THE MAN HE NEVER WAS, by James L. Rubart

THE MAN HE NEVER WAS is a novel that is written in the Christian genre. At the beginning of the book, we find up to 18 endorsements for the book. The author, James L Rubart, spread the content throughout 49 chapters. Many of them are short. There is no introduction or epilogue. At the end of the book are discussion questions for groups and brief acknowledgements. James L Rubart is the best-selling writer of up to nine novels. He has won INSPY awards for his novels. He is also a professional marketer and speaker.

THE MAN HE NEVER WAS was what I expected. It held my interest because of how it is written. It has a lot of suspense in it, throughout the book. It took awhile because I figured out some of the plots and roles of some of the players. That was until I got well into the book. To me, this book had something of a "christian mysticism" feel to it. There is much talk about feelings and talk about self-love and "centering." There is a measure of Christian theology, focusing on God's love. His love is expressed in the call to "die to ourselves" in order to be free of our "dark side" that enslaves us. There are themes of intimate partner violence, forgiveness, and reconciliation. I wondered why the counseling situation in the book was between two members of the opposite sex and wondered how it would end up. The suspense lasted almost near the end of this book.

I recommend this book for those who like to read good, wholesome novels. It's true to life and how it works in all kinds of problems of life. That is pretty much all I can say.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to give a positive review of this book.

STAR STRUCK by Dr. David Bradstreet and Steve Rabay

This book is written for the layman. Bradstreet combines his scientific knowledge and expertise with Rabay's theology and expertise. Bradstreet is an award-winning professor, author, and astronomy "rock star" as he teaches students about the heavens. He serves as professor and chair of the Astronomy and Physics Department. He also is director of the David H. Bradstreet Observatory and Julia Fowler Planetarium. He's worked with NASA, the National Science Foundation and and the International Astronomical Union. He authored the Binary Maker 3.0 software program that helps astronomical researchers calculate the orbits of binary stars. Rabay is the award-winning author of more than than 40 books, including Rachel's Tears The Lessons of St. Francis. He's written 2000 articles that have appeared in The New York Times and Christianity Today. He's taught at Denver and Fuller seminaries and the US Air Force Academy. This book begins with a Foreword by Dr. Edward F. Guinan and one by Dr. Tony Compolo as endorsements for this book. Bradstreet and Rabay then arrange this book in 23 chapters. They end with an Epilogue, Acknowledgments, Notes and Sources (used for this book) and Art and Photo Credits. This book has colored photos in the middle of this book, and black and white photos interspersed throughout the book.

This book has been a pleasure to read. I wish the authors hadn't chosen Dr.Tony Compolo to do the theological Forward, for this can undermine their credibility. Many theologically sound Christian leaders view Tony Compolo as a false teacher because of his liberal theology, especially on LGBT marriage #equality." Aside from that, this book is excellent. Assisted by Rabay, Bradstreet's book is accessible to the lay person unversed in astronomy. I thoroughly enjoyed all the pictures in the book, including the black and white ones that pepper this book. In this book, I caught many glimpses of God's glory and infinite wisdom in the creation of countless stars, planets and galaxies. I found it interesting that he intimates that we shouldn't box God in regarding the actual timing of creation. The Bible does describe a six day period of creation. Yet another part of the Bible says that a day to God is "as a thousand years." So how can we prove, theologically speaking, that God made the world in a literal six day, 24 hour period? I found this book so fascinating that I requested another book review book, written about science and faith, that sounds much like this book if in another format. This book was all I expected and more.

I recommend this book for all people. I endorse it for non-Christians, especially atheists. They aren't this book's target audience but all the evidence that the authors put before the reader, combined with photos, can plant seeds in even an atheist's mind and heart. I recommend this book for new Christians so they gain a sense of the majesty of their new Father in Heaven. But Christians at any stage of spiritual development should read it and get a renewed sense of God's majesty that it's easy to lose in this hectic, fast-paced culture. I endorse this book for any Christian who is interested in getting into the field of science. This book will inspire you. Finally, this book can aid pastors in preaching on creation.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through BookLookBloggers, in exchange for an honest review of this book. I wasn't required to give a favorable review of this book.

TASTE AND SEE by John Piper

This is a book of 125 daily meditations. It's an updated version of this book, originally published in 1999. Piper starts out the book with a Preface. He follows this with Acknowledgements. What follows are those 125 devotions/meditations. Each meditation begins with the title and a tagline. Some of the meditations also start out with short poems. Piper wraps up the devotions/meditations with a description of his website and the link. This is followed by a subject index and an index of people mentioned in this book. Piper wraps this all up with an index of Scripture verses used in this book. Piper is the founder/teacher of DesiringGod.org. He's the Chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, Piper has served as the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. More than 30 years of his books and articles are available, free of charge, at DesiringGod.org. Piper has written over 50 books, including the classic Desiring God.

I just finished reading this book. I have read many of Pastor John Piper's books. I have visited his DesiringGod.org website. So I found this book everything that I expected it to be. His books are rich in theology, and this book is also. HIs books are based solidly on the Bible, and so is this one. God is front and centers in all Piper works. He's also front and center in Taste and See. I expected the book to mention a lot about social issues because of the book description. He did mention them, but not as much as the online description indicared. Maybe this is just me. This isn't a book to curl up with and unwind to. It's designed to make readers think. A hardback book, this one has good binding. Being a long, comprehensive book, this isn't fast reading. IT isn't meant to be. Meditations take time and shouldn't be rushecc through. I found them exciting and inspiring.

Who do I recommend this book for? I recommend it to serious Christians. This covers those who are committed to following Jesus. This covers those who want to know God better. This covers those who like to study theology. Pastors can benefit from this book in their own walks with God. New believers and immature believers won't like this book. The strong stress on doctrine and missions may bore them. The target audience of this book are serious followers of Jesus. So this book holds nothing for those outside the Christian faith.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review. I wasn't required to give a positive review of this book.

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