The Adversary Books by Mark Bubeck

The Adversary and Overcoming the Adversary discuss Biblical instructions and resources of Spiritual Warfare. This topic is often overlooked in many churches because of fear and not knowing the topic. As Bubeck states, ignoring this part of faith leaves believers vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. In order to help believers take an active approach, he writes his theological and experiential knowledge in two volumes.

In The Adversary, Bubeck lays the ground work for believers to get started. The topics include: why actively participate, different ways that believers are attacked, using the Bible in warfare, understanding Satan’s kingdom and goals, not being afraid of Satan, aggressive prayer, when to use bold confrontation, clearing the way for revival, tools for warfare, and warfare fought together as a church.

In Overcoming the Adversary, Bubeck goes more in depth. The topics include: Satan is not invincible, the believer’s union with Christ, the Person and mighty power of the Holy Spirit, applying the armor of God, combining prayer with the armor, invincible prayer, and sure victory.

I have always known that spiritual warfare exists. These books helped me put it into perspective and helped me see where it fit in my life as a believer. These books are filled with useful and challenging information. Every theological point made has some kind of practical application. I recommend these books to adults. There are many points in these books that can be used to start younger believers in the right path but the books may be tough for them to read and comprehend.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret have been displaced from their home. The Late Mr. Dashwood left his house and legacy to his only son with the agreement that the young Mr. Dashwood would provide an adequate allowance for his female family members. Through the insisting of his wife Fanny, he decides to hold off on giving them any money but merely provides for their daily expenses as long as they reside at the house. After a short time, Mrs. Dashwood receives an invitation to a new residence for her and her daughters. She decides to take the offer since their happiness at Norland is rapidly deteriorating. Overall, the party is happy to settle elsewhere and begin a new chapter in life. What they do not know is that this chapter will bring many new challenges but just as many wonderful outcomes.

I loved reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed the heart-wrenching journey of Elinor and Marianne. A few themes seem similar to Pride and Prejudice: there are many silly girls; social ability does not always reveal character; and those who stand firm to their character will have happy endings. With quality writing and sound plot, this book is a must read.

The Bounty Trilogy by Charles Nordoff and James Norman Hall

A true story told through fictional characters recaptures the Bounty’s far from peaceful journey. Told in three books, the story is recounted from three different perspectives.

In the first book, Mutiny on the Bounty, the story is told by Roger Byam. Traveling to Tahiti to retrieve plants, the crew is often subjected to Captain Blight’s mistreatment and constant suspicion. The other officers are not excluded. Bligh continues to reduce rations as a few pounds of food disappears and protects the Mr. Samuel when he shorts the men’s rations. The first mate, Mr. Christian takes action when Captain Bligh’s abuse reaches a new high. Asleep during the start of the mutiny, Byam races up to the main deck and finds Captain Bligh is already being detained by the now mutinous crew. Christian’s plan is to hold Bligh and return to England and turn him in to the court. The crew, however, is so riled that they are not able to contain themselves and seek to kill him on the spot. To reach an agreement, Christian agrees to set Bligh and those loyal adrift. Byam goes below to get a few supplies since he intends to leave the ship with Captain Bligh. As the boat is filled with supplies and men, Byam misses his chance to leave. The rest of the Bounty’s crew begin a search for a place to settle. After several attempts, Christian leaves the innocent crew members and a few of the mutineers on Tahiti and sails away with the rest of the crew. Those left on Tahiti begin new lives and start families. Not too long after, the Pandora arrives and the Captain aboard is unwilling to listen to anyone on their innocence. On board, one of the crew set adrift with Captain Bligh identifies Byam as a mutineer. Byam is not alone in this and is sent into the brig with the rest of the English sailors from the Bounty. After some time, a new brig is constructed for them to be on deck. Time passes slowly for men who are condemned to death even before their trials. Their journey back to England is not an easy one and their reason for return is not hopeful.

The second book, Men Against the Sea, is told by Thomas Ledward, acting surgeon of the Bounty. He is one of the nineteen set adrift with Captain Bligh. Ledward admits that Bligh was not liked and mistreated the crew but also contrast it with the idea that only Bligh could bring them to safety. This book is the shortest of the three but is action-packed in their journey in a small boat across the ocean.

The third book, Pitcairn’s Island, is told by a third-person and ends with a narrative by Alex Smith. The crew finds an island that fits what they are looking for and begin to settle the island. Christian feels badly for leading the mutiny and does his best to start a good life for them all. Along with the native men and women from Tahiti that joined them, the crew works to set up their settlement in a way that they can defend and be aware of coming ships. Life on the island seems wonderful for quite some time until some of the crew feel that the Indian men should not have the benefits that the Englishmen have. The chaos that ensues continues for several years.

