Here's an Old Review for Blog Action Day 2008

In an effort to join in the awareness of poverty, I offer this old post on a book that raises our awareness of poverty among other issues.

The men who collaborated on this book have been leaders in Baptist (and Southern Baptist) life for years. Especially Dunn and Strickland are associated with a more liberal version of the SBC than currently exists. Having said that, we should understand that these men were among the pioneers in true Christian ethics. Dunn went from Texas to lead the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, one of the first organizations to address ethical issues on a national and international scale. Strickland was the long-time director of the Christian Life Commission for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. All three men were a part of the Christian Life Commission of the BGCT team when the book was developed.

The book itself is a study in social issues, especially hunger. Royalties from original sales of the book were given to the World Hunger Fund of the (then) Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. The pictures painted as well as the ones used are heart-wrenching. I think that one of the reasons that this book stands out in my reading is the “Fable” introducing chapter 9. The chapter is dedicated to helping readers find what they can do to help combat the problem of world hunger. The fable is one of rich Americans dining sumptuously all the while poverty and hunger stares at them through the window. The solution is at once heartbreaking and thought-provoking. The statistics and stories told within its pages are now over thirty years old, but nonetheless poignant and indicting.

The book will leave the reader with a challenge to do something about hunger—at home and abroad. Overcoming the politics of society and Baptist life in general is a must when reading this volume, but it is an eye-opener that will not leave you alone, if you can find a copy.

Lighter Than Air – Henry Melton

©2008 Wire Rim Books, Hutto, Texas

Henry Melton has been a busy bee in the publishing department in 2008. So busy in fact, that he’s kept me busy reading young adult science fiction for review. Melton is the Darrel Award winning author of Emperor Dad, and the prolific publisher of his own “Small Towns, Big Ideas” series of YA Fiction. Lighter Than Air is the fourth in the series, the third that has been published in 2008.

Jon Kish is looking for the perfect Halloween prank. Every year the older boys at the Munising, Michigan High School try to out-do one another with the perfect prank. Reigning champion Bud Falco is in Jon’s sights, but Kish doesn’t know yet what he’ll do to upstage Falco’s re-wiring skills. Then he happens upon George Perkins’ work lab filled with an experiment called “buckyfoam.” Jon and neighbor George get reacquainted as the older man explains the process to Jon who soon finds himself in a loose apprenticeship to George.

The story is complicated (or enhanced depending upon one’s point of view) by the family dynamic for both of the scientists. George has moved home to be near his mother whose health is failing, leading eventually to a fatal stroke. Jon and his younger sister are involved in their own sibling squabbles to the disappointment of their weary mother—who discovers that among all the other issues in her life, she has stomach cancer. Jon’s father, Sam, disappeared five years earlier creating overwhelming hardship on his wife and children as they try to cope and keep the home place going.

In Lighter Than Air, Melton weaves a tale of secrets and suspense, science and pranks, emotion and intrigue. One of the drawbacks to the story lies in the same gripe I have with many science fiction stories—detail. While detail is important, some of the necessary detail when dealing with scientific experimentation gets tedious. Even so, the tedium of the scientific jargon is minimalized by Melton’s exquisite ability to tell a story. The CIA story line that follows Cherry Kish’s search for her absent father keeps the attention of any fan of espionage fiction. And the scene where Jon and his friend and co-conspirator, Larry, unleash their UFO on an unsuspecting Halloween Festival crowd is priceless.

The scary part of the story, though, is not how the characters deal with the issue of death, but that of Internet predators. In this case, the predator is a terrorist operative posing as a secret agent who volunteers to help Cherry find her father. We later find out that the on-line friend is just using Cherry to ferry information to his terrorist friends without detection by the US government. I found the possibility all too real, and you might as well.

As always, characterization and plot development are superb. Melton has another winner with Lighter Than Air. I give Lighter Than Air four out of five reading glasses. Look for more “Small Towns, Big Ideas” stories in 2009.

—Benjamin Potter, October 13, 2008

The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover – Kinky Friedman

©1996 Simon & Schuster, New York

[Before moving on with the review, I ought to explain that I haven’t really jumped off the deep end on a Friedman kick, I just have several of his stories (as well as other magnificent authors) on my TBR shelf. I picked up J. Edgar Hoover before remembering that I hadn’t read John Wayne yet, so I had to do a pick up and come back to this one.]

Every private investigator—live or fictional, professional or amateur (male that is)—has the dream of a leggy blond bombshell with pouty lips walking into their life with a desperate case that must be solved. Perhaps we have Sam Spade to thank for that. In his ninth appearance as himself in fiction, Kinky Friedman meets just such a client. Polly Price is worried about her missing husband Derrick, and on the advice of a friend in Washington, she shows up on the Kinkster’s doorstep in New York with a healthy retainer and a sad story.

