Defending the Faith by Mary Jo Sharp

Mary Jo argues that “Christian women need to be able to defend their faith with intellectual rigor and honesty.” (11) Therefore, women's ministries needs to include apologetics.

In this book she looks at:

reasons for knowing why you believe in God

how your beliefs affect your life

how your beliefs affect others

how to start everyday discussions on beliefs

what you can do in women's ministries

the importance of a woman's testimony.

Mary Jo writes from her own experience. She grew up agnostic and became a Christian at age twenty. About nine years later, she faced doubts about her belief. Convinced God would provide the answers she needed, she began to study apologetics.

Mary Jo says it is time for women to get serious with apologetics. Mothers are influential to their children and in this era, children need to see their mother with strong and well defended faith.

She shares the importance of learning how to think, of knowing how beliefs are formed and maintained, of doing deep thinking and tough theology, and of realizing how others (such as our children) perceive out faith.

This book is different than I was expecting from the title. This is not a book on apologetic techniques. You will not learn techniques for defending your faith although she does include many resources to do so. She does give suggested conversational questions to stimulate discussions with others.

Mary Jo's emphasis in this book is arguing that your church's women's ministry needs to include studies on apologetics. If you are a women's ministry leader, you need to read this book. If you are not a ministry leader, Mary Jo gives suggestions at the end of the book as to what you can do to encourage the incorporation of apologetic studies in your church.

You will be convinced that it is important for women to study apologetics. She writes, “Women will only live out genuine faith when they truly believe in God. They will only truly believe in God when they know Him. They will only know Him as they intellectually engage at a deeper level the issues of His existence.” (43)

If you want your women's group to be more than a shallow get together, I challenge you to read this book. It is time women got serious with knowing what they believe and knowing how to defend it. This book will get you going at incorporating deep and theological discussions into your women's ministry.

Mary Jo Sharp is director of the nonprofit apologetics ministry Confident Christianity, Inc. She holds an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and is Assistant Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University. She speaks frequently throughout the year. Find out more about her at her blog, http://confidentchristianity.blogspot.com/

Kregel Ministry, 144 pages. Publisher's product page.

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

A Woman's Guide to Hearing God's Voice by Leighann McCoy

Leighann begins her book by sharing all of the serious diseases and events that bombarded her the year she wrote Spiritual Warfare for Women. While she battled Satan, surprising to her was her struggle with God. “My faith was stripped bare and I came face to face with a God I didn't understand.” (12) In this book she shares what God taught her about Himself during that war.

She admits that sometimes life stinks. “I want to explore how God uses even the stinky parts of life to reveal Himself to us.” (14)

She divides her book into four parts. In “Wrestling With God,” she explores the stories of Abraham and Jacob. A blessing comes out of the wrestling match with God. In “Where Was God When...?” she looks at Joseph, Hezekiah and the disciples. We can learn to recognize God's presence in our life. In “Let God Define Good,” she relates stores of women she knows who have grown through hard experiences. In “God Will Make a Way” we are encouraged to live with the expectation of the new thing God is doing in our life. (As of the writing, Leighann was still experiencing chemotherapy from a recurrence of her cancer. This section is especially encouraging for people going through hard times right now.)

She gives some general rules for hearing God's voice. We must allow God to speak to us through the Bible. Reading the Bible is essential for recognizing God's voice when He speaks to us in another way. He may speak through other people, through worship, through visions and dreams. Obedience to what God has already told us is necessary to hearing further. Her five tips for effective listening are great.

The weapons against the devil's attacks are prayer and God's Word. She has provided an Appendix with some Bible promises to claim but encourages us to read the Bible and find out own.

Leighann is very good at using stories of biblical characters as springboards to investigating our own experiences. Her recounting of the stories make them come alive and of real use in our own situations.

This is not a theoretical book about hearing God's voice. This book has been developed through Leighann's own experiences of hearing God in hard times. She relates many of her own stories so we can see how she learned to hear from and trust God during her most difficult days.

This is an excellent book for personal use or a small group study. She has provided questions for further thought and discussion at the end of each chapter. There are also suggestions for Personal Reflection at each chapter end.

