Hot Buttons series by Nicole O'Dell

Do you feel like you just do not have the material you need to help your teens make wise choices? Then these books are for you.

Nicole came to the realization that it would be far better to talk to her children about issues before they were forced to make the choices. She wanted to give them the information they needed to make the choices and understand the consequences when poor choices were made.

So she devised a game called Scenarios. She would give her kids a scenario – as though they were facing that situation right then. They would have to choose between the options she allowed them. She made sure they felt safe, even in making the wrong decision. They would have a talk after the decision was made and the consequences known.

Nicole created the Hot Button series as a way to help you bring the principles and practices of the Scenario game to your own home. The first book deals with Internet activity and the dangers in can bring. The second addresses boy-girl attraction and relationship issues. There will be two more books released in the fall – drugs and sexuality.

Nicole helps you take a preemptive move, even with your tweens. She explains why ten or eleven years old is not too young to start talking with your children about these issues. She details various hot button issues and includes warning signs to watch for and action to take right away.

She also includes actual scenarios. There is a story to tell, options to give, discussion questions to ask, and a Bible verse on the issue. She has even added ways to begin to reverse mistakes and repair damage already done.

This is an excellent series and great help for you in preemptive parenting.

Check out the author's websites at www.hotbuttonsite.com and www.nicoleodell.com.

Nicole O'Dell is the mother of six, host of Teen Talk Radio and Parent Talk Radio. She is the author of more than a dozen books.

Kregel Publications, 168 pages.  Publisher's product page.

Please visit your local Christian bookstore to purchase these books.

I received complimentary copies of the first two books in this series from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Message in a Body by Joseph Anfuso

Joseph founded Forward Edge International in 1983. The worldwide relief and development organization has mobilized volunteers to construct orphanages, provide health care to thousands, rebuild villages, repair homes, serve the homeless, build permanent homes and help rebuilt communities.

How he got to that point in his life is quite a story. Joseph is the son of a five time congressman. Joseph shares his experiences growing up in New Jersey with his twin brother. Smaller than his brother, he always had a bit of an inferiority complex. Their father died shortly after Joseph graduated from high school. Uncertain, he traveled to Europe, did college, then Europe again. Always searching, he and others drove across the U. S. He lived in Maui, then lived in communes. Still searching, he traveled to Tibet and India, visited a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and trekked to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

When his visa expired his brother flew him home. What a shock to find that his entire family has become Christians while he was gone. At his brother's urging, Joseph began reading the Bible. He eventually got saved and began working with Gospel Outreach. After a time he received a vision for mobilizing volunteers. Forward Edge was born.

Joseph believes in the power of story and his is a good one. He did what so many did in the 70s, searching for life's meaning in all the wrong places. Many baby boomers will identify with his experiences. They will also be introduced to the gospel as Joseph realized and shares his need for Jesus.

You can see more about Joseph's ministry at www.forwardedge.org/.  

To order copies of this book, go to www.messageinabody.com.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from a publicist for the purpose of this review.

Mondays with My Old Pastor by Jose Luis Navajo

Jose Navajo had just celebrated his forty-sixth birthday. As he put the birthday cake leftovers away, he knew he was experiencing something more than mere tiredness. “Deep in some uncertain part of my soul persisted a strange exhaustion that was difficult to explain and hard to endure.” (xi) An evangelical pastor, he heard his doctor's diagnosis: burnout. In the midst of his enduring the tunnel of discouragement, his wife suggested he visit his old pastor.

Thus began regular visits with the pastor of his youth, a seasoned eighty-three years old man who had been in ministry at the same church for fifty-five years.

Many Mondays the wise pastor told a story with a life changing message. There was profound wisdom to be gleaned from these stories. As the weeks went by, Jose could tell his old pastor was declining. He was losing the battle to cancer. Even as he grew weaker, he continued to encourage Jose with stories from his own experiences, from literature, and from legends.

