"The God Diagnosis" by Dr. Greg E. Viehman, M.D.

 Recently, my pastor placed this book into my hands, and simply said: "That's a great book."  Now that I've read it, I believe that statement is equivalent to looking at the Grand Canyon and saying, "That's a big hole."

This book is the story of Dr. Greg Viehman's journey to faith in Christ. I really didn't know what to expect when I started. This doctor was a stranger to me - I'd never heard of him. So, I figured it would be a typical testimony.(Doesn't that sound terrible?  How is it "typical" for ANYONE to be miraculously saved by the grace of God?)

The story starts with the description of Dr. Viehman and his restlessness in life. He had everything that life could offer - except peace. The questions in his heart about the purpose of life, and whether or not some things last forever, went unanswered for so long. He was lost, hopeless, unhappy, and frustrated. A few encounters with Christians left a fairly bad taste in his mouth - and he figured they didn't have any answers either.

Through a series of events, Dr. Viehman sets out to prove that Christians are hypocrites - to prove that the Bible is baloney.  Through careful, methodical study, he realizes instead that the Bible is incredibly true (this part of his story, which he calls The Investigation, is excellent! most Christians probably never realized how entirely reasonable it is to believe that Jesus is God, and that the Bible is God's absolutely true Word. It's not just a blind leap of faith!).

After coming to the conclusion that the Bible is true, God exists, and Jesus came to earth to die for his sins, Dr. Viehman is born again..... but there are a few surprises both before and after the fact! I can't say too much more, because I want you to read the book!

This book is perfect to give to anyone. If they are seeking answers, they might follow Dr. Viehman's journey and find them. If they are NOT seeking answers and peace and salvation, they might realize that they NEED to. And if they are already believers in Christ, they might be convicted that salvation is a miraculous work of God. - and that God is much nearer than we maybe ever thought.

Deep enough to intrigue the most skeptical mind, yet simple and understandable enough to reach anyone, this book is a powerful story. I just can't help but praise the Lord for his grace after reading such a fantastic true story of a journey to faith!  It makes me appreciate my own salvation testimony even more.

You can find more information on the book's website:  www.goddiagnosis.com

"The Road to Unafraid" by Capt. Jeff Struecker

 Captain Jeff Struecker is well-known for two reasons: #1 - Winning the Best Ranger competition in 1996, and #2 - leading part of the rescue effort in Somalia during the Black Hawk Down incident (yes, the same incident featured in the book and movie of the same name).

I believe he should be well-known for two other reasons. #1 - His outstanding Christian testimony, and #2 - his skill at writing. I previously reviewed the first novel that he co-authored with Alton Gansky (see here); and I was overwhelmingly impressed at the action, the story-line, the depth of the characters, and the Christian emphasis in that book... I'm planning on reading the next several books that this duo has written - they are on my list, but so are a couple hundred others, so it may take a while to get to them!

In this book, Capt. Struecker chronicles his early life and what led him to join the Army in the first place. He also details the personal love of pushing himself to the limits, which is the reason he became a Ranger. He pushed himself always to do his very best and to BE the very best - an ethic that stuck with him after he became a dedicated Christian. Struecker saw action in Panama, Kuwait, and of course Somalia; and he details some of the challenges and horrors of war that he faced in those situations. He writes with gut-wrenching emotion, holding nothing back. He probes the deepest parts of his own mind and spirit to give his readers the clearest picture. The result is truly captivating.

But the most captivating part of the book, at least to me, was how he faced the challenge of deciding to follow Christ. And I'm not just talking about getting saved - I'm talking about his change of lifestyle to stop smoking, drinking, swearing, and listening to rock music (while already a Ranger - imagine the pressure!). I'm also talking about his decision to go to seminary and enter the ministry (he became a chaplain). These stories are highly inspirational. I wish every man could read this book to see that being a Christ-follower is not a sign of weakness.

The book ends with a lengthy pep-talk for the reader - and a clear sign pointing to Christ as the only hope for mankind for eternity. If you want to read a book that will challenge you to push yourself to the limits for Christ, then read this one. If you have a loved one who is in the military, and is facing the questions of life and eternity, give them a copy of this book. Struecker handles these issues in a way that no one else but a combat veteran and committed Christian could present them. And most importantly, Jesus Christ shines through this story as the true Hero and Savior.

