Category: Books

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Book Update Wisdom Wednesday

Bible “Retellings” Explained

For the past decade or so, “remakes” have swept the box office and have added new (and often upsetting) updates to the original. True fans of the original are completely against these updates, wishing that the directors had never touched an already perfect movie.

In the same way, in the book world, fairy tale “retellings” are popular, but they’re more widely accepted than movie “remakes.” With fairy tale or folk tale retellings, anything goes. Swap the genders of the main characters, change the setting, or tell the story from a different point of view (POV). By far, though, this is my favorite Cinderella retelling:

Credit: @berkeleymews

I’m currently reading a Peter Pan retelling, told through Captain Hook’s POV, and it paints Peter Pan as the bad guy who kidnaps boys from their homes and forces them to ingest pixie dust in order to stay young forever.

What Is a Bible Retelling?

Like a fairy tale retelling, people have taken liberties of retelling Bible stories. I love the idea of telling a Bible story in a different genre. A dystopian retelling of Jonah? The story of Hosea that takes place during the Gold Rush? Those changes in setting help us understand the timeless principles in the Bible and apply them to our lives in unique ways.

A Warning for Bible “Retellings”

With fairy tale retellings, anything goes. You can change anything about the story and it’s still inspiring, engaging, or interesting. However, there is clear instruction in Scripture not to change, add, or take away anything from the Bible. If you’re going to write a Bible “retelling”, make sure it’s accurate to the original story. You don’t have permission to make up new scenarios that replace the Bible, like What if Potiphar’s wife was arrested for trying to assault Joseph, instead of Joseph getting put in jail? That’s actually in the Qu’ran, so you’re accidentally creating a new religion. God had a plan for Joseph, so even though we in our flesh wish things were different, we can’t rewrite Scripture and pretend they were different.

Retellings vs. Allegories

A retelling is telling the same story from a different perspective, or imagining “what if” situations that would change the outcome of a story. An allegory, however, has themes from a story that keep the same essence of the story but with different characters who may or may not follow the same script.

When we read biblical fiction, even if they’re based on real people, even if they’re historically accurate, even if it’s literally the exact same story just set in space instead of Ancient Israel…stories “retelling” the Bible can only be allegories. They should never be taken as gospel. They should never be a replacement of the Bible, or even a Bible study. But maybe they will inspire you to read Scripture for yourself and study what the story is actually about.

Biblical Allegories vs Books With Biblical Themes

There are books that take Bible stories and put them in new genres, but there are also stories that take ideas from the Bible and put them in their stories. These themes include:

  • Redemption
  • Forgiveness
  • Healing
  • Hope
  • Perseverance in trials
  • Love
  • Salvation

They are not based on a specific part of Scripture, but they have themes that you can find in Scripture. My Internet Shutdown series contains Biblical themes, including all those listed above!

My Bible “Retelling” (Allegory)

I’m writing a Biblical allegory that was inspired by Galatians 1:6, which reads in the ESV:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.”

My story’s premise is, an enemy has crept into the ranks of an army and has turned the people away from the king one by one. But one will be faithful to the king, even when faced with convincing lies. Will the one be victorious, or will the lies overcome the undefeated army?

As I began writing this story, I saw influences from the book of Daniel. Even in an enemy territory, Daniel was faithful to God. Also, God was there, even though Daniel wasn’t in his homeland, where the temple dwelled.

Someone from my critique group also saw some parallels from the story of David. David, a man after God’s own heart, is the kind of character I want to model my character after. The one who is faithful has such a close, deep, and personal relationship with God, that he recognizes the lies right away.

Biblical Allegories I Recommend*

Until my book comes out (which won’t be for AT LEAST a year), here are some Biblical allegories that I have read and highly recommend:

  • Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (allegory of Hosea)
  • Amok by Anna Tan (allegory of Samson; the other books in the same series have biblical themes but are not based on any particular book in the Bible)
  • Destined Duology by Hannah Gaudette (allegory of Christ’s sacrifice)
  • In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar (Ruth)**
  • Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar (Rahab)**

I have read countless books that have biblical themes in them, and adding them all to a list would be too long 😅

*Note: this list will be updated as I read more books with Biblical allegories! I have some more on my TBR (to be read) list.