The stories and the wisdom are inspiring. Some of the lessons Jose learned include, “Self-sufficiency is a highly sought after quality on earth, but it's a real hindrance in the things of the kingdom.” (22) “Nothing,” the old pastor tells Jose, “absolutely nothing is as important as taking time to be with God.” (34) “You have two options: serve the Lord or work in the church. They are not the same... Don't work for God, work with God.” (44) “Love those who least deserve it more, because they are the ones who need it most.” (60)

This book thought provoking wisdom that will challenge every Christian. Those in ministry needing inspiration to continue on will find treasure in this book. Each chapter is a simple lesson on deepening one's walk with Jesus. Yet the wisdom shared is profound.

The book is well written in a style of fictional prose that compels one to continue. While some of the stories are fables and legends, each one illustrates a thought provoking truth.

And the final lesson, even after the old pastor had gone to be with the Lord, was, “Everything is by grace.”

Jose Luis Navajo is part of the pastoral team of the Salem Evangelical Church in Madrid, Spain. While the pastoral ministry is his calling and vision, he loves literature and is the author of several books. He and his wife have two daughters.

Thomas Nelson Publishers, 207 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Real Church in a Social Network World by Leonard Sweet

In this ebook, Sweet does an analysis of church and today's individual, looks at the changing culture and gleans lessons the church needs to learn.

The rediscovery of a relation-based spirituality, Sweet writes, is crucial to ministry in the twenty first century. The number one source of stress is life is the feeling of isolation. The number one problem in the world is people living disconnected lives. What people are searching for most desperately is connectedness. This is an opportunity for the church to reevaluate its approach to relationship.

Today's individual does not lack for Christian teaching. No other generation has had as much access to Christian teaching as this one. Our society is less enamored with Christian theology than ever before. “What's missing is the right relationship, a deepening relationship with God.”

He speaks to participating in the divine life, being “missional” by participating in the mission of Jesus. Sweet encourages us to make others the focus of our relationship with God. Jesus was an equal opportunity relationship builder.

This little ebook packs a punch. As a doctrine oriented Christian, it certainly challenged me to love that an individual, rather than making sure they have all their doctrine right. I can see his point that the church has defended correct doctrine and belief with such intensity that it has forgotten to love its neighbor.

Something Sweet does not do is give suggestions on concentrating on relation-based spirituality. Is it small groups? Is it embracing the homeless? Perhaps each church needs to find out for itself how relationships will blossom.

Sweet's message to the church is clear. “At the core of who we are as humans is an inner drive for relationships with God and with one another.”

Consistent Sweet readers will recognize some of this material as previously published in some of his books. They will also be treated to an excerpt of Sweet's forthcoming book, Viral.

For more about Sweet, go to www.leonardsweet.com.

Publisher's product page.

WaterBrook Press.

I received an egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

Lizzie left her Old Order Amish home in Kingdom, Kansas, when she was eighteen - and pregnant.  Her father had been harsh, showing no compassion.
She had carved out a new life for herself in Kansas City but now it was falling apart. She had been accused of theft at her place of employment and there was no way she could prove her innocence. And there was that fellow she kept seeing on the street, watching her apartment. She knew she had to leave and the only place she knew to go was back to Kingdom. Perhaps there she would be safe.

When she and her daughter arrive back in Kingdom, things have changed. Some of the buildings in the town have been painted. A woman is operating a restaurant. And Lizzie meets some old friends who don't hold her past against her. She even has a place to stay in town, away from her parents.

She has hope for her future but she is shocked to see the stalker again. He has found her. And then she comes in contact with her father and he is as unforgiving and angry as was before.

This is a pretty well written novel. I generally don't like novels about the Amish but this one was a little different. Lizzie had been on her own for five years before she returns to the secluded community. The community is struggling with technological advance. There are some who want telephones and even own an automobile. There are others, including Lizzie's father, who think all of the modern advances are evil. Reading the novel really gave me an appreciation of the clashes in the cultures the Amish must deal with.

