Miranda A. Uyeh's Blog, page 10
May 26, 2019
Article ~ Healed To Serve By Miranda A. Uyeh
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“Now He [Jesus] arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s [Peter] house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He [Jesus] stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately, she arose and served them. ” (Emphasis and parenthesis mine) —Luke 4:38-39
Nobody is a hundred percent perfect.
Fact. Truth.
Not even those of us who have come face to face with grace. What we do is live by grace through faith and extend this grace to others.
God is constantly delivering us from something—on a spiritual level, emotional level or even physical. Some deliverances happen instantly. Others are a process whereby God gently (or even severely) and persuasively uncovers layer upon layer of issues that need to be confronted and dealt with at the right pace as they unfold.
Whatever God is healing in you, He doesn’t mean it to end with you. There is a hope from heaven that the point of pain in you becomes the outlet through which the many riches and treasures that God has put in you are released to those around you and beyond. God heals us with the same resurrecting power that He used to raise Jesus Christ from the dead—the same power that gives Life and is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ (See Ephesians 1:18-20; Romans 1:16). When we are healed, our hearts and spirits become endowed with this power, anointing us with the authority to minister to people with similar pain and struggles (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-7). And when our pain, gifts and talents are placed in God’s hands, people can receive miracles and healing through us.
There is a unique way that a person in pain can be reached by those who have passed through similar struggles and overcome—a way that others may not be able to reach them so readily. The point of pain then becomes the point where healing power flows into this other person—first, by giving them hope which delivers them from despair when they hear your story of triumph; secondly, by sparking faith, which enables them to believe in life, living and second chances again; and, finally, leading them in/toward love, which is imparted into them by God Himself, first for God, then for self (because you can’t give what you don’t have), and then for others—whom they will eventually reach out to in fellowship as well as minister to those in need. All of these inspire deeper hope, which keeps the cycle running.
If you’re someone in the process of healing or have already been healed, you’ve probably started hearing the voice of God in your heart asking you to shift from self-centeredness to “others-centeredness.” This is because every one of us who’s been healed has received the anointing to minster to someone. Even Jesus whose hands were pierced—His wounds, through the Life and Resurrecting power of God—have become the point and outlet through which life, healing and blessings flow to as many as are willing to come to Him to seek salvation and Truth. If you don’t know who you should minster to, but have constantly heard the call of God in your heart, pray and ask the Holy Spirit’s leading and discernment. At the right time (because there may be some things that the Holy Spirit may need to teach you first), He will lead you to the right person, because, we’ve all been healed to serve.
[image error]About The Editor
Miranda A. Uyeh is the founder and editor of To Be A Person (TBAP), the author of Christian Romance/Suspense fiction, To Die Once: Child of Grace #1, a Mogul Global Ambassador, and a screenwriter. She was a one-time shortlisted judge for the Inspy Awards, in 2014, in the Contemporary Romance & Romance/Suspense Category. In 2017, she was invited by actress, Jenn Gotzon to become one of contributing writers for the forthcoming and highly anticipated Christmas comedy movie, The Farmer and the Belle, due for release soon. In 2018, Miranda was invited by Waterbrook Multnomah to be one of book bloggers to be part of a special launch team that helps launch its elite authors whose books have been listed as bestsellers on the New York Times Lists.
To learn more about her book, To Die Once, and her journey as an author, you can follow her author website. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
*The article, Healed To Serve, first appeared on To Be A Person (TBAP).
May 21, 2019
Album Review ~ United By Newsboys
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Category
Religious/Gospel
Genre
Pop/Rock
Rating
5 Stars
Review
The album opens with the song, Greatness Of Our God, a song that joyfully shouts of God’s power and awesomeness, and the joy of having it all within and about us in full display and glory.
The combined force of Michael Tait and Peter Furler, the two frontmen, (coupled with features of Kevin Max and Doug Weier) is a dream come true for every longstanding Newsboys fan. The unity in song and heart paves a way for love that inspires on many fronts—worship, brotherhood, and life in general; a love that says that unity on any level inspired by the Light of God and blessed by Him in worship of Him, is possible.
