Reader Views

Five Steps to Draw Closer to God

Article first published as Book Reivew: Five Steps to Draw Closer to God by Doranda Jacques on Blogcritics.

Doranda Jacques writes to encourage her readers to grow spiritually while they develop a deeper relationship with God in her book “Five Steps to Draw Closer to God.”

The book is made up of five chapters. Each chapter opens with a spectacular awe-inspiring color photo creating a sense of quiet and peace. This is followed with the introduction of practical key points which develop an important scriptural principle designed to nurture a unique concept of spiritual growth which will lead to a more meaningful understanding of the fullness of God’s love and purpose.

A summary of the key points of each chapter helps the reader assimilate the narrative as well as capsulizing the material for focus, application, and determining personal action steps. This is followed with a checklist to ensure that the steps are incorporated in daily practice and experience. Provision is made for recording personal notes. Selected scriptures are included to reinforce these truths. A thought-provoking prayer is provided for contemplation and reflection.

Additional features in the book include:

• Practical notes on being tested in the process of drawing closer to God
• Thoughts on evaluating yourself in the process
• A section for recording your personal reflections in journal form
• A clear presentation of the Gospel for those unsure of their relationship with God

The book is designed as a devotional study rather than a theological discourse, however, Doranda Jacques’ writing is Biblical based and are true to the scriptures. The format of Doranda Jacques’ “Five Steps to Draw Closer to God” provides for a concise, yet comprehensive, plan leading to a deeper relationship with God which can be adapted for inclusion with any existing plan of devotional reading or Bible study.


Five Steps to Draw Closer to God
Doranda Jacques
CreateSpace (2012)
ISBN 9781453816189
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (3/12)

Five Steps to Draw Closer to God

Article first published as Book Reivew: Five Steps to Draw Closer to God by Doranda Jacques on Blogcritics.

Doranda Jacques writes to encourage her readers to grow spiritually while they develop a deeper relationship with God in her book “Five Steps to Draw Closer to God.”

The book is made up of five chapters. Each chapter opens with a spectacular awe-inspiring color photo creating a sense of quiet and peace. This is followed with the introduction of practical key points which develop an important scriptural principle designed to nurture a unique concept of spiritual growth which will lead to a more meaningful understanding of the fullness of God’s love and purpose.

A summary of the key points of each chapter helps the reader assimilate the narrative as well as capsulizing the material for focus, application, and determining personal action steps. This is followed with a checklist to ensure that the steps are incorporated in daily practice and experience. Provision is made for recording personal notes. Selected scriptures are included to reinforce these truths. A thought-provoking prayer is provided for contemplation and reflection.

Additional features in the book include:

• Practical notes on being tested in the process of drawing closer to God
• Thoughts on evaluating yourself in the process
• A section for recording your personal reflections in journal form
• A clear presentation of the Gospel for those unsure of their relationship with God

The book is designed as a devotional study rather than a theological discourse, however, Doranda Jacques’ writing is Biblical based and are true to the scriptures. The format of Doranda Jacques’ “Five Steps to Draw Closer to God” provides for a concise, yet comprehensive, plan leading to a deeper relationship with God which can be adapted for inclusion with any existing plan of devotional reading or Bible study.


Five Steps to Draw Closer to God
Doranda Jacques
CreateSpace (2012)
ISBN 9781453816189
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (3/12)

I Want To Know My Future

Article first published as Book Review: I Want To Know My Future by Linda Dipman on Blogcritics.

Elizabeth thought she had the ideal life - a wonderful loving husband and great kids and faith in God. What she didn’t know was all of that would be tested when she and her husband Eric got a divorce. Eric was highly involved in their church and presented himself as an upstanding citizen and loving husband, but behind closed doors he was totally different. He seemed intent on getting revenge on Tori, his wife’s good friend, as he thought they were having a homosexual relationship. He was embarrassed about the relationship and started turning the church against Elizabeth and Tori.

Tori had her own set of problems as she got an emergency divorce from her abusive husband Alan. Not only had Alan verbally, emotionally and physically abused her, he did the same to their son. Due to the abuse Alan inflicted on his son, there was some concern the son might have a learning disability or brain damage. But Alan wouldn’t do what the courts asked him to do in getting his son evaluated.

Even though Elizabeth and Tori were doing all they could to get custody of their children, they realized that they were fighting a corrupt court system and an intoxicated judge. In one final desperate attempt, Tori and Elizabeth decided to run away with their children. All this did for them was land them in jail and irritate their ex-husbands even more.

