A Thousand Tomorrows (Cody Gunner #1) by Karen Kingsbury | Contemporary Fiction Review

A Thousand Tomorrows

Cody Gunner #1

Karen Kingsbury

Contemporary Fiction

Cody Gunner has no use for real love. Abandoned as a child by the person he needed the most, he swears he will never allow himself to love again. Ali Daniels denies love as well. Carrying a terrible secret, she lives life to the fullest, taking risks and refusing relationships. When Cody and Ali meet, their first instincts are to hide behind their emotional walls, seemingly doomed to repeat the patterns they have established for most of their lives. But their attraction is too strong, and soon they're doomed in another way, for neither can avoid falling in love, regardless of the consequences. Only after three years--a thousand tomorrows later--do they realize at what cost their relationship comes. In the end, they must decide if love is worth the ultimate price.

My Thoughts

Many of us have already read this book from Karen Kingsbury. It was first released in 2005 and I scooped it up as soon as I could get my hands on it. I loved it then and I loved it again with this new release. If you haven't read it I highly recommend you get a copy. 

It's a gripping story of two very shattered people that eventually come together and help heal the other's wounds. Be forewarned it's a tear-jerker so keep the tissues handy. I knew what was coming and I still cried. 

The exciting part about this rerelease is that it comes just as the TV mini series for this story is being released on PureFlix. I've only had the opportunity to watch the first of six episodes but it looks like it will be a memorable series.

I would be remiss if  I didn't also mention that this is just book one in a three part series. The other two books are Just Beyond the Clouds and This Side of Heaven. The three books together tell the full story of Cody Gunner and in my opinion shouldn't be missed. I hope that the TV mini series goes on to tell the rest of the story contained in the following two books. I guess we'll see!

Disclosure

I received a copy of this book from the publisher to facilitate my review.

 

End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi by Michael Youssef {Book Review}

End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi

Unlocking the Mystery of Revelation and the Antichrist

Michael Youssef

Nonfiction / Biblical Studies

As our world seems to be spinning

out of control, where should we turn

for insight into the end times?

End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi is an action plan for living confidently in these turbulent and uncertain times. In this exciting new book, Dr. Michael Youssef examines current events in light of end times prophecies, revealing:

• Striking parallels between the Antichrist of Revelation and the Mahdi of Islam
• The rise of ISIS and other events leading to the end times
• The movement toward a one-world government
• Insights into the events of the Great Tribulation

Though most of Revelation deals with future events, this book is not primarily about the future. It's about the present--your present.

As you read these pages, you will be encouraged to stand for truth without compromise as God moves human events toward a dramatic and triumphant conclusion. And even when it appears that evil is winning, you will be assured by God's promises and filled with eager expectation for our Lord's return.

My Thoughts
If you listen closely you can almost hear hear the earth groaning. The wars in the Middle-East, the terrorists in Europe, all of these awful things make us think of the end times spoken about in the book of Revelation. In Dr. Michael Youssef's new book End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi these things are looked at and explored. I've read many books on the book of Revelation and the subject of the Antichrist so I was expecting something similar. I was pleasantly surprised at Dr. Youssef's fresh perspective. Rather than taking it verse by verse through the book of Revelation he chose instead to look at it in the major themes of the book. He also related it to our current situation and how things are lining up for this ultimate battle and triumph of Christ. I really liked this approach. It allowed me to concentrate on a particular portion such as the new heaven and earth. Dr. Youssef used Scripture to show what has been foretold and what is to come. Another thing that I appreciated was how clear he was when he was giving his own opinion. He made certain that the reader understood that while his opinion is based on his understanding of Scripture it was just that, his opinion. If the rise of ISIS and all the terrorism around the world has you scared and wondering what is going to happen pick up Dr. Youssef's book. You'll be reminded not only about the course of events to come but more importantly that Christ will triumph and we that are His followers will be united with Him. Connect With The Author

www.MichaelYoussef.com

Blogs  -  Twitter  -  YouTube

An Endless Christmas by Cynthia Ruchti {Christmas Book Review}

An Endless Christmas

Cynthia Ruchti

Contemporary Romance / Christmas

Sometimes love looks different than we imagined.

Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson Binder celebrate every Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their grandson Micah is planning to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him so they can celebrate with the whole family. But things go very wrong when she says “no.” Now they are stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it’s Christmas.

Will Katie let herself love and be loved before it is too late?

My Thoughts

Cynthia Ruchti has taken all of those wonderful elements from some of our favorite family Christmas stories and captured them in the pages of this wonderful book. The Binder family is large and loud and on top of each other in their grandparents' cottage. And they would have it no other way. But to poor Katie it is just a bit overwhelming. She's never experienced such dynamics and isn't quite sure what to make of everyone.

To Micah this is normal. Why wouldn't you ask a very personal question in front of every single family member imaginable? Katie's answer isn't what he or the rest of the family expects but it's Christmas and there are time honored traditions in this family that must be carried out regardless.

This story brought out all the emotions for me. I laughed so hard at some of the lunacy that went on in this tale. Can I just say too many people and too few bathrooms? Then quite unexpectedly I found myself sobbing . . . yes sobbing, over a scene so gut wrenching and poignant. I'm not going to tell you what happened because it would ruin the book, but I will say that it is a true picture of family. (Want to hear something really silly? I'm tearing up about it as I write this.)

If you are blessed to be part of a family this book is going to tug at your heartstrings. Life can be messy, but it can also be beautiful. Experience both in this beautiful story of a flawed family made perfect through their love of each other and their trust in Christ. 

Connect With The Author

www.CynthiaRuchti.com

Facebook  -  Twitter  -  LinkedIn  -  Goodreads

Empire's End by Jerry B. Jenkins ~ Historical Fiction Review

Empire's End

Jerry B. Jenkins

Historical Fiction

THE APOSTLE PAUL IS A BIBLICAL GIANT who wrote almost one-third of the New testament, yet most details of his life remain a mystery. How could a devout Pharisee become the most influential Christian theologian of all time? Into that void steps master storyteller Jerry B. Jenkins, weaving a gripping narrative that illumines Paul's stunning transformation form obsessed persecutor of Christians to devoted bondservant of Christ.

Paul's backstory is all here: His Damascus Road blinding and miraculous healing, his struggle to overcome the suspicion of Christian brethren he once hunted with abandon, his escape from Jewish leaders who felt betrayed, his passion for spreading the message of Jesus in defiance of violent Roman opposition, Jenkins's account moves quickly to trace Paul's escape into Arabia and his three-years of divine revelation in the desert. Here the author imagines an astonishing relationship with some of the very people Paul had persecuted only a year before.

What was the Apostle Paul really like? What went on in the trenches of his life, beyond the pages of the biblical letters he left behind? How did Paul navigate the perilous path from killing Jesus's followers to becoming one of their most trusted leaders? What was his thorn-in-the-flesh? Did he ever fall in love, and if so, how did that romance shape him? What thoughts and feelings most profoundly haunted, inspired, and fueled his intensity?

Thanks to Empire's End, you need no longer peer into Paul's life only as through a glass darkly. In Jenkins's deft hands, the apostle's period of preparation in the Arabian wilderness for a world-changing work sharpens into focus, Empire's End welcomes you into the mind and heart of the greatest missionary the church has ever seen.

My Thoughts

I have long found the life of the Apostle Paul fascinating. So much of the New Testament is from the ink of his pen. When you read all of his accounts you can piece together aspects of his life but I have always wondered about some of the unwritten times.

In 2013, Jerry Jenkins wrote I, Saul that mostly focused on the end of Paul's life and the writing of his memoir. With the follow-up publication of Empire's End we get to read that memoir and imagine along with Jenkins what was happening personally to Paul during the years that followed the Damascus Road experience. 