This power-packed album is full of mesmerizing melody and lyrics—definitely shoulder-rolling, head-nodding, and feet-tapping, while being transported in soul and spirit to kneel before God’s Awesomeness in absolute surrender of tremendous joy that can only come from the deepest communion and fellowship from a genuine place of worship, manifested by shouts of praise, jumps amd leaps of joy, and humble hands lifted up.
The old poppish streak of Newsboys combined with their more recent rock style is a beautiful wonder to behold—an unforgettable experience. Faith, hope, trust, and love from hearts grateful to God (as mirrored by Beautiful Story, #7) is woven into the album’s story, so that overall, United is the masterpiece and crowning jewel that we’ve all been waiting for from Newsboys.
United is an album beautifully done and worth listening to. A dream come true for any Newsboys fan!
About Newsboys
One of Christian rock’s most enduring bands, Australia’s Newsboys first rose to popularity in the 1990s, becoming perennial chart-toppers with a global audience who followed them through three distinctive eras all led by different frontmen. After building their foundation with singer John James, they enjoyed a second decade of mainstream pop success in the 2000s behind Peter Furler, who was himself succeeded by another Christian legend in dc Talk’s Michael Tait in 2010. Along the way they experimented with various facets of rock, pop, and more straightforward worship music, notching various Grammy nominations, gold records, and over 30 number one singles. An expanded lineup eventually coalesced after Furler’s return, resulting in the Furler/Tait-fronted supergroup Newsboys United who issued a studio album in 2019.
Newsboys formed in the Queensland resort town of Mooloolaba in the late ’80s around a core membership of John James, Peter Furler, and Phil Joel. Though early in its career the band was panned for a perceived over-reliance on religious clichés in its lyrics, Newsboys later grasped secular music’s alternative revolution in the early ’90s for an image makeover, with good results. With James on lead vocals and a secure guitarist, Jody Davis, in place the group gained a string of number one singles on the Christian charts in the mid-’90s and received more coverage in secular media outlets than most CCM bands of their time. In 1998, after six albums withe band he helped found, James departed and Furler took over as frontman on Step Up to the Microphone, the group’s first album for major-label Virgin. The ’70s-inspired Love Liberty Disco appeared a year later. In celebration of the new millennium, Newsboys also observed their own career with the greatest-hits package Shine…The Hits, issued in fall 2000. Their most elaborate work to date, Thrive, was issued in spring 2002 and led to one of their biggest CCM hits ever, It Is You.
The band issued Adoration: The Worship Album in April 2003. The record included both originals and Newsboys versions of well-known worship songs. Guitarist Davis left Newsboys in late 2003 in order to care for his daughter, Bethany, and Bryan Olesen took his place for a little over a year. He left in 2004 to work on his own band, Casting Pearls, just after Newsboys released their second worship album, Devotion. Paul Coleman, an Aussie singer/songwriter, came aboard as the band’s new guitarist, and the next two years found the band touring the globe and working on the songs that would become its first pop album in four years, Go. That album, released in October 2006, was the first to be released on the band’s own Inpop Records and the last to feature founding member Joel, who left shortly afterward.
At the beginning of 2009, after a year of touring, Coleman left the band to go back to his solo career and Jody Davis returned. More shockingly perhaps, Furler announced soon afterwards that he was going to scale back his involvement in Newsboys, no longer touring with them but instead staying behind the scenes as a songwriter/vocalist. His replacement came from one of the other titans of Christian rock, namely Michael Tait of dc Talk. Before Tait took over entirely, the band released one last album with Furler as lead singer, In the Hands of God, in May of 2009. By September of that year Furler was gone and Tait took over vocals for the band’s next album, 2010’s Born Again, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The new-look Tait-led Newsboys returned in 2011 with the studio album, God’s Not Dead, and in 2013 they issued the well-received Restart, their 16th studio LP. Another worship album, the hymn-centric Hallelujah for the Cross arrived in 2013, followed in 2016 by Love Riot, which saw Newsboys heading back in a pop-oriented direction. A year later, both Furler and Joel joined up with the group for the lengthy Newsboys United retrospective tour. Parlaying the tour’s success into a new studio release, this expanded version of the band — billed as Newsboys United — issued the United LP in the spring of 2019. ~ John Bush
May 13, 2019
Article ~ In Pace With God By Miranda A. Uyeh
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“So it was always: the cloud covered it [tabernacle] by day, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the Children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents.