**Tessa Afshar writes Biblical fiction. While her work shouldn’t replace Scripture, it does contain historically and biblically accurate information. The settings of the book listed correlate with when they take place in the Bible. The author uses creative license to make the characters more relatable for the story, and she makes a note when a detail of her story is not included in the Bible.

Conclusion

As always, when reading Biblical fiction, you should read the book of the Bible that correlates with the story you’re reading. If you pick up Redeeming Love, read the book of Hosea, for example. While I write my current work in progress, I’ll be studying the stories of David and Daniel, which both span over multiple books in the Bible. Maybe I’ll share my musings of these parts of Scripture on this blog. For now, let me recommend the Bible Project. Their YouTube videos are insightful and give an overview of each book of the Bible.

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Book Update

Quick Update – I’m Back for Good!

Hello! I know you all missed me 🙂 It’s time to revive this blog. I have a lot of good news to share, and I’m ready to give it out!

Here are some quick life updates since my last post:

  1. I wrote (and published) another book! The sequel to In Real Life, called Human Again, is available on Amazon. For the month of December, 2023, I’m offering both books for sale at 25% off. If you’ve read either or both of these books already, please rate and review them on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Your review helps other people find these books and know what they’re investing in!
  2. I’m writing book #3 in the series! This past November, I participated in a writing challenge and wrote more than 50K of the first draft of my third novel, Original Thought. I don’t have an official release date yet, but my goal is to have it out at the end of June, just in time for summer break. That way, you can read it while relaxing on the beach or sitting in the cool air conditioning!
  3. I have an official author Instagram page! If you’re on Instagram, please follow @elisabethwarner_author for some funny writing content, encouraging messages, and book updates.
  4. My family is doing well! I don’t like to post a lot about my child online. The main reason being I don’t want my child going back and reading my old posts and thinking, “Mommy, why did you say that about me?” So, no news is good news, right? Mommy, Daddy, and kiddo are all doing well, thank God! And now that my child is a bit older, I feel like I have more energy and a little bit more time for myself.

As for the purpose of this blog, I’d like it to stay the same. I set out to encourage people through writing, and that is what I intend to do. I went through a bit of a rough season where I felt like a hypocrite for sharing positive stuff, when I certainly didn’t feel positive. But, as I’ll share in my next post, I’m learning to choose joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and it’s a virtue I have to cultivate in my life as God leads me and strengthens me.

Since my writing has shifted to novels rather than devotionals and SEO content writing, I’m going to have a little section on the bottom of each of my posts with updates about my novel writing. Who knows? Maybe I’ll write a short story or two instead of a devotional. Just be prepared for weekly content, whether it’s an encouraging, Bible-based non-fiction article or an encouraging, fictional short story.

Thanks for all your encouragement and support! I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Let me know in the comments 🙂 Until next week!

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Book Update

The Question Answered in “In Real Life”

As you know, I published my first novel, In Real Life, in May 2021. If you haven’t read it, I bet you’re thinking what’s it about? Well, it’s about an Internet shutdown, but it’s more than that. It’s about the question I always want to answer in my books, and the question most of us have been asking ourselves over the last few years: Where is the God of hope when hope is lost?

When I became interested in reading dystopian fiction, I began to wonder where God is in each story. If Winston Smith in 1984 had the mind of Christ, how would he have handled the brainwashing? If Offred and the others in A Handmaid’s Tale really grew up in a Christian society governed by the Bible, how would it have affected her prayers and given her freedom? And, from my memories of reading The Hunger Games, there are strong elements of humans trying to replace God, and then trying to usurp evil without the help of God.

In Real Life is about a woman, Lin, who isolates herself from the world. In fact, everyone in 2100 connects to others through social media, and it’s not really necessary to leave the house. But when the government shuts down the Internet, Americans are left to wonder, now what? Money is gone. Food is inaccessible. And any connections you had with your friends are no longer possible.

When I originally wrote this book, I could’ve never imagined that the real world would be going through its own shutdown at the same time. I’ve always heard of potentially bad things happening “in the future,” and I never bothered to think about them happening in my lifetime. And now that they have, I have a new hope in God and a renewed perspective of His character.

