Book Reviews

Come Out Swinging Through the Hard Times

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

This book is a “DON”T MISS”!  It is being added to my “second look” list for 2015.

The Pendulum: Come Back Swinging Through the Difficult TimesThe Pendulum: Come Back Swinging Through the Difficult Times by Rickie Rush

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“You Haven’t Missed It; You’re Right on Time! Many of God’s people feel guilty for going through difficult seasons. We think depression is spiritual weakness. In challenging circumstances, we ask: “God, where are You?” We consider the state of our lives and become discouraged, assuming we are not where God wants us to be. But what if we are?

What if the very circumstances that threaten to destroy us are the very things that launch us into our God-ordained moments of destiny? In The Pendulum, Pastor Rickie Rush shows you that there is a time for everything under heaven.

The Pendulum by Rickie Rush is an interesting book that got my attention and as well as it got me to thinking. Everyone seems to think that once/if you’re a Christian then life is filled with unicorns and pixie dust. How I wish that were true, but it isn’t. Christian deal with all the same life issues, the same difficult times that everyone else does. We have all the same triumphs and tragedies. And just like everyone else, sometimes we just don’t know how to get back up and fight. Continue reading →

Empowered By His Presence

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Empowered by His Presence: Receiving the Strength You Need Each DayEmpowered by His Presence: Receiving the Strength You Need Each Day by Kevin G. Harney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Receive God’s power for the journey ahead. Are you in need of strength, encouragement, and hope? Empowered by His Presence will set you free to face life head-on and follow God’s glorious vision. Kevin Harney weaves together biblical stories and modern narrative to form and stunning tapestry of grace and hope? In the pages of this book, you will find four surprising and God-given sources of strength: Suffering, Loss and Pain, Sabbath and Rest, Community, and Mission and Purpose. Discover how each of the power sources can help you live boldly, serve humbly, and overcome life’s obstacles.”

This book, as the author suggests, should probably be used as a four-week study whereby the reader can really uncover the wisdom and truths written on these 200+ pages. Or you can, as I did… devour the book in a couple of days.

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The Answer To Our Cry

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The Answer to Our Cry: Freedom to Live Fully, Love Boldly, and Fear NothingThe Answer to Our Cry: Freedom to Live Fully, Love Boldly, and Fear Nothing by Rick McKinley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“We all long for freedom. Freedom from anxiety, fear, and sin. Freedom to love others completely as God loves us. And yet we are shackled by insecurity, prone to selfishness, and wary of letting down our guard. That’s not the life God designed for his followers. When his people cry out to him for freedom, he hears–and responds.

Now pastor Rick McKinley shows how true freedom–the kind we see as God delivers his people in the Scriptures–is always in the form of relationship with God rather than our popular notion of complete independence. He calls us to look to the Father, Son, and Spirit for the model of perfect, self-giving freedom and shows how that kind of freedom can utterly transform us.”
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The Life You Are Longing For

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Life with a Capital L: Embrace a Bigger Gospel. Experience a Bigger Life.Life with a Capital L: Embrace a Bigger Gospel. Experience a Bigger Life. by Matt Heard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“What is it that you long for? Dream about? Hunger after? We all desire more than just the endurance of our daily routines. But often we feel limited and stuck — like we’re merely existing instead of living. That’s not the way it was meant to be. God intends the humanity in each of us to be deeply experienced, lavishly enjoyed, and exuberantly celebrated. In fact this is what the gospel is all about.

Yes, the gospel. Contrary to conventional thinking — inside and outside the church — following Jesus is not about denying our humanness but embracing it. Rather than acting more spiritual or being more religious, we’re called and enabled to become more fully human… and alive. Matt Heard escorts us on a journey of discovery: that Jesus didn’t come to save us from our humanity — Christ instead yearns to restore it to what God originally intended. Matt then explores ten key areas where everyday life can become extraordinary Life. Christ promised we could “live life to the full.” He didn’t just mean eventually. Life with a Capital L is the Life you are longing for. Now.”
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Not A Chance

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Not a Chance: God, Science, and the Revolt Against ReasonNot a Chance: God, Science, and the Revolt Against Reason by R.C. Sproul