"Soul's Gate: Well Spring, Book 1" by James Rubart

This is the third book by James Rubart that I've read, and all of them are impressive and stimulating. The man can write some great stories - and his books are some of the most spiritually challenging and uplifting that you will find.
This book revolves around a prophecy concerning four people that will do great spiritual battle. This is the beginning of a series, but it also stands nicely on its own. While I am not a believer that God gives prophecies anymore (since the completion of the perfect Word of God), the themes and topics covered in the book greatly challenged my thinking concerning the power of prayer and the power of Christ in the Christian life.
So far, all of Rubart's books I've read have a Yoda-type character. This guy is always wiser than you think he is - staying one step ahead of the game. The book is full of redemption, forgiveness, and victory.
But with all that said, there are two big negatives. The author makes use of a cuss word.... Why, WHY do these authors feel it is necessary? Now, I will give him a little slack that a demon was the character who said the word - and the word was "hell", but it was obviously a cuss word and not a reference to the place. Big no-no.
The second was that, at one point, the characters shared champagne in celebration. I am of the conviction that Christians should not drink. Ever. Period. But that's a topic for later.
The characters are real, but not terribly deep. The scenes are powerful, but sometimes predictable. And the dialogue was sometimes a little cheesy. But not a bad book. "Rooms" is still way better.
I received this book free from the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

"Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers and His Philosophy of Preaching" by Joyce Rogers

As I said in my review of his book, Unveiling the End Times in Our Time, there is no preacher that I respect more than Adrian Rogers. If possible, that respect increased after reading this book.
This book was written mostly by Joyce Rogers (Adrian's wife), although there is an interview-style section at the end that is mostly Adrian's words. Keep in mind that this book was also written before he passed away. In fact, it was written as a sort of tribute to him towards the end of their time in the pastorate at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis.
So, with the aforementioned information in mind, there is only one minor criticism of the book. It is not terribly detailed as a biography. Most of the major events of Adrian Rogers' life and ministries are present, including the death of one of their children and the struggles of the Southern Baptist Convention. But, at times the book presents very generic information. Again, this is only a minor criticism. This book is far too thin to be a very detailed biography.
On the positive side, Joyce Rogers presents her words with the skill and perspective of a loving wife writing about her godly husband of many years. She shares the excitements, joys, triumphs, and also disappointments, failures, and tragedies that they experienced together.
The philosophy of his preaching (which is the interview section) was good, but not great. He didn't reveal any information that you could not have probably guessed just by hearing a few of his sermons. Keep the Gospel the focus of your message and life, bathe everything in prayer, don't preach it if you aren't living it, study the Bible constantly, etc. These are all good things - just don't read the book expecting to find an academic treatise on preaching. But if you enjoy hearing Adrian Rogers' unique way of presenting truth - even if it's truth you've heard before - then the philosophy of his preaching is sure to be enjoyable.

I regret that I never heard Adrian Rogers preach in person. In my opinion, he is truly one of the greatest preachers of all time. He was a man of great integrity, with a very winsome demeanor in the pulpit. If you don't know much about his life and ministry, this book is a great source of first-hand information for the casual reader.

"The Ambition" by Lee Strobel

If you've never read the "Case for..." series of books by Lee Strobel, you are missing out on pages upon pages of excellent and worth-while apologetics reading. The interview-style writing of those books really helps keep your attention - and makes you feel like you are part of a conversation instead of just listening to a bunch of facts.

That being said, this debut novel by Lee Strobel had me anticipating great things. It failed to deliver....  The story centers around a megachurch pastor, Eric Snow, who has political aspirations. He is being pushed along on his journey by a member of his church leadership staff who (apparently) sees a jump-start for her own career. His co-pastor, however, feels like Snow is betraying his God and his church. His main rival for the political position has a few skeletons in his closet...  Following all of this action is a reporter, who also happens to be an atheist.

There's more to the story than that - but that's the main idea. I feel like Strobel really missed out on some great opportunities for suspenseful action. The ending was also very abrupt - which is dissatisfying when you've put so much time into reading a book.

On top of that, the story-line just wasn't as engaging as I'd hoped. Some of the plot twists were predictable (as was the resolution to the story). But the final straw was the totally unnecessary swear word that Strobel threw in. It doesn't matter that a "bad guy" said it, and he was really, really angry when he said it. There is no purpose or need for cursing in a book written by a Christian author and marketed to Christian audiences.

So, for the aforementioned reasons, I give this book a 2 out of 5 stars.