BOOK REVIEW - "FAITHFULLY DIFFERENT: REGAINING BIBLICAL CLARITY IN A SECULAR CULTURE" BY NATASHA CRAIN

 

Pressures to conform. Some give in so they can be part of the in-club. Some give in so they won't be part of the out-club. Such pressure is not new: Remember when Israel asked the prophet Samuel to give them a king so they can be like other nations? Or that a lot of people in Jesus' time believed in Him but not publicly for fear they would be kicked out of the synagogue?

"Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture" by apologist and podcast hostess Natasha Crain points out that there is nothing wrong in being different if not fitting in is based in the truth.

In the first three chapters, Crain points out that a Christian world-view is now a minority view. She adds that secularism isn't just not being non-religious, but that this world-view is anything but neutral, pushing others to either join their lemming parade or keep quiet, at the risk of being demonized. And that pressure is affecting contemporary Christianity as well, where "compassion" is redefined as accepting what society claims is okay.

The remainder of the book encourages us to have our beliefs (Chapters 4-6), our thinking (Chapters 7-9), and our living (Chapters 10-12) to be faithful to the principles and doctrines of Scripture and resisting elements of secularism such as nationalism, individualism, virtue signaling, and "cancel culture." 

I recommend this book. 

BOOK REVIEW - "LIFE OF JESUS IN 30 DAYS" BY TREVIN WAX.

 

Definitely the best liturgical book written by a Southern Baptist I've read.

"Life of Jesus in 30 Days" is a devotional book compiled by Trevin Wax, Vice President of Research and Resource Development of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. He also has followed a similar format with book on Psalms and the Letters of Paul.

Each day is divided into three readings: morning, midday, and evening. The middle section is shorter, and Wax says it could be combined with the evening reading if your schedule does not allow the middle reading, though the midday is the shortest of the three. Each reading is highlighted by a passage from the Gospels (not in order nor exhaustive), but also has other thoughts from Scripture, creeds (the Apostle's Creed is there at least three times), and readings from the Common Prayer Book. Each of the 90 readings also includes the Gloria Patra and the Lord's Prayer.

This is a little more liturgical/high church than I'm used to. But this book and the other two I mentioned are good at helping you have a developed devotional time. I do recommend this collection.

ALBUM REVIEW - "MODERN PSALMS II" BY DAVID PATACONI

Photo borrowed from David Pataconi

Last year, I took the 20 day challenge of posting covers of albums/CDs that influenced me. Not the first time: I did it before in 2020, and was surprised that the selected ones didn't change. One exception, though: TheoTerran's self-titled album made my list, the only recent album that had that honor.

Now if you're wondering what TheoTerran has to do with a review of "Modern Psalms II" by David Pataconi, then you aren't aware that Pataconi is half of TheoTerran. While there are differences in sound, both are heavily electronic projects. 

Included on this album is "My Path To Walk," a single that was released last year (2024), and was my favorite song of that year. There are a lot of other excellent songs on this project. My favorites included "Holy," "Psalm 18 (You Are My Light)," "Psalm 56 (My Shield)," Psalm 121 (Lift My Eyes Up)," "At Your Feet," and the fantastic closing instrumental "Hope in the Void."

My favorite song from '23 was TheoTerran's "WarCry." As mentioned above, my '24 favorite was Pataconi's "My Path to Walk." Even though this is only mid-March when I'm writing this, I would not be a bit surprised if my favorite song for '25 is from "Modern Psalms II."

 

BOOK REVIEW - "YOUNG, RESTLESS, REFORMED: A JOURNALIST'S JOURNEY WITH THE NEW CALVINISTS" BY COLLIN HANSEN

 

I first heard of this book on Trevin Wax's Reconstructing Faith podcast, and soon read about it in another book I recently read ("Killing Calvinism" by Greg Dutcher). So I checked this book out.

In "Young, Restless, Reformed," journalist Collin Hansen investigates the modern resurgence of Calvinism. When Emerging Christianity seemed to be the fad of the day, Hansen went to various places where he found traditional Calvinism was alive and strong.

Hansen goes to various locations, such as the Passion Conference, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minnesota where John Piper is the pastor, and The Southern Theological Seminary which saw a revival in Biblical inerrancy as well as Calvinism.

My opinion? This book is more of a journal of Calvinism's rebirth, interviewing not just the big names but young people who were influenced as well. It reviews people getting into Calvinism not as one trying to convince the unconvinced but a reporter telling what influenced his interviewees' lives.

I recommend this book.

BLOG UPDATE!!!

