Book "On Guard - Defending Your Faith With Reason and Precision" by William Lane Craig

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About the Book: From the back cover: Do you worry that someone will ask you a question about your faith that you can’t answer? Have you tried to learn how to defend your faith but gotten lost in confusing language and theology? Do you struggle with times of spiritual doubt yourself?

This concise training manual by renowned scholar William Lane Craig is filled with illustrations, sidebars, and memorizable steps to help you stand your ground and defend your faith with reason and precision. In his engaging style, Dr. Craig offers four arguments for God’s existence, defends the historicity of Jesus’ personal claims and resurrection, addresses the problem of suffering, and shows why religious relativism doesn’t work. Along the way, he shares his own story of following God’s call.

This one-stop, how-to-defend-your-faith manual will equip you to advance faith conversations deliberately, applying straightforward, cool-headed arguments. You will discover not just what you believe, but why you believe—and how being on guard with the truth has the power to change lives forever.

About the Author: William Lane Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at the Talbot School of Theology. With earned doctorates in philosophy and theology, he has established a reputation as one of the most prominent Christian philosophers of our day. His publications, debates, and Internet presence (www.reasonablefaith.org) have made him a highly visible champion of Christian faith. His seminary textbook, Reasonable Faith, is widely considered to be the best book on Christian apologetics today. God is Good, God is Great: Why Believing in God is Reasonable and Responsible (IVP), edited by Craig and Chad Meister, was chosen as Christianity Today's Book of the Year in the Apologetics/Evangelism category. He and his wife, Jan, have two grown children.

My Review: Being an electronic engineer I have to say that the logic and reasoning used by Dr. Craig in this book is completely blowing minded. Holding also a bachelor degree in Theology, I have to add that I am not ashamed to confess that I learned a lot with this book on how to defend my faith with property and confidence.

For all those who profess being a Christian, this is a must have book, by far the best on Christian apologetics that I read.

His language is simple, direct and the sequence of topics is very well organized, following precisely the logic and reasoning that you find in all his words. In ten Chapters he covers the following topics: What is apologetics?; What difference does it make if God exists?; Why does anything at all exists?; Why did the universe begin?; Why is the universe fine-tuned for life?; Can we be good without God?; What about suffering?; Who was Jesus?; Did Jesus rise from the dead? Is Jesus the only way to God?  

This book was written by Dr. William Lane Craig and was published by David C. Cook in March 2010. It is definitely an amazing book and I am very happy that B&B Media Group was kind enough to send me a copy for review. 

Movie "Who Is in Charge Anyway?" (2010)

About the Movie (from the back cover) - God even cares about a little flea. When Freddie hears Hailey and Bailey ask their mother what's special about fleas, he thinks it's time to have a talk with God. Freddie is reminded that Hermie and Flo and Buzby and Webster and even Antonio all had to learn important lessons before their special talents were put to use. Freddie learns that God didn't make anybody by accident, and that he's not finished with us yet. Contains newly animated flashbacks of key garden characters in their youth...along with pivotal scenes from classic episodes. Lesson is based on Psalm 90:16 "Show your servants the wonderful things you do; show your greatness to their children".

 

My review: This is a Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends production.The main character is Freddie the flea, who sees all the good qualities and abilities in all of the other insects and still cannot figure out about his own qualities. There are many messages that are transmitted through this animated video. First is that God has a purpose for everything he makes. There is no flaws in creation. God acts on his creatures transforming them and making them reach all their full potential. We need to have faith in God in times of trouble. Freddie the flea wants to know his purpose in life and he asks God. Through the examples of Antonio, Webster, Hermie, Busby, Flo, Skeeter and Stanley, Freddie finally learns his potential and importance on God's plans. I liked very much the production and the message that is passed. It is perfect for children to watch multiple times, as usually they do. The length of the movie (the main feature) is a little to the short size, only about 30 to 35 minutes. In one hand, it is good to keep the attention of the young audience during the full time, but in the other hand, leave us with the desire of watching more about those lovely characters. I loved this movie.

It was jointly produced by Glue Works Entertainment and Tommy Nelson, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, that were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing.

