Reviews by Harmony Wheeler
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Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye
On 5/14 Harmony Wheeler wrote: "Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye" reads far too much like a children's story, or, more to the point, like a Vacation Bible School drama based on a famous character of adventure. Holmes visits a scene or two, then he reads Scripture, often from memory, and then he proceeds to answer questions. The ... Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye
God's Not Dead
On 3/24 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Rice Brooks adds much to the increasing amount of information about evidence for Christianity. I suppose there's always a need for more on that, even if most of it is nothing new, because the idea of a new book gets people to pick up the book and proceed from there. So, in that sense, Brooks succeeds.Brooks ... Review: God's Not Dead by Rice Brooks
Dirty God
On 2/23 Harmony Wheeler wrote: In his book "Dirty God," Johnny Moore starts out with a beautiful, telling story of his encounter with a leper society. His tale segues into what seems to promise to be a masterful book about the God who loves sinful humans and offers them the gift of grace. A God who isn't afraid to use man, even in ... Review: Dirty God by Johnnie Moore
Fire Prophet
On 12/31 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Jerel Law makes a huge improvement over his first book in the second book of his "Son of Angels" series, "Fire Prophet." "Spirit Fighter" was just as addicting, but Law's writing style and story arc skills have improved, making for a young adult book even more difficult to put down.Mind you, ... Review: Fire Prophet
Red Letter Revolution
On 12/29 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I found myself extremely challenged by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo's "Red Letter Christians." There were a lot of holes in the authors' logic, but their concepts of grace, missions and treatment of fellow human beings shaped my own views into more solid concepts, and, in the least, made me think.Here's ... Review: RED LETTER CHRISTIANS
A Shot of Faith (to the Head)
On 10/28 Harmony Wheeler wrote: In"A Shot of Faith to the Head," Mitch Stokes attempts to give Christians philosophical support for their faith. Do not expect evidence.Many of Stokes' points deal with evidentialism, atheism, agnosticism, evolution and more. Most of his book is philosophical. Although Stokes pulls from many writers, ... Review: A Shot of Faith to the Head
Surfing for God
On 9/21 Harmony Wheeler wrote: John Cusick's Surfing For God has two flaws: 1) It's written for men, and 2) Cusick's focus on examining the heart, while necessary and insightful, leaves out the intellectual means required to examine the heart and thus caters to more emotional Christians. That said, the more you read of Cusick's book, ... Review: SURFING FOR GOD
The Searchers
On 6/4 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Joseph Laconte's "The Searcher" is full of interesting information that would likely provide wonderful insights if only it had more room - perhaps if each chapter received its own book. Laconte's background and expertise as a history professor shows, as he includes numerous historical and cultural stories ... Review: The Searchers by Joseph Laconte
Spirit Fighter
On 5/19 Harmony Wheeler wrote: To create a young adult fantasy novel with the Bible as inspiration requires a lot of stretching of facts and imagination. Jerel Law's "Spirit Fighter" does just that, taking a verse in the Old Testament and using it to ask what would happen if, once again, fallen angels had children with humans.Jonah ... Review: Spirit Fighter
Constantly Craving
On 3/29 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I was pleasantly surprised by Constantly Craving by Marilyn Meberg. Recent books by Women of Faith authors have left me wanting more - more Scripture, more depth. But unlike the title of this book, Constantly Craving did not leave me craving more. Meberg does not use a lot of Scripture, but her ... Review: Constantly Craving by Marilyn Meberg
Stuck DVD-Based Study
On 2/12 Harmony Wheeler wrote: A DVD based Bible study by Jennie Allen, "Stuck" aims to help Christian women get out of the broken, angry, discontented, fearful, overwhelming and sad situations that make them feel stuck — to help women focus on God instead of their circumstances.Each study chapter (there are 7 of them) is around ... Review: Stuck by Jennie Allen — A DVD Based Bible Study
J.R.R. Tolkien
On 10/11 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: Mark Horne takes readers from the beginnings to the end of the famous author J.R.R. Tolkein's life, giving particular emphasis to Tolkein's inspirations for Lord of the Rings and Tokein's interaction with other key authors including C.S. Lewis. Horne also emphasizes Tolkein's commitment to ... Review: J.R.R. Tolkein by Mark Horne
Stained Glass Hearts
On 10/11 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Review: I don't even know how to summarize the point of this book — that's how bad it is in my mind. Unless you learn from stories, and stories, and lots more stories... in fact, nothing but stories, then maybe you'll get something out of Clairmont's cluttered, unorganized life stories. And maybe you ... Review: Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont
Ascent from Darkness
On 10/10 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: "Ascent from Darkness" by Michael Leehan is a very dark, very deep, yet very enlightening account of Leehan's "ascent" from his practice of Satanism to his embrace of God and Christ's sacrifice. The majority of the book follows the darker parts of his lives, but testifies to the power of ... Review: Ascent from Darkness by Michael Leehan
Heroes and Villains of the Bible
On 10/9 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Review: This book is a refreshing way to make the Bible exciting for Children to read. It uses actual Bible text (International Children's Bible) and teaches children that being a hero comes from choosing to follow God. I was disappointed that there were few illustrations (maybe one per chapter, and ... Review: Heroes and Villains of the Bible
Thank You, God, For Blessing Me
On 10/9 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary (from Thomas Nelson): Meet Little Hermie—the cutest baby caterpillar in the garden! Little Hermie’s thankful heart shows toddlers how to be thankful for God’s blessings. Little Hermie is thankful for everything God has given him. He goes through his day thanking God for his ... Review: Thank You God for Blessing Me by Max Lucado
Just in Case You Ever Wonder
On 10/9 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: "Just in Case you Ever Wonder" by Mac Lucado is short children's book written from a loving parent's perspective. The parent reassures the child that he or she is loved by God and by his or her parents, tells the child the parent will always be there for them, and reminds the child of the glories ... Review: Just in Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado
Gabby, God's Little Angel
On 10/9 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: Written for young girls, probably pre-school, kindergarten age, "Abby, God's Little Angel" follows the guardian angel, Abby, on her new assignment to take care of a girl named Sophie. Sophie loves to climb trees and play on the playground, and Abby has her work cut out for her, but they both ... Review: Abby God's Little Angel by Sheila Walsh
The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook
On 10/9 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: Sin is like a virus that festers within us, ready to take over and turn us into full zombies. So goes the premise of Jeff Kinley's book, "The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook." Alternating between a fictional story and nonfiction commentary, Kinley explores what it means to have a zombie ... Review: The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook by Jeff Kinley
Billy Graham in Quotes
On 10/7 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: Franklin Graham and Donna Lee Toney have put together a book of quotes from the famous reverend Billy Graham. The quotes are about 3-8 sentences long and are organized by topic. And there are a lot of topics (this a long list, you might want to skip ahead to the review): Abortion, Addiction, ... Review: Billy Graham in Quotes
Captured by Grace (Trade Paper)
On 10/7 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: In "Captured By Grace," Dr. David Jeremiah goes beyond the typical idea of "grace" and uses Scripture and the stories of Paul and John Newton (author of the hymn Amazing Grace) to explore in depth how to define grace and how to live by grace. A good third of the book could be considered a minnie ... Review: Captured by Grace by Dr. David Jeremiah
Lee (The Generals)
On 10/6 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: Biographer John Perry writes about the virtue of General Robert E. Lee, who fought during the Civil War for the Confederates. While Lee gets a bad rap as a traitor to the Union, Perry lays out Lee's life in a way that makes Lee look like the most godly man (aside from Christ) who ever lived. ... Review: Lee (The Generals) by John Perry
Outlive Your Life
On 10/5 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Summary: In "Outlive Your Life," Max Lucado attempts to show the reader how he or she can make a difference in this world — through prayer, through love, through small actions, through breaking down walls and seeing people rather than judging people. He ends with the passage about seeing Jesus in other ... Review: Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado
The Boy Who Changed the World
On 10/1 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Genre: Children's BookRating: 5/5 StarsSummary: The book takes the reader back in time one person at a time, revealing how each person made a small difference that eventually changed the world.Review: This is a great children's book. It has beautiful illustrations, and it teaches a good moral that every ... Review: The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews
Jesus Calling - Deluxe Edition
On 7/22 Harmony Wheeler wrote: "Jesus Calling" by missionary Sarah Young is a compilation of devotionals for every day of the year, written to every Christian from Jesus, himself.I've never been one to get much out of super-short devotional books, but if I did start using a devotional book, "Jesus Calling" would be on the top of my ... Review: Jesus Calling
