Clone-27 by Robert Houser

I have never read anything by this author before but the whole subject matter of cloning interests me. It wasn't the best written book but I was interested enough to find out what happened to keep reading. Basically, a surgeon who is teaching medical students finds that one of the cadavers they are using has the wrong cause of death listed on their file. In the process of investigating how this happened, he discovers a company who is cloning people.

He finds his life in danger in the process so there is some suspense involved as the book progresses.

Authentic Faith by Gary Thomas

Authentic Faith: The Power of a Fire-Tested Life by Gary L. Thomas


My rating: 4 of 5 stars





"...the fear of the Lord involves a moral understanding, a trust in God's commands and goodness, a willingness to accept his higher understanding, and a corresponding surrender to his will. It is underscored by a genuine love and affection, tempered by awe and reverence."

"How we define faith, and what we expect from it, will lead either to a hope that is based in eternity or to a disillusionment that is based on ever-changing earthly circumstances. Disillusionment is born when we expect this world to be like the next, or when we try to live in this world without regard for the next."

I've enjoyed the books I've read by Gary Thomas - Sacred Marriage, Sacred Pathways and now Authentic Faith.

Moonwar by Ben Bova

I've enjoyed getting back into sci-fi reading. Moonwar is the sequel to Moonrise. Moonbase is under siege by Earth for having nanotechnology which has now been outlawed on Earth. Doug Stavenger, the leader of Moonbase, fights for Moonbase's independence as they need nanotechnology to survive. He himself has nanobugs inside him.
Pretty interesting read. I like Bova's books.

The Second Opinion and Second Chance

The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer was read for the Medical Mystery Madness challenge as well as Palmer being one of my favorite authors.

This follows the story of an adult physician with Asperger's Syndrome whose father is in a coma. Things begin to point to the accident causing her father's coma to having not been an accident but a deliberate attempt on her father's life. She begins to investigate what could be the cause of the attempt on her father's life.

Second Chance by Jane Green was read for the Chick Lit Challenge.

After the accident of one of their friends from high school, the remainder of the group reconnects with each other and become a support system for each other as they move through their grief over the death of their friend. Various things happen to cause some major life changes. Yet the loss of one of their friends has brought them all back together again and they are able to help each other through some different struggles.

Lent and Focusing on Christ's Sacrifice for Me

I'm not a Catholic but I do like the idea of Lent and giving something up to help focus more on Christ during the weeks leading up to Easter. As Christ sacrificed His life for me, why can't I sacrifice some small part of my life to help me remember how much He has given for me? I want the giving up to be meaningful and I want it to remind me the purpose behind Easter and what it represents for me.
But I also don't want it to turn into something legalistic or feel like I'm a bad person if I don't measure up or if I fail. There's a balance in something like this. Motive means a lot.
I have a lot going on in my life right now. There are certain things that provide comfort and relaxation for me. Things that I lean on to help me get through stress and rough days. Can I let go of some of these and learn instead to rely on God for the strength I need to make it through?
I'm challenging myself to give up my weekly Starbucks drink during Lent. I want to remind myself of all that Christ sacrificed for me as I sacrifice this treat that I look forward to each week. I also want to take the money that I would have spent each week and put it towards a need in my community. I already have an idea in mind to give the money to, but am waiting to see how this pans out.

Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight by Karen Scalf Linamen

Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight: Fifty-Two Amazing Ways to Master the Art of Personal Change by Karen Scalf Linamen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars





This was an uplifting, positive book about making changes in your life. Even small changes can be an impetus to making bigger change and progress toward a better life. Throughout the book are various tips, for 52 total, on ways to make small changes that lead to bigger changes.

Uncompromised Faith by S. Michael Craven

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The church in America is in crisis, and this crisis cannot be dismissed or simply explained away under some end-times rationale. This crisis is quite clearly the natural consequence of biblical illiteracy, theological ignorance, doctrinal apathy, and our subsequent conformity to the spirit of this age."

This was a great book about the cultural crisis going on in American Christianity. We are not impacting our world as we should. We are becoming too much like the culture around us.

"God may be ignored in the secular culture, but He is largely irrelevant among too many in the so-called Christian culture."

"Our reliance on the tools and resources of modernity can and often does encourage and maintain our dependence upon the things of this world, those things we have trusted in all along."