Over a decade later, her research led to her to write a biblical fiction novel, Love’s Sacred Song. It tells the story of Solomon and his Shulammite bride. Compared to other kings of Israel, we know a lot about Solomon and his life, reign, and wisdom (check out 2 Samuel 12, 1 Kings 1-11, 2 Chronicles 1-9, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and of course, Song of Solomon). But there is also so much more about his life that we are just not told. Mesu takes the Biblical information given about Solomon and uses that as springboard to launch the book.

In her first book, Love Amid the Ashes, Mesu illustrates that writing biblical fiction is like threading a drawstring through a pair of sweatpants. God’s Word is the waistband; it doesn’t change. Using historical research and her plot lines, she weaves together a story that is the drawstring that fits within the framework of Scripture. I have found that it also points you back to Scripture. When I read Love Amid the Ashes, the story of the life of Job, (which by the way, I also highly recommend), I found myself grabbing my Bible to see which parts of the story were fact (in the Bible) and which parts were fiction. The same was true with Love’s Sacred Song. Any book that points us back to the Bible – to read and learn and discover truth for ourselves – has to be a really good thing.

I have read several books and listened to teachers and Bible Studies about the book of Song of Solomon in the past. Usually teachers went line by line, talking about the imagery and the poetry, looking at commentaries which often offer conflicting points of view on the subject.  Love’s Sacred Song provided a context for learning that was different and refreshing. Looking at the book as a love story, which is what it really is, was very eye opening. I know that seems a bit obvious, but I think many times we can get bogged down with the details of words. Mesu’s novel of the story gave me a wonderful big picture view of Song of Solomon that I had never encountered before.

While Song of Solomon is often viewed as book for married people, God wrote the whole Bible for everyone. The Old Testament is pointing us forward to Jesus.  Any woman can read Love’s Sacred Song and see the love of the Shulammite bride for Solomon. But there is more. God also told the story to illustrate the kind of love He has for us. Like the bride in the story, God is also patient, loving, pursuing, passionate, and willing to sacrifice. It was eye opening to not just focus on Song of Solomon and the story that took place thousands of years ago, but to see the thread that points us to Jesus.

I hope you’ll get a hold of this book and not only enjoy a good novel, but also study the Scriptures where
it finds its roots.

Reviewed by Christy Carmean

Published by Revell

ISBN: 978-1-4412-3593-0

How would you define the journey of your life? Some would share the happy moments – their wedding day, the birth of their children, the promotions, the successes. Others would share the sorrows – the loss of a loved one, the child who has turned away, the dreaded diagnosis, the pain. How do we view those seasons in life where things are hard and pain is real, and even though we pray, God doesn’t seem to answer our prayers with relief?

Shattered Dreams answers the question, “What does it mean to hope in God as we continue to live in a world where good dreams shatter and God seems to do nothing about it?” (p. 31).Larry Crabb, author of numerous books including Inside Out, suggests that our search for God is an inward quest. The Fall caused an earthquake in all of our lives. We are left with rubble and dirt. The only way to get to God is by searching through all the sin and removing the pieces through brokenness and repentance. Somehow, we expect this process (which takes our whole lives) to be easy. We buy into Satan’s lie that we deserve to be successful and blessed because we love God and are committed to serving Him. So when things fall apart, and God doesn’t seem to be doing anything to help us, we begin to question Him.

Crabb uses the book of Ruth from the Bible to illustrate the behind-the-scenes involvement of God. (If you haven’t read the story recently, I recommend that you read it again—it’s only four chapters.) Naomi’s journey is a vivid picture of shattered dreams. She has experienced the loss of her husband and both of her sons, as well as a famine that forced her to move away from home and live in a foreign country for more than ten years. Naomi returns home a woman who is bitter at God. He has caused or allowed these horrible things to happen in her life. She returns to Bethlehem with Ruth “as the barley harvest was beginning” (Ruth 1:22). In chapter 2, “as it turns out” Ruth begins to harvest grain in the field that belonged to her single, rich relative (v. 3). Crabb reminds us that in all of our lives, God is working even when we are unaware—not to give us a life that is free from suffering, but to bring us to a point of hope and joy.

He suggests three lessons of brokenness. Lesson one is that God is not interested in making our lives easier. He wants to make our lives better. “We still have such a hard time realizing that what’s good is not always best, suffering still has a function. As nothing else can, it moves us away from demanding what’s good…toward desiring what’s better…until heaven provides what’s best” (p. 35).

