Book Details:

Recommendation:
Review Date:  1/23/2012 by Shaun Tabatt
Rating:  Highly Recommended

Review:
The Gospel Story Bible is the latest addition to the Gospel Story for Kids series by Marty Machowski. Filled with 156 stories spanning from Genesis to Revelation, The Gospel Story Bible strives to bring the Bible to life in a manner that is thoroughly engaging, seeking to develop within our children a deep love for God’s word. It is worth noting that The Gospel Story Bible aligns with the Scripture passages found in the Gospel Story children’s ministry curriculum, allowing parents to reinforce at home, what their children are learning in the classroom each Sunday.

Each story is two pages in length, featuring a Bible story reading,  a great illustration from A. E. Macha, and three discussion questions in the “Let’s Talk About It!” section. My family and I have been working through The Gospel Story Bible during mealtime with our children ranging in age from two years all the way up age thirteen. Every time we read a story, each of the children make sure they each get to look the illustration over carefully and from the youngest to oldest, they all participate in the discussion questions. We have been quite pleased with the level of theological discussion that comes about each and every time we bring out The Gospel Story Bible. In my opinion, it is one of the best children’s story Bibles we have in our home.  I recommend it very highly as a way to get Bible stories into your children, helping them to understand how the thread of the gospel is woven through God’s all the way from Genesis to Revelation.

Where to buy:

• Amazon
• New Growth Press
• WTS Books

Related Media:

• Marty Machowski on Facebook
• The Gospel Story Bible Preview – Old Testament
• The Gospel Story Bible Preview – New Testament

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by New Growth Press for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Review:
What would it be like to live in the years immediately following the Reformation? How joyful would the discovery of Gospel truth be? Yet, how terrible would it feel to know people close to you, who are suffering for their faith? The turbulent period which followed the Reformation is captured well in a new book by Simonetta Carr.

In Weight of a Flame: The Passion of Olympia Morata (part of the Chosen Daughters series from P & R Publishing), Carr tells the story of a Reformation-era heroine still remembered to this day. Olympia Morata was an Italian tutor and scholar, who embraced the teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin with as much fervor as her professor father. She was fluent in Latin and Greek by the time she was 12, and at 13, she was summoned to the court of the Duke of Ferrara to tutor his eldest daughter, Anna D’Este. Morata developed into a scholar in her own right, lecturing on Cicero and studying philosophy. And she was known for her poetry, having written her own metrical adaptations of the Psalms.

This obscure historical figure is brought to life through the imagination and pen of author Simonetta Carr. Carr weaves us in and out of the tale of Morata’s short life. We share her wonderment at going to court, and learn with her of the terrible plight of French refugees fleeing religious persecution. Morata’s relationship with her father and her family is developed and a romance eventually unfolds.

But the story of Olympia Morata has its dark turns. She encounters suffering martyrs and survives a bout with the black plague. At one point her town is besieged and then sacked, and she and her family run for their lives. And at the young age of 28, she dies.

The author doesn’t leave us with the bare facts of the case. She infuses the story with Gospel hope. The characters rehearse Scriptural promises to each other and find encouragement in the Gospel. And through this fictional account we can imagine what it really would be like to be there in Olympia’s and her husband’s shoes living through these difficult times.

Stories like these can help build the faith of our children. This book, directed primarily to girls, will both educate and inspire them. And the story is written well enough to captivate both children and their parents. As the father of five daughters, I can’t wait to place Weight of a Flame in their hands. I can’t thank the author enough for uncovering another Christian heroine for my daughters to look up to and to emulate. May the hope-filled life of Olympia Morata inspire many chosen daughters to trust the Gospel and risk their lives for the cause of Christ.

Author Info:
Simonetta Carr, mother of eight and homeschool educator for twenty years, has worked as a freelance journalist and a translator of Christian works into Italian. She is the author of the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series.

Where to Buy:
  • Westminster Bookstore
  • CBD
  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • P & R Publishing

Related Media:
  • Book preview
  • Author interview about this book
  • Author’s website
  • Author’s blog

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by P & R Publishing for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Book Details:

Recommendation:
Review Date: 1/4/2012 by Shaun Tabatt
Rating: Highly Recommended

Review:

At the close of Deadly Disclosures (book 1 in the Dinah Harris mystery series), Dinah Harris and her former partner Ferguson had just solved the Thomas Whitfield abduction case. Next up on Dinah’s calendar was beginning a rehabilitation program to aid her in combatting her struggles with alcoholism. The Shadowed Mind (book 2 in the Dinah Harris mystery series) picks up Dinah’s story about 6 months later. The now former FBI agent has completed her time in rehabilitation and is back home, trying to build a new life as a freelance criminal profiler and investigator. In many ways, you could say Dinah’s life is better than it was before rehab, but that’s not to say it is easy. Each day is a struggle as she continues to come to terms with the painful reality that her husband (Luke) and son (Sammy) are gone forever.  The temptation of alcohol still lingers in her mind each day, but she is finding the strength she needs to resist giving in to that temptation through her growing faith in Jesus Christ and the support of the Christian mentor who was assigned to her through the rehabilitation center’s outpatient recovery program.

