The Return

Review: A Beautiful Defeat: Find True Freedom and Purpose in Total Surrender to God Kevin Malarkey with Matt Jacobson Nelson Books 2014 I have to say that I requested this book for review because someone else said they didn’t like it, not for any more worthy reason.   So did I like it or not?   I liked it, but didn’t like the implications for my life.    The defeat that is beautiful is of course the total surrender to God.   That requires all of me, mine, and whatever else I have become attached to.   Malarkey puts out the challenges straight and without any fancy foot work trying to sidestep what the biblical text says.   His final word resembles the Nike™ slogan we all know.    His ten steps are discussed clearly and with examples that are even more clear.   The appendices provide a review and a list of the Bible verses pertaining to each step.   While I am not a fan of dividing things into ten steps, or twelv...

Review: The Journey Bible: Revealing God and How You Fit into His Plan, NIV Zondervan 2014 This review will comment only on the format and nonbiblical texts.   I will leave the Biblical text for the experts in that field.   That said, I’ve enjoyed reading some of the comments, questions, and insights interspersed throughout the text.   The introductory material that most of us skip is worth the time it takes to red through it.   Lots of little nuggets there.   The challenges issued are wonderful.   For instance, page viii has this line “You acknowledge there are important things you don’t know---yet if there’s something out there you can know, you want to know.”   Or this one on xii, “Truth may go beyond reason, but not against it.”   Or a list of Jesus’ Famous One-Liners starting on page xx.    The tone obviously is non-academic and easy to read, as is the NIV text itself.   The idea of the Five Alive choices is go...

Review: Sharing Christ with the Dying: Bringing Hope to Those Near the End of Life Melody Rossi Bethany House Publishers 2014 This book is the most helpful work I have read in this topic area.   She speaks to those that find themselves in the role of caregiver, friend, or close family member of one that is dying.   The information and advice is useful, helpful, gentle, and presented well.   The revelation of the terminal diagnosis of a loved one is the start point, and the author follows the entire process step by step throughout her book. The different stages the loved one will go through physically and emotionally show the caregiver different levels of receptivity to considering Christ.   Rossi addresses how to deal with angry outbursts, demanding behaviors from the loved one, and the physical stages of the dying process.   Other issues like the roles of friends and family members gives the reader valuable insights as well.   Pre-need...