Book Review: God’s Smuggler

God’s Smuggler was one of my favorite books of 2013. We’re now nearing the end of 2014, and I realized I never posted my review of this Brother Andrew classic. Oops! But, actually, that’s a good thing, because I didn’t have a chance to finish a book this week, so I’m happy to have such a good book to tell you about! Before I share my review, though, I’ll let the book talk for itself. God’s Smuggler has some fantastic quotes.

Whenever, wherever, however You want me, I’ll go. And I’ll begin this very minute. Lord, as I stand up from this place, and as I take my first step forward, will You consider this is a step toward complete obedience to You? I’ll call it the step of yes.

The enemy is fierce and he would like for you to think that he has on. Don’t believe his lie.

Why are we worried!” Rolf said suddenly. “This is God’s work. He’ll make a way for us.

Persecution is an enemy the Church has met and mastered many times. Indifference could prove to be a far more dangerous foe.

I have heard about this book for most of my life and, while I didn’t doubt the quality of the content, I expected it to be hard to read. After deciding to tackle it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was easy to read and extremely engaging. Funny stories throughout the book made me laugh and people’s poignant desire for God’s word brought tears to my eyes on several occasions. Written in a style similar to The Hiding Place, I highly recommend this powerful story of a life of service, adventure and faith.

Have you read God’s Smuggler? If not, do you plan on adding it to your to-read list now? You should!

November 8, 2014

Book Review: Sacred Singleness

Being single is not something I personally struggle with. At this season of my life, I’m thankful God has blessed me with contentment for where He has me and willingness to wait and see what He has next. However, like most people my age, I have occasional questions about what God wants me to use this time for. I also have plenty of friends who struggle with singleness more than I do.

This book has been sitting on a shelf in our house for almost a year. I’d forgotten about it. But last week I read a blog post by a young woman serving as a foster mom to eleven special needs orphans in India. She expressed that one of the hardest things about being a foster mother was still being single. As I read the post, I thought to myself that I wished I had a book to recommend to friends and acquaintances struggling with being single. So I dug up this book by Leslie Ludy and started reading.

Sacred Singleness lays out the power and beauty of single years that are surrendered to Christ. It points out that while popular “wisdom” tells us to make ourselves available and “help God out” by seeking and attracting the attention of potential marriage partners, God tells us to be single-minded in His service and to wait for His timing. I loved the way Leslie casts a vision for being fully satisfied in our relationship with Christ and putting Him above all else.

Announcements!

Check out the final stop on the Counted Worthy blog tour. Lisbeth of Dancing in His Reign wrote a delightful Counted Worthy Book Review.

Also, don’t forget to RSVP for the Counted Worthy Facebook launch party! We’ll be having a bunch of giveaways, including a “grand prize” set of books that includes Counted Worthy, Do Hard Things, and Start Here!

October 10, 2014June 5, 2020

Counted Worthy: Cover Reveal

I have been eagerly anticipating this day ever since I made the decision to self-publish Counted Worthy. So, readers, I’m pleased to introduce you to the official cover of Counted Worthy. And to make things better, it’s now available for pre-order!

Thanks so much to all of you who have encouraged me along the way, supported this project through Kickstarter, and joined the team of beta readers and editors. I appreciate every single person who is reading this post.

For those of you who enjoy building up Story Shop points, sharing this post is worth three points instead of the normal one point for post shares. Please share this post on your social media accounts and send me the links so I can award you points.

Please check out all the details below! And let me know if I missed any details. My baby is finally making it’s debut. 😀

Synopsis

Heather Stone lives in fear of repeating the past, yet she continues doing the one thing that could trigger another disaster. When the police trace an illegal Bible to her house, Heather’s world begins to crumble.

Her father’s life hangs in the balance. No one with the power to help knows or cares. If she tries to save him, she could lead her friends to their deaths. If she does nothing, her father’s fate is certain. Can she evade a hostile police force and win public sympathy before it’s too late?

Pre-Order

Get the paperback or Kindle e-book.

Check out the special Counted Worthy page for more details!

Sneak Peek

Want to get a look at the first chapter of Counted Worthy? Wait no longer.

