Distant Thunder by Jimmy Root Jr

Amazon Link for Distant Thunder

Book Description:

The prophet Ezekiel was never taken seriously when he predicted the destruction of Israel s enemies; unfortunately for them, he was right. The truth of Ezekiel s words will be felt by the entire modern-day world, and it seems chaos will reign supreme. In the midst of the ensuing mayhem, Pastor Ty Dempsey arises as the man who is able to connect modern-day occurrences to the teaching of old. Meanwhile, Israeli pilot Moshe Eldan starts to see the truth of the prophecies in his daily dealing with terrorists. Dempsey and Eldan soon realize that they are part of a bigger plan; however, they are not alone. This thriller provides an answer to an age-old question: What would happen if the entire world turned on Israel? This thriller provides the answer in a fast-paced read, filled with all the action and adventure that usually accompanies the end of the world.

My Review:
It is always interesting to read books that compare prophecy of the Bible with current events. I liked the layout of the book with the change of locations, and I especially like the characters of Moshe and Tasha. I would have had liked more development of the complex conversion from Judaism to Christianity by these characters. The relationship between the husband and wife was touching.

Unfortunately, there were several things that were distracting to me. I knew right away that the book was written by a pastor because of the storyline of the challenging church member and the poor attacked pastor who can do no wrong. It is one that shows up in many fiction books written by pastors. Also distracting are a few scenes of emotionalism that are exhibited in the Charismatic movement.

Aside from these things, Distant Thunder is still well-written story and a good start to a series of prophecy thrillers. With the changes in our world today and the constant threat of terrorism, we can not ignore the comparisons.

The Everyday Promise Bible By Phil A Smouse*****

Amazon link for My Everyday Promise Bible


The Everyday Promise Bible is a full year of daily devotionals for children. Each day contains a Bible verse which is paraphrased by the author so that the child can fully understand God’s promises for that day. Along with the Bible verse is a short paragraph of instruction and uplifting direction. Everyday Promise Bible is perfect for reading to a small child or for a young reader to read aloud. Both will find a perfect devotional for the day. The devotions cover a variety of subjects from salvation to behaviors, and the art work in the book is beautiful, colorful and soft. The text is spaced well and readable. I would recommend this book for children, ages from babies to about 8 years old. Perfect for every home, it would also be a good addition for Church nurseries, Sunday School Classes, day care or just a lovely gift.

In the Footsteps of Paul by Ken Duncan ***

In the Footsteps of Paul by Ken Duncan

3 stars

In the Footsteps of Paul is a lovely display book with luxurious paper featuring beautiful photographs of the locations where Paul lived and traveled. Some are quite emotional as the photograph of the pillar on which Paul was beheaded and the site believed to be part of Ananias’s house where Paul was taught.

While beautiful, the book is lacking in substance to enhance the importance of the places being photographed. Most pages have one photo per page with a location label and either a scripture or a paragraph about Paul’s ministry. There is no real depth to the book so it would not help much for study or even as a devotional.

Another problem I had was the print was difficult to read. The labels for the pictures are in very small print and the scriptures have oddly printed some of the words in a faint beige color. While beautiful to look at, it makes them difficult to read.

I was very disappointed in this book. It would have been more useful to have half as many pictures with more details of the historical significance of the sites.