This is the most encouraging and faith building book I have read in some time. Reading about the lessons she is learning from God, even in the midst of chemotherapy, is inspiring.

Leighann McCoy is a popular speaker and the author of Spiritual Warfare for Women. She is the prayer and women's minister at a large Southern Baptist church, where her husband serves as pastor, and has written a number of devotionals and curricula. She lives with her family in Franklin, Tennessee. Keep up with her at http://leighannmccoy.org/

Bethany House Publishers, 240 pages.

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

Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

Andrea is a hot shot hospitality consultant for a major firm in New York City, helping entrepreneurs provide a welcoming environment for their customers. She is in England on her way to Scotland when she stops at a pub to rethink her circumstances. She just lost an account because she refused the advances of a businessman who expected more from her than facility planning. And now she was supposed to go to some island and land a contract with a celebrity chef and some old hotel he was restoring.

A handsome fellow sits next to her and before long, Andrea is saying more than she meant about her next assignment and her irritation at the probable personality of the man she will have to work with. To her horror, she finds out that the fellow sitting next to her is in fact James, the celebrity chef and owner of this pub and several restaurants in England.

That is the beginning of this fun romance set on the Isle of Skye. I like it when I learn something from reading a romance, and in this case, I was introduced to a beautiful part of Scotland. Who wouldn't want to go there after reading the beautiful descriptions found in this novel?

I would have liked to find out more about the restaurant business in England and the hospitality consulting aspect of it. But this novel centers more on the characters of Andrea and James and the past hurts they must overcome before they can let their love grow.

The novel's ending is super quick and leaves us wondering if it is really possible, after such a short and whirlwind romance, for the two to make a reasonable future work. And there is a change in Jame's brother near the end that seemed out of character.

Other than that, this is a pretty good romance. Characters must work through past hurts and mistaken ideas about family actions. Andrea must finally come back to the God she abandoned when her world had crashed into her years ago.

If you like reading about a place you may only explore in a book, you'll like this one taking place on the Isle of Skye.

Carla Laureano had been a professional marketer, small business consultant, and martial arts instructor. She lives in Denver with her husband and sons.

To find out more about the author and the book visit http://www.carlalaureano.com/ .

David C Cook, 332 pages.

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

Up to Know Good by Sara Schaffer

This is a pretty good little devotional of 150 readings. Sara shares a short story about herself and a suggestion for action, a good act. She follows with a little lesson involving God, then a verse and a prayer. The devotionals are grouped together, five on a topic.

This little devotional will not, and should not, replace your reading the Bible but it is a very practical addition to it. Her “Do Good” suggestions are great. Write a note of encouragement to someone. Visit a museum and notice how the artwork makes you feel. Pay attention to how you feel when you are interrupted. Take someone out to lunch. Most of the actions are toward others but some are for your own welfare and enjoyment.

Just a note about timing the readings. Sara has ten devotionals on Christmas that start 75% through the book. Those are followed by devotionals for the New Year. So, if you start reading this book around the beginning of August, you should come to the Christmas section at about the right time.

Sara Schaffer has a BA in Music Education, is an inspirational speaker and writes music. You can find out more about her and sign up for daily email at www.uptoknowgood.com.

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, 202 pages.

When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey

It is hard to describe this novel. It is part parable, part fantasy, yet all drama.

Tom, a psychologist in the city, moves his family to a small town in the country. His daughter, Leah, is very shy and stutters and is alienated from others her age. She has an imaginary acquaintance, the Rainbow Man. He sings and reveals to her pictures she is to paint and people she is to see. When her first painting contains winning lottery numbers, the town adores her. But then succeeding paintings are not so uplifting and the town turns on her and her parents.

This novel has much in it to think about and discuss. There are the characters, like Reggie, the pastor who has devoted his life to his faith and ministry. He is angry that one would even think God might speak through an agnostic little girl. There is Barney who testifies God loves him when he wins the lottery but when his wife dies a few days later, testifies that God is cruel. There is Tom, Leah's father. He is a troubled man, unable to cure his own ills even as he helps others.

There are many questions originating within the storyline. When we say “God loves us,” what do we really mean? Does he love us when He has us win the lottery as our business is dying and medical bills are mounting? Does He love us when He allows your wife to die? Does God love us when we put in our coins of good works and out comes our reward? Does He love us when we put in the correct change but the machine doesn't deliver?

