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Book Review: “Turnabout’s Fair Play” by Kaye Dacus

March 12, 2012 at 10:38 am | Posted in Books | 1 Comment
Tags: Book Review, Christian Fiction, Kaye Dacus, Romance Fiction

Kaye Dacus in her new book, “Turnabout’s Fair Play” Book Three in the “Matchmakers” series published by Barbour reunites us with the five grandmothers who have united to marry off their single grandchildren.

From the back cover: The matchmaker has met her match.

Flannery McNeill has sworn off men. . .at least the handsome, charming kind, as they’re nothing but trouble. So when handsome and charming Jamie O’Connor shows up as an usher at her best friend’s wedding, she tries her best to avoid him. But it seems like someone is conspiring to throw them together. Two someones, to be exact: Flannery’s grandfather and Jamie’s grandmother.

Maureen O’Connor thinks Kirby McNeill’s granddaughter will be perfect for her grandson and convinces Kirby to help make the two a couple. But soon, the matchmakers will find the tables turned on them when Flannery conspires with Jamie to play matchmaker, too.

As the juniors scheme to bring the seniors together, a hilarious tumult of mayhem and misconceptions ensues. . .but will it end in romance?

Kaye Dacus really knows how to write a wonderful story. Once again Ms. Dacus has filled the pages of “Turnabout’s Fair Play” with high drama, wonderful romance and fascinating characters. And to end the series she has given us not just one romance but two. There is the theme of keeping one identity, being true to yourself, even though you want to fit in with the crowd. And, of course, there are the moments that you laugh out loud. ”Turnabout’s Fair Play” is a lot of fun and I recommend this book highly. I am sorry to see this series end as I have really enjoyed the concept and the characters however I am greatly looking forward to Ms. Dacus’ next series.

If you missed the interview for “A Case For Love”, a different series from Kaye Dacus, and would like to listen to it and/or interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Barbour Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: “Sweeter than Birdsong” By Rosslyn Elliott

March 12, 2012 at 7:41 am | Posted in Books | Leave a comment
Tags: Book Review, Christian Fiction, Romance Fiction, Rosslyn Elliott

Rosslyn Elliott in her new book, “Sweeter than Birdsong” Book Two in The Saddler’s Legacy published by Thomas Nelson takes us to Ohio in 1855.

From the back cover: Music offers Kate sweet refuge from her troubles . . . but real freedom is sweeter.

In Westerville, Ohio, 1855,Kate Winter’s dreams are almost within reach. As the first woman to graduate from Otterbein College, she’ll be guaranteed her deepest wish: escape from the dark secret haunting her family. But with her mother determined to marry her off to a wealthy man, Kate must face reality. She has to run. Now. And she has the perfect plan. Join the upcoming musical performance-and use it to mask her flight.

Ben Hanby, Otterbein College’s musical genius, sees Kate Winter as an enigmatic creature, notable for her beauty, yet painfully shy. Then he hears her sing-and the glory of her voice moves him as never before. He determines to cast her in his musical and uncover the mystery that is Kate. Still, he must keep his own secret to himself. Not even this intriguing woman can know that his passionate faith is driving him to aid fugitives on the Underground Railroad.

A terrifying accident brings Kate and Ben together, but threatens to shatter both their secrets and their dreams. Kate can no longer deny the need to find her courage-and her voice-if she is to sing a new song for their future.

In “Sweeter than Birdsong” Rosslyn Elliott not only gives us a great romance but a real piece of history. While her work is fiction this book is based on the lives of a real Ben and Kate who went through much of the events depicted in the story. This story has such great themes, slavery, how to do good when evil abounds, true love and how God works His plans even in the midst of great suffering. I like history and any story that has something to do with The Underground Railroad is a winner in my book. On top of all of that “Sweeter than Birdsong” has real life John Parker as one of the characters and you have to read this book to know more about him. I guarantee you will be delighted. This is a wonderful read and I recommend it highly. Looking forward to Book Three in this series from Rosslyn Elliott

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop Christian music please visit our internet radio station http://www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

God Wants You to Be Happy by James Randall Robison

March 12, 2012 at 7:21 am | Posted in Books | Leave a comment
Tags: Non-Fiction

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

James Randall Robison

and the book:

God Wants You to Be Happy

Harvest House Publishers (January 1, 2012)

***Special thanks to
Karri James | Marketing Assistant | Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Randall Robison works with his parents, James and Betty Robison, at Life Outreach International, where he writes and produces for the Life Today television program. Randy and his wife, Debbie, are graduates of Oral Roberts University and are raising their four children in Texas.

Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Christians should be the happiest of all people! Randy Robison, writer and producer for Life Today television program, encourages readers to embrace everything God wants for them, including deep, overflowing gladness that does not depend on pleasant circumstances or emotional highs. Robison provides helpful answers to important questions like these:

What is true happiness? How does it compare to blessing, joy, and our delight in the Lord?

Is true happiness attainable in this life?

Why does God want us to be happy? How does happiness relate to our relationship with God, our character, and our mission?

