Be Authentic by Warren Weirsbe

I'm posting the press release for this rather than a review because I haven't made it to the end. My thoughts so far? Good.




Here's a nice little taste:

Our English word authentic comes from a Greek word that means "original as opposed to a copy." Authentic people are people with direct, firsthand experience, people who make mistakes but don't accept any mistake as final. They're pioneers, not settlers, and they don't blindly and blandly follow the crowd but prefer to follow that "different drummer" whom Henry David Thoreau wrote about in Walden.

Why study these authentic men? Because we live in a world of pseudosaints and artificial heroes, many of whom are manufactured by the media and puffed by the promoters. The only thing some well-known Christians are known for is they're well known. Apart from that, there's nothing distinctive about them. They belong to the herd.

God is looking for authentic people who will dare to have firsthand spiritual experiences in life and not settle for the secondhand imitations that are promised if you listen to the right seminars, watch the right videos, and attend the right meetings.

"When people are free to do as they please," wrote Eric Hofer, "they usually imitate each other." For proof, check out any generation of teenagers, college students, or business leaders. Not so with authentic people. They struggle through life and let God make them the special individuals He planned for them to be. Eccentrics are painfully odd, and they repel us; individuals are creatively different, and they attract us.

A New Look at the legendary insights of Dr. Warren Wiersbe

David C Cook releases revised editions of

Dr. Wiersbe’s trusted Bible commentaries—the “BE” Series

As pastors seek to make the Word of God more understandable in an age that is unfamiliar with the Bible and as growing disciples seek to discover the truth of Scripture in a skeptical culture, there is a great need for guidance in both the preaching and study of God’s Word. Whether you’re a pastor, a seminary student or a truth-seeking disciple, an understanding of the Bible can be made clear to you with the help of one of the most influential, in-depth and practical Bible scholars in modern history.

A man who has given his life to a deep examination of the Word of God, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe is an internationally known Bible teacher, former pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago and the author of more than 150 books. For over thirty years, millions have come to rely on the timeless wisdom of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe’s “Be” Commentary series. Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary and insights on Scripture have helped readers understand and apply God’s Word with the goal of life transformation. Dubbed by many as the “pastor’s pastor,” Dr. Wiersbe skillfully weaves Scripture with historical explanations and thought-provoking questions, communicating the Word in such a way that the masses grasp its relevance for today.

Easily accessible for both pastors and lay people alike, Wiersbe’s profound study guides can be used in personal Bible study or with a group. David C Cook’s third installment of eight revised “BE” series volumes each feature updated content for today’s readers, a new introduction by Ken Baugh and new study questions for each chapter. The 2009 expanded Bible commentaries will include the following studies:

· Be Diligent (A Study of Matthew) encourages us to follow Christ’s example and actively serve others and God. (January 2010)

· Be Wise (A Study of 1 Corinthians) explores 1 Corinthians, Paul’s practical guide to seeking Godly wisdom. (March 2010)

· Be Authentic (A Study of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph) shares how we can pursue authentic relationships with others and God. (January 2010)

· Be Basic (A Study of Genesis) gives fundamental truths from the book of Genesis on relationships, faith, sin and spiritual fulfillment. (January 2010)

· Be Obedient (A Study of Abraham) explores the remarkable life of Abraham and shows how we too can be obedient through faith. (January 2010)

· Be Strong (A Study of Joshua) shares the need for strong believers of purpose, while encouraging us to lead victorious lives. (March 2010)

· Be Decisive (A Study of Jeremiah) powerful insights for making the decisive, powerful choice to live by God’s absolute truth and values. (March 2010)

· Be Encouraged (A Study of 2 Corinthians) is a lively commentary that will help you be encouraged no matter what challenges come your way. (March 2010)

CFBA Featured Book--Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel

This week's featured CFBA book is Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel.

Every family has secrets. Few will go as far as the Baxters to keep them. Bestselling novelist CJ Baxter has made a career out of writing hard-hitting stories ripped from his own life. Still there's one story from his past he's never told. One secret that's remained buried for decades. Now, seventeen years after swearing he'd never return, CJ is headed back to Adelia, NY. His life in Tennessee has fallen to pieces, his grandfather is dying, and CJ can no longer run from the past. With Graham Baxter, CJ's brother, running for Senate, a black sheep digging up old family secrets is the last thing the family and campaign can afford. CJ soon discovers that blood may be thicker than water, but it's no match for power and money. There are wounds even time cannot heal.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Hunter's Moon, go here.

CFBA Feature Book

This week CFBA's featured Book is Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand.

And today--you get a treat. A rare review!

I'm not fond of most Christian fiction on the market (how many times have I said that?) So, there were a couple factors leading to my decision to read and review Beguiled.

First, back in the day when the CFBA was first formed, Deeanne's book A Bride Most Begrudging was featured. Historical romance. Not my type of book. I read it, though, and found Deanne's style of storytelling quite enjoyable. And I liked the book. (Seriously, I was amazed I liked something in a genre completely opposite of what I'd normally read.)

