Highland Jewel, by May McGoldrick

The second installment in the Royal Highlander series is an intriguing walk through the sordid history of England, Ireland and Scotland in the late 1700's through the early 1800's. Princes Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel is separated from your young son, but not by choice. She has married the present King (arranged, not by choice) and he wants the young child banished because he fears loosing the throne to him at some point.

Cinaed Mackintosh is banish, but at least he is not killed. At four years of age he set adrift without his mother.

Years later he becomes know as "the son of Scotland," a title that represents his position as the future leader of the Scottish people.

Young Maisie is a woman who also has been put adrift somewhat by the death of her parents. She though has remained with family and lives with her sister and brother-in-law. They think she is meek and mild manner. But what they don't know is that she is an activist working diligently to bring the rights of women to the forefront of politics.

This second story is the story of how Maisie falls in love, only to have it thwarted by the throws of anarchy. It is also the story of how Cinaed and his mother, the Queen, are reunited.

There is intrigue, deception, turmoil, desperation, betrayal and love. Each chapter brings us closer to devastation that might tear each character apart. But each chapter also brings us closer to how love, loyalty and integrity might triumph and bring victory to those who are oppressed.

While loosely tied to history, the story has enough relevance to what truly happened to make it an excellent read and insight into the times and lives of those caught up in political deception and control.

The characters are very well developed. They become the hero's that we all want to find in our lives and times. They will wow you, confuse you, devastate you, but also give you hope for a brighter future for the Land of the Scot's.

I am waiting with anxiousness for the third book in the series.

A Song of Joy, by Lauraine Snelling

Nilda Carlson is finding a new life away from the family farm. She is now working for Gertrude Schoenleber as her executive assistant. As such she is learning much about business and philanthropy. She and Mrs. Schoenleber are working out ways to help immigrants gain a foothold in their new country and new community. Their efforts to provide housing and jobs is something that is bringing satisfaction to both women.

But Nilda has other things that are going to bring her new joys and some angst. She has a suitor, one of the nephews of Mrs. Schoenleber. But this nephew is a wealthy socialite who has very little desire to work. Instead he wants everything done for him. He is drawn to Nilda, but he doesn't understand her a bit. She is a hard worker and not interested in living a life of leisure.

The story unfolds as Nilda learns and grows under the teaching of Mrs. Schoenleber and as she develops a strong work ethic and many benevolent concerns. She also does haver an interest in one of Mrs. Schoenleber's nephews, just not the one that is interested in her.

Throughout the story we see the Hand of God working to direct the steps of Nilda and all those associated with her. We see the faithfulness of God to those who love Him and strive to serve Him. We see the glory of God fulfilling the dreams and desires of those who seek after His heart.

I only gave the story 4 stars because I felt the beginning dragged a bit. But the last fourth of the book moved very quickly and made up for what seemed to be dragging earlier.

I enjoy all of Ms. Snelling's writings and enjoy reading about the lives of early immigrants from Norway.

Enjoy!

Pastor Paul, by Scot McKnight

While I don't fully agree with Scot McKnight on some theological items I still find his writing to be thought provoking. So, when I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this text I agreed to do so.

The book is about Pastoring. Specially about how Paul viewed Pastoring. Paul may not have written volumes on the thought of Pastoring, but by his actions and his letters you get a glimpse into the heart of a man committed to seeing spiritual growth in his disciples and in the church's which he planted.

While the book is mostly for those in pastoral ministry or in any type of Spiritual nurturing ministry I think that even the pay person will gain some good insights into the Apostle Paul and his view on our growth and maturity in Christ.

The introductory chapter (1) is very thought provoking, I read it three times to delve into its depths and it set me to thinking much about my own style of pastoring and whether or not I am actually doing the ministry that God called me to. It was a great refresher and thus a great reminder of the areas where I have been falling down.

As I said earlier, I appreciate Scot McKnights thought process, while I don't always agree. But this is a very excellent study in the life of Paul and how we can gain encouragement for how we do ministry.

Enjoy!

The Number of Love, by Roseanna White

Margot De Wilde is a young woman who has had to endure chaotic change in her life due to WWI. She and her family had to flee their homeland of Belgium and move to England when the German's invaded. Her father having died she now lived with her mother in England and they both worked for the war department.

Margot, even though just 18 years old was a brilliant mathematician, just as her father had been. She was hired to work as a cryptologist and had proven herself just a brilliant as any of the men in the department. As such, the men accepted her as an equal, something that wouldn't happen for most women in the early 1900's.

Margot will, along with others, solve the major codebreaking needed so that they could thwart the efforts of the Germans. She will befriend another young lady, a new secretary, and together they will forge a bond that will change both their lives.

