Tried With Fire

What is a Girl Worth? My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth About Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics - Rachael Denhollander, Tyndale Momentum, 2019, 352 pages. I stayed up later than I intended last night and finished What is a Girl Worth? . I had followed the Nassar case after connecting with Jacob Denhollander on Twitter. He shared his wife’s story in the Indy Star article – a victim/survivor who had come forward to stop an evil man who had been abusing children for decades. As I read the articles and watched the news coverage, Rachael came across as so brave, strong, and capable. Her training as an attorney was evident in the clarity and power of her carefully chosen words. But her book reveals what was going on behind the scenes – Would anyone believe her and take this seriously? Was it too late to report?  The internal turmoil and re-traumatization of having to retell her abuse.  Turning her private journals over to Nassar’s defense team knowi...

I've written a review of  Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends Them: Schizophrenia Through a Mother's Eyes by   Simonetta Carr. It's a powerful book that the church needs because Christians can have serious mental illness, too. Read the review here .

Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump , John Fea, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018, 238 pages. Early in the morning on November 9, 2016, I was on my way to pick up the day's work. I turned on the radio and braced myself for the announcement that Hillary Clinton was elected. It would be an understatement to say that I was stunned when I learned that the next president would be Donald Trump. I think I pulled the car over to the side of the road. I was that shocked. My first major election was 1980, so I am not a new voter. Yet I don't remember there ever being an election where both candidates had so much ethical and moral baggage to disqualify them. For the record, I did not vote for Clinton or Trump. I understand holding one's nose in the voting booth (or in this case with an  SCBA  on) and choosing to be pragmatic even while being internally conflicted. However, it is another thing to rubber-stamp God's approval on a morally questionable candid...

Reformation Women: Sixteenth-Century Figures Who Shaped Christianity's Rebirth, Rebecca VanDoodewaard, Reformation Heritage Books, 2017, 152 pages. In three months, many of us will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We are familiar with Martin Luther (of course!), Philip Melancthhon, and Ulrich Zwingli to name a few, but what about women? Were they involved in the Reformation at all? The answer is, "Yes." and you can learn about some of these saints in Reformation Women by Rebecca VanDoodewaard. This book contains biographical sketches of 12 reformation women most of whom were unfamiliar to me. These women came from different backgrounds and stations in life. Some were queens and princesses. Others were former nuns. They were wives, mothers, and single women who served tirelessly in the church. Many were well-educated and theologians/scholars in their own right. But what these women had in common was their conviction from the sc...

I have very strong opinions about books for Christian women. I am tired of the bad theology, and I'm tired of the promotion of cultural norms as being more godly. But I am also very hopeful. I am thankful for women like Hannah Anderson, Aimee Byrd, and Wendy Alsup, whose latest book I have just reviewed. Their books have raised the bar and taken us beyond the pink passages and the pink ghetto of Titus 2-onlyism. Is the Bible Good for Women? tackles Dinah's rape and other passages that would cause many to question the goodness of the Word and ultimately God Himself. How many books for Christian women would dare do that without writing off the very real concerns of women who have suffered abuse and trauma? We need less fluff and more substance. We need sound theology but also its application to real life, not the Christian fairytale. Is the Bible God for Women? does that. Read the review here .

It's my turn at Out of the Ordinary today, and I'm finally posting my review of No Little Women : When it comes to women's discipleship, there is no shortage of ideas. Most people have an opinion about what it is, what should be taught, and even whether it is necessary or not. There is also no shortage of material that is marketed for this purpose. Some is good but much is not very good at all. What is the average Christian woman to do? Thankfully,  Aimee Byrd  has tackled this often sensitive topic in her latest book,  No Little Women: Equipping All Women in the Household of God .  If you are looking for tips on how to do women's ministry "right," there is helpful and practical advice to be gleaned, but this book is much more than that. Read the rest of the review here ...

Left: The struggle to make sense of life when a parent leaves , Jonathan C. Edwards, Rainer Publishing, July 2016, 198 pages. When my ex-husband moved out and made it clear that he intended to pursue a divorce, I met another Christian woman who had been in my situation. She told me that the awful stories about children growing up with divorced parents don't have to come true. In fact, she believed that they could come through relatively unscathed. She meant to encourage me, but this was idealistic. If the obvious rebellion and acting out one usually thinks of is absent, then it would be easy to think that kids came through with nary a scratch. But given that divorce is such a traumatic event, how can children not be affected by it? How can there not be wounds when the foundation of their security has crumbled beneath them? What is really going on beneath the surface? Left pulls back the curtain on what it's like to be a child of divorce. Jonathan Edwards (not the Puritan...

