The Luck of the Irish (a repost)

It’s that ever-so-green time of year again. As a reminder of the who and where and why of this holiday, please enjoy my review of an excellent biography of Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers (one of Thomas Nelson’s “Christian Encounters” series). If the Irish really are “lucky,” it started with the sacrifice of this amazing and humble man.

Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers

Christian Encounters Series 

Forget the snakes, shamrocks and blarney stones. The patron saint of Ireland wasn’t even Irish. He didn’t eat corned beef and cabbage or drink green beer either. But what he did do was step beyond the boundaries of what was then considered the civilized world (The Holy Roman Empire) to share the gospel of Christ. As far as we know, he was the first Christian missionary–called to return to Ireland to serve a barbarian people who had kidnapped him in England at age sixteen and sold him into slavery to work herding sheep for a cruel, pagan master. 

Sure, dozens of legends exist about Saint Patrick that elevate his works and words into something of a mystical character. And although the author includes a few of them, none is substantiated, according to biographer Jonathan Rogers, nor do any hints of these miraculous events occur in Saint Patrick’s two known writings. In my estimation, the truth about him is much more interesting than the fiction, as he was a man who had no use for either the civil or religious authorities of his day. He took his marching orders from the Highest Authority alone, risking everything to bring Christianity to Ireland. Rogers says, “. . .  an important point in Patrick’s theology [was] the idea Christ was at work in him and through him quite independently of his ability or wisdom or eloquence.” 

It has been a few decades since I’ve read a scholarly biography, and Rogers impressed me with his careful documentation yet conversational presentation of this true hero of our faith. I was reminded of Moses’ instruction to the children of Israel to: “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee (Deut. 32:7). In the story of Saint Patrick, we are reminded of what God will do through a redeemed and relinquished soul. Rogers concludes: “They [the Irish] saw in Patrick’s person—in his very presence among them—that forgiveness was possible, that hardship need not result in bitterness—and that the meek just might inherit the earth after all.”

July Review – Kay Marshall Strom’s upcoming release

The Faith of Ashish (Blessings in India series)

What does it take to break your heart? Would a brutal beating of a small Indian child, an untouchable boy, move you to discover more about a society that places such little value on life? Why would a lowly tanner, someone who handles dead animals for their skins, name his son “Blessing” in a world where nothing blesses and everything worthwhile is in the hands of the rich and powerful. What faith can possible overcome the heat and hopelessness of the poverty and filth in India? 

Kay Marshall Strom’s newest fiction release The Faith of Ashish is a tender, poignant story told with a heart of love for the least-loved people on our planet. The reader enters the lives of Virat, Latha, and their son, Ashish, as they struggle to survive the cruel realities of their outcaste existence. The presence of one true Christian believer, a young nurse in a medical mission compound, shines the light of Christ into their darkness, proving the naming of their boy was not a mistake. Not a foolish rebellion against their dharma—their personal moral law. Hope does exist. 

The story unfolds on many levels—revealing not only the plight of the Untouchables in India, but also the inadequacy of Christian mission in the early twentieth-century, and the confusion of true “religion” with those who claim roots in the faith, but do not practice it. Readers also meet the wealthy landowner, Mammen Samuel, who pretends to help poor people, but then makes them his slaves for life. What kind of a world tolerates such deceit in the name of God? 

Our world. The one we in the prosperous West ignore in deference to our soft beds, our electronic toys, our stocked-to-the-brim pantries. Kay Strom is on a mission of her own: to bring the suffering people of the world into our homes by any means—to rouse us to action to make a difference. Several of her non-fiction works have highlighted the lives of persecuted believers. Her previous fiction series, Grace inAfrica, shines a beacon on the evils of slavery—past and present. Now, she shows usIndia. The realIndia. 

My heart was broken. I took the risk to read, to feel, to care. How about you? 

The Faith of Ashish releases in August 2011. You can preorder now on Amazon.com or christianbooks.com  I was provided an Advance Reader Copy by the author.

April 2011 Review – Max on Life

Max on Life – Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions

by Max Lucado

Published by Thomas Nelson, 2011

A Pastor in Your Pocket…

More than once in my sixty-one years, my favorite pastor deserted me. That’s how I felt, anyway. Of course, there were always reasons: he retired; the denomination moved him to another city; he changed his career focus; the church couldn’t afford to keep him on. Others I know have lost beloved pastors to indiscretion, death, or disability. Whatever the reason, the loss of a shepherd, and the wait for a new one, is a tough time for most Christians. 

So hurrah for Pastor Max! His latest book Max on Life offers a seasoned pastor’s wisdom and care that you can lift from your bookshelf or bedside table any time you have a question about the thorny “stuff” of life that scratches and pricks your soul. Whether you are between pastors or not, this book can serve as a ready reference when you need answers, and can’t wait.

 Worried about aging? Finances? Relationships? Don’t know how to talk to your kids about sex? Is your son or daughter a prodigal? Have doubts about the existence of heaven and hell? So do the real people who have written to Max Lucado over his lifetime as a pastor. In this book, you can get answers that make sense along with Max’s signature tenderness of heart and well-crafted prose. 

For me, an added bonus was the addendum on writing. When someone with his level of success in publishing wants to share his “secrets,” I am listening, taking notes, and applying his (or her) advice. Max Lucado consistently delivers—to the glory of God. I want to be that kind of writer.

 Max on Life would also be an excellent gift for those who are homebound, for seekers of truth, for skeptics who mistrust the church, and for new believers who often are overwhelmed with adjusting their lives to their faith.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

February 2011 Review – The Map Across Time

The Map Across Time

#2 in The Gates of Heaven series

by C.S. Lakin 

Fairy tales can come true…it can happen to you…if you’re young at heart . . . 