The story is written in first-person and I love the voice that Jenkins gave to our beloved Apostle. His time in Arabia where he was taught by God Himself felt like peeking in on a very intimate moment with the Creator. I don't want to talk much about the situation that Paul found himself in because it would give away too much and I want you to discover it for yourself.

If you have ever found yourself in an impossible situation where there was no way to save face by keeping quiet you'll appreciate this book. I love the way God brings about redemption in our lives. It is often painful and humbling but every time we come out better for it. That is the situation with Paul. 

If you have read the New Testament the timeline of events will be familiar to you. I recommend that you sit back and enjoy the talented storytelling of Jenkins. So many of the mysteries of Paul's life have been imagined in this book and it was delightful to suppose with the author about what happened behind the scenes. This isn't the Bible and the author doesn't claim it to be, but I found his depictions to be accurate and the imagined parts plausible. There is a reason that Jenkins is a new York Times Best-Selling author and Empire's End is good evidence of that.

Connect With The Author

www.JerryJenkins.com

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The Covered Deep by Brandy Vallance ~ Historical Romance Review

The Covered Deep

Brandy Vallance

Historical Romance

SOME DREAMS

ARE WORTH 

SEARCHING FOR

Bianca Marshal is looking for a man who can quote both Jesus and Shakespeare. Not surprisingly, that man is hard to find in the small Appalachian town where she lives. Her mother insists that Bianca lower her standards. On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, even Bianca wonders if her mother is right.

Still set on experiencing love, or at least a little adventure, Bianca wins an essay contest that propels her into a whirlwind search for the perfect romantic hero. Via the opulence of London and the mysteries of Palestine, Bianca's true love will be revealed--but not without a price that might be too heavy to pay.

My Thoughts
The Covered Deep is a debut novel but it does not read like one. Brandy Vallance has created a tale that reads like a work of fiction written in the Austen era. There is an indulgent father and an overbearing mother. The daughter, Bianca, is an incurable romantic. All she needs to do is find her perfect man. She's thought this through and has come up with a list of qualifications that she is refusing to compromise on, much to her mother's dismay.
Bianca is quickly approaching the dreaded label of spinster. Her father stumbles upon a solution in the form of a contest that will allow her to travel to the Holy Land. She enters and is declared one of four winners. That is when the Austenesque novel begins to veer towards the Bronte sisters style taking on a more sinister tone. 
From the first encounters with Sir Adrain and the other three contestants you know that something other than what is apparent is going on. The sense of danger seems to increase with each stop on their journey. Paul Emerson is the epitome of all that Bianca has longed for in a husband, but there is something that she can't quite put her finger on that holds her back from wholeheartedly giving herself to him. Her other two traveling companions, Madeline and Mr. Tabor, also have an aura of mystery about them that leads to unsettling feelings. 
The way that Brandy has woven the gospel through this intriguing story is very moving. The overall theme is that of forgiveness and redemption. The paths that are taken towards that end are both inspirational and heartrending. I look forward to reading more from this talented new author.
Connect With The Author

www.BrandyVallance.com

Facebook  I  Goodreads  I  Twitter

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Interview with Ted Dekker About His Newest Release 'HACKER' from The Outlaw Chronicles Series

1. Your main character in Hacker, Nyah, makes a living by cracking the firewalls of major corporations. What role does technology play in her development as a character?

TD: Nyah roots a great deal of her identity in technology. In doing so she defines who she is by what she does. She even says so at the beginning of the book. I am a hacker. We all do this. For her, technology is what she knows, it’s what defines her, and provides the comfort zone. But it’s also her prison, which she comes to discover later.

2. How does personal loss affect Nyah’s view of God?

TD: When we meet Nyah, we find her in a place of great suffering especially for someone her age. That colors everything, just as it does for everyone else. For Nyah, the inescapable question is, “Why is there such suffering in the world?” Or more to the point, “Why is all of this happening to me?” That offense, that feeling of injustice and unfairness, feeds her entire view of the world, including her view of God as a distant, uncaring creator.

Read our review!