 

Sunset at our apartment complex, 2/28/25, before DST makes it later.

A quick update on this blog. I plan on cutting down posts to 2 a week, except for special occassions. Posting days will be Tuesday and Saturday - if you prefer it being Friday instead of Saturday, let me know.

Thank you for reading.

BOOK REVIEW - "CRIME SCENE SECRETS" (MOUNTAIN COUNTRY K-9 UNIT BOOK 4) BY MAGGIE BLACK

 

Who is the John Doe killed during a wedding rehearsal? Was it the Rocky Mountain Killer - the deceased had a clip with RMK on it - or is it a copy cat killer with the same M.O.? Can FBI agent Kyle West, his K-9 partner, and  Crime Scene Investigator Ophelia solve these mysteries so the wedding can happen, but not another murder?

"Crime Scene Secrets" by Maggie K. Black is the fourth installment of Love Inspired Suspense's Mountain Country K-9 Unit series. As typical of this Harlequin imprint, this story has exciting, edge of the seat action and great characters who somehow find out how to fall in love with each other.

Yes, this is the fourth part of a nine part series, with ten different authors. Does it need to be read in order? On one hand, this story does not spoil anything if you haven't read the previous story, nor do you feel lost if you have missed a book. However, I feel it's more enjoyable with this series to read them in order. In other words, while it has it's place in the series, it also works as a stand alone.

For those who haven't read any of the series, besides the main story, the Mountain Country K-9 Unit is searching for the Rocky Mountain Killer, who killed three young men from a rancher's club a decade ago and three more in the present day. This murderer is also suspected of stealing a dog that was going to be trained to be a therapy dog. Plus, the crime tech, hoping to become a foster parent, has that process derailed because of a false accusation.

I recommend this book, the author (I've read several of her books and enjoyed them) and this series.

BOOK REVIEW - "KINGDOM POLITICS: GOVERNMENT FROM GOD'S PERSPECTI VE" BY TONY EVANS

 "Now, wait a minute!" some of you may say. "Didn't you post a review of this book less than a month ago?" 

No. Just over three weeks ago, I posted a book review on "Kingdom Politics: Returning God to Government." This post is on "Kingdom Politics: Government from God's Perspective." Let me explore the similarities and differences in this review of the latter.

"Kingdom Politics: Government from God's Perspective" by Dr. Tony Evans is the study book for a six part study based on his book "Kingdom Politics: Returning God to Government." Each of the six weekly studies are designed with an introduction section called "Hitting The Streets," and two Bible studies. Also, the book includes a code so you can log in and view a video for each of the sections.

While there is a lot of overlap, there are differences (beside this one having a dark cover and "Returning God to Government" has a white cover). "Returning God to Government" has 12 chapters divided into a trio of four chapter divisions; "Government from God's Perspective" has 6 lessons, and they don't fit perfectly with the other book.

In this age of political division, one important thing to a lot of people is if this book leans left/Democrat or right/Republican. Evans encourages we instead be "Kingdom Independents," seeking Scripture to see how God views issues. Evans believes it's possible for one person to take that approach and side with Democrats on the matter of justice while another ends up standing with Republicans for the sanctity of life. 

This is supposed to be a six week study. We managed to cram those six weeks into eighteen, spending three weeks in each chapter, going through the "Hitting the Streets" and two studies one week each. But maybe your group might move quicker.

I recommend this study.

BOOK REVIEW: "JESUS' ALTERNATIVE PLAN: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT" BY RICHARD ROHR

I checked this book out when a Bible study I'm involved with was about to start on the Sermon on the Mount. He gives background information. For seven chapters - Rohr doesn't start dealing with the Sermon on the Mount until chapter 8. There are 9 chapters. No, it wasn't much help.

There were other things that bothered me about this book. It came across as a cross of mystical and liberal. For example, he does not believe that the Gospels were written by the person they're attributed to. He regularly states Jesus was killed. Traditional churches usually say "Jesus died," which is consistent with the Biblical view Jesus gave up His life for our sins; Rohr's method sounds like it was the Religious Leaders in control, not Christ. Shortly after reading this, I heard him referred to on podcasts I listen to as being progressive and new thought.

I recommend this for those who know the Bible well enough to realize what's off base and then read it so you can respond to what doesn't fit. As a book on the Sermon on the Mount, I do not recommend it.

BOOK REVIEW - "JACOB ARMINIUS: THE MAN FROM OUDEWATER" BY RUSTIN E. BRIAN

I don't know if you have had the same experience, but it seems most definitions of Arminianism comes from Calvinists, especially those who want to throw the whole theology under the bus and brand it as heresy, questioning the salvation of those who dare disagree with them.