Throwing a wrench into the works and keeping Kinky away from the missing person case is the fact that his long-time friend Mike McGovern has decided to go nuts by seeing his long-dead acquaintance and mentor, Leaning Jesus, who just happened to be the chef for Al Capone in the gangster’s heyday.

The story moves rather quickly and the writing is classic Friedman—brassy with an irreverent political incorrectness that most standup comics would envy. The pages are filled with innuendo and suggestive puns that are characteristic of the writer, but what else would you expect from a man named Kinky?

Not to spoil the ending, I won’t tell it here, but readers will be slightly disappointed in the lackluster resolution of this outing for the Kinkster. Notably missing from this volume are members of the Village Irregulars who often help with the solving of the mysteries. To make up for the missing group sessions, We get to see Kinky spend more time talking with the cat, whining about Ratso—his usual “Watson” and the subject of the last book, and finally an extended appearance from Rambam, the professional p.i. who advises Kinky from time to time.

Once again, Friedman offers a nice get-away book, although this one will have somewhat leaner appeal than previous offerings. I give The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover three and one-half out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, October 3, 2008

Order Yours Today

You have been waiting with bated breath, counting the seconds, and now the time is here! A Time for Miracles is available for purchase from the Loom & Wheel online store at Lulu.com.

As with my original novelettes (Something Special at Leonard's Inn and Just a Simple Carpenter) I've fictionalized the story of a biblical character -- in this case John the Baptist -- hoping to expose more people to the Gospel message. Reuben, the narrator, tells of all the miracles that he witnesses surrounding the birth and life of John the Baptist. Ultimately, Reuben is introduced to the real miracle, Jesus Christ.

I've released this story in time for you to order plenty of copies for your friends and family at Christmas.

Publish-on-demand (POD) orders for the book with the traditional cover art by Jane Potter can be made @ Loom & Wheel [ISBN 978-09677668-7-4]

Those interested in the "black" cover can order (POD) from Wordclay.com (production may be slightly delayed because of WordClay's readiness to print). [ISBN X-00000039706]

The Prince’s Poison Cup – R. C. Sproul

©2008 Reformation Trust Publishing, Lake Mary, FL

R. C. Sproul, Bible teacher, prolific author, and founder of Ligonier Ministries, has turned his hand to children’s books on several occasions. And I must say that I was pleased with his 2006 story The Lightlings which allegorized the Christmas story. So when I had an opportunity to examine this new children’s story by Sproul I was expecting great things.

As with the previous children’s book I read from Sproul, he teamed up with artist Justin Gerard to create an ornamental, keepsake book for parents to read with their children and then pass on as veritable heirlooms for their grandchildren, and their grandchildren beyond. The artwork in The Prince’s Poison Cup, while relatively nice, is not consistently spectacular as readers encountered in The Lightlings.

Sproul also takes the approach of a story within a story to retell the message of salvation. Ella Ruth’s grandfather comes to visit while she is ill. She wants to know why medicine has to taste so bad if it is good for you. The story that Grandpa relates tells of a great King who provides a cure for the ailment of the people of his kingdom by sending his son, the Prince, to drink deadly poison.

The allegory bears a striking resemblance to the story of the fall of mankind found in the book of Genesis. In the story, instead of a forbidden tree, the reader finds a forbidden fountain. A place from which the King’s subjects are forbidden to drink or something terrible will happen. The King, known as the King of Life because he had the ability to create things, loved his people (who he created) very much, but he knew that they would one day disobey him and drink from the fountain. They are tempted into doing just that by the King’s archenemy—a dark figure whose appearance into the story brings with it a sense of foreboding.

The Prince’s Poison Cup is a good way to broach the subject of sin and God’s plan to forgive sin. The author includes a parent’s guide in the back of the book for just this purpose. The allegory is pleasing and starts out well, but breaks down during the reading. There are “friends” who travel with the Prince until he becomes disheartened and then they drift away. The friends are not explained and if their purpose is to show the utter aloneness with which the Prince faces his task, they lack luster to do so. The same message could have been painted without the introduction of these friends. The question that the Bible student in me wants to ask is, “Are they angels or the disciples?”

The surrounding story is rather inadequate in this case as well. The conclusion that medicine tastes bad because some things are bitter, and then multiplying the bitterness to remind us of the price that was paid for the people, is a stretch. Grandpa doesn’t seem to address Ella’s question in this book. To keep the audience from missing the main point of the book (which has little really to do with how bad medicine tastes) we hear Ella say, “I know of another Prince who died for his people.”

