EVERY WICKED MAN by Steven James - Just When You Think You've Got It Figured Out . . . You're wrong.

My wife is a writer, and she helped me to understand why my favorite writers are my favorite writers.  That is, what it is about their writing that seems to grab me from page one and keep me turning pages until I fall asleep or finish the book.

It’s called “layered,” or “textured” writing.  One book, two or three separate, distinct plot lines that are woven throughout the book, so that there are three separate rising actions, three “black moments,” and three resolutions.  And yet it is all one story.

And Steven James is a master craftsman.

His latest work, EVERY WICKED MAN, is coming out in September.  I received an uncorrected proof for review.  Funny . . . that didn’t seem to make any difference with regards to the emotional roller coaster that I experienced when I opened the book.

This is a Patrick Bower’s mystery, so fans of this fictional hero will know what to expect.  For the uninitiated, here’s what you can expect:  strong, fully developed characters, impossible situations, complex villains, some romance . . . and tears.  Let’s not forget the tears.  Have a box of tissues readily available.  There is also a strong, authentic, unapologetic faith message woven throughout.

In EVERY WICKED MAN, Agent Bowers is struggling.  He’s struggling to convince his colleagues of the positive aspects of geospatial forensics.  Forget motive.  Why? is not the question that needs answering.  The two questions that Agent Bowers considers are  Where?  and What time?  By focusing on the crime scene, one can more readily apprehend the perpetrator, and eliminate any red herrings.

He’s also struggling with a teenage stepdaughter who is wise beyond her years, and has the sarcasm to prove it. 

And then there’s this little side issue of a drug pusher whose best product delivers the goods and renders the user susceptible to suggestion.  Extremely susceptible.

There.  I’ve given you all the details that I’m going to give you.  Save the date:  September 2018.  EVERY WICKED MAN by Steven James becomes available.  You won’t want to miss this one.

5 stars for a story that will hold you until the very last page.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

EVERY WICKED MAN

Steven James

ISBN 978-1-101-99159-6

Suspense / Thriller

Berkley Press

544 pages

$9.99 paperback

GUARDED PROGNOSIS by Dr. Richard Mabry . . . TROUBLE ALWAYS COMES IN THREES!

Always the teacher.  That's how I would introduce one of my favorite authors, were I given the privileged opportunity to do so.  Dr. Richard Mabry has the ability to identify the issues in our humanity that cause us the most anxiety, the ones that keep us awake nights.  He also possesses the skill, the wisdom, and most importantly - the courage - to face those issues straight on, and cut to the heart of the matter. 

Always the surgeon, Dr. Mabry realizes that just hoping these things will "go away" isn't going to make them do so.  It requires surgical intervention.  And whether Dr. Mabry is wielding the scalpel . . . or the pen . . .  this retired surgeon-turned-author is equally skilled, and more than up to the task.

The world of Dr. Caden Taggart has rapidly become unmanageable.  The two men sitting in his waiting room didn't appear to be patients. That they were not became abundantly clear when they introduced themselves as agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency.  This was just the tip of Dr. Taggart's personal iceberg.

A phone call from his father prompted a visit where his father revealed a serious medical condition . . . and requested his son's assistance in his suicide.  When his mother, the victim of a stroke, suddenly passed, Dr. Taggart was without a doubt on the ropes.  What else could possibly go wrong?

Well . . . that was a rather obtuse question.

While there may be legal battles looming on the horizon and emotional issues closer to home, Dr. Caden Taggart must ultimately conclude that the most immediate concern was his heart condition.  He needed a new heart; a heart of flesh, and not of stone.  And only the Great Physician is capable of that kind of surgery.

Written in Dr. Richard Mabry's award-winning style, GUARDED PROGNOSIS will touch the reader at every level.

5 stars for another page-turning medical suspense by Dr. Richard Mabry

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GUARDED PROGNOSIS

Dr. Richard Mabry

ISBN: 978-1-9877-6367-6

medical mystery / Christian fiction

CreateSpace / Independently Published

249 pages

$ 6.99  U.S. paperback

Is There Anything Too Hard For God? Ask These Seven People Who Have Experienced THE RESCUE!

“Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Genesis 18:14 (KJV)

We read stories like that in the Bible and say to ourselves (and to one another), “Yes, but things were DIFFERENT         back then.  When was the last time YOU saw something like that?”

Well, Jim Cymbala and Ann Spangler may not have witnessed a miraculous pregnancy, but they have seen God work miraculously in the lives of seven people.  They saw God working so powerfully, that they just had to write a book about it.  They called this book . . .

The Rescue.

Short.  Sweet.  And definitely to the point.  There is no other word for it . . . these individuals were rescued from circumstances that defy the imagination.  And they share their stories to remind you that God is still in the life-saving business . . . and that there really is nothing too hard for God.

The stories are written in the first person, and the “writers” don’t pull any punches.  They are brutally – sometimes graphically – honest with their experiences, so you might want to keep that in mind when considering younger readers.  And for those who have been technologically blessed (which is about everyone these days!) you can watch 5 of the stories contained in the book online at www.TheRescue.nyc/watch.

Think you’ve strayed too far from God to be rescued?  These seven testimonies just might change your mind.

5 stars for a testimonial to the rescuing power of the one true God

THE RESCUE   

Jim Cymbala, with Ann Spangler

Religion / Christian Life / Spiritual Growth

ISBN 978-0-310-35117-7

177 pages

$16.99 (Hardback with dustjacket)

THE VINE'S EXPOSITORY BIBLE - The Emphasis Is On "EXPOSITORY!"