There is a bit of mystery and a little romance in the novel as well. It is all nicely done.

This is the first in a new series and I look forward to reading the next book about Kingdom.

Go here to watch a trailer about the book.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book. Go here to see reviews from others participating in the tour.

Nancy Mehl is the author of twelve books and received the ACFW Mystery Nook of the Year Award in 2009. She and her husband live in Wichita, Kansas.

Please visit your local Christian bookstore to buy a copy of this book.

Bethany House Publishers, 326 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Could I Vote for a Mormon for President? by Ryan Cragun & Rick Phillips

The authors have written this book “to demystify Mitt Romney's religion and address the major concerns – raised by both liberals and conservatives – about Mormonism. [They] aim to make the weird familiar.” (12) They should know. They were raised Mormon and are sociologists who study Mormonism. Both went on missions, married Mormon women in the temple and participated in the secret rites. But now both men no longer believe the truth claims of the LDS. But they don't want the Mormons misrepresented either.

“Polls show Americans generally have negative views towards Mormons. Among religious groups, only atheists and Muslims are less popular.” (12) They think calling Mormons cultists is dumb. They say that most Christian scholars who study Christianity accept Mormons as Christians. They attack those who say Mormonism is not Christians, calling them “religious bigots.” (31) “Unless you've got a theological axe to grind, Mormons are Christians.” (31)

They review the ceremonies, including endowment. “As with baptism, no one can enjoy true salvation without receiving endowment.” (54) They write about the underwear but note that other religions require specific clothing. They review the church's racist past and write that the church is working feverishly to expunge that past. They note other shifts in Mormon belief, at least as it is publicly stated. “These days, many church authorities prefer to say that exalted Mormons will become 'like God' rather than baldly proclaiming that they will be gods. This shift is designed to deflect the criticism of outspoken opponents of Mormonism...” (83)

Jesus and Satan are brothers, spirit children of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Actually, the Mormons teach that every person that has ever lived on earth is also a spirit child of Heavenly Father and therefore siblings of Jesus and Satan. (89)

There are a few things I learned from this book (as I have studied Mormon belief). Mitt's great-grandfather was a polygamist. His ancestors fled to Mexico in the late 1800s to avoid arrest under the laws prohibiting polygamy. Mitt's father was born in Colonia Dublan in Chihuahua, Mexico, an expatriate polygamist outpost.

I disagree with the authors' defending Mormonism as Christian. From what I have read about the history and beliefs of the LDS, I would not classify them as Christian. The authors write, “...[A]ccording to LDS theology, no person can achieve complete salvation without being married in the temple.” (51) That is not orthodox Christian belief. Elsewhere they note that Mormons are technically henotheists, recognizing many gods but worshiping only one. (82) That is definitely not Christian belief.

This book is a reasonable introduction to Mormon belief for those who know relatively little about them. Just be mindful that these authors evaluate Christians believing in Noah and his ark to be on the same level as Mormons believing God lives on planet Kolob.

Could the authors vote for a Mormon? You'll just have to read the book to find out.

Ryan Cragun is an Assistant Ptofessor of Sociology at the University of Tampa. His research interests include Mormonism and the nonreligious. His research has been published in numerous journals and featured in numerous local and national newspapers. He is a past president of the Mormon Social Science Association.

Rick Phillips is an Assosiate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Florida. He is the author of one book and has had articles published in several journals. He is a former president of the Mormon Social Science Association, a scholarly association of social scientists interested in the study of Mormonism.

Strange Violin Editions, 134 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Relentless Pursuit by Ken Gire

Gire says the Bible, from start to finish, is about God's pursuit of the outsider. God doesn't stop the pursuit when he brings us into the fold. He continues to watch over us to see when a part of us wanders from him.