There is nothing like adversity to reveal the true character of people. And this hick town of Mattingly has it's share. A disgruntled Barney thinks about the “rottenness that lurked just beneath the goodness of his town.” (266) And during a town confrontation with Leah, “In that moment the townspeople's brittle facade of community and kinship was peeled back to expose the beasts that lurked beneath it.” (297)

There would be much to discuss about this novel. What does it mean to believe? Would God speak through an agnostic child? Are events planned by God and are they inevitable? What do we do when God acts in a way we were certain He would never do? What do we do with the mysteries of God that we do not understand? As Christians, should we deny or accept a move of God when it is foreign to our expectations? When we call something magic, what does that mean?

Coffey is a fine writer. This is a novel with a good story on the surface and many underlying truths and questions below. Not all of the Christians we experience are wonderful people. They are real, with faults and problems. And as is often the case with God, not everything is as it seems. As for Tom and so many others, I guess that is why they call it faith.

There are discussion question so this would make a very interesting book for a reading group.

Billy Coffey writes books that combine Southern charm with a vision beyond the ordinary. Billy lives with his wife and two children in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Find out more at www.BillyCoffey.com.

Thomas Nelson, 330 pages. Check out the publisher's product page and watch a book trailer.

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

An Open Heart by Harry Kraus, MD

Noted heart surgeon Jace Rawlings is back in Kenya, his childhood home. Son of missionaries, he has forsaken their faith and made a success of himself in the U. S. But is he back in Africa because of his desire to bring healing to those who would otherwise receive it, or is he running?

Through emergency surgery, Jace had saved the Virginia governor's life, but in the process had become too close to the governor's beautiful wife. And then Jace was in an automobile accident. The governor's wife had been with him and had subsequently been killed. Jace remembers nothing of that night. Does he have true amnesia or is he just protecting himself?

When an autopsy reveals that she had been drugged and had recently had sex, all suspicions turn to Jace. Heather, Jace's wife, receives a copy of the autopsy sent anonymously. Still back in Virginia, she had refused to go to Africa with Jace. She didn't know if she could trust him – the late nights, the lipstick on his shirt collar.

Jace experiences many cultural differences that jeopardizes his heart surgery plans. When he does perform some surgeries, his patients have messages for him. Messages from beyond this world. And then it becomes clear that someone is out to murder Jace.

This novel is different from the others I've read by Kraus. Rather than a medical thriller, this novel is more of a novel about the cultural experiences of a doctor in Kenya and the loyalty between wife and husband. The action in the novel is interspersed with back flashes, from both recent history (with the governor) and from childhood. The history behind Jace's current actions are very slowly revealed. I was expecting the same kind of action I found in Kraus' previous medical thrillers but this one is much, much slower and longer.

Kraus notes in the discussion questions that he himself was currently working at Kijabe Hospital so much of what he has included in this book comes from his current experience. It also appears (Question 8) that he was born in Kenya so Jace's childhood experiences may have come from the author's as well.

Harry Kraus, M.D. is a board-certified surgeon, medical missionary to East Africa, and accomplished writer of both non-fiction and fiction. Harry resides in Kenya with his wife Kris and the youngest of their three sons. Find out more at http://www.harrykraus.com/

David C. Cook, 448 pages.

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

Radical Forgiveness by Brian Zahnd

Zahnd is concerned that Christianity is in danger of fading into a kind of cherished relic. If Christianity is to be relevant in the twenty-first century, it needs a fresh message. Not something new or novel, he argues, but a return to Christianity's roots.

“If Christianity is about anything,” he writes, “it is about forgiveness.” (xix)

As Zahnd explores forgiveness, he notes how difficult it can be, how much and how often we are to do it, that it is living in imitation of Christ, its relationship to forgetting, how it affects our happiness in the future, how it goes against many cultures (of revenge), it requires leaving justice in the hands of God, it is the way of the cross, and it means replacing condemnation with mercy.

He writes about the importance of forgiveness to our own welfare as we overcome evil with good. Our story takes a turn when we choose to forgive. Evil is no longer the final word.

