The layout is clean, and the prayers are organized according to theme and followed by Scripture. Simple drawings of the country lifestyle and the non-frontal views of the Amish are sprinkled throughout. The English is modern.

For my taste, this book would hold more appeal if the cover and English language held a sense of antiquity, and if the drawings were merely outlines or not there at all. Also, instead of a paragraph-style presentation, I think if the layout revealed the prayers line-by-line and varied the spacing in a poetic manner, it would enhance the aesthetics, perhaps causing the readers to linger over some lines.

This book could be useful for people who want models of prayer. They could get ideas for how to pray by noticing elements such as mention of God’s attributes and an openness before Him.  However, I may not recommend this book to a beginner in the faith unless they were Amish or Mennonite or had familiarity or particular interest or experience in the those cultures. For one thing, I wouldn’t want the book to push them toward embracing the Amish tradition for their own belief system or make them think the Amish path is the higher road. Secondly, I think they can learn about prayer from the Bible itself and don’t need to learn from these prayers that don’t all feel deeply profound and unique to me and that are written in modern English. But it is definitely possible that some would really benefit from the prayers or scriptures or find some gems here and there.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for free in exchange for a review.

The layout is consistent and would be conducive to easy browsing. In addition to the typical headings are indented sections of verbal suggestions in “SAY THIS” sections, tips in gray “Extra Credit” boxes, gray bars in the margins of the stories, and gray pages at the end of chapters highlighting a list of applicable “Five-Minute Strategies.”

On the surface, this book would seem most useful for people who are willing to flip through the book from time-to-time while consciously trying to put some suggestions into practice rather than reading it and promptly forgetting about the content.  But like with any book, it’s also possible to benefit from a new or reinforced concept or phrase that might influence one’s thinking and lead to change.  One of such concepts in this book that I think could be of benefit to someone is the one Jacobsen most wants the reader to take away from the book: “You can’t depend on anyone else for your happiness” (p.207).  While I would personally like the quote more with the “else” removed, it is good if one takes steps toward change without depending on the other to do so first.  

Besides contemplating particular concepts and tips, people could also benefit from thinking about the title. Really, it doesn’t have take long at all to consciously do something good for a spouse. I think even if someone were to read this book and only remember the “five minutes a day” part, and try to spend five conscious minutes being good to their spouse, that that would be a great benefit.

Even though this book could be quite beneficial for some readers, for me it would hold more obvious, personal value if I were to consciously try out some tips. Also, I think I would gravitate more toward a marriage book  written from a point of view closer to my own (for example, from my faith perspective and one that has less of a focus on the influence of the past on one’s behavior).  On another note, it might add credibility if a background note about the  stories scattered throughout the chapters was provided to clarify if they were based on clients’ stories she came across in her psychotherapy practice or research.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free for review through the BookSneeze program.

For more information on the book, please see the publisher’s website: http://www.adamsmediastore.com/product/save-your-marriage-in-five-minutes-a-day/self-help-relationships

Author and pastor John MacArthur’s motivation for writing Slave stems from his realization of the softening of the English translation of slavery references in the Bible (“slave” is often translated as “servant”) and his view of the importance of the concept of slavery (to God) in Biblical Christianity. He establishes the premise that being a Christian is equivalent to being owned by Christ as His slave. MacArthur is a strong proponent of the lordship salvation view. But Christ is not only our Owner and Master; He is also our Father. MacArthur devotes two chapters to the adoption of God’s children. He also touches upon slavery in connection with future accountability before Christ, heavenly citizenship, freedom, equality, grace, and salvation.

This insightful, informative book was well-researched with its tightly interwoven, well-chosen references, inclusion of historical figures, and description of slavery in the first century AD. One of the chapters worthy of review is the ninth, as the comparison is made between the purchasing of a slave at a market and the redeeming of a child of God.

Although MacArthur makes a lot of good points about the relevance of the concept of slavery within Christianity, in part of the fifth chapter, his bias toward lordship salvation and criticism of the opposing view and modern evangelicalism may not convince readers who do not readily adopt the lordship salvation viewpoint or who may see themselves painted (and possibly not holistically or fairly) within the (perhaps partially tangential) negative description.

