The Operator is Calling by Rudi London

I was captured right from the first paragraph and so will you. It would have been easy to sit down and read straight through. I love books that have
adventure, mystery and suspense. The Operator is Calling has all of those and more. This book tells the story of Michael, about the things he has lost, gained and how he makes it through life.
The Operator is Calling has it all. Happiness, sadness, loss, pain, fun, humor, spies, secrets, romance you name it. Many problems that Michael has seem impossible to solve just like our lives, but Michael calls on the Lord and He is there.
Some of my favorite parts are all of the spy gadgets that were used in this book. So many different ways to stop the bad guys, some are even lots of fun.
Michael takes on the mob, enemies and others. He has many adventures and always keeps going. Nothing will stop Michael or will it! You have to read to find out. You won%u2019t be sorry you read this super book. It was a very thought out book that keeps you interested on every page. You just keep wondering what Michael will do next.
I highly recommond it and know it will be a book you will treasure. Keep up the super work Rudi. Rudi is a new author to me, but a new favorite.

To order the book and find out about the author Rudi London go to:

http://www.amazingroad.com/

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What's in the Bible by Phil Vischer

This 13-part DVD series will take you through the entire Bible: Genesis through Revelation. Phil is passionate about being able to teach kids more than just Christian values; he wants to help them discover that the Bible is more than just the stories of Jonah and David by teaching them what is actually in the Bible and how all the stories fit together.

I watched the first two DVDs of “What’s in the Bible” series from Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales. The titles are “In the Beginning” and “Let My People Go.” In the first part of this DVD I found out what happened to VeggieTales. I never knew about the trouble Phil had with VeggieTales, It was very interesting to find out, but also sad.

What I was expecting was really high quality shows, and that is what I saw. The DVDs are full of very colorful, high quality puppets and material. Fast action going from one puppet to another. Very Loveable puppets who entertain and also educate young children.
Your children are sure to find new charaters to love and they will become favortives for years.

I enjoyed the parts that the real children had in the DVDs explaining what they knew about Jesus and the Bible. They were very precious. You will want to buy each DVD as it comes out. Don’t miss out on all of the fun.

Reviewed by Wanda Chamberlain

http://thelifeandtimesofwanda.blogspot.com/

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The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke

The Hidden Flame takes you back in time to the early church. You can feel the heat of the day and the cobblestones under your feet as you walk through the streets of Jerusalem with Abagail. She is a quiet, unassuming, gentle lady who has two suitors vying for her hand in marriage. The history of the early church comes alive. You feel Abagail’s joy and pain as she experiences celebration and hardships during the growth of the early church and the beginning of persecution of the followers of The Way. I love the way Bunn & Oke show the traditions and daily lives of the Jews using both fictional and Biblical characters.
This narrative explores the lives of the early believers in ways I’d never thought of. Who were the families of Ananias and Sapphira? Were they angry at God and Peter for the death of the couple? What about Stephen’s family? Were they proud of his sacrifice or confused by what God had asked of him? As the authors explore these questions in this fictional story, they present many truths and make the characters come alive.
The Hidden Flame is the second in the Acts of Faith series. I haven’t read the first book The Centurion’s Wife but do plan to pick it up soon. However, it is not necessary to read the first in the series to be able to follow the story in this book. It was a book that was hard for me to put down. A great book to sit by a fire and read on a rainy day. I’ll be looking forward to reading more in this series! *Thank you to Bethany House for providing this book for me to review. All opinions expressed are mine

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Sense and Sensiblility Insight Edition

Having never even glanced at a Jane Austen novel, I was afraid that reading this book would not be fun. Yet I found myself caught up in the story of two sisters, one levelheaded(sometimes hiding her emotions) and the other very dramatic. This is a tale of sisters who struggle to learn what love is truly about and of their unending loyalty to each other.

What made the book interesting to me were the notes added by the editors. They included Historical and cultural details, information on Jane Austen’s life, references to Sense & Sensibility in films, an unscientific ranking of the novel’s most frustrating characters and themes of faith drawn from the novel and from Jane Austen’s life. I actually caught myself laughing out loud as I read some of the side notes. The comments helped lighten the tone of the book and made it painless and even fun to read. If I were homeschooling my daughter, I would definately use The Insight Edition! If you are a die-hard Jane Austen fan or a novice like me, this edition will show you why Sense and Sensibility is considered a classic.

*Bethany House supplied this book free of charge as part of their book review program. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Paradise Missed by Tertius

This is a must read for teens. It tells what could happen when they let their emotions dictate their actions. It is very pro-life and has no profanity, sex or violence. It’s short and economically priced. I have bought several copies for gifts.

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Shatterproof

Shatterproof by Jennifer Slattery is a wonderful unit study guide!

