Posted on

Book Review – Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey

Steal Away Home by Billy CoffeyI am not a big sports fan, and I never really have been. But if there were one sport I can get into, it would be baseball. Of everything out there, I enjoy it the most. And, stories about baseball are among my favorites. So when I was given the opportunity to read and review Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey, I jumped on it.

I was surprised at first, because I halfway expected this story to take place during the Depression, or maybe after Word War 2. But Coffey placed it in the most unexpected of times. The story is split between 1990 and 2001. The main character is a man named Owen Cross, who is a catcher in the minor leagues. In 1990, he was a senior about to graduate from high school. In 2001, he gets his shot at the major leagues.

And the story is about both of those times. The majority of it takes place in the spring and early summer of that senior year, but it all comes as reminiscent memories while sitting in the dugout of Yankee Stadium one night in 2001.

The story is typical Billy Coffey, engaging and captivating, told in such a way that you can’t really put the book down. It’s a story of love and betrayal, of grief and forgiveness, of a girl and a game, and how salvation comes in the most unexpected ways.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Steal Away Home, just as I have with every Billy Coffey novel I have read. I think you’ll like it too. I highly recommend that you grab a copy and read it.

Ratings & Details For Steal Away Home:

  • Genre/Style: Christian Fiction
  • Story/Plot: 10 of 10 stars
  • Spiritual Content: 10 of 10 stars
  • Readability/Flow: 10 of 10 stars
  • Cover: 10 of 10 stars
  • Overall Rating: 10 of 10 stars

Book Review Rating

Question: Have you ever read anything by Billy Coffey? If so, how did you like it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

If you are interested in reading Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

I received this book free from Cross Focused Media as part of their Cross Focused Reviews blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Posted on

Coffee Break – 02.05.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1870, the first motion picture to be shown to a theater audience takes place in Philadelphia. In 1897, the first showing of a motion picture in Hawaii occurs at the Hawaiian Opera House. And in 1953, the Walt Disney film, Peter Pan, opened at the Roxy Theater in New York City.

Coffee Break

Today Is World Nutella Day!
My kids love this stuff!

How Major Religions View Coffee – This was very interesting and a bit amusing as well.

Some Turkeys, And A Dead Cat – Domestic turkeys are pretty dumb. I don’t think I realized wild turkeys were just as clueless.

The Cancer Of The Great Lakes – The spread of the invasive zebra mussel is impacting a large portion of the lakes and waterways of North America. It becoming a major threat to native aquatic wildlife. This is an informational article about its spread.

What If The Arab Empire Reunited Today? – I found this to be incredibly interesting and informative.

Posted on

Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:13-16

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

In the first half of this second strophe of Psalm 119, we saw the psalmist’s desire to study Scripture, and the joy it brings. In this week’s passage, we can see four practical ways to put this into practice. Take a look at Psalm 119:13-16:

Psalm 119:13-16

Studying Scripture is a key aspect of developing a vibrant and growing spiritual life. This means more than just a simple reading through of God’s Word, although that is a great start. But it is when we take that Word and really dig into it, studying it and even memorizing it, that we begin to see the full effect it can have on our growth.

In the first half of this stanza, the psalmist shared his desire for God’s Word, and the joy it offers. In the second half, these four verses, he gives four practical ways to implement God’s Word into our lives.

While there is some debate about how old the psalmist may be as he wrote this, one idea that seems to be likely is that this psalm is a sort of spiritual journal for King David. As such, it contains aspects of his spiritual growth through different periods of his life. In that case, these strophes at the beginning may represent his younger life, while those towards the end could have been written later in his life. I do not know if this is the case, but it certainly fits with much of this psalm’s structure.

In light of this possibility, it seems as if the psalmist, probably David, is writing to encourage young readers, maybe because he is young himself at this point. As he does so, he gives four simple and practical applications to inserting God’s Word into every area of our lives.

Posted on

Sons Need To Have Fun Times With Their Dads

Godly Men: Being Deliberate With Our Wives and Kids

A few years ago, my son Titus and I spent the weekend at a father/son retreat at Lake Aurora Christian Camp. And it was pretty incredible.

Father Son Retreat in 2012

We had some great experiences together. Titus and I first hit the waterfront and took a paddle-boat out onto the lake. It was pretty comical. Titus weighs significantly less than I do, so the paddle boat listed to the side pretty hard. Kinda made it hard to turn…

That evening after dinner, we had some game time, a campfire with singing, a devotion, and s’mores, and a hayride around the camp property.

Late night activities included dodge ball, capture the flag and other games.

The next morning, there was a great opportunity for father and son devotions together after breakfast. This was probably the most meaningful part of the weekend for me. Sharing in God’s Word with my son that morning is a memory I will cherish.

After our devotion time, we headed to the climbing tower. Titus successfully attempted to climb the medium difficulty wall. This is one of the proudest moments I’ve experienced with Titus. After all, he was only eight, and this was a pretty significant achievement for him. Once on top of the tower, he zip-lined down the eighty foot cable to the bottom.

Living In The Sacred Now

Living In The Sacred Now by Kim Thomas (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2001)

This year, I am trying to ficus my life down and be more simplistic in what I do, to be more unhurried. And I learn best by reading, so I have gathered a list of books about rest, and Sabbath, and living unhurried, and biographies of those who have done so, to help me understand and achieve more of this in my own life.

One of the books I have decided to reread is Kim Thomas’ book, Living In The Sacred Now. This is a book with a series of very short chapters that are devotional in nature. She describes what it looks like to be immediately present in the moment, and not focused on what is behind, or what is to come.

I first read this about ten or twelve years ago, but I think it has a lot to offer for my thought process, especially in this area of my life. You may be interested in it as well. If this is an area you struggle in, I suggest you grab a copy and read it. You can’t get it from Amazon directly, but you can find it from several third party sellers there.

Posted on

Coffee Break – 01.29.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, The Raven, was published for the first time in the New York Evening Mirror. In 1924, R. Taylor patented the ice cream cone rolling machine. And in 1936, the first members of major league baseball’s Hall of Fame were named in Cooperstown, NY.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!
You know what to do…

The Only Iced Coffee Maker You’ll Ever Need – Iced coffee is an excellent way to drink this incredible beverage. And this looks like a great way to make it. I may need to grab one of these and write a review over at Coffeelogical.

Workmen’s Cafe Overwhelmed With Customers After It Is Accidentally Awarded A Michelin Star – This happened a year ago, but it’s still humorous.

The Mysterious Rock Walls Of Rockwall, Texas – This is on my bucket list of places to visit some day…

Alpine Adventures – I love mountains. My favorite place on earth is out in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, but I am fascinated with any mountains, really. This video shows the beauty of the Alps.