Book "Transforming Church in Rural America" by Shannon O'Dell

In the process of transferring our blog to a brand new domain, this archived post has been adapted to BooksCrier.com

About the Book: Small church buildings dotting the countryside are home to ministries that often struggle with limited attendance, no money, and little expectation that change can revitalize their future. In Transforming Church in Rural America, Pastor Shannon O'Dell shares a powerful vision of relevance, possibility, and excellence for these small churches, or for any ministry that is stuck in a rural state of mind. The book reveals: how to generate growth through transformed lives; ways to create active evangelism in your community; no-cost solutions for staffing challenges, enhancing the worship experience, and inspiring volunteers. Focusing on vision, attitude, leadership, and innovation, you can learn the practical strategies and biblical guidance that helped to grow a church of 31 into a multi-campus church of several thousand, with a national and global outreach. Discover effective structure and ways to cast God-given vision so others can follow and make an impact. Experience the blueprint for transforming into effective, dynamic, and thriving churches - no matter where the location or how small it may be. What Church Leaders are saying . . . I'm captivated by Shannon's story, challenged by his witness, and moved by his resolve. As I read, I found myself turning the pages quickly and anticipating what was coming next. Shannon sounds a clear call for leaders of the church in rural America - but the principles translate to any leader trying to move a congregation toward life change in communities of all sizes. This is a rare book . . . one that I'll be buying several copies of to hand out to encourage pastors every chance I get. Tim Stevens, Executive Pastor at Granger Community Church Shannon O'Dell's passions for the rural church in America is contagious. The vision to see the small church reach multitudes through partnerships with other churches is a move of God, and Transforming Church in Rural America, is right on the wave of God's plan. Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv The lies about churches in the boonies echo loudly throughout the landscape of our culture. And too often, leaders believe them thinking success is reserved for places with big populations and bigger budgets. But in Transforming Church in Rural America, Shannon O'Dell confronts some of the most powerful and prominent of these lies head on . . . No matter what size church you are a part of, this book will challenge your traditional thinking, force you to look beyond the status quo and enable you to grasp a bigger vision of what God has in store for you ministry and your leadership. Ed Young, Pastor, Fellowship Church

About the Author: Shannon O'Dell passionately seeks to inspire his growing multicampus church to give God only the very best. Innovative, inspiring, and committed to reaching out to struggling churches in rural areas around the country and the world, he has served as senior pastor for Brand New Church in the small community of Bergman, AR for over six years. He is a former youth pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, OK. He is married to wife Cindy, and the couple have four children.

My Review: This is a very inspiring book where the author clearly shows that God's call is stronger than the desire for human comfort and recognition. When his career as a pastor was about to turn into a "successful" one in a major church as a senior pastor, God told him to accept an offer as a pastor in a church in rural Arkansas. The "Beginnings" are described in first three chapters of the book. 

Through a very light style, the author describes all the problems he incurred while trying to transform the church and the lives of the people in the community. He goes through situations that sometimes are similar the ones we might encounter in big churches as well. His description of the "VALUE" (Vision, Attitude, Leadership, Understanding, Enduring Excellence), compose the core of the book and it is very well described and developed from chapters 4 to 8. In this book he provides suggestions on how to handle some situations and it is a valuable book to any pastor who wants to transform his church into a more dynamic one. The last two chapters are description of how they implemented their vision of the future.

This book was written by Shannon O'Dell in 2010 and published by Thomas Nelson and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

The Mark of Love

The Mend Mark tells a powerful story in two words

Have you been “Marked?” The Mend Mark is a mission, a movement, an entire revolution. It is a bracelet meant to remind its wearers of Christ’s love and sacrifice, and its message is the passion of its creator, Hunter Harrison.

The Mend Mark is an innovative and distinctive bracelet that is designed to reflect the scars and nail holes of Jesus. When worn, the band resembles the deep holes of the nail driven into the wrists of Jesus during his crucifixion. By bringing the story of Jesus’ life and death to constant awareness by wearing a bracelet, Mend Mark is meant to powerfully remind wearers of the ultimate act of love Jesus made for all of humankind.