I'm at Out of the Ordinary today with a review of Unashamed: Shame: the feeling of "not good enough," acccording to our own standard or our perception of someone else's standard for us. It's what keeps us from being honest about our own struggles, sins, and less-than-perfect moments. Fear of shame drives us to perfectionism in all areas of our lives, so there would be no imperfection for others to notice and judge.  (pp. 57-58) The word "shame" conjures up many memories for me - all unpleasant: - Wondering if God could possibly forgive me again after committing the same sin yet again. - Being mocked for looking different or dressing out of style. - Being scolded for normal human failings like forgetting something or not making the wisest choice. But the ones that haunt me the most are where I have been the one doling out the shame, and I long to lay these feelings to rest once and for all. But where do I go for help and healing from the shame...

Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife: My Story of Finding Hope after Domestic Abuse by Ruth A. Tucker, Zondervan, 2016, 208 pages. In 1967, Ruth Tucker was a young college student. She attended a summer camp and met the ideal Christian single man - a tall, dark, and handsome Bible whiz, who felt called to pastoral ministry. She was swept off her feet, and the relationship quickly progressed to engagement and then marriage. On the surface, it seemed straight out of a fairy tale, but there were red flags that indicated something lurking beneath the surface. Those warning signs did not lie. Ruth found herself married to an abuser who professed the name of Christ and used the Scriptures to justify his abuse, hence the title of her book - Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife.  She endured 19 years of battering and humiliation at the hands of her ex-husband, often hiding her bruises with clothing. 1  After all, who would believe her? Who would believe that a pastor ...

The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung, illustrated by Don Clark, Crossway, 2015, 129 pages, ages 5-11. As a kid, I learned about the Old Testament as a collection of moral fables on how to be good. But the OT as a whole didn't make sense. There was no unifying thread that tied it all together let alone with the rest of the Bible. So as an adult, learning the Bible's storyline was eye-opening, specifically God's promise of the One who would crush the head of the serpent and restore all that had been lost. (Gen. 3:15) Well, you don't have to wait to be an adult to learn Biblical theology. Kevin DeYoung has written a book on the Bible's big story for children, The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher brings Us Back to the Garden . This overview covers Genesis to Revelation. This is quite a tall order, so many details are omitted given the intended audience. However, the main theme of God's promise of the Snake ...

Marie Durand by Simonetta Carr, Reformation Heritage Books , June 2015, 64 pages. There are many well-known figures in church history, and it is good that we know their stories. However, God has also worked through many ordinary believers we may never know this side of glory. Thanks to this biography by Simonetta Carr, we are able to learn about the life of one ordinary believer who showed extraordinary perseverance in the midst of persecution. Marie Durand was born in 1711 in France. During this period, it was against the law to be Protestant. If you were caught the penalties were very severe, even death. Because of her family's refusal to compromise their beliefs, Marie was imprisoned at the age of 19. There were opportunities for release, but only if the prisoners would recant their faith, take the mass, and embrace Roman Catholicism.  Marie refused and became a rallying point for the other women detainees. As she was literate, she wrote letters requesting aid and advocat...

I'm at Out of the Ordinary today with a review of Second Forgetting: Remembering the Power of the Gospel During Alzheimer's Disease.    There is no cure at present. It ravages mind and body. But there is hope in the gospel which we need remember when this disease afflicts a loved one.  Read the review here.

Living Without Worry: How to replace anxiety with peace ,  by Timothy Lane, The Good Book Company , May 2015, 144 pages. If we're honest, who hasn't experienced worry at some point in their life? Sure, sometimes the small things get us down, but very often, worry can have serious effects. This is why I was very interested in reading Living Without Worry . The author begins by defining the term and distinguishing the difference between godly concern and worry. Worry is when we've crossed the line from a healthy, wise concern to over-concern which has the potential to lead to anxiety disorders, phobias, panic attacks, and other stress-related disorders. However the solution isn't going to the other extreme of indifference, which can often be mask for anxiety. Rather than lumping worry into one general category, Dr. Lane  breaks it down into the following categories: - The past including sins that may still haunt us. - Past experiences which we did not contribut...

Acts: Evangelical Press Study Commentary , Guy Prentiss Waters, John D. Currid series editor,  EP Books, 2015, 614 pages. This commentary on the book of Acts is the latest in Evangelical Press' Study Commentary series. It is written by Guy Prentiss Waters, professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. As stated in the preface, the purpose of this volume is to provide a concise resource for those who want to understand the text better for themselves. It also seeks to avoid two extremes - first viewing the book of Acts as a blueprint for church purity and secondly that it is solely historical with little current application. This commentary is also written from a Reformed perspective. Before jumping into the text, the introduction discusses basic information about Acts including authorship, title, genre, its purpose, the outline and motifs contained in the book. This is followed by exegetical commentary and application of the text itself,...

Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life When Death Visits the Womb by Jessalyn Hutto, Cruciform Press, 2015, 108 pages. Children are precious gifts from the Lord, and we are filled with anticipation from the moment the test comes back positive and we hear that first heart beat. We eagerly watch their growth via ultrasound, and then the day comes when we finally hold our beloved babies in our arms after nine long months. But tragically, not every pregnancy ends in joy. How do you comfort a mother when "death visits the womb?" How do you minister to her grieving heart? I have not had a miscarriage, so I would not even know where to begin. But Jessalyn Hutto does, and she has written Inheritance of Tears out of her own experience. This is a very moving and personal book as Jessalyn shares about her two miscarriages and her struggles to make sense of why God would allow this tragedy. But at the same time, this is a very accessible, theologically sound book bec...

Purity is Possible: How to live free of the fantasy trap by Helen Thorne, The Good Book Company, November 2014, 112 pages. In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness about the use of pornography by Christian men. But what about women? Are they purer by nature and thus immune to this temptation? While stereotypes may encourage this idea, Helen Thorne would disagree with this myth because she's been there. She was caught in the trap of pornography, erotica, and sexual fantasy. However, the solution wasn't to muster up self-resolve and stop through sheer will power. Helen found the answer in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Purity is Possible  takes an honest look at this temptation that many Christian women experience. Sexual sin is not minimized in any way and neither is the call to repentance. The author also digs beneath the surface as to what may be the underlying idols that fuel the fantasy. But there is hope because this sin is not beyond the scope of Christ...

China's Reforming Churches: Mission, Polity, and Ministry in the Next Christendom , Bruce P. Baugus - editor, Reformation Heritage Books, May 2014, 320 pages. China's Reforming Churches is a collection of essays which covers the history of Presbyterian missions to China, the current state of the church with its challenges and opportunities, and the potential indigenization of the reformed faith in China. The writing is more scholarly and theological than typical missions stories, but this gives the necessary depth to accurately depict the complex nature of China's church and culture. It's easy for Western Christians to see the Chinese church through the lens of one of four narratives: the   persecuted church , the   needy church , Christian China , or the missionary church. [99-103] While all these aspects are true, a single one does not give the whole picture, and to think those would distort the true nature of the Chinese church. This book offers a more in-dept...

Made for More: An Invitation to Live in God's Image by Hannah Anderson, Moody Publishers, March 2014, 176 pages. When we think of ourselves, what comes to mind? Is it age, gender, or ethnicity? What about profession/vocation or education? These are all good things, but are we just the sum of our parts? In Made for More , author Hannah Anderson writes that we were made in God's image ( imago dei ) and created to live out of that truth. Everything about us, which includes gender, personality, and our God-given gifts, flows " from Him and through Him and to Him. " The book lays a theological foundation, first taking us to the fall and sin's far-reaching effect on creation, including us. But the story doesn't end there. In Christ's incarnation, He is the perfect man where all else have failed. And because of the gospel, we find our lost identity in Him. Living in God's image is also very practical. Our affections, service, thinking, and vocation a...

Great Kings of the Bible: How Jesus is greater than Saul, David, and Solomon , Deepak Reju, CF4Kids , January 2014, 48 pages. Read to me: 5-7, Read myself:8-11. Great Kings of the Bible recounts the lives of Saul, David, and Solomon. Each account sticks very close to the biblical text, giving an overview of each king. Unlike many children's books, their triumphs as well as grievous sins are included. So this does  not  teach a "Dare to be a Daniel" sort of moralism. Rather the author weaves Jesus into the kings' stories by showing how He is greater. Where these human rulers failed, Jesus was perfect. Each of these men died. Jesus rose from the dead, and His kingdom is forever. After growing up reading very moralistic Bible stories, I appreciated that these characters were not held up as paragons of virtue but human beings who fall. I thought David's sin with Bathsheba was handled in an age-appropriate manner and yet stayed true to 2 Samuel 11-12. Also the ...

John Knox by Simonetta Carr, illustrated by Matt Abraxos, Reformation Heritage Books, 2014, 64 pages. John Knox is the newest addition to the Christian Biographies for Young Reader s series written by Simonetta Carr. Before reading this, I knew very little about Knox's life other than "Give me Scotland, or I die!", his rather controversial pamphlet about women rulers, and the caricatures of this fiery Scottish reformer. Well my lack of knowledge has been well remedied. Having lived in a time of religious persecution and political upheaval, Knox's story is quite exciting. He acted as bodyguard for a minister who was eventually martyred for his faith. Knox then reluctantly agreed to take on the weighty task of preaching the Word of God after his gift became evident. He was imprisoned and forced to be a galley slave for the French, and eventually rose to prominence, preaching before kings and queens. After the successful Scottish revolution against France, Knox wa...