"The Turning" by Davis Bunn My Review

This book is amazing!

Five people from different walks of life come together through a calling on their life from God. They hear that still small voice and respond with obedience. At first they feel called to forgiveness of others in their own lives; but after they have acted on that they feel they are being called to do more. By God's design these five strangers meet one another at a crucial moment in time. They are all present at a hotel cafe in Times Square in time to witness a young executive’s media extravaganza proposing to set a trend with the theme "Hope Is Dead". Times Square is full of people dressed up like zombies and vampires with banners proclaiming that "Hope is Dead!". Our five strangers are galvanized by the sight and by God's calling on their lives. The group band together in action to do whatever God calls them to do to fight against this flagrant media assault. They will be purely supporting one another and following God's lead.

This makes for an intriguing situation and a great read. Davis Bunn has created characters that are true to life. They could be you or your neighbor. They fight real battles with doubts and prayers and support from fellow Christians. The antagonist character is brilliant because Bunn sets you up to like him (or at least pull for him) up until you read what he is about; then you are appalled!

The book makes you consider your own situation and how you respond to God's calling. Would you be willing to step up to the fight regardless of what other people think of you and regardless of the consequences of your actions. Would you be willing to trust and obey God?

 This is a new type of devotional fiction. It is a great story in and of itself and it is supported by a wonderful media campaign including a 40-day downloadable devotion booklet and online videos. The addition of the website and supporting materials are very helpful for those who want to take the ideas he has presented in the book and go further with them. It is a powerful read and will draw you to want more. Is God calling you? Are you listening?

I received a complimentary copy of “The Turning” from River North Fiction in Exchange for my honest review.

"The Turning" a spectacular new book from Davis Bunn

ISBN (Trade Paperback): 978-0802411686

304 pages

April 1, 2014 from River North, a division of Moody Publishers

http://theturningbook.com/

Read chapters 1-3 of “The Turning” by Davis Bunn for free: http://statictab.com/fvrrsxz

Check out the video trailer for the book and the video of Davis Bunn talking about the book:

Video trailer for THE TURNING, by best-selling author, Davis Bunn.
http://youtu.be/oIP6FhBjgOI

Davis Bunn talks about his upcoming novel, THE TURNING.
http://youtu.be/e3dodFsx9WI

Plot Synopsis:

The message was unexpected but instantly recognizable. 

A voice resonated from a distance and somehow from within.  Against all earthly logic, it carried a divine command.  And five very different people knew they were summoned to obey.

Their actions were demanding, but not particularly grand.  Only later would they see a pattern emerge - one that links their tasks together and comes to challenge the cultural direction of the nation.  They realize that one small personal response unveiled a new realm of moral responsibility.  And this affirmation of everyday hope captures the attention of millions.

But power and money are at stake.  Malicious elements soon align themselves to counter the trend.  To succeed they must also undermine its source.  Can we really believe that God speaks to people today?  Surely this must be dismissed as superstition or delusion.  These well-intentioned but misguided individuals should not be allowed to cast our society back into the Dark Ages.

The public debate and media frenzy place an unprecedented spotlight on knowing and doing God's will.  The five encounter threats, but try to remain steadfast in their faith.  Had God indeed imparted wisdom on selected individuals?  Is this sweep of events part of his divine purpose? 

The movement may herald a profound renewal - one that some are calling The Turning...

Davis Bunn is a four-time Christy Award-winning, best-selling author now serving as writer-in-residence at Regent's Park College, Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

Defined by readers and reviewers as a "wise teacher," "gentleman adventurer," "consummate writer," and "Renaissance man," his work in business took him to over 40 countries around the world, and his books have sold more than seven million copies in sixteen languages.

Visit Davis at davisbunn.com or theturningbook.com/

Facebook: facebook.com/davisbunnauthor

Twitter: @davisbunn

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/davisbunn/

I received a complimentary copy of The Turning from River North Fiction in exchange for my honest review.

