Under the Sun by Andrew Gilmore

Underthe Sun: Discover Your Calling and Live a Meaningful Life is an inspiring and encouraging book written by Andrew Gilmore.

The book is written to help the readers discover their purpose in life. The author begins by defining life and leads the readers to life’s ultimate purpose. He, then, enumerates four reasons why we are not living our purpose, four steps to living an excellent life, four traits we must engender to live a purposeful life, and three steps to unearth what we are meant to do. He also presents three biblical case studies to emphasize his points, that of Joseph, Daniel, and Paul.

This is a great book. It is written in a consistently conversational tone making it an easy read. The humor and the sprinkle of sarcasm give the book a lighthearted feel to it that makes it even more likable and interesting. By sharing his personal experiences, the author makes the steps practicable and the goal of living a life of purpose easy to accomplish. Moreover, the inclusion of biblical characters makes the readers feel more accepting of their flaws and more forgiving of their own failures.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book a lot. I recommend it to readers who enjoy books about personal growth.

Congratulations to Andrew Gilmore (@TheAndyGilmore) on such a great book! To know more about the author, click HERE.  

Messed Up Men of the Bible by Tina Samples and Dave Samples

Messed Up Menof the Bible: Seeing the Men in Your Life through God’s Eyes is an eye-opening, insightful, inspiring, and encouraging book written by Tina Samples and Dave Samples.

With each chapter discussed alternately between Dave and Tina Samples, the book has twelve chapters that feature twelve messed up men from both the Old and the New Testament including King David, King Solomon, Samson, and Judas, among others.

Among the issues explicated include the conceited men, the control freak, the angry, the depressed, the traitor, the physically ill, the wayward, and the lustful, as well as those men who lack integrity, men who lack courage, those with father issues, and those possessed by various demons.

By citing specific verses in the Bible, the authors explain the behaviors of each messed up man and even present reasons that may justify these behaviors. Similarly, the authors illustrate how these messed up men in the Bible behave exactly the same way as the men in our lives. Moreover, they share how the women (mother, wife, lover, and daughter) in these messed up men’s lives dealt with the situations they found themselves in.    

The book offers practical and important advice on how to help these men: to how to live with a controlling man, ways to relax when dealing with an angry man, and the dos and don’ts of living with an angry man.

Each chapter ends with a list of questions for the readers to answer which makes the book interactive and personal, and by sharing their own experiences, the authors make this book very relatable.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book immensely. It is an easy read, informative, inspiring, and encouraging.

However, some parts may require not just familiarity with but ample knowledge of the Bible. Though regular Bible readers may not find that much of an issue, non-Bible readers may find it a little bit bothersome.

Congratulations to Tina Samples (@tinasamples) and Dave Samples (@davesamples) on such a great book! To know more about the authors, visit Healing Hurting Hearts and DAVE SAMPLES.

Roadmap to the End of Days by Daniel Friedmann

Roadmap to the End of Days: DemystifyingBiblical Eschatology to Explain the Past, The Secret to the Apocalypse and theEnd of the World is an interesting and intriguing book written by Daniel Friedmann.  

The book has ten chapters, three appendices, glossary, and endnotes in addition to some figures and tables. It demonstrates a clear biblical time comprising a chronology of actual history until today up to a deadline for the End of Days in 2240 and events relating to the End of Days.

In order to understand the ‘biblical timeline’ to the End of Days, the author explains first the purpose of our existence which is, ultimately, the fulfillment of the Cosmic Purpose and explicates how this Cosmic Purpose can be achieved and how we can hasten the End of Days.

The book discusses the Seven Noahide Laws and mentions the 613 commandments of the Torah as pertinent to the accomplishment of the Cosmic Purpose. Moreover, the author describes historical events where we have been close to the End of Days but failed to get there as well as the prophecies about the End of Days including The Battle of Gog and Magog and the resurrection of the dead. By presenting figures and tables, the author illustrates the parallel pattern of Creation Days and the coincidences between biblical events and recent historical events.

Overall, this is an academically written, very interesting, very intriguing, and, apparently, well-researched book. However, this is not an easy read. It requires not only familiarity with but ample knowledge of the Scripture. Moreover, the flood of details can be very confusing and disorienting. Finally, I find the premise of the book a little subjective.

Congratulations to Daniel Friedmann (@GenesisandScien) on such a very interesting book! For more books by the author, click HERE.        

A Father Offers His Son by Scott LaPierre

A Father Offers His Son: The True andGreater Sacrifice Revealed through Abraham and Isaac is an inspiring and uplifting book written by Scott LaPierre.

