k-lai.com: Category Books

Love And Respect

K-Lai — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:03:00 -0700

Disclosure: This review is sponsored by Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Bloggers program. I disclose that this book was given to me free of charge in exchange for a review. There is no content in this review that was required by Thomas Nelson for me to include.

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs’ bestselling book, Love And Respect, addresses the age-old struggle that men and women have in marriage relationships. He uses personal anecdotes and testimonies to illustrate his theory of how men and women ought to treat each other – “wives, respect your husbands,” and “husbands, love your wives.” Eggerichs theorizes that wives respond to gestures of love, whereas men respond to gestures of respect. Eggerichs uses two “cycles” to describe this relationship. When a wife does not respect her husband, it’s more difficult for the husband to show her love, which makes her disrespect him more, and vice versa. Eggerichs argues that in order to break this “crazy cycle”, someone needs to take the initiative to start loving or start respecting.

I enjoyed reading this book – I had read it as a single man, and now that I’m in a dating relationship I’m finding that this concept is good to keep in mind. Far from being a “self-help” book, Love And Respect tries to emphasize the importance of placing God as the center of a marriage, and that the way husbands and wives relate to each other is supposed to mirror the relationship we have with God. An easy read, written with good humor and wise counsel, I highly recommend this book to anyone currently in a romantic relationship or anticipate being in one in the future.

Stars: 5/5

Rick And Bubba's Guide To The Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

K-Lai — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:26:00 -0700

On a whim, I decided to accept Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger book Rick And Bubba’s Guide To The Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage. I was unprepared for the wit and clever humor that leaped from the pages. Tongue-in-cheek in places and sarcastically exaggerated in others, authors and radio personalities Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey share wisdom and anecdotes from their marriages that hopefully bring a little perspective to the ongoing struggle between husbands and wives since the Fall. It is an enjoyable and quick read, definitely something worth sharing with your significant other, as you laugh together and hopefully discuss some of the themes that these two men raise.

Stars: 4+/5

Kiss

K-Lai — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:43:00 -0700

Kiss, by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy, is a terrific novel that tells the story of Shauna, a politician’s daughter who finds herself caught in a life-threatening drama when she wakes up from a coma with selective amnesia. In her desperation to regain her lost memories, she begins to discover that those memories may not only be unpleasant for her to remember, but that some people would take drastic measures to keep her from remembering. Filled with a suspenseful plot, signature Dekker twists, and vivid imagery, Kiss is guaranteed to keep you ensnared from cover to cover, then leaving you in awe as the book’s deeper themes begin to sink in.

I have been a fan of Mr. Dekker’s books for quite some time now, and Kiss definitely lives up to its billing. While his most recent novels have been quite excellent, Kiss quickly distinguished itself as one of his best. Ms. Healy’s contribution to the work enriched the entire story, and it’s clear to me that as much as Kiss fully belongs to Dekker, it belongs just as fully to Erin Healy. Personally, I felt that the character development was richer in this novel as compared to many of Dekker’s more recent works, which made the character’s discussions even more poignant. The theme of how we deal with our past is one that I believe we all struggle with, and through the story of Shauna McAllister, I feel that Dekker and Healy have brought illumination and encouraging perspective. I look forward to many more future Dekker/Healy collaborations, beginning with Burn (in 2010)!

Rating: 5/5

House Of Dark Shadows

K-Lai — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800

House Of Dark Shadows, by Robert Liparulo, is the first book in a new series about the King family, who moved into an abandoned house that carries more history than they realize. As 15-year old Xander and his brother David and sister Toria discover, there is more to this house than they ever thought possible, taking them on a frightening quest that draws them ever deeper.

Liparulo writes with great imagery and detail, while taking the reader on a fast-paced adventure. The ride doesn’t stop until the end, leaving us to eagerly await the next chapter of this series. I have not read many young adult novels, but this book had me hooked with every twist and peril. The ease of reading it facilitated the flow of the story. Now that I have read House Of Dark Shadows I will definitely have to check out more of Liparulo’s works.

Stars: 4+ out of 5

The Martyr's Song

K-Lai — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 07:50:00 -0700

I got this new book by Ted Dekker on Thursday. It’s a fantastic book that addresses the world that lies beyond this world. So often we think of our life as limited to what we can see and feel, hear, taste, and touch. But if we would simply take the time to peer into this greater reality, we could live our lives here with greater enjoyment and fullness.

The book asks the question, “What would you die for?” It’s the question demanded of all martyrs for our faith. Most of us don’t understand how these courageous men and women stand firm and refuse to renounce their faith in the face of persecution and death. Ted Dekker tries to show a glimpse of the grace that our Father gives martyrs. Dekker akins this grace to a glimpse of heaven, where even the most excruciating pain in this world is nothing compared to the surpassing joy experienced there. It is like Stephen’s vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of the throne of God, honoring his testimony. The joy of heaven is far greater than anything we experience here.

In addition to the vision of pure joy that gives strength to these people willing to die for love, Dekker tells of a song, sung by the Father to us, that stirs a longing for heaven. This song, captured and recorded by Todd Agnew, is included with the book. I nearly wept when I heard the song for the first time. The lyrics tell of the Father’s waiting and longing for us to “come home.” Lines like, “I’m waiting to dance with you in fields full of colors you’ve never seen,” and “I’m waiting for the day when at last I’ll get to say, ‘My child, you are finally home.’” make me realize that my longing for my true home is not nearly as strong as the Father’s heart for us to return to Him.

The chorus to this song is fantastic as well. It stirs a passion to sing and dance and cry out even now, before we go home. Here it is:

Sing, oh son of Zion
Shout, oh child of Mine
Rejoice with all your heart and soul and mind
Sing, oh daughter of Zion
Cry out, oh child of Mine
Dance with all the strength that you can find
For you are finally home

Just think, if the Father is singing this to us, welcoming us to His home once again, how much is He pursuing us even now, drawing us to His side? It’s a fantastic thought, one that words cannot describe.

May we long for our eternal home in every moment and respond accordingly to the Father’s pursuit of us.