My review will follow in the next post!!!!

Thrive- a call to action

Thrive by Mark Hall

Thrive is a vibrant living call to action by Christian band leader, Mark Hall of Casting Crowns. Mark believes we should all be deeply rooted in God’s word. The first half of the book is dedicated to equipping the reader to be able to read, absorb, and act on God’s word. Through great stories, illustrations and solid doctrine, he encourages readers to actively pursue their own spiritual growth. He expects the benefits of a deeper relationship with God to help you reach out to others. The second half of the book is about reaching out and sharing God’s love with others. Mark’s background as a Youth Pastor makes the book particularly appealing to teens and young Christians, but all ages can all learn from this book. I enjoyed and highly recommend this book.

Pilgrimage by Lynn Austin

 Timely and wonderful - I was going through my own dry period and her journey helped me. Lynn Austin has written a travelogue of sorts - a journey of her body, heart and mind. She was in a dry spell where not even her prayers or her worship felt normal. She embarks on a journey to Israel to walk in the places of the Bible. Her journey begins in the wilderness of Zin, a dry dusty desert that reflects her present spiritual life. The tour progresses through to Jerusalem and on to Galilee and the coastal city of Capernaum. Throughout the book she describes the countryside and the places that she goes in context of the stories from the Bible that occurred there. Her descriptions are so vibrant it makes you feel like you are right there with her. She often brings to light things about the story or the culture that aren't necessarily well known. Each destination in each chapter ends with a beautiful prayer praising God for the things she has seen and the knowledge or understanding she has gained from this experience. By the end of the book she is in a better place spiritually, rejoicing in the understanding she has gained from God through this journey. I would very much like to go on the same tour she went on. Even though the reader did not go physically on the journey I believe God will use her journey to minister to you as well.
I am so grateful that Mrs. Austin was willing to share her struggles with others. We feel less alone in our doubts and fears when we realize there are others who feel similarly. I'm reading through a second time to be sure I didn't miss any blessing God has to share with me!

Davis Bunn's "Strait of Hormuz" is wonderful!

Marc Royce is on the move again working as a freelance operative for his former boss Ambassador Walton. He has asked Marc to look into a report of money being laundered through the high end art world of Geneva, Switzerland. Walton tells him to trust no one, as there has been a leak of information reported.
Kitra Korban is contacted at the Kibbutz in Israel by a mysterious man who claims to be a friend of her father. He asks her to fly to Geneva to save the life of an important man, Marc Royce. Having no idea why Marc is in Geneva or why someone would be warning her to go rescue him, she packs and leaves. She goes even though she and Marc had recently broken off their relationship.
Marc arrives at the back door of the gallery in time to see that the contact has been murdered and the building is rigged to blow. Amazingly he sees Kitra at the front door of the gallery and he runs through and grabs her and throws her in Lake Geneva just as the building explodes.
This begins a rip roaring sequence of fast car chases( with Ferrari's, Bentley's and Roll's), alternate identities, lots of bad guys, fights and guns and a great deal of angst. It's a race to save the planet from the Iranian nuclear agenda or is it something else entirely.

Marc and his band of helpers do the leg work, go rogue against what the government wants him to do and ultimately solves the problem. He and his group manage all that is thrown at them with faith and perseverance.

Davis Bunn has created a finely woven story of courage, faith and stick through- it- ness that makes for an edge of your seat , nail-biting thriller. His characters are believably human, they have their doubts, they have their wounds but they also have their faith to rely on to get them through whatever life throws at them. His characters pray and read the Bible and share their faith with one another. It is a beautiful multicultural blend of sharing together despite their differences.

 

This was the most enjoyable of the three Marc Royce books. The action was non-stop, the plot was relevant, believable and could have been written from today's headlines. Christians need books like this not only to help us wake up to the world around us but to visualize how we are to respond to our world a Christians.

Adventure Here....

