Follow the John 3:16 Network Author Page on Pinterest

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Amazon Book Review of "Wicked Disregard" by Barbara Ann Derksen, Book 3 in the Finder's Keepers Mystery

Wicked Disregard, written by Barbara Ann Derksen, is book 3 in the Finder's Keepers Mystery. 

Christine's parents were murdered at the age of 5. At that time she went to live with her aunt and uncle in Texas and her name was changed. She is now back in Winnipeg, working as an investigator specializing in finding missing children, along with her service dog Chief. 

In this story she goes back to her father's company and meets the people in charge and has to make the decision if she will take over the company. She also is having her parents home remodeled to move “back home”. 

She rents office space from Jeremy Goodman, whom her uncle hired to watch out for her and the son of her attorney. Someone has put a hit on Christine and she gets shot and hospitalized. 

As this is happening it is revealed that the case she is working on, and the one Jeremy is working on, are connected. Together they work on the case to find out who wants her dead and who is running the child prostitution ring.

Jeremy and his father are very important people in her life and have strong Christian faith. While in the hospital, Jeremy helps Christine accept the Lord and he offers to help her with her Christian walk.

I really like this book. I wish I had known it was the third in the series when I decided to read it. But the author does a good job of filling in so it was a good stand alone book as well. 


There is a lot of suspense throughout the entire story. The topic of child pornography is not a pleasant one. But the book does not go into deep detail and with all the other things taking place in the story it is easy to get wrapped up in it. I found it hard to put the book down it was so good! 

I like that it is a Christian story. However, it is done in such a way it would not offend anyone.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Living and Breathing the Psalms James Edwards



Released August 2016

Living and Breathing the Psalms is a raw and very personal prayer journey. Here are the Old Covenant prayers, poems and songs to the Lord, reframed through intimacy and relationship with each member of the Trinity. From this perspective the Psalms break open in a simple, fresh and dynamic way. Key life themes lie in these ancient songs of worship, at the very heart of Old Covenant experience, belief and ritual. Exploring them, we find them unlocked through an intimate relationship with our Saviour and King, Firstborn Son of our Heavenly Papa God, as revealed to us by Holy Spirit. Here unashamedly viewed through faith and trust in Mighty King Jesus, Mashiach, the Anointed One, is pain, hurt and grief, side by side with fire, passion, love, thanks, praise and worship. As you put your hope and faith in Him, may you find here your heart's cries to our High King of Heaven and Earth.

364 pp
978-1535590730
Print: $8.60/ £7.25

Buy the book:
Amazon Canada (currently unavailable)

About the Author
Jim Edwards is a passionate lover of Jesus, living on the South Coast of the UK, with his wife Val. This year with their four amazing children they celebrate 40 years of marriage together. 'Living and Breathing the Psalms' is his third published book, with more to follow. His heart is to peel back religious tradition, to reveal the Mighty, Powerful, live and heart changing Love of Jesus, in fresh ways, with fresh language for today. Repeated visits to the USA and to Bethel Church in Redding, over the last 9 years, have been a source of much encouragement and inspiration.

Lisa’s review:
Truly unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, Edwards’s passionate exploration of the Psalms for contemporary people of faith will refresh every reader with his heartfelt reframing. Not a rewrite, not a paraphrase, not an attempt to simply update language, the author invites you to pray with him through the Psalms, using the name of Christ freely where the original authors back to Moses, David, and Asaph and others, would have, had they physically walked alongside of Him.

I was admittedly unsure of what the author’s goal was all about until I began to read with him, for that’s what readers have to do—read with him—in order to appreciate the rendering. Living and Breathing the Psalms is a prayer walk, a cry, a jump of joy and leap of faith, but most of all, a call to worship in a way that has never had to change because we worship an unchanging and unchangeable God. The text is rich with usually frowned upon devices such as ALL CAPs, multiple exclamations and plenty of “Yeah!” that cannot contain the typed letters.


From Edwards’s query in Psalm 8, “When I look up at the night sky and see the amazing Hubble telescope pictures of galaxies so distant it hurts my brain to comprehend—I wonder at YOU! Did You throw them into space or set each of them in their place? If You planned the details of all of these billions of stars, how come You even spare a thought for each one of us?” to the jazzy upbeat of Psalm 45, “I’m cookin’ today! I’m bubbling over with some amazing ideas for a new song of praise to our wonderful King Jesus” to unadulterated joy in Psalm 135, “Oh, but You who love Jesus—give me a ‘J!’” readers will find new reasons to fall in love with the Psalms all over again.