3. Why do you consider Hacker a modern-day parable?

TD: Parables are meant to re-frame the world differently so we can experience it again for the first time. Hacker takes a simple concept that many people already believe, that there’s another reality so near to us that we’re unaware of its presence most of the time, and puts it center stage. The story doesn’t have a moral or try to make a point per se, because that’s not what parables are for, but it does ask you to look at the world through new eyes—Nyah’s.

4. The central question in each book in this series is, “Who am I?” What prompted you to explore that question?

TD: The question of identity is central to all of life and, in fact, most of my own striving and struggle can be traced back to it. We define ourselves, almost without thinking much of it, by what we do. I’m a mother, a father, a man, a woman, a writer, an accountant… The list is neverending. But strip that all away, as death will one day for all of us, and what remains? Are you, at your core, really a mother or a father or an accountant? Or are you something far more and we’ve only bought into the notion that this costume, which we call the body and our careers and talents, is really who we are?

Read our review!

5. The series so far includes a 17-year-old who claims she has been buried alive, a 13-year-old orphan with no memory, and a 17-year-old genius computer hacker. What are the similarities between these characters?

TD: [Laughs.] You’ll have to read the books to find out for yourself. Ultimately, they are all forced to take a journey that begins in the valley of the shadow of death and ends on the other side of it.

6. What role does the unseen play in your books?

TD: An enormous role, because that’s how it is in real life even in a literal way. Physicists tell us that the visible universe is a miniscule slice of what actually exists, we just can’t see the rest. But just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s non-existent.

Read our review!

7. What makes your characters in this series “outlaws”?

TD: It’s their journeys, which lead them “out of the law” of death and suffering into the light. It’s the same journey we all get to take, and which we’re called to.

8. You grew up as a missionary kid among cannibals in Indonesia. How do you think your unusual upbringing affects your writing and your faith today?

TD: My upbringing gives me a unique way of looking at the world. Understand, I grew up among people for whom spirituality was integral to life. It wasn’t tacked on or part of life… There was no separation. They believed in the unseen, they witnessed its powers, and lived as though the seen and the unseen were woven together in a beautiful, mysterious way.

Hacker by Ted Dekker ~ A Suspense/Thriller Book Review

Hacker

The Outlaw Chronicles, Book 3

Ted Dekker

Suspense/Thriller

About the book:

"My name is Nyah and I’m a hacker. 

I know things most people would never believe. 

Things that shouldn’t exist, but do."

Seventeen year old Nyah Parks is a genius hacker whose world is unraveling. Deeply scarred from a horrific accident that killed her father and brother, and left her mother with irreparable brain damage, Nyah is barely holding the last shreds of her life together.Now, her mother’s health is deteriorating quickly and Nyah faces the grim prospect of losing her, too. One last ditch hope exists–an experimental brain surgery that could buy her mother more time. But Nyah must scrape together enough money to pay for it before it’s too late.

Desperate and with no other choice, Nyah turns her programming skills to cracking the firewalls of the world’s largest corporations. She exposes their weaknesses, and then offers her services to secure their systems from hackers.

But when the most dangerous job of her life backfires and forces her to go on the run, she encounters an impossible reality that shouldn’t exist, but does.

A hack unlike any other. A hack that will take her beyond the firewall of the human brain itself. A hack, which may be the only way to save her mother now.

What if there was a way to tap into the unseen reality that surrounds us all? Would you hack in? How far would you go to find the answers to your deepest questions? The answer lies deep beyond the firewall.

Tap in, strap in, and experience the mind-twisting ride with Nyah. What you find waiting on the other side of the firewall might forever change the way you see yourself and the world you live in.

My thoughts:

Ted Dekker's newest series, The Outlaw Chronicles, is just getting better and better! With this latest book Mr. Dekker takes us deep into the cyber world. The main characters, Nyah Parks and Austin Hartt, both have very brilliant minds but they are both very broken and wounded people.