Harrison’s mission is to remind all to remember Christ’s love in both his life and death. But more than only a poignant recollection, the Mend Mark is meant to inspire and motivate wearers to live a life of service. Harrison strives to bring people together around the simplicity and power of love as lived by Jesus. But this is no example of passive love. The Mend Mark calls individuals in all walks of life to love with a profound sincerity and commitment great enough to change a neighborhood, a community, a world.

Harrison leads this call to love and sacrifice by example and joins hands with each Mend Mark bracelet purchaser to take the first step in global change. A portion of each bracelet sold goes to support Living Water International, an organization combating the clean water crisis victimizing over one billion people worldwide. Each $5,000 given will result in one well drilled, providing a community with clean water.

But wearers should be prepared to be seen. Unique in its design, the Mend Mark is sure to be noticed and gives wearers an opportunity to share the story of the profound love of Jesus for each and every person. “It was important to me that the design was simple and generic enough that the observer had to ask about it to know what it meant. But I also wanted it to appear distinctive enough that it sparked curiosity,” reveals creator Hunter Harrison. “I wanted it to require the wearer of the product to engage in conversation about the love of Christ (and hopefully show that love to others) instead of just letting the product talk for them.”

Launched in late 2009 after a year and a half of packaging, material, and design development by Harrison, the bracelet has been sold across the United States, Canada, and the UK and has been featured in retail stores as well. The Mend Mark bracelet movement has grown to further fame after being worn during performances by American Idol winner Lee Dewyze, Idol runner up Siobhan Magnus, Decifer Down, Israel Houghton & New Breed, Pillar, and Finding Favour, to name a few. Says Harrison, “I want it to be more than just another bracelet; I want it to represent a movement.” Based on the way things are going, a movement is exactly what it is becoming.

Order online for $9.99 at http://www.mendmark.com/.

For more information, or to request the Mend Mark, contact:

Audra Jennings

Senior Media Specialist

The B&B Media Group

1-800-927-0517 Ext. 104 - ajennings(at)tbbmedia.com

Visit us on the web at www.tbbmedia.com or our blog at www.tbbmedia.blogspot.com

We are also on Facebook and Twitter (audrajennings and TBBMediaGroup)!

“A Media Communications Company”

109 S. Main - Corsicana, TX 75110

Fax: 903-872-0518

Book "The Baby Bible Christmas Storybook" by Robin Currie

About the Book: A simple and interactive approach to teach Bible stories, Scripture, prayers and worship to toddlers and preschoolers. Your child will look forward to the Baby Bible moments together when you share God's Word.

About the Author: Rev. Dr. Robin Currie is the Early Childhood Librarian/Preschool Liaison for the Glen Ellyn Public Library and serves on the staff of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. She is also the retired pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn. Before and during seminary she was a children's librarian for public libraries in Illinois and Iowa. She holds master's degrees in Library Science from the University of Iowa and in Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, as well as a Doctor of Ministry in preaching from LSTC. Her published books include seven resource collections for librarians and over a dozen children's Bible story collections. Her book, The Baby Bible Storybook, has sold over 300,000 copies.

My Review: This book was originally published in 2001 and now they are republishing it in 2010. It is supposed to be an interactive teaching tool for parents to use with their children from birth to three years old. I would go a little bit further, setting the target audience perhaps from 1 to 5 years old. The idea is quite simple and intelligent. For every verse that is read to the child, an action is triggered, like "Tap your hands on your knees", or "Spread your arms far apart", or even "Point to the baby in the picture". It is a very nice way of involving the child in the reading of the story. The vocabulary is simple. The text is taken from the Scriptures, either from Matthew or Luke. The birth of Jesus is covered in a simple and unforgettable way to the children. The format of the book is very appropriate and it is very resistant, hold the pages together even if it is handled by a more agitated child. It is really beautifully produced, with very nice illustrations and it will make a wonderful gift for new parents.