Lesson two is illustrated in the life of Naomi. When God seems most absent from us, He is doing His most important work. “We need rather to realize that He vanishes from our sight to do what He could not do if we could see Him” (p. 158). Lesson three is that it isn’t always good to be blessed with the good things in life. Hard times give us a chance to know God. “Feeling good is not the goal. When we feel bad, we have the opportunity to do battle against the enemy within that keeps us from entering the Presence of God with no greater passion than to glorify Him” (p. 161).

I personally wouldn’t say that I am in the midst of a shattered dream, although I am watching lots of people around me struggle with cancer, failing marriages, job losses, and so much more. Unfortunately, though, I find myself living in the secular world too often. I like living here on earth and I feel pretty good about the effectiveness of my life. Larry believes that God calls us to live a spiritual life that “involves sensing an appetite that is never fully satisfied…and a longing to experience God deeply enough to keep moving toward Him no matter what happens” (p.125).

I have felt God speaking to me through this book, telling me that too often I hold to the belief that “easy means good” and “hard means bad.” My prayer life reflects this idea. I pray for things to go well or at least smoothly, and I pray for healing and easy recovery. We pray for safety and success. I don’t often pray to experience God and discover His will for my life—in any way that He would chose to reveal himself. After reading this book, I am rethinking how I talk to people about their struggles. I am praying for people in the midst of hard times a little differently. I am viewing pain in my life with a different perspective.

The path to joy is a path through shattered dreams. That is the lesson of Shattered Dreams and Naomi. And maybe you and me, too.

Published by WaterBrook Press

ISBN:1-57856-452-2

At the mention of the name Amy Carmichael, what comes to mind? Have you heard of her? Would you know that she was a pioneer missionary and prolific author? When a friend recommended that I read A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot, I was interested to read that book because I had heard of Elisabeth and was familiar with her story. But I must admit I knew nothing about Amy Carmichael, this missionary woman that she was writing about. A Chance to Die is a biography of Amy’s life and ministry.

Born in 1867 in Ireland, Amy was raised with a strong Christian heritage. When Amy was seventeen she had an experience that pushed her to give her life to the service of God. Later, in 1892, she felt God calling her to go. She was able to serve as a missionary in Japan, China, and Ceylon before finally settling in India in 1895. The description of “pioneer missionary” doesn’t seem to adequately grasp the work that she did. The missionary groups that she was a part of were taking the Gospel to fields that were very hard and not very responsive.

On March 7, 1901, Amy wrote in her journal that something happened which “caused a new thing to begin and I was rooted for life” (p. 165). Amy had seen the practice in India of selling children to the temples of the gods where they would become slaves and temple prostitutes. She began praying the God would help her to rescue some of these girls. Through a series of miracles, God brought the first girl to Amy. By June of 1901, Amy had become “Amma” (from the Tamil word for mother) to four more girls. Although Amy was convinced that God was calling her to a life of singleness, He chose to make her a mother.

This work became the passion of Amy’s life and led to the founding of the Dohnavur Fellowship, a work for children in moral danger. At the time of her death in 1951, her Family had grown to more than 900.

Reading about this women who was so singularly focused on her God was inspiring.  Her commitment to spreading the Gospel, to go wherever God called her to go, and her total reliance on Him was incredible.

One thing that really stood out to me was her compete dependence on God for financial needs. She was a missionary for decades and never asked people for money. She believed that God owned everything and He would supply all her needs. Therefore, if she had a need, she would pray about it, but would not ask anyone. The book is filled with incredible stories of answered prayed where God provided financially in areas of food, expenses to travel to pick up children, and even donors who sent money to purchase land and build homes, classrooms, a church, and a hospital.

After reading this book, I have to ask myself if I can be satisfied with the knowledge about Amy Carmichael and how God proved Himself to be miraculous in her life. Is that all? Or is God calling us to something greater? Amy served the same God that we serve today. He is still able to hear our prayers and supply our needs. I wonder if I don’t see God working and providing for me in miraculous ways because I don’t expect Him to work or even give Him the opportunity.  This book, I believe, is a fulfillment of Psalm 145. “One generation will commend your works to another; they will speak of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty… (vs. 4-5). The life and legacy of Amy Carmichael speaks loudly about her faith, perseverance, and commitment, and about the amazing blessings of the Lord. As we have a glimpse into her life through A Chance to Die, we now have the challenge to live our lives faithfully so that we can tell the next generation about the mighty acts that the Lord did among us.