In the book, Lin winds up back at her parents’ house and eventually meets her ex-husband again. In a society that believes “we live and then we die,” the idea of God or the hope of the resurrection wasn’t even on her mind. Without spoiling too much from the book, Lin encounters God through ways we can meet Him too: testimonies, dreams, nature, and fellowship. Even when she completely hides herself from others, God reaches into her little corner of the world and gives her hope like no other.

We’re not meant to live life alone, and people can encourage us when we feel like there’s no hope. But even when we are physically alone, while living in isolation, God is with us, and He remains faithful in the midst of chaos.

So, whether you read my book or not, I want you to know that the God of hope is with you. Even when you don’t see hope on social media or on TV or in conversations with your friends, may this post remind you that the eternal God of hope has a glorious plan for this world, and nothing can stop it.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

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Books

Book Review: The Snuggle Is Real

I received a complimentary copy of the book The Snuggle Is Real by Melinda Lee Rathjen, illustrated by Krystyna Litten. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Since becoming a mother, I’ve made more of a priority of reading (as if that were possible!) especially for my little one. My son is currently six months old, and he loves looking at colorful books and turning the pages all on his own. My husband and I took turns reading this book to our little one, and we both enjoyed it! It may be too soon for him to tell us, but I believe our son loved it too.

The Snuggle Is Real.

First of all, I love the title. A kid who would be reading this book probably wouldn’t understand the reference, but the parents definitely would. It’s an excellent comeback to the true phrase, “the struggle is real.” In and of itself, that phrase reminds us to be honest with our emotions, that life isn’t always rainbows and unicorns. But even when life isn’t going our way, another truth remains: we’re loved, and a hug can make a big difference in how we feel.

Even though my six-month-old son enjoyed it, the book is probably better suited for 1-4 year olds, who are going through these big feelings and don’t know how to process them yet. I love the message that we can ask for help and get a hug, whether we’re happy, sad, angry or disappointed. The publisher is faith based, and this book doesn’t mention God, but I believe it still carries an excellent message for kids to bring into their adulthood. If they have the tools to live emotionally healthy lives, and they have parents who love them unconditionally, they’re more likely to be emotionally healthy adults and have a positive relationship with their Heavenly Father.

The Snuggle Is Real is available this week. Check out WorthyKidz for more information!

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Books

Book Review: I Am Redeemed

This post was #sponsoredbyfaithwords. I was not required to give a positive review, so my review is my honest take on the book I Am Redeemed: Learning to Live in Grace by Mike Weaver.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity from Faithwords to read this book for free! I’ve enjoyed the other books that they’ve recommended to me as well, such as Pull it Off by Julianna Zobrist, Get Weird by CJ Casciotta, You Are Enough by Mandy Hale, Beyond Blessed: God’s Perfect Plan for No Financial Stress by Robert Morris, Dead Sea Rising by Jerry B. Jenkins, and the God Made Me series by Hannah C. Hall.

“…Story is the language of the human heart. That’s why movies and other kinds of media have such an impact on us. They can climb over or around or under some of the walls we put up so that we can receive a message” (186).

Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave, in collaboration with Jim Scherer, shares his story of discovering redemption in Christ.The first song I’ve ever heard from Big Daddy Weave was the song “The Only Name (Yours Will Be),” which goes, “When I wake up in the land of glory/ with the saints, I will tell my story/ there will be one name that I’ll proclaim.” Throughout every page of this book, I see that this song is true for Weaver’s life. All I can see is Jesus written in every word.

Although the book is about the story behind the song “I Am Redeemed,” Weaver includes the story of how he became interested in music in the first place and how the band started, along with his struggles and insecurities and the trials that his family has faced. You’re going to have to read the story yourself, but it is a story that has resonated with me and has inspired me on my own journey.

Truthfully, I could not put the book down until the last page. When I told my husband I had finished the book, he said, “Wow, that was fast!” I know! That night, I was falling asleep reading it. I would have rather found out what happened next than have gone to bed!

