Christian Book Reviews http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews Book Reviews With a Purpose Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:32:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 David and Goliath by Bryan Hathaway http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LorisBookReviews/~3/sE_cRQet488/ http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/david-and-goliath-by-bryan-hathaway/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:00:32 +0000 Lori http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/?p=2965 Post image for David and Goliath by Bryan Hathaway

  • Author: Bryan Hathaway
  • Publisher: Wine Press Publishing (2010)
  • Category:Fiction
    Rating: 4 out of 5 stars



    • David and Goliath by Bryan Hathaway from WinePress Group on Vimeo.

    David Liberty had given up on life. He no longer was able to control any movement and could not speak. Unfortunately his mind was still intact. He was trapped inside a broken body. He understood everything around him and remembered his past, but what use was that since he could not even move or talk. He was living life waiting to die.

    Then one day a physical therapist showed up and changed his life. Joelle was sent by God to offer David a second chance at life. At first David was not interested in anything God had to offer, God had already failed him miserably. But the temptation to be able to live and move his body was a great temptation. Joelle stated, “You will demonstrate to God through your actions that you believe and love Him. Through David’s actions he is required to help others not lose hope in life. Unfortunately there is one catch, this angel removed David’s ability to talk. So it is through actions, not words that David needed to use to changes these peoples live.

    After to agreeing to the terms David was suddenly transported into the lives of various people. To David’s surprise he begins to deeply care for these people and has to fight the enemy in hopes to save them. He is faced with the difficult challenge of trying to repair a broken marriage, then sent to help another learn to care for others, and the last story will have to hanging on while David tries to save a little boy’s life.

    David and Goliath is the first in The Guardian Angel Chronicles. This book was the strangest book I have read in awhile, but you know what I could not put it down. Hathaway offers readers some important life lessons and readers will find they can relate to at least one of the characters in the book. Are guarding angels real? I don’t know, but in this case the idea of having a guarding angel makes this a great read. I would not read this book to learn biblical truths, but for enjoyment and important life lessons. I look forward to reading more of The Guardian Angel Chronicles.

    About:

    A physical therapy clinic and fitness center owner, Bryan Hathaway has dedicated his life to helping people heal. In an effort to reach individuals at a spiritual level, Bryan has taken his knowledge of scripture and love for fiction and combined the two in his own series of novels, The Guardian Angel Chronicles. Recipient of “The small business of the year award” in 2003, Bryan has been a guest at local schools and churches where he speaks on subjects like: “Winning in sports and winning in life,” and “Success after school.” His speaking topics are all inspired by tragedies in his own life where he learned firsthand about the fragility of life and that there is no guarantee of tomorrow. Bryan writes to depict faith, love, honesty, and character so that one day his children could know these truths in life, even if their father was no longer around to physically teach them. Bryan enjoys his family and faith, the outdoors, sports, physical fitness, writing music, and a good philosophical debate. Bryan resides with his wife and four children in upstate New York.

    FTC Disclosure: Special thanks to Rebeca Seitz of Glass Road Public Relations, LLC for sending me a review copy of David and Goliath by Bryan Hathaway.

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    © Thank you so much for visiting me at Lori's Book Reviews. You can also find me on Facebook under Lori Kasbeer.



    ]]> http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/david-and-goliath-by-bryan-hathaway/feed/ 1 http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/david-and-goliath-by-bryan-hathaway/ Forgotten God by Francis Chan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LorisBookReviews/~3/vsK1MPXGfYM/ http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/forgotten-god-by-francis-chan/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:40:26 +0000 Lori http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/?p=2947 Forgotten God by Francis Chan

  • Author: Francis Chan
  • Publisher: David C Cook (2010)
  • Category:Christian Living
    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars


    • “[W]hat if you grew up on a desert island with nothing but the Bible to read? [Y]ou would be convinced that the Holy Spirit is as essential to a believer’s existence as air is to staying alive,” writes Chan (p. 16). Francis Chan wrote Forgotten God to help Christians capture the necessity of the Holy Spirit.