“This book is about the heart of God and the lengths to which his heart goes to find ours, to bundle it up in his arms and to carry it home.” (11) Gire reminds us that there is no place to hide.

He writes of the stages of God's pursuit, the capture then creation.

He gives a few examples of others being pursued by God, such as Francis Thompson, creator of the poem The Hound of Heaven. He also includes biblical stories. The majority of the book, however, is his own story. He writes about shame, being an outsider, having ADD, and Jesus' mission to the outsider. In addition to reminiscing about his life, he includes lots of his musings about his own life.

Gire, by his own words, is a highly sensitive person. Gire has used writing as a way to understand and express himself. Much of this book consists of his thoughts about his own experiences. He speaks of having been in counseling for some time and I think he has written this book as an exercise in his personal growth process.

I am not as pensive as Gire is and I had a hard time identifying with the material in this book. This book is very much about Gire, how God has pursued him, and his reminiscing about his life. Perhaps another highly sensitive person would be able to identify with Gire's experience.

I am not sure who would enjoy reading this book and profit from it. I suppose someone who would is interested in writing for self revelation and healing would find this book an example of that.

I would not recommend this book for someone seeking to know God. Gire's book is too full of his own life to make this title attractive to a nonbeliever.

Ken Gire is the author of twenty-four books. He has won two ECPA Gold Medallion Awards and two of his titles were selected as C. S. Lewis Honor Books. Ken teaches weekend seminars on writing throughout the country. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. You can find out more about him at www.kengire.com.

Bethany House Publishers, 176 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House for the purpose of this review.

Faith and Other Flat Tires by Andrea Palpant Dilley

Andrea was a missionary kid. Her parents moved to Kenya in 1979, Quaker missionaries. They left Kenya in 1985, when Andrea was seven. They moved to Spokane, Washington.

When she was twenty one, she scraped off the fish symbol her brother had placed on the back bumper. “I was purging myself not of faith necessarily, but of a particular kind of faith and of a Christian culture that I associated with spiritual certainty. I didn't want anything to do with it.” (89)

She walked away from church when she was twenty three, not knowing if she would every go back.

This book tells the story of her search for purpose, a partner, and a worldview she could believe in. It is written for people like Andrea who find themselves driven by doubt, searching for a place to call home.

She shares her experience attending Whitworth University in Spokane, being a nanny for Jerry Sittsers' children. She frequented bars and led an aimless life. She dated and was disappointed. “My heart was out drifting in the dark somewhere, alone and untouchable, like a kite whose kite runner had stopped watching and let the string unwind into the air.” (202) “In the search for love, faith, and life purpose, I was failing on all fronts and driving around with three flat tires.” (206)

After two years of spiritual wandering, she started going to church again. “I left for a while, burned out by faith and church. Then I came back, driven by a completely different kind of fatigue. I was tired of myself. Tired of being an overwrought, introspective twentysomething trying to undertake the search alone.” (233)

Back at church she begins attending a Bible study. She finally found a few answers and the man she would marry.

As Andrea and her new husband drive off to Arizona, Andrea says, “I still had so many questions – about the doctrine of atonement, the triune God, the purpose of prayer. Behind those questions were buried other questions.” (297) And so Andrea ends her story, still looking for answers to those hard questions.

Andrea is articulate, sharing her questions about God and faith. Many young people will be able to identify with her searching spirit. This is a good book for the parents of twentysomething children to read. It will help them understand the doubts that plague young people. It will also remind them that we live with doubts, developing the faith that we can live with.

Andrea Palpant Dilley grew up in Kenya as the daughter of Quaker missionaries, and spent the rest of her childhood in the Pacific Northwest. She studied English literature and writing at Whitworth University. Her work as a writer has appeard in various publications. Her work as a documentary producer has aired nationally on American Public Television. She lives with her husband and daughter in Austin, Texas.

Visit andreapalpantdilley.com.

Zondervan, 300 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Handlebar Marketing for the purpose of this review.