The Black Pearl by Peter Tonkin
Years ago a Japanese firm finds a massive oyster bed in a lake deep in the jungle of Africa that produce priceless black pearls. The lake is at the bottom of a volcano which erupts and buries the Japanese firm. The area is between two warring countries and there is also a renegade guerrilla force with a witch doctor guarding the jungles. A Russian mining group has found that the black pearl site contains a vast reserves  of coltan, a Rare Earth metal used in electronics and computers worth a fortune. They asks Richard Mariner to take a team in and claim the remote lake. Richard must cross through almost impenetrable jungle fight and survive attacks from all sides including a Chinese firm which is trying to lay claim to the same land. Who will win??? This is a nail-biting thriller, a very enjoyable read.  Great characters, excellent plotting, a wonderful thrill ride! Peter Tonkin has written other books with the characters of Richard Mariner some of which are alluded to in this book but reading his other books is not absolutely necessary to enjoy this great adventure.


Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye by Len Bailey
This is a wonderful read. The author replicates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characters and setting perfectly. He develops a new Sherlock adventure where Sherlock has found a Moriarity built device called the Needle's Eye which allows Sherlock and Watson to travel back in time to solve ten mysteries of the Bible that they have been challenged with by an unknown source. They begin their journeys as invisible witnesses at first but eventually they become more than observers. The juxtaposition of Sherlock's almost atheism against Watson's strong belief in the Bible makes for interesting discussions between the two. The bible stories are familiar but flourish under the scrutiny of the pair of detectives.

Easy Go by Michael Crichton
 This was a fun read. (It is a shame we lost such a talented voice as Michael Crichton.) This is a plot for classic B movie Egyptian  the story of a lowly professor who translates hieroglyphics. He is translating an obscure piece of parchment when he finds that it is a puzzle, a code written into the hieroglyphs by the author. He deciphers the code and finds that the scroll identifies a location of an unknown undiscovered tomb near the Valley of the Kings. The professor finds an adventurous newspaper reporter, who recruits a crew of thieves and together they set out to locate the tomb and  smuggle the goods out of Egypt. They begin by lawfully setting up a site near the tomb under the guise of taking museum quality photographs of all the hieroglyphs in all the already excavated tombs of the Valley. This they do by day and at night they search for their tomb. Will they find it?...Can they escape with the goods?
This is a fun book and would make a great movie!

Short takes: short reviews of what I've been reading

The Noticer Returns by Andy Andrews
Andy Andrews revives his wisdom espousing friend "Jones" in a delightful book about parenting skills sort of. As in the original book, "Jones" is a notice and he watches and notices and points things out to you from a different perspective than the one you are seeing the situation from. I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment with "Jones"! He brings up thoughts for careful consideration. Thoughts to help you become a notice in your own life, a different way of looking at things. The book has an at home among friends feel to it that makes these people your friends. And if you ever visit Gulf Shores, Alabama You will feel right at home!

Wisdom for Everyday Living 365 Daily Devotions From America's Most Influential Christian Leaders/ compiled by Steve M. Woods
This is a very enlightening a uplifting devotional compiled by a great group of writers ( over 100 Christian leaders contributed). There is no set order, but there are 365 devotionals, so there is one for each day in a year. Each begins with a bible verse,  often included in print so there is no need to drag out your bible to look up the verse. The devotionals are quick, insightful , to the point and moving. I have enjoyed reading through each day so far and plan to continue.


The Gate by Dann A. Stouten

Suffering from burnout and looking to get away Richard stumbles on a real estate ad in the paper for Angel's Gate a former resort that is for sale. He decides to take the weekend and  check it out. When he finally finds it and goes through the gate he has entered a whole other world, possibly a back door to Heaven. The book is slightly similar to The Shack by Wm. Young in that Richard has conversations with God but it goes further in imagining that this place might be what Heaven is like. It is a delightful read with many values and morals passed along by the people he meets there. This is truly an adventure into the unknown.