Even if a reader is not one to retain all of the information or is not sold-out on the lordship salvation perspective, though, s/he could still benefit by giving more thought to the idea of slavery to Christ, an idea that seems not to be emphasized within Christianity. I would recommend this unique book but not to people who might wrongly interpret the intended message to use it as an excuse for treating another person in an unfairly subservient manner. The book is not promoting modern day slavery in the typically understood sense of the word, but it is promoting slavery to God.

You may see a sample chapter of this book here.

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Disclosure: I received a free e-book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

For more information, a preview, and a video clip, see the details on the Thomas Nelson website.

Image from Booksneeze.

By Grace Alone, by Sinclair B. Ferguson, includes nuggets on the saving, transforming power of the gospel, morsels to which I hope to return. The book is inspired by a hymn whose English translation is titled: “O How the Grace of God Amazes Me.”

Ferguson’s writing style may cause people to give Scripture greater pause. The story-telling and commentary might help readers view the reality of and humanity within the verses through fresh eyes.

The book could be read by both believers and non-believers, and included are words one might say to Christ when coming to Him for salvation.

Many great points are made in this book!

 I like that…

• guilt is addressed as reality and feeling and the point made that the knowledge of the lack of it can affect our feelings through greater understanding of the gospel (p.57).
• Ferguson talks about different languages (temple, court, market) Paul uses to communicate the gospel (p.48).
• Ferguson acknowledges the influence of “right thinking” on gospel-powered living (p. 105) while recognizing, in referencing John Owen, the difference between knowing the truth and knowing its power (p. 67-68).
• Ferguson approaches 2 Cor. 5:16 through the lens of having “a new attitude to other people” (p.60).
• in reference to Romans 6:23’s “wages of sin”, Ferguson talks of sin as an “employer” (p.107, 108). What a way to breathe life into the familiar phrase of whose weight I’ve overlooked countless times.

 The last of the above points comes from Chapter 7; this chapter, to me, would stand as a great book on its own. The concept of the transfer from sin’s domain to God’s kingdom is one that I would like to seep into and out of my heart. It is one I feel God may be stirring in my heart  through this book, and He may continue to do so through a book I will read in the near future.

While there is much to like about this book, I do have some level of hesitation with regard to the emphasis on Satan’s influence on sin in chapters 5 and 6. He may be given more credit to his role in sin than what I’m comfortable with. It is my belief that sin might originate in people or Satan and that we might not always or ever know the source for our particular sins. If people put too much stock into Satan’s influence on sin, I wonder if a result might be a reduction of their feelings of responsibility, conviction, and depravity. If it doesn’t have this result, though, it might not be a big deal to have an emphasis on Satan.

All in all, though, I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to read this book, and I am gladdened to think that God may be using it to work transformation in me.

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Image from here.  Disclosure: I received a free pdf copy of this book to review from Reformation Trust Publishing, and, upon approval of my review, a printed version will be sent out.

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The story has also been made into a movie.

The Book of Negroes, a novel by Lawrence Hill, is also published as Someone Knows My Name. It is written through the character Aminata’s eyes, bringing the reader into her life including her captivity and slavery.

The book is interesting, and I appreciate that much of it likely reflects historical or close-to-historical information. It is a novel, though, and Hill notes that at times he “knowingly bent facts to suit the purposes of the novel” (p.473). Reading stories that involve oppression may broaden perspective on personal hardships; perhaps it can also broaden the heart in terms of compassion for the oppressed. This book might trigger further the reader’s interest or pursuit of knowledge of slavery and the lives of those who experienced it.

Some readers may like to be warned ahead of time that there is some sexual content in this book.

The copy of the edition I checked out is not the illustrated one, but I think it would be neat to skim through that one. You can see samples of pages from the illustrated edition here.

