Category Archives: The Randleman Review

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Book Review – The True Account Of Adam & Eve by Ken Ham

The True Account of Adam and EveMy favorite part of the Bible is the early history found in the first eleven chapters of Genesis. I believe these accounts of early history are crucial to the foundation of understanding the rest of the Bible.

It’s frustrating to me that so many write these passages off as unnecessary, or worse, unbelievable.

So, I greatly appreciate the fact that Ken Ham has written a short book detailing the account of the very first people, called The True Account Of Adam And Eve.

Here’s the book trailer:

Written simply, The True Account Of Adam And Eve is easily readable in a very short time. It’s also easy to understand, making it an excellent resource for sharing with your children.

Paired with The True Story Of Noah’s Ark, you have a concise and easy to read account of two of early man’s most significant events.

Ken Ham and Answers In Genesis have created yet another resource to help combat biblical illiteracy, and help secure a biblical worldview in the lives of our children.

I recommend that you grab a copy of The True Account Of Adam And Eve, and share it with your kids today.

My favorite part of the Bible is the early part of Genesis. What is your? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

I highly recommend that you add The True Account Of Adam And Eve, by Ken Ham, to your library. You can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review – Made In Heaven by Ray Comfort and Jeffrey Seto

Made In HeavenHave you ever wondered where we got stuff?

I mean, we have such an amazing variety of creative resources to aid our lives. Have you ever wondered where they came from?

I have.

And now I know where some of the items I’ve wondered about originated, thanks to Ray Comfort and Jeffrey Seto’s new book, Made In Heaven.

Filled with interesting descriptions of the inspiration for such things as Velcro, adaptive fabrics, jet propulsion, and robotic prosthetics, just to name a few of the more than thirty items found here, Made In Heaven is a fascinating book.

Check out the book’s trailer to see what I mean:

Many of the things described in these pages seem like science-fiction; in fact, they were science-fiction in the not-too-distant past. But with continual advances in technology, and close scrutiny of God’s own handiwork, many such items are becoming a reality. The few dozen detailed here are just a sample of the hundreds of inventions inspired by Creation.

While I knew of several of these amazing inventions, many more of them were new to me, and a few were inspired by things I never imagined possible.

Authors Comfort and Seto did an incredible job of putting together the descriptions found here. You can find more about Ray Comfort and his other resources at LivingWaters.com. Jeffrey Seto is an Aerospace Engineer in the field of experimental research and development.

I loved reading Made In Heaven. My kids were captivated by the book. And I’m sure you will be as well.

What examples do you know of where man copied nature to develop something? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

I highly recommend that you add Made In Heaven, by Ray Comfort and Jeffrey Seto, to your library. You can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Q & A with Borders Of The Heart author Chris Fabry

Borders Of The HeartYesterday, I posted my review of Chris Fabry’s new book, Borders Of The Heart.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided this Q & A session with the author to give you some insight about this excellent new book.

Q: Your newest novel, Borders of the Heart, addresses heavy topics such as illegal immigration, the U.S./Mexico drug trade and the cost of compassion. Where did you get your inspiration for the book?

A: Our family moved to Arizona in 2008 and since then I’ve known I wanted to write about this area of the country, a rich, desert existence with problems and possibilities. This book is not as much an “issue” book as it is a book about people who have to deal with lots of those issues as part of their daily lives. I don’t have an ax to grind on the topics, but I did want to show how real people are affected by these contemporary topics.

Q: Several of the characters in Borders of the Heart are dealing with things from their past. What lessons do your characters learn along the way?

A: The past is huge for each of us. I’m convinced many are “stuck” by something in the past that holds us back from being all God wants us to be. A reader will walk through that process with the main character, J.D., and I’m hoping they’ll see an authentic struggle.

Q: J.D. Jessup is faced with a very difficult moral dilemma when he weighs the decision to follow his boss’ very clear direction or his own heart when he discovers Maria near death. What lessons does this story provide for your readers?

A: Every choice we make in life comes with a cost. If we say yes to one thing, we may have to say no to something else. The choice J.D. makes is a good choice, and even good choices can lead to disastrous and deadly results. Can you believe that God is involved in even the difficult circumstances? I think that’s a huge reveal in this story for me. Does everything have to work out perfectly in the end in order for God to be glorified?

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Book Review – Borders Of The Heart by Chris Fabry

Borders Of The HeartI discovered a new author. I’ve never heard of Chris Fabry before. So when I picked up his new book, Borders Of The Heart, I didn’t know really what to expect. I was captivated from the first pages, and finished the book in a couple of evening. I was impressed.

I’m not a huge fan of most Christian fiction. In my opinion, the cheese factor is pretty high most of the time. There rare a few authors who have surpassed my stringent quality control restrictions, and Chris Fabry has been added to that list.