Both Elizabeth and Tori were tired of fighting the system, their church and their parents, so they turned to God to let it be in his hands. Each and every time they were tested, God found a solution for them. God spoke to them in a variety of ways, always ensuring them that he had made them into the people they were and no one else had the power to do that. Elizabeth took the spoken words of God and studied the messages, read her Bible and learned how God chose to make some with homosexual lifestyles.

Once readers start “I Want To Know My Future,” by Linda Dipman, they will not be able to put it down. It is fast paced, keeps your interest and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Through the book, when Elizabeth is going through a crisis or tough times, God speaks to her by saying “My ways are not human ways. Trust in me. God has spoken.” “I Want To Know My Future” isn’t just about leading a different lifestyle; it is about how God hears prayers and guides all his children through life.


I Want To Know My Future
Linda Dipman
Outskirts Press (2011)
ISBN 9781432773526
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (1/12)

The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church: Reclaiming the Centrality of the Resurrection

For Christians there is a central set of defining, distinctive, unbendable, tenets. One crucial portion of those dogmas focuses on Jesus, who he is and what he has done. The chief assertion is that Jesus, after his crucifixion, rose from the dead. This becomes the event through which everything about Jesus is interpreted, from his birth to his burial and beyond. To lose or lessen this principal declaration is to undermine, and eventually, negate Christianity all together. That is Gregory S. Athnos’ point in his new work, “The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church: Reclaiming the Centrality of the Resurrection,” an easy to read, 230-page paperback, written for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Athnos begins “The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church” with three very strong chapters, explaining the reasons he wrote the book, why the resurrection of Jesus is crucial, and how it needs to regain a central place in the Church’s life and liturgy. The first chapter unfolds the author’s personal experience growing up in church, and the specific event that launched him into explicating the resurrection of Jesus. The second chapter challenges the Christian reader by asking if we really believe in the resurrection. It takes no faith to affirm death; we have seen it in our families, televisions, newspapers and magazines. But no one has seen someone resurrected from the dead, impossibly walking out of a tomb after being dead for three days. This requires faith! The third chapter is a convincing portrayal of how none of the original disciples expected Jesus to be raised from death; in fact, they were completely caught off guard by his death. The evidentiary value of this chapter is immense.

After making a good strong case for the resurrection of Jesus and why Christians need to give it equal air time, the author then marches his readers through the New Testament’s repeated proclamation that Christ has risen. The main point of these middle five chapters is to show that the cross without the resurrection is meaningless. Athnos does a fairly decent job working through passages of Scripture, opening up for his audience how deep and prevalent is the message of the resurrection of Jesus. There is a lot of indispensable work done here, and most Christians would benefit by reading their way through these chapters.

But I must qualify my statement above. In his zeal to stir up Christians to re-centralize the resurrection of Jesus, Athnos oversteps himself several times. Hopefully two examples will suffice out of several I could give. The first is in regard to “Witness.” The author makes the claim that in the Book of Acts, the word “witness” is solely “resurrection centered” (67). The problem is that in Acts 10.34-43, “witness” refers to bearing testimony to the life of Jesus (34-39), also to the resurrection of Jesus (40-42), and testifying that by believing in Jesus there is forgiveness of sins (43). Yes the resurrection of Jesus is central (without it the cross is meaningless), but “witness,” or martyr in the Greek, is about more than testifying of his resurrection. The word “witness” is Jesus centered; who he is, what he did, and what we gain by believing in him.

A second example arises from his use of the New Testament. When the author quotes passages of the New Testament he inserts bracketed explanatory phrases. Many of these are helpful and very useful, but there are several that go beyond and damage the passage. As an example, when Athnos claims that “Gospel” only means “the good news of the resurrection of Jesus.” He then quotes 1 Corinthians 15.1-4, and adds this phrase to the word “Gospel” there in verse 1. By doing this, he strips the Gospel to only the resurrection, when Paul is clearly emphasizing that the Gospel is about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. By shrinking the word “Gospel” down to only the resurrection, the author undermines his own position later of the fusing together of Death-Resurrection.

I have only given two examples of this significant overstepping that is done in “The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church.” But it happens numerous times, in ways that begin to damage the author’s credibility. I understand his zeal and I am wholeheartedly onboard with his point. But the overstepping and overstating was disappointing.


The final chapter tackles how the resurrection of Christ ought to affect and aid the believer. If the Father really did raise Christ from the dead three days after he was slaughtered on the cross, then that same power is available to believers in overcoming sin, living transformed lives, and bearing their own “cross.” The intent of chapter nine is to encourage and motivate.