Virtual Book Tour "Beyond The Map's Boundaries" by Nibi Soto

The Plot: All Mattie and Trevor have ever known are happy, stable lives without any hint as to who they really are. Suddenly, all of that changes when Mattie begins having visions and witnesses historical events appearing on particles of light. Unbeknownst to her, Mattie was born into a family of time travelers. in order to save her from dissolving into the core of time, Trevor becomes her time link, making it possible for her to return to the present following each time travel into the past. With the accidental discovery of the Rings of Prather Mendell, Trevor now shares many of her powers. Together they try to foil the plans of an illicit time traveler from the future who will stop at nothing to possess the secret, supernatural abilities of the time travelers and the forbidden powers of the rings.

About the Author: Nibi Soto grew up along the Wasatch mountains in the Great Salt Lake valley. She has been called the quintessential Renaissance woman because of her wide variety of interests experiences and educational background. She’s has three advanced degrees, has been a journalist, newspaper editor, professional athlete, certified athletic trainer, intercollegiate coach, professional musician, industrial designer, artist, educator, author, professional speaker, wife, mother and grandmother. To her, life is not a rehearsal; it is the real thing and there’s no time to waste. She has authored and co-authored several health and nutrition books under the EAT & Be Lean logo since 1986. Her most resent adventure lies in the writing of a new time travel fantasy series for young adults called Beyond the Map’s Boundary. Her blog is located at http://www.beyondthemapsboundary.com/ and more insider information about Nibi can be found at http://www.nibisoto.com/.

My Review: The plot is quite simple to follow. A young lady thinks she is living a normal life when suddenly she finds herself travelling in time. In her first experience travelling back in time, she finds her mother eight years earlier than her actual time and her mother explain to her that she belongs to a family of time travellers and she gives her daughter a book with all the rules involved in this adventure.  One of the rules is that you only goes back in time (you can return to your own time though, with the help of your Splitter). This skill allows for people to correct a specific problem that was never addressed during the original time period it occurred in. There is also those rings that allows Trevor to share most of Matties magical powers and they face together a challenge of having to stop an illicit time traveller that wants to have the secrets of this supernatural abilities and the forbidden power of those ring at all costs.

This is truly one of the most amazing time-traveller stories I ever read and for sure is among the best three books I've read this year. The plot is so full of twists that keeps us, the readers, on the edge on every page we turn. The description of the characters and their actions is so rich in details that we feel ourselves travelling together with Mattie or helping Trevor supporting her throughout the book.

When we talk about time travelling stories,  classics like The Time Machine (H.G. Wells), or Timeline (Michael Crichton) are always remembered. This book is destined to be remember as one of the greatest science-fantasy time-travellers stories ever. The author wrote a masterpiece that deserves a massive audience and I am eager to read the sequence of this incredible saga.

The cover was very well chosen, very appropriate,  and matches the theme of the book, being elegant and makes the prospective reader to wonder what the story is all about.

This book was written by Nibi Soto and it was published by Thornock International Productions Inc. on February 2010 and Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their Virtual Book Tour Program.

Beyond the Map’s Boundary Tour Schedule

Tuesday, June 1

Interviewed at Working Writers
Wednesday, June 2

Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Thursday, June 3

Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Friday, June 4

Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz
Monday, June 7

Book spotlighted at Examiner

Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book
Tuesday, June 8

Guest blogging at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Interviewed about virtual book tours at Pump Up Your Book
Wednesday, June 9

Book reviewed at From the Shadows

Book reviewed at The Very Latest Thing
Thursday, June 10

Book reviewed at Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf
Friday, June 11

Book reviewed at A Room Without Books is Empty

Book reviewed at Books and Movies Reviews

Book reviewed at Chrissy’s World of Books

Winner Announcement for Contest#1

I picked winner using http://www.random.org/

Original Post: http://booksandmoviesreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/contest1-heart-mender-by-andy-andrews.html

WINNER: -> #1 - Congratulations, Michael Antonio Araujo!

I have e-mailed the winner. Thanks to all who entered!

Book "What Is Jesus Worth To You?" by David Platt

In the process of remaking our blog to a brand new domain, this archived post has been transferred to:

About the book: It is easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, Jesus said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily...

About the Author: Dr. David Platt is the senior pastor of the Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama. He and his wife, Heather, have two sons. David is the author of "Radical - Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream" (see http://www.radicalthebook.com/).

In the process of remaking our blog to a brand new domain, this archived post has been transferred to:

My Review: This booklet challanges the readers to reflect and re-evaluate their lives. The author questioned us if we are following the real Jesus or the image of Jesus we create based on our conveniences. Using his own words, "We take the Jesus of the Bible and begin twisting him into a version of Jesus that we are more confortable with". And the author makes his point through different scenarios. 