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“Despite claiming unbelief in God or any higher power that may have designed or created the world and all that is in it, modern scientists often write and speak of chance as some kind of being or force that can cause things to happen. In one breath they push the evolution agenda and in the next they say that creatures were “designed” with specific traits. In this classic book, R. C. Sproul and Keith Mathison call the scientific world to employ logic and clarity in their discourse, to leave the word chance as an abstract concept to describe mathematical possibilities rather than an ontological being that can actually cause change. This expanded edition includes a new chapter dealing with the most recent attempts to defend irrational scientific statements. Two new appendices answer critics and review other literature on scientific discoveries that support belief in a Creator God.”
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David Wilkerson

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David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade, and the Man Who BelievedDavid Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade, and the Man Who Believed by Gary Wilkerson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“This is the story of David Wilkerson, the man who believed against the odds that God could do great things in the rejected and ignored of New York City, who refused to give up on those on the streets even when they had given up on themselves, and who saw in the eyes of the drug addicts and gang members what others failed to see the love of Jesus Christ.

But who was David Wilkerson? Many Christians don t really know. More often than not, we saw the fruit of his faith in God rather than the man himself. David Wilkerson was a man of faith who trusted God would give him what he needed to enter a world of crime and killing. He was a man of conviction who took the dream God gave him and marched forward without ever looking back. And he was a man of vision who could not be shaken from his beliefs sometimes even when counseled otherwise. David Wilkerson was the preacher of New York City.” Continue reading →

A Rushing Mighty Wind

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This is a remarkable TRUE story – watch the video and read the story.  Oh that this would happen the world over!

A Rushing Mighty WindA Rushing Mighty Wind by Angus Buchan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“When well-known author and evangelist angus Buchan was invited to speak at the Feat of Tabernacles, a yearly celebration held in Israel’s Ein-Gedi Desert, nothing could have prepared him for the miraculous events that were about to take place.”

In A Rushing Mighty Wind the Author, Angus Buchan, brings us the story of the events that surrounded the Feast of Tabernacles Celebration that was held at Ein-Gedi Desert in Israel on September 30, 2012. But it’s not just a story, it a re-telling of actual events and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit at that event and ushering in the tangible presence of God during that time. This presence of God helps to remind all of us that God is not just an historical figure that we read about… no, He is more than that. He is real, and alive and at work in each of our lives day in and day out and He is with each of us always. Continue reading →

50 Things You Need to Know

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50 Things You Need to Know about Satan and Demons50 Things You Need to Know about Satan and Demons by Mark H. Muska

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“A lot has been said about Satan and demons in music and movies, on the Internet and TV, but it can be difficult to figure out what’s true and what’s folklore. Professor Mark Muska uses the Bible to answer the most-asked questions about Satan and demons, including: Who is Satan? Does Satan really have horns, hoofs, and a tail? Can Satan read our thoughts? What is demon possession? Can anything protect us from demonic attacks?

You’ll discover exactly what God’s Word says–as well as what it doesn’t say–about these mysterious beings.”
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The Making of an Ordinary Saint

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This is another of the books that is on my 2015 list of books to read again… digging deeper and going deeper – exploring each of these disciplines…   (that list will show up on this blog at the beginning of December. I hope that you will join me in reading through the list)

The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey from Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual DisciplinesThe Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey from Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines by Nathan Foster

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Nathan Foster was just a child when his father’s classic Celebration of Discipline brought the spiritual disciplines into the popular evangelical consciousness. More than thirty years later, Nathan made his own journey into the spiritual disciplines. As he sought day by day to develop habits that would enable him to live more like Jesus, he encountered problems both universal and unique. In this engaging narrative, he draws insights from saints of old to uncover fresh ways of living for the contemporary, postmodern Christian.”
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Understanding the End Times

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The Holy Land Key: Unlocking End-Times Prophecy Through the Lives of God's People in IsraelThe Holy Land Key: Unlocking End-Times Prophecy Through the Lives of God’s People in Israel by Ray Bentley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Don’t Just Read Prophecy. Step into Its Fulfillment. The study of prophecy inspires elaborate timelines and speculation about which world leader might rise to power in the last days. But meanwhile, it’s far too easy to miss the significant prophetic signs contained in stories of biblical characters, in God’s creation, and in the lives and actions of today’s Israelis and Palestinians.”

The Holy Land Key: Unlocking End-Times Prophecy Through the Lives of God’s People in Israel by Ray Bentley is quite an interesting book. Right from the beginning it is filled with intriguing personal stories about key players in present-day Israel. With all that is going in Israel daily, it is through these personal accounts, we get a glimpse of Israel – then and now. Continue reading →