Nyah is desperate to save her mother. In order to do so she needs to raise some serious money. Her solution is to hack into BlakBox and expose their security weaknesses and then approach them for a job to fix the security breaches. It all seems simple enough until she stumbles upon some information that endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Austin, whom we first met in Eyes Wide Open, has an inoperable brain tumor. He's tried traditional medicine to shrink the tumor, but all those efforts have failed. Now he's come up with a solution that he thinks will work, but it is very risky.

In an effort to save lives Nyah turns to Austin for help. As they work together to find a solution to their problems they discover something that will change everything. The key will be surviving long enough to implement the solution.

As with, Eyes Wide Open and Water Walker, there are many dimensions to this story. In fact one of the interesting parts about this whole series is that even if the storyline isn't exactly your cup of tea, the overall concept is earth shattering. The overriding theme of Hacker is Deditio which is Latin for Surrender.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book that sums up what the story is all about.

"To truly know--to understand--demands surrender of everything, even the very need to know. Only when you're ready to empty yourself completely will you know. Until then, you'll remain in darkness."

Connect with the author:

www.TedDekker.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @TedDekker

YouTube

Making Happy: The Art and Science of a Happy Marriage by Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott ~ A Marriage Book Review

Making Happy: The Art And Science Of A Happy Marriage

Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott

Nonfiction/Marriage

Back of the book:

Marriage doesn't make you happy.

You make your marriage happy. But how?

Discover the six counter-intuitive dials to turn right now in your relationship. These are proven happiness boosters. And let's face it, knowing how to make happiness--the deep and abiding joy of feeling good together--isn't always easy for time-starved and sleep-deprived couples. Making Happy will change all that by:

• Instantly making your relationship 25 percent happier.
• Countering the effects of taking each other for granted so you can notice even more things you appreciate about each other.
• Knowing the easy way to ensure your partner is happier today than yesterday.

Relationship experts Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott bring all the relevant research together in Making Happy and show you how to elevate happiness in your relationship. It's easier than you think.

Includes an immensely practical three-week Happiness Plan.

My thoughts:

In Making Happy, Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott mix research and personal experience to teach the average couple how to bring more happiness into their marriage. The first couple of chapters are pretty heavily peppered with stats and studies that lean towards the clinical. Once you get to chapter three you begin to see the practical and yes simple applications to use in your marriage.

The book focuses on six happiness boosters that you will learn to apply to your marriage relationship. In order to find out where you are at in your relationship there are several little quizzes scattered throughout. I thought they were very interesting and helped solidify what was being discussed. 

At the very end of the book is a Twenty-One-Day Happiness Plan. Each of the days has an activity that will enhance what you have just read. There are also links for additional resources to use during this twenty-one day period. 

This book would of course make a good study for any married couple. It would help those that are a bit unhappy in their marriage and it would affirm those that are quite happy in their marriage. I also think it would make a great small group study. While there is a section on marital sex, I didn't find it to be cringe worthy so I think you could easily do this with a few other couples. 

Connect with the authors:

LesAndLeslie.com

MarriageMentoring.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @LesParrott

Vimeo

The Road We Must Travel by Francis Chan, Eugene Peterson, Bill Hybels and more ~ A Spiritual Growth Book Review

The Road We Must Travel

Fancis Chan, Eugene Peterson, Bill Hybels and more

Nonfiction/Spiritual Growth

Back of the book:

Navigation Uncharted Territory?

Do you ever wish your life had a map that included a highlighted route showing you the way to go? Do you wish you could ask a mentor for advice about how to maneuver around roadblocks?

In The Road We Must Travel, thirteen seasoned companions join you on life's travels. Authors and pastors including Francis Chan, Bill Hybels, Ruth Haley Barton, and Eugene Peterson offer words of encouragement, wisdom, and biblical counsel on circumstances that affect us all. Together these spiritual mentors address questions such as:

• How do I figure out my calling?
• How do I live as a Christian in today's culture?
• How can I find purpose in suffering?
• What steps can I take to resolve conflict?
• How can I break free from my constant busyness?