His section on justice is thought provoking, arguing that “God interprets justice in terms of relationship and reconciliation, not necessarily in terms of what we might consider fair.” (121) Zahnd reminds us, “The cross is where we do not get what we deserve.” (126)

Zahnd has included many inspiring stories of people who were obedient and forgave. Many of the experiences were so painful, yet the people forgave.

Zahnd writes that perhaps his main motive in writing this book is “to help recover the true beauty of Christianity as found in forgiveness.” (xxi) He has done that well. This is an inspiring book, reminding us to live out the essence of Christianity.

This book is primarily for Christians. But non-Christians will find here the essential core of Christianity, the reality of God's forgiveness as the basis for Christians forgiving one another.

(Note: this book was originally published as Unconditional? By Charisma House in 2010.)

Brian Zahnd is the author of two previous books. He and his wife live in St. Joseph, Missouri, where they pastor Word of Life Church.

Passio, 226 pages.

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

I've Got Your Back by James C. Galvin

“The essence of leadership is helping others follow well,” Galvin writes (110) Learning to follow well is essential to leading well so that is what Galvin concentrates on.

He begins with story, a parable. Stories are powerful and, besides, Jesus used them. Jack is a retired army and ex-missionary who coaches four young professionals who are stuck. Randall is a college graduate working in the produce section of a market. Valerie has a marketing degree but is in a job with no possible advancement. Brad is in youth ministry and does not want to move up to director like the board is requesting. Lynn is in medical billing but her boss is not at all helpful.

We follow the four as they try to put into practice the teaching Jack gives them weekly. He asks them to become good followers, even if dealing with bad bosses and bad leaders. He helps them learn how to work with flawed people, how to help them lead better. They learn how their past experiences formed their mental model of leadership. “'We tend to lead the way we have been led unless we reflect deeply on our experience, become aware of our actions, and develop our unique potential,' said Jack.” (52-53) They learn about character and competence, REAL followership (Responsible, Ethical, Authentic, Loving), the three types of followership (God, parents/government, other humans), and how to slay the fear dragon.

Galvin follows with a theology of leadership section, explaining the principles revealed in the story. He reminds us that leadership is God's idea but it has been corrupted by the Fall. We are imperfect people leading imperfect followers. He explores leadership as the interaction between leaders and followers, giving biblical insights on both.

This book is for everyone, not just leaders. We are all leaders and followers in some way. I was amazed at the amount of insight in this book. Reading about the three types of followership answered so many of my questions! It addresses issues about submitting to those who have (or claim to have) spiritual authority over you. Galvin also clarified what true servant leadership is and he addresses leadership abuse.

(One area Galvin did not cover in this book is leading and following in the home, the husband/wife relationship. He did not clarify which type of followership, I, II, or III, that relationship would fall under.)

I highly recommend this book! Having been a ministry leader as well as serving on church and private school boards, I have read many books on leadership. I have never read one like this. I have never understood so much about the relationship between leading and following. I have never had so many of my own leading and following experiences explained.

Galvin has included discussion questions divided into eight sessions. This would be a great book for church or other nonprofit boards to read and discuss. And it would be a great book for you to read, just because you lead or follow someone.

I can see that there might be two issues that would make pastors a little uncomfortable with this book. Galvin places pastoral leadership under Type III, where followership is optional. (He does distinguish between preaching God's Word, which is under following God, and ministry leadership, which is under following humans.) Another issue is the suggestion (by a fictional character) that career ministry people give as many hours of volunteer work as they ask of their laypeople. (After evening church board meetings, we laypeople would all have to go to work the next morning, but the pastor would not come into his office until noon – because he'd had a meeting the night before.)

James C. Galvin is an organizational consultant specializing in strategic facilitation for a wide variety of organizations. He has completed successful

projects for a number of Christian organizations and publishers. He is an award-winning author and has written products published by several major Christian publishers. He was co-creator of the acclaimed Life Application Study Bible. He has a doctorate from Northern Illinois University and degrees from Wheaton College. He and his wife have two adult children and live in Elgin, Illinois.

TenthPowerPublishing, 204 pages. Publisher product page.

You can buy the book here.

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