What makes this novel particularly enjoyable is the faith in God that Margot and her new friend, Dot share. They see that God is sovereign and thus they can depend on him to keep them and their families safe. Or can He? Because of circumstances Margot finds herself in a dilemma of faith. Can she or can she not trust God.

Not only do we have a historical novel about WWI, but the added benefit of a love story and a story of how women could also do the same work as men and do it well. Add in to that the principles and truths of God that weave through the story and you have a great "Book Club" read for any church or community book club. Discussion questions at the end of the book will add to it's use for your book club.

Enjoy! 

Biblical Spirituality, edited by Christopher Morgan

This is a compilation of 10 articles on Spirituality. Thus each chapter is written by a different individual or two. So there is a wide range of writing style and concepts by different theologians.

Some of the topics include:
Chapter two, Spirituality and Spiritual Formation in the Old Testament (emphasis on creation)

Chapter three, Spirituality according to Jesus

Chapter four, Spirituality according to Paul

Chapter five, Spirituality according to James

And my favorite, Chapter ten, Spirituality and Our Work.

While the entire book is dealing with a theological framework of what Spirituality is I very much appreciated Chapter ten which breaks down the concepts into what happens in our work place. It was reported that, "it was found that an overwhelming majority reported that the church had done little or nothing to equip them for faithful living at work." As a pastor I found that comment disheartening. Why? Because I think it is very true.

The church does a good job of teaching and training people about the spiritual aspects of their personal lives, but it doesn't often teach its disciples how to share their faith in their workplace, or even how to apply Biblical Principles to our daily work environment.

It was stated that, "The moral terrain of our work lives is mostly defined by law and economics rather than theology, leaving us with an uninspired ethical pragmatism lacking in wisdom and heart." As part of my work in Missions, I taught Vocational Job Training. I taught about our attitudes at work, how to dress, what to expect, how to conduct ourselves, etc. But what was really captivating for the students was teaching what the Bible says about work.

God created man, but He created him to work. Six days shall you work and on the seventh day rest. Work is an integral part of our lives. We spend 1/3rd of our lives at our jobs. That's a lot of time. If God created us to work, then He wants to be a large part of our work. That doesn't mean we all do "Christian" work, it means that we at work we don't stop being "Christian."

Well, I should stop and just review the book. The concepts of the book are about how we view Spirituality and how we apply that to our lives. It will give you a great Theological groundwork, but it will enliven it with a practical outworking for our daily lives.

This will be a good addition to anyones library as a great teaching and reference tool.

The Nugget by P.T. Deutermann

The Nugget follows the military exploits of a naval dive bomber pilot in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Lieutenant Robert T. Steele. The story starts out with a board of inquiry about whether Lt. Steele is who he says he is. That is because he was lost at sea and presumed dead.

But the novel unfolds as Lt. Steele tells his story to the board of inquiry about what happened to him and how he fought the war even after being "lost at sea."

The story is well written and enthralling. It draws your interest in and gives you an excellent glimpse into what happens during war and how things can go from bad to worse to even worse for any military person.

But then their desire to survive and fight kicks in and they can do extraordinary things. Lt. Steele and his navigator, Rooster, survive by pure luck and also by skill. Then they don't just survive, but they go on the offensive with resistance fighters to thwart the Japanese.

I enjoyed the entire novel and find that it is a complete guide in how one person trained as a pilot can become all things in war to survive and fight.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

When Helping Hurts, by Steven Corbett

As we have been dealing with the Homeless Issue in our community (they are now called "unsheltered" to be politically correct) we needed a refresher on what is truly helpful in how to deal with them.

I suggested that our staff read Corbett's book and it has proven to be a blessing to us. Our staff have spent many hours talking about the book, working through the questions that are posed and then applying some of the issues to our situation.

The bottom line is that Corbett helps you to see that the issue is not an economic issue but a "heart" and "relationship" issue. The problem facing the homeless is that their relationship with God and with others is broken. As you step up to help them work through that broken relationship you will see growth.

Also in working with the homeless it is best to get them actively involved with the process to bring about changes to help them. So, Corbett gives great cultural, economic and social answers to the issue but he wraps all of that around the fact of how to help people with their broken relationship with God.

As we have been working through this now for the last five months we are discovering some real positive movement. Just this week three of our homeless have gotten all their paperwork in order, have met with social workers and all three have obtained full time jobs. They are liking the fact that they are now earning money and can start to right their ships. BUT, one of the major contributors to the turnaround is their attendance at weekly Bible study, their coming to family dinners weekly with our church congregation and their learning as well as our congregation learning that positive relationships can be built.

This is a great tool for any church to use in working through their issues with helping the homeless population. But beware, it's not just reading, its hard work that has to happen along with it.