Book Review: Zion Covenant Series by Bodie Thoene

I am steaming through the rest of this series, and I am LOVING it! I don't have quotes from these three since they had to be returned to the library, but I am constantly impressed by how well-researched and well-written they have all been!

Munich Signature (Zion Covenant)

You know how with some series the first and maybe even the second books are really good, and then it seems like the author is just dragging the story lines along to keep making money from a popular series? That is soooooooo not the case with the Zion Covenant Series! Each installment in this series that I have read thus far has been incredible enough to stand on its own besides the fact that it is a piece of this captivating sextet that Bodie and Brock Thoene have created!

The other amazing facet of this series is the mastery with which Thoene weaves together many separate, but similar story-lines together without them becoming convaluted or overly simplified! I have also found that often books with several characters involved in multiple escapades, I am very interested in one or two of the characters while I find myself bored by the others. With these books, the unfolding of each of the dramas swept me along so spellbindingly that "I'm just going to read one chapter," turned into, "I can't believe it's already two o'clock in the morning!"

Jerusalem Interlude

I have read many books about the history of this time period, but there is something about reading the accurate historic portrayals of important events intertwined with the emotional personal stories of the specific characters that gives such amazing perspective to the gravity of the situations.

I also love the way that Thoene envelops each thread of the story with the main characters love of Christ that compels them to act on behalf of the downtrodden and disenfranchised, those deemed unworthy, untouchable and subhuman by the powers of the day. That same love that empowers them to take a stand when the majority of the world was choosing to turn a blind eye to the atrocities being committed against God's chosen people.

Danzig Passage

This is an inspiring and challenging series that makes you think about what is truly important in this life, and in eternity. I hope you get a chance to read them, and that you enjoy them as much as I have! If you've already read this series, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave me a comment and let me know, but please don't tell me how the last book, Warsaw Requiem, ends - I haven't finished that one yet!

Have a great Monday everyone!

~ my husband rocks! ~ What's the point?

It has been a crazy year, and as such my posting has been a little erratic. I thought it would be a good idea at this point to go back to the basics of MHRF, and lay out the real reasons we do this on a mostly weekly basis.

If you've read any of my MHR posts from the past two years (I know, can you believe it?), you'll have to admit that my husband is a pretty incredible guy :) - but you know what doesn't go into those posts? Every time we have an argument, or when he does something that really ticks me off, or when he's in a bad mood, or when he's just plain frustrating.

I know what you're thinking, "Wait a second, you mean you post the good things about Austin, but you just leave out the bad things? That seems a little dishonest!"

That is where you would be wrong. Sorry :)

There are several reasons that I don't write long ranting posts about the less-than-great parts of my marriage. First of all, it isn't really anyone's business, and it would ultimately do way more harm than good to me, Austin, our emotional health and the overall health of our marriage. But mostly because that would be far too easy.

Now, that's not to say that the negative aspects of marriage far outweigh the positive (although that is definitely what the world would like us to believe). It would be easier to rant about the negative while overlooking the positive than to choose to focus on the positive because I am a selfish, fallen, broken human being married to an equally fallen and broken human being. There's no getting around that this side of heaven.

So what's the point of My Husband Rocks! Fridays? Simply that choosing to focus on all of the wonderful things our husbands do and say and are helps us remember on the not-so-wonderful days why we got married in the first place. And not only that, but showing enough respect for our husbands to not air all of our dirty laundry, but to brag on them and build them up will do far more for the betterment of our marriages than if they "fixed" everything "broken" about them.

Because when it comes right down to it, we wives do a lot of things to frustrate, annoy, anger, and yes, even antagonize our husbands, and I don't think I'm going too far out onto a limb to say that we would much rather they tell their friends and co-workers about the amazing cake we made for dessert last night than how much we nagged them to fix the leaky faucet.

Just some food for thought!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

To whom it may concern . . .

. . . this blog has not been abandoned! New posting shall begin shortly! Thanks for sticking with me :)

<3,

~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Man of God :)

Hello blog world!

Lots of things have been changing around here, and you will begin to notice some of those changes as soon as I get around to finalizing them on the blog itself, lol! You know how you think to yourself, "Man, I really need to do ________!" Not just once, but like 50 or 100 times before you actually get around to doing it? That's where I'm at on this, but it will happen!

Be sure to check out the new deal from Union 28! (In green at the bottom.)


Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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A lot of times, I blog about what I see in my husband, or the ways I've seen him grow, but sometimes it's gratifying to have someone from "the outside" of a marriage notice what a great guy your hubby is, you know?

That happened to me this week! We are in the process of raising support to be able to work overseas on a military base with Youth For Christ's Military Youth Ministry (more info on this to come), so that brings us to the town where Austin grew up! (Living with his parents for the time being, actually) As such, I was at a ladies' Bible study this week, and one of the women (who has known Austin all of his life) commented that she has been very encouraged by the growth she has seen in Austin since he's been home. She said, "He is becoming such a man of God!"

This is so awesome for me, most likely because for the past year Austin and I have been the only constant person in each other's lives. We have bounced from place to place to place with BBI, staying in any given location for no more than three weeks at a time. So I have seen his changing and growing through the midst of it, but the people we have met along the way have only gotten a short snapshot of what a great guy he really is :)

He rocks my socks off!

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I am the only person who has the ability to add blogs to the MHR blogroll. If you are a MHR blogger, and have not been added to the blogroll, plase comment or e-mail me at katylinvw{at}yahoo{dot}com and I will gladly add you to our little group!!!

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).

<a href="http://honestandlasting.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-husband-rocks-friday.html"><img src="http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/katylinvw/mosaicmhrf.jpg"/></a>

If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

Our good friends over at Union 28 have sweetened the deal for us! They will give you 10% off any order of two or more items (on any day of the week) if you enter the following code at check-out: U28mhrFriday10 Thank you Union 28!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and a wonderful weekend!