At the command of the Lord the Children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the Children of God kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey.
So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord, they would journey.
So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, then they would journey. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey.”—Numbers 9:16-22
God makes promises to each of us who have the heart to follow His will. But before promise is fulfilled, there must be preparation.
Preparation is not an easy journey. It’s in preparation that God smoothens out the rough edges that would otherwise hinder us in growth and preservation. Preparation equips us with everything we need to fulfill the work and destiny that God has planned for us.
The problem with this for some of us is that, at the onset, when God makes His promise, we tend to want to rush and speed things up. We want it fulfilled in our own time. But as time goes, and we begin to learn and gain wisdom, we realize that learning is a lifelong process. We stop asking, ‘How long will it take to get there?’ We start seeing, instead, how far we can possibly go, and also, how much we still have to learn.
With this new perspective on life, we may even fall into the worry that we have so much to learn that we may never make it to our destiny in time. Fear starts to seep in. This is where maintaining focus on Jesus is so important. The preparation season won’t last forever. There will come a day when we will step into promise. One has to make the decision to trust God no matter what and move at His pace and leading.
Trust God’s pace.
He didn’t only design your destiny, but also the pathway to it. Taking a look at the Scripture above, you’d notice that the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land, moved ONLY at God’s pace and leading. Some days, they lasted in a location two days, moving quite fast, while some other times, they lasted in a place for two months or more. God knew the times that they needed more rest, planning and refreshing for the journey ahead, and He also knew the times they needed to move quickly, whether by day or by night. In the end, when they got to the Promised Land after forty years, it wasn’t because of poor leadership or misdirection from God, but rather, disobedience. God had amply prepared them for war, but they chose fear and saw themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to their enemy, refusing to trust God’s word spoken over them.
Each one of us can choose not to make the same mistake. We can choose to trust God’s pace, whether it’s two days in one place or two weeks…months, years or even twenty. He is faithful and able, not only to prepare us to inherit His promises, but to get us there at the right time. Moving in pace with God is one of the best decisions you could ever make in your faith walk. It is a place of peace, trust, and rest. Selah
[image error]About the Editor
Miranda A. Uyeh is the founder and editor of To Be A Person (TBAP), the author of Christian Romance/Suspense fiction, To Die Once: Child of Grace #1, a Mogul Global Ambassador, and a screenwriter. She was a one-time shortlisted judge for the Inspy Awards, in 2014, in the Contemporary Romance & Romance/Suspense Category. In 2017, she was invited by actress, Jenn Gotzon to become one of contributing writers for the forthcoming and highly anticipated Christmas comedy movie, The Farmer and the Belle, due for release soon. In 2018, Miranda was invited by Waterbrook Multnomah to be one of book bloggers to be part of a special launch team that helps launch its elite authors whose books have been listed as bestsellers on the New York Times Lists.
To learn more about her book, To Die Once, and her journey as an author, you can follow her author website. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+.
*The article, In Pace With God, first appeared on To Be A Person (TBAP).
May 11, 2019
Album Review ~ Revival Rising By Open Heaven
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Category
Religious/Christian
Genre
Classic/Urban Pop
Rating
4 Stars
Review
Open Heaven’s Revival Rising vibes with the classic 70’s pop, and a bit of urban inserted here and there. The music is full of enthused singing and shouts of joy. The trumpeting gives off an aura of heavenly worship, as though painting a picture of things to come on the other side of glory.
Open Heaven through Revival Rising, aims to lead God’s children to worship joyfully in an old fashioned sort of way that not only feels familiar in the classic music manner, but opens a new door for worship by celebrating God in such a style.
