Christian Book Club

Book Review: Soul's Gate

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 04:45:00 GMT

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” - Galatians 5:1

One of the main characters, Reece Roth, learned long ago how to enter another person’s soul with God’s help. He also had a prophecy from God about four people who would someday be able to do the same and help set people free. But after tragedy struck, Reece withdrew for many years and never found the others. When God urges him to work towards fulfilling the prophecy, the four are chosen to undergo some spiritual training at Reece’s ranch. Reece shows them how to really see things in the spiritual realm, how to dig deep inside themselves, let God reveal hidden pain and bondage, and to rely on God for strength. Then they’ll have to walk out everything they learned while facing real spiritual battles. We know from reading the Bible that there are unseen forces out there battling for our souls. We have an enemy that wants to kill, steal and destroy. And we have a Savior that wants us to experience His freedom. In his latest novel, Soul’s Gate, James L. Rubart shows us what that battle might look like.

It may seem like this is mainly a story about the supernatural realm, and it is to a small extent. The characters see visions of what’s going on spiritually in several situations (of course, with God’s help.) But those pictures really only serve to show how things enslave us. Soul’s Gate is really more about the freedom that God desires each of us to have. The characters in the book each have their own form of bondage that keeps them paralyzed. When they allow the others to enter their souls and really see what is there, they find self-protective walls and guards to keep people out. When those walls are torn down, only then does healing begin. After that, they find is peace and freedom from the chains that have bound them for so long.

While reading Soul’s Gate, I couldn’t help but examine my own heart to see what was hidden there, just like the characters. We each have things that we’ve pushed down because they’re too painful to look at. But the book illustrates how God loves us so much that He wants us to experience a release from those things. And I’ve got to say that this book actually calmed my fears about taking those things out and looking at them and letting God heal those places.

I also love how the characters in this book also modeled how to pray more deeply for ourselves and for others. Rubart shows the characters relying on God to help them and guide them and show them things they could never see on their own. And while Reece is showing the four, step-by-step, how to hear God and how to pray, we, the readers, get to learn, too.

At the end of the book, make sure you don’t skip reading the author’s note. In it, Rubart explains his goal in writing the book is to see people healed and set free from their fears. He writes, “In the end, I hope the story entertained you, made you press deeper into Jesus, and gave you a glimpse into the vastness of his love.” I say, mission accomplished.

Book Synopsis: Soul's Gate

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:00:00 GMT

“Every now and then we get a break from reality. A glimpse into the other world that is more real than the reality we live in 99 percent of our days. The Bible is about a world of demons and angels and great evil and even greater glory.”

What if you could travel inside another person’s soul? To battle for them. To be part of Jesus healing their deepest wounds. To help set them free to step boldly into their divinely designed future.

Thirty years ago that’s exactly what Reece Roth did. Until tragedy shattered his life and ripped away his future.

Now God has drawn Reece out of the shadows to fulfill a prophecy spoken over him three decades ago. A prophecy about four warriors with the potential to change the world . . . if Reece will face his deepest regret and teach them what he has learned.

They gather at a secluded and mysterious ranch deep in the mountains of Colorado, where they will learn to see the spiritual world around them with stunning clarity—and how to step into the supernatural.

Their training is only the beginning. The four have a destiny to pursue a freedom even Reece doesn’t fully fathom. But they have an enemy hell-bent on destroying them and he’ll stop at nothing to keep them from their quest for true freedom and the coming battle of souls.

“Readers with high blood pressure or heart conditions be warned: this is a seriously heart-thumping and satisfying read that goes to the edge, jumps off, and 'builds wings on the way down.'” —Publishers Weekly

Synopsis from Amazon.com

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Book Review: If Paul Were a Cyclist

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:30:00 GMT

Charles Irving’s If Paul Were A Cyclist is the incredible journey of Charles Matthew, a man who lives in a historic hotel with a charming tea room. His close friend Estelle stops by daily, and gives Charles Matthew both companionship and life lessons through teachings in the Bible. She house sits for him while he takes long bicycle rides, and it is on these rides that Charles Matthew’s tale really unfolds.