I read a story one time, about a minister who was engaged in conversation with a good friend.  His friend was asking him about his sermons, and the minister replied,

          “Well, I study all week for my sermon.  And when I get into the pulpit, the sermon I prepared is a good sermon.  Then I start preaching, and it doesn’t sound anything like what I prepared . . . but it’s a better sermon.  Now, if you want to hear a really good sermon, walk home with me of a Sunday evening, and I’ll tell you what I should have said.”

That . . . in a nutshell . . . is what you have in your hands when you open THE VINE’S EXPOSITORY BIBLE.  You have over 60 years of blood, sweat and tears in the service of the Lord, distilled and distributed throughout the text of the Old and New Testaments.  The New King James Version enables the reader to engage the Biblical text without the sometimes confusing language of the KJV, while still remaining faithful to the Authorized Version. 

To this text Pastor Dr. Jerry Vines brings his magnum opus;  24 years worth of expository messages, from every book of the Bible, delivered from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida.  Pastor Vines introduces each book, providing an explanation of the authorship, date, outline, and major themes of the book.  Then as the reader progresses through the Bible, Paster Vines provides numerous helps (I consider them “gems,” personally!):  Expository Messages (“PRESENTING THE MESSAGE”), word studies (“DISCERNING THE MEANING,”) application (“APPLYING THE MESSAGE”), and personal application and growth (“LIVING THE MESSAGE.”) 

This may seem “complicated” in this review, but in actuality it is practically seamless.  These “gems” are strategically placed throughout the text, so that God’s Word remains central.  The helps are actually in the right place; no flipping back and forth, no myriad cross references to distract you.  It’s the closest thing to “total immersion” in Scripture reading that I’ve come across in a study Bible. 

The maps are full-color, and the one on Jesus’ Ministry is especially interesting, with “text ballons” showing where various incidents in Jesus’ ministry took place, geographically.  Also included is a very nice (not exhaustive, but nice) concordance, and the Expository Bible Index, which will help the reader find all of the “gems” that are scattered throughout the VINE’S EXPOSITORY BIBLE.

If I don’t meet Pastor Dr. Jerry Vines in this life, I’ll certainly be looking him up in the next.  I mean, after over 60 years in the ministry, the man is working on his PhD at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  For fun.  I want to meet this man!

5 golden stars for a true expository Bible

THE VINE’S EXPOSITORY BIBLE

Thomas Nelson

Bibles / New King James Version / Reference

ISBN 9760-718-09851-3

1965 pages

$44.99 (Hardback with dust jacket)

The KJV Minister's Bible by Thomas Nelson

As a minister, there is no such thing as too many Bibles.  “Specialty” Bibles are a real treat, and The KJV Minister’s Bible is no exception.  The LeatherSoft cover is soft and supple to the touch, and yet feels very secure in the hand.  I would feel very comfortable holding this Bible open in one hand, while preaching.  For the most part the KJV Minister’s Bible lives up to the claim of “lay-flat” binding . . . when one gets to Revelation, some “pressing” is required, which is to be expected.  I also enjoyed the “clean” text of the Scripture passages.  While I have a Thompson Chain Reference, and love it for the copious cross references and margin notes, sometimes it’s refreshing just to get alone with God’s Word, minus the distractions.  This is a three-ribbon Bible, which means you can easily mark your place for different portions of Scripture, depending on the service.

A convenient thumb-tab allows you to open the Bible easily to a real treasure:  the complete Nelson’s Ministers Manual has been inserted between the Old and New Testaments, making this one of the most “minister-ready” Bibles I’ve ever come across.  Two study guides are included:  30 Days With Jesus, and a One-Year Reading plan.  The eight pages of full-color maps are helpful, as well.

I’ve only noted two issues with this KJV Minister’s Bible.  I like to mark up my Bible . . . a lot.  The highlighters I use seem to bleed through more than I would like.  And the one feature that I sorely miss:  a concordance.  For the serious student of the Bible, a concordance is indispensible. 

All those positives – and only two drawbacks – make this a Bible that I feel is well worth the purchase price.

5 golden stars for a minister-friendly Bible

THE KJV MINISTER’S BIBLE

Thomas Nelson

Bibles / King James Version / Reference

1166 pages

$44.99 (brown LeatherSoft)

Aren't You Ready to MOVE INTO MORE? Choco De Jesus Shows How That Is Possible!

So .. . I've been invited to be a part of the "launch team" for the book by Choco De Jesus, MOVE INTO MORE.  If you are tired (as I am) of the same ol' same ol', if you go to sleep at night wondering "is this all there is?" then this book is for you.  It's becoming available April 24th, but you can pre-order it right now.  It is available on Kindle, in paper back . . . and as an audio book!

God's "more" has no ceiling, no baggage, no guilt, no shame, no ulterior motives, no strings attached.  God gives his "more" shamelessly, hilariously, in good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.  God's more is given as a loving father gives to his beloved child - only the best, and only with his best interests in mind.

Ephesians 4 tells us that God gave certain "gifts" to his beloved bride, The Church:  He gave them apostles, and prophets, and evangelists, and pastors, and teachers . . . and he gave them for a specific purpose:  the edification of the Body of Christ.

And He gave those gifts for a specific time frame; "till we ALL come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

Until His "more" becomes OUR "more."  After all . . . we WERE created in His image, and called to work His works after Him.

Interested?  Intrigued?  I hope so!  Pre-order MOVE INTO MORE today!  Here is a link to help you do so.   Pre-order MOVE INTO MORE

Here is a short "video introduction" link setting the stage for the book, MOVE INTO MORE.   YouTube Introduction to MOVE INTO MORE

A MARVELOUS OPPORTUNITY TO WIN NOT ONE . .. NOT TWO . . . BUT THREE BOOKS BY THOMAS LOCKE . . . AND MORE!

                     LEGENDS OF THE REALM GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY!