God Wants to Hear You Sing
by Ruthie Jacobsen with Rodney Griffin

God Wants to Hear You Sing is a book compromised of short stories of faith, overcoming, and the music that has helped people to overcome their challenges in life.

Ruthie Jacobsen, with Rodney Griffin, present each story, along with a song that Rodney has written, in each chapter of the book. Also there is a free cd or music download for your mp3player, of each song that is the titled chapters. Some of the chapter and song titles include, Merciful to Me, He’s Still Waiting by the Well, Common Garment and the book title God Wants to Hear You Sing. If your a fan of southern gospel music, you will enjoy the free cd /download, as the music is very well performed.

This book has wonderful stories of real people living their lives to all they can to fulfill their purpose in God, the story of David Ring especially touched me, with his overcoming and his faith to know what God has called him to. Some of these stories, will have you chuckling, and some will have you near tears as you follow along, as they overcome and share their faith. Some of the stories were familiar to me, due to them being reprinted from other books I have read but this compilation, presented with the songs, was a wonderful book.

This book is a blessing to anyone who reads it, it is a faith builder, and a positive influence to all who read it, I give this book a 4 star rating.

Reviewed by Cindy

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Wonderlust
by Vicki Kuyper

The subtitle of this book is “A Spiritual Travelogue for the Adventurous Soul” and that’s exactly what it is. The author has written one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. There are 30 chapters. The title of each chapter lets the reader know what concept the author is going to cover, everything from perseverance, to identity, to surrender, to home. Each chapter also has a location listed.

The author has gone to some of the most remote corners of the world, and at each location she’s learned a lesson. Each chapter is unique and could be seen as a mini-book in and of itself. So although there are chapters, the order is irrelevant. If there’s a particular subject you’re interested in, you could go to that chapter first. Or if there’s a particular place you’re interested, you’ll get a rare insight into what it’s like. The author doesn’t go to the tourist attractions when she travels. She goes out into the middle of nowhere, into the very heart of a country. She endures things that few people would ever want to, but learns so much along the way.

This is one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write because there’s just no way to capture the essence of the book. It’s not the easiest book to read because the subjects she covers and the areas she visits are not always easy to hear about. Reading this book will change you.

Reviewed by Lynn Worley

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COMING UP FOR AIR
by Margarent Becker

I have to confess that when I received this book I didn’t never heard of Margaret Becker. I found out that she’s a famous Christian singer. I’ve since purchased some of her CD’s and she IS good.

“Simple Acts to Redefine Your Life” is written on the cover of the book. Upon reading those words, I assumed this was going to be some sort of self-help book. It wasn’t. This book is basically a look into the very heart and soul of Margaret Becker. When I realized that’s what it was going to be like, I thought that maybe I could still get something out of it to apply to my life. The problem with that was our lives are so different that there wasn’t much in there that could be applied to my life.

The first hint that this was going to be a problem was when she was able to just take a whole month out of her life and go to the beach to “find herself.” I don’t know anyone who could do that. While she was there she decided to write out where she thought she’d be in her life in a year, 10 years, etc, up to 50 years. I think it take a special kind of person to be able to do that. You have to know yourself really well and have a very good idea about what you want out of life. I don’t know of many people who could do that. I’m not sure I want to do that. I’m the type of person who takes life as it comes and leave the future in the Lord’s hands. I found one statement particularly telling: “I didn’t know how many people there were who would love to get away from their worlds for a time and ‘air out.’”

Another problem I had with the book was trying to figure out what time of life she was talking about. She started the book heading to the beach. Next thing she writes, it’s eleven years later. She jumped around quite a bit.

Would I recommend this book? If you want to learn about what makes Margaret Becker tick, then yes. If you’re looking for a self-help book then maybe you should get a different one.

Reviewed by Lynn Worley

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Marked for Life: Choosing Hope and Discovering Purpose After Earth-Shattering Tragedy
by Crystal Woodman Miller with Ashley Wiersma

On April 20, 1999 Crystal Woodman Miller’s life changed forever when she became caught up in the infamous and tragic events that unfolded at her high school, Columbine, in Littleton, Colorado. Only 16 years old, Crystal witnessed the execution-style murder of fellow students in the worst high school spree killing ever recorded in the United States, and was forced to flee for her life. In total there were 14 students and one teacher killed, and 23 wounded. Two of the dead students were the killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who turned their guns on themselves after their hour-long attack.

In the days and months that followed, Miller’s life was turned upside-down as she was forced to deal with grief, shock, post-traumatic stress and survivor’s guilt. In doing so, she began to question the direction in which her life was heading, and to work through the events that will ultimately lead her to choose faith over fear. In this compelling and well-written testimony, she shares her journey from wayward teenager, to victim, to survivor and finally to victor as she takes one moment that has shattered her life and hands it over to God to be used for good. As she travels from Honduras to Kosova, Beslan to Mozambique with the Christian organisation Samaritan’s Purse, she finds herself on her own journey of hope and healing.

