David's #1(I'm back): Little Princes by Conor Grennan

I haven't been so good about writing reviews on the books I've read this year.  But I'm giving it another shot starting with "Little Princes" by Conor Grennan. Tired of his current life and job, Conor decided to go on what he knew was a completely self-indulgent, year long trip around the world.  In an attempt to mask his selfishness to his family and friends, appease his conscience, and pick up girls in bars, he decided that he would start his trip volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal.

Talk about not doing your research.  Conor did not realize that the country was in the midst of a civil war until he arrived at the airport in Kathmandu.  He really had no idea what he had signed up for.

The book takes you with him on his journey.   He shows up at the orphanage, a selfish kid himself, with no idea how to interact with children(not that hard it turns out, just let them jump and climb all over you), focused on surviving the next few months so he can start his adventure.  He quickly grows to love the kids and learns the truth about their situation.  They are not orphans at all, but rather rescued trafficked children from the far outskirts of Nepal.  But unlike the situations that most of us consider when we think of trafficked children, they weren't kidnapped, or sold(or rented) by their parents.  Rather their parents sold everything they owned of value to pay a man who promised that he would take them away from the life or hardship and would give them a good place to live and an education, thus changing their lives forever.  Conor's heart breaks for these children and their situation.  Yours will too.  He makes it his mission to reunite these children, and in the process, many more, with their parents.  A process not as simple as it may seems due to politics, geography, resources, and the strength and influence of the trafficking culture.

Injustice is so prevalent in our world and as Christians we are clearly called to fight against it.  This book was a compelling reminder of that and a window into a type of injustice of which I was not previously aware.  It is well written, gripping, and a great story that will make you laugh, get angry, and maybe cry.

Ally's #37: The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus by John Cross

In preparation for teaching this upcoming semester through PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) on Fort Riley, I was asked to read this book. Pretty much from the start, it wasn't my favorite. Part of it was my problem, and part of it was the author.

The goal and purpose of this book is to give a broad overview of the entire Bible and squeeze it into 275 pages. Not an easy task. It took me several chapters to force myself into a readjusted perspective that this tool could be helpful in reaching cultures wholly unfamiliar with Christ, Christianity, and the Bible. I could see portions of it being helpful in explaining certain concepts to new believers, but I would do so with caution, always emphasizing that what is in this book is simplified, and that the real meat and substance is found in Scripture.

I also found myself irritated with the author's oversimplification of certain Bible characters or historical events. He also threw in random tidbits that I thought detracted from the goal and focus of the book. For example, in a chapter that deals with atonement, Noah, and Babel, he writes:

At least part of Heaven will be occupied by a large city. It has been calculated that if only 25% of the city was used, 20 billion people could be accommodated with plenty of room to spare. This city is called the New Jerusalem.

Say what?! Of course, there were no footnotes, so there was nothing I could refer back to to see what these "calculations" were based on. After this point, I struggled not to shut down mentally and just criticize the rest of the book.

The one chapter I made it through without putting question marks in the margins was the chapter on the Tabernacle, the unbelief of the Israelites, and the period of Judges, Kings, and Prophets. The latter portion was the most helpful, and is something that I will refer back to when my chronological Bible class gets to the portions of Scripture that deal with this time period. I also love the 2-paged family tree at the end of this chapter, that traces Jesus' lineage all the way from Adam and Eve. It highlights important historical events, like the splitting of the Northern and Southern kingdoms, the prophets, the kings, and various empires. It would almost be worth it to buy this book just for this map, but I'm still glad I got it for free.

The final two chapters are a serious plea to the reader to place his/her faith in Christ. Chapter fourteen begins with a recap of the entire book, and chapter fifteen outlines the believers responsibilities, obstacles to faith, and resources for building one's relationship with God.

Again, not my fave, but that certainly doesn't mean God can't use it for His glory.

Ally's #36: An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle

The fifth and final book of L'Engle's quintet was pretty great. My favorite is still book three, in spite of its minor annoyances. An Acceptable Time is about Meg Murray-O'Keefe's daughter, Polly. Polly is on break from high school, a place unable to adequately stimulate her brain, to visit her grandparents at the historic Murray ranch. Her days passed quickly, studying under her grandparents, swimming, chatting, and taking strolls around the property.

It seems the conversations that fill the Murray household are always super intellectual in nature. Whether it be about microcosms, macrocosms, time travel, or the like, it seems challenging for this family to ever just talk about run-of-the-mill things. A neighbor and friend, Bishop Colubra, has discovered ancient stones dating around 1000 B.C. on their adjoining properties. He's somewhat alarmed when he learns that Polly and her friend, Zachary, have run into strangers on the land that is to be off-limits to the public. He's alarmed because a secret he has been trying to keep from his more pragmatic sister and friends (the Murray's) is about to be revealed.

