A collection of brief, engaging thoughts to complement Christian Bible study.
King (Steps to the Victorious Walk, 2007, etc.), an evangelist pastor, offers an array of short daily devotionals about Bible verses and their applications to daily life.
In his latest book, the author turns his attention to helping readers build their relationship with God. He’s assembled 90 “devotions,” including for each a Bible verse, some of his own reflections and stories, and what he calls a “meditational thought”: a “thought- provoking point designed to help the reader experience the truth at hand more deeply.” King writes in his introduction that “[t]hose who take a minute and meditate on these nuggets will find the spiritual gold.” Each meditation builds upon the verse in question, leading to King’s clear, succinct final point; for example, he takes a line from Psalm 139, “for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” and uses it as a way to discuss God’s creation: “Who else but our awesome God could have created such wonder?” He then builds to the meditational thought: “God made all originals and no copies.” Such thoughts are short and familiar but often avoid cliché. King often uses them to rephrase ideas that are common to devotionals, modifying them to be a bit more engaging. Many of them, such as “God is our best insurance,” “Attitude often determines altitude,” and “Names don’t make people, people make names,” should provide readers with springboards for personal meditation. King also contextualizes his summations in a variety of ways, drawing from the verses, real-world examples or his own views. He writes in an inviting, relaxed tone that fits with the book’s structure. Readers will be drawn in and comforted by his friendly nature and left with much to consider.
A collection of brief, engaging thoughts to complement Christian Bible study.Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-1462739059
Page Count: 196
Publisher: CrossBooks
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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