A real beauty-from-ashes account of one woman’s journey from tragedy to triumph, I found it hard to hold back the tears as I read of Miller’s terrible ordeal and how she has used it to bring hope to the suffering all over the world. No stranger to tragedy myself (albeit on a smaller scale), I found her story incredibly encouraging and uplifting. Miller describes the suffering after severe shock and trauma with pin-point accuracy…I found myself empathising with her on every page. A must-read for anyone who has struggled to make sense of how God can use personal devastation and sorrow.

Reviewed by Rachel Koopmans

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THE REAL DUKE OF HAZARD
by Michael D. Barnes with Jerry Rushing

Jerry Elijah Rushing was born into a bootlegging family. He naturally followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and became a fearless bootlegger. He ran over two million gallons of whiskey and thrived on fast cars and high-speed chases.

When he was only six years old, his father started him out in the family ‘business,’ and Jerry earned the nickname of ‘Snake’, something he still goes by.

Eventually, Jerry grew to be filled with anger and desperation and finally, his praying wife, was able to point him to the way of the cross where Jerry found Christ. Now he wants to tell everyone what Jesus did for him.

Jerry Rushing is the man behind the series The Dukes of Hazard, the man who inspired the story. His real life story has a lot in common with the popular television series, including the sexy cousin who wears short-shorts and helps with the bootlegging business.

I enjoyed reading THE REAL DUKE OF HAZARD, although I really couldn’t relate to Jerry. The story is written in a narration style, so you really aren’t shown everything that is happening. I was rather irritated at Mr. Rushing during parts of his story as he seemed incredibly stupid, like the time he got drunk and went skinny dipping in freezing temperatures. However, he did have a lot of intelligence also, like knowing to hide his car in the woods when he had car troubles instead of working on it out in the open, since he was wanted by the police for his illegal activities.

When the police finally catch up with Mr. Rushing, a preacher who cared for Rushing’s family arranges probation instead of jail time. But Rushing isn’t a believer, so even that kind act wasn’t enough to turn his life around and keep him out of trouble. Readers will be interested to learn what it finally takes to bring Rushing to his knees and cause him to cry out to God. I really appreciated that the plan of salvation is included at the rear of the book so that fans of Rushing and the Dukes of Hazard can also pray the sinner’s prayer.

Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton

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Deborah Lintz-Hill candidly shares her personal story from difficult circumstances to living in peace. She plainly states this book is “not an autobiography or a manual to life.” The book is her personal search for peace.

Sharing various events from her childhood and her relationships, she shares with the reader how she has been shaped as an individual. In a down to earth style she holds back none of the “ugly sides”, but keeps it real so that the reader can see her growth process. Her willingness to show vulnerability and examine her own self-righteousness is extremely admirable.

As a book reviewer there are some elements I look for in a book that discusses Christian or spiritual truths. The subtitle of this book is “Path to your Spiritual Awakening.” I am a little wary of the terms “spiritual” and “spirituality” because it could mean anything to a variety of people. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I don’t personally feel God made pursuing peace a “mystical or magical” process. Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6)”. The decision to accept the salvation offered by God is an acceptance that starts in the heart.

The author shares with the reader the changes that took place in her heart as she grew to learn more about Christianity. She also shares some scientific viewpoints that were interesting, but a little mind-boggling. It made me wonder how would a person new in the Christian faith or trying to decide about their faith/beliefs would perceive the ideas presented.

This book was intended for a variety of readers regardless of their religious beliefs. This is admirable, but often times I felt confused about the author’s belief system. A number of times I stumbled over what she wrote because the scripture was taken out of context. When you set out to write a book with Christian principles you have to keep God’s Word intact and be sure the Holy Spirit is guiding you to truths that are not contradictory to the bible.

As followers of Christ, the author does emphasize how Christians should embrace others and not appear superior. At times during the reading of this book, it seemed the author was writing more to appeal to those who are non-Christian. The result was a watering down of biblical truths in some areas and in other cases too much science. If you study the Gospels, Jesus clearly reached out to all types of people, but he never wavered in what was the truth. His taught the people with simple parables and teachings.

While I embraced Deborah’s willingness to share her story, I’m concerned about the ideas presented and the bible interpretations. If it was mainly her autobiography, I believe it would be a more effective book for encouraging people to “feed their souls.” It was when she shared from her life and the path that God had planned for her that left a lasting impression.

Reviewed by Tyora Moody

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Lessons Learned in the Deep Places
Marita Littauer, Editor

This book was an excellent read! While the author makes the reader think about the principles presented, the ideas are understandable for persons who are not necessarily bible scholars. The title But Lord, I was Happy Shallow is sure to attract attention and the stories included in this book are well worth the read!

How often do we think how happy we were until God changed the situation … seemingly for the worse? When life does not go our way, we normally turn into whiners and complainers just like the children of Israel in the wilderness. Despite our grumbling, God leads us to our promised land, a place of increased depth in our growth process.

The editor Marita Littauer has compiled over 100 real life stories of struggles and the lessons “learned in the deep places.” The writers share from their souls often times with a bit of humor and a whole lot of humilty! The personal experiences cover a variety of topics including marriage, parenting, moving, health issues, church, holidays, friendships, road trips and much more.

This is a great book to give someone in need of encouragement. Often times we think we are alone in our troubles, but that is definitely not the case as one will find out when reading this book.

Reviewed by Tyora Moody

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