I was already a fan of Big Daddy Weave, but now, I feel connected to the band in a whole new way. How God speaks to Mike is similar to how He speaks to me: in pictures and in conversation. So when he talks about his conversations with God, I can totally imagine and understand what that looks like.

Unexpectedly, Mike’s story about his weight loss journey resonated the most with me. Believe it or not, that was my takeaway from this book. For the past couple of years, I’ve struggled with weight loss, more than I ever have before. I’ve been taking care of myself since January, and seeing tremendous results, but ever since reaching my goal weight, I haven’t been eating as well as I should have. Mike’s journey reminds me to celebrate the process and keep going! Since finishing the book, I have decided to detox from sugar and dairy products for this week, and I’m trying out a new workout program.

In addition to that interesting piece of inspiration, I also enjoyed all the people that are sprinkled within the book. If I Am Redeemed was a movie, we’d have cameos from Toby Mac, Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, Caedmon’s Call, Zach Williams, Kari Jobe, and many more. He talks about them as if they were just ordinary people (as in, not famous) when he first met them. We all start at the beginning, and it was so cool to see how God used all of these people in Mike’s life to grow him and his faith.

I Am Redeemed: Learning to Live in Grace seems to have been written in a style that anyone can understand, but I think Christian readers would get more out of it. The book was a good message, that it’s not enough to know about Jesus. We have to have a relationship with Him, and surrender our whole lives to Him. That is how He truly redeems us.

“When I think about painful memories,” Weaver writes, “it no longer hurts to talk about them because they are not the same memories. The Lord changed each memory by showing me where He was in it. He showed me a new and right reality of what hat been there all along. I was just seeing it for the first time” (197).

You can order your own copy of I Am Redeemed here on the FaithWords website. Let me know what you think of it!

Picture taken from the FaithWords website

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Book Update

The Wait is Over!

Thanks so much to my faithful followers who have continued to read and share this blog! I created this blog to be a joy for me and for my audience, but it was becoming a burden. Between my novel writing, my part-time job at a publishing company, and chores (yay for adulting!), my blog couldn’t really get the attention that it deserved.

While on my hiatus, I’ve learned to make time for God, to “go deep,” and to invite God into my plans. A couple of weeks ago, we had an awesome prayer night at our young adult ministry. It was dedicated to making time for God. As a creative, I spent most of the night playing with clay, drawing pictures, and writing psalms. I had a blast! However, it reminded me that God is in control, and that even rest is necessary for me to be successful. I’m an achiever, and I have my to-do list, but maybe I need to add “rest” and “going for a walk” and “coloring” to my daily tasks!

I’ve also been listening to a great podcast called Write from the Deep, by Karen Ball and Erin Taylor Young. They are both novelists who have helped me find the core message of what God wants to write through me. In a nutshell, my message is: God is faithful even when all has failed me. That is my testimony, and that is what I hope to convey in my writing of YA dystopian, which involves creating societies where chaos is the only thing that’s constant. Even in a dystopia (the opposite of a utopia), God is in control.

During this time, I also finished my novel, joined a critique group, and have been waiting to see next steps for publication. My friends gave me wonderful feedback, and my writer friend recommended that I join a critique group to meet other writers in my genre. So far, I’ve met a couple of people who write my genre, and I’m looking forward to connecting with them and seeing their work!

Along with that, I’m going to start building up my newsletter! I honestly didn’t know what to do as a novelist, but I’m going to start writing short stories. I may also advertise novels in my genre that I enjoy, depending on what I find. To get book updates and all things fiction, click here to join my newsletter!

Finally, I’ve considered publishing a non-fiction book, since I already seem to know how to talk about topics such as marriage and anxiety. However, I have to do research, not just for the book, but about how that affects me as a novelist. I’m more about showing my readers how to have healthy marriages or how to overcome anxiety, than I am about telling my readers what to do. Maybe after writing a topic on my blog, I can write a short story about it. Sound good?

Thanks again to all of my faithful followers who have checked up on me the last couple of weeks. Since I’m able to schedule posts in advance (thank you, WordPress!), I’ve gotten a running start, and have published a month’s worth of posts in advance. You’ll be seeing new content about marriage, anxiety, and what God is teaching me.

Comment below if you have any exciting updates to share!

