BOOK REVIEW - FACE TO FACE VOLUMES ONE AND TWO BY KENNETH BOA

 I was at a prayer-for-missions training back in '13 (called "School of Prayer for All Nations), and we were given a copy of Face to Face Volume 1. While I haven't come up with an island list of books, definitely Volume 1 and possibly Volume 2 would be on the list.

"Face to Face Volume One: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship" is my favorite devotional book. It is desired for a 90 day reading. Each of the three months have 31 readings. The goal of that is that you have something to read each day.

Each of those days are divided into 8 parts of prayer: 

1. Adoration (praise to God).
2. Confession of sin
3. Renewal
4. Petition (includes a paragraph for deeper prayer, with seven variations).
5. Intercession (includes a paragraph for deeper prayer, with seven variations).
6. Affirmation.
7. Thanksgiving. 
8. Closing Prayer.

 Each of these sections include usually two passages (sometimes three). I love it because it is focused on praying Scripture, which Boa uses his own translation for, worded for it to be a prayer from us to God.

Of course, this gave me interest in "Face to Face Volume Two: Praying The Scriptures for Spiritual Growth." It has several similarities - being designed for 3 months, and being solely Scripture. However, this volume is more focused on Spiritual character. The readings are divided into 5 areas:

1. The Attributes of God.
2. The Works of God.
3. My Relationship to God.
4. The Character I Want to Cultivate.
5. My Relationship to Others.

The readings for Volume 1 are longer than Volume 2: 3-4 pages and 2-3 pages respectively (probably because of the number of sections). There are a lot of verses (probably the majority) that are in both Volumes. 

These can be read separately (Volume 1 for the first three months, Volume two for the next quarter). Recently I read Volume 1 in the morning and Volume 2 in the evening. 

I usually end a review on whether I recommend the book or not. If it isn't obvious, I highly recommend both Volumes, and especially the first.

ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOK REVIEWS: "PROMISED PRESENCE" BY NATHAN BROCK, "THE CHRISTMAS WE DIDN'T EXPECT" BY DAVID MATHIS

 

Last year, I read the Advent Devotional "Promised Presence" by my friend Nathan Brock (he was on staff at the church Becky and I attend before becoming joining a mission organization. By the time I finished, it was too late to review it at an appropriate time.

This year, each attender in our church received "The Christmas We Didn't Expect" by David Mathis. I finished it today, just in time for Christmas Eve. So for Christmas, I will review both of them. 

"Promised Presence" is Biblically centered: it mostly includes quotes from Scripture with a few poems in there, focusing on the first Advent. There's no commentary, no personal anecdotes, and just a few poems and other writings on the theme. It is letting Scripture speak for itself. 

"The Christmas We Didn't Expect" is more what one would expect with a devotional book. Well, maybe and maybe not. Most devotional books are focused on a reading for each day. David Mathis, Senior Teacher and Executive Editor for desiringGod.org, has a very well organized book. The 24 readings are set in eight sections of three each, focusing on certain things that are unexpected, such as "An Unexpected Birth," or "Unexpected Guests," I found this to be an uplifting and inspirational devotional set. 

I recommend both of them.

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

Yes, I have already reviewed this book. So why am I reviewing it again?

Earlier this year, I got this book from the library. However, I had to return it before I finished it, so I went ahead and wrote a review. I thought by that point I had enough of the flavor of this book to review it. After all, it was a collection of readings

Here is what I had previously written from my review, posted April 1, 2025 (no April Fool's Day jokes here). 

"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."

So again, why am I revising the review? I noticed something that won't (for most people) affect your views on the book. However, since most of the book is reading through Scripture, I noticed an inconsistency that I wanted to point out. Not enough to invalidate the book, but something I caught.

This concerns questionable sections. I'll give you credit for knowing that there are 5,000+ Greek manuscripts, with a whole lot of variations between those texts, with some putting the weight on the most common reading and most favoring those in the earliest texts. There are three examples in the Gospels: those early texts do not contain the benediction of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 ("For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever), the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11, and the long ending of Mark 16.

I have noticed inconsistencies in the readings. Wax includes John 8:3-11, but does not include Mark. Why include one and not the other? Also, 29 of the 30 readings include the Lord's Prayer, complete with the benediction. The 30th reading is where it covers Matthew 6:1-18, which includes the Lord's Prayer, but here it leaves the benediction off. This is author's prerogitive, and it's not a legitimate reason to not use this book or the others in the series. I just found it interesting.

BOOK REVIEW - "RADICAL LIKE JESUS: 21 CHALLENGES TO LIVE A REVOLUTIONARY LIFE" BY GREG STIER

If you want a challenge to live a Christian life that accomplishes something, this book fills that category. This book is designed to be a 3 week motivator to stretch out of the norm and take steps to walking in Christ-likeness.