I enjoyed reading all three of these books. Written in old English dialect, these books can take some time to read. The negatives of these books are that alcohol is often used as entertainment and indulgent lives are allowed to prosper. The last part of Pitcairn’s Island somewhat redeems these with Christian ideals. Overall, these books are about men and women who are in difficult situations and they must make the best decisions they can. I think that students in high school or college would be able to understand these books and also be able to reason out the good and bad choices and understand that not all decisions in life are easy.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

In a world similar to ours, a young girl named Lyra is about to embark on the journey of her life. When a group of child kidnappers called “Gobblers” make their way around the country, the general population does not realize how truly evil the intentions of the group are. Lyra’s friend Roger is taken but she is not able to go after him for she is being removed from long-time home at a college. The Master of the college gives her a gift before she leaves: it’s a compass-like object that most people don’t know how to use and she is to keep it secret from the lady she is leaving with. She is entranced with the thrills that a rich life can bring but soon learns enough truth of the person she is staying with that she escapes and decides to search for Roger on her own. Along the way, she makes friends and allies and travels with a group called the “gyptians” who are also searching for the children in hopes of rescuing them. As she travels, she learns more of the history and reason for the current circumstances of the world. The question is, can she find out what the “good” is in this situation and can she stop the evil?

Pullman is a very gifted writer and the way he tells this story keeps you reading and wanting to know what is coming next. Overall, this book is another good vs. evil fantasy/science fiction book but there are at least three underlying problem. The golden compass or alethiometer works best when Lyra relaxes her mind and allows it to guide her thoughts and reveal answers to her questions. “Dust” is discussed often throughout the book but no strong conclusions are drawn until Lyra talks with a person who has studied it a long time. In explaining it, the person uses passages from the Bible but the verses used have been altered to fit the story. Also, each human has a daemon, or a part of their soul that takes a visible form outside their bodies that they often look to for comfort and support. While God is mentioned, the people look to their daemons or other sources for truth.

I know there are schools who have this as part of their required reading. My advice to parents would be to read the book with them. Also, bringing out the good and noble parts of this book does offset the dark undertones. Lyra and her companions exhibit loyalty, friendship, courage, self-less and sacrificing acts, and they are constantly trying to find the truth and restore good to their world. This may be a good book for older students in later middle school and high school to learn about discerning good and evil in confusing situations. It may be a difficult book for those who see all too clearly the constant fight between good and evil in our own world.

Timeline by Michael Crichton

Time travel has always been of interest to various groups of people. While making other discoveries, leads were produced that made multi-universe travel possible. While not exactly time travel, there were new opportunities to visit past times and places. A leading scientist, under the umbrella of his corporation followed, the leads and procured a way to make it all possible. Working with archaeologists, he hoped to make discoveries of the past. When some findings of the site not yet found were leaked to the archaeologists, the professor headed to headquarters to sort out the truth. After lack of communication from him and some curious out of context findings, his assistants in the dig agreed to risk their own lives to recover him from a multi-universe that the corporation had previously been exploring. They were about to get an up-close look at the world they had been uncovering.

This book was made into a movie of the same title but they hardly mirror each other. The basic story line is the same but there are so many differences that it changes the story. While the movie is an action movie, there is much more action in the book. There is also more science and history information in the book. I enjoyed both but it is a little difficult to look at them as the same story.

I enjoyed this book and the scientist vs. historian approach to looking at the world. It is also a good example of scientific discovery that never asked, “Should we?” and left it at, “Can we?” While the discussion is resolved on that topic, there was a lot of damage control that had to be done. There is some foul language and sexual overtones but I think that the point made, along with the exciting action, more than makes up for it.

Everything's Eventual by Stephen King

Dinky is a young man with a rare talent; one that only three thousand people on earth can claim: he can kill people and animals with drawings. Whether using chalk on a sidewalk or sending the drawings through email, the images come to Dinky from a place he discovered as a child. After being recruited by a secret organization, his life seems to be pretty easy. One look at a newspaper turns it all upside down and he suddenly isn’t sure that that is the life he wants.

In this short book, Stephen King brings up the topics of killing for the greater good and anonymous killing. The story presents these topics in an interesting way and shows how taking part in these can impact a person’s innerself. There is quite a bit of foul language and sexual comments. This book should be read by adults who feel they can bypass the language and sexual statements. Overall, the thoughts on these topics is interesting.

Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul

Divided into different subject sections, the stories of these women, their servicemen, and their families bring to life the heart of the military family world. The stories of these young brides, widows, and retired military wives bring hope to those still serving their spouse and the surrounding spouses. Words of wisdom can be gleaned and brought to life everyday. From learning patience before a reunion to finding hope when their spouse will not return, these wives tell their stories and bring a sense of purpose, honor, and pride in being a military wife!

This book has impacted my life and challenged me to continue to grow as an Army wife. In a lifestyle where death takes those around us before they are old, we learn to be strong and carry on whatever mission our life has for us. While I will never hold a gun or physically fight for my country, my dedication to my husband and support for his mission will help bring hope to people who are free and to those who will someday be free!