Category Archives: The Randleman Review

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Book Review – Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald

Ordering Your Private WorldOne of the first books I was assigned to read during my freshman year at Bible college was Ordering Your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald. Being a green, new student, fresh out of high school and into the big world for the first time, I had no idea what to expect, or any indication of just how much this book would impact my world.

It was phenomenal! I think I read it multiple times that year, and a few times after that as well. The impact that it had on my personal life was indescribable. After college, I kept that copy of the book, but didn’t read it much, although its principles continued to form a solid base for much of my personal life structure. And it has always been one of the most impactful books on my life.

Last fall, I decided to pull it out and add it to my list to read over the winter, and then I found that it had been updated and revised, so I grabbed a new copy to read instead. And once again, it holds a tremendous influence on my life and how I seek to order my inner world.

Gordon MacDonald presents some of the most practical input and advice into how to order the private world within, so that the public world can remain as effective as it can be. Looking at such topics as rest and leisure, time management, and reading, MacDonald presents several excellent principles to help make the inner life as stable as it can be. Is this exhaustive? Of course not. There are other things one can do to help maintain balance and order in the inner life. But this is an excellent place to start.

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Book Review – Jefferson’s America by Julie M. Fenster

Jefferson’s America by Julie M. FensterI have stated before that I am a history nut, and that I love reading history, especially early American history. One of my current projects, in fact, is reading biographies of each president, chronologically. So when I saw Jefferson’s America, I was immediately intrigued and grabbed a copy.

However, I was not as impressed as I had hoped to be. While the period covered was one of perhaps the most fascinating times in American history, I found Fenster’s recounting of these times and events to be somewhat dull and academic in nature. I was disappointed by that. In an age where our imagination is easily captured by the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing, this account of early American history could have been presented in a better way as to captivate and hold the attention of most readers more completely.

The back cover states boldly that “history comes alive in this entertaining account.” I could only wish this were true. This book took me longer to read than most do, simply because I found it the exact opposite of it’s claims. Make no mistake, the events recounted within were accurate and detailed. They just weren’t told in a way that held my attention for very long. I found it hard to finish this book.

Because it was accurate and detailed, I will recommend it, with reservation, as long as you know going into it that it is academic and dry. If you are looking for a more sensational reading of American history, this is not the book for you.

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Book Review – A Time To Stand by Robert Whitlow

A Time To Stand by Robert WhitlowI have become a fan of Robert Whitlow. I have read and reviewed a couple of his novels in the past: A House Divided and The Confession. Both of them were excellent books, and this newest one is no different. In fact, A Time To Stand may be the best yet.

Whitlow has woven a tale of suspense, filled with very current cultural tensions, such as racism and the authority of law enforcement agencies. Set in the deep South, A Time To Stand tells the story of a potentially divided community in the aftermath of a shooting. Set as a legal thriller, Whitlow tells the story of a young black lawyer who finds herself confronted with the seemingly conflicting realities of justice, race, grace and love. How she resolves this, and helps her community do the same, is a page-turner that you can’t put down.

Even though this is a work of fiction, the topics that it addresses are topics that face us all today: How do we offer and extend grace and forgiveness into an emotionally charged culture that seems bent upon self-destruction? How can God work into and through our lives in such a situation?

Whitlow gives some deep and insightful thoughts into this, and helps show how God desires love and reconciliation.

I highly recommend the spell-binding story telling of Robert Whitlow, and A Time To Stand is an excellent place to begin.

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Book Review – The Gospel According To Paul by John MacArthur

The Gospel According To Paul by John MacArthurUsually, I enjoy John MacArthur’s books. I have many of his works in my library, and I have read and enjoyed them immensely. However, I was not that impressed with The Gospel According To Paul. I found it to be mediocre at best, and generally unengaging and hard to enjoy.

The premise behind this book is to take a look at many of the succinct and focused summaries of the message of the Gospel in Paul’s writings. He often summarizes the message of the Gospel, and does so in unique ways, depending upon who he is writing to. Each of these are worth looking at and examining in light of the four Gospels, and the teachings of Christ himself.