ISBN: 0-8007-1535-7

 Craig’s book begins with his personal testimony, his story of how he came to know Jesus and his journey to become a pastor. While some may be surprised at his honesty with his struggles throughout his life (after all he is a pastor), I found them to be very refreshing (after all, he is human). He openly writes about his temptations to separate his belief in God from his reality of daily living. The Christian Atheist is filled with practical applications, real-life stories, and lots of scripture to help us as we put our own lives under the microscope.

Each of the twelve chapters of the book are written on a different topic. The chapter titles all begin with the sentence, “When you Believe in God, but…”  Some of them include:

            …Don’t Really Know Him

            …Not in Prayer

            …Won’t Forgive

            …Don’t Think You Can Change

            …Still Worry All the Time

            …Don’t Share Your Faith

Craig, pastor of a multi-campus church in Oklahoma, also talks about three lines in his book. 

Line 1:  I believe in God and in the gospel of Christ enough to benefit from it…

Line 2:  I believe in God and Christ’s Gospel enough to contribute comfortably…

Line 3:  I believe in God and Christ’s Gospel enough to give my life to it (p. 236-237). 

Craig suggests that some of us are full-time moms, or bankers, or teachers and only part-time Christians. Through his book, he asks some of the hard questions. We are given the opportunity to take a self-evaluation of our lives and see if there are areas that we are not living out the faith that we say we have in God.

How often in my life is my faith only in my head? I say that I believe in God, but I don’t live my life in a way that proves it. Why is it culturally acceptable even in the church to be believers of God and filled with His Holy Spirit, but still be people who are stuck living with fear, doubt, worry, patterns of sin and lots of other junk?  If I truly believe that God is all-powerful, why am I not believing Him to be powerful in my life?

The Christian Atheist is a great tool to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about conviction and change in your life.  If you are open to reading a book that might step on your toes and challenge you to really evaluate your faith, I highly recommend this one.

Reviewed by Christy Carmean

Published by Zondervan

ISBN:  978-0-310-33222-0

Ann is a lot like me—and maybe a lot like you, too. She finds herself at a place in her life where some things just haven’t worked out like she thought. She is a busy wife and mom and struggles with wanting something more. She is challenged one day by a friend to make a list of one thousand things she loves—one thousand gifts she already has. This process of thankfulness begins a journey of growth and maturity in her life.

Ann’s key word for the book is the Greek word, Eucharisteo, which means thanksgiving.  This word also contains the root words charis and chara which mean grace and joy. It becomes her life word—she relates everything back to giving thanks. She notices while studying the Bible the important thread of thanksgiving. Jesus gave thanks. Daniel prayed three times a day, giving thanks. We are called in the New Testament to give thanks for all things at all times. 

It’s relatively easy to give thanks for the things in our lives we consider blessings—our  family, food, jobs, houses, stuff. It is completely different to give thanks in ALL circumstances. How do we give thanks through the death of a baby? How do we give thanks through cancer, economic downturns, and depression? Or even the normal occurrences: kids fighting, laundry piles, work that never ends. In One Thousand Gifts, Ann takes us through these life experiences and shows us how she is learning to give thanks.

Ann, who is also a writer for DaySpring (a division of Hallmark), has a unique style of writing. It is very descriptive and if I’m honest, I would say that sometimes it required a lot of concentration to read In fact, I almost stopped reading after the first several chapters because I was having to re-read sections in order to grasp her meaning. But, I am very glad that I continued reading. Ann has a way of speaking truth—maybe not in the same words that I would have chosen, but truth that spoke to my soul. I really appreciated her honesty in the statement:

            “I know how monstrously inhumane I can be. Raging at children for minor wrongdoings while I’m the one defiling the moment with sinful anger. Hoarding possessions while others die of starvation. Entertaining the mind with trivial pretties when I haven’t bowed the head and heart in a prayer longer than five minutes in a week. My tongue has had a razor edge and my eyes have rolled haughty and my neck has been stiff and graceless and I have lived the filth ugly, and idolater, a glutton, and a grace thief who hasn’t had time for the thanks” (p. 116).

I don’t know about you, but that statement is true about me some days. It was good to know, as I read the book, that I am not alone. I loved her transparency and willingness to invite us into her life and show us what God has been teaching her.