In Revival Rising Open Heaven courageously claims the 70’s classic pop and offers it to God, as all genres should be—because ALL music was created by and belong to God. We should worship Him in all forms of it.
Revival Rising is a bold album with refreshing melody and joyful lyrics, done with heart.
*Though I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. A ‘thank you’ to DREAM Label Group/DREAM Worship for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
[image error]About Open Heaven & Revival Rising
Open Heaven’s latest project, Revival Rising, is an uplifting experience, brimming with hopeful expectancy. Featuring energetic pop-infused songs like One Promise and Walls Fall, as well as their driving anthems like Revival Rising and Breathe, Open Heaven’s new studio worship album is their most upbeat, daring project.
April 29, 2019
Album Review ~ Marble & Mortar Vol. 2 By 29:11 Worship
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Category
Religious/Christian
Genre
Contemporary Worship
Release Date
May 5, 2019.
Rating
4.5 Stars
Review
29:11 Worship’s Marble & Mortar Vol. 2 continues superbly, picking up where Vol. 1 left off (read the TBAP review of Vol. 1 here) by opening with the soft, slow and beautiful Messiah, a song that glorifies the work of Jesus on the Cross and adores Him for the life He earned for us. With its uplifting message and heart-shaking music, there couldn’t have been a better way to begin Vol. 2. In listening, the music induces an atmosphere where hope and mercy promised are not only felt in the air, but also descend into the deepest part of the soul. The rest of the volume follows in kind, producing an album-culture of complete surrender, heartfelt gratitude, and glorious praise of God for His mercy and magnificence—a true testimony of faith, hope, and love that promise to stand, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Marble & Mortar Vol. 2 uplifts the soul, glorifies the Son, displays the work of the Spirit, and attempts to mirror the Father’s heart of love. For an album that will softly and gently soothe the aching, hurting, and hungry heart—a soul therapy—29:11 Worship’s Marble & Mortar Vol. 1 & 2 are your trainride to such a place!
*Though I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. A ‘thank you’ to DREAM Label Group/DREAM Worship for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
[image error]About 29:11 Worship
29:11 Worship is a collective of singers, songwriters, musicians and worship leaders who desire to connect our community with the heart of God. Through authentic lyrics, creative melodies, and passionate expression, they seek to cultivate a worship experience that stirs both the heart and spirit of the listener. Having been birthed from a church plant, they faithfully serve their local community at 29:11 Church in Phoenix, Arizona.
April 24, 2019
Album Review ~ Death of Death by Life Church Worship
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About the Album
Following the success of their new Switch album, Symphony (read the TBAP review here), Life.Church will release a new album from Life.Church Worship on May 3. Death of Death is a powerful album with beautiful, hopeful lyrics. The title track celebrates how Jesus conquered death by dying on the cross and rising three days later. Life.Church is a multi-site church based in the U.S. and is known for creating the YouVersion Bible App, which has been downloaded in every country of the world.
Category
Religious/Christian
Genre
Contemporary Worship
Release Date
May 3, 2019.
Rating
4.5 Stars
Review
Life Church Worship’s Death of Death begins softly but confidently with a message of praise and hope for what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. The entire album is an anthemic worship that lifts up the Name of God for His amazing redemption of man and His unrelenting love and pursuit of us, never giving up on us until we arrive at the full image of Jesus—a display of Easter at its core!
Life Church’s Death of Death is a beautiful testimony of God’s goodness and great work of victory! The lyrics are powerful. The music is amazing. Not just the song by which the album is titled, but the album as a whole.
*Though I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. A ‘thank you’ to GM, Lance Brown, of DREAM Label Group/DREAM Worship for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
About Life Church Worship
Life.Church Worship is a ministry of Life.Church, a multi-site church meeting at 33 physical locations in 10 states and globally at Church Online. An extension of the church’s mission to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ, Life.Church Worship is passionate about creating music that encourages listeners to pursue a relationship with Jesus.