Takeaways for me would include exposure to culture and Islam. Also, it is refreshing to see that someone (with knowledge and experience of Islam) is bold enough to challenge it to the extent that she does, even if those views wouldn’t be openly accepted among educated, open-minded thinkers in Western societies. It’s easy to be passive living with Islamic presence, but maybe I’ll be more aware that alarming oppression might be present and extreme doctrines might be being espoused even in the Muslim communities where I live. And if not, maybe the Muslims I see around have experienced hardships related to their religion in the past or know people suffering now.

I think it would be interesting to become friends with a somewhat conservative but open Muslim. While I do not believe that all faiths are pathways to the one true God, I wonder if interfaith discussion could spring from similarities between beliefs with regard to submission to one’s husband and the will of God/will of Allah. While those similarities may differ, and while Allah and the Christian God are not the same, they might serve as an interesting starting point for an in-depth discussion.

Surprised by Suffering, by Dr. R.C. Sproul, contains chapters divided into two major parts: “Unto Death” and “After Death.” At the back of the book is a question and answer section and Scriptural and topical indexes.

I would recommend this book. While there are parts that could be skimmed, other points would definitely be worth revisiting. It would do Christians well to desire to grasp God’s sovereignty so tight that it infiltrates our thinking in times of suffering. Sproul writes of suffering, which is not without purpose (p.7, 23, 132), as a “pathway” God uses to “redeem the world” (p.23). He recognizes that Christians “on the surface” seem to believe in God’s sovereignty, but he points out that this belief “is one of the most difficult doctrines to get in one’s bloodstream and into the fiber of daily living, so that we really live life believing that God is in fact sovereign and maintain our trust in Him even when it seems that life is spinning out of control” (p. 38).

 In addition to the valuable reminders about God’s sovereignty is the presence of meaningful anecdotes. The description of Sproul looking at a clock, waiting for his friend in surgery, alluding to (perhaps the possibility or reality) that for some, those minutes were their last. If I were an artist, I think this clock scene could serve as inspiration for a drawing. Another special story was with regard to Sproul’s dad’s death, and his last words being, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7)” (p. 52). Little did his father know that Sproul would one day become a Christian who would one day write, “If my father taught me anything, he taught me how to die” (p. 53).

 I like that Sproul does not shirk from death in this book. He even refers to death and suffering as a ‘vocation.’ But there is something beyond suffering; Sproul writes that “Our divine vocation is not ultimately to suffering, but to a hope that triumphs over suffering” (p.134). This book could be a hopeful one for one who believes in or is open to embracing God’s sovereignty in suffering. I hope my belief in this doctrine will grow and be of comfort when I find myself in times of suffering or other adversity.

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Disclosure: I received a free PDF copy of the book from Reformation Trust publishing to review and upon approval of my review, a printed copy will be sent out.

I chose this novel because I saw it listed as a book to be discussed at a book club meeting and thought it could be interesting.

Though there was a cellist in real life, Galloway notes in the afterword that “his actions inspired this novel, but I have not based the character of the cellist on the real” one (p.233). It seems that the real cellist isn’t happy about the publication of this novel. However, the book does not focus on the cellist alone. The first chapter introduces him, but most of the book alternates between the other three main characters’ worlds, with the cellist woven in here and there.

I noticed something interesting about the writing style, and I wonder if it’s a British/Canadian style of English or of it’s the author’s unique style. What I noticed is the presence of sentences where there is a non-ing verb directly (with no repeated subject or coordinating conjunction) after a comma. An example of this style of sentence can be found on p. 116: “A young man comes up beside Dragan, gets ready to cross.”

The book has somewhat of a philosophical feel, which could be conducive for group discussion. I appreciate that in the afterword Galloway names some individuals “for the countless hours they spent telling me stories, showing me places, and trying to teach me to think like a Sarajevan” (p.234). I don’t know if I’ll be going to the book club meeting, but if I go and if people are present who experienced the war in Sarajevo, I’d be especially interested to hear their thoughts and experiences and how they lined up, or didn’t line up, with those in the novel.

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