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Books

A New Book Series for Children!

This post was #sponsoredbyfaithwords. I was not required to give a positive review, so my review is my honest take on this book series by Hannah C. Hall.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity from Faithwords to read this book for free! I’ve enjoyed the other books that they’ve recommended to me as well, such as Pull it Off by Julianna Zobrist, Get Weird by CJ Casciotta, You Are Enough by Mandy Hale, Beyond Blessed: God’s Perfect Plan for No Financial Stress by Robert Morris and Dead Sea Rising by Jerry B. Jenkins.

Since I am involved in children’s ministry at my church, and I am a kid at heart, when I saw that they need a review for a few new children’s books, I signed up right away. The series contains four books: God Made the World, God Made the Animals, God Made Me, and God Made Night and Day. Each book involves two brothers, Clive and Ian, who look at the world around them and talk about how God made it all. In God Made the World, they are having a picnic in the park. In God Made the Animals, they are at the zoo. In God Made Me, they are playing in their house. In God Made Night and Day, they are camping. I believe the books should be bought together, because they all tie into each other. I also read them in order of when they took place in the Bible, ending with God Made Me, as a reminder that, out of everything God made, we were His favorite thing. God made us special.

Hannah C. Hall is a Christian writer, mom, and worship pastor’s wife who has published other children’s books, such as Sunrise, Easter Surprise and God Bless You and Goodnight. This book series is part of a new imprint called JellyPress, which involves content from the creators of VeggieTales.

Before knowing anything about Hannah C. Hall and her experience, while reading the books, I could sense that the writing was influenced by television in some way. I could imagine the dialogue taking place on a television screen. During humorous parts, I could hear a tuba playing in the background (wom, wom!). It would also be fun to read this book in funny voices!

Since I have no kids of my own, and I volunteer with girls that are probably too old for this book, I asked my friend (who has three kids) to read the books to see what age and gender is appropriate for this book. After discussing the book, we found that it’s probably suitable for age 2-5, but a 6-year-old can also enjoy it. Both boys and girls would be interested in it.

My favorite part of the book series is at the end of each book, there’s a parent connect. Instead of just reading a nice story, you have the opportunity to make this real for your kids. They suggest going for walks in the park and looking at nature, or having special conversations with them about God and creation. I personally enjoy that aspect of the series, because it allows them to apply what they’ve learned to their everyday lives.

You can find out more information about the books and how to purchase them here (the link will bring you to God Made the World, but on the bottom of the page, under “Related Books,” you should see the other ones). Whether you have little kids of your own, you have kids in your family, or you want to buy them for your church to use in the preschool room, find out if these books are a good fit for your family!

 

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Books

Dead Sea Rising by Jerry Jenkins

This post was #sponsoredbyfaithwords. I was not required to give a positive review, so my review is my honest take on the book Dead Sea Rising by Jerry B. Jenkins.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity from Faithwords to read this book for free! I’ve enjoyed the other books that they’ve recommended to me as well, such as Pull it Off by Julianna Zobrist, Get Weird by CJ Casciotta, You Are Enough by Mandy Hale, and Beyond Blessed: God’s Perfect Plan for No Financial Stress by Robert Morris.

Most of us who read Christian fiction know about Jerry Jenkins through the Left Behind series. But did you know that he has also written hundred of novels, most of them bestsellers? Knowing this, when I heard about this book, I had to read it. It was a thriller, and since I’m writing Christian dystopian fiction, I was interested in how Jenkins would keep up the suspense of the novel.

His book Dead Sea Rising, the first of the Dead Sea Chronicles series, is a time slip novel that has received praise from many well-known authors. One of the authors that endorsed his book was James Scott Bell, the writer of Plot & Structure. I actually read Bell’s book for direction with my own writing, so I knew that if he said this book was good, it had to be good!

As a warning to any reader, if you set your expectations too high, you will get disappointed! That is the downfall of every great writer: he/she is expected to put out a perfectly captivating novel each and every time. To be honest, it took everything in me not to compare this book to the Left Behind series, and to what I have learned from Christian writing mentors. That is also the downfall of every great writer: he/she becomes a very critical reader. And so begins my honest review of this book.

