Friday, 9 September 2011

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus - Christian Encounters
by Dale Buss

I started reading this book with no knowledge of the famous Christopher Columbus, or the "Admiral of the Ocean Sea". I finished this book exploding with knowledge of the great man, ready to share some interesting facts to others.
I requested this book from booksneeze.com in return for an honest review. I had received another Christian Encounters novel before, and it was amazing! I enjoyed every second of it, but could not wait to receive this book in the mail so I ended it reading it eBook format!
Dale Buss does a fantastic job at retelling this mans story- his life, his voyages, and his successes and failures, even though this is not a long read- a mere 176 pages.
Christopher was born in 1451 in Italy to a middle-class family and he died in 1506. He was a man of many trades. He was an explorer, a navagator, and a colonizer. People may say he is nutty, but I believe this man is very smart. He was fluent in many languages, including Portuguese, Latin, Castalian, and of course, his native language, Italian. He was very interested and avidly read about history, geography, and astrology. Buss does an excellent job at this biography on the man that changed the world.
I give this book 5 stars out of 5

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

The Grace of God

What a relief!

I requested this book from booksneeze.com in return for an honest review and I was thinking that it was going to be some intense deep information and topics covered. But it wasnt that at all! It was a nice light read and I found this book to be very enjoyable.

It was full of information but it wasnt too in-your-face. It is insightful and lifts your spirits.

Andy shares his story on how God created the earth just for us, and he did this out of Grace. We read the stories of Joseph, Moses, and Jonah and read about the New Testament.

I really liked how he talked about how everyone deserves God`s Grace but few of us receive it, this definately applies to life.

"Learn how God's grace can and will transform you.
None of us deserves what God offers, a life free from sin and hope for a glorious future, but unbelievably it's ours for the taking. Why? Because of God's grace. The unmerited favor, the lavish love and kindness he pours out on us, and has, since Creation.
But if it's so available then why do we live a graceless life? Why are our churches filled with disillusioned Christians, weary of religion's demands, struggling with personal defeat because of issues or behaviors?
Join pastor Andy Stanley as he traces grace through the Old and New Testaments, observing God's grace at work in the lives of some of the best—and worst—characters. He also uses personal stories from his own life to reveal how grace is not a natural response but is the most essential one. Together these stories unravel the mystery of grace and tell of its transforming power to set us free."

Our Last Great Hope

Our Last Great Hope
Awakening the Great Commission
By Ronnie Floyd

Book Description
Every day we encounter scores of people headed to an eternity without God. What will it take to wake us up to their desperate need for a Savior?
While the earth's time clock ticks away, well-meaning Christians go to church, pay their tithes, and pray for foreign missionaries—going through the motions of Christian life as millions face an eternity without God. If heaven is indeed for real, and only those who have put their faith in Christ will be given entrance, shouldn't we be making the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel, the last great hope for all the world?
Join pastor Ronnie Floyd as he challenges readers to face reality and begin a global movement to reach the lost. He says, "God is calling us to an awakening regarding his most urgent command found in Matthew 28:19 to go and make disciples of all nations. This Great Commission is the compelling charge given to us with divine authority by our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ."
If the Great Commission was so important to Jesus, why have we relegated it to casual discussions and an annual campaign in our churches? An awakening has never been more needed. In this challenging book, Pastor Floyd discusses key imperatives such as:
--Get honest with yourself
--Wake up your church
--Understand the urgency
--Talk Jesus daily
--Reach the next generation now
--Minimize structure

I LOVE this book. I didnt expect that I would have but I figured I`d try it out anyways. I received this book coursey of booksneeze.com in return for an honest review. I have read a couple of books about church, but have read nothing like this before. You can tell that Pastor Floyd really has a passion for his research and area of study. He really pinpoints different problems in the church, and addresses the church individually.
This book is a call for Christians to wake up to their life's purpose to fulfill the Great Commission. Overall, the book is an amazing solid piece of work by a man with a passion for the lost.
It's an easy read and it includes facts about the importance of the Great Commission. It would be an excellent book for churches to use for small group discussion. I would recommend this book as it is inspiring although it lacks some depth.