Dinah’s work as a profiler was an important part of her life when she worked for the FBI and she is eager to put her skills to work again in the private sector.  Her first consulting opportunity comes from Detective Samson Cage, who she had crossed paths with during the Whitfield investigation.  Detective Cage is investigating the murder of a seventeen year old street kid named Lakeisha Tennant. While it wasn’t unusual for violence and the occasional homicide in that part of Washington D.C., there was a unique piece of evidence found on the victim that convinced Detective Cage to engage services of an expert profiler like Dinah. Tucked in to one of Lakeisha’s boots was a blank sympathy card with an old photo attached.  It really wasn’t all that much to go on, but it was a start.

Seemingly unrelated, in a different part of town, Ella Barnett is at home caring for her aging father John Barnett.  John was formerly president of a large bank, but that was some years ago.  John is now suffering from the later stages of Alzheimer’s and his mind has retreated to a time long before Ella was born. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Ella to care for her father.  She no longer feels safe taking him out in public as he often rambles on and on about searching for two boys named Peter and Henry.  His need to find these two boys is a bit confounding to Ella, but it is downright scary to the people they encounter in public.

One final character I need to mention that first appeared in Deadly Disclosures is presidential hopeful, Senator David Winters.  Senator Winters will do whatever it takes to further his political aspirations.  With the way things ended following the Whitfield investigation, Winters is Dinah’s sworn enemy and would like nothing more than to see her disappear forever.  I won’t give away any more of Senator Winters part in this story, but I have a sneaking suspicion he will show up again in Pieces of Light (book 3 in the Dinah Harris Mystery Series).

As the book progresses, these three disparate story lines will come together touching on the themes of eugenics and euthanasia, helping readers to come to terms with the question of whether or not there is intrinsic value in all human life, no matter how fragile or frail. In the midst of all this, readers will also be able to come alongside Dinah as she continues on her own journey of healing and faith, where she finally comes to terms with her catastrophic loss and the healing and restoration she continues to experience through her relationship with Jesus Christ.

I enthusiastically recommend The Shadowed Mind.  It is a masterfully written tale that not only keeps you on the edge of your seat, but also challenges you to seriously consider many of the important faith and worldview issues we face in our world today. While I am always a bit nervous about the quality of follow up books in any series, this book is written with the same quality and passion we saw from Julie Cave in Deadly Disclosures.  With the first and second books in the Dinah Harris mystery series under my belt, I can’t wait to start reading Pieces of Light!

Author Information:
Julie Cave credits her parents for introducing her to books at a young age, which fostered an enduring passion for reading and writing. As a child, her favorite authors were Enid Blyton and C.S. Lewis and it wasn’t long before she began copying them, writing short stories for anyone who would read them. At fifteen, two things happened which would shape her future: she heard a creation science speaker at her church which cemented her faith in God; and she finished her second novel-length story and realized she had fallen in love with writing novels. After school, she completed a health science degree, got married, and worked in banking and finance. All the while she wondered how she could combine her love of writing and her strong passion for Christian apologetics and evangelism. One weekend at a church camp, a friend asked, ‘What if the guy in charge of the Smithsonian Institution went missing?’ The result – and the answer to that question – is Julie’s maiden published novel, Deadly Disclosures. Since then, Julie has written and released the other two books in this trilogy, The Shadowed Mind and Pieces of Light. Julie has two daughters and lives in Brisbane, Australia with her family. She divides her time between being a wife, a mother and an author.

Where to buy:

• Amazon
• Master Books

Related Media:

• Julie Cave Web Site – www.juliecave.com
• Julie Cave on Facebook – www.facebook.com/julieacave
• Julie Cave on Twitter – www.twitter.com/julieacave
• Book Trailer

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Master Books for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Day 12 Winners

Welcome to the 12th and final day of the 4th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway! Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Baker Books, Bridge-Logos Foundation, New Growth Press and Zondervan. We have 5 prize packs up for grabs, which will be explained below. The resources featured in today’s giveaway are:

From Baker Books

From Bridge-Logos Foundation

From New Growth Press

 From Zondervan

Today’s Prizes

How to enter:

This contest is now closed. We will announce a winner soon.

Head over to Fundamentally Reformed for day 11 of the 4th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway. Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Reformation Heritage Books, Zondervan, Christian Focus Publications, InterVarsity Press, Theocentric Publishing Group, and Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Head over to Bible Geek Gone Wild for day 10 of the 4th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway. Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Bridge-LOGOS Foundation and Harvest House Publishers.