“The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church” ends with five appendices where Athnos provides some alternative liturgical tools to turn the Lord’s Supper into a Resurrection Eucharist. The reasoning behind this resurrection Eucharist is laid out in the first appendix. There the author unfortunately builds his case on several “may-haves,” assertions of things that “may have” been true, that are nevertheless unfounded historically and biblically. These appendices were a bit of a let down.

The major, essential point of Gregory Athnos’ book “The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church” is spot on! The resurrection of Jesus must be affirmed, declared and announced in the church all year long. The author’s readable style makes the topic accessible to the untrained reader, whether Christian or not. With the qualifications mentioned earlier, I still recommend “The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church.”


The Easter Jesus and the Good Friday Church: Reclaiming the Centrality of the Resurrection
Gregory S. Athnos
Outskirts Press (2011)
ISBN 9781432774509
Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Reader Views (12/11)

Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse: A Biblical Textbook on Abusive Narcissistic Families, How They Operate, and How to Deal With Them

In her book “Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse” Sister Renee Pittelli explains narcissism, narcissistic behavior, sociopaths, and abuse as a personality disorder. She helps the reader recognize and understand the nature of these abusive relationships and offers practical principles and approaches for dealing with narcissistic family members.

Sister Pittelli uses many illustrations for her own experiences of being verbally abused by her birth parents, of how they used exploitation, criticism, and manipulation to intimidate and control her both as a child and as an “adult child.”

She also describes dozens of case studies, personal stories, and testimonies of survivors who have moved on from being victimized by abuse, humiliation, betrayal, and abandonment to build normal intimate relationships, fulfilling happy lives as they apply the practical principles, examples, and scriptural admonitions and promises set forth in the book.

I found the chapters on abandonment, limits, and boundaries, especially informative, describing reasons for abandonment, the abusers motivation, and in providing important counsel for gaining respect, setting and maintaining limits, and learning to say “no.”

Sister Renee Pittelli’s credentials as a victim’s advocate, an Adult Child Recovery Mentor, an established author, and founder/director of a ministry dedicated to counseling the victims of Adult Child Abuse are validation of her qualifications to author this material.

The sheer volume of the book (630 pages) may be intimidating for the average reader; however, the comprehensive nature of the text including the well-chosen Biblical references with practical application makes this a fitting resource as a text for counseling ministries, lay counselor or mentor training.

The book is well organized, formatted with significant thought-provoking lists, well balance Scriptures and applications. Sister Pittelli’s writing is articulate, psychologically sound, and theologically accurate, culturally relevant.

“Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse” is an important resource, it serves as a reminder to the victimized reader that they are not alone in being victimized. This is a significant book to be read, processed, assimilated, applied, and re-read.


Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse: A Biblical Textbook on Abusive Narcissistic Families, How They Operate, and How to Deal With Them
Sister Renee Pittelli
Outskirts Press (2011)
ISBN 9781432766566
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (12/11)

My Eye: A Vision of Christ

“My Eye: A Vision of Christ” is subtitled “A Lived Kabbalah,” or “The Gnostic Christian Autobiography of Mark Wonser.” Part One is made up of fast-moving vignette’s that provide a glimpse into Mark’s early life and capture the impact of his mother’s deep Catholic faith and Catholic School on his personal spiritual journey.

Most readers will identify with some parallel from their own experiences in these early chapters which move Mark from early childhood through to his high school graduation and the traumatic effect of his parent’s divorce on the years that follow.

A perusal of the table of contents and the format within each chapter will guide the reader through a timeline of Mark’s college years, his career with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, early retirement, his return to Oregon, the formation of Wonser Woods, L.L.C. and his graduate study in Theology.

The tragic death of his youngest son, Kevin, left Mark devastated - driving him to a new craving to find and experience God’s grace, purpose and meaning for his life.

Part Two relates Mark’s dramatic conversion experience and details the steps that follow in formulating his faith, a shift from the dogma of Orthodox religion to focusing on the teachings of Gnosticism and the life principles of Kabbalah, an ancient wisdom that provides practical tools for creating joy and lasting fulfillment. It is a school of teaching which is “meant to explain the relationship between Creator, human, and the finite universe.” Mark’s study from this approach has completely changed his worldview. He has replaced his material world goals for a life of service to others. He now serves in a homeless center and as a hospice volunteer.

