Bits." Could you tell us about the story, and did I miss any others I might have missed?

KN: Sure. "Lost Bits" grew out of an everyday occurrence at home. While searching for something, I happened to open one of our upstairs cupboards and discovered a stack of dusty, forgotten eReaders that my kids had either worn out or outgrown. 

I felt a touch of melancholy. “How sad. These machines that were an integral part of our life are now discarded.” I moved from that to “What if that happened to a robot?” So, I started writing about what might happen if a robot woke up in a junkyard and decided to look for his human family. Along the way he befriends other technological misfits. I think of it as a robot-centric "Homeward Bound." 

As for missed books: Aside from "Lost Bits," I’ve released a short story anthology entitled "Digital Dreams and Other Distractions," another rhats book ("Rhats Free!"), and I contributed an anecdote to a non-fiction book called "My First Novel: And What Became of It."

JR: One of my favorite writers is the late, great Allistair MacLean, and I figured one reason why: his heroes knew the importance of teamwork and each one had one or more others working with him. Should that friend not make it, the hero recruits a replacement. I find the same thing in your stories (Threadbare and Bullhammer, Frohic and Abs, 404 and Sam). Am I the first to notice this? Was this a theme you consciously had in mind, or did these just develop as you wrote?

KN: I rarely go into my stories with the characters fully figured out. I’ll have a few strong ideas about the main character, but the characters he meets along the way spring up from the narrative. 

Subconsciously, I’m sure I’m resurrecting and reimagining people from my past. I’ve been fortunate to have many longstanding friends, some of whom I’ve known since early childhood. Aspects of their personalities show up in my characters often. 

JR: Thank you for your time. And could you believe I wrote an interview without mentioning a certain book? What projects are you working on? Will there be a “Rhats Fore!”? (Sorry, couldn’t resist. Yeah, right.) Anything else you’d like to say? And how can we keep up with you on-line?

KN: Yes, how did you avoid mentioning Amish Vampires in Space? It remains my most talked about novel. You can reach me via my webpage, Facebook, and X.com.

I’m currently working on another story in the DarkTrench Shadow series, which currently includes the novels "Frayed" and "Fraught." It is turning out longer than I originally expected, but I hope to finish it in the early fall and move it toward publication from there. 

After that? Not sure. I have a few non-fiction ideas and another fiction idea or two I’m kicking around. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another rhats book in the future. My youngest son and father are fans of that series now, so I need to give them something new to read. 

I think I’d call it Rhats More!, though.