Need You Now by Plumb, Susanna Foth Aughtmon

186 pages

"A Story of Hope is the deeply personal, incredibly honest, and hugely encouraging new book by recording artist, songwriter, and performer PLUMB aka Tiffany Lee. Equal parts revealing memoir and inspirational literature, each chapter reveals a day in the life of a rock star, inviting you into Plumb's personal journey of embracing her life's passion of music and her very real, all-encompassing love for her family and community. Both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving, Need You Now is the story of beautiful and embarrassing moments on stage, the joys and trials of motherhood and unbridled forgiveness. It is the story of soul mates, best friends and a marriage redeemed. And more than anything, Need You Now is the story of love, fresh starts and the relentless message that no matter who you are or what you have done...there is always HOPE."  --from the publisher

It is written well with an honesty and openness about the difficulties of life and faith in Jesus. She doesn't gloss over pain and hurt with pat answers. It is a short read that I read for book club, and although I enjoyed it, I'm not the target audience for this book. I give it three out of five stars.
 

The Case for Heaven by Lee Strobel

 307 pages / 8 hrs, 31 mins

"Investigative author Lee Strobel offers a lively and compelling study into one of the most provocative topics of our day. 

"Through fascinating conversations with respected scholars and experts--a neuroscientist from Cambridge University, a researcher who analyzed a thousand accounts of near-death experiences, and an atheist-turned-Christian-philosopher--Strobel offers compelling reasons for why death is not the end of our existence but a transition to an exciting world to come. Looking at biblical accounts, Strobel unfolds what awaits us after we take our last breath and answers questions like:

• Is there an afterlife?
• What is heaven like?
• How will we spend our time there?
• And what does it mean to see God face to face?"               (from the publisher)

Excellent study of the myriad beliefs about the afterlife. I give it five out of five stars.

Person of Interest by J. Warner Wallace

 Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible by J. Warner Wallace

336 pages

"Detective J. Warner Wallace listened to a pastor talk about Jesus and wondered why anyone would think Jesus was a person of interest.

"Wallace was skeptical of the Bible, but he’d investigated several no-body homicide cases in which there was no crime scene, no physical evidence, and no victim's body. Could the historical life and actions of Jesus be investigated in the same way?"  --from the publisher

If you have questions about Christianity or want to better inform your faith, this is an excellent book. The author uses historical evidence and information sources outside the Bible to examine the life of Jesus. I give it five out of five stars.

The Case for Christ: Young Readers Edition by Lee Strobel

The Case for Christ: Young Reader's Edition by Lee Strobel - 144 pages

This book gives the reasons behind Lee Strobel's belief in Christ.  He presents historical, scientific, and documented evidence for believing.  

I picked up this book originally to see if it should be placed in the kids or teen section of the library.  I continued reading it just to see what evidence it presented.  I found the book to be interesting.  However, I also found it to be very simplistic even for children.  

 

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop-224 pages

This is a book about Christian lament. The author talks about lament as an essential aspect and gives examples from his life and others' lives and scripture. This is especially poignant with what is happening in the nation after the George Floyd murder.

God is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself by John Piper

God is the Gospel: Meditation on God's Love as the Gift of Himself by John Piper-190 pages

I got much from this book that says God is the ultimate good of the gospel. Seeing and Savoring/delighting in God as the good of the gospel is essential, according to the author, John Piper.

The Blood Covenant by E.W. Kenyon

The Blood Covenant by E.W. Kenyon - 71 Pages

Explains the significance and importance of a blood covenant and how it relates to the Shedding of Jesus' blood for us.

Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World

Martin Luther: The Man who Rediscovered God and Changed the World

by Eric Metaxas

496 pages

Martin Luther was celebrated as one of the most influential men in his time, since he forever changed Christianity in Europe.  He is known for posting the ninety-five thesis in 1517. However, this was only the beginning of his story. This publication dives into the life of the Great Reformer. It was thoroughly enjoyable. 

Daring to Hope: Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful by Katie Davis Majors

Daring to Hope: Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful by Katie Davis Majors-209 pages

I really enjoyed Katie's first book, Kisses from Katie, so I was looking forward to reading this. This one is just as good and did not disappoint. Katie chronicles the recent things God has taught her and done in her life since her last book was published. She has gotten married and added a biological son to the family. She has truly shown God's love to so many in Uganda through their suffering and, sometimes, through their healing. Her story is an inspiration and encouragement.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi -- 296 pages


Nabeel explains the difference between an eastern mindset and a western mindset. It may be hard for us to full comprehend here in the west just how fully those in the east rely on their elders and those in authority. For first generation eastern immigrants in the US, it is very hard to connect with those here, because our thinking is just so foreign. For second generation eastern immigrants, it is very hard to continue in their parents' ways when the western world tells them not to rely on authority, but to examine the evidence themselves.
That's what Nabeel was finally confronted with, the challenge to examine his own beloved faith and find out for himself just what he believed.
The journey costed him everything, but it also gained him happiness he had never dreamed of.
His story is incredible as well as very enlightening. I listened to it within days and hung on to every word. I'd recommend this book to anyone.

Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis with Beth Clark

Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis with Beth Clark-280 pages

My mom read this book and recommended it (and actually left her copy for me to read last time she visited). I wanted to read it for last month's memoirs and biographies challenge, but didn't get around to it, so I decided to read it this month. I really liked reading this book and didn't want to put it down. It has really changed my outlook on life and what it means to do missions work and to truly do what God has called us to do. Katie Davis leaves everything behind in the U.S. and moves to Uganda shortly after graduating high school. She ends up adopting several young Ugandan girls and sponsoring hundreds to go to school and get proper health care and such. She creates a non-profit organization called Amazima (which means truth in Luganda) Ministries to help sponsor even more kids to get an education and live "better" lives. Throughout her time in Uganda she her faith is tested and stretched and God blesses her immensely and touched many Ugandan lives through her. Overall, I could not put this book down and recommend it to anyone interested in missions work of any kind, here and/or abroad. It has really opened my eyes and changed my outlook on what living in "third world" countries is really like and what God has called us to do.