Oh, so fun to be young at heart again and plunge into a saga from “once upon a time,” where characters can follow magical maps, put their feet into glowing impressions, travel back and forth in time, and take advice from talking pigs. Equally enjoyable is relating to the plot as the characters learn, grow, and make personal sacrifices so others can become what they were created to be—sort of like us, right? Lakin weaves a well-plotted, stand-alone tale of royal intrigue and peasant wisdom. Allusions to biblical stories and paraphrased proverbs add depth and richness to her stated theme:  that those who feel they are insignificant and unworthy have merit and serve heaven’s purpose, even if that purpose is hidden. 

Even if you don’t consider yourself a fan or reader of fantasy (I am in that group), you will not regret reading this captivating, heart-gripping story. If you are a home-school family, this book is a must for your pre-teen-and-up students. Lakin includes a theme-centered discussion guide that refers readers to relevant biblical stories and Scripture references. I can’t imagine a better introduction to learning how to engage a Christian worldview into the reading of literature. 

The Map Across Time will be released in March of  2011 by Living Ink Publishers. Pre-ordering is available now on Amazon.com

February 2011 Review – Voyage of Promise

Voyage of Promise

Grace in Africa Series – #2

By Kay Marshall Strom

History matters. Not just the dates and the what-happened facts. Not just the famous names who made their marks on important documents. Ordinary people also contributed to our history—people who saw the need for change, who stood for justice when it wasn’t popular to do so, who never gave up the cause for freedom. Kay Marshall Strom draws wonderful word pictures of people like these in her Grace in Africa series. Yes, of course her characters are fictional—but they are born out of painstaking research, out of passion, and out of a desire to communicate present-day conditions through stories of past struggles. 

The second book in the Grace in Africa series, Voyage of Promise, gives the reader an almost too-close experience on board a slave ship bound for England in the late 1700s. Being in the mind and heart of a man living this horror will change you. Our story’s heroine, Grace Winslow—the estranged daughter of an African princess and a British slave ship owner—believes she will be reunited with Cabeto, her African husband, in London and live a life of happiness together, in spite of the murder of their son and being ripped away from all they knew and loved in Africa. Little does she know her husband is bound for the Americas—and no one in London, not even her own father, is interested in helping her. She unknowingly becomes embroiled in an unpopular anti-slavery movement, which turns sour and puts her in harms way—a place she has become rather used to. Grace is determined, resourceful—and, yes, sometimes impulsive and foolhardy. But she represents what is best in those who truly care about making a difference in our world. And she believes that she, like the biblical Queen Esther, was born “for such a time as this.”

 If you love historical fiction, you will love this series. Be prepared to care again—to learn something—and to lose yourself in another place and time, at least for a few hours. Kay Marshall Strom never disappoints.

January 2011 Reviews

The Voice New Testament

Published by Thomas Nelson  

The list of minds and talents behind this new rendition of the New Testament is impressive, as is the intent of their approach:  to present the Bible in a user-friendly format, unencumbered by extraneous dialog tags and vocabulary specific to religion and theology. The hope was to make the scriptures “sing” to the reader and communicate the thread of “Jesus, the Liberating King” throughout.  

I tried three or four times to become involved with this “retelling” of the biblical story. But I was unsuccessful. For me, a lifelong student of the Bible (in many translations), the replacement of familiar, and to me, important, words such as:  Messiah, Savior, baptism, repentance, salvation, was just too distracting. Nevertheless, I think a new Christian or a seeker would find this book helpful. Each book is prefaced with some historical background information, and each chapter contains at least one commentary. Nothing I read was “new” to me, so the inclusion of the commentaries was intrusive rather than informative. In addition, the text itself is complicated by lots of italics where text is added for clarity, making any individual page just too busy for middle-aged eyes! 

 

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided my copy of The Voice New Testament for review as part of their Booksneeze program.

September Review – OUTLIVE YOUR LIFE

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

Thomas Nelson Publishers 2010 

The subtitle of Max Lucado’s newest book Outlive Your Life says it all:  “You were made to make a difference.” This has been my personal mission message for the past ten years after God unexpectedly sent me to Russia to teach the Bible. But, what better venue for proclaiming this message than the book of Acts—the story of the movement of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the launch of the early Christian church. Max weaves the reader into the fabric of the lives of the people in Acts and of people today whose lives go beyond their own daily routines. He shows us the excitement behind making a difference and woos us into action. Max also reminds us of the Who behind the excitement—calling us to humility instead of the attention-getting behavior so common in a culture that thrives on “me, me, me.” On page 117 he writes: “We think we’re shaking up the world when actually we’re just along for the ride.” Yes, and what a ride it is!  When the Creator of the universe is including us in his plans, what else can there be but thrills. 

My favorite chapter was chapter 13, “Don’t Write Off Anyone.” In the story of Saul and Ananais, Max exposes the fears that threatens to weaken our resolve to “go” to those who seem the most unlikely to receive the gospel. What if Ananais had let his fear of Saul overcome him? We wouldn’t have blamed him, would we? How many of us have approached a known Christian-killer (hater, scoffer, resister)? Max ends the chapter with his personal testimony, when he was the Saul and his college roommate the Ananias. That really touched me. Imagine the outcome if the roommate had given up . . . 

The book includes an excellent discussion and action guide to assist individuals or small groups in jumpstarting a life that makes a difference. Personally, I would love to lead a small group toward this end and use Outlive Your Life and the book of Acts as the study material. It’s clear, purposeful, and relevant. Max Lucado is a treasure who has long ago made a huge difference with his life, his writings, and his uncanny ability to communicate the truth of the gospel into the hearts of humanity.