This is trully a wake up call question that everybody needs to answer sooner or later in our lives.

This booklet was written by Dr. David Platt and was published by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc, and they were kind enough to send me a copy as per my request. 

Go rank my review!

Balance of May

During May I read and reviewed the following:

Books:
- "Bible Jumble for Kids" by Christopher Hudson
- "Stuff Christians Like" by Jonathan Acuff
- "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews
- "The Cassandra Prophesy" by Robert Doc Gowdy
- "Pray Big" by Will Davis Jr.

Movies:
- "The History of Christianity - The First Three Thousand Years" by Diarmaid Mac Culloch

Sorry for the delay posting my results! June is looking good so far!

Book "Pray Big" by Will Davis Jr.

In the process of remaking our blog to a brand new domain, this archived post has been transferred to:

About the Author: For more than sixteen years, Will Davis Jr. has served as the founder and senior pastor of the Austin Christian Fellowship church, a nondenominational congregation founded on the basic doctrines of the Bible. This congregation of more than 1,000 believers regularly receives Davis’ challenge for them to pray big—or more specifically, to pray with such focus as to pinpoint their exact needs. Prayer plays a vital role in the lives of those who attend Austin Christian Fellowship because Davis has been faithful to teach them the power of God’s Word and its impact upon the prayer lives of God’s people.

Davis is a Baylor University graduate who also holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Davis desires to make a divine kingdom impact upon believers by teaching them the biblical truths about the power of prayer and the necessity of living lives in constant communication with the Savior. Another God-given desire is to remain a faithful shepherd to a church he considers to be “the greatest in the world” and to continue to expand the mission outreach of the church members at ACF. Davis makes regular mission trips to Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala, and other impoverished areas of the world to build homes, disciple his church members, and, above all, to share the gospel with those who have never heard Christ’s message. 

In addition to being the author of six books, Wake-Up Calls, Pray Big, Pray Big for Your Marriage, Pray Big for Your Child, Why Faith Makes Sense, and Faith Set Free, Davis frequently travels and speaks to audiences on the subject of prayer.

My Review: 

The author did a magnificent job showing us that the Bible is a prayer's guide and we should pray as a lifestyle. 

Accuracy matters. His concept of BHAP (Big Hairy Audacious Prayer) is well explained through personal examples. 

Dr. Davis talks about the importance of praying not only for others, but for ourselves, our spouse, our children. According to him, more people will seek God if we learn to pray big, strong and confidently. 

He tries to put to the ground old wrong concepts like "God's too busy", or "My prayer is too insignificant to merit God's attention", or "Praying about little things is selfish". 

This book gives prayer advices for every situation. It completely changed my view on prayers. We need to focus on the details. We really need to learn how to pray big.

Definitely this is a very important book to have if you want to take God seriously and if you want to create a relationship with God that will take you to another dimension of spiritual life.

This book was published in 2007 by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group and the team on The B&B Media Group was kind enough to send me one copy for reviewing.

Virtual Book Tour "The Cassandra Prophesy" by Robert 'Doc' Gowdy

The plot: Called to action by a mysterious ancient Order - an ancient Order in cahoots with the Empress Flaccilla of the First Galactic Empire of Emperor Tulla - to help bring about the fulfillment of a long forgotten prophesy, the beautiful galactic pirate, Captain Bonny Morgan, sets out on her mission to successfully bring the prophesy to reality. By kidnapping the Empress’s daughter, Princess Cosette, Captain Morgan sets into motion an adventure awash in political intrigues, hidden agendas, unexpected revelations, and bold, daring gambits by those involved at every level of the conspiracy. Setting out to find her kidnapped sister, Princess Lysette, joined by her beautiful, mischievous, and extraordinary slavegirl, Tink, crisscrosses the galaxy in a bawdy, erotic, and often hilarious attempt to find Cosette. Along the way, Lysette and Tink fall in with a variety of extraordinary allies in their attempt to find Cosette, meeting the Lady Brit, Jon Black, Pirate Queen Colleen O’Malley, Gunns Mannigan, Buster O’Malley, the beautiful pirates Kana and Blaze, and Bully, the roguish owner of the pirate tavern, the Pretty Red.