Saints (Boxers & Saints #2) by Gene Luen Yang

Saints (Boxers & Saints #2) by Gene Luen Yang-170 pages

This is the second and final book in the Boxers & Saints series by Gene Luen Yang. The first looked at the Boxer Rebellion from the point of view of a young male Boxer. This looked at it from the perspective of young "Saint" girl who feels she has no place in her Chinese family. She is the fourth child and a girl, so she is looked down upon. She meets Father Bey and other Christians and becomes a Christian and changes her name to Vibiana. She is killed by the young Boxer boy name Lee Bao from the first book in the series. Yang humanizes the story of the Boxer Rebellion and shows that atrocities were committed by both sides, some thinking that it was the right and justified thing to do, even though it probably wasn't. Many atrocities have been done in the name of God and against Christians over the centuries and still today. The series was interesting and sad, but I am glad to have read it.

When the Hurt Runs Deep: Healing and Hope for Life's Desperate Moments by Kay Arthur

When the Hurt Runs Deep: Healing and Hope for Life's Desperate Moments by Kay Arthur -- 240 pages

Where can you turn for hope when the hurt runs deep?
At some point in life, every one of us will face the dark pain of heartache and despair, a hurt that pierces so deep we're left gasping with questions:
"Why me? Why now?"
"What have I done to deserve this?"
"Will the pain ever go away?"
"How can God just stand by and let this happen?"
"What do I have left to hope for?"

If you know Kay Arthur's Bible studies and devotionals, you know that a lot of her content is simply guiding you as you study the Bible, highlighting and underlining different words, verses, and themes. She truly draws her content from the Bible as well as from her own past experiences. 

Listening to the audio book was a bit different, since you can't journal in an audio book and often you listen to them while your hands or feet are busy, so you don't have opportunity to sit down and study the scripture with her. Although it was moving to hear her voice telling you her stories, the audio book just didn't work for me as well as the physical copy. 

Even so, the truths in this little book are wonderful. 

The Power of I Am - Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today by Joel Osteen

The Power of I Am
Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today
by Joel Osteen
269 pages







Joel Osteen is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers and the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Joel's books encourage you to speak about your life in a postive way, not only the thoughts you think but the words you speak.
His audio's are very uplifting and I enjoy listening to them very much.

Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year struggle between East and West

Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and West

By Anthony Pagden

625 pages

The author begins in antiquity, with the conflict between Greece and the Persian Empire, and basically ended the publication with the conflict between America and Saddam Hussein.  The author expressed his thoughts that the conflict was not cultural but strictly religious.  According to Pagden, both the West (Christianity) and the East (Islam) contributed to the conflict.

Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace

Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace -- 288 pages

Can the Bible be trusted? Were the eye-witnesses telling the truth? Have their documents been reliably preserved? Wallace, an atheist, and a homicide detective, decided to investigate.

Wallace specializes in cold-cases, cases without recent evidence, cases that have gone unsolved for years. Using the methods and guidelines that he uses to solve cold-cases, he investigates the claims of the Bible.

I found this book to be very helpful, correct, and easy to read. I would recommend it to anyone.

A Day with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

A Day with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory -- 112 pages

Nick came home with an unbelievable story about dining with Jesus. He was never a religious person before this, in fact he scorned religion. But suddenly he can't stop talking about Jesus and reading the Bible. It's driving Mattie nuts. First he is obsessed with work, then he's obsessed with religion. This isn't the man she married, and she's ready to leave him.

On a plane ride Mattie begins a conversation with the man next to her, a conversation that will change the way she thinks, and perhaps save her marriage.

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory -- 100 pages

Nick Cominsky is too busy to be at home much. His daughter is growing up, and his wife is at her wits end, but he can't just leave work. One day on his desk, amid the piles of paper, he receives an invitation to dine with Jesus of Nazareth. He is certain that it must be a joke, an evangelism scheme, but he is intrigued and decides to check it out.

This is a short but comprehensive little book that explains Christianity and answers many questions that are thrown at it. It is pretty easy to read or listen to.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis -- 209 pages

Screwtape is an experienced demon writing to his apprentice nephew, Wormwood, giving him tips and advice on just how to tempt and destroy the souls that he is assigned to. During Screwtape's instruction, he gives insight as to Wormwood's letters, and he also tells us the story of Wormwood's assigned man.

This gives a very interesting and unique point of view on this man's life, which I found fascinating, but it also seems a little tedious as Lewis seems to be trying to give us wisdom about our daily walk with God, and what things the devil might use against us.

I had tried to read this in paperback previously and did not finish, but I listened to it on audio and enjoyed my listen.

Mere Christianity by C.S.Lewis

Mere Christianity by C.S.Lewis -- 227 pages

C.S.Lewis gives a case for Christianity, why he believes in God, and why he turned to Christianity out of atheism. Lewis uses morality and human conscience to mask his case. This book is not for Christians looking to explore different denominations, or for non-Christians looking for information about the church. It is for those with questions, or those who wish to deepen their faith.

I listened to this on audio and the writing style gripped and pulled me along, far from the dull stating of beliefs that I had feared. I enjoyed it a lot. Definitely worth listening to.