Phil Lemons

This book is written specifically for a Seventh-Day Adventist audience as it is based on the theology, history, and culture of the denomination. Torres looks at these aspects of the denomination, how it has evolved, where it has stalled, and where we as members have come to rely on methods and procedures while losing sight of the bigger picture and the heart of the movement that inspired the formation of the denomination. Torres proposes that we as members would care more and have more to share with others who are looking for God if we lived remembering that God wants relationship with each person and that his presence in our hearts changes us from the inside out, we would have something to share that people want to hear and not rely on fear and winning intellectual arguments to reach people and connect them with God. 

I did not know anything about Bonhoeffer before trading this biography. The passion and quality of this man's life amazes me. In some ways, this book reads like a thriller as it gets closer to the end. If not for the statements that reveal his fate throughout the book, I would've been on the edge of my seat hoping and rooting for him to make it through jail and camps alive so he could marry the woman he loved and live his life happily ever after. That was not to be and he goes to his death realizing that death in this world was the gateway to life in the next.

This was a very long read for me. I read the Kindle version and did not realize this was over 500 pages when I started. In some places, Metaxes uses academic language that had me going for the dictionary. Sometimes I wished he would use common language instead, however, in retrospect it does seem to fit with Bonhoeffer's life and personality.

In the end, this was an exciting yet thought provoking read. That this man really lived and was not a work of someone's imagination engages me, challenging me in how I am choosing to live. Especially in my relationship with God.

I would not not have guessed I would enjoy this book as much as I did based on the book description. The writing is fantastic and the Aaronovitch casts the fantasy characters in a modernized light with the gravity of their history. I found the main character believable. Clever in his own way, but not a genius. He doesn't buy too much into his own stock and his awkwardness with women is a nice change from the stereotypical lead who is confident and comfortable with the opposite sex. I do think this could have been done without sounding so much like a teenager who is hyper aware of the female body. 

All said, this is a fun adventure blending modern London with mythical fantasy. 

It has been ten years since I last read this book. There are details that have faded over time. Some I'm not sure I saw in the previous readings.

The main takeaway for me is the question of whether I still love and follow God or am I devoted to a way of life that bears His name only? Secondly, when following God becomes unpopular, especially with those who are devoted to the lifestyle, do I hold on to Him or follow the crowd? How much pain and discomfort will this world put me through to get me to accept the lie?

I want to stay true. And even when I miss the mark, I want to be able to see the truth and recognize it, embracing God as my king. The God who designed this whole universe yet knows me intimately.

This is a fun book. The magic system feels unique to me, and that may be my favorite part of this book. I don't typically go for love stories, but this was a fun one. It wasn't too cheesy or steamy. I could see certain elements of the story being allusions to a ln even greater romantic story, but I will leave that for the romantics.