Found in Translation by Roger Bruner with Kristi Rae Bruner

Kim Hartlinger had her bags packed and ready for a mission trip. She is late arriving with her crew, paying extra for her heavy bags, and her watch is wrong. If that wasn’t enough, she missed an email that detailed her upcoming trip – which changed.

She is on her way to Mexico to a village with no plumbing, electricity, or a decent place to sleep. She is a typical spoiled brat but is stubborn enough to go ahead and rough it out with the rest of them.

Kim learns that she will help rebuild homes in a remote village. Then she breaks her arm. Now what? God breaks through Kim’s heart through a precious girl named Anjelita and her mother, Rosa.

Kim reads from the Bible to the villagers in Spanish. Kim’s attempt to speak Spanish seems useless. She is not fluent in Spanish- not even close. The villagers have to correct her pronunciation. How can an entire group of evangelists go to Mexico with no Spanish to translate? Kim’s only option is to trust God.

Through a precious relationship with Anjelita, Kim learns to care for someone other than herself for a change. Kim is a big sister to Anjelita. Kim attempts to communicate with her surrogate little sister but it’s difficult for them both.

This would be a good book for someone who may want to go into missions. It is a sweet story about a young girl who had her own plans. But God intervened with His plans.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher (Barbour). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Possession by Rene Gutteridge

This is one of the first books that I’ve read from Rene. She may be the reason why I’m under the weather. I read this book in about two days. The only time I have time to read is after bedtime. It kept me up until 3:00 am the first day.

Vance Graegan is a Police Officer and has seen his fair share of detective work. He’s ready for a fresh start and to put his family first. Vance is finally able to relax until the movers decide to hold onto their possessions for ransom. To top it off, his son, Conner is asking for his toys. Conner does not give up hope and keeps the faith going for all of them.

Possession was a smooth story with great characters, plot, dialogue, and scenes. Rene is a master wordsmith. It’s true. If a story causes sleep deprivation, it’s not easy to write.

I heard on the radio this morning that the American’s dream is to be rich. Really? I’m not sure that’s such a great dream. We live in such a materialistic society. I’m not immune but the story, Possessions, reminded me what is really important in life. Personally, I think it’s better to focus on eternal rewards than possessions that will not go with us in the box.

I highly recommend this book. Mark Mynheir, a homicide detective and author, gives her book high marks. He knows the police drill and Rene has hit it on the head.

For tonight, I’m going to get some sleep.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher (Tyndale). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The title, If God is Good; Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil, is perfect! There is no fluff in this book. It’s all meat and potatoes. If you want to dig deep into the subject of suffering, this book will quench your thirst. It is scripturally based and Randy Alcorn knows his stuff.

This book is divided into several sections. They include: understanding the difference between evil and suffering, how evil came into the world, case studies, our sin nature, moral standards, limiting God’s attributes, heaven and hell, why evil exists, and how to live a meaningful life in the midst of suffering.

This book challenges the reader to see things from a scriptural basis versus an emotional basis. If I am the one suffering, I will be emotional because I’m the one who is hurting. It made me think of being a parent. God is our perfect Father in Heaven. Yet, He allows suffering in our lives for His reasons. Being able to see it from His perspective is extremely difficult to see. We may or may not accept it. As a parent, I do what I think is best for my son versus what he may want. He doesn’t understand. When he was a baby, they gave him four shots at once. The nurses had to hold him down. He looked at me with his big brown eyes. I still remember the look. The look of how could you do this to me? It hurt both of us. Then I’m reminded how Jesus died on the cross for us. How painful God must have felt that he sacrificed his one and only son for me.

One day, all of our eyes will be opened and then we will understand.

I highly recommend Randy’s book for anyone who wants to dig deep into the Word of God and the difficult subject of good and evil. It would be an excellent resource for Pastors.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher (Multnomah Books). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Don't Buy The Lie by Mark Matlock

The rest of the book title is ‘Discerning Truth in a World of Deception.’ This book tackles issues such as horoscopes, psychics, vampires, ghosts, and other ideas that can distract our attention from the truth. God’s truth.

Mark loved magic tricks and loved deceiving people through illusions. He was a junior member of the Magic Castle in Southern California at the age of 17. It’s all in fun, right?

