Mary, Called Magdalene
Book
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those?...
Feminist Frameworks and the Bible: Power, Ambiguity, and Intersectionality
Book
This volume on intercultural biblical interpretation includes essays by feminist scholars from...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Star of Persia: Esther's Story in Books
Feb 24, 2021
This was my first time reading a book by Jill Eileen Smith and I truly liked it. I usually tend to stay away from Biblical fiction, as I want to remember the story as it happens in the Bible. However, I may revisit my stance on that after reading this wonderful retelling of Esther in the Star of Persia. I believe that Jill Eileen Smith helped me see Esther’s story from a completely new perspective that only added to my knowledge of the original Biblical story.
The whole book was liking being inside Esther’s head and seeing what she would have been going through during the virgin selection prosses, through her reign as Queen of Persia. This book also helped give words to the emotions Esther would have been experiencing as she was being taken away from her family, thrown into a completely new world, and knowing that she risked everything for the lives of her people. This book gave me a new respect for Esther and helped me to understand the enormity of what Esther did for the Jewish people. I think that the Star of Persia added to my understanding of that period and showed how amazingly God used an orphan to achieve great things for His people.
I loved the historical accuracy of this book as well. If you read the authors' note at the end of the book, Jill Eileen Smith explains some of the different variants, both Biblical and secular, about the story of Esther. An awesome fountain of facts! It helped me understand more of the intricacies of the Biblical story from a historical standpoint.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the creative insights to the life and times of Esther, for giving me a better connection to the Biblical story, and for the great historical detail that went into making this book so accurate. I highly recommend reading this book.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Meg Dean (138 KP) rated Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, #1) in Books
Jun 20, 2018
1.) Vampires
2.) A "naked" cat/demon
3.) It makes me laugh!
Jaye Wells has created an amazing world that is a combination of fantasy, biblical mythology, and humor!
She has made up words (trampire being my fav.)...
And she has started us on an amazing adventure that I cannot wait to finish!
4 Stars...LOVE IT!
RZIM: Just Thinking Broadcasts
9.0
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Podcast
Just Thinking is a quarter-hour weekday broadcast. The radio outreach of RZIM is a listener...
Two Essays on Miracles
2.0
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Book
The essays in this volume were written when John Henry Newman was a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford....
Understanding Hezekiah of Judah: Rebel King and Reformer
Book
A new thought-provoking exposition of the political and religious developments in the kingdom of...
The English Poems of George Herbert
George Herbert and Helen Wilcox
Book
George Herbert (1593-1633) is widely regarded as the greatest devotional poet in the English...
William Faulkner's Characters: An Index to the Published and Unpublished Fiction
Book
Originally published in 1981. This index to characters and names in the published and unpublished...
One of the main focuses of the book is the Biblical mandate to "be fruitful and multiply" and how modern culture has both minimized and scorned this. The authors also focus on the differences between males and females, as well as their different purposes in life. Marriage is also a central theme in the book, with the authors providing lots of advice, as well as suggestions to study other resources, in order to find a husband and maintain a healthy marriage.
To stress certain points throughout the book, the authors provide a visual illustration of the concepts discussed. They summarize the lessons taught in certain sections in a "Wise Steps" box, and they fill the book with sections that invite the reader to journal his own thoughts according to a certain topic.
What I found the most interesting about the book was how the authors broke down the multiple purposes of any woman into three categories: our purpose as humans (Core Callings), our purpose as women (Feminine Callings), and our purpose as unique individuals (Personal Callings). Each of these are further broken down, with the Core Callings having the most emphasis throughout the book: Leave and Cleave, Be Fruitful and Multiply, and Subdue and Rule.
I had a difficult time getting through this book, partly because I felt that some of the information provided simply did not apply to me and I did not find it particularly useful. I did agree with most of what the authors interpreted from Biblical scriptures, though I disliked the broad usage of many different Biblical translations. As with any Biblically-based self-help book, the Bible should be the first source and the book should be secondary. I also felt that Feldhahn used the book somewhat as a self-promotional tool, since she often refers to her previously-written book, For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men.
All the same, I appreciated the Biblical perspective and the support of marriage-minded women and stay-at-home moms. There is much wisdom in the pages of this book.