Mark relates and documents his plan of reading, study, and meditation as he guides the reader step by step through his approach to personal enlightenment and illumination.  He explains how he formed his conclusions regarding his personal belief system, destiny, redemption, the practice of the Sign of Tree of Life, and Christ consciousness.

Wonser is articulate, candidly open, genuinely honest, and sometimes brutally frank. He tells of his struggles, his strengths, his disappointments and his successes.

Although a follower of the tenets of an Orthodox system of belief, I have been personally touched and blessed by Mark’s story. “My Eye: A Vision of Christ” is highly recommended, rich in interesting information, valuable insight, and intellectual challenge.

My Eye: A Vision of Christ
Mark Wonser
AuthorHouse (2011)
ISBN 9781463419233
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (9/11)

Is God Fair? What About Gandhi?

Despite its almost witty title, “Is God Fair? What About Gandhi?” by Michael Riley and James William, this is a serious, scholarly biblical book, relying heavily on thorough, in-depth study. The question of God’s fairness is interlaced with the co-authors stated primary purpose of the book which is “…to give the reader credible reasons to change his or her beliefs about God’s ultimate plan for the destiny of all mankind.” Specifically, they focus on the validity of the concept of eternal damnation, which the authors contend is “…a teaching we have received most, if not all of our lives.”

To achieve their stated purpose, Riley and William extensively examine the negative impact that the “Augustinian-saturated gospel” of hell fire and eternal damnation had on Christianity in the West. They explore four aspects of Augustinian theology: poor translations; the lack of logic; the lack of consistency, and the “Sons of Thunder” mentality of those believers “who would inflict violence on others who disagree with them.” The authors contend that “Sons of Thunder” thinking permeates the minds of many Christians today.

Most biblical scholars agree that the shift away from the gospel’s message of grace and peace as opposed to fear and eternal damnation for all but a few, began with the Roman Empire. The desire of the Emperors to control their subjects through fear and the willingness of power, seeking church leaders to collaborate with them, resulted in the abandonment of the grace and peace gospel.

“Is God Fair? What About Gandhi?” is well written, clear and emphatic. Less scholarly readers might prefer a somewhat condensed treatment, but the thoroughness of the book’s content contributes to a strong sense of completeness and leaves little of significance to wonder about. It should be noted that Michael Riley and James William are laymen. They have a pleasant, conversational writing style and effectively lighten their subject appropriately with a sprinkle of thought-provoking humor. Since they effectively speak for no particular denomination, I highly recommend their book to all Christians.

Is God Fair? What About Gandhi?
Michael Riley and James William
AuthorHouse (2011)
ISBN 9781456757090
Reviewed by Joseph Yurt for Reader Views (9/11)

The Twelve Fruits of the Tree of Life

The concept for Rev. Ernest C. Watson, Jr.’s book “The Twelve Fruits of the Tree of Life” comes from the description of the fruit from the tree of life mentioned in Revelation 22:2. “…the tree of life, which bear twelve manner of fruits” and parallel passages from the book of Proverbs “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom…she (wisdom) is a tree of life.

Rev. Watson shares insights he has received from his study of the scriptures. It is his desire to help the reader understand how revelation knowledge of God is the foundation for truth. Lessons are drawn from the book of Proverbs, chapters one – fifteen. Rev. Watson considers the following topics and likens them to the fruits of the tree of life: Wisdom, knowledge, discretion, diligence, righteousness, desire of hope, the law of the wise, the fruit of fear, and the fruit of a wholesome tongue.

Throughout the book Rev. Watson powerfully promotes the truth that: “God therefore reveals to us that which is pertinent; so that our understanding and our relationship with Him can be correct…we build upon the revelation of truth, and stand on the Word of God…”

Watson’s message is foundational written with clarity in layman’s language. His writing is encouraging, inspirational, and offers a source of faith-building power, coupled with the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Watson compares natural foods (fruit) to spiritual food (the twelve fruits of the tree of life) as God’s provision for the believer. Even as reading is fuel for the mind and food is fuel for the body the Word of God is as fuel for the soul.
Each fruit provides necessary nourishment for growth and maturity, physical and spiritual. Additional benefits of feeding on the Word of God are the healing found from wounds and scars from our past.

I found myself taking time for self-examination and challenged to consider life-changing action steps. “The Twelve Fruits of the Tree of Life” reminds the reader: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” and provides powerful practical instruction and guidelines for spiritual growth, fulfillment, and encouragement for the journey.