B&B Media group were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their blogger book review program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

Book "The Profiler" by Pat Brown with Bob Andelman

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

About the Book: In 1990, a young woman was strangled on a jogging path near the home of Pat Brown and her family. Brown suspected the young man who was renting a room in her house, and quickly uncovered strong evidence that pointed to him--but the police dismissed her as merely a housewife with an overactive imagination. It would be six years before her former boarder would be brought in for questioning, but the night Brown took action to solve the murder was the beginning of her life's work.

Pat Brown is now one of the nation's few female criminal profilers--a sleuth who assists police departments and victims' families by analyzing both physical and behavioral evidence to make the most scientific determination possible about who committed a crime. Brown has analyzed many dozens of seemingly hopeless cases and brought new investigative avenues to light.

In The Profiler, Brown opens her case files to take readers behind the scenes of bizarre sex crimes, domestic murders, and mysterious deaths, going face-to-face with killers, rapists, and brutalized victims. It's a rare, up-close, first-person look at the real world of police and profilers as they investigate crimes--the good and bad, the cover-ups and the successes.

About the Authors: Pat Brown is a nationally known profiler and founder and CEO of the Sexual Homicide Exchange (SHE) and the Pat Brown Criminal Profiling Agency. She holds a master's degree in criminal justice from Boston University and developed the first accredited Criminal Profiling and Investigative Analysis program in the country for Excelsior College, where she is an adjunct professor. She appears on national television and radio often--more than 1,000 times in the past decade to discuss high-profile cases. Brown lives in Minnesota and Maryland.

Bob Andelman is the author or co-author of several best-selling biographical, business, management and sports books, including Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, The Profit Zone: Lessons of Strategic Genius from the People Who Created the World's Most Valued Companies, and Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion. Bob Andelman also produces and hosts the popular "Mr. Media Interviews" podcast on BlogTalkRadio.

My Review: I love to watch all those Crime Scene Investigation Programs on television. They always seems to bring us a piece of the day to day investigation life of a detective, trying to solve a mysterious murder. And sometimes, like magic, they solve the most difficult cases based not only on forensic but also on intuition or other supernatural feelings... But Hollywood is one thing and real life is a complete different ballgame.
The authors did a magnificent job demystifying the field of profilers, stating clearly that this is not suppose to be the art of divination, but a real reasoning subject based on scientific methods and analysis of psychological/psychopathic minds of the suspects. As Thomas Edison would say, "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" (he was referring to geniality, but we can apply this idea to profiling without fearing of the quote being misused).
Giving a brief history on how she became directly involved with this field, Pat Brown tells the readers some of her cases (the ones that she can talk about) and all the sequence of her reasoning for reaching her conclusions. And we notice that she take her job seriously and with passion and that makes all the difference when you are dealing with some of the most horrific atrocities committed by a human being against another human being.
She goes deep in analysing ten cases, providing all details that composed each one of those cases. And one of her quotes is really good: "While anything is possible, everything is not probable". I would add to this quote the famous Occam's Razor "The simplest explanation is usually the correct one" and there you go!
I would recommend this book to any serious reader who likes a good reasoning book. This book deserves to be in a permanet library to any reader who thinks he is a sleeping profiler ready to wake up, learn and go to action.

This book was written by Pat Brown with Bob Andelman in 2010, published by Hyperion Books and distributed by HarperCollins, who were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing. If you read this review, feel free to post a comment.

Movie "Little Town of Bethlehem" (2009)

About the Movie: Come face to face with the struggle for a nonviolent solution to the crisis that has torn apart Palestinians and Israelis. Little Town of Bethlehem, a bold documentary by award-winning director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green, shares the gripping story of how three men from opposite sides of the conflict have chosen to risk everything to bring peace to their homelands. Their stories will dare you to believe that the dream for a just peace in that troubled region is not only possible, but is becoming a reality.

