Book Review: Gathering the Priests

Written by Dan Harwell
Review by Donald James Parker

Dan Harwell is not a typical author. After prophetic promptings from multiple people convinced him he was supposed to write a book, Dan and his wife decided it was time for him to tackle the challenge. He quit his excellent job to devote all of his time to the effort. When the book was complete, traditional publishers flirted with him, but failed to make a commitment because Dan was moving to South Dakota, an area of low population, which is not conducive for promoting a book. So he self published. God blessed him with finances from various sources to sustain the family while he was writing, and when he finished, provided another excellent job for him. And now he has no desire to write another book. It was not something he did out of a thirst for fortune or fame or passion for writing, but rather to be obedient to God. That’s my kind of writer. This is my kind of book.
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Book Review Of: Compelled By Love

Written By Heidi Baker

Review By Donald James Parker

Normally I review one book at a time. In this situation, I’m going to lump three books together since they are written by the same author(s) and there is an overlap in the content. All three are delightful and dovetail together, so I decided to include all of them. The other two titles are Always Enough and Expecting Miracles and are authored by Heidi and her husband, Rolland. I can guarantee that if you desire to be a lukewarm Christian, you won’t want to read these books.

There are two main components to a book – the contents and the presentation. After hearing stories about Heidi and Rolland Baker’s exploits in the financially challenged areas of the world, I expected to encounter some wonderful content in their books. I definitely was not disappointed. My expectations for the presentation of those inspiring stories was not high (I was unaware that Heidi and her husband both possess PhD’s) and my tolerance level was set accordingly. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that their writing was invisible most of the time and became conspicuous only when the author decided to wax poetic. The prose in those situations usually provided a diversionary side trip which lasted for a moment and then gave way to the harsh and sometimes jubilant realities of their life of service to God and the human race. I strongly believe that in delivering a message via the printed word, invisible writing is the most efficient style. If no flaws in syntax or phraseology exist, and the author does not put on an extravagant display of multisyllabic vocabulary which causes even educated people to scramble for a dictionary, the reader can focus on the significance of the author’s content. And when Christians encounter the full thrust of the message delivered by the Bakers, their life will be impacted to some degree. I know that mine was touched deeply. I used to sing that song “Please, Don’t Send Me to Africa,” but after reading these books, I’ve been pondering a missionary trip to Mozambique.

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A Message From God

Written By Retha McPherson

Review By Donald James Parker

Retha McPherson thought she had it all. Then fate stepped in and showed her that she had been mistaken. Her twelve year old son, Aldo, was critically injured in a car accident. The grieving mother discovered that her walk with Jesus had been superficial, even though she had been a devout Christian. The ingredient she had been missing was intimacy with her Heavenly Father and with Jesus. During the time when her son struggled to survive, Retha established that rock solid relationship that was lacking and contagiously gave it away to her husband. And when the boy recovered from his coma, he had stories to tell of his visit in Heaven. Included was a message that he was to tell everyone that Jesus was coming again soon. Of course, a skeptic would quickly point out that a brain-damaged person is not a reliable witness. The mitigating factor is that the boy awoke and was able to quote scripture copiously. Before the accident, he had been a normal kid who paid attention to boy things and not God things. The instruction from the Lord that came down, they were to write a book about the whole experience and share it with others. And this paperback is the culmination of that commission from the Lord. I think God is pleased with the result.

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Out of the Depths of Sexual Sin

Written By Steve Gallagher

Reviewed By Donald James Parker

In 2006 I heard the small still voice tell me to “go after the sexual revolution.” I was not quite sure how to do that, so I went searching for knowledge and wisdom on the subject. My pastor suggested that Steve Gallagher was the guy with the knowledge. I perused his list of several books. This one deals more with Steve’s journey to obey God and develop deep spiritual roots enabling him to lead a ministry than exploring sexual issues. The fact that the previous reviews on Amazon were only three stars argued against it as well. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I chose this book. It must have been a God thing. This works more than exceeded my expectations.

This book is great for women as well as men. This will give them vital insight into their husband’s temptations and potential failures. In addition to fulfilling his physical needs, a wife needs to bolster her husband’s capacity to resist the enemy and encourage him in his Christian commitment. Wives need to stay strong in the Lord in order to stand firm when the storms of life come. The first gut reaction when a spouse falls to temptation is to seek divorce, but that is exactly what the enemy desires. The best thing the couple can do is to be frank and open and to pray fervently together so when temptation comes, it can be brought to light and defeated. Temptation, like mold and mildew grows in the darkness. I’m convinced that sexual temptation is the number one weapon in the enemy’s arsenal. Another one is pride, something that Steve Gallagher is very familiar with. Spiritual pride may be the most dangerous flavor of the sin. God had to break him before his human pride was conquered. This book shines the spotlight on both of these strategies of the devil.

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Feature Interview with David A.R. White

Interviewed By Donald James Parker

David Andrew Roy White is an American actor, screenwriter and producer.  He is a co-founder of Pure Flix Entertainment, a distribution and production company. David moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 19. Six months after his arrival in Los Angeles, he was given the role of Andrew Phillpot, the best friend of Burt Reynolds’ son, in the CBS television series titled, Evening Shade. In addition to his role in Evening Shade, David had guest appearances in shows such as Coach, Saved by the Bell, Sisters, and Melrose Place.

White has acted in films such as The Visitation, an adaption of the novel by author Frank Peretti, Bells of Innocense with actor Chuck Norris, and Mercy Streets where he was nominated for The Movie Guide Awards’ Best Actor.

Although White was an associate producer in the film End of the Harvest,The Moment After, was the first film that White produced; not only did he produce the film he also played the role of Adam Riley in the film. He has produced other films such as The Visitation, The Wager, and Hidden Secrets.

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