Book Review: Endless Grace by Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt

About the Book:

Endless Grace helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms--through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns--as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains seventy-five prayers drawn from Psalms 76-150, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. While each prayer corresponds to a particular psalm and touches on its themes and ideas, it is not a new translation of the Psalms or an attempt to modernize or contextualize their content or language. Rather, the prayers are responses to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and remember the Lord's daily mercies.

This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and beautiful hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.

Read an excerpt from Endless Grace on the publisher's website.

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My Thoughts:

Endless Grace by Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt “approaches the Psalms as literature designed for prayerful meditation (p. 14).” Each free verse prayer of Endless Grace responds to a Psalm with emotion and praise/supplication to God. New Testament phrases and teachings pepper the prayers, and I enjoyed the connections between the Psalms and teachings of Jesus.

Personally, I like to read one Psalm and the correlating selection from Endless Grace per sitting. These entries invite unhurried meditation and offer concepts that merit consideration. Often, the entries present historic ideas in fresh, lyrical wording that hooks my attention and renews my appreciation for such tenets. An example from the first prayer (Psalm 76 response): “Your peace is stronger than violence; / Your mercy fiercer than judgment.”

With its sturdy hardcover and lovely illustrations, Endless Grace: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms by Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt can be a gift. It’s appropriate for any Christian desiring meditative readings with a strong prayer emphasis.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Peace in the Midst of the Storm by Kaleb Thompson

About the Book:

Anxiety and fear seek to prey on the damaged and create heavy burdens that scar the soul, being heartless and insensitive to the lost, unkempt, and broken-spirited in a troubled, unwholesome world. However, they do not reign for eternity, as faith, resilience, and empowerment remain planted from within to help overcome pressing obstacles, regardless of how difficult they may be.

Peace in the Midst of the Storm primarily focuses on the beauty of positivity, selflessness, and honorable confidence that symbolizes the importance of light being present within darkness. This book also holds accountability in facing the realization that as life may prove frustrating at times, giving up is never an option! This shows that regardless of our mistakes, life does not promise us that we will remain positioned in negativity. What we were in our pasts will not seep into who we have grown to be as positive individuals. What we have now realized is that we often must prepare to speak victory over our storms and, as we continue to encourage ourselves to do that, we will overcome anything.

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My Thoughts:

In Peace in the Midst of the Storm, Kaleb Thompson invites the reader to join him in being “passionate in denouncing negativity of any kind (page 32).” The poetry in this collection seems so deeply personal that I’m remiss to critique the narrator’s experiences and feelings. Rather, I’ll note that the purpose of this collection is to encourage the reader toward wholeness and wellbeing. The poetry presents a compelling, recurrent message about setting boundaries and leaving toxic relationships. It also emphasizes career empowerment and financial success.

The poems in Peace in the Midst of the Storm Thompson are written in easy-to-read, contemporary English. Sometimes, the narrative tone switches from prayerful lines to prophetic declarations within a stanza. All the poems adhere to a freestyle form to express powerful thoughts and strong feelings, but the lack of ending punctuation stood out to me. Depending on the reader’s tolerance for grammatical deviation, this may or may not be an issue.

Recommended for readers who enjoy inspirational, freestyle poetry.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Walking With My Angel by Adam Scott Campbell

About the Book: 

Walking With My Angel is a series of poetic letters to and from a real, heavenly Angel and her mortal warrior companion. They are shared in the hope that others find hope, encouragement, empowerment, and even enlightenment from reading them.

Read excerpts of Adam's poetry at: https://adamscottcampbell.com/

Purchase Link: Amazon

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Mini-Interview with Adam:

This video features excerpts from a full interview with Adam. Both interviews are available at: https://adamscottcampbell.com/

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My Thoughts:

In Walking With My Angel, Adam Scott Campbell presents a poetry collection based on his physical and spiritual experiences with his angel. I highly recommend viewing Adam’s condensed interview on his website as it gives substantial information about his experiences that are helpful to know prior to reading the book.

In Walking With My Angel, the reader enters an ethos of the poet as a writer-warrior with his personal angel as his soulmate. I’ll pass on trying to examine any theology as the Bible only gives snippets of information about angels and I am no expert on the matter. I will say that the poetry includes basic Christian beliefs of Jesus as the crucified and resurrected Savior as well as God as a loving Father with a divine will for each of His sons and daughters. 

The poems in Walking With My Angel interested, soothed, comforted, and inspired me. Though independently published, the book is professionally formatted and the author’s passion for his craft is evident. The poems carry elements of rhythm and rhyme with careful word choice that adds art and beauty to the narrative.