My advice to the general public is that you will have a hard time enjoying this book. For members of the church community, this book will be a good reinforcement of what you are teaching your children at home. I give The Prince’s Poison Cup three reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, September 30, 2008

God Bless John Wayne – Kinky Friedman

©1995, Simon & Schuster, New York

Now, I’ve read Kinky’s work. As a matter of fact, this is the eighth of his novels starring fictional versions of himself and his friends solving mysterious cases. I intend to read more (have several on the TBR shelf). I think that when I reach the last of his novels, I’ll be semi-sad that he chose to retire from writing PI novels recently. Yes, this is the same guy who spent several years traveling with the “Texas Jewboys” on the country-western scene. It’s also the one who stirred up Texas politics in the last gubernatorial election by throwing his black cowboy hat into the ring.

What I like about Friedman’s writing is that he doesn’t take himself—or anything much—too seriously. He weaves a readable tale that is fun and easy to read.

In God Bless John Wayne, the Kinkster finds himself in New York (where the lion’s share of his stories are set), and gets sucked into helping his friend Ratso (the New York Ratso, not the Washington one) find his birth mother. What he finds is a string of dead people—some long dead (like the lawyer who brokered the adoption in the first place), some known to be dead (like Ratso’s adoptive father), some accidentally dead (like the friend in Ratso’s apartment), and some intentionally dead (like the son of the lawyer—another lawyer with the peculiar name of Hamburger).

Kinky enlists the help of several of the Village irregulars who have been helpful in solving previous cases, as well as a couple of new faces, to track down the long lost mother. One problem that he faces is that his very own ‘Watson’ is now his client as well as missing one day and turning up in a bad place the next.

Kinky uses page after page of pun and innuendo to keep his readers involved in the story line. That will turn many potential readers away, but will appeal to a vast number of mystery fans and lovers of a dry wit. God Bless John Wayne is a fun walk on the cold streets of New York in the winter (with a quick jaunt to Florida for relief). I give it four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, September 17, 2008

Mystery Readers, Say a Fond, "Farewell"

For years I've been accessing Kate Derie's mystery informational website ClueLass.com. Here's her farewell from the site:

I'm sorry to announce that Cluelass.com is closing down. After 13 years, it's time for me to pursue other interests. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages over the years. For those of you looking for information similar to what our Deadly Directory and Mysterious Home Page has provided, you might try Mystery Readers Journal, for links to bookstores, magazines, and associations. It's also a wonderful magazine with articles by many of your favorite authors, new and old.

From mystery fans all over the place, I say, "Thanks for your help, ClueLass, and may you have great success in your future endeavors."

For those who have clicked my link in the margin to the Bloodstained Bookshelf page of Kate's website, perhaps I'll be able to link another listing of the up-and-coming mysteries from the publishing world as soon as I find a new, reliable source. Until then, enjoy the final edition of the Bloodstained Bookshelf (click on the link).

Breaking the Missional Code – Ed Stetzer & David Putnam

© 2006 B&H, Nashville

I had been letting this book gather dust on my shelf for a bit over a year. I purchased it because of my lack of expertise in the missional conversation. Knowing that Ed Stetzer is the guru in charge of research over at LifeWay, I expected lots of statistics, and that in itself made me pick up book after book ahead of this one. Anyway, I finally took this one down, and am glad that I finally got around to it. Not only is it much more than just a repetition of statistical fodder, but it is an inspirational piece in its own right. Adding the voice of David Putnam to that of Stetzer brings a conversational feel to this encouragement for churches to move into the realm of being a missionary to the community where they are planted.

To be fair, Stetzer and Putnam are actually writing from their respective perspectives as experienced church planters. The advice they render is tried and true, and it is scriptural too. The first part of the book is concerned with the philosophy behind what it takes to break the code. The authors describe code-breaking churches, and the leaders who compel them to break the code.

Simply put, the idea of breaking the code is that believers, churches and church leaders must examine their community to discover what it takes to reach the unreached with the gospel. Within the book readers are encouraged to put aside their personal preferences, their comforts, and their ideas to reach their community for Christ. Within the pages of the book you will find the seeds of Putnam’s call to “live like Jesus lived; love like Jesus loved; and leave what Jesus left behind.” He expands this theme in the follow-up book Breaking the Discipleship Code.

The closing chapters of the book are the more invaluable part, though. It is in the last few chapters that the authors give some practical help in how to go about breaking the code. While they do not give a step by step process that everyone must go through to build a missionary church, they do advise us of some of the important components necessary to breaking out of the rut that the church seems to find herself in. There is not a formula that will work one place or another, but a principle of doing what scripture admonishes in order to build the kingdom as we are called to do.