This book has 21 chapters, between 8 and 12 pages each. They start with a story - most of them autobiographical. It then deals with the subject, giving Biblical illustrations (mostly from the life of Jesus, as you'd guess from the title of the book). It concludes with an assignment, with the difficulty level of each of these.

I've read several challenges on living a more revolutionary, life-changing life. One distinction of this one is having a short 21 day format (a similar book, "Pray & Go" by Thom Rainer, is a 30 day exercise). This book is also full of humor and humility on the author's part (including when he had an argument with his wife prior to a Bible study and was rebuked for his part). While similar, this book has no connection to David Platt's classic "Radical" and it's follow-up "Radical Together."

If this book looks like something you want to tackle, go for it.

 

BOOK REVIEW - "ASK. SEEK. KNOCK.: A DEVOTIONAL OF REST AND MOVEMENT" BY JOSH STONE.

 The past several weeks, I've been blessed by reading "Ask. Seek, Knock," a Devotional by Josh Stone. This volume comprises of 48 devotionals and 4 poems, allowing you to either make it a weekly reading for the next year or be like me and spend seven weeks reading it.

I had the honor of meeting him at a music festival, where he performed as a spoken word artist, "Outward Conversations." The emotion he expressed in live performance also is evident in print in this book.

These devotionals vary from being inspirational, encouraging, and challenging. I will definitely be using this devotional again.

'25 SUMMER READING LIST, #23 - "WHEN FAITH IS FORBIDDEN" BY TODD NETTLETON

First, a little housekeeping. I have been recommending these books in alphabetic order by title. However, I realized that what would have been today's book was fitting for the Independence Day, so I'm moving up the ones scheduled for July 2nd and 3rd one day.

"When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians" by Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs is an inspiring devotional book, telling stories of our brothers and sisters who are enduring persecution. Some of these have two or more parts (one story has five parts), and these are an encouragement I have gone through this twice, and yes, this is one that is on my list to use again.

 

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.

BOOK REVIEW - "31 SPIRITUAL LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY DOG" BY RAYLENE KING

Are you in the market for a devotional that will challenge and inspire you, and be fun and entertaining at the same time? This book is one you'll enjoy.

This is a collection written by a pastor's wife and is focused on their interactions with their dachshund Cosmo. Behind each story, there's a spiritual lesson: sometimes, we take the role of Raylene and Dennis as they try to adjust to and train a lively little dog, and sometimes in the role of Cosmo, comparing his interactions with his human masters with our relationship to our Divine and heavenly Master.

Each 1-3 page devotional starts with a Cosmo story, and moves to the practical application in our lives, reinforced with a few Scripture references and concluding with a prayer. After each devotional, there's a one page "Paws for reflection," autographed with Cosmo's pawprints.

I'm putting this book on my devotional rotation list, so I can benefit from it again.

By the way, Dennis and Raylene are among Becky's and my closest friends, and we were very familiar with Cosmo and his successor Duncan. Dennis also is brother of Claude King, who is a discipleship specialist.

BOOK REVIEW - FIVE TRAITS OF A DISCIPLEMAKER, EDITED BY DOUG NUENKE (US PRESIDENT OF THE NAVIGATORS)

 Would you be interested in a short devotional where each installment is two short pages? Do you enjoy having the devotionals written by different authors so you have different perspectives? Are you motivated when the devotional includes two or three questions for you to think about? 

And how many want this book just because of the title and subject?

"Five Traits of a Disciplemaker," edited by US PreDoug Nuenke with a foreward by Jerry Bridges, author of "The Pursuit of Holiness" fits that description. This 30 day devotional is divided into five six-devotional segments, each written by a different author (including Gary Thomas, author of one of my favorite books "Sacred Pathways").

Some devotionals are those you read, and that you put down encouraged, but are not challenged to transfer it to day to day life. Not so here. Each one has two or three questions at the end to encourage you to put what's read into practice.

I appreciated this devotional, and I'm definitely going to be using it again.

BOOK REVIEW - AWAKEN YOUR CALL: DAILY READINGS FOR PROPHETS AND INTERCESSORS BY JOHN ECKHARDT

When I saw the title "Awaken Your Call," I put this book by John Eckhardt on my reading list. In some ways, it's not what I expected, partially because I didn't look at the fine print on the cover. Nevertheless, I'm grateful I read this book.

The subtitle mentions it's a book of Daily Readings. This book is designed to be a daily devotional for a month, with 30 readings. Each is short, a 5-10 minute read each, so it's easy to read one each day. The sections follow a theme, but it seems they're a collection of readings rather than a book written in 30 short chapters, if you follow my point.