Read Chapter One

September 11, 2014November 28, 2017

Book Review: In His Image

I looked at his face, for the first time feeling a sense of common humanity with him. Before I had subconsciously been thinking of the inhabitants as different from us, somehow not truly human, whatever their biological makeup might be. But that was wrong. This young man had a life just as real as mine; a heart, a mind, and emotions, as genuine as my own.

It’s so fun to see authors’ works improving as they continue to write. Several people told me that In His Image was way better than Radialloy and they were so right. I liked Radialloy, but it took me a while to get into it and I found it a little difficult to follow at times. No such problem here.

Andi and her adoptive father work the sickbay on board a space craft that searches for extra-terrestrial life. As Christians, neither Andi, her dad, or her cousin Crash believe in such a thing. After all, people are uniquely created in the image of God. Right? When the team experiences a rocky landing on an exploratory trip to a new planet, all of them are shocked to find themselves pulled into a colony of people. How did the civilization get there? Are they aliens or humans? And what should the crew of the Surveyor do about them?

The characterization in this books was fantastic. I could sense Andi being stretched and growing as a person. Elasson came to life even though he had limited dialogue due to speaking a different language. There were some tantalizing hints dropped about Crash’s past. Plus some pretty neat developments with August.

For those of you who might raise your eyebrows at the fictional discovery of extra-terrestrial life, it’s handled well. Promise. A totally Biblical worldview and explanation spiced with the age-old author game of, “What if?”

P.S. I read this on my kindle, therefore I can lend it to someone. Who wants to borrow the Kindle copy of this book? If you’d like to be considered, leave a comment saying so!

August 29, 2014

Book Review: The Chocolate Soldier

God’s summons today is to the young men and women of Great Britain and America and Christendom, who call themselves by the name of Christ.

The Chocolate Soldier is rather different from the books I normally review on this blog. It’s not a story, is only an estimated 17 pages in length. More of along essay than a book. However, I’m sure some of you, like me, appreciate a quick read sometimes. The Chocolate Soldier would be perfect for an extended devotional time.

I first heard C.T. Studd’s name five years ago when Eric Ludy came to speak at a homeschool conference. Mr. Ludy is a great admirer of C.T. Studd’s. Because of that endorsement, I quickly downloaded this short book when I found it for free on Amazon.

Studd wastes no time in getting to his point. He defines a “Chocolate Soldier” as a Christian who shrinks from the nitty-gritty of Christianity.

They are chocolate soldiers who merely go to see battles, and cooly urge others to fight them. They had better save their journey money and use it to send out real fighters instead.

Studd exhorts Christians to revive the heroism and determination exhibited by faithful men and women in the Bible.

Real Christians revel in desperate ventures for Christ, expecting from God great things and attempting the same with exhilaration.

Studd’s thought process and wording confused me a few times, but for the most part I enjoyed his whirlwind tour through heroes of the Bible. And the reminder not to be lukewarm is always beneficial. I think the message in The Chocolate Soldier would find a receptive and appreciative audience among many of you who read this blog.

Let me know if you check it out!

August 23, 2014June 5, 2020

Book Review: Abaddon’s Eve

Confession. I have not been reading much lately. In fact, I haven’t finished a book in over two weeks. For someone who needs to post a book review once a week, that’s not a very good thing. 😛 The good news is, I’m sticking to my deadlines for Counted Worthy. Maybe when it releases one of you can guest post a review of it. 😉

Abaddon’s Eve is the last book I finished (Goodreads says I completed it on August 6th). Here’s what I thought of it.

Rechab and Alack, young people on the cusp of adulthood, have no idea how drastically their lives are about to change. Alack wrestles with his genuine but impossible love for Rechab, while Rechab does her best to shield her heart from her imminent and permanent separation from her childhood friend. Their parting occurs far differently than either expected. Kol Abaddon, the crazy prophet from the wilderness, comes to Bethabara preaching destruction on The People of the Great God. When Alack catches a glimpse of the vision, he follows the prophet into the desert to begin his training as a prophet of the Great God. At the same time, Rechab finds an unlikely friend in Flora, a wealthy woman considered to be unlucky. When a foaming servant declares that Rechab is marked for service to a false god, she flees Bethabara with Flora’s retinue. Neither Rechab nor Alack truly know the Great God they now serve, but their journeys will bring them closer to Him.

