Picture of the Month

Note: Coming soon, a blog post titled "Should Terry Jones Be Billed?"  (For those who aren't keeping up with the news, the title will be explained in the post...)

Book Review: Venom and Song

Last week, I finished Venom and Song, Book 2 in the "Berinfell Prophecies" series by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper.  Unfortunately, I didn't think the book was very original or unique in the long term.  Here we have another story with elves that have an ancient, flowery language (this one sounded like a prettier version of Latin), a bad-guy fortress located by a volcano that's spewing lava and molten rock, and a lot of the other familiar, fantasy cliches.  


But, there were a few things I thought were original and really popped out to me.  However, I can't say any of them in detail, or it'll give away parts of the plot.  (Smiles.)  I can say this much, though: One thing had to do with an old secret that the young elves discover, with potentially dark implications that could alter everything as they know it.  It was a very grabbing part of the story, and I'm not overstating that.  This secret also leads to an interesting glimpse of how God reveals Himself to the different races of Allyra (the fantasy world of the book).


Another part of the book I liked was when the elves discovered the Rainsong, but you'd have to read it to know what that part was about.  And finally, the third part that I enjoyed... hmm... how do I say this without giving anything away?  Well, let's just say it had to do with the leading antagonist of the story, and someone very... close... to him, and an intriguing transformation (I'll just call it that) that they both went through. 


All in all: Lovers of fantasy will enjoy this book for sure, but if you're a little tired of fantasy cliches, parts of it may feel tedious to you.  If you've already read Book 1, Curse of the Spider King, and enjoyed it, then you won't want to miss the sequel, because it has even more exciting adventures and plot twists than the first one.


* To see Venom and Song on Amazon, click HERE . 
* To learn more about "The Berinfell Prophecies" series, visit www.heedtheprophecies.com .
* To find out more about the authors, Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper, visit their websites: www.enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com and www.christopherhopper.com, respectively.

Check Out This Blog!

My friend has a new blog... her first one had a few technical issues, so she started a new one on blogspot.com. Go check it out... she seriously has some really good stuff on there!


http://kgroef-mylifehis.blogspot.com/ 

Twist On "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands"

"He's Got the Whole World In His Hands"

He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the American economy in His hands
He's got the American economy in His hands
He's got the American economy in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the children in Africa in His hands
He's got the children in Africa in His hands
He's got the children in Africa in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got all the Middle East in His hands
He's got all the Middle East in His hands
He's got all the Middle East in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the Christians in Asia in His hands
He's got the Christians in Asia in His hands
He's got the Christians in Asia in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the poor in South America in His hands
He's got the poor in South America in His hands
He's got the poor in South America in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got Europe and Australia in His hands
He's got Europe and Australia in His hands
He's got Europe and Australia in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got warming and pollution in His hands
He's got warming and pollution in His hands
He's got warming and pollution in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got all North America in His hands
He's got all North America in His hands
He's got all North America in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Always remember... He's got the world in His hands!!!

Book Review: The Circle Series

Okay, here's the book review, finally! I guess it's more of a "books" review, since it's on four books, not just one.

I'm going to do this book review a little differently: I'll list the pros and cons separately, in bullet-proof format, instead of in paragraph form. 

Title: The Circle Series (Black, Red, White, Green)

Author: Ted Dekker

PROS:

* The series was an excellent mix of fantasy and thriller.

* It was well-written and hard to put down.  It accomplished the hard feat of putting vivid images in the reader's mind without bogging him down with descriptions.

* It was a very original type of fantasy.  It did not have the feel of classic Tolkienesque fantasy with dragons and knights and wizards and elves, and weird names that are hard to pronounce, and dark mysterious forests with giant spiders, and an ancient flowery elvinish-like language to make the story more "cool", etc., etc.  It's not that I'm opposed to that type of fantasy, but to be honest, I was really starting to get tired of it, and it was quite refreshing to read something more original.  

* Dekker keeps you very grounded in reality throughout the book (because the main character is constantly switching between our world and the other world), so much so that it doesn't feel like you're reading fantasy at all.  The other reality becomes just as real and believable as our reality in the book.

* Not only is it a gripping thriller and convincing fantasy; it is an awesome story that revolves around the powerful them of redemption.  In the book Black, evil and sin arrive, and humans are separated from God (Romans 3:23).  In Red, we witness the great sacrifice; God offers His Son to die, and restores the relationship between humans and God (John 3:16).  White highlights how the relationship between God and mankind is like a Great Romance; He is the groom and the deliverer, and we are His precious bride (Revelation 21:9, Song of Solomon).  And the color Green represents how anyone who is in God finds new life, and an eternal home in Heaven (John 14:2-3).

 
* Anyway (continuing the thought from the last point), I thought the story on its own -- take out the page-turning plot, well-developed characters, originality, etc. -- was absolutely beautiful, and it was what truly made the series.  Otherwise, they'd just be another collection of entertaining but generally pointless thrillers; instead they are entertaining thrillers that also have a moving portrayal of redemption.  You will come away from this series seeing God in a whole new way and desiring a relationship with Him even more... at least, I certainly did!

CONS

* Warning: The books are bloody and violent... not recommended for young readers! 

* The series has a lot of romance, although the romance is not pointless; it plays a part in demonstrating what our relationship with God should be like, in a general sense.  I think the overall message of the series would be less powerful without the romance.  However, there is also premarital kissing, and some people -- including myself -- may have a problem with that.

* The last book, Green, (or the first book, actually, depending on which order you read the series in), has some telepathic and vampire content.  It's a little weird, so be forewarned.  This book is by far the creepiest of the four, but once again, it is for a reason; it helps establish the evil side that exists in the story, and considering what that side represents in our world, it's not an exaggeration!

Well, as you can see, I thought there were a lot more pros to the series than cons!

A note about order: While I recommend that you read the series in the order of Black, Red, White, and Green, it can also be read with Green as the first book, followed by the rest in the same order.  Dekker designed the series to be read either way.  The reason I recommend the first way is because that's the order the series was written in, so it feels a lot more natural.  Plus, it's a lot easier to get hooked onto the story when you start with Black, and it's cool to see how in Green, everything unfolds and mysteries from the first three books are answered.  The one downside to this order is that Green ends on a mild cliff-hanger, whereas White has a more satisfactory ending.  To each his own.

 
To learn more about The Circle Series, read about all four books on Ted Dekker's official website: http://www.teddekker.com, or see his books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Circle-Hardcover-Box-Set/dp/1595547339/.

Can Mankind Stop Global Warming?

Watch this short and eye-opening video. It is only ten minutes long and well-worth your time; you may never see global warming the same way again.

Then, if you can, share this video with your friends and family. This is a message that needs to be spread. You can click on the easy share button at the bottom of this post to instantly share it through email, blogger, Facebook, Twitter, or Google Buzz, or you can share the video directly through Youtube.



P.S. Another blog post is still coming soon: a review on The Circle Series (Black, Red, White and Green) by Ted Dekker.

Picture of the Month

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post... I've had a lot of excitement over the last month and not much time for blogging.  I actually meant to write a post last week, but I was out of town, and accidentally left my notes for the post at home.  So, that post will be coming soon... stay in tune!

Meanwhile, here's another weird picture to entertain you...