My Review: this movie is a documentary about a nonviolent movement in the Middle East that is growing in size and importance. It shares the story of three men and how they inter-related in their view for peace. It is filmed in the West Bank, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Sami Awad is a Palestinian Christian, Yonatan Shapira is an Israeli Jew and Ahmad Al'Azzah is a Palestinian Muslim.
Sami lost his grandfather, killed in Jerusalem in 1948. He directs a non-profit organization promoting Palestinian independence through peaceful means.
Yonatan's grandparents were settlers who witnessed the birth of Israeli nation. He is also an advocate for the nonviolent peace movement.
Ahmad lived his entire life in the Azzah refugee camp in Bethlehem. He heads the nonviolence program there where he trains others in methods of peaceful activism.
Besides being a very inspirational movie, this documentary is also a lesson on history. They mention the creation of the Israeli nation in 1948, the 1967 war (Six-Day War) featuring Syria, Jordan and Egypt against Israel, the 1973 Yom Kippur War (Egypt and Syria against Israel), the Intifadas (starting in 1987), the Oslo Accords (1993), the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (1995), the Arab Peace Iniciative (2002) and many other facts related to the region.
This is a mandatory documentary for everyone who wants to understand more about the conflicts in the Middle East and are wondering if Peace in the Middle East is really possible.
This movie was directed by Jim Hanon, produced by Mart Green and EthnoGraphic. B&B Media group were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their blogger book review program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.


If you want to watch a trailer of this movie, go to http://littletownofbethlehem.org/.

Balance of September

During September I read and reviewed the following:

Books:
- "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" by Madeleine L'Engle. Read my Review.
- "The Boy Who Changed The World" by Andy Andrews. Read my Review.
- "The Butterfly Effect" by Andy Andrews. Read my Review.
- "You Changed My Life" by Max Lucado. Read my Review.
- "Outlive Your Life" by Max Lucado. Read my Review.
- "The One Year Book of Encouragement" by Harold Myra. Read my Review.
- "The Power of the Blue Medallion" by Les Berman. Read my Review.

Book "The Power of the Blue Medallion" by Les Berman

About the Book: This Captivating novel follows the wild adventures of three charismatic young aliens from the distant planet Hebutar, and their companion on Earth. Zytor, the son of the ruler of Hebutar, is determined to stop a group of terrorists from causing chaos in the United States. Against his father’s wishes, Zytor travels to Earth and meets a young girl, Tandy, whose father was killed by terrorists. Zytor’s sister Phelena, a Captain in the Hebutarian Military and a fellow soldier, are dispatched by her father to bring Zytor back to Hebutar before he mingles into the affairs of Planet Earth. While tracking down the terrorist, Zytor gets his medallion stolen (a powerful weapon), forcing him to team up with his sister and devise plans to retrieve the medallion, and help authorities stop the evil terrorists from executing a terrible attack in Washington D.C.

About the Author: Raised in Southern California, Les Berman earned his bachelor degree in Sociology with a minor in Math from Long Beach State University, and a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University. Currently retired from the ABC Unified School District, Les also volunteers his time coaching young track and field athletes for a private club in Long Beach California. Les has coached many International and Olympic Athletes over the past forty years, and has been selected as a United States International Coach four times throughout his career. The Power of the Blue Medallion , is the first book for this author.

You can find Les at www.novelwithmath.com 

and www.thepowerofthebluemedallion.com

My Review: I love science-fiction. I really do. And this book did not disappoint me at all. The author did a magnificent job describing the characters that compose this page turner story. We can feel Tandy's pain for losing her father in a terrorist attack, we cheer for our trio of heroes, Zytor, Phelena (I love her) and Raygor, aliens from planet Hebutar, and we really enjoy when the dark forces are defeated. 
The plot runs like that: Zytor is the son of the ruler of planet Hebutar. He loves traveling to Earth and he decided to be pro-active trying to stop a group of terrorists from causing a massive damage in the United States. Against his father's wishes, he travels to Earth and meets a girl named Tandy, who lost her father in a terrorist attack. Zytor's father send Phelena, Zytor's sister and Captain in the military of planet Hebutar and her fellow soldier Raygor, with the mission of bring Zytor back to Hebutar, before he gets involved into the affairs of Earth. But Zytor loses his blue medallion, a very powerful weapon and his sister and her companion decided to cooperate with Zytor's plan so they can try to retrieve the medallion and help Earth's authorities stop the terrorists. Overall this is a fascinating piece of work that should hold the attention of any teenager till the last page. I am not sure if I liked the book cover. I think the picture might be misleading... The end "scene" is fabulous. I would place it as one of the best ending sequences I've read this year.

