Joseph, by John Lennox

This book is a "Deep Dive" into the life of Joseph. I was expecting a book just about Joseph and the Biblical story of his life in Genesis. But what I got was a whole lot more. I was surprised, but not disappointed.

John Lennox gives a great overview of the whole book of Genesis by wrapping it around the theme of the life of Joseph. The reason for the overview is that he wants you to understand the family dynamics of Joseph's family (going all the way back to Abraham). Why? Because his family was a tad bit dysfunctional, but God still used him and his family for His purposes.

Think back to Genesis 12 when God tells Abraham that his family (nation) would bless the entire world. That seemed a bit out of the question at the time. But God had a plan.

Joseph's life plays a large role in showing how God was going to use the Jews to bless the whole world. Even though Joseph's brothers sold him into Slavery and even though Joseph ended up in jail for a time, still God was faithful and so was Joseph. 

Because of Joseph's faithfulness to God he was able to get out of prison, rise to fame in Egypt and basically save the known world from a seven year famine. That saving blessed not just the Jews, but the Egyptians and other nations as well.

But what are the lessons for us today? Well, John Lennox pulls together Joseph's life, his dysfunctional family and all of scripture, both Old and New Testament to drive home our needs to see God as caring and Sovereign. How will you respond to life's circumstances when they don't go your way? Learn how Joseph responded and then ask the Lord to help you learn how to respond appropriately to your own life circumstances so that you can be a Godly example to those around you.

Enjoy learning!

Shadow Among Sheaves, by Naomi Stephens

This novel takes the basic story of Ruth from the Old Testament of the Bible and weaves it together with elements of Pride and Prejudice. Now, I know that wasn't the intent of the author to weave P & P into the themes, but I couldn't help but make the comparison as Lord Barric appears to deal a lot from the element of Pride in relationship to his estate. And since it is set in the time that Jane Austen was writing, it just makes sense.

But the real story is based on the Biblical Account of Ruth the Moabite who returns to Bethlehem with her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi. The two widows must work through the bleak aspect of being widows, homeless, penniless, etc.

In our current novel, Rena, a native of India has married a British officer who then passes away. Followed in death by his diplomatic father. This leaves Rena and her Mother-in-law, Nell, somewhat destitute. Lady Nell's husbands English estate is entailed to another. Thus she returns to England from India with no money, no home to return to and a daughter-in-law who is not well received.

You see, they return to England after the uprising in India where many insurgents rose up to try and oust the British and in doing so they killed women and children as well as British military. The feelings at home in England couldn't be worse for Rena to walk into. She is shunned by all and is left to beg for food.

She ends up in the fields of Lord Barric, gleaning grain. The Lord meets her and the story develops from there into a love story, or not. Lord Barric is conflicted as he wants to help, but he doesn't want to destroy is family name and standing in culture by associating with Rena.

I love the way that Naomi Stephens writes the modern version of the Ruth story. She takes great care to get the historical setting of England in the 1800's correct. She also takes great pains to get the human characteristics of pride, nationalism, racial prejudice and social standing correct.

I know you will love the way she weaves the story and the ending is excellent.

Enjoy!

Secrets at Cedar Cabin, by Colleen Coble

In this newest addition to the Lavender Tides series we find another mystery that needs to be solved. Well, maybe not so much a mystery as a crime that needs to be solved. Bailey Fleming needs to flee her current situation and find a safe haven to hide. She lands in Lavender Tides. Here she will discover that hiding is not the easiest thing to do, especially when three different sets of people are searching for her or keeping an eye on her.

Enter the FBI when the place where Bailey is hiding turns out to be a place where sex trafficking may be happening. But the FBI agent involved in the case gets more than he bargained for. He gets to meet Bailey Fleming.

It is hard to write this review because I don't want to give things away. So, let me just say that Colleen Coble writes wonderful book series. Each book builds on the previous. Characters developed in the first two books are highly involved in the third. Situations from the first two books come back to life in the third and move further towards resolutions.

I love the Lavender Tides series and this third installment is fantastic.

Enjoy!

Sea of Greed, by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown

Kurt Ausin and Joe Zavala are again on the prowl in this new adventure. Somehow the world's oil fields are drying up. Instead of pumping out oil they are pumping out dangerous gas that ignites into flames when it comes in contact with water and or oxygen.

What is going on? How can this be stopped? What will the economic damage be to the world's oil market and thus financial markets as the fuel oil we need to rely on stops flowing?

As Kurt and Joe continue to save people from harrowing situations they come to realize that there is a new kind of evil being sown among the world's elite power brokers. Tessa has come on the seen and has developed a power cell that can replace our need for oil. But people aren't excited about it until the oil starts to dry up. Why is all this happening at once?

