The Scribe's Portion

  "50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders  Every Christian Should Know" by Dean Merrill Having grown up in the Pentecostal church and listening to some of these men and women of God, I was looking forward to reading this new book in the "...Every Christian Should Know" series. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this one. I read 1 volume in this series (50 People Every Christian Should Know) and it was excellent, they chose great examples of Christians to profile; the author did an amazing job with the biographies.  Some of the people they chose to feature on this one have questionable teachings and beliefs. Kathyrn Kuhlman had ties with the Vatican and she married a divorced man. Kenneth Hagin is a heretic, preacher of the word of faith movement. Orals Roberts, Pat Robertson, and Mike Bickle are others that I wouldn't include in this book. These should be replaced with much better examples like Chuck Smith and Yiye Avila (who outside of  Latin America is vir...

  "When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days On The Frontlines With Persecuted Christians" by Todd Nettleton Todd Nettleton has worked for VOM for 30 years. During his time with VOM he has traveled around the globe where he has met hundreds of persecuted Christians. In "When Faith is Forbidden" he shares some of those experiences and the stories of our persecuted brothers and sisters. Written in the form of a devotional, the reader is challenged to pray for the persecuted church and is a very humbling read if I'm honest. I found myself questioning my liberty taken for granted and my relatively easy life compared to these Christians who cannot practice their faith freely.  As with any publication from VOM, this book is amazingly well done. The format of this devotional is unique. Each entry shares a real-life story of a Christian followed by a few sentences for reflection, a prayer, space to jot down your thoughts, and a snippet from Todd's journal.  Read this book to...

  "Candor: The Secret to Succeeding at Tough Conversations" by Charles Causey This book couldn't have come at a better time for me. For the past year or 2, I've been trying to better myself in speaking frankly without fear but with love. Because of my tendency to be shy and struggle with social anxiety, I'm a natural people pleaser and I hate it. I'm candid only with those closest to me but not with people outside, fearing that they may think the worst of me. "Candor" written by Colonel Charles Causey, military chaplain for many years, talks about the importance and necessity of being honest at all times. Through real-life stories, both personal and from family and friends, graphics, examples, and experience, Causey explains how Candor affects us and those around us. Each chapter talks about Candor in real places; at work, at home(family), friends, with ourselves, and difficult people. Causey uses what he calls "the four keys" to define can...