Book 16: Fifth Seal (A.D. Chronicles #5) by Brock and Bodie Thoene
My rating: ****
"Here he comes! Such shoulders. He'll carry his father's beams, I warrant. A strong one he'll be. Push! No wonder you had such a hard time. There you go, Mary! Look at those big hands. Must be a boy with such hands. They're wide-open. See? He's reaching out to the world. Once more - yes, that's it! Now push. Harder. One more time! And...there! Yes! A son, Mary! A baby boy!"
You know what blows my mind? Jesus' birth. I hadn't really ever thought about the details surrounding the entire ordeal until reading these books. He was born like any other baby. Jesus. Immanuel. God with us was BORN. The even crazier thing would've been being a Jew living during this time. Crazy in the sense that all of this was not even close to what they were expecting and hoping for. I mean, they lived daily at the whims of a crazy man, King Herod, who was the self-proclaimed "King of the Jews." He was so crazy that he didn't think twice about having anyone killed who threatened his throne - even his own 2 sons who he had strangled to death. It was against the law to speak against Herod - punishable by death and most like crucifixion at that. The Jews were anxiously awaiting the Messiah - the One who would come and overthrow Roman rule and drive Herod from his tyrannical reign (much like Judah Maccabee when he drove Antiachus Epiphanes out, cleansed the temple, and reestablished traditional Jewish worship). They were waiting for a triumphant king to ride in and save them, but what they got was a baby born in a stable to a nobody couple. God always has other (better) plans. But even though He came as a baby, Jesus did indeed come to change everything and put the world back right.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Was he strong enough to rear the promised Son of David? to be the sort of father who could teach a prince to be the king of Israel?
Book 15: Fourth Dawn (A.D. Chronicles #4) by Brock and Bodie Thoene
My rating: ****
In a LOST-esque turn of events, the 4th book in this series takes a step backward in time. The previous book left off with Jesus restoring sight to blind Manaen and Alexander and Zahav uniting in marriage. Now we're taken 33ish years back in time to before Jesus was born. To before John the Baptist was born. To before Mary and Joseph were even Nazareth's hottest item.
This story centered primarily around Mary and Joseph. They are betrothed and head-over-heels in love with one another when Mary receives an angelic visitor one lonely night in the cow barn. He tells her she is favored by the Most High, and she will carry the Son of David, the Son of God - the Messiah. Strangely (at least to me) she doesn't question this but instead wonders why God would deem her as worthy to carry the promised Messiah. Meanwhile, her father and husband-to-be don't seem very enthusiastic about this news. They think she has concocted a story instead of coming clean about being with another man. Joseph plans to break things off quietly while Mary is away with her mother visiting her aunt (JB's mom). Through the event of her aunt being pregnant, Joseph and Mary's father realize she wasn't making up a story and that she really is carrying the Promised One of Israel. The book ends with them having just gotten married in the midst of rising turmoil in Jerusalem. Herod feels his throne is more threatened with each passing day and has people arrested and killed (mainly crucified) left and right to appease his fear.
I loved reading about the relationship between Mary and Joseph. Once again, these are characters that have always been somewhat cardboard-y in my mind just because there isn't much about them in the Bible. But they were chosen to carry and raise Jesus - our Savior. I don't have first-hand experience in raising a child, but knowing what my friends are going through I know it's not always a picnic. But to then think about raising the Messiah?! I can't think of anything more humbling. But Jesus is God incarnate - Immanuel. A man of constant sorrow who is not unfamiliar with what it's like to be human. The humility of God to clothe Himself in human flesh and be born to sinful human parents is quite possibly the epitome of humility.
My rating: ****
In a LOST-esque turn of events, the 4th book in this series takes a step backward in time. The previous book left off with Jesus restoring sight to blind Manaen and Alexander and Zahav uniting in marriage. Now we're taken 33ish years back in time to before Jesus was born. To before John the Baptist was born. To before Mary and Joseph were even Nazareth's hottest item.
This story centered primarily around Mary and Joseph. They are betrothed and head-over-heels in love with one another when Mary receives an angelic visitor one lonely night in the cow barn. He tells her she is favored by the Most High, and she will carry the Son of David, the Son of God - the Messiah. Strangely (at least to me) she doesn't question this but instead wonders why God would deem her as worthy to carry the promised Messiah. Meanwhile, her father and husband-to-be don't seem very enthusiastic about this news. They think she has concocted a story instead of coming clean about being with another man. Joseph plans to break things off quietly while Mary is away with her mother visiting her aunt (JB's mom). Through the event of her aunt being pregnant, Joseph and Mary's father realize she wasn't making up a story and that she really is carrying the Promised One of Israel. The book ends with them having just gotten married in the midst of rising turmoil in Jerusalem. Herod feels his throne is more threatened with each passing day and has people arrested and killed (mainly crucified) left and right to appease his fear.
I loved reading about the relationship between Mary and Joseph. Once again, these are characters that have always been somewhat cardboard-y in my mind just because there isn't much about them in the Bible. But they were chosen to carry and raise Jesus - our Savior. I don't have first-hand experience in raising a child, but knowing what my friends are going through I know it's not always a picnic. But to then think about raising the Messiah?! I can't think of anything more humbling. But Jesus is God incarnate - Immanuel. A man of constant sorrow who is not unfamiliar with what it's like to be human. The humility of God to clothe Himself in human flesh and be born to sinful human parents is quite possibly the epitome of humility.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Lord of All, incarnate, came down to fight the battle for the kingdom of men's hearts
Book 14: Third Watch (A.D. Chronicles #3) by Brock and Bodie Thoene
My rating: ****1/2
"This is the story of the battle between The Truth and the Father of Lies. Each fought mightily for the souls of mankind. Those who witnessed the conflict firsthand could not comprehend how ancient this war was, nor what the outcome meant for generations yet to be born."
That essentially sums up this book. Jesus's "fame" is spreading, and the Enemy is trying harder and harder to prevent the Truth from triumphing over his lies. There are some new characters introduced in this book as well as some old revisited. Zahav was destined from birth to remain single and never bear children - a fate that tears her heart in pieces. Alexander has recently lost his wife and daily battles with a demon-possessed son. I knew from the beginning of the book these 2 would end up together...and I was right. :-)
I love how the Thoene's describe Jesus. There's a gentleness and compassion that leaps off of the pages. An approachableness. He welcomes and loves people and doesn't miss opportunities to share Truth - to show and tell that He is the Truth that people are searching for. He is the piece that will fill the holes in their hearts. And that isn't merely fiction.
My rating: ****1/2
"This is the story of the battle between The Truth and the Father of Lies. Each fought mightily for the souls of mankind. Those who witnessed the conflict firsthand could not comprehend how ancient this war was, nor what the outcome meant for generations yet to be born."
That essentially sums up this book. Jesus's "fame" is spreading, and the Enemy is trying harder and harder to prevent the Truth from triumphing over his lies. There are some new characters introduced in this book as well as some old revisited. Zahav was destined from birth to remain single and never bear children - a fate that tears her heart in pieces. Alexander has recently lost his wife and daily battles with a demon-possessed son. I knew from the beginning of the book these 2 would end up together...and I was right. :-)
I love how the Thoene's describe Jesus. There's a gentleness and compassion that leaps off of the pages. An approachableness. He welcomes and loves people and doesn't miss opportunities to share Truth - to show and tell that He is the Truth that people are searching for. He is the piece that will fill the holes in their hearts. And that isn't merely fiction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
