Stand Strong 365 Devotions for Men - A Review

Stand Strong

365 Devotions for Men by Men

by Our Daily Bread Ministries

I’m not a man. True. But through many days and nights of reading devotions with my husband, I can judge well what styles of devotional readings tickle his fancy—and which ones don’t. And just like us women, sometimes men must wade through a few uninteresting books to find one that speaks to them.

Stand Strong definitely has a masculine slant. From ants to pine cones, male friendship to obedience, the lessons in the devotional focus on examples with which men can connect. General Eisenhower, The Bourne Identity movie, one-handed football player Kris Silbaugh, a young soldier being harpooned with vaccinations, and a wife who makes pot roast are just a few of the characters used to illustrate Scripture in a way that is engaging to most men.

Another plus was the mix of daily topics. Where I enjoy devotions that run for days or even weeks with a focused theme, my husband would much prefer variety, not addressing the same issue even two days in a row. Stand Strong’s daily topics are fresh and unique each day. They are a short read with practical examples that put God’s Word into perspective for today’s world and the challenges men face.

I give this FIVE book stars. It is well written and Scripture based. I think it would make a nice gift for the man in your life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from

Discovery House Publishers via NetGalley.

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Book Review: The Doctor's Lady

The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

I reviewed Jody's first book, The Preacher's Bride, in this post from January 2011. That book made me take another look at Historical Romance. I was always a more 'contemporary' reader, until I fell in love with that book.  Thank you Jody for broadening my horizons.

Her second book, The Doctor's Lady, was published in September of 2011. It currently holds a terrific 4.24 star rating on goodreads, and I think it's well deserved.  

I first read this book without realizing that it is based on historical facts.  (I found that out after the last chapter.) The Doctor's Lady is a story about the journey of two 1800s missionaries that were the first white women to cross the continental divide.  Jody gives a fantastic description of what that rugged journey must have been like.  I wish History class would have been this fun! But it is fiction, so Jody has added lots of intriguing details.

Of course, this story is also a romance. (I almost never read romances, but this is a Christian romance -- I don't have to blush.  And, if you haven't read any Christian fiction in a while, you might be surprised by what you find. It's not Grandma's fiction anymore.) The MC feels called to be a missionary to India, but the mission board passes a ruling that only married couples can serve in the mission field.  Enter Dr. Ernest.  He, too, longs to serve, but on a different field -- Oregon country working with the natives.  Even though Priscilla and Eli almost detest each other, the two soon realize that only by 'joining forces' can they obtain their dream, and thus enter into an agreement -- a marriage in name only.  A business partnership. But what happens if one or both decide to move beyond the 'agreement'?

This adventure/love story is not to be missed.

So why am I reviewing a book that came out last year?  Well, it didn't seem right to review her first and third books without including the second.  That's right -- she has a third book coming very soon!

Unending Devotion will be released in September.  But guess what?  Yours truly will be reviewing it ahead of the release.  An advance copy of this novel will soon be in my mailbox.  I'm excited! Wanna know the best part?  The MC's name!  Yep, Lily.  That just tickles me pink.

Here's some more good news: Jody will be doing an interview right here on Becoming An Author.  Keep your eyes open for my next post.  And maybe even a future post about A Noble Groom.  Oops!  Getting a little ahead of myself there.  We'll take it one year at a time.

Please check out Jody's website and learn a bit about her. (For instance the fact that she home-schools five children! How does she find time to write?)  

A Second Opinion & My Faulty Brain

In a recent post, reviewing Stephen King's On Writing, I stated that I considered him an authority, and that he reinforced my belief that dialog should be truthful.  I inserted a link to my post A Christian Writing in a Secular World, where I first debated my dilemma.  

Lo and behold... I received a comment from a higher authority!  My music pastor.  He has a brilliant mind, and has experience as a writer.  (He's currently working on his doctoral thesis.)  But, most of all, he is a man of God.  (Oh, yeah, and he's really cool!)

His words were so revealing to me that I wanted to share them with you.  I could tell you to go back to that post and read the comments, but to save your finger muscles, I'll repost it here...

A Christian Writing in a Secular World

WWJD?  I've been wrestling with this one.  My WIP is not Christian fiction.  There is no story line about how the protagonist got saved and it turned her world around.  As a matter of fact, it doesn't even mention God, church, Jesus...  At one point, the antagonist screams out hatefulness.  It was a hard dialog for me to write.  I still haven't decided on one sentence in particular.  He says a bad word.  Yep.  My mom would have washed our mouths out with soap!

OK, it's not the @ word, but it's still a curse word.  A Christian friend of mine, when told of my dilemma, suggested I use @#%*#!  Not that the thought hadn't crossed my mind; but dialog is words, not symbols.  The character spewing the word is far from reflecting Jesus.  He is evil, cruel, abusive... just plain mean.  He doesn't say things like, "Darn it, you mean girl!"  I left the word in there. 

I consider writing a form of art.  I am an artist.  I use words to paint.  You cannot paint a sunny day without the color blue.  You cannot paint a sunset using only yellow.  My WIP is already written in my head.  My story has a beginning and an end.  The characters are strong.  I cannot weaken them... it would do a disservice to my work.

I have a notebook on my laptop with oodles of ideas for other books.  Most of them have a dark character.  They're not childrens' books.  Don't get me wrong... I would let my teenage granddaughter read my book.  It's about real life, and sometimes real life is ugly.  I would not be ashamed for my Christian friends to see what I've written.  I really don't care what they think, anyway.  I do care what God thinks.

Sometimes I wonder if God would want me to only write Christian fiction.  I credit Him for this talent that I think I have.  (Although, being a writer, I will face another judgment day!)  Does God want us to use the talents He blessed us with for His glory alone.  If my writing does not bring people into His Kingdom or glorify Him in some way, am I not using my gift as He would have me use it?

I just finished reading that last book of a three-part series that is a prelude to the Left Behind series.  This paragraph, in The Rapture by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, really hit home...

"Another honoree was a prodigious pianist who had taken the gift God had given him and devoted himself to ministry rather than exalt himself by pursuing what was guaranteed to be a lucrative career in the great concert halls.  He taught piano in remote arenas of the world and used his giftedness to spread the Word of God, eschewing personal glory and wealth."

So am I exalting myself for my own glory if I write something other than Christian fiction?  Even though I still pray on this question, I think God says no.  After all, if I were a great classical pianist no one would expect me to play only hymns, would they?

I might someday try to write a Christian fiction novel, but I truly don't think I have talent in that area.  If it is God's will, I'm quite sure He'll let me know...

I have many Christian writers that follow my blog.  I also know a lot of you are Christians without writing Christian stories.  What do you think about this issue?  Does God want us to use our gifts solely for His purpose?