I have always wanted to give my children an understanding of the evolution vs. creation debate. I have wanted them to see the foolishness in the theory of evolution and the logic of the creationist perspective. I have known that it’s not enough to just say, “Evolution is just plain ridiculous”, but I have also felt intimidated by the subject and overwhelmed about where to begin. I’ve also felt my own inadequacy of not being “scientifically-minded”. Shatterproof addresses each of my concerns beautifully!

Shatterproof is a clear, well-planned 6 week unit study that provides an easy way for any parent to give their child a basic understanding of the evolution vs. creation debate. With tangible, practical, and fun activities, it proves the creationist to be the more logical. The science is presented in an orderly and understandable way that is not intimidating.

Each lesson can be done in about 45 minutes, maybe less. Every lesson begins with a Bible verse. The materials needed are listed next. Materials are easily found around the house or in the back of the book. Each activity has an estimated time next to it and very clear explanations and answers. Truths are learned in a fun, engaging way!

Reviewed by
houseofplenty@yahoo.com

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Creation and Change

Creation and Change is a good general exegetical, scientific and theological introduction into the whole Young Earth Creation worldview, covering a surprising large array of topics in relatively few pages.

The author does a marvellous job in addressing and refuting the major forms of compromise between the millions of years of evolution and the Genesis account of history.
He also does away with the common assertion that “Genesis is merely poetry and thus the events in it can be ignored at will”. He discusses the use of the word “day” in the creation week and addresses the various misinterpretations of it intended meaning. The author also discusses the events of each day of creation and the implications and significance that they have on a young or old earth interpretation.

While the author has clearly endeavoured to keep the book to a surprisingly small size considering the breadth of topics that it addresses, he counterbalances this lack comprehensiveness with many references to other more thorough works for those readers who may wish to delve deeper into each topic.

I think that this work would have been far better off had it been more comprehensive in its coverage of most topics, even if this meant the book being 400-500 pages. I just felt that the author barely even skimmed the surface of each topic and really failed to give an appropriate amount of coverage to most topics. Maybe it was the author’s intention to only give the reader a “bite size” piece of each topic, but I fear that this may instead have the unintended effect of giving the impression that there really isn’t much to Young Earth Creationism.

All in all, even though this book is geared toward the “neophyte”, I think that readers with any knowledge level of Young Earth Creationism would glean some information from this book.

Four stars

 

Reviewed by: The Old Wise Man

Posted in Apologetics, Creation~Evolution, History, Science, Theology | Leave a comment

Max Lucado's "For the Tough Times"

I’ve learned that judging a book by its length is just as unfair as by its cover. Lucado’s “For the Tough Times” is one of those small gift books that at first glance seems light and fluffy, but actually contains more than you may have bargained for. It’s a quick, easy read that makes a perfect gift for a loved one undergoing a trial.

That’s what the book is about: trials. Tough topics such as death, grief, pain, revenge are handled and given the proper solutions: faith, silence, intercession, forgiveness, knowledge that God remains on His throne, and in His infinite wisdom, he turns tragedy into triumph, meaning to provide you with good out of a difficult trial. (See Gen 50:20. Also Romans 8:28 “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him.”)

From chapters dealing with how our Lord Jesus loves each of us as a parent, and has control over every aspect of our lives, Lucado then delves into how God uses trials (and even Satan) for His ultimate good: to refine the faithful, to awaken the faith of “sleeping” Christians, and to teach the church.

He also tackles the fruitlessness of revenge and how peace can only come from treating others as you would want God to treat you: with generosity, with forgiveness, with love.

He then recommends silence in order to hear God’s voice. No peace can be had without being still and knowing that He is God. (Ps. 46:10) And then he encourages us to intercede for others’ trials and pains. Finally the book deals with grief and death: and how for Christians, there is no hopeless goodbye, just hope-filled eternal life in the presence of God.

The book ends with a prayer for troubled times which summarizes the contents by recalling how God has turned grieving into dancing all throughout the Bible, and which pleads for the Lord’s mercy and grace in every painful situation.

In the end, the book is encouraging and universally appealing to Christians of all kinds. This is a wonderful gift book, even during good times, which reminds us that God is in control.

 

Reviewed by
Lionel Valdellon

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"The Pursuit of Holiness" by Jerry Bridges

God tells us in Scripture, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Many of us struggle each and every day with what it means to be holy. Do we follow a list of do’s and dont’s? If so, whose list do we follow? If not, how do we live holy? “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges helps answer these questions and does from a realistic and Scripture viewpoint.

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Mama Dai Fell Through the Floor

GREAT TRUE STORY!!
This book is a true and humourous account of many of the events in the life of Diana Baird and her husband Ron, when they were missionaries in Irian Jaya.
I love it because it really shows us Americans how we need to learn about other cultures! Diana and Ron do everything for the love of Jesus!

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