What keeps us from being happy? What promotes happiness?

How can we be happy even when we are broken, afraid, or navigating stressful situations?

Full of biblical wisdom and insight, this engaging new look at happiness challenges readers’ unexamined assumptions and opens new possibilities for them to rejoice in the Lord like never before.

Product Details:

List Price: $11.99

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (January 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0736949461

ISBN-13: 978-0736949460

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Human Nature

Strange indeed is human nature.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear

Cartoonist Walt Kelly wrote, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” He had it partially right. His application of the idea was wrong, but our human nature can be our own worst enemy and our biggest inhibitor to happiness. We are all born into sin, so we are corrupt from birth. Thus the need to be born again.

In the early twentieth century, American theologian Cyrus Scofield popularized a theological position called the trichotomy of man. It is somewhat debatable, but it has helped me understand our ongoing struggle against our own sinful nature even after experiencing salvation. Here is a simplistic explanation of the position:

Just as God is a three-part being (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), man is made up of three parts (body, mind, and spirit). Some use the term soul in place of the mind, but both terms generally include one’s thoughts, will, and emotions.

Another way of viewing the trichotomy of man is with three concentric circles. Martin Luther drew a comparison between this idea and the Old Testament temple, connecting the outer court to the flesh, the holy place to the mind/soul, and the holy of holies to the spirit.

In his popular study Bible, Scofield wrote, “Because man is ‘spirit’ he is capable of God-consciousness, and of communication with God ( Job 32:8; Psalm 18:28; Proverbs 20:27); because he is ‘soul’ he has self-consciousness (Psalm 13:2; 42:5,6,11); because he is ‘body’ he has, through his senses, world-consciousness.”

Additional parallels are drawn to suggest that Jesus Christ redeems our spirits at the point of salvation, a singular event that becomes a part of our past. The Holy Spirit works sanctification in our mind/soul in the present, and the Father will receive our bodies in glorification in the future.

I don’t wish to defend a particular theological position, but I do find the concept useful to understand the daily battle that Christians fight. Clearly, our spirits need to be saved. The part of us that is dead in sin must be made alive in Christ. This is salvation and, once experienced, resides in our core being.

The part that relates to our happiness is the sanctification process. The apostle Paul referred to this when he wrote, “Work out your salvation” (Philippians 2:12). This process stems from our spirit—the joy of salvation. The more we align our minds with our spirits, the happier we are. The more we align our thoughts, will, and emotions with our flesh, the less joy we experience.

Paul also addressed this struggle by saying, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” (Romans 7:19). The good that he wanted to do flowed from the redeemed spirit within. The evil that he practiced was prompted by the flesh—something we all have until we physically die. The battleground, then, is in the mind.

I believe this is what Jesus referenced when He admonished His disciples in Gethsemane, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

When we are redeemed in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Yet our flesh also lives, and it presses against this reborn spirit. We must renew our minds daily in order to align our thoughts, will, and emotions with the Holy Spirit. We experience happiness as “a mind free from trouble” when our minds are aligned with our spirits, not our flesh.

All of us know from personal experience that even after we are saved, we are still capable of horrendous sin. This is why Paul admonished us to avoid allowing grace to become an excuse to sin. “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only donot turnyour freedom into an opportunity for the flesh” (Galatians 5:13).

Living according to the flesh is especially miserable for believers because it produces an inner conflict that nonbelievers do not experience. The unredeemed spirit lives in harmony with the flesh, but the saved spirit wars with the flesh. If the spirit is dead in sin, a deceived, deviant, and distorted mind is not only logical, it’s unavoidable. Christians must take up the cross daily and die to self. We must kill our old nature.

Helen Keller wrote that “true happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” Of course, a blind and deaf woman knows nothing of the self-gratification that comes through two of the most predominant senses. But she was right nonetheless. And we are happiest when that “worthy purpose” is the kingdom of God.

Once we recognize that our sinful nature is a barrier to happiness, we understand that death to self is not really painful sacrifice, but liberation from a life of misery. It is not loss, it is gain. Finding the happiness at the other end of that process opens our eyes to the truth that Jesus proclaimed. Fighting what the apostle Paul called the “good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) allows our spirits to thrive, tempering the destruction of the flesh and unleashing the blessed fruit of the Spirit, including joy. Exhibiting all of the fruit, including peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, love, and faithfulness, conveys happiness to others in our lives, perpetuating the circle of joy.

Deceit

You don’t have to teach children to lie; they will do it on their own. Lying is natural. And it’s an enemy of joy. “Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good [towb]? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit” (Psalm 34:12-13).

Honesty comes only through a born-again spirit and continuously renewed mind. The Scottish poet Sir Walter Scott wrote, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”

Deceit is joy’s snare, causing all manner of grief. Believers who engage in deceit, including self-deception, give in to the worst of fleshly desires. A deadly array of corruption blossoms when we concede to this temptation. We must consciously avoid the mirage of comfort in lies and build on a solid foundation of truth.