An earnest but uneven Christian manual on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
A Christian guide urges readers to make changes and embrace their dreams.
Odutola starts off her slim nonfiction debut with a controversial, overly optimistic statement. The first sentence of the book’s introduction is: “If you change things in the realm of the spirit, nothing will stop them from being changed here on the earth, because the spiritual controls the physical.” The author insists that a pure faith in Jesus will allow a person to live “a life of peace with prosperity, perfect health and strength, being fruitful and productive in every endeavour.” Time and again, she insists she’s speaking literally rather than metaphorically about the joys of spirituality. Early on, she tells her readers that if Jesus lives in you through the Holy Spirit, you can “be anything you want to be and can change any circumstance you face to your favour.” The only reason this might not be true is if the faithful haven’t “put the word of God to work in their lives.” Odutola also issues some clear warnings to readers embarking on new paths: “While living in your change, it is important that you must not go back to the old life that put you in the previous mess. You must consciously change the books you were reading previously that made you think negatively, the news you listened to constantly that told nothing but fears and pessimism, you must change the friends you once kept who made you do things that were wrong (1Corinthians 15:33), and of course you must consistently renew your mind with God’s word.” Fortunately for the audience, the book sometimes presents more expansive readings of Christian Scripture. The author can often be encouraging, as when she reminds her readers that “when you give up in life because of a certain challenge you are faced with, you will never reach the full potentials of what God has in store for you.” But while she peppers the text with warm reassurances and comforting advice, she also delivers sentiments like “only the lazy hands make for poverty.” The result is an opinionated Christian-inspiration handbook that some readers may find divisive.
An earnest but uneven Christian manual on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72837-146-7
Page Count: 118
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.
A noted actor turns to verse: “Poems are a Saturday in the middle of the week.”
McConaughey, author of the gracefully written memoir Greenlights, has been writing poems since his teens, closing with one “written in an Australian bathtub” that reads just as a poem by an 18-year-old (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all-we-can-eat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental; only when he writes of life-changing events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job.
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781984862105
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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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