Michael Crichton, Pirate Latitudes

Pirate Latitudes is a fun little tale, but not Crichton's best. The writing is vintage Crichton, with fun locales and cinematic action. The characters are a little flatter than usual, but overall it is certainly readable, even enjoyable. But don't expect too much. It lack's Crichton's trademark twist of innovative or imaginative science that usually brings his books to life. But there's no doubt he had a writer's touch, even with this different genre.

Andy Andrews, The Boy Who Changes the World

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.

In The Boy Who Changes the World, Andy Andrews tells the stories of four boys, whose lives touched one another, and who each made a difference in the life of another, bringing about meaningful change in the world (in the end, Norman Borlaug creates superplants that helps feed billions of people; that's a pretty big change). Each little story encourages kids to realize that the choices they make matter, and even though their choices may seem small, they can have a great impact. He calls this the butterfly effect. The book is well written, the illustrations are both fun and beautiful, and the message is a great one for kids to hear. I look forward to reading this book over and over with my own boys, in hopes that each of them can be the boy who changes the world.

Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.

I loved this book! And I hope you read it. That's the only way I can start this review. Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, has written a powerful apologetic for that important Christian ministry, but more than that, he has challenged evangelicalism to espouse a fully orbed gospel of the kingdom.

The book is part testimony and autobiography, with Stearns recounting his own journey from new Christian to successful corporate executive to president of World Vision. And it is a great story, easy to relate to, and well told. I found it easy to relate to Stearns' journey, his excitement for the gospel but also his reluctance to step out of his comfort zone into new territories. His story is written with obvious honesty and candor, and I thin it lays important groundwork for and integrates well with the book's overall message about broadening the way we understand the gospel and our role to spread the gospel to the world.

The core vision of the book is about getting beyond a traditional view of the gospel as an "otherworldly" message of hope for the hereafter to a Jesus-centered kingdom vision about changed lives, spiritually and physically. We are called not only to preach but to also embody the gospel. "This gospel that we have been given—the whole gospel—is God's vision for a new way of living. It inaugurates the reality of God dwelling within us, His followers, no longer in a temple in Jerusalem. . . . God's kingdom was going to begin on earth through the changed lives of His followers, and its hall markes would be forgiveness, love, compassion, justice, and mercy" (276).

Stearns is well aware of the dangers of preaching a "works" righteousness, and he addresses that concern a couple of times in his writing. He is also aware that some may want to read his message as a call away from traditional evangelistic preaching to a social gospel, a charge he anticipates and subverts a number of times as well. In all, I think Stearns has done the church a great service in writing this call to follow Jesus in his kingdom ministry. For if God truly loves the world, aren't we going to do everything in our power to overcome disparity, disease, poverty, and oppression as we do everything we can to overcome spiritual blindness, poverty, and oppression. And, in fact, the two can't and shouldn't be separated. For each side of the gospel fits with the other: a preaching without works of love is only words, and a life of compassionate action is one of the best apologias for the gospel we preach. Highly recommended.

Phillip Margolin, Lost Lake

In this mystery thriller, a young Portland attorney finds herself in the middle of a strange case after a man she had recently befriended violently attacks two men at her son's little league game. He claims he is part of a super-secret government group called the Unit. As events unfold, it turns out Morelli, is really Carl Rice, and he is wanted in connection with a number of brutal murders. But he tells a different tale, of killings that were part of his work with the unit. Margolin's book turns out to be a fun interweaving of plot lines, and he even makes what could be a rather tired plot about a supersecret government agency work, as doubt is case right up to the end about who is really telling the truth, and whether Morelli is really a secret government agent or just a delusional and psychopathic killer.

Frederick Forsyth, The Fourth Protocol

A classic cold-war espionage tale. Very much in the mold of Tom Clancy, this great spy tale by Frederick Forsyth certainly belongs in the same class as Clancy's best. It is an entertaining tale of nuclear threats, a terrorist plot engineered by a faction in the Soviet government, and some great police work by an enterprising British agent who finds himself up against an unknown foe in a game with high stakes. This book is a great read, with a good plot and solid characters. Well done.