Plan B
On 6/8 Harmony Wheeler wrote: In "Plan B," Pete Wilson attempts to provide new answers to the questions readers have when life gets difficult, when Plan As don't work out and people are forced to consider Plan Bs. According to Wilson, most answers, or at least the kind of answers Christians are looking for, can't be found. Instead, ... Review: Plan B
Wonders Never Cease
On 6/8 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I'm a skeptic when it comes to extraordinary claims of angel sightings in the modern world, but if a person somehow did see angels, Tim Downs' "Wonders Never Cease" provides an interesting scenario of what could happen.When his girlfriend's daughter starts seeings angels, nurse Kemp McAvoy decides to ... Review: Wonders Never Cease
Combating the Commandment of Confusion
On 4/13 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Call me a sucker, but I love kid's movies and shows. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I love watching Barbie movies, and when "BibleMan" comes around, I'm not afraid to embrace the lovable cheesiness. Thus, I decided to review "Bibleman: Combating the Commandant of Confusion."As bad as the acting ... Review: Bibleman Combating the Commandant of Confusion
Hand of Fate
On 4/6 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Charged with the controversial language and topics of political debate, Lis Wiehl’s “Hand of Fate” never stops building tension. As new plot twists reveal themselves, and as characters’ personal lives intertwine with the mystery, readers find themselves in the middle of a wonderfully pieced ... Review: Hand of Fate
Buried Alive
On 3/6 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I dreaded reading “Buried Alive” by Roy Hallums. Nonfiction of this type (especially involving politics and war) usually doesn’t float my boat or keep my interest. But once I started reading Hallums’ captivating story of his hostage situation, I instead dreaded having to put the book down. ... Review: Buried Alive
The Sweet By and By
On 3/6 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I love reading books that are almost impossible to put down. Every night I read “The Sweet By and By” by country singer Sara Evans and writer Rachel Hauck, I waited until my eyes were red to stop reading.Evans and Hauck provide lovable, realistic characters readers can easily related to. As the ... Review: The Sweet By and By
Beautiful Mess
On 3/4 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I like country music. It’s OK. And I like a good story about someone conquering life’s challenges. So, Diamond Rio’s “Beautiful Mess” seemed like a choice read for me, even though I’d never heard of the country group before. The title captured my attention, along with the interesting ... Review: Beautiful Mess
Fearless
On 9/8 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Fear. That word strikes terror (and fear) into my heart. It is something I have had to deal with a lot lately in my move to a new college, and it is something I'm facing right now as my nerves flare over an interview for an internship I have tomorrow.Max Lucado does not say fears such as these make ... Review: Max Lucado's Fearless
The Expanded Bible
On 8/26 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I began reading the new Expanded Bible with critical eyes. Although put together by accomplished scholars, these scholars base this version on the New Century Version, which tends to make more liberal translations, especially when it comes to gender related terms. As I skimmed through The [expanded] ... Review: The Expanded Bible
Let Go
On 8/11 Harmony Wheeler wrote: “Let go. Let God.” The famous saying populates the church, but what does it really mean? Sheila Walsh attempts to answer this question in her new book Let Go. She covers the various things in life we need to let go of in order to embrace God’s grace and blessings: prejudice, anxiety, forgiveness ... Review: Sheila Walsh's Let Go
What's He Really Thinking?
On 8/10 Harmony Wheeler wrote: I can’t help but wonder what a man would think of Paula Rinehart’s What’s He Really Thinking? After all, a woman did write the book. What would the book be like if a man had written it? Considering Rinehart’s counseling experience and extensive research for her book, I trust that she writes truthfully. ... Review: What's He Really Thinking? How to be a Relational Genius with the Man in Your Life
The Noticer
On 7/23 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Sit down to a relaxing and thought provoking conversation with The Noticer, an old man with much wisdom, and a new perspective on your circumstances, to offer. Readers never discover who this Christ figure really is, but they observe the seeds of light that he leaves behind in the lives of others. ... Book Review: The Noticer
Real Church
On 7/22 Harmony Wheeler wrote: Larry Crabb’s Real Church addresses what a real church should be and compares it with the many reasons people do or do not go to the kinds of churches that exist today. While his writing style and organization do make what should be an easy read a not so easy read, readers can find small amounts of ... Book Review: Real Church