The only problem is this continues on today. Psychics claim they can talk to your loved ones who passed on. They are able to get enough information from you to convince you that they really are contacting the dead and have a message for you. Even Hollywood plays into this role. Think about the movie, Ghost. The guy is murdered but hangs back until is girl is safe and then he moves into the light. It’s a great movie. But, it’s not reflective of scripture. Whenever you watch a movie or read a book, you must put it through the discernment filter. Mark suggests this: listen, learn, and compare it to scripture. The only way you will know the truth is by studying God’s word. Otherwise, you are opening yourselves up to deceptions that flood our world today.

Throughout the book, there are survey questions that are asked specifically to the teen crowd. For example, 21% of the teens surveyed believe that Satan is not a real being, but represents the conflict of good and evil (see page 57). That’s a big number!

It’s true that there is a hot debate among even Christians when it comes to watching movies or reading books that involve witchcraft or vampires. If you watch Twilight and it makes you want to be a vampire, research the idea of them and obsess about it, then it is keeping you from following Christ. And no, vampires do not exist so don’t look for them.

The key theme throughout the book is deception. We live in a big world of deceit. People fall for some things that are good but there are lies mixed in that keep them from the truth. Angels are good. But, they are not God. We are to worship God not Angels.

I would recommend the book for teens and youth pastors.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher (Zondervan). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Premiere by Melody Carlson

Erin and Paige both love cameras. Erin loves to be behind the camera. Paige thrives in front of the camera. Otherwise, they are total opposites. Both get their chance to be in the spotlight when they appear in teen reality show. They use that show to create exposure of their new show.

I loved the characters. They each had their distinctive characteristics. Being in the story of TV Reality was interesting. I realize that this is a work of fiction but I do believe that it’s not too far off the mark. The audience loves to see conflict and drama. The game is figuring out the true friends and enemies. Add a guy and a couple of girls to create frenemies – a person who pretends to be your friend for their own gain.

This book reminded me the Big Brother Reality show. You have characters constantly putting ‘on an act’ for the camera. You really didn’t know who was telling the truth.

There was a faith element that is subtle. I find it interesting that some reviewers are put off when they find out that the Christian faith is part of the plot. It might be helpful for reviewers to do a little bit of research on the publisher before agreeing to read and review a book. With that in mind, the faith aspect is sprinkled throughout because Erin is a Christian and it is part of her character.

This book appeared to be character driven versus plot driven. There was a plot but it felt more like a slice of life. I would recommend this book for ages 10-12.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Your Money God's Way by Amie Streater

This is a practical, no-nonsense guide to overcome 7 money myths that Christians seem to be susceptible to. Endorsed by Dave Ramsey, the creator of Financial Peace University, the book caught my eye. Because I’ve been through Dave Ramsey’s stuff, this book solidified it even more. I believe it’s a good complement to his teachings.

The book is packed with stories that show how Christians stay broke by falling for the myths. Having said that, it is not a book only for Christians. It debunks many myths that people fall for in the name of the Bible. I fell for some of these myths many years ago. I do not entertain them any longer. One such example is helping another in need. Yes, you should help them. But, at some point, they need to be weaned. They need to get that job, go to school, and at 30 – move out of the house.

In each chapter, there are sidebars (I love sidebars). They emphasize part of the book that cements the concept in your mind. There is a specific prayer at the end of each chapter specific to that topic. There is another section called God’s Way. For example, on the subject of enabling – We have to truthfully evaluate whether our assistance is helping someone or keeping that individual stuck in a cycle of dependence. Make sense? I think so! The final part of the chapter is entitled Solution Steps, steps that can be taken immediately to help the situation today.

I would recommend this book to a person who is struggling with the Christian viewpoint of money. It’s not rocket science but it helps another person realize when they are being trapped in their beliefs about money, and fighting to get out.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury has penned a wonderful novel about being locked in the world of autism.

As with all Karen’s novels, she never disappoints. She tackled autism head on. This is not an easy subject to write on.

Holden Harris is locked into the world of autism. He is unable to communicate. He is an easy target and becomes bullied.

Ella appears to have it all including having Jake as her boyfriend. She is shocked to see him bully Holden. She takes a stand. Ella is drawn to Holden but doesn’t know why. It’s in his eyes, no doubt. He connects with her. Why?

It turns out that Ella and Holden were best friends as young children. They danced and sang together and the parents thought they would go to the prom one day. Autism and a lack of understanding took that chance away. Will Ella and Holden ever dance again as they once did?

Although, Holden is unable to communicate, Karen does a wonderful job in showing Holden’s thoughts. Kids with autism are no different than any of us. They love others more easily. They are kind to everyone. They do not judge.

Holden can hear the music. Music may be the key to unlocking his autism. Do you hear the music? Unless we stop and take the time to listen, we never will.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”