Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs

I was so excited to get to review Mine is the Night, the sequel to Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs. These wonderful books are set in 18th century Scotland and are based on the book of Ruth. Mine is the Night picks up with the part of the story we are most familiar with, when Ruth, or in this case Elizabeth, arrives back in the home of her mother in law.

I so enjoyed reading this book. It is like two stories in one and both are great stories. I enjoy reading and learning the Scottish history and the customs of that time and the characters are well developed and likeable. Wonderful lessons about trusting in God and his provision for us. We are reminded that every good gift comes from our Lord, not our titles or who we know on this earth, but our King in heaven, to whom our allegiance belongs.

As always it is fun to see how the Biblical story unfolds in the new time and setting. Ms. Higgs does a terrific job of telling the old familiar story and yet writing a new stor with new characters all her own at the same time. This one was especially fun for me as I just finished an indepth study of the book of Ruth with my Bible Study class. I had a new appreciation for this story after digging in deep in class and so it was fun to revisit it again in this book.

I highly recommend this book.

Click HERE to read Chapter one of this book.

Read about Liz Curtis Higgs HERE.

Liz Curtis Higgs' website



This book was provided for review by Multnomah Waterbrook publishers.

Mere Churchianity

This is a book for people who have left the church or are thinking about leaving the church. I am not planning on leaving the church, but am often frustrated by what the church has become, so I thought it would be an interesting read.

The author doesn't out and out say we should leave the church. He points out that there are benefits in both solitude with God and with community. And that Jesus sought both. What he does say is that, no matter where you worship and serve God, you should strive to live a "Jesus shaped life." We should be more concerned with thinking in terms of "if I spent three years with Jesus, what would I think about....", in other words, what did Jesus say about this situation and how did or would he respond than in church tradition that often doesn't reflect Jesus at all.

In describing why some people leave the church, I recognized myself several times. One was a feeling of being alone or isolated, even when in a big church with lots of stuff going on. Or being disillusioned when seeing a group of Christians being totally disrespectful and and inconsiderate and anything but examples of Christ like behavior. Interestingly, his example was of a youth group's behavior in a restaraunt toward non church members. Sadly, we all to often see that same unloving behavior inside the church doors toward our fellow church members.

At one point he says "I know a lot of church-leavers, and they aren't who you think. Many of them have left evangelical churches and found new homes in other Christian communities and traditions, often those that conservative Christians are convinced have "sold out" and gone "liberal". Later in the book he points out that the "map of truth" is not just the property of one kind of church. That there are many paths to the truth in both the evangelical and mainline traditions and that we often miss important truths by rejecting the other paths completely. This really hit home with me. My background includes paths in many different traditions and I value them all for what they bring to the table. While I disagree theologically with some of the beliefs of some of my friends in some of more mainline denominations, I often look at what their churches are doing and think that they are more on the mark for actually following Christ's example in serving mankind. I often struggle with that balance. Wishing that I could have the best of both worlds.

He encourages us not to judge those who have left the church and empowers those who chose to walk a different path. Reminding us that our main objective is to follow Jesus and to serve him no matter where we are. That we can worship and serve him in often unexpected ways.

I encourage everyone to pick up this book. Whether you are disillusioned with the church or not. It can serve as a mirror for to see where our priorities lie and whether our walk is patterned more after Jesus's ministry or whether our lives or more shaped by man's tradition.

To read chapter 1, follow this link.

Author Bio:
During the years when he was blogging as the Internet Monk (www.internetmonk.com), Michael Spencer was followed by hundreds of thousands of readers. He offered a lifeline to the spiritually dispossessed in his speaking, teaching, and writing. Michael graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College and earned a master’s degree in theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. For seventeen years, he taught Bible and served as campus minister at a Christian school in Kentucky. Michael passed away in April 2010.

The Internet Monk Blog



I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Divine Appointments by Charlene Ann Baumbich

This is the second in a series called Snowglobe Connections, the first being Stray Affections, which I also reviewed.

This book focuses on employees of a company that is being restructured with the help of a consultant, Josie. We meet Josie briefly in Stray Affections and this book tells the story of her strange encounter with a mysterious snow globe. Josie a very independent, strong, 47 year old who's life is going just like she wants it, or so she thinks. We also meet several other characters who are dealing with the upheaval of downsizing and other personal issues.

It is easy and enjoyable to read. There is a good message about people not always being who they seem. To not judge them based on initial impressions. And sometimes we are not who we think we are. It is also a pretty relevant book dealing with the economy and job loss and we could learn something about dealing with these troubling times from the characters here.

There were some unexpected turns that could have really turned this book in another direction, but were handled well to keep the book uplifting.

Click HERE to read the first chapter of this book.