This book is written from a theology that differs from mine. For example, the author identifies himself as an apostle; I've spent most of my life in churches that believe there are no apostles or prophets since the apostolic era (1st century) ended.  However, there are items from his readings that I could learn from.

One thing I admire about this book is that it's written with the goal of encouraging believers to operate in their calling. Combined with that is his exhortation to those who were in local churches that preached the Word but did not encourage the prophetic calling to stay in those churches. Too often, believers who disagree with others on a key point treat them as if they rejected the truth. I'm blessed when I find someone without that attitude.

BOOK REVIEW - LETTERS FROM JESUS: STUDIES FROM THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION (GREEK FOR THE WEEK) BY CHRIS PALMER

 

Several weeks ago, I stated leading a men's Bible study on the Seven Churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3). One of the books I read to prepare for the study was Letters From Jesus: Studies from the Seven Churches of Revelation by Chris Palmer. 

One important thing in looking at this book is that this is more of a devotional than a commentary. You may have noticed it reads "Greek for the Week;" the Greek refers to Palmer getting into the original languages, while the week points out that it's a weekly devotional, divided into 52 parts so it can last a year. Each chapter is four pages, starting with the verse in both English and Greek with the focal thought highlighted, an anecdote that goes through most of the second page, the Biblical thought for the third, and the final page including a prayer, projects for the week, and some cross references. (Since I was using it as research, I treated it as a daily devotional.)

Sometimes I think of devotionals as being a lighter study than a sermon or a commentary. This is not true of Palmer's approach. He tries to get into the meaning of the original Greek (I shouldn't assume that it's common knowledge that the New Testament was written in Koine - i.e. common - Greek, with the Old Testament written primarily in Hebrew with a few Aramaic segments). He succeed in getting into what the text is saying to the original audience and how it applies to today.

Following an introduction looking at "why Greek" and "why these seven churches, Palmer spends the first chapter looking at the image of Jesus in Revelation 1. He divides the remaining 51 chapters into looking at the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, with eight chapters each on Ephesus and Smyrna and seven each on the remaining five churches. He gives each basically equal treatment, from the four verses given to Smyrna to the dozen for Thyatira.

I will admit that I was disappointed in Palmer in a couple of points. One is that in he either missed or avoided dealing with Revelation 3:10, where Jesus tells the church in Philadelphia they would be spared from the hour of trial coming on all men. The other is more bothersome. I expected with his focus on Greek that he would give a good explanation of the compound Greek word "Nicolatian", with the Greek words for control and people (laity). But no! Palmer not only takes up the traditional theory that one of the 7 deacons in Acts 6, Nicolas, went rogue and became a Gnostic teacher and formed a false group, but even embellishes what Nicolas thought; other books have correctly pointed out there's no Biblical nor historical proof for that hypothesis other than the similarity of the names (not a strong argument). But remember this book is a devotional, not a commentary.

In conclusion, I recommend this book. Allow me to break said recommendation into two parts: 

1. It is a very useful devotional. If you have the discipline to do it weekly and use it as Palmer designed it, go for it - you'll be blessed. You'll also be blessed if you make it a 52 day study  instead of 52 week.

2. Should you consider using this for research? Yes. There are other books I think are better for that role because unlike this volume, they are written as commentaries. But you definitely will learn more in this book as well.

 

BOOK REVIEW = EMBRACING THE RACE: 40 DEVOTIONS FOR THE RUNNER'S SOUL BY LISA PREUETT

Are you aware that as Christians we are in a race? What parallels are there between running and the Christian life?

Lisa Preuett has composed an excellent and inspiring 40 day devotional, with each based on her experience running. I'll admit that I'm more apt to run for office than I am to take up running, but I was greatly encouraged by this book.

For those who are in a hurry to start your morning run or your daily auto race through traffic to work, this is an ideal devotion for you to read. Each portion is two and a half pages long, includes entertaining anecdotes of her running, and a spot-on connection with Scripture, closing with Scripture, a thought, and a prayer.

I highly recommend this book. It has reached the spot of being one of my favorite devotional books.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR JANET SKETCHLEY

 

JR: Who would you call your writing heroes, the authors (fiction, non-fiction, prose, poetry/lyrics) that sparked your interest in writing?

JS: Wow, this question brought back some fond reading memories, so thank you! Probably Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables, etc.) was the first to inspire the wonder of story and the desire to write when I was young. As an adult, Linda Hall’s Christian suspense showed me where my stories might fit, and Timothy Zahn’s twist endings continue to challenge me to dig deeper in my plotting. Then there are lyrical writers like Amanda Dykes, who inspire me to mine for strong word choices.

JR: Could you tell us about the Green Dory Mystery Series, and in particular the latest installment, "Bitter Truth?" (I'm pretty good at predicting if authors/musicians want to talk about their latest release.)