The author also had a brilliant idea of supplying mathematical problems at middle school/high school level at the end of each chapter. If you are not into math, just skip that part and proceed with the reading. The solutions are presented after the Epilogue.  

This book was written by Les Berman and it was self-published in 2007. Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to provide me a copy for reviewing through their Virtual Book Tour Program. The book was kindly sent directly to me by the author. Thanks, Mr. Les Berman! I am anxiously waiting for your next book!
If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment!

Other Tour Sites:

The Power of the Blue Medallion Virtual Book Tour Schedule
September 20
Contest at Cleverly Inked
http://cleverlyinked.blogspot.com
Guest Post at The Book Vixen
http://thebookvixen.com
September 21
Book Reviewed at Cleverly Inked
http://cleverlyinked.blogspot.com
September 22
Book Reviewed at Star Shadow
www.starshadowblog.com
Book Reviewed at Books and Movie Reviews
http://booksandmoviesreviews.blogspot.com
September 23
Interview at Long Beach Examiner
www.examiner.com/x-32474-Long-Beach-Books-Examiner
September 24
Guest Post at Life in The First Draft
http://lifeinthefirstdraft.blogspot.com
Interview at The Crypto Capers
http://thecryptocaperseries.blogspot.com
September 27
Inerview at Paperback Writer
http://rebecca2007.wordpress.com
Interview at One Writer’s Journey
http://pennylockwoodenkrantz.blogspot.com
September 28
Book Reviewed at Paperback Writer
http://rebecca2007.wordpress.com
September 29
Book Reviewed at One Book Bum
http://onebookbum.wordpress.com
September 30
Guest post at Writing Daze
http://rebeccasnotebook.blogspot.com

Book "The One Year Book of Encouragement" by Harold Myra

In the process of transferring our blog to a brand new domain, this archived post has been adapted to BooksCrier.com

About the Book: The One Year Book of Encouragement is a collection of insights from assorted Christian authors, past and present—from Oswald Chambers and Philip Yancey to John Calvin and John Wesley. Draw encouragement every day from the wisdom of the ages with this One Year book—it’s bound to be a classic!

About the Author: Harold Myra served as the CEO of Christianity Today International for 32 years. Under his leadership, the organization grew from one magazine to a communications company with a dozen magazines, copublished books, and a major Internet ministry.

Myra started his journalistic career with Youth for Christ magazine, which under his leadership became Campus Life magazine.

Author of five novels, numerous children's and nonfiction books, and hundreds of magazine articles, Myra has taught writing and publishing at the Wheaton College Graduate School in Illinois. He holds honorary doctorates from several colleges, including Biola University in California and Gordon College in Massachusetts.

Myra has received various awards, among them the prestigious Magazine Publisher's Award and the James Deforest Murch Award from the National Association of Evangelicals. The Evangelical Press Association presented him with its highest honor, the Joseph T. Bayly Award, for his triple career as an editor, author, and publishing executive.

Harold and his wife, Jeanette, are the parents of six children and grandparents of five. They reside in Wheaton, Illinois.