Here’s a synopsis of Borders Of The Heart, from the Tyndale website:

Desperate to escape haunting memories, J. D. Jessup travels from Nashville to Tucson and volunteers on an organic farm. The hardened landowner has one prevailing rule: If J. D. sees an “illegal,” call the border patrol. But when an early morning ride along the fence line leads him to a beautiful young woman named Maria, near death in the desert, his heart pulls him in another direction. Longing to atone for the choices that drove him to Tucson, J. D. hides her and unleashes a chain of deadly events he could never have imagined. Soon they are running from a killer and fighting for their lives. As secrets of their pasts emerge, J. D. realizes that saving Maria may be the only way to save himself.

And here’s the book trailer:

I was really impressed with Fabry and this novel. I was afraid that the story line would be too romance oriented for me, and I wondered if I had made a bad selection, because I generally don’t read romance. But while there was an element of this in the story, the action and suspense hooked me from the first page.

Fabry did an excellent job of creating characters that the reader can relate to. With deep insights into their thoughts and their very being, the characters in this story seem like real people that you might meet every day.

With page-turning intensity, Fabry weave a tale that engages and intrigues. I will be finding a few more of his books to add to my collection. I suggest you do so as well, beginning with Borders Of The Heart.

Interested in more? Check out this Q & A with the author, Chris Fabry. You can also visit ChrisFabry.com and read his blog, The Fabry Log. Or, you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Have you read any of Chris Fabry’s previous books If so, which was your favorite? If not, who is your favorite fiction author? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading Borders Of The Heart, by Chris Fabry, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review – Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic

UnstoppableI love reading stories about overcoming adversity.

And that is exactly what Nick Vujicic has done. Born without any arms and legs, Nick could be expected to give up, overwhelmed by the difficulties of life facing someone with such disabilities.

Nick did no such thing.

In Unstoppable, Nick describes the power of faith and how it has enabled him to do things he, or anyone else, ever thought possible.

In the book, Vujicic talks about his struggles, from being bullied to thoughts of suicide. he talks about lessons learned, from faith and love to financial difficulties. And he talks about dependence and independence, depending on God more and depending upon himself less.

Here’s what I liked about Unstoppable: Nick tells his story, and it is fascinating. He also adds the stories of several people he has met who have overcome tremendous obstacles in their lives, and how they have stayed faithful to God in the process.

On the other hand, though, there were a few things I didn’t like about the book. While the content was excellent, Nick’s writing style aggravated me. It didn’t flow well, and jumped around too much. Some chapters were hard to follow because of this. It seemed, at times, like rambling.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the book. And the points he made in each of his chapters were solid. This is a book I can certainly hand out to teens in my youth ministry who may be struggling. I’m sure it will be encouraging to them, as much of it was to me. I’m sure it will be to you as well.

How do you respond to adversity? What can you to do help yourself respond better? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading Unstoppable, by Nick Vujicic, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review – Embracing Obscurity

Embracing ObscurityNot too long ago, I received a copy of a new book. I have no idea who the author is. But the subject of the book is something that has been on my heart for a long time.

Obscurity.

Not that I really ever thought of it in that term. My thoughts usually run more along the lines of “less of me, more of You”.

But the idea is the same.

In Embracing Obscurity, the author presents some pretty audacious thoughts.

We are too wrapped up in ourselves. We want too much attention; too much of the limelight. All to often, it’s all about us.

And he’s right.

We need to let go of ourselves, let go of our pride, let go of our need for the credit.

Because when we greedily hog the spotlight, we steal the glory from Christ.

We need to let go of our intoxicated desire for more of me, and stop building ourselves up. We need to stop building ourselves up so that we can look like we have it all together.

We need to say “less of me, and more of You”.

I suggest you pick up a copy of Embracing Obscurity today. Make it the next book you read. Allow its principles and its precepts to challenge you and open your mind to its message.

You’ll be glad you did.

Do you struggle with wanting too much recognition? What do you do to combat this tendency? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

I highly recommend that you read Embracing Obscurity, by an anonymous author. You can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from B&H Publishing Group as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review – God On The Streets Of Gotham by Paul Asay

God On The Streets Of GothamWith all the hype of the new Batman movie this summer, I was intrigued by the concept of Paul Asay’s book, God On The Streets Of Gotham. It was a very interesting read.

Asay’s basic premise is to dig deep into our fascination with the Caped Crusader for more than seventy years. And in that exploration, he finds several stunning similarities: how Batman portrays several aspects of God, and how he is descriptive of us.

Asay looks at every angle; from revealing character studies of Batman’s foes, to a comparison of the bat tools to the Paul’s armor of God, Asay show us how we might find elements of faith in the Dark Knight’s story.

While I was fascinated with much of the book, there were times when I found myself wondering if maybe Asay was over-analyzing things just a bit. Sometimes it just seemed to be stretched a little too far; and he was searching for glimpses of God that the writers never instilled into the hero of Gotham.

But for the most part, and despite my moments of skepticism, I enjoyed reading God On The Streets Of Gotham. If you’re a Batfan, you might enjoy it as well.

Who is your favorite superhero? Batman? Or someone else? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading God On The Streets Of Gotham:  What The Big Screen Batman Can Teach Us About God And Ourselves, by Paul Asay, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“