JS: New releases are like new babies—of course we want to talk about them! (I have a new granddaughter, too, so I’m doubly dangerous to be around these days.) Landon Smith is a 24-year-old survivor of human trafficking as a teen. After years of therapy, counselling, and prayer, she describes herself as, “I’m healed, I’m being healed, I will be healed.” This series brings her back to the seaside town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (Canada) to help a friend in need: Anna Smith, widowed owner of The Green Dory Inn.

Bitter Truth is book 3 in the series. Against all odds, Landon and her ordinary-hero neighbour Bobby Hawke survived a murderous plot six weeks ago. Now, she’s determined to leave solving mysteries to the experts. But when her friend Ciara is nearly killed in a daring daylight attack, Landon can’t sit this out. Not when she knows the anger of being a victim.

Her faith tells her to leave room for God’s vengeance. Her heart says to retaliate. The fight to expose Ciara’s enemy will uncover secrets and betrayal that could cost Landon her life.

JR: I also noticed you've written some devotionals. Would you like to share about them? Also, does your fiction inspire any of the devotionals (or vice versa)?

JS: I blogged a weekly devotional for years, many of which I eventually updated and compiled into daily devotional books: a year-long one and one for December. They came out of my daily quiet time with the Lord, and they’re conversational-style musings on Bible verses that impacted me. So while I can’t say any of them came from my fiction, and my fiction starts with a plot idea rather than theme, I’m sure the devotionals have at times influenced the spiritual threads in my fiction.

JR: With a common language, a neighboring border, shared culture - I remember the Canadian comic For Better and For Worse, and one of my favorite bands is Canadian (The Daniel Band) - and mission groups considering it a home field, I sometimes forget Canada is technically a different country. Are there benefits or frustrations being a Canadian author?

JS: When I was looking for a traditional publisher, they were all US-based. Many a Canadian author was encouraged to relocate their setting from Canada into the Northern States to make it marketable. I guess I could have done that, but there are more differences between Maine and Nova Scotia than I know. I’m sure it would have been obvious to readers. I did find a small publisher who accepted my first novel (mostly Canadian settings), but when that publisher closed and I turned to independent publishing, the first thing I did was reclaim my Canadian spelling to publish a second edition. Most Canadian authors use US spelling to keep things simpler, but it mattered to me. Chief benefit for indie Canadian authors: we get ISBNs for free. Side note: I still read For Better or For Worse in our newspaper.

JR: On your web-site, you have a tab for reviews you've done of fiction, non-fiction, and music/videos. I'd like to focus on one book in particular you've reviewed: Battle for the Soul of Canada by Ed Hird. Could you tell us a little bit about this book, and anything that people in the lower 48 could learn from?

JS: I can’t tell you as much as I’d like, because it’s been years since I read the book! But I’d say readers who are battling in prayer for the United States would find much of the content transferable. Building from 1 and 2 Timothy, Battle for the Soul of Canada emphasizes the importance of raising strong and effective Christian leaders. Rev. Ed Hird’s key point that I quoted in my review is that “the key to renewing the soul of Canada — and the heart of this book — is to be found in raising up Timothys”. That message is relevant for any nation. Ed and his wife Janice have written other books since then, and readers will find more details at edhird.com.

JR: Thank you for your time. Anything else you'd like to update us? How can we keep in touch with you?

JS: Thanks for inviting me to your blog, Jeffrey. You’ve asked some fun questions. My internet home is my website, where I post book reviews and details about my books, and I have an author page on Facebook. Readers who enjoy Christian mystery/suspense fiction are invited to sign up for my author newsletter or to follow me on BookBub for sale and new release alerts.

And speaking of new releases: Bitter Truth releases March 29, 2022. Interested readers might like to know that the ebook versions are currently discounted to $2.99USD for a preorder special, and the print books are (shh…) actually already available through Amazon. Buy links to various online stores are all collected here: books2read.com/bitter-truth.

BOOK REVIEW - WHEN FAITH IS FORBIDDEN BY TODD NETTLETON

 

This is a MUST read book for Christians. Todd Nettleton leads you on a forty day journey interviewing Christians who live in countries where their government and/or community are not happy with them being Christians.

In the West, we view religious persecution as something that happens over there in other parts of the world, but will not happen here, and if it does, we have no one to blame but ourselves for those negative, unwanted circumstances. The believers we meet in this book, on the other hand, see persecution as a natural consequence for faith and view suffering for Jesus Christ as an honor. One lady in the book referred to her time in prison, for example, as "A wonderful time." What causes people to have this mindset?

Todd's stories are nice and short, and this book is great for a devotional. After the story, he challenges the reader to examine where their faith is on certain topics.

I've read over 20 non-fiction books and more than two dozen novels this year (2021), and if you asked me to recommend one book, this would be the one.