    This book will challenge you, step on your toes, but most of all will have you reevaluating the role the Holy Spirit has in your life.

    Several points Chan points out:

      1. Chan does a beautiful job in pointing out the Holy Spirit is a Person, a “He,” not an “it.” He is God; eternal & holy; omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. He has emotions, a mind and a will. He prays for us. He teaches and reminds us of what we we need to know. He applies our salvation to our lives. Chan wants these truths to lead readers “to a deeper relationship with and a greater reverence for the Spirit—that good theology would lead you to right action, genuine love, and true worship” (page 77).



      2. Chan challenges believers in saying: If it’s true that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temple, then shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not? (page 32)



      3. The Christian life is to be lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to Christ, to the glory of the Father. We must not quench His work in our lives, caring more for comfort than for holiness.

    Chan closes each chapter with biographical stories of men and women whose lives have been transformed by obeying the Spirit’s leading. I found these stories inspiring and encouraging. There are some thoughts in this book that I struggle with, but it is a struggle where it leads me to search scripture and to evaluate the role the Holy Spirit has in my life.

    Forgotten God by Francis Chan is a book I recommend!

    About:

    Francis Chan is senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. He is the founder of Eternity Bible College and sits on the board of Children’s Hunger Fund. His debut book, Crazy Love, has sold 300,000 copies in its first year, and has been published in over ten languages. Francis and his family make their home in Southern California.

    FTC Disclosure: This was purchased by me.

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    © Thank you so much for visiting me at Lori's Book Reviews. You can also find me on Facebook under Lori Kasbeer.



    ]]> http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/forgotten-god-by-francis-chan/feed/ 0 http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/forgotten-god-by-francis-chan/ New Award for Faith-Driven Literature http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LorisBookReviews/~3/fZXIsRiyBJk/ http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/new-award-for-faith-driven-literature/#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:24:36 +0000 Lori http://laurelwreathsreflections.com/lorisbookreviews/?p=2939 Post image for New Award for Faith-Driven Literature

    July 2, 2010—Organizers announced the creation of a new book award today. The announcement of the INSPY awards coordinated with the launch of the INSPYs website, http://inspys.com.

    The innovative award is designed to help readers in their search for the preeminent faith-inspired literature of today. The INSPYs were created to select and showcase books with the highest literary standards that grapple with the Christian faith. To find these works, the INSPYs net is cast wide, accepting nominations of books aimed at the Christian bookstore market as well as those from the general market.

    The INSPYs are the brainchild of Amy Riley, of My Friend Amy, creator of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. “We feel nothing compares to excellent faith-driven fiction, but it can be difficult to weed through the multitude of books published each year in both the Christian marketplace and the general market to find the best ones,” Riley said.

    Another factor that sets the INSPY awards apart is that it’s organized and will be judged by bloggers with considerable experience and knowledge of books published in both the general market and the CBA market.

    Award organizers are seeking book nominations in the following genres: Historical Fiction; Amish Fiction; Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction; General and Literary Fiction; Romance and Romantic Suspense; Speculative Fiction; Creative nonfiction; and Young Adult Fiction. The deadline to nominate a book is July 31.

    In addition to book nominations, judges for each genre are also being sought this month.

    Another way to help is to spread the word — blog about the INSPYs, tell your friends.

    The winners of the first-ever INSPY awards will be announced December 13.

    The advisory committee consists of Amy Riley of My Friend Amy, Carrie Kitzmiller of Books and Movies, Deborah of Books, Movies & Chinese Food, Hannah Nielsen of Word Lily, and Rel Mollet of Relz Reviewz.

    To stay informed, subscribe to the site: Inspys.com.

    Contact:

    Hannah Nielsen, wordlily@gmail.com OR: inspyawards@gmail.com

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