Reviewing OUTRAGEOUS COURAGE by Kris Vallotton

Reviewing OUTRAGEOUS COURAGE by Kris Vallotton
This book lives up to it's name, and in the process makes you look at your own life. I doubt there won't be anyone NOT touched by it, if they read it through and allow the Holy Spirit to touch them.  Parts are 'outrageously shocking' when you first read them, then it all settles in and you think, 'this girl/woman is living out her faith to the fullest with the Light she has at the time'. 
   Early in the book she says "I had ignored God's warning... and now I am sitting with the consequences. I apologized and asked for His mercy, committing my life once again into His hands."   What a picture for us today!  Today many don't want to face the consequences of their actions and want to be bailed out, but the 'bailing out' should only be done by the Lord, so it is "in His will".
    We often get the picture of missionaries as meek and mild, but this book will show you the effectual workings of God through confrontation and challenge.  She had the balance between challenge and gentleness.  And, isn't that how Jesus is? NT tells us much about Him, and how our lives are to mirror His.
   When we fail in our obedience, do we learn from it? Tracy tells us that we often do not because we are ashamed of them, but God does not feel the same way.  "He is not ashamed when His kids stumble, He is right there to pick us back up..." But the key is, do we turn them over to the Lord and humbly submit to Him?
    She states a beautiful truth "God always gives us enough time and resources to do what HE wants us to do.  So... if we are lacking in either, then something is wrong on our end, never His.
   I also liked her statement of "we get younger as we get older."  There is so much in the book to make us examine our own lives in light of the Gospel we say we believe!
   There were many stories of her experiences in the book, and stories of her co-workers, but two that touched me tremendously were in Mozambique. A woman was pronounced dead at the scene of an accident, and came to life before their eyes. She had a broken  twisted neck and a protruding eyeball out of the socket, and all was fixed! The other was a heart wrenching scene as they rescued a woman left to die, seeping body fluids as they hit each bump in the road after loading her onto someone's lap on the way to the hospital. Such love is the kind Jesus would expect of us, because it reflects His love.   And reading it, you ask yourself, could/would I have helped, or been as so many and passed her by, knowing she was going to die anyway?
   The book ends with a sharp but true warning to all of us 'sitting at home ... wiling away our time in front of the TV or games.  Parents who are so overprotective and controlling of their children that they hover over the kids' every move so that they do not skin up their fragile little souls in the game of life. We used to teach our kids that 'all day, all night...angels are watching over me' but our overprotected culture has caused a cosmic unemployment crisis in the heavenlies. Are we depriving our children of an adventurous spirit to 'trust' God with their lives by our overprotected culture... when we exchange that faith-filled life ... we have lost sight of our divine destiny."
   I highly recommend this book.  I was given a free copy from Chosen-Baker Publishing to review, without restrictions.

Reviewing STARFLOWER by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Reviewing STARFLOWER by Anne Elisabeth Stengl...  I am an avid reader of most types of books.  I was not particularly overjoyed over this book as it was difficult at times to concentrate on the list of characters and places.  Something that would help the book immensely would be to have a section for character lists and name list so that it would be easier to understand what was happening in the book and also who the characters really represent.   There are so many characters in the book and their symbolism and personalities blur and are confusing.
   There was no Christian witness, only vague innuendos.  I would not recommend this book to anyone else as it would confuse many people.
   I received this book from Bethany/Baker Publishing for review with no restrictions.

  

Reviewing GOODBYE TO YESTERDAY by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Reviewing GOODBYE TO YESTERDAY by Wanda E. Brunstetter


First, I received this book free from Handlebar Barbour Publishing, but soon discovered it was only the first 8 chapters. Very disappointed, because I have never 'partially' read a book to give a review and being part of a 'series' should have contained more.

Then as I got into the book, I was not too disappointed ... because I thought it uninteresting. It did not capture my imagination or desire to read more, so therefore, I would not want to purchase the book or more of the series, to 'find out what happens' because nothing really happens until the last line of the last page!

It is about a young married Amish couple who are out of work. And it takes 8 chapters and 121 pages to tell that. I did not find it at all interesting, and I am a 'reader' ... sorry folks. I just could not get 'into' this book!

The cover, paper and print were beautiful and easy to 'read'.