He meets several people on his bike rides, and each one touches his life in some way. In turn, he touches theirs through his kindness, faith, or simple presence, and each encounter is quietly beautiful and startlingly moving.

Charles Matthew is a man of faith, and he attends his local church every Sunday, despite the fact that most other members of the congregation don’t seem to notice his presence in their midst. However, a little boy named Pepe, a woman named Alicia, and a young girl named Chris all notice him, since he takes time from his life to make a difference in theirs, no matter how small.

He volunteers to use his passion as a cyclist to ride three hundred kilometers to help Chris go to a cancer center in another city, as she is suffering from a particularly debilitating form of the disease and is asking people to ride 10K to help her raise money to go to the center. When no one else can seem to find the time to do even the 10K ride, Charles Matthew becomes overtaken by a feeling of being touched by God, and he offers to ride from border-to-border across the state ofTexasto raise money for the young lady’s cause.

Much of the book leads up to this event, but along the way, numerous inspiring and interesting things happen to Charles Matthew. The author uses Charles Matthew’s story as a way to impart the message to the reader that every good deed, no matter how small, is noticed and appreciated by those around us. A truly moving and beautiful story that will have readers crying tears of both sadness and joy, If Paul Were A Cyclist is an incredible book about faith, hope, and the love of those around us.

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Book Synopsis: If Paul Were a Cyclist

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:04:00 GMT

"The poignant story of one mans ride in faith"

So many hunger in so many ways for the connection with God. What it truly is and means despite our shortcomings. How do we know if and when we are truly connected, especially in our darkest times? All of us ask these questions despite our prayers and sitting in church on Sundays. The answer is this; you live the connection with your life, and you will "Know beyond all knowing" when you're connected and when you're not. Come ride with a someone who found his way back home. A deeply moving story of one mans connection with God.

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Book Review: Moving From Judgment

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:15:00 GMT

Who among us hasn’t looked at someone else and judged them? Say you’re in a grocery store and see a mom harshly reprimand her child. Or you’re in traffic and someone pulls out in front of you, causing you to slam on your brakes. Or you see someone sitting in church and they’re wearing tattered jeans and kind of smell funny. We get frustrated or superior or disgusted or even pious. I know I’ve been there. But sometimes we don’t even know we’re doing it. The Rineharts talk about why we do this and how to move past it in their book, Moving From Judgment.

The book starts out with a very real discussion amongst the elders of the church and Joseph Rinehart, the pastor. The question causing division is, “Are we taking in just anybody?” Unfortunately, people in a lot of churches across the country are having the same conversation, with reasons summed up as “letting the wrong kind of people in” or “being a novice.”

The Rineharts address the reasons for people being so judgmental, starting with Personhood. They point out that humanity was given the power of free choice, and while very valuable and precious to God, we are capable of very destructive, self-centered and shortsighted actions. That is followed by Personal Values, which we all learn from influences in our family, personal experience, popular culture, preferences and our inborn human nature. Cultural Values are also a part of why we are the way we are. Ultimately, the Rineharts point out that when we can recognize that “all humans possess equal value that has nothing to do with work, personality, attractiveness, values, behaviors or anything else,” then we can start to “treat one another with the dignity and respect due” to them based on who we are to God.

What if you’ve been the one judged? Several principles are outlined to help you to get through it, and then move past it. Joseph Rinehart, through his personal experiences, lays out 6 principles: Acknowledge the hurt, give yourself time, don’t pick at the scabs, let the train leave the station (move on and leave it behind), understand the nature of cause and effect (hurt people…hurt people) and use your hurt to heal others.

The final conclusion is that we all must look to God to not only overcome hurt, but to love others with the compassion of Jesus. None of us are exempt from being judged or from doing the judging.

I love the subject of this book because most of us could stand to work on our judgmental hearts. We are yearning to be more like Christ and this is an area in which we are sometimes blind. I like what the Rineharts state…”Since the world around us changes daily, if not hourly, we have a deep-seated need to build our priorities on something solid that does not change—the reason that Jesus emphasized the need to ‘love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.’” The Rineharts aren’t just talking about theories here; they’ve walked through some very painful personal experiences, where they had to try to understand the judgments made against them.