I consider this book to be another stepping stone in my life as I journey toward becoming more like Jesus.   Making the decision to give thanks, embrace grace, and choose joy is a daily one—maybe even an hourly or minute-by-minute one. Hopefully today, I am making the right choice more often. One Thousand Gifts would definitely be on my list of one thousand things that I am thankful for.  

Review by Christy Carmean 

Published by Zondervan

ISBN:  978-0-310-32191-0

This illustration is where Jonalyn Grace Fincher gets the title of her book, Ruby Slippers. We, as women, are born with the gift of femininity. Like Dorothy, we aren’t really sure what to do with it. We are desperately trying to find home – that place where we are loved and accepted and safe. But we ignore or misuse our femininity because it seems to be a source of restriction and trouble. Jonalyn asks the questions, “What if our true femininity might be able to free rather than imprison us? What if our femininity pointed us back home?” (p. 21)

Jonalyn writes an excellent book for all women that strikes a chord on many levels. She addresses materialism and how we put so much of our time, money and attention on the outward and visible parts of our body. She talks about “corsets,” those labels and categories where we divide and limit ourselves to the standards and expectations of society. More importantly, she dives into the area that most of us neglect, our souls. 

Who are we as women? What are our roles? Are we equal to men? How does God see us? Jonalyn offers a Biblical response to these questions and begins in the book of Genesis to examine the relationship of men and women and how we relate to God. One surprising idea that she suggests is that men and women are not that different. We have been taught in our culture that men are from…and women are from…(I bet you know what words belong in those blanks.) She believes that thinking we are from far away planets with vast differences is opposite of what the Bible teaches – men and women were created by God for Earth in partnership.

What is femininity? How can we embrace our femininity without forcing other women to fit into the same mold? Jonalyn suggests that femininity is a lot like family resemblances. You can be different from members of your family, but you have some characteristics in common. So it is with femininity. She lists six characteristics: female body, vulnerability, interdependence, sensitive awareness, emotional intelligence, and cultivation (p. 101-103). We are all women, and we will have some things in common, but we will also have differences. This book is a great tool to help you dive inside yourself and explore how God made you and how you can better accept the differences in other women.

Writing her first book, Jonalyn gives us tons of information. Each chapter is also filled with footnotes (which are in the back of the book instead of at the bottom of each page.) While it is not the most convenient, you will miss out on a lot of good material if you skip them. She suggests, and I do too, getting a bookmark to keep in the notes section, so you can easily flip back and forth. 

While I highly recommend this book, I would also suggest that you plan some quiet time to read it. It was not a book that I could read amidst the usual chaos in my house. I needed to wait until after the kids went to bed in order to be able to focus like I wanted. This is a book you may want to read slowly, stopping to ponder some ideas. You may want to read some sections out loud to your husband or best friend in order to talk about them. You also may want to use a highlighter so you can come back and find important ideas. For me, Ruby Slipper is on my list of books that I will re-read every couple of years to remind myself not to ignore my femininity, but to embrace it and use it as the gift that God has given uniquely to me. 

Book review by Christy Carmean

Published by Zondervan

ISBN 978-0-310-28952-4

            Tom tells the story in terms of the three princes of this world. The first prince of the world was Adam, made especially by God to rule the newly created world. As you know, Adam’s reign was tragically short. His authority is taken from him by the second prince of this world, Satan. The unseen battle has begun. Satan is determined to lead mankind in a complete rebellion against God. The Old Testament is filled with the downward spiral of man’s sin and God’s judgment. But there is hope! There is one more Prince, Jesus Christ, who comes to earth as a man to redeem what was lost.

            Tom Julien, a retired Grace Brethren missionary to France, accomplishes what the subtitle to the book suggests: he lifts the veil of the unseen world. Most of us are pretty ignorant of what is taking place in the spiritual realm. And quite frankly, I think we are happy to stay that way. But, after reading The Three Princes, your eyes will be opened a little more to the spirit world. He shows the intense conflict that started in the Garden of Eden and the way it will end in the book of Revelation. But he also shows that this battle is happening today. His practical words on Satan’s schemes (chapter 10), utilizing the armor of God (chapters 12-13), and prayer (chapter 14) are chapters I could read on a monthly basis to remind me the importance of my daily walk with Jesus.    

            The Three Princes is filled with God’s word. It is hard to find a page that doesn’t quote or reference the Bible. There is a Scripture Index in the back of the book where you can find that hundreds of verses from 36 books of the Bible are quoted.  I really appreciated that Tom doesn’t just tell you what he believes, but he shows you in the Bible where he bases his beliefs. I was also reminded that Jesus triumphed over Satan through speaking the Word of God (pg. 123). Yes, I spend time reading God’s Word on a regular basis. But I was convicted that I need to be memorizing passages of Scripture in order to be armed against the attacks of the devil.  

            The Three Prices does a great job of telling the redemption story of the Bible in a big-picture format. Sometimes I am so familiar with the stories in the Bible, or I get so focused on small segments that I can lose track of the main theme. It was refreshing to read a book that highlighted God’s entire dramatic plan and allowed me to review it all in a few hours.

            I highly recommend this book to any believer, no matter what level of maturity. The Three Princes is an easy to read book that is filled with solid Bible teaching as well as an encouragement to stand firm in the midst of the unseen battle around us.

 Book review by Christy Carmean

Published by BMH Books

Purchase at:  bmhbooks.com

ISBN Number:  978-088469-278-2

Linda asks seven “Dangerous Questions” in her book: 

                        What is really important to me? 

                        What does it feel like to be my husband? 

                        Am I willing to change my attitude? 

                        What will it take for me to get close to you? 

                        What is it like to make love to me? 

                        Why do I want to stay mad at you? 

                        Is it possible to grow together when things fall apart?” 

Each question is a chapter designed to help you look into a mirror and discover what God is saying to you about your part in your marriage. Yes, your marriage is a partnership with another person who does contribute, but Linda is quick to point out that you are only responsible for the things that you can control. We cannot change our husbands…as much as we try…we can’t. But we can make positive changes in our marriage relationships by taking responsibility for what we can change…ourselves.

Linda, who has written numerous books including Calm my Anxious Heart and Creative Counterpart, writes an easy-to-read book that tries to reach everyone. Some wives are in a stage of life that is fast-paced. Each chapter is divided into smaller sections called “Insights.” This makes it really convenient for busy wives and time-crunched moms to read an entire thought or complete idea in a short period of time. Other wives have some time to slow down and dig deeper. For the wives who are looking for a little more, Linda has included a 10 or 12-week Bible Study in the back of the book. The study contains thought-provoking questions that can be answered alone or with a small group.                

While this book is easy to read, it is not for the casual reader who wants to feel good.  In fact, I found the book to be very convicting. Many times I walked away from reading the book knowing that I had areas in my life that were not pleasing to God and that were unhealthy in my relationship with my husband. This is one of those books that you can read and benefit from. But if you are willing to take the extra time, participate in the practical exercises, and partner with the Holy Spirit, this book can be life changing.               

Linda’s first exercise of the book is to ask you to picture your own funeral (morbid, I know, but stay with me). What would you want your husband to say about you after you died? How do you want to be remembered? Thinking through these answers provides a starting point to write your own Marriage Purpose Statement: a written set of goals of who you want to be as a wife. She gives many examples of actual purpose statements written by other women (a poem, letter, acrostic, or a passage of scripture) to help you get started writing your own.            

Another practical idea that she suggests is taking a 21-Day No-Complaint Challenge. Linda challenges us to take a look at how many complaining and griping words come out of our mouth. She challenges wives to put on the bracelet and instructs us to move the bracelet to the other wrist anytime you catch yourself complaining. The bracelet will help remind you not to complain, and the act of switching wrists will help you remember that you don’t want to complain anymore. Does this sound simple enough? Straightforward concept, but I’ll tell you, it’s not as easy as it seems. Complaining and griping are socially acceptable sins in our Christian culture. I discovered when I put on the bracelet, that yes, I complained about my husband. But I also complained about the weather, my food, my children, my church, my friends, etc. What an eye opener! (By the way, Linda writes that it takes 6-8 months of concentration for an average person to string together 21 days without any complaints.)               

Linda says about the book, “This is a study for wives. It’s an invitation for them to ask themselves Dangerous Questions, to seek God and His perspective. It is a place to begin to live, not by default, but by design. To look ahead and decide who you want to become, and then begin to grow toward that picture” (p. 212). I don’t know about you, but I hope that statement will characterize my life. Reading this book as been one tool that God is using to bring growth in my life. I hope you will join me in viewing your marriage as very important and be willing be willing to ask yourself, “What’s it Like to be Married to Me? 

