The Return

Review: Midnight Jesus: Where Struggle, Faith, and Grace Collide… Jamie Blaine W Publishing 2015 Read this Book!   Spend your money for a copy.   Borrow one if you’ve got no money for it.   It is the best I’ve read in a long, long, long time.   I can’t say it any better than Augustan Burroughs has, “Gorgeous, brilliantly written, deeply moving, life-affirming, and just plain stunning.”   I don’t get excited about a book often, but this one is different.   And in the best way possible.      Blaine makes it plain up front that the book is “A work of creative nonfiction” meaning the names, dates, locations, and other identifying features have been changed to protect those he’s thinking of while he writes.   Don’t be surprised if you find a little of yourself inside this book.   Also don’t be surprised if you find yourself wondering if a few changes need to happen in your own life.   And don’t be surprised if y...

Review: So, Anyway... John Cleese Three Rivers Press 2014 The Monty Python guy, right?   That’s all I knew of John Cleese.   There’s more, of course.   And I thoroughly enjoyed reading his telling of it.   So, Anyway lives up to the endorsements on the cover and I totally agree Michael Ian Black’s opinion of Cleese as “an amiable, slightly loony uncle.” (back cover)   I have grown quite fond of the John Cleese I met in his book.    The book takes some time to read as Cleese allows only the lean, fat free to remain in his narratives.   I didn’t want to miss anything he had to say, and if I did try to skim a page or two I had to back up to catch up.   The wit he drops into the text every so often made it worth the while.   His teaching moments that are scattered throughout the book were intriguing and if I ever were to attempt to write comedy they would be most helpful.   What works, why it works, how to make it w...

Review: KJV Foundation Study Bible Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2015 KJV, King James Version, the text of Scriptures translated into the English language long ago.   Happily, the more recent editions have dispensed with the script used back in the 1600’s and opted for a more modern one.   It’s my understanding that the translation itself has not been altered, but that realm belongs to the experts.   The features available in this particular version from Thomas Nelson are what I intend to address. As the title states, this is a study Bible.   The notes do not intrude or interfere with the main text and are not available for every verse.   That keeps the number of pages to a more manageable size and weight.   Those notes are generally basic, but insightful.   Each book has a brief introduction covering the author, date, theme, and a key verse.   Cross references, a concordance, and a good set of color maps round out the study material availa...