About the author:
Charlene Ann Baumbich is a popular author, speaker, and award-winning journalist who is passionate about rejuvenating lives through humor. Her writing includes the best-selling Dearest Dorothy series and Stray Affections, the first Snowglobe Connections novel, and seven inspirational nonfiction books. Charlene lives with her husband in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

The author's website.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Start Here by Alex & Brett Harris

I was invited to preview the Harris brother's new book, Start Here, for the publishers. I have read and loved several of Joshua Harris's books and was intrigued with the Rebelution and Do Hard Things, so I jumped at the chance to read what Alex and Brett had to say. I had yet to read Do Hard Things, so I checked it out from the library and have been reading it out loud to the family. Everyone is enjoying it and being challenged by it and thinking about the hard things we can do.

Start Here is a practical guide to getting started with, following through and "getting done" with hard things. It gives good advice on how to know which hard things to tackle and when to start them. They remind us that what we think is the challenge we need to take up is not always what God has for us at that moment. Sometimes we need to work on seemingly small things to be better equipped for the bigger project. One quote that stood out is "It's easy to confuse 'do hard things' with the idea of 'do big things.' A push-up isn't a big thing. Winning the championship is. But, doing push-ups when you don't feel like it is what it takes to win in a championship fight." I appreciated the list at the back of the book of 100 Hard Things. It was another good reminder that you don't have to sail a boat solo around the world (my favorite story from the book!) to be doing hard things. Sometimes just stopping gossip is a hard thing. And it is an important thing. But sometimes we are called to do really big hard things, like sail around the world or plan a big event.

They discuss the challenges that sometimes come with our hard things and remind us that just because we are doing the right thing at the right time (and that "the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing"), doesn't mean that we won't have bumps along the road.

They discuss what happens when you finish a hard thing and where you go from there. Dealing with the attention you might receive and turning the glory to God. Learning from the process and applying it to another project.

There are lots of stories from other Rebelutionaries sharing what they have done and the ups and downs of doing those things.

A great practical guide for rebelutionaries wanting to do hard things where they are. A great companion to Do Hard Things. A must read for teens (or anyone) who want to make a difference for the Kingdom.


Publisher's Summary:

At the age of eighteen, Alex and Brett Harris wrote Do Hard Things—and launched a movement that would change a generation. Young people around the world were ready to be inspired, ready to move beyond complacency, ready to rebel against society’s low expectations.

Now the highly anticipated companion book, Start Here,How do I get started? What hard things does God want me to do? How do I keep from getting discouraged or burned out? What is the best way to inspire others? answers the questions Alex and Brett have received from thousands of teens on their worldwide conference tour and popular online community:

Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide for young people who are ready to take the next step and blast past apathy. Let the rebelution continue.

Author bio:

Alex and Brett Harris are the coauthors of the best-selling book Do Hard Things, which they wrote at age eighteen. Today the twins speak regularly to audiences of thousands on The Rebelution Tour, maintain a hugely popular online presence through their blog, TheRebelution.com, and have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times. Raised in Portland, Oregon, the brothers currently attend Patrick Henry College in Virginia.

To purchase, click HERE.

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This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Dinner With a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

From the back of the book:

What Would You Discuss. . .
Over Dinner with Jesus?

That’s the dilemma facing cynical but successful businessman Nick Cominsky when he accepts an invitation to join Jesus of Nazareth for dinner at a local restaurant. Nick is convinced that his friends at work are pulling a prank. But the man sitting across from him appears to be quite serious, introducing Himself as “Jesus. My family called me Yeshua.”

Nick accepts his dinner companion’s suggestion to suspend his disbelief and “proceed as if I am Jesus.” What follows is a fascinating conversation that covers family relationships, world religions, and the afterlife, among other topics. Along the way, Nick confronts his own unfulfilled longings, spiritual uncertainties, and anger with God and he begins to wonder if the man across from him holds the answers to his deepest questions.

We listened to this book on the way to the ILs yesterday. We all enjoyed it. Serious doctrinal issues are served up with humor. It is very entertaining and yet also educational. Many of the questions that unbelievers and even Christians struggle with are addressed. Of course you must keep in mind that even Jesus's answers are still being created by a human author who doesn't have the omniscient knowledge to truly answer from God's POV, but I didn't have any problems with the doctrine presented.

One of the lines that I found funny was when Nick questioned the contradictions in the Bible. Jesus asked him to name one. Nick couldn't think of one "but I know there are supposed to be some." How typical. How many times have people spit out a statement like that and have no knowledge to even back it up. It's just the thing to say. Like "what about socialization" in the homeschool circles.

This would be a good book to share with anyone dealing with questions about Christianity. One of Nick's beefs is that Jesus claims to be the only path to Heaven and Jesus deals with that by discussing the failings of the other religions. But then he points out that even Christianity is not a "path" to Heaven. That, in fact, there is no path. Forgiveness and eternal life are a gift given freely.

I am thinking this would make a great book club book.

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