We're all on the same road trip, heading toward the same destination. With help from those who've traveled ahead of us, we can find peace and perspective on the journey.

My thoughts:

Get your highlighters and sticky notes ready because you are definitely going to need them while reading this book. The introduction of the book sets the stage for the journey that lies ahead. We are all on a journey, in fact it is basically the same journey. Wouldn't it be nice to have a road map or GPS system that we could just input our current location and then Heaven as our ultimate destination and then get the perfect route?

While we don't exactly have that tool we do have some that are ultimately more powerful. Each of the sections of the book helps to break that journey down into segments and apply tools that will guide us through each of these points in our journeys.

Francis Chan, Eugene Peterson, and Bill Hybels' names are on the cover but there are ten other authors that are included in the book. I enjoyed reading the insights of such varied and esteemed Christian leaders. The groupings of the segments made it a cohesive book that flowed nicely from one segment to the next even though there were so many different authors.

I think you will be blessed by this book. Parts of it are sure to give you affirmation that you are on the right road and headed in the right direction. Other parts will give you encouragement to keep pressing on towards the end destination. Throughout the book we are constantly reminded that no matter what we plan, God still directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9) and that is the best guidance we will ever receive.

Water Walker by Ted Dekker ~ A Suspense Book Review

Water Walker

The Outlaw Chronicles, Book 2

Ted Dekker

Suspense

About the book:

Second in the new series from Ted Dekker, master of suspense, whose books have sold 9 million copies. Humming with intensity,Water Walker is a raw adrenaline rush from first page to last.

"My name is Alice Ringwald, but the man who kidnapped me says that's a lie." 

Thirteen-ear old orphan Alice Ringwald has no memory beyond six months ago. The only life she knows is the new one she's creating one day at a time with the loving couple that recently adopted her and gave her new hope. That hope, however, is shattered one night when she is abducted by a strange man. In a frantic FBI manhunt, he vanishes. So begins Water Walker, a modern day parable that examines the staggering power of forgiveness, and reminds us that it's possible to live free of the hurt that keeps our souls in chains.

My thoughts:

The Outlaw is back and so is Alice Ringwald. In the second book of the series Ted Dekker has once again used the element of fiction to drive home the power of truth. 

The story begins with the abduction of thirteen-year-old Alice by her non-custodial step father. She is brought to a compound in the swamps of Louisiana where her mother is waiting for her. Five years quickly elapse and we see Alice who is now Eden totally enmeshed in the spiritual rituals that her mother insists on.

An unexpected turn of events changes everything for Eden. Through Stephen, the Outlaw, she begins to see things differently but can she really make the changes needed to find freedom both physically and spiritually?

Ted Dekker is the modern day master of parables and metaphors. In this particular story a boat on the storm raged waters of a lake bring particular clarity to the idea of forgiveness and freedom. I came away from this book with a deeper sense of understanding the topic of forgiveness. It is such a deep and profound idea that it is no wonder so many of us fall short. We are completely putting our trust in the wrong thing.

I can pretty much guarantee that I'm going to have to be reading portions of this book aloud to anyone that come within close enough proximity of me. Since you are reading this over the internet, I'll just leave you with a few of my favorite quotes from the book.

"You just stepped beyond one of your fears only to learn that it was an illusion."

"God isn't a boat, or the water, or any boy for that matter. He's in your heart. Let go of your fears of this world and find him there."

"I wish I could save you from all of your troubles, my child. But you must walk the path before you and walk your own waters to the place where only love resides."

"There are very few people on this earth who know what it means to truly forgive and even fewer who walk the path of forgiveness. But the power of that forgiveness is staggering." 

"Only in not defending are you ever truly safe. Every time you resist or defend against any perceived threat from the water, you give it power to fulfill that very perceived threat and it will crush you."

"See no harm in that which comes to destroy you because only your costume can be hurt. The real you is always safe in your Father's arms. Always!"

