Recommendation : The Bible: Volume 1 : The Beginning : From Kingstone Media

The Bible: Volume 1: The Beginning

By Kingstone Media

The Bible: Volume 1: The Beginning is the first work in a graphic novel anthology from Kingstone Media, who is adapting the entire Holy Bible into a 12-volume set. This  first piece—and I assume the others—will contain some of the standalone issues already released by Art Ayris and his team, but the stories will now be contextualized into the overarching narrative of Scripture.

This first entry shows the creative license necessary in adaption while maintaining the attention to interpretation and contextual detail that one can expect from Kingstone’s work. This first volume contains the stories of Creation, The Fall, The Flood, Babel, and Job (the last of these I recommended, here).

iGods by Craig Detweiler: A Recommendation

iGods
by Craig Detweiler

NOTE: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

Christians are called to be sober-minded and intentional. The Bible’s writers exhort us to put aside childish ways of thinking and “old practices” of immorality and apathy in pursuit of a life that brings glory to God through all facets of our being—heart, soul, and mind.  This is a high calling, to be sure; but for the Christian who desires Christ’s honor and the Lord’s will above all else, the challenge is welcome.

As are works and books that aid us along our path.

iGods by Craig Detweiler is one such tool. Part philosophical tome, part historical narrative, the book outlines concerns for the mindful person in the digital age, cautioning the reader against pure consumerism regarding the behemoths of the online landscape. This is a warning worth our attention, for the perceived demands of online media (like the very blog your reading, likely linked through a social networking site) tend to be making us less engaged but more entertained, living lives of increased information but diminished experience.

More with Stronghold and Intentional Warriors

James Cordrey, whose work with Intentional Warriors I highlighted on Wednesday, has offered a second piece on our interview about Stronghold and fighting or purity! Please give it a read!

In God's Image : Recovery Ministry : Intentional Warriors

In God’s Image: “Subcreators in a Created World”

A new series from 3LCpublishing

Below are interview questions I sent to James Cordrey, founder of IntentionalWarriors.com and author of the book of the same name. James and I have been corresponding for months, and each of us has read the other's book and reacted to it. We have connected as men of God, brothers in Christ, and fellow soldiers in the war against lust, not only in our hearts but also in the body of believers. 

James was kind of enough to be the first participant in the "In God's Image" series, through which I hope to highlight fellow believers whose creative energies are resulting in kingdom work. The hopefully ongoing feature will allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to share details about the ministries or projects which they have founded, created, or built for our Father’s glory.

I am very glad to be sharing James' responses with you, and I hope you will take time to visit his site.

Interview and Book Review at Intentional Warriors

James Cordrey, editor of Intentional Warriors (and author of the book of the same name) was kind enough to run a story not only reviewing Stronghold but also interviewing me about my own recovery journey.

Please take a look at Intentional Warriors to read James' Thoughts

On Wednesday, I'll be running an interview with him about his work with Intentional Warriors. 

A Budding Romance

Several weeks ago, I received feedback on my second novel, To Retreat From Romance. 

I knew that I would have some mixed responses, but I did not expect them to be as varied as they were. While some folks loved one subplot, others thought it unmotivated (or non-existent). Whereas one reader found certain elements to be a great part of the story, another loathed them. Different attitudes informed diametrically opposed responses regarding not only the content but the tone as well.  I was reminded of my review of Real Men Don’t Text and felt that perhaps I was guilty of all the things I previously critiqued.

Review: The Dragon's Fury

The Dragon's Fury
by D.C. Mickelson

Reviewing another's art can be a tricky thing. The sensibilities of artists and audience members are different. Sometimes a book and a reader simply fail to connect; to no fault of either party, the chemistry is not there. This is a stark reality for me, given that beta readers recently finished engaging my 2nd novel. Writing works for some people but not others, and that's okay.

The trouble comes when those people become your sounding board for revisions or your reviewers after the fact.

Recovery Resource Review: Intentional Warriors

When I discovered James Cordrey's site, Intentional Warriors, I felt that I had found a kindred spirit. His content was openly anti-porn and pro-pursuing-righteousness, presented with a professional look and forthcoming attitude. His posts and platform revealed a life that Christ renewed from destructive behaviors and near-collapse, and that's a life to which I feel connected.

