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Review Date: 10/24/2011
Max Lucado writes, "Much has been said about the gift of the cross itself, but what of the other gifts? What of the nails, the crown of thorns? What about the garment taken? What about the garment given?" and it continues. With that as an introduction, I will say that despite reading many books on Christianity, faith, Christ and so on, I had never looked quite at all of the things surrounding the cross, Jesus' crucifixion, and resurrection in the way that Lucado looks at them in this book.
With the simple analogy of his father writing some final words to him and his wife, a picture is painted around each one of the things that we read about in the Bible that speaks to much greater meaning and significance than we tend to give them as we read through the passages. But the premise made sense to me..."Knowing that his last deeds would be forever pondered, don't you think he chose them carefully? Deliberately?" I do. And I think that any of us can relate to that. Would you do any less for something that you knew would far surpass your life?
So, trace the path of these meaningful symbols in which Lucado writes, "God was never more sovereign than in the details of the death of his Son." It may change the way you look at those things every time you read those passages from here on out and help you marvel that much more at what transpired when Christ went to the cross.
With the simple analogy of his father writing some final words to him and his wife, a picture is painted around each one of the things that we read about in the Bible that speaks to much greater meaning and significance than we tend to give them as we read through the passages. But the premise made sense to me..."Knowing that his last deeds would be forever pondered, don't you think he chose them carefully? Deliberately?" I do. And I think that any of us can relate to that. Would you do any less for something that you knew would far surpass your life?
So, trace the path of these meaningful symbols in which Lucado writes, "God was never more sovereign than in the details of the death of his Son." It may change the way you look at those things every time you read those passages from here on out and help you marvel that much more at what transpired when Christ went to the cross.
Review Date: 12/16/2011
First time I have read Dean Briggs and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Certainly the metaphor of Jesus sacrifice was explicit throughout (from his name to the blood metaphor at the end), not a bad thing...but I thought the story that supported this metaphor was fascinating. So from the beginning with the computer virus to the end, I was engaged in the story.
From a emotional perspective, I really appreciated the dynamics of the family as well as the father and son portion at the end of the book. Rarely do you truly think of God, the Father, regarding the story, but I liked the take that Briggs had on it with the father and uncle taking up the two sides of the argument. Anytime an author can get you to stop and think about things in a new way like that, they have done a good job.
Overall, I would certainly recommend the book as an enjoyable read, though it certainly could be emotional for some readers, and I am sure that I will pick up other Dean Briggs books based on the quality of this one.
From a emotional perspective, I really appreciated the dynamics of the family as well as the father and son portion at the end of the book. Rarely do you truly think of God, the Father, regarding the story, but I liked the take that Briggs had on it with the father and uncle taking up the two sides of the argument. Anytime an author can get you to stop and think about things in a new way like that, they have done a good job.
Overall, I would certainly recommend the book as an enjoyable read, though it certainly could be emotional for some readers, and I am sure that I will pick up other Dean Briggs books based on the quality of this one.
Review Date: 11/28/2010
This seemed different to me than the other Dekker novels I have read. Interesting, a bit slower, but different. Maybe the topic of obsession just didn't connect with me or I just did not connect with characters as well as I have in the past but I had a hard time staying in sync with the choices made by almost all of the characters. It just didn't seem feasible.
That being said, this still ends up as an entertaining story...though you have to wait it out until the very end...and I do appreciate the point that he comes around to on how much God loves us. It doesn't take a long time to get through it, and if you like Dekker, then it is probably worth it. Otherwise, I might opt for something else.
That being said, this still ends up as an entertaining story...though you have to wait it out until the very end...and I do appreciate the point that he comes around to on how much God loves us. It doesn't take a long time to get through it, and if you like Dekker, then it is probably worth it. Otherwise, I might opt for something else.
Review Date: 2/20/2010
This was a very short biography, but very readable and enjoyable. I have not read any other biographies of Grant yet and this one was a great place to start. I think that Korda did a nice job of piecing together parts of Grant's life to give us a nice picture of who he was, what he was driven by and to a small extent, how things ended up as they did in Grant's life. And while the asides to current times or the comparisons so other presidents don't add to the story of Grant, they do make it more comprehensible to a non-history buff reader.
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