For this reason, I've read a couple of books to see what Arminians really believe several years ago, and reread them recently. As you'd expect, one thing I'd want to read is a biography. "Jacob Arminius: The Man from Oudewater" by Rustin E. Brian is an excellent starting point.

Brian divides his book into three parts. The first three chapters evaluate Arminius' early life, his pastoral ministry, and his years as an educator. Chapters four through six investigates his theology concerning the Bible, his Christology, and - as you'd expect - his views on predestination and salvation. Next, he compares him to Pelagius (the chapter's title is Arminius is not equal to Pelagius), John Wesley, and Karl Barth. He concludes on how this relates to present time.

Interesting facts. Would you believe one of Arminius' teachers was Theodore Beza? Would you believe the starting point of Arminius' theology is not Predestination but his Christology? Would you believe Arminius' focus on free will was not whether the unregenerate could choose to follow Christ (Arminius agrees with Calvin on total depravity) but whether evil men do evil do so by their depraved free will as opposed to God predestining them to do evil and then condemning them for doing what they are made to do?

I highly recommend this book. It may not convince you that Arminianism is more accurate than Calvinism, but it helps us realize that Arminianism falls very nicely into the category of orthodox, evangelical, Biblically based theology. 

 

BOOK REVIEW - "CHASING JUSTICE" (MOUNTAIN COUNTRY K-9 UNIT BOOK 3) BY VALERIE HANSEN

 Is Finn Donovan guilty of murdering his recently discovered birth father, or has he been framed? Since he's been found guilty, why was the van transporting him attacked? And why choose his ex-girlfriend, Deputy Selena Smith, and her Belgian Malinois K-9 partner of all people (and dogs)?

"Chasing Justice" by Valerie Hansen is book 3 of the 9 volume, multi-author Mountain Country K-9 Unit series from Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense imprint. As you'd expect, you have plenty of action, starting from the beginning when a truck pushes the vehicle transporting Donavan off a cliff and continuing to the showdown between the bad person and the heroes of this story. There's also development and chemistry between the male and female leads of this story.

Considering this is the third book of a series, should you read parts one and two first? You can enjoy this story if you read this by itself, but I would recommend that you first read "Baby Protection Mission" by Laura Scott and "Her Duty Bound Defender" by Sharee Stover (respectively books 1 and 2 of this series). As usual, this series combines a unique romantic suspense novel (in this case, the story of Finn and Selena) with three sub-plots that span the whole series. In the Mountain Country K-9 Unit collection, these are trying to catch the Rocky Mountain Killer (aka RMK) who committed three murders ten years ago and has resumed with two - or is it three? - new victims; the dognapped therapy dog Cowgirl (is this connected to the RMK?), and the sabotage of their crime tech's chances to be a foster parent. 

BOOK REVIEW - "KILLING CALVINISM: HOW TO DESTROY A PERFECTLY GOOD THEOLOGY FROM WITHIN" BY GREG DUTCHER

 A one-star review of this book on Amazon was written by someone who was hoping to learn how to destroy Calvinism. To his disappointment, in "Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology From the Inside" author Greg Dutcher writes as a Calvinist encouraging fellow Calvinists to avoid various pitfalls which would alienate others from Calvinism.

One doesn't need to spend much time on on-line theological discussions to see Calvinists come across as bullies. I've seen groups where unbelievers were not welcome - "unbelievers" meaning not only Arminians but those who believe Arminians are true Christians. 😱

Dutcher shares eight ways to destroy Calvinism... or to put it more accurately, things to avoid to keep from destroying Calvinism. These are:

1. By Loving Calvinism as an End in Itself
2. By Becoming a Theologian Instead of a Disciple
3. By Loving God's Sovereignty More Than God Himself
4. By Losing an Urgency in Evangelism
5. By Learning Only from Other Calvinists
6. By Tidying Up the Bible's "Loose Ends"
7. By Being an Arrogant Know-It-All
8. By Scoffing at the Hang-ups Others Have with Calvinism

As I mentioned, this book is written for Calvinists. Personally, in the Calvinism/Arminianism debate I consider myself a NOTA (None Of The Above). However, I've found this an encouraging book, helping me stay focused on being a disciple/evangelist and listening and respecting those who disagree. In fact, this book has made me lean a little more reformed than before.

I highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW - "FRITZ AND THE MIDNIGHT MEETUP" BY MEGAN HILL, ILLUSTRATED BY CHIARA FEDELE

 

Why are the children at the orphanage sneaking downstairs after bed-time? And should they worry about the resident bully?

"Fritz and the Midnight Meetup: A True Story About Kids Who Prayed" is a delightful children's book written by Megan Hill (who also wrote the children's book "Meg is Not Alone" as well as non-fiction books dealing with the same themes in her children's books) and illustrated by Chiara Fedele.

I know there was a revival taking place here in the United States right before the Civil War started. That revival was also taking place in Germany. This true story accounts for children who had a heart for prayer and wanted to have prayer meetings like the adults.

There also was a bully in real life, as there was in the story. And the results were also the same.

I highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW - "KINGDOM POLITICS: RETURNING GOD TO GOVERNMENT" BY TONY EVANS

 

Isn't there supposed to be separation of church and state? 

Dr. Tony Evans takes a completely different view. After all, God created the earth, the family, the church... and government. Governments where the participants are using the Bible and Christlikeness as their guide will succeed; those that don't will become oppressive.

Evans starts with the concept of Kingdom Politics (chapters 1-4). Next, he deals with the priorities of Kingdom Politics (chapters 5-8), such as sanctity of life and justice. Then, he focuses on the Citizens of Kingdom Politics. (Chapters 9-12) This includes in recognizing our citizenship is ultimately in heaven, but we're here to make an impact on our society. He also looks at voting, noting that different Christians will have differing priorities, and pointing out our allegiance should not be to the Democrat or Republican or even Libertarian Party but to the ruler of the kings of the earth, viewing ourselves as Kingdom Independents. 

Finally, he has a conclusion where he presents "A Kingdom Strategy  for Community Transformation, which has a three point plan:

1. Assemble: Unified Sacred Gathering
2. Address: Unified Compassionate Voice
3. Act: Unified Social Impact

I found this to be a very thought provoking book. It is motivating me to do more praying before I vote, as well as to encourage me to get involved. I highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW - "BIG BLUFF" (A KATY RUSSELL BOOK 2) BY JACKIE ZACK

 

Is the body missing after falling off Big Bluff hidden by the killer, or did the body get up by itself and is hiding someplace? Can Katy and her co-worker Nick solve this mystery before the art festival ends and the many suspects head back home? And why does the man who killed his brother/Katy's fiance want to talk to her?

"Big Bluff" is the second of the Katy Russell mystery series by Jackie Zack, and this one is top notch. I was completely surprised when the bad guy is revealed. Great job with interesting characters, from the main character and the possible love interest to the various artists at the art festival. 

I mentioned this is the second in the series. I highly recommend you read the first. There are some characters and storylines from the first that you wouldn't know anything about them without having read the first book. 

I highly recommend this novel.

BOOK REVIEW: "HER DUTY BOUND DEFENDER" (MOUNTAIN COUNTRY K-9 UNIT BOOK 2) BY SHAREE STOVER

 Is due-any-moment Naomi Carr-Cavanaugh a would-be victim of a pair of masked men, or is she a drug-dealing mass murderer? Can Detective/K-9 officer Bennett Ford determine whether she is the long sought after killer or not before some thugs silence her? 

"Her Duty Bound Defender" by Sharee Stover is the second installment of Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense annual multi-author series Mountain Country K-9 Unit. It has the action, plot twists, and interesting characters (especially the dog). 

Usually, the first story opens with a big crime to be solved (in this case, the Rocky Mountain Killer who murdered three members of a club ten years ago and two more just recently), and the first story has a case where the heroes question if it's connected to the big story (it never is, or it would be a short series). The difference with this series is the second book also follows that pattern; typically books from 2-6 have stories unrelated to the big  story. 

If you are a fan of Love Inspired Suspense and adorable K-9s, I recommend this book. 

BOOK REVIEW - "MEG IS NOT ALONE" BY MEGAN HILL (ILLUSTRATED BY SAMARA HARDY)

No, I don't read a lot of children's books. I found this one by accident. I heard the author speak on a podcast about the role of the church and fellowship. So I looked up the book she had written and found this book on the same subject but to a different audience. I read it and loved it.

The plot is Meg is accidentally left at church by her parents. It was a scary experience, but several of the church members helped get a hold of Meg's mother and helped her feel comfortable and occupied until her father came to pick her up.

There's a note at the end of the book, pointing out that Megan Hill had that experience as a child... and as an adult. 

I also enjoyed illustrator Samara Hardy's artwork. That aided in the tone of the book.