Using Old Notes to infuse New Ideas

If you've been at your writing craft for any amount of time, you have likely produced an inordinate amount of notes--notes on this idea or that location, on some intriguing character or a great maguffin or plot. You've probably had more false starts than a pee-wee-football offensive line and a hundred great moves in your playbook that have never been seen by another set of human eyes.

Do you know what that means?

Be my Reader, Editor, and More!

I'm excited. Really excited.

I am going to release another book in the next twelve months, a young adult novel entitled, To Retreat from Romance. I am happy with the preliminary drafts, and I look forward to making it the best novel it can be.

But I cannot do it alone. The truth is that I need help to do it; real help, not affirmation from "yes men" and cheerleaders but strong feedback from people who like what they know and know what they like. I am building an amazing team of committed readers to help me refine and proofread this latest novel. And guess what, I want you to join that team! Yes, you! Especially, you!

Here's the deal: 

Review: Dating Like Airplanes

Dear Readers, please note, I received this book free of charge from Caleb Breakey in exchange for this review. Also, Caleb is one of the few authors who actually signs his review copies personally, which makes them a real treat to receive. 

In August 2013, author Caleb Breakey contacted me regarding his first book, Called to Stay, an excellent work about millennials and the church. I kind of loved it. Caleb was able to voice the concerns of the up-and-coming generation of church leadership and then calm that voice with exhortations to love. Acknowledging the great irony that millennials judge their elders for being judgmental, Caleb was able to find a wonderful balance between critique and compassion. I truly loved that book. 

Caleb continued his writing career earlier this month with his sophomore outing, Dating Like Airplanes. The book covers dating from a Christ-centered perspective that calls its readers to engage in a new form of ever-mindful, constantly-vigilant romance. If the current keyword of evangelical leaders is "radical", Caleb Breakey's latest work fits the bill. 

5 Great Christmas Gifts for Artists

Artists need our help; they need the help of fans, and they need the help of other artists. If a handful of small artists have given you a gift through their work, why not give them a little something in return this holiday. Here's 5 ways to give your favorite artists a treat this December (and 3 of the ways are free, so no excuses!)

RAIL MAIL: A RECOMMENDATION (or, "a letter of love to my eldest sibling")

In 2004, my eldest brother Geoff Stunkard wrote a book, and I never read it. I even got an autographed copy, but I didn't give it a chance. I should have. Regardless of subject matter or interest, he's my brother, and I should have supported him. Being a struggling writer myself, I see that now.

Chasing Shadows: Back to Barterra: A Recommendation

Author John Mark Reynolds and I have something of a strange history. At the age of 17, I was invited to join the Torrey Honors Institute that Dr. Reynolds had begun at Biola University. I declined the offer, because at the time I did not want to spend my entire college life reading (I know, I was an idiot). Later, during my senior year at university, one of his students asked me to adapt a play Dr. Reynolds had written into a script for a senior project. And I did. Very poorly. The doctor made that known to my friend rather than me, and he was right to do so (I was, after all, not really his student). After this, Dr. Reynolds and I saw each other very little and years later crossed paths when we I was working at Biola. We chatted briefly, and that was that.

Losing the Name Game

One of the universal criticisms of Stronghold is the over abundance of complex names. The point is well taken. Stronghold contains over thirty named characters and nearly all of their names fall into one of two categories: either they are an original amalgamation of Greek and Hebrew, or they are distinctly non-Anglo names drawn from various parts of the world. While my intentions in doing this and including the number of characters I did were valid from a storytelling perspective, my execution failed.

More Reviews for Called to Stay

A month ago, I reviewed Caleb Breakey's wonderful book, Called To Stay. But I'm not the only one. If you want some varied perspectives on the text, just click on any of the well-written reviews below:

The Preacher's Bride: A Recommendation

Where do I begin with Jody Hedlund's The Preacher's Bride? I find myself conflicted. On the one hand Jody's is the first romance novel I have ever read outside of Jane Austen; ergo I find it difficult to call her an exemplary of that genre. However, books are books, and The Preacher's Bride is an excellent one regardless of genre. Given modern romance's reputation for being less than literary, I can only assume that this fine work is the best that genre has to offer. But as I've said, I do not know if that is where I'd like to start. 