The book has nine enlightening chapters that highlight and analyze a very important biblical event; that of Abraham’s offering his son Isaac in the book of Genesis.   

In his careful and thoughtful analysis, the author presents the parallels between Isaac, son of Abraham in the Old Testament and Jesus, the son of God in the New Testament leading to a conclusion that the Old Testament is actually about Jesus and that the offering of Isaac prefigures the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the propitiation of our sins. The author examines Genesis 22:1-19 phrase by phrase and creates an inspiring, uplifting, enlightening, hopeful, reassuring and beautifully written book that every Christian should read.

Needless to say I enjoyed this book a lot and I love everything about it. Unlike other religious books, it is an easy read even for laymen. It reminds Christians of the unimaginable magnitude of God’s love for mankind as manifested by Jesus’ sacrifice. It inspires the readers to be the good Christians they should be by emphasizing the importance of submission as exhibited by Isaac and obedience through Abraham’s examples.

Furthermore, the book offers interpretations that even regular Bible readers may find surprising like appearances of God the Son in the Old Testament.

However, though deep and thorough knowledge of the Bible may not be required to appreciate this book, familiarity with famous Bible stories like Jonah and the Great Fish, Ishmael and the Bride of Isaac would make this book more enjoyable to read.

Congratulations to Scott LaPierre (@PastorWCC) on such a marvelous book! For more books by the author, click HERE and to receive an Advance Review Copy of this book, visit this LINK.

Genna's Fight by Sheldon D. Newton

Genna’s Fight: Will SheBe Able to Discover Her True Self and Get Her Son Back in Time by Sheldon D. Newton is a poignant story of one woman’s triumph over adversity and how she wins back her self-respect and more.

After years of physical, emotional and psychological abuse from her husband, Genna finds herself alone and homeless. A chance encounter with a kind and friendly truck driver, Reggie, takes her to a safe haven for battered women in California. However, Genna’s newfound peace and safety is marred by a deep longing for her son whom she is forced to leave behind. Moreover, deep down Genna’s seemingly peaceful visage lurks a dark and painful secret that pierces her soul and refrains her heart from healing.

This is a touching and memorable story of one woman’s struggle as she tries to come out of the pit life throws her into. It depicts what simple acts of kindness and compassion can do to a broken heart and a battered soul. It shows how faith in God restores hope and gives strength as He empowers the weak with His steadfast love. Most importantly, the book shows how nothing is impossible with God by your side.

It is a story of friendship, kindness, faith, hope and success. It features different kinds of love: love of a mother, love of a child, love of a friend and love of God. Ultimately, this is an inspiring story and encouraging book that will tug at your heart and will stay in your mind for a while. The author creates admirable and endearing characters. Though Genna is the main protagonist, my favorite is Reggie. He is the kind of friend everybody hopes for.

Congratulations to Sheldon D. Newton (@sheldondnewton ) on such a great book. For more books by the author, click HERE. 

Thrown Away by Sheldon D. Newton

Thrown Away: No Mommy, No Daddy, Nobody Wants Me!!! is Book 1 of The Wanted Chronicles written by Sheldon D. Newton.

Ben is a handsome and very intelligent boy of eleven when he learns the painful truth about how he ended up in the orphanage. Feeling unloved and unwanted, Ben is embittered and turns against everyone around him, even the kind and motherly Matron Ann who raises him and loves him unconditionally.

Several years have passed and it seems like life is not going to be easy for Ben because he soon finds himself in a predicament where the only one he can ask help from is God.

This is a poignant, inspiring and encouraging story of love, faith, hope, sacrifice and determination. With a steady and consistent pacing, the story begins with very emotional and heart wrenching scenes. The book continues and introduces characters that play important roles in Ben’s life. Just when the readers feel that everything is going well, unexpected twists and turns of events change the mood of the story and the readers are gripped with mixed emotions ranging from pity, sadness, admiration and even anger towards Ben. Moreover, unlike some novels which make the reader feel he is part of the story, this feels like watching a scene unfold while listening to a great narrative.

Despite the lack of elaborate physical descriptions, the characters are very much relatable and my favorite among them is Mr. Hung. He is kind and fair and a good judge of character. He knows when to set his limits and knows when to reach out to a friend in need.

However, the settings of the story are not described in details which may make it difficult for some readers to visualize some scenes. Moreover, skeptical readers may find the story unrealistic and not at all unique but just an ordinary tale with overuse ‘rags-to-riches’ theme. Finally, there are several errors, mostly typos and misspelled words which may detract from the enjoyment of reading the novel.

Congratulations to Sheldon D. Newton (@sheldondnewton ) on such a great, touching and very inspiring book! For more books by the author, click HERE.