Monthly Archives: March 2015

FREE in the Kindle Store through March 31!!

Interiors coverMick, in jeans and a freshly pressed white button shirt, surveyed his living room one more time. There really wasn’t much he could do to improve the look of one beige sofa and a TV—only make sure there wasn’t any dust on them—so he forced himself to go into the kitchen and sit at the table.

It had taken him the better part of a week to get up the nerve to call Interiors by Design and ask for Amanda Billings. She wasn’t there, so someone else had made the 10:00 a.m. appointment for her to come to his place for an evaluation.

And that time was now.

Mick looked at the clock on the stove. Well, nearly now. Play it cool, Mickey boy. You’re just a guy who needs some throw pillows.

Mick was surprised at how much he had thought about this girl in the last week. After feeling nearly dead for a year, it scared him a bit to feel his heart beating and blood coursing through his veins.

The doorbell rang, and Mick jumped as if it were the last thing he was expecting. He walked to the door, wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans as he went. He reached for the knob, took a deep breath, and pulled the door open.

The redhead he had been waiting for smiled and held out her free hand. “Hi, I’m Amanda Billings from Interiors by Design.”

Mick seemed to be frozen. How did I miss those green eyes before?

Ephesians_front

The Church looks ridiculous to unbelievers. I know I’m married to one.

They see a people loosely bound together by belief in God, but fighting about every other detail.

They see a people that professes a powerful God that seems to be completely impotent to answer even the smallest prayer.

They see leaders in the Church giving lip service to love, but there’s no action behind the words.

In short, they see Christians not the same as your average Joe, but worse than your average Joe. They see a people who are not honest with themselves or anybody else.

The Church sends missionaries to the far corners of the globe but can’t seem to reach the average Joes right under its nose. The Church as a whole the body of Christ has become lost and ineffective.

This didn’t just happen. The Church has had a target on its back ever since the second chapter of Acts.

Paul knew that the Church needed certain things if it was going to be able to stand against Satan’s schemes and be effective in reaching the world for Christ, and he outlined them in his letter to the Ephesians. It is God’s plan, purpose, and power for the Church.

How to Review a Book

Screenshot from 2015-03-25 22:05:02There is a skill to reviewing a book. The point is not merely to like or dislike.  It is not to compare the writer’s perceived morals to your own. It’s a place for critical analysis. Since most reviews give you a chance to rate them with 1-5 stars, may I suggest 5 points to consider when rating.

Writing Quality. Is the description clear? Do the sentences flow? Are certain words or phrases overused? Does the writing pull you into the story or kick you out with weird words and stilted phrasing?

Dialogue. This is a specific type of writing quality. Does it sound natural? Does it fit each particular character? Is the inner dialogue tedious or goofy?

Characters. Are they interesting? Are at least some of them likeable?  Do they grow and change in some way over the course of the book? Are the bad guys realistic or merely caricatures? Are they consistent? Your job isn’t to judge their morality unless it’s inconsistent with what the writer has established. We expect the villains to behave badly. We hold our heroes to a higher standard. They can fail and fall and be tempted, but in the end, we expect some kind of honor.

Storyline. Is the story entertaining? Does it have a good flow? Do the plot points make sense? Does it drag at any point?

Un-put-down-ability. Does it keep your interest? Is it hard to put down? Did you stay up late reading it? Does it call you back to it, if you do have to put it down.

Sometimes, you might feel the writer deserves not a single star for writing quality, but other books might warrant, say, half a star. Go through each of the 5 points, assigning whole or parts of a star for each, then add them up. If you end up with 3 1/2 stars, then you must decide whether to round up or down based on your overall feeling about the book.

Remember, not every book is written for you. Just because it’s “not your kind of book,” does not mean it deserves 1 star. If it truly isn’t your kind of book, don’t read it, and let those rate and review it who are more in tune with this genre.

I don’t read BDSM books just so I can get grossed out in the first chapter and self-righteously give it 1 star. I’m not the audience for that book. I won’t read it, rate it, or review it.

Not every Christian book is written for the Baptist minister’s wife who has never been in a bar in her life. Sometimes Christian fiction is written for the teen on the edge. The one who wouldn’t read Amish fiction if it were the last reading option on earth. The one that has free ideas about sex even while she sits in the pew on Sundays. The one who needs to know that, yes, both men and women can be tempted in the area of sex. And that, yes, it can be a real struggle. And, yes, it’s a temptation that can be overcome.

If you find yourself judging the book’s storyline and language too harshly, you are probably not that book’s audience. Lay it down and walk away. Resist the urge to inflict your brand of judgement on it. Some messages are not for you.