Life.Church Worship released its first album, Fully Devoted, in early 2016. Released for the church’s 20th anniversary, the songs in the full-length, live album captured the heart of the church, its mission, and its values. The album marked the group’s first appearances on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums and Top Heatseekers charts.
Life.Church Worship will release a new live album in September 2019. To learn more about Life.Church Worship, visit www.life.church/worship.
April 13, 2019
Book Review ~ Mercy By Eniola Prentice
Broken. Drowning. Desperate. Lost.
When the lives and hearts of four friends start to crumble, can God’s mercy reach them still?
In her second year of medical school, Fadesola (Sola) Cardoso faces an impossible choice: stay with her longtime boyfriend, the one who knows her darkest secrets and loves her anyway, or move forward with Ladi, the man who gives her hope for an unstained future. Even as she wrestles with her options, life as a medical student becomes increasingly difficult—full of endless exams, stressful social activities, and reminders of a past that continues to haunt her.
Ladi struggles with Sola’s divided loyalties while trying to maintain his perfect image as class president, promising student, and model Christian. But scandals inside and outside the lecture hall threaten to break apart the fragile peace once and for all between Ladi, Sola, and their friends Nikky and Tayo, who are fighting battles of their own.
In this epic second installment in Eniola Prentice’s new-adult Still series, the faith of these four medical students will be tested like never before. Discover their gritty troubles and grand triumphs as they navigate friendships, revelations, romance, and career goals in light of the redemptive power of the cross.
Purchase on Amazon | Add to Goodreads
Category
Christian/Fiction/New Adult
Genre
General/Romance/Medical
Rating
4 Stars
Review
An interesting story of four students who have to deal with the merciless demands of medical school as well as the harshness of life that has showed up in their personal lives. Each is relentlessly pursued by the unyielding love of God that is first poured out to each individual in the secret quiet place, and then this Love teaches them to not only love and forgive, but to offer grace to the extent that another needs it. Though tough, their meandering journey is not without its joyful, quirky, and humorous moments—spots of flavor that add beautifully to the complexity of the plot—leading each individual ultimately to the place of triumph and victory as they experience mercy at its finest, and thereby, the see face of God.
Prentice has undoubtedly done a fine job with this one; the second installment in the Still series is a work of Art and Heart, worthy of impeccable applause.
*Though I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. A ‘thank you’ to the author, Eniola Prentice, and Editor/Publicist, Amber C. Holcomb of SeasonsOfHumility, for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
**Read Eniola Prentice’s most recent and exclusive interview on TBAP.
[image error]About the Author
My journey as a writer began with an idea—an idea that blossomed into a vision for the Still series. I became fully committed to Christ around 2008 when I began medical school. Shortly after, the idea for the Still series was birthed. My time in medical school was one of the more formative seasons of my life. I made lifelong friendships and, most of all, my journey with Christ really began. Although there were challenging times, I would without a doubt relive the experience in a heartbeat!
I published Still (book 1 in the series) right before residency, and now—five years later—the next book in the series has been published. In the time in between, I was the prodigal daughter and walked away from my Father. Everything on the surface looked good, but my heart was far away from Him. His love never left me, though, and He welcomed me home when I came back to Him. I went through painful processes, but they changed me and made me a better person. The girl who wrote Still is not the woman who wrote Mercy.
I am passionate about sowing godly seeds into the hearts of young women. I know how it is to be brokenhearted and believe the lies of the devil because his version of events is all you’re told. I know how it is to truly believe that you are not loved by God because of the events of life.
My hope is that, through my writing, you’ll come to know that God truly loves you and cares about you affectionately. He is close to your broken heart and binds up every wound.
I guess the author bio should be about milestones and, like the quintessential dramatic Nigerian aunty, I have missed the mark. I am a Nigerian-born, American-educated physician who lives in Maryland—but I believe I am more than well-constructed bullet points. I am a child of God through the ups and downs of life, and that will remain constant.