Reviewed by Christy Carmean

Published by David C. Cook

ISBN: 978-1-4347-0056-8

            The authors of Half the Sky list three reasons women are victimized with horrific acts of sex trafficking:

1. The economic distress caused by the collapse of Communism.
2. Globalization—it’s easy for women to become trapped by sex traffickers as they leave home seeking work.
3. The fear of AIDS leads men to use younger girls for sex, fallaciously thinking they will be less likely to be infected with the dreaded disease. 

              Carolyn asks the question “Where is God’s voice in all this turmoil and pain? What has He been saying about the injustice, the murder, the oppression to His church?   Is His Word speaking to us in a way that we may have missed as we read through Western lenses?”  Not only are her questions thought-provoking, but her quest for the answers are worth the read of this significant book.  

             The healthy function of the bride of Christ, the church, is of high priority to Carolyn. She points out that once an oppressed, abused woman, clad in torn rags, dirty and ruined by the ravages of sin, the church has now been beautifully decked out in her dazzling wedding attire, her confident countenance shining with the love of her Bridegroom. By His sacrificial death He has initiated the transformation of a lifetime, having bought His bride from the market place of sin. He has presented her spotless before His Father’s throne. Carolyn identifies those who belong to the Bridegroom as His “image bearers,” people who reflect God’s love and value to this sin-stained world.  

            Carolyn finds it intriguing that God would use the feminine image of a bride to include both men and women. Because of Christ, women behold themselves as God’s exalted and much-needed daughters, “ezer-warriors” of God. They bring strength and dignity to the relationships in their earthly roles as wives, moms, sisters. They have been created by God to complete what is needed for familial relationships, for thriving villages and even prospering governments.

            Because of men’s relationship to Christ, the Bridegroom, God’s redemptive plan allows men to understand not only their own value but the value placed on the other half of human creation. God is working redemption in his noble sons: fathers, sons and brothers who perform His acts of righteousness, who defend the weak, who lovingly sacrifice themselves for His creation, so secure in God that they can bring good to others, warriors who stand against the wiles of the devil.

            God designed that both men and women make up His living church, His bride, to accomplish His purposes, which involves bringing the message of redemption and reconciliation to the hopeless, those in despair, those oppressed and those marginalized. He calls the church to work as one body for the major concerns that plague this world.   

            Carolyn quotes Isaiah 1:17 as an architectural blueprint of what God wants to see taking place in this world. “Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” This is just one reference among many that show how the Bible is indeed relevant to the social injustices of today if we will just take notice of what it is saying to the peoples of the world.  

            Sheryl WuDunn, one of the authors of the national Half the Sky writes in her endorsement of Half the Church: “Carolyn has written an unusual and compelling book, mixing her personal story with dramatic changes in today’s world and her thoughtful interpretations of the Scriptures and how women can respond with greater fervor to the Bible’s call for change and betterment of the world.”

Carolyn urges us to consider laying aside the Western lenses we have used to read the Scriptures. She calls us to place the Bible back in the context of the Middle East, from whence it came, to see how it speaks to the issues of gender inequality that this generation faces in epidemic proportions. Carolyn quotes Half the Sky many times while encouraging the reader to come to grips with these truths: “Far more women have been shipped to brothels each year in the early twenty-first century than African slaves were shipped into slave plantations each year in the 18th or 19th centuries.” This is only one statistic: it doesn’t include the honor killings, the child marriages, the female infanticide, the stranded and impoverished widows. Carolyn rightly calls these facts “mind numbing.” 

            Matt 28:19-20 declares what the church’s global mission is, the reason we are here on this planet: it is the sharing of the gospel so that disciples are made. People can hear the message better when they are not hungry, or sick or abused. Sharing the message of the cross in conjunction with meeting physical needs is at the core of what will bring transformation to humans who are living under the power of the Enemy who is the author of oppression, devaluation, destruction and death. Carolyn calls this the full-orbed gospel. She pleads with the church to listen to the women of other cultures, gaining new understanding of how the gospel can be communicated to the poor, the hopeless, the abandoned, the abused and the enslaved so they can hear it and respond to His call to become part of the Christ’s Bride. 

            This book leads us to see the need, answer the call and participate in God’s kingdom work until He comes.  If this has moved you to want to dialogue about what we can do, join our Facebook discussion. We are eager to talk about what the hand of God is leading each of us to do to bring light and life to this sin-sick world. 

You can also go to www.Halfthesky.org and read what others have been doing to help the oppressed women of the world.

Review by Sharon MacMillan