A better place, perhaps a more appropriate place for one author to recommend another's, is to speak of execution, plain and simple.  The highest compliment that I can give Jody is that she makes it seem so easy, not unlike George Lucas and Steven Spielberg made it seem with their blockbuster hits of this late 70s and early 80s. In some ways, I feel like The Preacher's Bride is to romance novels as Indiana Jones and Star Wars are to pop culture film, in that all of these projects make good storytelling look effortless. Hedlund's composition as well as her structure and design are such that they feel organic and natural, plucked from the memory of a person present at the events as they unfolded. The fine-tuned story and rounded characters in The Preacher's Bride are unmistakably well-written and carefully developed; and the levels on which the book works are numerous. The pleasure one gets in reading it, is well, the stuff of which "good reading" is made. Being a writer I know that such execution is difficult, and I also realize that making one's craft seem natural and easy is perhaps the best writing of all. 

JLA: A League of One: A Recommendation

Wonder Woman is something of an interesting icon in American comic history. Oft referred to as one of three members of DC universe's "trinity" (a gross misuse of the word, by the way), Wonder Woman has had one animated film, a short lived television program, and numerous supporting roles in cartoons such as the JLA. However, unlike the other members and the trinity, Batman and Superman, she has not been given a full treatment on the silver screen nor has she struck a chord with the American cultural vernacular in the same way. This is a great loss, for Wonder Woman is perhaps the most noble of three. 

I did not always believe this, but Christopher Moeller, with his graphic novel JLA: A League of One, has changed my mind. After reading this book I would certainly put Wonder Woman into my Top 10 Comic Book Heroes Of All Time, and I look forward to seeking out more of her adventures (though I think all will pale in comparison to this initial one that made me value her so).

The End of Our Questioning: A Recommendation

About three months ago I reviewed Matthew Lee Anderson's first book, Earthen Vessels, which I wanted to read mainly because Matthew is a fellow Biola alumnus who experienced that beloved university at the same time I did, 2000-04. We ran in different circles, and I knew of him only in passing (I am unaware if he knew of me, and I am sure if he did, the knowledge was less than flattering. See a possible reason why in the first paragraph of this post). Regardless, I take great pride in the university's producing writers like Matthew (other Biola Authors from the class of '04 include Keith Buhler and Nathan Shane Miller, both of whose books I have also read, though I have only reviewed that of the former). I caught Earthen Vessels a few years late, but now that I follow Matthew's exploits and articles regularly at Mere-Orthodoxy, I have the privilege of reviewing his second book, The End of Our Exploring, in a much more timely fashion.

The book opens very well, with Matthew taking the lecture approach of first asserting the value of questions themselves then providing a preview of all that he intends to tell us about them, chapter by chapter. This section is immensely strong, and I am including the following quote not merely to give you an idea of his language but also to show why I kind of fell in love with the ideas in this book: 

Sola Scriptura: A Recommendation

[I've spent a good deal of time and energy promoting my own book recently, so I decided to end the week by focusing on someone else's]. 

Keith Buhler was a student with me at Biola University about whom I can say three things. First, I owe Keith a debt of gratitude for introducing me to David Gray’s White Ladder, an album that was integral to my college experience and has stood the test of time and remains in my collection (even as I type this, I am listening to it). Second, Keith Buhler is a good man, and I can attest to this due to my most vivid memory of him, one which is highly embarrassing to me (so I will share it with you). He and I were invited to accompany two young women on a day-long, dorm-floor-event during which all the young women and their dates were to perform a scavenger hunt in Hollywood, followed by dinner at a restaurant where each group would share its findings. Well, long story short, I fell asleep during the day’s events, and Keith was not only a wonderful companion to his date but also the young lady that I treated so poorly—I recall his either doing impressions of me sleeping or taking pictures to that affect in order to cheer up my rightfully-disheartened date (Rachel, I am still sorry for my behavior). Third, years after this when he and I reconnected, Keith not only treated me as a friend but also did not bring up the embarrassing affair, an act which confirms that he is a genuinely gracious person.

That being said, buy his book.

Just kidding (sort of); I am actually going to discourage some of you from buying his book, not for lack of its merit but for its intentional niche appeal. You see, Sola Scriptura is not for everyone. I wish it were, as it is an engaging and, at times, riveting read full of vibrant ideas and wonderful truths; however, its format is also direct to such a degree that some readers will have neither the desire to engage it nor sensibility to enjoy it.