Review: THE KNEELING CHRISTIAN by Anonymous

This was written back in the 1800s by ... well, I don't know who wrote it. That seems right to me.

It's a book on prayer, and while there's a good deal about asking for what we want, there's more about shutting up and listening to God. I admit that prayer is a weak spot for me, and from talking to others, listening to God isn't something naturally do well. It takes a long time before we're open enough for God to speak to us and through us.

I enjoyed this book, and especially that it was written anonymously. It reads less like a how-to guide and more like a book of medieval Christian mysticism. I recommend it be read while you're on your knees.

Review: ESV New Testament (Dramatized) by Faith Comes by Hearing

I've made no secret of my regard for the English Standard Version of the Bible, and how that's partially due to its availability. This recording is an example of that.

Faith Comes by Hearing is a ministry that provides audio Bibles and New Testaments in an ever-growing list of languages. In English we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Bible translations, and several of them, all free.

The only thing I find that I don't like is that all the readers have an Upper Midwest accent. That's not a deal breaker, more of a personal pet peeve, but it does make Jesus sound like he's from Ohio.

This is a great resource; it's well worth your time to look it up. I highly recommend it, and they have several other English translations, if the ESV isn't your weapon of choice,

Review: THE GOSPEL'S POWER AND MESSAGE by Paul Washer

Paul Washer is my favorite preacher to listen to, hands down. His delivery isn't what we were taught in school, but his sermons are steeped in the Bible.

This book is very similar; it seems to be a collection of sermons, edited into a book. The focus is tight upon the Gospel: what it is and how it presented. It seems clear that Washer is infatuated with, almost drunk on, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; he is a Calvinist, but foremost aan evangelist. 

This isn't light reading by any means, but well worth  going through.

Review: "The Case ofCharles Dexter Ward" by H. P. Lovecraft

Rather than the pseudoscientific "At the Mountains of Madness", "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is a pure horror story. It's also the best of Lovecraft's three novellas, in my opinion.

Lovecraft was good at wiring this sort of thing, and clearly loved New England. When's those two traits combined. As in this story, even his oen long-windedness can't keep him from being a great writer.