Find Eniola Prentice
Website | Amazon | Instagram | Facebook| Twitter | Goodreads
April 12, 2019
Author Scoop ~ Interview With Eniola Prentice
It’s my pleasure to present author, Eniola Prentice’s new book on TBAP today! I first discovered Eniola when she emailed me a few years ago about her new book then, Still, and ever since, she has remained on my heart. Mercy, the second book in the Still series, promises to be a delightful read and thrilling journey. Eniola took the time to tell us a bit about her journey in life and in writing the series. Take a look!
Miranda ~ Hello Eniola! Delighted to have you visit TBAP today! Please tell us a bit about yourself that we don’t already know.
Eniola: I am Edo and Yoruba, two different tribes from Nigeria. I am a recovering reality TV addict. I say “recovering” because I cannot resist watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Miranda ~ Describe the moment that led you to make Jesus your personal Lord and Savior.
Eniola: There wasn’t an exact moment. It was a gradual process of God drawing me closer. When I started medical school, I had a lot of questions for God and about God. Gradually, some of those questions were answered, while others remain unanswered. I’ve learnt/keep learning to trust Him, even with the unanswered questions. I remember reading a book written by Kenneth Hagin around that time and thinking that he seemed so sure of his belief in God. I decided to follow Christ due to the influence of that book. It hasn’t always been an easy journey, but following Christ is the only choice for me.
Miranda ~ What inspired you to start the Still series?
Eniola: I was influenced by the collective experiences of my classmates in medical school and an idea that started as a spark. In medical school, everyone had a story. I was intrigued by these stories and wanted to tell them. I liked the interplay of multiple characters within the backdrop of medical school. I also wanted to give readers a real sense of how it is to be part of this unique experience of medicine. More importantly, the core story of Still needs to be told. I hope God brings healing to hurting hearts through my novel.
Miranda ~ What authors have inspired you to write in the genre that you do—new and old?
Eniola: When I was younger, I was influenced by an eclectic group of writers including Enid Blyton, Francine Pascal and Ann Martin. Then later I was influenced by Francine Rivers, Marian Keyes and Nigerian authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Sefi Atta.
[image error]Miranda ~ In what way would you say you’ve grown as a person and as a writer since you released Still?
Eniola: I wrote in my bio that the girl who wrote Still is different from the woman who wrote Mercy. It’s been painful submitting to the pruning process of the Father. But I know He is producing new wine from me through the crushing process.
Thank you, Eniola, for visiting today!
[image error]About Eniola Prentice
My journey as a writer began with an idea—an idea that blossomed into a vision for the Still series. I became fully committed to Christ around 2008 when I began medical school. Shortly after, the idea for the Still series was birthed. My time in medical school was one of the more formative seasons of my life. I made lifelong friendships and, most of all, my journey with Christ really began. Although there were challenging times, I would without a doubt relive the experience in a heartbeat!
I published Still (book 1 in the series) right before residency, and now—five years later—the next book in the series has been published. In the time in between, I was the prodigal daughter and walked away from my Father. Everything on the surface looked good, but my heart was far away from Him. His love never left me, though, and He welcomed me home when I came back to Him. I went through painful processes, but they changed me and made me a better person. The girl who wrote Still is not the woman who wrote Mercy.
I am passionate about sowing godly seeds into the hearts of young women. I know how it is to be brokenhearted and believe the lies of the devil because his version of events is all you’re told. I know how it is to truly believe that you are not loved by God because of the events of life.
My hope is that, through my writing, you’ll come to know that God truly loves you and cares about you affectionately. He is close to your broken heart and binds up every wound.
I guess the author bio should be about milestones and, like the quintessential dramatic Nigerian aunty, I have missed the mark. I am a Nigerian-born, American-educated physician who lives in Maryland—but I believe I am more than well-constructed bullet points. I am a child of God through the ups and downs of life, and that will remain constant.