Dead Sea Rising is a time slip novel that ties together the story of Nicole Berman, an archaeologist, and the story of Abraham. Berman is an archaeologist who is on the brink of discovering something that could change history. However, after her mother was supposedly attacked in her own home, it becomes evident that someone doesn’t want Nicole making this historic find. Meanwhile, we follow Abraham’s parents as they wrestle with faith and attempt to protect their son from King Nimrod, who has discovered that Abraham will become more powerful than him.

Truly, it was a captivating story. Time slips are difficult to accomplish, and I believe Jenkins ties all of the stories together well. He uses short chapters and quick dialogue tags to jump from character to character, keeping the quick pace of the plot throughout the entirety of the book. I also understand that he is setting up the book for a series, so he did not intend to tie the book up in a neat package. However, he does provide relief to most of the questions in the book while still leaving room for a sequel. The characters were dynamic and interesting, which, again, is difficult to accomplish. Each of their back stories was unique and captivating, and I enjoyed getting to know them!

Now, my one complaint (which was a BIG complaint) was that I felt that Jenkins left the reader hanging for too long. The synopsis included above (the part about Nicole being on the verge of discovering an important piece of information about the story of Abraham, but someone is trying to stop her) wasn’t fully recognized until page 275 of 310. The beginning of the book is pure suspense, a carrot on a stick. And while I believe that suspense has its place, I think it runs the risk of losing the reader’s interest. Basically, I think the synopsis was a little misleading.

Overall, if you like thrillers and Biblical time slips, I believe you will like it. Hopefully the second book, Dead Sea Conundrum, provides more of an exposition. More information about purchasing Dead Sea Rising is found here.

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Books

A Review of the Dystopian Novels in My Bookshelf

The novel I’m writing has taken an interesting turn. I went to ReNEW again this year, and I met with a literary agent, who read the first six pages of my book and gave me feedback. My takeaway from meeting with him was that my writing style is great, but that my book lacked direction. He asked me what genre it was, and honestly, I had no idea. It was sort of contemporary fiction, but there was a king involved, so was it fantasy?

When I got home from the retreat, I thought more about the direction of my novel. Experts suggest that to improve your writing, you should read. I acquired a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and decided to read whatever Amazon suggested to me.

The #1 book on my Kindle Unlimited suggestion list was A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. After reading it, I wondered why Amazon thought I was twisted enough to enjoy this story! Professors and the like have advertised this book to me as a Christian society gone wrong. However, it was not a Christian book at all. Atwood’s society uses the Bible to manipulate people, but I do not believe the government is Christian. They are so far removed from God that Offred doesn’t even know how to pray! Although it was not my favorite story, this tale encouraged me to explore the idea of what it would be like for God to actually be in this story. In a dystopian society, God is often removed, so is it possible for a dystopian society to exist if God is in control and He is going to redeem us before all of that happens?

While on Goodreads, I searched “Christian dystopian” to find an answer to my question. There’s not much of it out there, but after doing some research and asking my bookworm friends, there definitely is a hunger for it. One book from that genre was Counted Worthy by Leah E. Good. I was able to see the opposite of what I struggled with: The story was captivating in and of itself, but she does silly things like explain her jokes and include a preachy character (preachy characters are the ultimate downfall of Christian fiction). Reading this book confirmed that this genre would be a challenge, but it would be fun and appropriate for me to write.

After reading A Handmaid’s Tale and Counted Worthy, I realized that the only book that I enjoyed reading in high school was 1984 by George Orwell. I still had my copy from when I had read it in high school. Through this book, I thought again about what would happen if Winston was a Christian. I’m actually exploring the scene in Room 101 for my main character, who is a Christian and has just been charged by God to stand up for the truth no matter what. Would she still stand if they tortured her with her worst fear or her deepest grief? 1984 also taught me that a dystopia looks different for every generation. For the people who would have read 1984, which was written during World War II, a dystopian society looked a lot like socialism. For the people who would have read A Handmaid’s Tale, which was written in the 1980s, a dystopian society looked like women losing the rights they just fought for in the Feminist movement of the 1960s. What type of dystopian society would scare the masses today?

