The Strategically Small Church by Brandon J. O’Brien

When Bethany House offered me this book to review, I was intrigued by the title since I have experienced the most “hands-on” ministry over the years in the small churches I’ve attended rather than the large mega-churches. We have moved to different parts of the country and been involved with various sizes of churches, and I have generally experienced more opportunities to be actively involved in ministry in the small churches. The problem is, of course, that pastors are being trained in seminaries in ways to make their churches grow in numbers. Success is measured in the church world in increased numbers. But just as real, genuine success is measured in the Christian life by relationship with Jesus Christ, true success of churches should be measured by commitment to ensuring that relationship in individual members and reaching out into the community and trying to cause that type of relationship to develop for each person reached.

Mr. O’Brien offers examples of churches and ministries where some of his principles have been applied and the resulting successes (successes by a spiritual standard, not a worldly standard). I found this fascinating because I have experienced churches with very small congregations and a dynamic missions outreach and I have experienced mega-churches with little going for them but “inreach” – entertaining each other with parties and outings. No one is saying a mega-church can’t do effective ministry, but at least one pastor Mr. O’Brien cited in this book found that planting smaller churches instead of building ever-larger buildings for his growing congregation led to more effective ministry and that those smaller churches were dynamic forces in their communities. As the author puts it, “small churches are uniquely equipped to carry out what perhaps are the three most important functions of the church: evangelism, discipleship (including leadership development), and passing the faith from one generation to the next.”

I would recommend this book to all pastors and lay leaders who are struggling with the concept of successful church development. It will be extraordinarily freeing for many to realize that success need not be measured in quantity but more important is (spiritual) quality – a reliance on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct the ministry.

Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce

Amy’s biological clock is ticking but nothing seems to be going quite as she planned. Her writing career hasn’t really taken off either and she is marking time being adjunct faculty at the college she attended. The books started out with some amusing dialogue and I was entranced for a chapter or two but then it just got rather boring and bogged down. Amy’s quirky friends were a little too off the wall. The theology expressed in the book was a little off. I’m not sure it should earn the Christian Fiction label. By the end of the book, I just didn’t care how it turned out. Bethany House provided me with this book to review. In their defense, I will say that 99% of the books I review for them are wonderful!

Book Review: A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heitzmann

Although this genre is not my usual fare, I was drawn to the book by the author’s name. I have read her work before and enjoyed it. Since Bethany House was offering me the book to review, I decided to give it a try. It is one of those books that you don’t want to put down till you read every last page because the suspense keeps building and you want to know the outcome.

The story revolves around Noelle, a privileged young woman who is fleeing danger in her life that is only wispy pieces of memories that she can’t pin down. She just feels the danger. In her quest to hide from what she feels is pursuing her she ends up renting a room on a ranch in the mountains of Colorado where she meets Rick (the rancher) who has a deep faith in God. She feels that her trauma is somehow God’s fault and so she resists Rick’s efforts to tell her about Him.

The story has many twists and turns but Noelle eventually turns to God and in doing so resolves her aversion to following her heart to Rick. Her journey through her memories and the tricks played by her mind is interesting and well written. I love the depth of the characters and the hand of God on the lives of the characters throughout. This was a great read and I’m glad I stepped out of my reading comfort zone to review it.

Hatteras Girl by Alice J. Wisler

Hatteras Girl is Jackie, born and bred on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She is a writer who writes articles for a local magazine. She and her childhood friend Minnie have had a dream since they were children of owning the wonderful Bailey House Bed & Breakfast. The Baileys befriended them when they were young and always made them feel welcome at their B&B and it became an almost magical place for the two young girls. Now the Baileys are deceased and the house has fallen into disrepair but an opportunity arises for them to rent it and reopen it. The fact that the realtor involved (and owner of the property) is the good looking Davis Erickson, the Bailey’s grandson seems almost too good to be true. And sadly it turn out to be. But Jackie has learned from childhood to trust in God and wait on his perfect plan and life takes some surprising turns.