Moving from Judgment is not a book that can be read in one sitting. The text is rich with theology and ideas that one must “chew on” to really understand the concepts. In each chapter, there’s a section titled, “Going Deeper” in which there are several scripture passages, with the background of what was happening at that time in history and “The Point,” why it’s significant in our lives today. Then there’s a prayer, which I found very meaningful and conversational, which was helpful in expressing to God what I just learned and asking Him to change me in those specific ways. Because of the format, the book lends itself to be used on a personal level or as a tool for a group.

Book Synopsis: Moving From Judgment

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:13:00 GMT

It is so easy to judge another person’s motives, in essence to judge their heart, without ever considering their journey. If we are honest, all of us would admit to having some type of personal bias, and sometimes, whether we intend to or not, that bias turns to judgment.

Have you ever had the unpleasant experience of someone passing judgment on you? Most people have, but everyone has also judged someone else. So how do you balance compassion and conformity or empathy and complacency? Moving From Judgment: How to Have an Open Heart in a Closed World offers a practical approach to answer those deep-seated questions that Christians struggle with. Authors Joe and Brenda Rinehart examine the sources of critical attitudes and outline how to see people compassionately through the eyes of Christ. Each chapter is divided into three sections: material designed for understanding the concepts discussed, a going deeper section for personal or group study, and a prayer section that is specific to the material covered in the chapter. After reading Moving from Judgment: How to Have an Open Heart in a Closed World, you will not see other people (or even yourself) quite the same way again.

Joe Rinehart is the religion columnist for the Federal Way Mirror, inFederal Way,Washington, as well as a former pastor. Brenda Rinehart is Director of Medical Imaging at a hospital in theSeattle area, as well as an instructor atBellevueCollege. Together Joe and Brenda are actively involved atBrooklakeCommunityChurch inFederal Way,Washington. They support local ministries to the homeless and lead in- home groups.

Book Review: The Shack

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:10:00 GMT

I must be one of the last people to read The Shack. Written in 2007 by William Paul Young, this book quickly swept across the country and has on the New York Times Bestseller List for well over two years. Since being published, over 10 million copies have been printed. And now I see why.

The Shack is the story of Mackenzie Allen Phillip, better known as Mac, and the process he went through after the abduction and murder of his youngest daughter, Missy. Unable to successfully deal with her death, years later Mac is still going through what he calls, “The Great Sadness” which penetrates his daily life. One day, he receives a mysterious note from “Papa” that invites to the shack. The same shack where evidence of Missy’s murder was found. Mac is at first horrified, but then considers the offer and eventually makes plans to spend a weekend there.

After Mac arrives at the shack, it becomes transformed before his eyes, apparently due to the presence of “Papa,” an outgoing African-American woman, who also happens to be God. Now stay with me…God appears to Mac in this form because this is apparently how Mac needs to see Him. Along with Papa are a flannel-wearing Jesus and a small woman named Sarayu, who is the Holy Spirit.

I know it all sounds weird…it did to me, too. But what follows is actually very beautiful. Mac learns how to really have relationship with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Because of his weekend with them, the barriers that Mac always held up between himself and God are torn down. The three also help him to heal and cope with Missy’s death, bringing Mac closure and peace. Mac learns to put his trust in God fully and completely, even to the point of choosing to forgive Missy’s killer.

I think what has attracted millions of people to this book is the very real, very personal relationship Mac has with Papa, Jesus & Sarayu. Papa delights in Mac, whom she is “especially fond of.” What I see is that God isn’t someone who is ethereal and far away. Or someone who is sitting on a giant throne, ready to squash us if we make the wrong move. God is someone who we can sit at the table and enjoy a meal with. Jesus is someone we can lay on the grass with and look at the clouds with. The Holy Spirit is someone we can go fishing with. We can be honest with God and share our most personal thoughts with Him. And He’s someone who cares so much about each one of us. I love how God’s delight in us is shown in such a real way in The Shack. Mac, like many of us, didn’t have a good relationship with his earthly father and needed to see what a loving Father was like.