Stephen Lawhead, Patrick

In this work of imaginative historical fiction, Lawhead follows the exploits and exploitation of a young saint Patrick. This story, set mostly in Britain and Ireland, along with Gaul, Germania, and Rome, is an expansive and well-told tale. Lawhead does a great job of recreating the medieval world. And likewise the story of Patrick is a compelling one, as he emerges from a life of privilege and embarks on a journey of self-discovery, a journey which he sets upon unwillingly, as a captured slave at the hands of Irish raiders.

Patrick is my first Stephen Lawhead book, but it won't be my last. His writing is thoughtful, as well as entertaining. His characters are authentic, and they wrestle with real and timeless issues in a genuine way. And there is an epic feel to his writing, with the great places and characters that are encountered along the way. I found this book to be readable and interesting, as well as thought-provoking.

Max Lucado, Outlive Your Life

Though it's not my usual academic fare, I offer below a review I just finished for Max Lucado's newest book. In brief, great book. Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.


Outlive Your Life is a compelling call to shake our complacency and rediscover our world through God's eyes. In these fifteen lessons shaped by the book of Acts, Max Lucado challenges his readers to look at their lives, their surroundings, and especially the people who surround them with a fresh and God-shaped perspective. Taking a cue from the way the gospel revolutionized the disciples and their ministry, even in uncomfortable and counter-cultural or even counter-intuitive ways, we too are to take up the kingdom life.


With his characteristic talent for pastoral insight, but in a way that surpasses other books of his that I have read, Lucado makes a clear and impassioned plea for so much more than cultural Christianity. He thinks of our complacent life like living in a clamshell: "Most of us have learned to insulate ourselves against the hurt of the hurting. Haven't we?" (23) Instead, God calls us "to unshell [ourselves] and partner with [Him] in [His] mission of love" (29). And that is what this book is all about, a new perspective, that looks beyond ourselves and our own interests to the interests of others, to the very interests of God. One great but uncomfortable point that typifies his challenge to readers is his assertion that "Poverty is not the lack of charity but the lack of justice" (106). We can't truly be Christ-followers and live life blind to those around us, blind to suffering, indifferent to injustice. Instead, we need to "outlive our lives," with a broader view and a renewed call to action.


I am happy to pass along that I enjoyed this book. It makes a great point (similar to Richard Stearns' The Hole in Our Gospel), is easily readable, and contains some great stories and illustrations for his points. And it serves as a clarion call to a broader vision, renewed commitment to prayer, and imperative for action. I hope this is his most-read book ever.

M. Daniel Carroll R., Christians at the Border

Christians at the Border is a thorough and timely study of the issue of immigration in America. Written by an Old Testament scholar who is a Guatemalan-American, and who lives and teaches on both sides of our Southern border, the perspectives Carroll R. brings are essential. He carefully looks at the situation today, showing the great complexity which must be comprehended as we look at immigration (including things like where people come from and why the come, the economic pressures on both sides of the borders, and the broader history of immigration in America). He then looks back into the Old and New Testaments to see how their witness can be brought to bear. In both of these areas, carefully looking at today's context and exploring the biblical context and teaching, the book shines.

The fundamental insight that Carroll R. uses to reframe the debate, and one that I think is essential as we move forward, is to recognize that the debate today must be shifted from one about "immigration" as a concept to a debate and discussion about immigrants, human beings made in God's image who deserve our respect, care, and concern. Especially as Christians, we must come to grips with the sojourners among us (who are often, incidentally, fellow Christians), and must seek both temporary and long-term solutions that create and maintain justice as well as express and embody our identity as God's agents on earth.

The discussion in America today about immigration is a great opportunity for the body of Christ to exemplify what it means to love God and neighbor. There is no doubt that we must get beyond entrenched political positions and party alignments, as well as beyond oversimplifications and false dichotomies and seek new ways of of living and acting as Christians in the world. As Carrol R. concludes, "The decisions that are made and courses of action that are recommended [in a Christian approach to immigration] should be commensurate with the life of Jesus—his actions, his teaching, his cross."

I highly and unreservedly recommend this book. It is very readable, just as it is also thorough and careful. First-hand experience is melded nicely with research, and careful biblical reasoning is brought to bear with wisdom on a divisive issue with an always irenic yet prophetic tone. Read this book and be challenged!