I enjoyed reading this book and am grateful to Bethany House for giving me a copy to review. The only jarring note in the book was that the china used at the B&B was referred to several times as Royal Dalton. The Baileys were from England and I’m sure the author was referring to the famous British china company Royal Doulton. Since I don’t know much about the North Carolina coast, it made me wonder if some of the research was lacking and some other points might be wrong as well. That being said, it didn’t detract from a well-told story.

BOOK REVIEW: First Things First by Kurt and Brenda Warner

When Tyndale offered me this book to review I thought it looked interesting. I was intrigued with the idea of a professional football player who was a Christian and a family man. However, I had no idea who Kurt Warner was and I certainly am not a football or sports fan.

One typically thinks of professional football players as rather large juveniles whose main goal in life is to have a good time at the expense of whoever gets in his way. This story is about the antithesis of that. Kurt Warner married Brenda when she was a divorced mother of a disabled toddler and an infant. He made it his goal in life to make her life and her children’s life a good one. They ended up having 7 children in all now ranging in age from late teens to toddlers.

This book is about what works for the Warner family and how they are raising their children to be responsible human beings. It’s about how they all treat each other and how much they love each other in the process. These two parents each brought their own personal baggage into their marriage and have worked very hard at their relationship and making it all work for everyone involved. It’s a fun book because they are able to be truthful about their past and even laugh at themselves at times.

One of my favorite stories was when Brenda and her son were at one of Kurt’s games and a fan from the other team was sitting in front of them. The person in question became annoyed at Brenda’s loud encouragement of her team and told her that if she didn’t stop that she would strangle her with her scarf. Brenda’s son looked up from his DS and said, “I think you can take her Mom.”

If you want an inspiring story about faith in God, parenting and marriage or if you just are a fan of Kurt Warner’s and want to know more about his life, you will find this to be a very enjoyable book. It’s not a novel, it’s a true story, but it is still a page-turner.

A Rip-Roaring Good Read!

I probably never would have chosen this book if Bethany House hadn't offered me a free copy to review, but I would have missed out on a great story! This one had it all, dangerous cowpoke with sticky marshmallow center, prim schoolmarm with heart of gold and lots of bad guys trying to get the drop on them! And if that wasn't enough it was chock full of charming orphan kids and a bunch of Indians to boot! It kept me reading till I finished the last page. And to put the icing on the cake and the cherry on top, the main characters had a relationship with God that didn't seem contrived by the author to get the "Christian Fiction" label on her book. I highly recommend this one and can't wait to see what else this author has available or coming soon!

BOOK REVIEW: Love’s First Bloom by Delia Parr

When Bethany House offered me this book to review, I had not heard of Delia Parr but was intrigued by the synopsis of the story. I am glad that I received this book and got the opportunity to review Ms. Parr’s work. The story was extremely well-written and was interesting in its subject matter. The story involves a young woman, Ruth, whose father is a minister. He runs a rescue ministry for New York City’s prostitutes. The story begins in 1838. One of the prostitutes he was helping is murdered and he is accused of the murder. He sends his daughter and the toddler daughter of the prostitute into hiding before he is arrested. She is to pretend to be a young widow and the mother of the child. Her biggest struggle is avoiding the reporters who are determined to find her. One of them, Jake Spence aka Asher Tripp, falls in love with her in his pursuit of the story. Many events incur and all is finally resolved satisfactorily. There were two rather odd incidents in the story that really did not blend with the story or add much to it and I’m not sure why they were included. One was when a drunk attacks Ruth because for some reason he is connecting her with his dead wife. She prevails and he apologizes the next day. The other is when a young teenager riding on a donkey manages to get Ruth all wet because he is asleep and not tending the donkey. Weird. Other than that, I like the book and enjoyed the suspense right to the end when all is explained. I also like the seamless way the faith of the main characters was woven through the story.