In true Clive Cussler fashion Graham Brown writes another technology thriller that is cutting edge stuff and will give you an exciting read as well as another education on our earth and its ecological systems.

Enjoy!

A Fire By Day, A Cloud By Night, by A.W. Tozer

This is a compilation of short sermon topics that A.W. Tozer preached over his lifetime of ministry. There are 23 short chapters dealing with why we as Christians struggle to Find the Will of God for our lives or why we struggle to Follow the Will of God for our lives.

Each chapter is short enough that it could be read as part of your daily devotions. Thus you can easily work through the book in a month.

A.W. Tozer is a great example of a man who found and followed the will of God in his life. He lead a successful pastoral ministry in Indianapolis and then followed the Lord's leading to Chicago where he had another successful pastorate. What is interesting is that he wasn't look for a change in Pastorates. He was happy where he was. But after accepting a guest speaking engagement in Chicago he felt the Lord's leading to move there and take over a different ministry.

The joy he found in that move has been expressed in many of the books and sermons which he penned.

This compilation from his sermons gives us a great insight into how A.W. Tozer thought and followed the Lord. There is nothing new or earth shattering in this book, but it is a great reminder of how God leads and why we at times don't hear correctly from the Lord.

One simple truth is, Do you Believe God? The answer seems simple to most of us, the answer is yes, I believe God. Well if we do then A.W. asks why don't we seem to be succeeding in the ministries we are doing? Is it because we have listened to ourselves and not to God?

You will be challenged to look in a fresh way on how God speaks to you.

I pray that this little book will give you some much needed clarity for you in how you respond to God's calling and direction in your life.

The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth, by Leonard Goldberg

Leonard Goldberg gives us a fantastic "Sherlock Holmes" story without having Sherlock Holmes as the main character. Sherlock has passed on, but his daughter, Joanna, continues his sleuthing ways in the same tradition as her father.

She has the help of Dr. Watson, but even more help from Watson's son, whom she spends a great deal of time with.

In this installment we find ourselves in WW1 and have the disappearance of a man who is one of the most brilliant of men in England. Alistair Ainsworth is the top cryptologist the English have and he with three other people is decoding all of the German communiques. But we have a problem.

The German's have captured him. He is still in England, but if not found before they can break him the war effort may well be lost.

Joanna has an exceptional mind and is able to decipher even the smallest of clues to put together a search and rescue effort for the Admiralty to find Alistair Ainsworth.

You will love the way she comes about her deductions and will see how she is just like her father. She is a woman of great thoughts, wonderful disguises, and a heart to find the truth while also teaching others, her son included, how to go about this business.

I believe we have found a new heroine to fall in love with and she brings back fond memories of every Sherlock Holmes adventure we have ever read.

Enjoy!

Flights of Fancy, by Jan Turano

Isadora Delafield has a problem! She is single, an heiress of a great fortune, and her mother wants her to be married to someone with a Title. Enter the Duke of Montrose, from England, on the American Continent to procure himself a wife. So, what's the problem?

The problem is this, the Duke is an oaf, and also disgusting, and also the most boring man alive. He believes himself a fine catch and "always" gets what he wants. But Isadora is turned off by his lack of manners, his bad breath, his terrible self aggrandizement an just down right unsuitability as a husband as far as she is concerned. But her mother and society will push her to marriage.

Instead, Isadora runs away. She leaves New York to become a housekeeper for an estate in Pennsylvania. The only problem is, it is not an estate but a working farm. So, think of the story like this, Green Acres meets Jane Austen.

Isadora is intrigue with life on the farm. She is intrigued with life in small town America. She falls in love with children, animals and a man who is a true rags to riches American story. Ian MacKenzie has gone from being a poor young man abused by his father to a man possessed of a excellent business mind and one who has climbed the business and social ladders of Pittsburgh. He is wealthy now and well respected by the local elite.

But he owns this farm that his adoptive parents run. He keeps it well maintained because of his love for them. But his desire is to climb higher up the social ladder in Pittsburgh. To do this he needs the correct wife to help him in that endeavor.

Enter Isadora. She is pretty, she is smart, she is a hired servant! How can he fall in love with her? She will not help his social standing. For her part she meets Ian and he is handsome, kind, generous and a man to love, but he is a farmer.

The story is well written. It is fun. It is laughable. It is intriguing. I must admit that at first I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not. But then, the story unravels, and being a Jane Austen fan, I fell in love with the American Heiress and Ian MacKenzie. Once you start the story you won't be able to put it down.

Jen Turano is a wonderful writer who weaves a beautiful story along with countless concepts of society, love, expectations and, well, just how love wins out in the end.

Enjoy!