My Review: This is not just another daily prayer book or devotional book. It is much more than that. This is an amazing book that inspires you and feeds you with courage for living a better day. The author uses citations, thoughts and hopes from famous or not so famous Christians and develops on top of that his own view for the "topic of the day". After that, there is a prayer related to what was discussed and a verse from the Scriptures that nails the whole reading down to what the bible says! Very inspirational and I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to start his/her day in the right foot. My favorite reading was one named "A Warm Hand" featuring Mother Theresa. Very touching...
This book was written by Harold Myra in 2010. It was published by Tyndale Publisher House also in 2010 and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their blogger book review program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

Book "OutLive Your Life" by Max Lucado

In the process of transferring our blog to a brand new domain, this archived post has been adapted to BooksCrier.com

About the Book: These are difficult days in our world's history. 1.75 billion people are desperately poor, natural disasters are gouging entire nations, and economic uncertainty still reigns across the globe. But you and I have been given an opportunity to make a big difference. What if we did? What if we rocked the world with hope? Infiltrated all corners with God's love and life? We are created by a great God to do great works. He invites us to outlive our lives, not just in heaven, but here on earth. Let's live our lives in such a way that the world will be glad we did.

About the Author: Lucado was born on January 11, 1955 in San Angelo, Texas, the youngest of four children to Jack and Thelma Lucado. He was raised in Andrews, Texas. His father was an oil field worker, while his mother served as a nurse. Lucado attended Abilene Christian University. Initially he had set himself to become a lawyer, but has said that a required Bible course at the university and a mission trip made him change his mind, deciding instead to become a missionary. However, this required that Lucado get a graduate degree in Bible and have at least two years experience ministering to a church. After graduation Lucado moved to Miami, Florida, to minister to a church. His responsibilities were to minister to a singles' group and write a column for the church's newsletter. Later these short columns were compiled to form his first book, On the Anvil. After two years in Miami, the newly wed Lucado and his wife, Denalyn, moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to become full-time missionaries. In 1987, Lucado's father died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease.) After five years in Brazil, he brought his family back to the United States to be closer to his mother. In 1988 he was hired as minister to the Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio; the congregation has been known simply as Oak Hills Church since 2003. He is father of Jenna, Andrea, and Sara. In a good week he reads a good book, has a few dinners with his wife, and breaks 90 on the golf course. He usually settles for the first two.

My Review: I read a few books from Mr. Max Lucado. After some books you start feeling that you know his style, you know his message. But this particular one touched me deeply in the sense that it shows that you should not waste your life in a meaningless way. You should make a difference, even if small, in the life of someone, showing that you care. Max manages through 16 chapters to stress the importance of making the difference. Illustrating each chapter with examples taken from the Bible and from his personal experience makes the reading very enjoyable. After each chapter there is a prayer that is related to what was discussed in that chapter. At the end of the book there is a Discussion and Action Guide carefully prepared by David Drury, with questions for discussion and ideas for actions related to each chapter of the book. Overall, another masterpiece from Mr. Max Lucado.
This book was written by Max Lucado in 2010 and published by Thomas Nelson and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

Book "You Changed My Life" by Max Lucado

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

About the Book: If someone has changed your life for the good, now is the time to celebrate by letting them know how much they matter.

Oftentimes true heroes of faith don't stand out in the world, but they have made a lasting difference in someone's life - they're a hero to someone. This gift book celebrates their story by first providing a dedication beginning with "You changed my life by___" to be written in detail by the giver to the recipient. To follow are stories told by Max about others who have answered the call of their convictions and took steps of faith (both big and small) resulting in lasting change in the lives around them. It's a message that honors the person who receives the book, and inspires us all to see that real people with remarkable hearts can change lives.

My Review: Max Lucado did it again. In this very beautiful gift book he presents in eight chapters a total of fifty seven very touching stories of love, kindness, commitment, compassion, hope, courage, wisdom and friendship. If you are the hard type, this book is for you, because it will soften you till you melt completely. If you are the soft type, this book is also for you, because it will make you strong on your faith and purposes in life.

All the stories that are part of this book were published before as part of other books from the author. This is a magnificent collection of the most touching ones in a single volume.
The author is giving one hundred percent of his royalties from this book to benefit children and families through World Vision and other ministries of faith-based compassion.

This book was written by Max Lucado in 2010 and published by Thomas Nelson and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through their Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program. If you are reading this review, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.