Part of the advice given includes examples from successful efforts to break the code. Accompanying these examples (Saddleback Church led by Rick Warren, for instance) are reminders that your community is not the community that this model worked in. Warning—don’t treat Midwestern blue-collar workers like “Saddleback Sam.”

If you have been contemplating reading this book, go ahead. Don’t put it off for a couple of years, but be ready to be challenged by it’s content. And take along the four out of five reading glasses that I gave it with you. This is an invaluable resource when you are trying to be the kingdom builder that God has called you to be.

—Benjamin Potter, September 12, 2008

Kingdom Promises devotionals – Ken Hemphill

©2005-2006, B&H (Broadman & Holman Publishers), Nashville

This is a collection of four small books filled with two-page devotionals based on what Hemphill calls “Kingdom Promises.” They are included in the EKG resources. There are several things that make this collection appealing:

1. Size—each volume is small enough to carry around in your pocket.
2. Time—each selection will take no more than a few minutes to read, absorb, and often challenge the reader to Kingdom Living.
   
3. Basis—the devotional thoughts included in each of the books springboards from a biblical statement of faith.
4. Evangelism—each volume includes a short plan of salvation that can speak to the heart of unbelieving friends.
5. Price—each book is priced at under four dollars, which makes them great tools both for Christians wanting to enhance their own walk or to use as witnessing tools—if you give it away you’re not out a fortune and someone may find the Way within the pages.

The books themselves are divided into different promise statements and gathered to illuminate different aspects of Christian living. The best order to read them may be the following: “We Are;” “We Can;” “But God;” “He Is.” The progression is most natural that way. At the same time, each one speaks to different places in the journey of the faithful and can be purchased separately to meet the needs of the individual devotion reader.

If you don’t miss any days and take one promise per day, you should be able to tackle all four books in about six to eight m

onths. If you just wanted to be inspired, you can read all four in the time it normally takes you to read an engaging novel. My advice, decide what part of the journey you are on—whether finding out about God’s promises about Himself or His people, and take a moment each day chewing over that day’s thought. Some of the thoughts are deeper, others more inviting.

Personally, I was really impressed with the concept and the design of the readings. I was also most inspired by the “He Is” volume (admittedly, I read it first). The other texts seemed less promises than statements, and flowed less freely from the passages highlighted. While the author and publishers want to be able to apply evangelism to the books (doing so by including an “A, B, C approach to the gospel message) the books are best suited for people who already have an on-going relationship with Christ, and therefore a bent toward wanting to find out more about what God has to say about Himself and His people.

Rating the books separately, I’m afraid I would be less than kind, but the fourth volume is more than worth the price of buying the entire set. So I will give Hemphill three and one-half reading glasses to average the lot out.

—Benjamin Potter, September 2, 2008

Extreme Makeover – Henry Melton

© 2008 Wire Rim Books, Hutto, Texas

Once in awhile you read something that is really fun. If you pick up a Henry Melton book that’s what you’ll find. Extreme Makeover is his third in a series he’s called Small Towns, Big Ideas. The first (which I haven’t yet had the opportunity to read), Emperor Dad won the Darrell Award (from the Science Fiction community) for Best Novel. The second, Roswell or Bust, was my introduction to Melton’s writing and I found it to be highly engaging. The newest release is certainly good company for its predecessors.

Deena Brooke, overweight and self-conscious, living a sad existence because of an overprotective mother, brushes with death on a stormy school trip. The result of that brush is the invasion of alien nanobots in her body. The tiny robots repair her damaged tissues and help her to become more than she ever was. Her adventure includes developing new attitudes and physical strength, falling in love with the mysterious smart boy who pretends to be average, and saving the world from ultimate disaster.

Luther—who actually turns out to be 20-year-old Luke—is on the run from Las Vegas bad guys who have already killed his parents and are after some secrets that he doesn’t even know he holds. As the two young people discover the new talents acquired by Deena, they figure out the presence of the nanobots and how they are being used by aliens to destroy the Earth.

As always this is a superb example of young adult science fiction. The story reads quickly and keeps the reader wanting to turn page after page. The mixing of several plots is not only not distracting, but it makes the story more intriguing. Hats off to you again, Henry. Keep churning out those stories. Readers will want to get their hands on all the stories in this series as they are released almost too fast to believe.

Extreme Makeover is again rating four and three-fourths reading glasses. Good reading, good entertainment, just plain good fun.

—Benjamin Potter, August 11, 2008