I highly recommend this for children... and their parents as well.

 

MOVIE REVIEW AND COMMENTARY - WALT DISNEY'S "SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES."

 

I saw Snow White once at the theater when I was young, though I had been on the Snow White ride at Disneyland - the scariest of the four dark rides. Finally, over 55 years later, I sat down and watched it, partially so my memory would wrap around the movie without gaps in what happened.

One thing I forgot about was the number of memorable songs that were in this movie. I remembered, of course, "Heigh Ho" and "Whistle While You Work," but there are others like "I'm Wishing," "One Note," and "Someday My Prince Will Come." After watching it, I looked up some "best musical" lists, and was scandalized "Snow White" didn't make the list! ("Alice In Wonderland" made a couple, and I thought as a musical, "Snow White" was better.

You all know that this is the first animated feature length movie, right? Likewise, I probably don't need to tell you the full story. But if you haven't seen it, most of the rest of this would be a spoiler; if that's the case, continuing in this review would not be unlike taking a bite into a bright red poi... oops, I might be giving something away! 

As far as memories, the Woodsman was not as scary as he was when I was young. (Could it be that I'm in my 60's rather than being 6 or so?) For some reason, I thought the glass coffin preceded the showdown with the evil queen, and I was wrong about that. Finally, I don't remember who my favorite dwarf was when I was younger. I do identify with Sleepy (especially when I worked graveyard shift), but re-watching it, Doc was a highlight.

This movie is definitely a classic because of its place in history, but there were some weak spots. For example, what happened to Snow White's father; wouldn't he have been a king? What relationship is the prince to Snow White - a step relative, or the prince of a rival country? Why would the dwarves put Snow White in a glass coffin? (The narrator says they did because of her beauty, but wouldn't that have disappeared before too long?) Finally, how would the prince know it was Snow White, and even more son, how did he know a kiss would awaken and cure her? 

I will admit - I didn't like the ending. Snow White rode off into her happily ever-after, leaving the dwarves with a "Good-bye." If I was writing the story, she would have found them positions in her administration when she returned home to find out she was the queen. After all, couldn't you picture Grumpy as the attorney general or Dopey as the Press Secretary?

Now, if perchance you haven't been scared off by my commentary, you might enjoy seeing this movie for the first or second or thirty third time.

BOOK REVIEW - "BABY PROTECTION MISSION" (MOUNTAIN COUNTRY K-9 UNIT BOOK 1) BY LAURA SCOTT

Who kidnapped Cade McNeal's sister, and why do they want her infant? Does K-9 officer Ashley Hanson and her lab have what it takes to keep them safe? And is there any connection between this case and the Rocky Mountain Killer, who murdered three young men a decade earlier and just recently added two of their friends to the list?

"Baby Protection Mission" by Laura Scott is the first of the Mountain Country K-9 Unit series. If you've read many Harlequin Love Inspired novels, this is what you'll expect in great characters and edge of the seat action.

Criticisms that have no effect on the five point rating of this book. One, I like the picture of the dog on the cover, but to me, the baby doesn't look real. Of course, you can't judge a book by it's cover. Two, a year ago the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit series started with "Shielding The Baby," another story where a toddler is target of kidnapping, likewise written by Laura Scott.  Like I said, does this diminish the quality of the story? Nope.

I recommend this book, and hope you enjoy it as well.

 

BOOK REVIEW - "A WIND IN THE HEBRIDES" (MONASTERY MURDERS BOOK 7) BY DONNA FLETCHER CROW

 What connection does a Spiritual Director conference have with a revival that occurred nearly three quarters of a century ago? Is a girl's missing boyfriend able to help solve a mystery of a disappearing corpse? And are there enigmas that might put Father Antony and Felicity in danger yet again, only this time with their five year old son?

"A Wind in the Hebrides" is the seventh in Donna Fletcher Crow's Monastery. This one has a different feel, because this novel moves back in forth between the conferences, church history stories, and worship services Father Antony and Felicity frequently enjoy and singer Aileana Mackay's search for her sister's love interest during a post WW2 revival in an isolated part of Scotland. As a reader of several of Crow's books, this seems like a cross between the Monastery Murders and her 10-part Celtic Cross series, each of which follow a story between a couple in 1993 and various church history stories of Scotland and Ireland.

This novel may start slow for some readers, but don't give up on it. Crow does a masterful job of weaving the two stories together, with their similarities and differences. She helps make them distinct by having the 1949 in italics.

I recommend this book, which I received for an unbiased review.

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.