Second, Mark is a friend of mine and I know his writing is nothing short of stellar. Mark was Relief Journal's first fiction editor. He was published in the first Midnight Diner.

Third, Dave Long is their editor. I've sang the praises of books he's edited in the past.

When I heard Deeanne and Mark were collaborating, I honestly looked forward to reading the finished product.

Beguiled is a sassy, flirty, sexy romantic suspense that is not cliché, eye-rolling, or nauseous. It might get off to a bit of a slow start, which isn't a bad thing, but it picks up pace rather nicely. Beguiled is very well balanced. Just enough fluffy-girly stuff (overdo that and I'm putting the book down) and just enough creepy, menacing, dark alley, bad guy smoking a cigar stuff. Well, maybe I could have stood more dark story aspect, but there wasn't a lack of it.

Things I didn't like? Maybe the main character's breath caught one to many times. Maybe there was a red herring that was pretty obvious.

The story was absolutely unique. I loved the setting--Charleston. I loved that as a reader, I felt like I was really in Charleston. The conflict--internal and external--in the story was well done. All in all, it was a very enjoyable read.

One of my favorite scenes:

Without giving the story away...two of the main characters had been separated for a time and not all was peachy-keen. There was a lot of tension built up between them. And I found this little gem:

Her earbuds were in, and she gave no sign of recognition. As they drew closer, he expected her to pass him by. At the last minute, she gave the leash a graceful tug, then circled to a halt in front of him.

"I've got have a mind to sic my dog on you--for old time's sake," she said.

"I've got half a mind to let you."

She jutted out her bottom lip. He was tempted to snare it in his teeth.

Totally. Sexy.

My source tells me one of the authors picked that scene as favorite, also. :)


And here's a cute YouTube video of Mark and Dee where Mark talks about his dress for RWA...

Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo

This week's featured CFBA book is Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Whirlwind, go here.

A Slow Burn by Mary DeMuth

The CFBA featured book this week is A Slow Burn by Mary DeMuth.

This is the second book in the Defiance, Texas trilogy.

This suspenseful novel is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and the pain of telling the truth. Most of all, it is about the power of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer holds us captive.



If you would like to read the first chapter of A Slow Burn, go HERE

Fresh Life Bible Study Series

David C. Cook has been rocking the Christian publishing world lately as far as I'm concerned. Of the last handful of Christian book reviews I've done, David C. Cook has dominated. The Blue Umbrella, Praying In Color, Wounded, Zora and Nicky, Making Crosses (reviews coming soon for these two.)  I'm really enjoying what I've been reading.


Fresh life is a 20 minute a day study.

Awesome!

What I really loved was that the Scripture was right in the text of the study.  No chance for distractions by going back and forth from workbook to Bible. (And I do get distracted like that.)

I loved the notes in the margins and sometimes wished the entire study could be just the margin notes. But y'know, I'm strange like that.

I read through Live Relationally:  Lessons from the Women of Genesis.  Sometimes it seemed a little simplistic.  More "milk" less "meat" if y'know what I mean.  Not that there aren't women who need milk mind you. That's probably why I enjoyed the margin notes so well. More to chew on.

I will probably read through Live Deeply: A Study in the Parables of Jesus as well. These are the two sent to me to review. There are two others in the series.  Live Fearlessly: A Study in the Book of Joshua and Live Intimately: A Study from the Upper Room.

What's also nice about this series is you can definitely study alone but also with a group. I find it irritating when companies (Lifeway) have these great studies that an individual can't afford to do because they'd have to buy a video curriculum that's hundreds of dollars plus the participant's guide. Not very conducive to getting the Word of God out there, as far as I'm concerned. I realize the benefit of group study, but sometimes that's not possible. Like when you move and don't have a church. Or when you just want some quiet time with God.  So kudos to David C. Cook for giving us a Bible study that works with the time constraints of so many women as well as a budget conscious series!

The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason

The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason is a literary fantasy, the first in a series written for 9-12 year olds.

I agreed to review this because I thought it would be a great book for our homeschool reading--we're not finished with it yet and I promised I'd have something up by October 13.

The book is being talked about as a sci-fi story for everyone, not just children, in the vein of Madeleine L'Engle, Lewis, and Tolkein. How could I not agree to review it??

You'll be hearing from me soon on this one. And maybe I can teach that son of mine to write reviews?

Here's the first chapter if you're interested.

Simple Life by Thom S. Rainer and Art Rainer

From the book jacket: Authors Thom S. Rainer and Art Rainer interviewed a cross-section of 1,077 individuals to confirm that most people feel their lives are overly stressful and misguided, not allowing enough time for what really counts. As they share these highly relatable stories, the Rainers chart a simple path from joyless to joyful.Breaking life down into four key sections (Time, Relationships, God, Money), the authors show how four key goals (Clarity, Movement, Alignment, Focus) can begin to foster a life that is more spiritual and less busy, a life rich in experiences with family and friends rather than double-booked to-do lists and late nights at the office. The book even lays out an easy-to-follow action plan that will move readers assuredly toward the simple life in just thirty days.




