Review: The Red Letters Project

Title: The Red Letters Project
By: Velocity Entertainment (various artists)
Distributed by: Tyndale House
Contents: 3 Compact Discs and the book of Matthew in large pamphlet form

This is probably one of the most unique pieces of music I have ever listened to. The Red Letters Project is 3 CD's of music with all of the songs using the words of Jesus from the book of Matthew. The words are taken from the New Living Translation which I enjoy reading and should be easy for most people to understand.

Most of the songs have a Rock/Heavy Rock sound with a few sprinklings of light Rap/Spoken (reading to the beat) style. Several of the songs are set to a slower beat and sound as well.

The idea behind this CD is a great one. You can not get anymore Biblical and sold with music lyrics than ones that are from the spoken words of Jesus. For Christian music fans this is a great alternative to the Bible on CD when you are traveling. Another excellent way to memorize the Word of God!

I can only imagine how difficult this project must have been to complete. The words of Jesus don't usually rhyme so some of the songs are difficult to listen to in a tempo/rhythmic kind of way.

For the most part I enjoyed most of the songs on all three discs. One other note is that there are several different performing artists on this album, but most of the songs are sang by one person. I enjoyed the his sound, but for future projects I would like to see more variety in vocal talent.

Check this out!

4.5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: I was provided a review copy from Tyndale Publishing

Review: The Flowering Cross

Title: The Flowering Cross
Author: Beth Ryan
Illustrator: Renee Graef
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

From the back cover: "Mean Old Jack" was better known for his ill temper than the beautiful flowers he grew, but his grumpiness turns to kindness and love when his six-ear-old neighbor helps him see the real meaning of the Cross."

This children's book would be a great addition to any Christian family library. The story centers around Katie and her compassion toward her neighbor Jack and the tradition of the flowering cross.

I enjoyed the way the book put an emphasis on Katie's simple faith and love for her neighbor all in the light of Christ and the cross.

I read the book to my 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son. My son lost interest after the second page, but my daughter was enthralled through the whole story. Here are some of the comments from my daughter: "This is an important book", "The little girl was beautiful", "I liked the cross they made and the puppy Waggles."

Most of the pages also have a "Faith Imprint" sentence at the bottom (e.g. "Share how Katie did what her mother told her to do."). I didn't use these, but in subsequent readings I could see the effectiveness of them. Below the Faith Imprints are scripture references that pertain to that page of the book.

The last page of the book gives directions on how to make a Flowering Cross.

Highly Recommended!

4.5 / 5 Stars

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

Book Review: Rediscovering God in America Review

Book: Rediscovering God in America: Reflections On the Role of Faith in our Nation's History and Future
Author: Newt Gingrich
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 118

Rediscovering God in America is a good introduction to the historical background of many of the monuments and buildings in Washington D.C.

Five of the chapters describe memorials for a certain person (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, and Ronald Reagan), the other chapters cover the National Archives, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Capitol Building, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, White House, World War 2 Memorial, and the Arlington National Cemetery.

Newt Gingrich starts each chapter with a historical background to the different monuments and memorials throughout the DC area. The next part of the chapters discuss the faith of the person represented by the memorial.

The history and religious descriptions are brief, yet provide enough background information for the reader to get an overall idea of the person.

The chapters are just the right length to make for easy reading and the accompanying pictures fit the text well.

This book would be a great read for someone that is going to be visiting Washington D.C. or has never heard the Christian history behind our nation and its historic background.

4/5 Stars

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

Review: Called to Worship by Vernon W. Whaley

Review: Called to Worship: The Biblical Foundations of Our Response to God's Call
Author: Vernon M. Whaley

"Called to Worship" is a well written book detailing the different accounts of worship in the Bible. The book is broken down into three parts: Part 1: Old Testament Principles of Worship (Chapters 1-15). Part 2: New Testament Principles of Worship (Chapters 16-20). Part 3: Worship in Heaven (Chapter 21).

The book held my attention throughout, though most of the information was not "new" to me. The author did an excellent job of referencing Bible verses (from several versions) to back up his writings. I prefer the KJV over NCV (NCV was referenced most frequently) and the Message seemed like too much of a loose interpretation to be used in this work.

Before reading this book I was expecting the author to discuss the instances of worship in the Bible as related to praising the Lord through music, but he covered other areas of "worship" in the Word that I had not considered. There was also a lot of Bible commentary in this book that was not necessarily related to worship. For that reason I think this book would be suited for someone looking for a basic commentary on the Word with a specialization on Worship.

4 / 5 Stars

I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

Review: Fearless by Max Lucado

Max Lucado has done it again! I can't remember a Lucado book that I have read that I looked back and thought "hmm, that was ok, but doesn't really pertain to me" or "that was a huge misrepresentation of God." Fearless is no exception!