Each time Paul does this, he gives some bit of insight that reveals more of what the Gospel is and why it is so essential for our lives. MacArthur strives to seek out the intricacies of each of these Pauline summaries, and do so in a thorough and easy to understand manner.

I don’t disagree with MacArthur’s purpose in any way whatsoever. Where my critique lies is in the manner in which he does this.

I primarily found two elements of this book that I had a difficult time with. First of all, this is one of the few books by MacArthur that I didn’t fully engage in and enjoy. It felt stilted and hard to read. It kind of felt rushed, as if he didn’t take the time to finesse it to a polished finish, like so many other of his books.

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Book Review – The Separatists by Lis Wiehl

The SeparatistsIn the past, I have read and reviewed several books by Lis Wiehl, and I have been impressed. The latest addition to my library is no exception, and may be the biggest nailbiter yet.

The Separatists is the third installment in Wiehl’s Newsmaker series. It is by far the best of the three, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first two. You can read my review of The Newsmakers here.

In this third volume, Erica Sparks, the nations top and hardest hitting news reporter investigates the secessionist movements that are growing around the nation. One such movement, in North Dakota, is disturbing, and Erica stumbles upon something much bigger, more sinister and dark than she’s ever experienced. As she seeks to follow the threads of murder and corruption to their source, she lands herself and her family in great danger.

Paired with this plot, Wiehl describes a woman who is both successful and greatly insecure. Sparks comes from humble beginnings, and seeks to escape that stigma, and be a better mother to her daughter. And with her new marriage struggling to survive, Wiehl paints a picture of a realistic person, struggling with many of the same struggles most of us deal with on a daily basis.

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Book Review – Everything You Always Wanted To Know About God by Eric Metaxas

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About GodMany people have questions about God, and many of those questions are good ones. But most people simply do not know where to go for the answers. Some have great church communities that can provide many of these answers, others do not. Eric Metaxas has taken the challenge to write a book that takes a good look at many of those questions, and provide some of the answers for those who are seeking them.

In Everything You Always Wanted To Know About God, Metaxas discusses many different topics, from the topics of evil and suffering, to sex, to miracles, and much, much more. The questions are good questions; and the answers are out there, and Metaxas does a great job of covering a lot of good information.

It’s just the format that I didn’t really like. Metaxas writes this in a Q & A, conversational style of writing that feels disjointed and can be hard to follow. Plus, he places some pithy humor is places that don’t warrant it, and it comes across as somewhat snarky. I had a difficult time with the format of the book, even though the information in it is excellent.

So I was mildly disappointed. I have read several other books by Metaxas, including Bonhoeffer, 7 Men, and 7 Women. This book was very different from those, and as a result, I didn’t enjoy it as much as his other works. Again, though, it bears repeating, the information and the answers he gives are great.

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Book Review – The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The Lamb by Jamin Goggin & Kyle Strobel

The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The LambMy initial thoughts upon picking up this book for the first time were, “What in the world could this possibly have for me?” Power struggles are not something I deal with, either in the church or in my own personal life, to any great degree. So I was less than enthused going into this book.

However, The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The Lamb pricked my conscience in more ways than one, and brought me to a greater understanding of my own quests for power, versus seeking the power of God’s way, the way from above.

More than once, I had to set aside the book and do some soul searching and prayer. I found that I am tempted by the seduction of the world’s power just as much as the next guy, if not more. And this book spoke to my heart on that matter in a very deep way.

Authors Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel believe that the church has abandoned the higher way of power, that of God working through us, to embrace the world’s way of power, and working through our own strengths and achievements. The American church has been seduced by the world’s way, and we haven’t even realized it. Goggin and Strobel have identified this departure, and even though we would deny it, they have hit the nail right on the head.

In their search for wisdom in this area, they visited and interviewed several key people of the faith, living in these modern times, among them people such as Eugene Peterson, Dallas Willard and J. I. Packer. Their findings were difficult to read, but their solutions offer some hope that we can turn our hearts back to Christ, and seek the way from above as we strive to follow his lead in shepherding the church.

I found The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The Lamb to be a refreshing, yet challenging book, and one that spoke to my heart in ways that I didn’t expect. It has opened my eyes to a reality I never knew existed, even in my own heart. I highly recommend that you read it, too.