An obvious dystopian fiction series that I would read next was The Hunger Games. I learned a lot from this series about the structure that I’m supposed to use in the dystopian fiction genre, and how to craft a society that is purely evil but thinks everything is okay. I love how The Hunger Games ends, but the rest of the books sort of fall apart. Even though I didn’t enjoy the other two books in the series, I learned not to cut corners when writing dystopian fiction. You have to have a strong plot, and you have to carry it through until the end. You have to write what makes sense given the situation. Spoiler alert: They do not need to have a happy ending, and as a matter of fact, most of the time, they don’t.

I’m currently reading a novel that I consider Christian dystopian but is actually more SciFi because it involves human cyborgs and nanotechnology. I cannot wait to write about it next week! But until then, please send me recommendations so that I can continue to improve my craft. On my “to-read” list is the Divergent series, Brave New World, Animal Farm, and the Left Behind series.

Do you enjoy dystopian fiction? Why or why not? What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?

Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

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Books

Beyond Blessed: Give Your Budget a Heart Check

This post was #sponsoredbyfaithwords. I was not required to give a positive review, so my review is my honest take on the book Beyond Blessed: God’s Perfect Plan for No Financial Stress by Robert Morris.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity from Faithwords to read this book for free! I’ve enjoyed the other books that they’ve recommended to me as well, such as Pull it Off by Julianna Zobrist, Get Weird by CJ Casciotta, and You Are Enough by Mandy Hale.

Out of all the books I could have picked to review, I picked this one because it included a foreword from Dave Ramsey. My husband and I have followed Dave Ramsey’s financial advice since about a month before we got married. Because of his teaching, we’re debt free, and we’re making excellent progress saving for a down payment for our future house. Any book recommended by Dave Ramsey is a book for me!

Since I got the book before it was released, Dave Ramsey’s foreword wasn’t in it. However, I did enjoy reading the introduction from Robert Morris, founding senior pastor of Gateway Church in Dallas-Forth Worth. Beyond Blessed is a follow-up to Pastor Morris’ book The Blessed Life. Honestly, it was so refreshing to read a book from a megachurch pastor who didn’t preach the prosperity gospel. I’ve seen so many pastors pray over their wallets and ask for a donation to make their big church even bigger. Instead, Pastor Morris writes about his journey from humble beginnings to a church of over 39,000 active members.

God certainly has blessed Pastor Morris with an ability to teach us about our finances while also reminding us of our identity in Christ. He starts each chapter off with a word-picture, a parable, to introduce the topic. In each chapter, he debunks the myths of what the world says and what we’ve even been taught in church about money. While we all strive to be rich, he writes, “The rich are more likely to be on antidepressants or antianxiety medications than average working-class folks. Millionaires and billionaires commit suicide with shocking regularity” (15).

Pastor Morris spends the beginning of the book laying down the foundation of what it means to steward God’s money well. God owns everything, but He has entrusted His people with resources to be a part of His Kingdom. “Your little enterprise is an important part of a much larger conglomerate” (79). God has given us all responsibility over the resources, people, time, and energy with which He has blessed us. With this mindset, there is no comparison and no ownership.

While Dave Ramsey talks more about the financial aspect of money than the spiritual (although his teaching is biblical), Pastor Morris’ book truly digs deep into what the Bible says about how we should take care of our money. Using charismatic language that I personally agree with, he even discusses the demonic spirits that try to entice us to worship money rather than God. His teaching opened my eyes to what the Scriptures say about money, and how my perspective on money needs to change.

My favorite quote of the book, and a good summary of the book, is how Pastor Morris explains the gospel: “You see, contrary to what many would have us believe, the gospel is not a poverty gospel. Nor is it, as some preachers and teachers would have us think, a prosperity gospel. No, the good news of life in Jesus Christ is a provision gospel” (63). Praise God that He gives us enough. We don’t have to be rich or poor; we just have to have enough.

I recommend this book to anyone who has even a dollar to his/her name. Although I’ve written notes in it, I’m giving it to my husband so that we can talk about it and do a heart check about our finances. Beyond Blessed will be available on January 8, 2019. You can pre-order the book and also be entered to win a free copy here.