MESSIAH: ORIGIN

Messiah: Origin is a 2013 graphic novel by Mark Arey, Kai Carpenter, and Matt Dorff. It covers the biblical narrative from the annunciation of the nativity of John the Baptist through the beginning of John’s ministry.

This isn’t a comic book in the conventional sense; the panels are sequential, but all the text is adapted straight from the New Testament (specifically, from John 1, Luke 1–2, Matthew 1–3, and Mark 1). As such, it often feels more like an art book. This is further compounded by the fact that, as Dorff acknowledges, the layouts borrow heavily (read: copy) from various iconic painters and filmmakers.

The unequivocal highlight of Messiah: Origin is Kai Carpenter’s outstanding art. His faces and expressions are fantastic, which is essential given the more static nature of the storytelling here. His use of light and color are also excellent, and the end product is often captivating.

If you’re looking for a comic book version of the Christmas story, Messiah: Origin really isn’t it, but it is a great looking and worthwhile piece of work.

RECOMMENDED

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

PEACE ON EARTH by Mary Engelbreit

Mary Engelbreit’s Peace on Earth: A Christmas Collection is a 2013 children’s book, her celebration of what she loves about Christmas.

This isn’t a collection of stories—Peace on Earth is comprised of the text of various Christmas hymns, the accounts of the birth of Jesus from Luke and the visit of the magi from Matthew, and numerous poems and short essays from other authors, all with illustrations and borders by Engelbreit.

This latter is, of course, why nearly everyone who picks this book up does so, and Engelbreit’s art is quite good, as you’d expect. Her style is distinct, her colors are warm and vibrant, and, with the exception of the fact that she misspells “magi” in one of her illustrations, everything looks excellent.

But while the art is great, the text is largely unimpressive and uninteresting. The hymns we know already, and many of the poems—nothing else really stands out, and you can read through this book in about five minutes. Neither my wife nor my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, both of whom are big fans of other Engelbreit works, were particularly impressed with Peace on Earth, although they did enjoy looking at the pictures once or twice.

Peace on Earth is perfectly good if you’re looking for a collection of Engelbreit’s Christmas art. But don’t ask it for any more than that.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

FINALLY FREE by Heath Lambert

Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace is a 2013 Christian book on escaping pornography by Heath Lambert.

This is an extremely short book (176 pages) – there’s no time spent on why pornography is bad (because people who think so usually have a pretty good idea why, Lambert says) – nearly the entire book is devoted to practical steps and solutions. And it includes some things you don’t typically find in books of this sort (Lambert’s eight tools for fighting pornography are godly sorrow, accountability, “radical measures,” confession, your spouse/singleness, humility, gratitude, and your dynamic relationship with Jesus). And Lambert is refreshingly specific on what to do and how to go about it.   

Yet while Finally Free is extremely practical, the foundation of Lambert’s arguments is, as it should be, the grace of Christ. Lambert ties every bit of his practical advice to the transformative power of grace – the power to be changed, to become different. In a book that goes on at length about what actions a man should take, this discussion of grace as a power is what instills hope for real, permanent change.

Finally Free is a concise, practical, and, most importantly, grace-centered treatment of pornography bondage, and probably the most immediately useful book I’ve read on the subject.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

THE SURE CURE FOR WORRY by Kent Crockett

The Sure Cure for Worry: Learning to Trust God no Matter What Happens is a 2013 book by Kent Crockett. Here, Crockett lays out Christian perspectives on trusting God and escaping worry and fear.

Worry, Crockett states, is the opposite of trust; thus, by learning to trust God and deciding to follow him, the Christian can be free from worry and fear. Crockett uses a great deal of scripture to support his thesis, which is biblically very solid, and includes many encouraging anecdotes.   

Crockett is charismatic in ways that will make non-charismatics raise an eyebrow here and there. For example, he states that a lack of peace about a decision indicates either that it is God’s will (with wrong timing or insufficient information) or that it is not God’s will (p. 145). Obviously, this tautology is not particularly helpful on the face of it. The problem is not that Crockett is wrong, necessarily, but that he likes to break down the workings of God and the Christian life into logical, step-by-step, A-or-B structures, which can feel forced and presumptuous. To offset this, a greater emphasis on individual prayer and discernment (which are in there, to be sure) would have been nice.

Crockett’s writing is a little over-the-top sometimes. His “indisputable proof” for God isn’t quite, although it is very good and well-presented. He also belabors some points that will likely seem rather obvious to all but the most entry-level of Christians (the sections on God’s IQ and counselors, for example). Some readers may thusly skim certain sections, but that’s all right.

While non-charismatics may find aspects of The Sure Cure for Worry off-putting, Crockett is right on in terms of the foundational biblical principles on worry and trust, and many people struggling with worry or fear should find this book encouraging and helpful.

RECOMMENDED

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

BILLY GRAHAM IN QUOTES

Billy Graham in Quotes is a 2011 book compiled by Franklin Graham and Donna Lee Toney. It does what it says on the cover.

The vast majority of these quotes are taken from Billy Graham’s many books. The quotes are arranged topically: “Billy Graham on Abortion,” “…on Addiction,” “…on Age,” America, angels, anger, anxiety, and so forth, all the way down to “Billy Graham on Young People.” There are about a hundred topics, with an average of three or four pages devoted to each. The quotes are centered on the page; that takes some getting used to. 

This book is nearly 400 pages. While this is perfectly understandable given Graham’s sixty-plus years of ministry and authorship, it’s unusually large for a book of this sort. But it should come as little surprise that the book can get awfully repetitive very quickly. Not that there are any bad or worthless quotes, but there’s a great deal of overlap; quantity over quality, as it were. The book could have been cut by a quarter or more without any real damage being done.

Graham is almost never witty or clever; his quotes are nearly always simple statements of biblical truth. This isn’t a criticism by any means; it’s just that he’s hardly quotable in the way Ben Franklin or Mark Twain is. This has a further hampering effect on readability, particularly as many of these quotes would really have benefitted from some context.

It’s also hard for me to imagine much application for this book. It could be used as a topical reference for those with a comprehensive library of Graham’s books, I suppose, or as good bathroom reading on its own.

I affirm the vast majority of what Graham says in his quotes; I just don’t see much need for this particular book. I’d imagine most readers would be better off spending the time reading Graham’s actual books (or the Bible).

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”