A Promise to Protect by Patricia Bradley: A Book Review Author Patricia Bradley has created a page-turning Rubik's Cube of interlocking crimes. The book starts out with a bang -- literally, as Dr. Leigh Somerall's beloved brother is murdered at gunpoint. Was his murderer connected somehow to the shots fired at Leigh? Or was the… Continue reading Rubik’s Cube of Interlocking Crimes
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An Open Letter to My First Mentor
The Non-methodical Method
I'm with Paul. When he vents in Romans 7 about his "captivity to the law of sin," I hear a howl of frustration. For Paul, for me, sin is an inside job, and we are all betrayed by our own mortal flesh before we open our eyes in the morning. But then, being Paul, he… Continue reading The Non-methodical Method
It’s Time to Exhale
Breathing Room by Leeana Tankersley: A Book Review Generally speaking, for most of us, it's not the catastrophes that wear us down. It's the frictional grind of too many little things: cars that fail to start, toddlers with a missing shoe, teens with missing respect, too much month and too little paycheck. Standing under a… Continue reading It’s Time to Exhale
That We Be Not Mistaken
In Chapter Five of The Mortification of Sin, John Owen bends over backward to delineate for his readers what mortification of sin is NOT, the better for us to recognize it for what it is: a miracle of grace. This seemed like a good place to pause for a review of the content up to this point. … Continue reading That We Be Not Mistaken
The Creation of a Protagonist
Deceived by Irene Hannon: A Book Review With Deceived there is no deception when it comes to Irene Hannon's portrayal of her main characters. Kate Marshall, a young widow, still grieving the three-year-old sorrow of losing both her husband and son in a boating accident, glimpses a boy who looks and sounds remarkably like her son. Her… Continue reading The Creation of a Protagonist
“There Is No Success Without Succession.”
Next -- Pastoral Succession that Works by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird: A Book Review In the spirit of the old proverb about planting a tree, the authors' advice about succession planning could be summarized: "The second best time to start succession planning is TODAY. The best time to begin was ten years ago." Vanderbloemen and Bird… Continue reading “There Is No Success Without Succession.”
On Mission with Jesus, Seeing through His Eyes
Unshockable Love by John Burke: A Book Review John Burke is a pastor with the heart of an evangelist. He has endeavored to pattern his ministry after Jesus' three-year stint on this planet. Jesus saw the masterpiece, the exquisite work of art, within everyone He encountered. Their sin was foreign matter -- mud -- obscuring the value of their true… Continue reading On Mission with Jesus, Seeing through His Eyes
Mortification, Heart Frames, and Dishwater
There are myriad benefits to reading The Mortification of Sin by John Owen, but chief among them (for me) has been that, as I dive into chapter four, it is affecting the content of my daily ponderings. My consistent practice has always been to attack a challenging book blitzkrieg style, check it off my bucket list, and then… Continue reading Mortification, Heart Frames, and Dishwater
. . . Honor to Whom Honor
Steel Will by Shilo Harris with Robin Overby Cox: A Book Review In this gritty memoir, Shilo Harris has gone beyond a mere re-telling of the events surrounding the catastrophic injuries sustained during his second deployment in Iraq. In it, he makes a case for U.S. citizens, and especially Christians, to find meaningful involvement in caring for… Continue reading . . . Honor to Whom Honor
Living Our Days 