Suicide Trigger Alert: Several times, the author mentions his desire to end his mortal existence and enter eternity with his angel. However, the poems do not glorify suicide. They are presented with the narrator’s knowledge that ending his life prematurely is not God’s chosen path for him. Still, I feel it is appropriate to offer a suicide trigger alert due to such content.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: The Christian Book of Mystical Verse

About the Book:

"... some of the best devotional verse the English language affords..."

While the term "mystic" may have connotations that reach beyond traditional Christian thinking, it actually refers to a common spiritual experience that unites anyone who has fellowship with God.

The poems in this book were hand-picked by Tozer and follow a logical pattern, going in line with the very nature of salvation itself and the death of Jesus on the cross, man's contemplation of his own sin, redemption, communion with God, awaiting the return of Christ, and celebrations of eternal fellowship with God in Heaven.

Both intimate and exhilarating, The Christian Book of Mystical Verse is a book for anyone who seeks to worship God the Father, and who finds the rich language of Christians of old a great help in that endeavor.

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My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Christian Book of Mystical Verse compiled by A. W. Tozer. This collection includes hymns and prayers, but the majority of it is lyric poetry. Most selections are not written in easy-to-read, common speech; however, the effort to read slowly and experience the text is worth the effort. Many of the poems contain exuberant praise that serves as an uplifting reminder of the greatness of God.

The Christian Book of Mystical Verse is divided into fifteen topical sections and The Prayer of Quiet was my favorite section. This collection did not include some of the well-known poets I expected, but I enjoyed being introduced to new-to-me authors such as Frederick William Faber whose beautiful poetry featured often. Some of my favorite poems were: The Greatness of God by Frederick William Faber, Prayer for Purity by Nicolaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf, My God! Silent to Thee! By Thomas Moore, and In Immanuel’s Land by Anne R. Cousin.

Perhaps you’re wondering about the word “mystical” in the title. A. W. Tozer explains in his introduction: “The word ‘mystic’ as it occurs in the title of this book refers to that personal spiritual experience common to the saints of Bible times and well known to multitudes of persons in the post-Biblical era. I refer to the evangelical mystic who has been brought by the gospel into intimate fellowship with the Godhead… He [or she] exists in a world of spiritual reality.” (Pg. 16)

I recommend The Christian Book of Mystical Verse: A Collection of Poems, Hymns, and Prayers for Devotional Reading compiled by A. W. Tozer to any Christian believer who enjoys lyric poetry.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Blast: God's Little Instument by Sandra Hall

So, this is my first time hosting a Book Blast and I think it's pretty neat. It even comes with a chance to win at $25 gift card, so keep reading.  :)

About the Book (from the author):

This book is about relationship and the joy of loving our Lord because He loves us for who we are not for who we think we should be. This book is inviting you to set aside your bucket lists. The poetry encourages you to slow down and to view God through the eyes of a child. To remember when your only goal in life was to please Him and not the world. Read the poems and lose yourself in the artwork that will take you to heaven and back. This book is meant to be enjoyed by the whole spectrum of life; from the very young right through to the old, ( I should know I’m 61) as you share it with your loved ones. It’s about embracing the little child in us that God so fearfully and wonderfully made. One look at the dynamic illustrations drawn by my niece Danielle Marie Robinson and you will feel inspired to sing praises to the Lord. The poems were written as celebrations of key moments in the authors life that touched her very soul. God never said keep his blessings to yourself so she shares her vision of being God’s little instrument with you. Enjoy and be blessed.


About the Author:

Sandra Hall has been working as a legal assistant the past twenty-three years in an extremely busy law office. She is the mother of three adults and grandmother of six wonderful grandchildren, with numbers seven and eight putting in their appearance this summer. The unexpected loss of a younger sibling eleven years ago opened the floodgates of her heart and the pent up poetry about her life just poured out. The onslaught was so intense that she would wake in the middle of the night and have to scribble the words down on a pad by the bed. Unable to contain it she wrote poems on envelopes, scraps of paper even ran down the street one time after a poem about her mother that the wind blew away. Now at this phase in her life her writing is all about her legacy. She wants to leave behind a body of work that will bless her family as well as others for years to come. Most of her poetry is like small prayers of gratitude to God that she prays will be knocking at God’s pearly gates long after she is gone. Her poetry is about the joy of life and how we will never find peace unless we embrace our inner child and go before God’s throne with a contrite heart. She has previously written and self-published two other poetry books; (The Poetic Offerings of a Creatively Frustrated Christian and God Whispers). Currently she is working on a fantasy love story.

Purchase your copy:

Authorhouse Book Spotlight:

Title: God’s Little Instrument
Author: Sandra Hall
Publisher: Authorhouse
Genre: Christian Inspirational \
Pages: 36
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1-48176-161-1

Purchase at Authorhouse

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