To make a long story short, there are overlapping rings of time that are allowing people from both ends to cross over, either 3000 years before or after their time. The big question that remains hanging until the end of the story is for what purpose this time overlap has been allowed. Is it to bring peace to the native tribes that once lived there? Is it to give Bishop Colubra greater faith? Is it to teach Polly the sacrifice and courage it takes to save someone else? Is it to teach her friend, Zach, that money can't buy everything and that the world doesn't revolve around him, even if he is dying of a bad heart? To all these questions and more, I heard a resounding "yes" at the end of the story. It was a rather interesting resolution. We don't always know or understand God's purpose in things, but we can trust that He always has one, and that it's good. On the flip side, for those who don't know God and are unwilling to trust Him, what is scary in life can become all the more frightening.

JRF's #16 - Jesus Himself by Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray was a pastor, author, and missions leader in South Africa around the turn of the 20th century.  In this collection of sermons Murray compels his hearers and readers to move beyond mere knowledge about Jesus to a heart satisfied with nothing less than the living and present Jesus Himself.

The first half focuses on the disciples' encounter with the risen Jesus on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24).  Murray draws out four stages of the Christian life from this account.  The first stage is that of the sad and troubled heart.  This is the heart that sees Christ dead on the cross - and is rightly sorrowed at his death and our sinfulness that required that death - but fails to see that Christ is no longer hanging lifeless on the tree but is risen and living.  Next comes the heart that is slow to believe - those who have heard the Good News about Christ but think they still need to feel something or do something more to be able to fully commit to believing.  They have yet to realize that Christ can not be discovered, but must be revealed and simply believed.  Thirdly, the burning heart.  This is the person who has had one or multiple experiences or tastes of the living Christ, but is trusting and chasing after the experience and not Christ.  They have felt the glow and warmth of Christ's light, but have yet to see Christ Himself.  Finally the true Christian comes to rest with a satisfied heart.  This is the point at which those who have been drawn to Christ finally see Him revealed as the risen Savior and King that He is and find his joy in His presence alone.

Part two exposits Christ's promise to be with His followers "always, even to the end of the age" (Matt 28:20).  Murray declares that this promise "is the secret of the Christian's strength and joy".  He points out that by ascending to Heaven and sending the Holy Spirit, Christ is able to do what He was not able to do while on earth - be in intimate fellowship with every believer throughout the world.

This book makes a good companion to Rick Holland's Uneclipsing the Son which I read earlier this year.  Both books have helped grow and spur on a deep, unshakable satisfaction in King Jesus.

"Oh, the difference between a burning heart, which becomes cold after a time, which comes by fits and starts, and the blessed revelation of Jesus Himself as my Saviour, taking charge of me and blessing me and keeping me every day!"

"Jesus, reveal Thyself that we may know Thee Thyself.  We ask not only to drink of the Living Water, we want the Fountain."

You can get it free for the kindle here

Ally's #35: Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle

Once again, L'Engle hones in on different characters from the Murray family. This time, the twins who typically keep to themselves are the focus. The time frame has changed, and rather than being grown adults, we see Dennys and Sandy as boys of fifteen. While searching for cocoa in their mother's lab, the boys stumble across one of their father's experiments in progress and manage to whisk themselves away to a desert oasis.

I was slightly annoyed by how long it took the boys to figure out they were in the middle of the story of Noah's Ark. They knew they had traveled to a different time, but assumed that the drastic change in climate and small stature of the people they encountered meant that they had also traveled to a different planet or galaxy. The twins are a little dense, if you ask me.

To their credit, they did come across some pretty strange creatures in desert: nephilim (fallen angels that can marry humans), seraphim (angels that take the form of desert animals and do not intermarry), tiny wooly mammoths that serve as house pets, and manticores (man-lion-scorpion). They were also on the brink of death after getting scorched by the sun. Sandy was taken in and cared for by Grandfather Lamech, and Dennys was looked after by Lamech's son, Noah.

The book is basically one long episode of what the author thought took place pre-flood in and around Noah's family. There's definitely some drama mixed in, but the one element of the story that I thought had the greatest potential just kind of fizzled at the end. The whole ending was anti-climatic and much too brief for my taste.

Both Sandy and Dennys are pragmatic skeptics. They don't believe in anything that can't be 100% proved to them via the scientific method. Even after they rode a unicorn, they had difficulty believing it was real. Sheesh! One would think that living through a Bible story would be pretty serious proof for those two, but they continued on rather dismissive of all that took place around them. I guess not all the Murray's are equally malleable.

Here's hoping the last book in the series knocks my socks off!

Mark's #29 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (1998)

I returned to Hogwarts in book two of the infamous Harry Potter series as I once again read this book aloud to my daughters.  Once again, the magic, hijinks, plot-twists, and characters of J.K. Rowling's world managed to keep my children enthusiastically engaged, begging me to read "one more chapter!" each night.

There was more character development and growing back story in this book.  For example, the reader can tell that there will be a growing rift between the 'pure blood' wizards and the 'mud bloods' (half wizard half muggle born) and the muggle born children.

However, I didn't find this second book to be anything special.   I've tired of the  wizard world, and have told my daughters that they'll have to wait until next summer for me to read book three.