The Twelve Fruits of the Tree of Life
Ernest C. Watson, Jr.
AuthorHouse (2010)
ISBN 9781452043449
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (5/11)

On God’s Path: The Unfolding of Humanity

“On God’s Path: The Unfolding of Humanity” is written based on the premise that “the circles of science and religion are not mutually exclusive, but complementary in a much bigger picture.” S. Craig George introduces new insights to challenge the reader to expand their thinking about God and science and to consider for themselves the wisdom on both sides and to reconsider their personal role in advancing the human story.

Although written with the lay reader in mind, the book presents a wide range of mainstream scientific and theological ideas. Significant advances in both science and theology in recent years provide a lot of new information for the reader’s reflection, serious consideration and assimilation.

Mr. George writes from a Christian perspective considerate of all faiths weaving in the Spirit of Christ. Scientific ideas presented are contemporary mainstream, including anthropological archaeology and genome biology. The theological ideas presented are from an orthodox Catholic perspective of mainstream Christianity.

At a time when there exists a divergence of opinions and competing views explaining man’s origin and destiny, the author attempts to bring into focus a larger more inclusive picture of the story of humanity, tracing man’s development physically, socially, and morally. I appreciated Mr. George’s outline approach in the organization of his material. I appreciated his clarity in developing his theme, “The Unfolding Story of Humanity,” through the chapter titles as listed in the table of contents; beginning with the Genesis of the Cosmos, the development of human life, the development of world religions during the Axial Age, and the life and teaching of Jesus.

The author goes on to discuss the development, dissemination, and fragmentation of Christianity, Islam, and the Mystics. He also considers human achievements, human rights, and the current direction of humanity. He speaks of projecting a path of hope and a destiny of fulfillment in Christ.

S. Craig George has degrees in science and in theology and is uniquely qualified to author this treatise: calling individuals to pursue God’s path by of discovery in the unfolding story of humanity.

“On God’s Path: The Unfolding of Humanity” is a positive, realistic, challenge “to participate in an exercise of reconciling the truths of faith and science.”

On God’s Path: The Unfolding of Humanity
S. Craig George
AuthorHouse (2010)
ISBN 9781452019826
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (5/11)

The New Trinity: Your Secular Pathway to Personal Spirituality

Whenever I hear the term “Trinity,” like most Westerners I think of the commonly used and familiar one – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). Therefore I was deeply intrigued by the title of Jack Burch’s “The New Trinity,” particularly in conjunction with its subtitle of “Your Secular Pathway to Personal Spirituality.” Somehow the term “Trinity” always carried a religious connotation for me, and I had no idea whatsoever what the New Trinity could possibly be.

Mr. Burch led me on an exciting journey, laced with insights from many disciplines, and providing a rather unique perspective for the prospective seeker of spiritual evolution. He identifies the New Trinity as the conscious you, the Generative Principle and your experiential world. Each of those components is explored and explained and put in the proper historical context as well. Unlike most spiritual books I’ve read in the past, Mr. Burch puts the emphasis on the internal factors, and not the external ones, and he clearly states that we are not incidental observers, but rather the instigating force to be reckoned with.

While a lot of his teachings were far too complex for me at this stage, since I have never been much involved with this type of a spiritual quest, I certainly appreciated his unique and fresh viewpoint, which clearly encourages each of us to find the strength and determination within every individual to change ourselves as well as the world we live in. A section that particularly resonated with me states, “A great misconception about being spiritual is that one needs to be pious and reserved. This belief inhibits the vibrancy of life, itself. Your spirituality offers a joyful freedom of expression in the world ranging from the exuberance of creativity, through the fulfillment of relationships, to a quiet serenity of time spent alone. ‘To follow your bliss,’ as Joseph Campbell so implored us, is to find your personal spiritual path, for they are one and the same.”

There is a lot of positivity in Mr. Burch’s teachings about mindfulness, awareness and consciousness. I believe that his approach through affirmative meditation will be welcomed by individual thinkers who are ready to accept responsibility for their own spiritual evolution and are not afraid of exercising free will. The structure of “The New Trinity” with clearly outlined chapters, each ending with questions for discussion – or pondering, depending on whether the reader sets on this journey alone or with others; as well as copious resources and references, will provide bountiful material for anybody who is still seeking spiritual enlightenment and is searching for a new, non-restrictive, more fulfilling and love-filled approach to it.

The New Trinity: Your Secular Pathway to Personal Spirituality
Jack J. Burch
DeVorss & Company (2011)
ISBN 9780875168616
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (5/11)