Connect with the author:

www.TedDekker.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @TedDekker

YouTube

PR1ME of Life by P.D. Bekendam ~ A Contemporary Fiction Book Review

PR1ME of Life

P. D. Bekendam

Contemporary Fiction

Back of the book:

IS A Simple Life TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?

Ben thinks the retirement home where he works should be called "Heaven Can Wait a Little Longer While I Golf" instead of Heritage Gardens. But who asked him? He's just the janitor, after all. Of course, his inept boss, the cantankerous residents, and even his attractive podiatrist friend don't know one important thing about him: he was recently a cardiothoracic surgeon, not a broom-pushing custodian.

Ben is in search of a stress-free life with a little freedom from the past thrown in. But will it be that simple to escape who he used to be--and all he used to fear?

An inspiring, quirky story from an award-winning author, Prime of Life reminds us that new life can find us in the most unexpected places.

My thoughts:

The opening paragraph of Prime of Life caught my attention and the ensuing story kept compelling me to turn just one more page until I came to the final word. Let me share with you that opening paragraph so you'll understand.

"I clean rooms in a retirement home. Four years of college, four of medical school, four more in residency, and another four training in cardiothoracic surgery, and now i spend my days scrubbing toilets and mopping floors."

See what I mean? How in the world do you spend all of that time training to be a heart surgeon and then become a janitor. I definitely had to keep reading to find out.  Fairly soon we find out that a horrific event has caused Ben to completely walk away from his old life and assume a new one that is stress free.

Ben is employed at Heritage Gardens which is a retirement community. The characters that reside there are what adds that extra pop to this novel. You can't help but being amused by their antics. They are continually getting into some fix and expecting Ben to bail them out.

All seems to be going well for Ben until one day it isn't. His carefully controlled environment begins to come unraveled when his true identity is discovered and a person from his past unexpectedly shows up. What ensues is a beautifully written story about a life out of control and the Power that can set it right again.

This is Dr. Bekendam's first novel but I am hoping it won't be his last. I loved the story and I'm still smiling over the people that populate the novel. If you like a story that meshes funny and serious I think you'll get a kick out of this one.

Connect with the author:

PDBekendam.blogspot.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @PDBekendam

Redeemed: A Devotional Based on the #1 Song by Big Daddy Weave ~ A Review

Redeemed: A Devotional Based on the #1 Song

Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave

Nonfiction/Devotional

About the book:

GOD CAN WIPE AWAY EVERY STAIN . . . IF YOU LET HIM

The song Redeemed by the popular Christian group Big Daddy Weave has inspired millions. This collection of 30 devotions by songwriter Mike Weaver focuses on redemption, grace, and the healing power of Christ's love. For fans of Big Daddy Weave who have been touched by Redeemed, this book is more than an impulse purchase; it's a must-read.

"I am redeemed, You set me free,

So I'll shake off these heavy chains, 

Wipe away every stain,

Now I'm not who I used to be,

I am redeemed." 

In case you haven't heard the song or you just want to hear it again, take a listen!

My thoughts:

I love how the lyrics of Big Daddy Weave's music just takes me to the feet of Jesus. So I was very excited to see Mike Weaver's new devotional based on one of their top hits. Mike has taken the lyrics and premise of the song Redeemed and written thirty short and to the point devotions that will remind us why we have been redeemed.

I spent several days with the book tucked into my purse. When I had a moment or two I'd pull it out and devour a chapter. I enjoyed not only the devotional thoughts but also the suggested scriptures and quotes from leading Christian voices. Another little thing that I liked was at the end of each chapter there is a page designated for your personal thoughts. 

The beautiful artwork in the book centers around a heart theme. I'm thinking that this would make a lovely little Valentine's Day gift (along with some chocolate, of course!) for that special someone in your life. The bonus is that it doesn't even have to be a gift to a romantic interest . . . just choose someone you love! We could all use a reminder that we have been REDEEMED!

Connect with Big Daddy Weave:

www.BigDaddyWeave.com

Facebook

Twitter ~ @bdwmusic 

YouTube