Find Eniola Prentice
Website | Amazon | Instagram | Facebook| Twitter | Goodreads
April 9, 2019
Book Review ~ Hearts Set Free By Jess Lederman
In 1930, the rag-tag riffraff stop called Las Vegas need a fighting man to shepherd their tiny church after their pastor is murdered. Might David Gold, a washed-up boxer and Bible-school dropout who fights as the Pummelin’ Preacher, be the answer to their prayers?
At the same time, Luke, a native Alaskan boy, is on quest to find his father, who has abandoned his family for a beautiful woman whom his mother vows to kill. Little do mother or son know that their journey will take them to a small town in Nevada where demons and angels walk among men.
In 2011, Science Cable TV producer Tim Faber is determined to prove that mankind has no need of God, while his lover, Joan Reed, strives to regain the faith of her youth. They’re bound for Las Vegas to meet 99-year-old Luke, who holds the key to a mystery they must solve—and answers that will forever change their lives.
Hearts Set Free weaves together these three tales of men and women who journey from the darkness of doubt to triumphant faith and from the ache of loneliness to everlasting love.
Category
Christian/Fiction/Adult
Genre
General/Speculative
Rating
5 Stars
Review
Jess Lederman exhibits bold and forthright writing that would set any heart on fire. He trudges along the plot confidently, carrying the reader along a thrilling and fiery ride that is as sure as his faith in God. It is [nearly] impossible to read Hearts Set Free and not believe that there is a God. This is the kind of story that separates the grain from the chaff both in plot and in the heart of a reader, chasing away any doubt that the utmost joy is possible even in the midst of the worst suffering—there is such a thing called the [Joyful] Fellowship of Suffering that not only draws one closer to Jesus, but puts one in a position where they can stand in awe of the Cross and its power. Stories like this remind us that the cross indeed does set hearts free!
*Though I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. A ‘thank you’ to JKS Communications for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
[image error]About the Author
Jess Lederman, founder of the website, The Works of George MacDonald, is well known worldwide to fans of the Scottish novelist and minister whom C.S. Lewis referred to as his “master.” While Hearts Set Free is his first work of fiction, he has published over forty books on the global financial markets and is currently at work on a Christian-themed novel set in Las Vegas in 1955. When he’s not writing, Jess is apt to be playing Chopin nocturnes on the piano. He lives with his wife and two young sons in a small town in the Pacific Northwest and can be reached at jess@jesslederman.com
April 3, 2019
Album Review ~ Control Vol. 2 By Joel Vaughn
Category
Religious/Christian
Genre
Urban Pop
Rating
5 Stars
Review
Control Vol. 2 begins with such energy and vibes that prepare the heart and soul for worship and praise, as is mirrored in the opening song, Unreserved. Joel Vaughn brings the flavor unique to him that breathes passion and unreserved surrender to a God he believes in, and this shines through in his voice and music. It’s impossible to miss—and almost unforgivable not to mention—the undeniable growth of the singer and songwriter in Vaughn. The increased confidence in craft is evident, amiable, contagious, and inspiring, as though Vaughn not only knows what He is about, but believes the truth preached in his music, lives by them, and now offers them to the world.
Since Control Vol. 2 picked up from where Vol. 1 left off (read the TBAP review here), the same theme runs through—Letting Go and Letting God, which is the best decision any individual could ever make. The songs portray various situations and circumstances where faith may be tested, and the believer is reminded that in God’s hand the journey is sure, and growth happens, the outcome is good and victorious, the faithfulness and face of God are seen, and His heart and goodness are ever experienced.
*Though I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. A thank you to DREAM Label Group and DREAM Records for a free album copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
[image error]About Joel Vaughn/Control Series
Control Vol. 2 is the second and final volume in the Control series. Control is the third offering from the singer-songwriter on DREAM Records. After seeing his first top 30 AC single, Pray It Up, from Control Vol. 1, Control Vol. 2 offers new pop tracks like More Than Good Enough and I Look To You. Joel teamed up again with Ross King, Patrick Mayberry, Carter Frodge and Jeremy Camp, Mia Fields, and Seth Mosely to create a pop anthemic masterpiece. Joel Vaughn, originally from Texas, lives in Nashville, TN.