About the Author: Robert “Doc” Gowdy is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a Ph.D. in Literary Criticism and Theory and an emphasis on Nineteenth-Century British literature. His specialization in literary theory is psychoanalytic criticism and theory, particularly Lacanian psychoanalysis, with further emphases on Milton and Eighteenth-Century literature. He is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Texas Woman’s University where he teaches various literature classes. His interest in writing is long standing, but aside from academic writing his first novel, Captain Bonny Morgan: The Cassandra Prophesy is his first foray into fiction. Captain Bonny Morgan is based on archetypal themes and patterns from mythology, such as fairies, goddesses, and the Hero’s Journey, and based loosely on Doc Gowdy’s active duty service in the United States Marine Corps with special emphasis on the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean at the turn of the Eighteenth-Century.

My Review: Captain Bonny is an intelligent and powerful pirate woman, with some very special abilities, hired to kidnap the Emperor's step-daughter, Princess Cossette. Princess Lysette sets-off to find her sister with her slavegirl Tink. In the middle of all this action, there is a prophesy to be fulfilled.

I am a science-fiction fanatic and this novel is really a masterpiece. The plot is phenomenal. The author was very detailing on the description of all the fascinating characters that compose this story, as well as the universe where the story develops. In the first couple of chapters I was annoyed by the pirate's language, but after you get used to that, you start expecting the pirate characters to talk like that and suddenly it is part of their style.

Although this is just the first full science-fiction novel for this author, his style and imagination is amazing and soon he will be at the level of the greatest sci-fi authors, like Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers), Philip K.Dick (We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, a.k.a. Total Recall) , not to mention Asimov and Clarke or any other author from the first science-fiction team.

In my opinion, this is a book for adults. I would not refer it to my 12 or even to my 14 years old daughters, as it contains too much colorful descriptions of intimacies among the female characters.

I liked the cover, although if you are reading in public places you might get some strange looks from other people when they look at the cover... If you do not mind about that (as you should not), you are safe.

This book was written by Robert Doc Gowdy and it was published by Wasteland Press in 2010 and Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their Virtual Book Tour Program.

         

Captain Bonny Morgan: The Cassandra Prophesy Tour Schedule

Monday, May 3 - Interviewed at Review From Here
Tuesday, May 4 - Interviewed at The Writer’s Life
Wednesday, May 5 - Book reviewed at Must Read Faster
Thursday, May 6 - Book reviewed at Carol’s Notebook
Friday, May 7 - Interviewed at Beyond the Books
Monday, May 10 - Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book
Tuesday, May 11 - Book spotlighted at Examiner
Wednesday, May 12 - Interviewed at Blogcritics
Friday, May 14 - Guest blogging at Night Owl Reviews “A Look Inside My Characters’ Lives”
Monday, May 17 - Book reviewed at The Distracted Librarian
Tuesday, May 18 - Guest blogging at The Naked Hero
Wednesday, May 19 - Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz
Thursday, May 20 - Interviewed at Literarily Speaking
Friday, May 21 - Book reviewed at Star Shadow
Monday, May 24 - Book reviewed at Jen’s Book Talk
Tuesday, May 25 - Guest blogging at Fantasy Pages
Wednesday, May 26 - Book reviewed at Books and Movies Reviews
Thursday, May 27 - Book reviewed at The Wayfaring Writer
Friday, May 28 - Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Tuesday, June 1 - Guest blogging at Beyond the Books
Wednesday, June 2 - Guest blogging at Cafe of Dreams
Thursday, June 3 - Book reviewed at Deb’s Book Bag
Friday, June 4 - Interviewed at Working Writers
Monday, June 7 - Book reviewed at Freda’s Voice
Tuesday, June 8 - Book reviewed at The Cajun Book Lady
Wednesday, June 9 - Interviewed on Introducing Writers Radio Show
Thursday, June 10 - Guest blogging at Blogging Authors
Friday, June 11 - Guest blogging at The Book Connection
Monday, June 14 - OPEN
Tuesday, June 15 - Interviewed at Examiner
Wednesday, June 16 - Book reviewed at Faithful Finances
Thursday, June 17 - Interviewed on A Book and a Chat Radio Show
Friday, June 18 - Book reviewed at Books R Us
Monday, June 21 - Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book
Tuesday, June 22 - OPEN
Wednesday, June 23 - Book reviewed at Brizmus Blogs Books
Thursday, June 24 - OPEN
Friday, June 25 - Book reviewed at Pick of the Literate