Friday, 2 September 2011

No He Can't

No He Can't by Kevin McCullough - How Barack Obama Is Dismantling Hope and Change
I have to admit, I knew nothing about politics (with the exception of reading Lies the Government Told You and The Century Turns, also from booksneeze.com/Thomas Nelson) before reading this book. I also knew nothing about Obama except he was the first black president, and his wifes name is Michelle.
This book is written by radio host Kevin McCollough. ‘No He Can’t’ is divided into four sections; Economics, National Insecurity, Erosion of Rights, and Accountability to Caesar. It is in these four sections that Kevin points out all of the mistakes, and inaccuracies that Obama has made during his presidency. This book is not just Kevin's personal opinions, as everything is backed up by quotes Obama has said himself.
Since I do not live in the United States, I am not surrounded by the news of their political world. I have always thought of Obama as a loyal president who loves his family of his country. I was very shocked to read some of what Kevin had to say, calling Barack disloyal and dishonest. I immediately knew this was not a book of praise towards the president, because of the cover- a dark red colour, and Obama's picture, looking quite mean/mad.
Needless to say, this was not the best book I have ever read. I did however enjoy Kevin's passion towards his writing... he delivers his point very clearly and does not beat around the bush. This is one man who says (or writes!) whatever is on his mind! I did not like how this book was very one-sided.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in politics or current events. Obama lovers would not like this read, thats for sure!

Barack Obama book review

I was very excited to get this book in the mail! As I have said before, I love hardcovers and this book was of a decent size, with 207 pages. It is written by

Stained Glass Hearts

I received a copy of this book from booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read this book. The author is Patsy Clairmont, and she has created this pretty hardcover for those who are stuggling and have a negative perspective on life. In the 13 chapters in 190 pages, Patsy gives advice and motivitation to stay strong and seek out the good things in life. In the first four chapters, Patsy paints a picture of what our need is, and the last 9 chapters she explains different ways to fulfil the need, with suggestions from her own life. I really enjoyed how at the end of every chapter, she give a song to listen to, a painting to look at, places to visit, things to look at and things to read.
I picked to review this book because of its subtitle: Seeing Life from a Broken Perspective. It appealed to me because, like many others, I had lived a life with disappointments.
Patsy is very open about her life and very cheerful. Her life has been a crazy journey and she holds nothing back in this honest tale. She tells how the Lord has brought her through her difficult times and came out on top. I also found that I aquired an interested for the arts and literature because of the fantastic examples she shares with her readers.
I would recommend this book because it is a truly good read. It could help many people keep their head up and believe.

Saturday, 20 August 2011

The Realms Thereunder

The Realms Thereunder
Ross Lawhead

This book was said to be "[A] fantastically compelling novel mixing the best of fantasy, adventure, and intrigue" (C.J. Darlington) and that it is! I normally do not like fantasy books and I did not know this book was one until I started reading. Once I figured out it was a fantasy/adventure novel, I did not expect myself to enjoy it, but boy, was I wrong!

I have read two of Ross' fathers (Stephen Lawhead) and I found his work to be brilliant. Ross is equally talent, but the father and son have different writing styles.

This book takes place in Oxford, Scottland. It is the story of Freya Reynolds, a university student, and Daniel Tully, a homeless man. Almost ten years ago, Freya and Daniel were at a church when they were abducted by knights and taken to an ancient underground city. They were missing for 72 days and presummed dead, when they both end up in East Ayreshire, Scottland. The pair went their own ways and Freya ended up studying forklore at Oxford, while Daniel ended up on the streets. This story follows the duo through an action-packed plot line, with tons of twists, turns, and pure spooky.