Simple faith proclamations for devout Christians.
A debut guide offers a foundational call for Christians to revitalize their faith.
The “Greatest Commandment” referred to in the subtitle of LaFountain’s book is found, among other places, in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” As the author points out, “Getting a rhythm where all three of these are working together can be hard,” and the bulk of her work is dedicated to helping clarify and lighten that difficulty. One easy-to-remember tactic is something LaFountain abbreviates as “PACT”—prayer, accountability, confession, and time, each element of which is carefully expounded, always firmly grounded in Scripture. One of her goals is to reacquaint her fellow Christians (obviously her target audience) with the sheer wonder that’s at the heart of their religion, the boundless love of God that’s available to them through faith and prayer. “He has SO much love to give; limitless, unconditional, passionate, thoughtful, everlasting, protective, self-sacrificing, Holy love,” she writes. “Our joy is complete only when we are fully in love with God.” These essentials are only achieved against what the author views as some formidable inherent obstacles. It’s human nature that inclines the faithful to go against God, she asserts—it’s the result of living in a fallen world. And a pernicious part of this nature manifests in what LaFountain refers to as “Vampire Christians,” the pseudo-faithful who suck the blood out of their version of Jesus for their own self-serving benefit. In a series of forthright, strongly worded chapters, the author alternates between singing the praises of the Trinity and urging her readers to do likewise for their own spiritual salvations. She clearly tells her audience that people can understand the observable world readily enough without the Holy Spirit, but only faith will enable them to see the invisible world. LaFountain’s ecstatic conviction will remind her more fundamentalist readers of the passionate sermons of their childhoods.
Simple faith proclamations for devout Christians.Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-66-421602-0
Page Count: 174
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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