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next book. Anyone who has enjoyed Prophet by R.J. Larson will most certainly like Abaddon’s Eve as well. Though not one of two focal characters, my favorite character in this story is Flora (the rich woman who befriends Rechab). She is introduced as a powerful, smart, savvy woman, but her vulnerability unfurls with the story. She is a seeker, a lover of God who fears she cannot be fully accepted by Him because she is not of The People. She’s a flawed character with great strengths and a beautiful heart. I can’t wait to see where this journey brings all of the characters.

Giveaway!

I read Abaddon’s Eve on my Kindle, so I can lend it to anyone else who has a kindle or kindle app. If you would like to borrow it for 14 days, just leave a comment, and I’ll pick one of you to lend it to.

Also, Prophet is still free for Kindle. If you haven’t read it yet, go for it while it’s still free.

August 16, 2014

5 Favorite Books

Last week I asked each of you to enter a giveaway by leaving a comment listing your five favorite books. The winner of that giveaway is…

Abbey!

Abbey listed the following as her favorites.

The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis
The 100 Cupboards Series, by N.D. Wilson
The Missing Series, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Edge Chronicles, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

I’ve only read the first two books on her list. I really like Margaret Peterson Haddix’s The Shadow Children Series, so maybe I’ll give The Missing Series a try at some point.

Thanks to all of you for sharing some of your favorite books. I know it’s hard to cull only five books out of extensive reading lists. I always wholeheartedly agree when people compare selecting favorite books to forcing a mother to pick her favorite child.

Since I made you guys struggle through that process, I figured it was only fair to share five of my favorite books as well. Like all of you, I have a lot more than five favorites. These five are the closest I can get to picking five to go on top. (This list excludes the Bible and non-fiction books.)

Safely Home, by Randy Alcorn. This book is a heavy hitter that chronicles a tale of faith and persecution in China. It is one of the things that inspired me to write Counted Worthy. One month I hope to run a review series on books that have impacted me. This one would definitely be on the list.
A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. On days that I’m not feeling well, A Little Princess is my go-to book. I love curling up and burying myself in the sweet, familiar story. I think I’ve re-read this book more than any of the others on my shelf.
The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy. This is another re-read favorite. I’m not the biggest fan of classic-style writing, but I find The Scarlet Pimpernel easy to read. From past posts I know that many of you also have a soft spot for this common wayside flower in England. 😉
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham. I’ve been known to tell people that their homeschool education is not complete if they haven’t read this book! Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is the most captivating biography I’ve ever come across. Nathaniel Bowditch is the kind of person parents want their kids to emulate.
Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court, by Chuck Black. I love the entire Knights of Arrethtrae series, but I think Sir Bentley is my favorite. Each time I read one of the Knights of Arrethtrae books I’m amazed by Chuck Black’s talent in crafting such scintillating stories that are packed with so much truth. They’re the type of books I get excited to recommend to people.

You can check out more of my favorite reads by viewing my favorites shelf on Goodreads!

What do you think of this list? Will any of these books make it onto your to-reads list?

August 11, 2014

Kickstarter Update

Hello Everyone! I want to thank all of you who have pledged to and shared the link to the Counted Worthy Kickstarter campaign. Last Monday was absolutely incredible. After launching the campaign and posting about it on social media, The Rebelution blog also hosted a post about the campaign. Over the next 12 hours, $750 of pledges came pouring in. The campaign reached it’s base goal of $1,000 within three days.

Today the Kickstarter page shows $1,540 in pledges and 69 hours (a little under 3 days) to go. I would love your help in reaching the stretch goal of $2,000. At this point, all pledges are locked in. This means that if you pledge, you’ll definitely pay the money you pledged and you’ll definitely receive the reward you chose. This means that supporting the campaign is a great way to pre-order a copy of Counted Worthy.

For a pledge of $10 you’ll receive an e-copy of Counted Worthy. A $15 pledge gets you a paperback. And a $20 pledge gets you a signed paperback.

Please continue to share the campaign with your friends. We have 69 hours to raise $460. Every email, Facebook share, tweet, and pin make a difference in reaching the stretch goal.