I know The Shack has been controversial, due in part to the portrayal of God as a woman. To me, this is explained sufficiently in the book. But this book is meant to be taken allegorically, not literally. If you can read it in that spirit, I think you’ll find a few life-changing lessons in The Shack.

Book Synopsis: The Shack

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:08:00 GMT

Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant “The Shack” wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!

Book Review: Book of Days

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:06:00 GMT

“… in Your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being.”

—Psalm 139:16

Do you know anyone who is struggling with the existence of God? Anyone who believes that He exists but doesn’t know what to do with that knowledge? They have a lot in common with Cameron Vaux, the central character in Book of Days by James L. Rubart.

After his father dies from apparent Alzheimer’s disease, and his wife dies in a plane accident, Cameron starts to find that some of his memories are slipping away and he fears he’s suffering the same fate as his dad. He recalls his father, in a more coherent moment, telling him about a book, written by God, which has all of one’s days recorded in it, past, present and future. His wife also refers to the same book shortly before her death. Cameron feels that finding the book is the key to fixing his memory problems.

He heads to Three Peaks, Oregon to find clues to the book’s whereabouts. What he finds is a very tight, small community who, for the most part, won’t discuss the book. He meets the fanatical Jason Judah, who seems to worship the idea of the book. Through several enigmatic clues, the path leads to Taylor Stone, who seems to hold the key to finding the book. The question is whether the book is real or just a legend. Also, enter Ann Bannister, Cameron’s late wife’s friend and foster sister, who is on a search of her own.

Book of Days was written while Rubart’s own father was dying of Alzheimer’s. Rubart writes a lovely note at the end of the book about his father (don’t miss it.) The question arose for Rubart as to what happens to his father’s memories. He says that God gave him Psalm 139:16. Thus, the idea for Book of Days was born.
Book of Days, not only was an intriguing mystery, but also a good allegory for those who are seeking God. Cameron was surrounded by people who had deep relationships with God, but failed to see Him until his own memory loss prompted him to seek out the Book of Days. Maybe some of us are still seeking God, while others have had circumstances, much like Cameron’s, that sent us running to find God.

Taylor and Cameron both are paralyzed by events of the past. Taylor, in particular, can’t let go of past mistakes and past hurts. There’s a strong message of forgiveness, both of others and ourselves, that frees the person who forgives.

Jason Judah is the perfect example of someone who worships the creation and forgets to worship the Creator. He takes this “religion” so far that it becomes a cult, neither relying on the truth in the Bible, nor on God.

I found the book intriguing and I really didn’t anticipate the outcome until the very end. There are tender moments, very suspenseful moments and I really didn’t want to put the book down! I couldn’t wait to figure out whether the Book of Days was, indeed, real or not. I especially like how we find out about Cameron’s life a little at a time through flashbacks.

There are many themes running through this book and a lot of smaller storylines. The twists and turns in the plot will ensure that you’ll be on the edge of your seat. Cameron’s journey to find a real Book of Days, like a lot of us, is about a journey to find out if God is real. Anyone who’s longing for connection, with God and with others, will relate to some part of this book. Because we’re all seekers, in one way or another.

Book Synopsis: Book of Days

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:03:00 GMT

“… in Your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being.”

—Psalm 139:16

Young Cameron Vaux’s mind is slipping. Memories of his wife, killed two years earlier in a car accident, are vanishing just as his dad predicted they would. Memories he knows he has to remember.

His father tells Cameron that to save his mind he must find “the book with all days in it” —the past and future record of every soul on earth.

When an obscure clue leads Cameron to a small central Oregon town, he meets enigmatic Taylor Stone, a possible guide to finding the book who seems to carry secrets far deeper than anyone imagines. Local hotshot TV personality Ann Bannister thinks the legend of the book is a farce, but she has her reasons to join Cameron’s search anyway. Finally, there is fanatical New Age guru Jason Judah, who will stop at nothing to find the book of days before Cameron does.