Ransomed

Ransomed

by Els Van Hierden

a review by John Haynes

This is a very good book. I liked it so much that I read it twice. It is a beautifully painted story of love on two fronts. One front is the love a couple has to adopt a child. They go to Russia to seek the child. After tremendous disappointment in going through the process one time, Jared and Vanessa Williams wonder if they'll ever be able to adopt. And Vanessa wonders if she'll be able to bring herself to want to.

The other love story is about a David Valensky, a man from Colorado who is a missionary in Russia. He was a one-time successful businessman who lost his family but not his faith. In Russia, he crosses paths with a beautiful but mysterious orphanage director. She is also not a Christian, and that presents a challenge for David's ministry. The board of the mission David serves under becomes very concerned about his involvement with her. Will that end his ministry?

This book may come across as feel good and predictible to some. And in some ways it is those. But Els Van Hierden weaves a beautiful story that makes all of this of no consequence. She and her husband have adopted a child from Russia, so she knows what she's writing about. Even more, she knows how to communicate the message of the gospel in story form. I look forward to reading more from this wonderful writer!

More Precious Than Silver

More Precious Than Silver

by Lynn DeShazo

published by WinePress Publishing

a review by John Haynes

When I first picked this book up, I didn't know who Lynn DeShazo was. She's written many Christian songs (including the song that bears the title of this book), but her name didn't ring a bell (no pun intended). In each of the chapters, Ms. DeShazo explains one of her songs. The subtitle is "the God stories behind the songs of Lynn DeShazo," and that explains the book quite well. So I read all the way to chapter 7, which is titled "Be Unto Your Name," the title of a song Ms. DeShazo wrote with Gary Sadler in 1998. All of a sudden I thought, Oh, so that's Lynn DeShazo! I've always loved that song. So when I read her God story behind this song, it made me love the song even more! Then the next chapter (8) was about the song "Ancient Words," which I first heard performed by Michael W. Smith and have loved it ever since. Even if you're not familiar with Ms. DeShazo's work, you will still get a blessing from reading "the God stories behind" her songs. And if you are familiar with her work, you will be blessed even more. Sometimes we as Christians think of people in the spotlight as just a bit more holy, a bit more blessed, or a bit more special to God than we could ever be. I know we do that with characters in the Bible, but we also do it with modern saints. Has anyone ever thought Billy Graham was just another Christian? I didn't think so. I think it's the same even with other preachers and songwriters. But these people are just as human as you and me. Ms. DeShazo has been through good times and not so good times. She shares some of those experiences in this book. That's what makes her connect with the reader. She's just like us. And we are all in this Christian walk together!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to familiarize myself with a few more of Ms. DeShazo's songs!

Love Has Come

by Kevin Orr

published by Pleasant Word, a division of WinePress Group

I like this book. I like it, but I think the title may be misleading. The info (I suppose you could call it the subtitle, but it's kinda long for a subtitle) under the title says, "A twenty-eight day journey through the Gospel of Matthew." And that it is.

You are encouraged to read this in twenty-eight days to match the twenty-eight chapters of Matthew. I cheated and read it in a couple days. But I'm sure I'll read it again. Mr. Orr, the author, deals with one or two verses from each chapter of Matthew's Gospel. They're not all the verses you'd think he'd cover. And that's one of the beauties of this book. We all need to learn more about God's Word, and this short book is a fantastic way to do that. Each chapter is short (usually 2 or 3 pages), and there is room for personal reflections at the end of each chapter. This also makes it an excellent book for a group Bible study. Mr. Orr tells stories of his own life experiences, which makes it connect with the reader. He has endured some interesting experiences, some good, some not so good. And that is really what the Christian life is all about. One of my favorite's is chapter 5, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt 5:43-44, NIV). Mr. Orr is a church musician, and many of his stories (including this one) deal with situations involving the churches he has ministered in. This is what makes it so relevant. Mr. Orr is not perfect (which he would readily admit), and the people he's worked with are not perfect, either. Yet we can all learn from our mistakes, and we should. This is a book that readily connects with readers to facilitate that.

Love Has Come is an excellent read. I look forward to more titles from this author!

Okay, I know it's been a long time since I updated this blog, but I do plan to do more with it. I recently agreed to review books for the WinePress Group publishers. No pay is involved, but I get to keep the books I read and review! How cool is that! This is a great way to read more books and force myself to update my blog. So stay tuned! And I'd love your comments!

First post

Okay, so now I'm on the blog bandwagon. A bit late, I know, but it's okay. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter if you want to check me out there.

A bit about me. I am a Christian. I grew up going to a Baptist church. While my parents have always gone to a Baptist church, they have always instilled in me that you're a Christian first and a Baptist second. For most of my life now, I've gotten rid of the Baptist label. The Baptists have always had a rich history, especially in America, but I simply don't feel that being a Baptist is all that necessary. Besides, while I do subscribe to believer's baptism, I don't oppose paedobaptism or those who hold to it. R.C. Sproul is one of the best Bible teachers I know.

Enough about me. For now, anyway. :) I've called this blog "Books! Give Me Books!" because I love reading. I always have. And I recently found out about a great book giveaway that I want to share with you. Okay, so it gets me entered in the drawing for a free book too. Shoot me. Anyway, go to Cami Checkett's blog to find out more. I don't know Cami, but Kathi Macias is a good friend of mine on Facebook. She and I are also part of a great editing group called The Christian Pen on Google groups. Kathi writes a weekly devotional that always blesses my heart. I'm grateful for her friendship and I look forward to following Cami as well.

My advice for today: read something for pleasure. You won't regret it!