My review: Honestly, I think this book is for a lot of people out there. People who are feelings stressed, overworked, under appreciated. People who feel their lives are chaos. People who feel they need to get things under control.

That's not me because my word for the past 5 years or so has been "Simplify" (See the sign in my old office?)



So really, reading this particular book was like me trying to find a frugal tip that I haven't yet implemented in my life. Which I suppose is good, it means I'm doing something right, right? I can tell by my low stress level that I'm not who I was when I set out on this journey to simplify. I have time now for what I'm called to, time for what I love, and I don't feel pulled in a zillion different directions.

Simple Life is an easy read, gives great advice, and is worth picking up if you need to change your life--because no one else is going to do that for you.

CFBA Featured Book

The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance featured book this week is:

Timescape by Robert Liparulo



If you'd like to read the first chapter of Timescape, go here.

CFBA Featured Book

Through the Fire by Shawn Grady

I have been with the CFBA from the first featured book and I haven't read many of them at all because, while I think there's an audience for Christian fiction, frankly, most of the stories sucked and they weren't well done. (I'm hard to please, I've said it before, I'll say it again.) So I've stuck to the pre-written posts and just put books on my blog I thought my readers might enjoy.

However...Through the Fire is very well written. It's not all surface, white-picket-fence stuff. There was an underlying theme--and it was good. The author didn't spell out what it was, he let the story tell it's story which indicates a maturity level that gives credit to his readers.

Two things made me read the book. First, the personal correspondence from Shawn. He made an effort. That is huge. Second was the fact he was named "Most Promising New Writer" at Mt. Hermon. When I got the book, I wanted to know who his editor was. Dave Long. I knew at that point, after the alignment of those ingredients that I'd probably finish the book. I knew for sure I'd finish the book when I couldn't stop reading and I was five chapters in. Usually, I get to the third (if I'm lucky) and that's that. Through the Fire was different, though.

The characters were real--which to me is the first thing a story needs to have. None of them seemed cardboard, stereotypical, or out of place. And I didn't roll my eyes once. Not once!

The story was fantastic. It certainly wasn't contrived. I wasn't ever sure of anything and that's a good thing. I shouldn't be able to guess who the culprit is. The tension was great. The internal tension, external tension to the main character's situation, and physical tension with "the girl."

And there were tequila drinking scenes. Wow!

There were a few scenes that didn't forward the story, but considering the fast pace of this book, a break here and there was not annoying.


The use of scripture--really, I loved it. I loved that it wasn't just stuck in there because it had to be. It was part of the story. It is the story.

I have to admit, I thought I'd read this and not be able to give it a good review. There was very little I didn't like. Good job, Shawn!






If you would like to read the first chapter of Through the Fire, go here.

CFBA Featured Book

Phil is reading Pirate Hunter right now. He's a little less than halfway through so he doesn't really have an opinion yet, but he's still reading...so that says something. Morrisey has delivered in the past, Phil's read everything of his so far. So hopefully this one will measure up.



Pirate Hunter by Tom Morrisey




If you would like to read the first chapter of Pirate Hunter, go here.

CFBA Featured Books

The Firstborn by Conlan Brown

If you would like to read the first chapter excerpt of The Firstborn, go here.


















Scream by Diner Alumni Mike Dellosso

If you would like to read the first chapter of Scream, go here.

CFBA Featured Book

The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Elisha's Bones by Don Hoesel.


If you would like to read the first chapter go here.

Painting Revelation

Painting Revelation by Debby Topliff

When asked to review this DVD, I jumped on it. I mean, with my focus on Visual Prayers and my Art Scripture Journal how could I resist taking the time to study another artist's work?

And wow. I liked this.

Debby Topliff was intimidated by the book of Revelation and issued herself a challenge--to study it. She came away with notes and drawings--and put paint to canvas. A 5-foot by 7-foot canvas to be exact. (OH what fun that would be!!)


Her DVD, Painting Revelation is broken into easy to watch sections that can be done as weekly studies or watched all at once (as Zane and I did.) Debby narrates the DVD and starts in her woodsy yard talking about what the Bible says and then moves to zooming in on the portion of her painting while she explains her interpretation.

This is such an incredible experience.

As I've been doing my Scripture Journal and Visual Prayers, I've been basically doodling, drawing or painting or whatever I feel led to do. I haven't ever set out to do something, interpret something. So this process was very interesting to me.

In addition to what I've already talked about, there is bonus material...


Resources included:

• Study: Download the 6-week study guide with worksheets, charts, visual key, Scripture references, and easy-to-use leader’s guide — for personal or group use.

• Fellowship: Watch the DVD with your small group, youth group, or retreat and choose from the discussion questions to explore topics you’re interested in.

• Teaching: Show the DVD in segments to present an overview and set the context for preaching and teaching on Revelation.

• Worship: Project images from the DVD to enhance singing and praise.

• Family: Share the DVD with your children to introduce them to the book of Revelation.

You can preview the DVD here. You should. It's beautiful! (and it's only 3 minutes!)


I'm so glad I had the opportunity to review this.

CFBA Featured Book

The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker.


If you would like to read the first chapter go here.