Fearless is a continuation of Lucado's solid Bible teaching and practical application in the area of fighting fear. There are many Bible verses to support each chapter and Lucado's stories really bring out the truth of Christ's message. I also appreciate that Fearless does not pull any punches when it comes to trials that happen despite our prayer's and trust in Christ. Lucado keeps a good perspective of all sides of the matter.

I would recommend this book to anyone in the midst of struggle or preparing for life in general. There is much here that can be put to use immediately.

4.5 / 5 Stars

Note: I am a Nelson Book Reviewer: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

Review: Read and Share Toddler Bible

Title: Read and Share Toddler Bible

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 192

Retold by: Gwen Ellis

Illustrations: Steve Smallman

The Read and Share Bible is a great little Bible for young children from 2-4 yrs old. This Bible covers 25 Old Testament stories and 15 New Testament stories.

Here are some positives about the Bible:

*Pictures are well done. Although they don't stand above some other stories Bibles I have read.

*There are color coded page numbers for each story.

*Cross-references are displayed when the story can be found in multiple books of the Bible.

*There is a Parent/Child activity at the end of each story

*Stories are not too long for little children (my 2 yr old boy)

*Variety of Bible stories

*THE BIG POSITIVE with this Bible was the enclosed DVD (with 14 stories). The animation, storytelling, and features of the DVD were excellent. Both of my children were enthralled by the video. Highly recommended.

A couple of negatives before I finish:

-Other than the DVD, the Bible didn't do much to separate itself from the other hundred children's Bibles that are out there.

-Some of the activities at the end of the story require scissors, paper, crayons, etc. If you are using this Bible for a bedtime story crafts don't work so well (for me at least).

3/5 Stars w/o DVD

4/5 Stars w/DVD

NOTE: I am a reviewer for Thomas Nelson Publishers

Review: Deception by Randy Alcorn

Overview: "Ollie Chandler is a brilliant and quick-witted homicide detective with exceptional deductive skills and street smarts. He's a police department legend for his off-beat methods that solve crimes and coax confessions. But he's a risk taker and a rule-bender who drives his procedure-conscious superiors crazy. If not for his success rate, he'd have been squeezed out of the detective division years ago.When a Portland State University professor is found murdered in his home, Ollie is called in. Some strange indications on the professor's body suggest a peculiar means of death. Tests confirm something even more bizarre than Ollie suspected.

A motive of revenge seems likely. But revenge for what? The murder mystery gets more complex the deeper Ollie probes.Deception is a spin-off of Randy’s first two novels, Deadline and Dominion." (From Randy Alcorn's website)

Review: This book was one amazing read! From the hilarious dialogue of smart-alec Ollie Chandler, to the perfect dose of Christian apologetics, and finally the mind-blowing plot twist at the end...Wow!

This book probably took me about 6 months to read because I purchased and began reading it when I was very busy. Of course I am always reading 3 or 4 books :-), so this one didn't always have priority. I don't recommend reading this one like I did. I forgot characters along the way and had to re-read several parts. I would have loved to have a list of characters in the back of the book to reference every now and then (minus character details that might give away the plot).

Alcorn's presentation of Chandler is brilliant. He succeeds in his portrayal of a down on his luck detective. I thoroughly enjoyed Ollie's interactions with his dog and his two friends Jake and Clarence. The way Jake and Clarence challenge Chandler's faith through discussions is solid and touches on many key points an unbeliever might ask.

The pace of the book is a little slow in the middle and in other parts because Alcorn spends a hefty time on dialogue. But it was a bearable because the tone and voice were perfect. The last 150 pages was an amazing flash of plot twists and audible "what's"??, and "no ways."

I highly recommend this book and was encouraged in many different ways.

5/5 Stars

Review: Higher Hope

Overview: Tami Taylor law clerk is assigned to a libel case involving an ouspoken preacher, all is not what it seems and Tami has to deal with several relationships at work.

Honestly, this was NOT my kind of novel. I have read several other Robert Whitlow books and was expecting something a little different.

First with the negative - 1) I don't read romance novels and this one had a little too much for my taste :-) There were some funny interactions and dialogue between the two men and Tami, but just not my flavor 2) The only courtroom scene found in the book took up less than a chapter. That scene was one of my favorite parts of the book, but it was so short!

Some positive comments - Whitlow's characters are well written and he intertwines elements of faith seemlessly. I really enjoyed the protrayal of Tami's conservative parents and how they interacted with their daughter.

2.5/5 Stars

Note: I am a review for Thomas Nelson Books

And the NEW winner is...

Well, "A Family" did not contact me with an address to ship the book :-( So I am holding a second drawing and the winner is Jessica!

I will get the book out to you as soon as possible.

Higher Hope review coming later this week.

And the winner is...

A FAMILY!! By random drawing, A Family will be getting Cyndere's Midnight. Contact me within 5 days with your mailing address and I will get the book sent to you.

Thank you to the other entries. Stay tuned for more reviews and giveaways!