Open to the Spirit by Scot McKnight

The Trinity is a hard subject to handle. You know. Three in one. One in three. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. Each a person. But one in essence.

Each has his own role in the Godhead. The Father creates. He begets the Son.  Begets in the same sense we beget children. The Son reveals in Human flesh. The Spirit comforts us and reveals the Son.

McKnight claims that we don’t allow ourselves to be open to the Holy Spirit as we should. Since, he contends, not many Christians understand the work of the Holy Spirit, they don’t completely know how to handle being open to Him. Thus, he has written this short 204-page book. It has the footnotes following the text and this adds thirteen more pages. He divides it into five parts.

It is easy reading and compels you to keep reading and interacting with the areas spoken of (new creation, the people, the virtues, the victory). As you read, you find yourself involving yourself in a safe non-threatening way.

In some of his illustrations used to clarify what to him are important aspects, he gets away from what is written in the Bible as the basis for our belief. He does differentiate between Pentecostals and Charismatics, but then quotes a Monica A. Coleman, professor of Constructive Theology and American religion at Claremont School of Theology in Southern California. She fellowships at an African Methodist Episcopal Church. In her book named “Bi-polar Faith: A Black Woman’s journey with Depression and Faith “, on the subject of the gift of tongues, having prayed in tongues with her friend Cynthia and a minister from a Harvard doctrinal program to each other, standing in a corner talking to each other in tongues.

That is not found in the Bible. In fact, in 1 Corinthians we are told tongues does not edify the body but is a sign for the unsaved. He slips here.

His background is Anglican with a leaning toward Anabaptist. His profession is that of a Professor of New Testament at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary at Lombard, Il. And that should be considered while reading this book.

Still, it is well done and, yes, I would say it is one I would consider looking at. It is important to be open to the Spirit

It is published by WaterBrook, Penguin Random House.. It retails for $15.99.

A Measure of Darkness by Jonathan Kellerman & Jesse Kellerman.

Here once again we have the team of father and son writing another mystery. Both Kellerman men write well separately and when writing together they add extra depth to the tale.

I guess what I am saying is, I enjoyed it very much and look forward to their presentations as co-authors. I major in reading Jonathan’s tales when they appear since he has a psychologist/sleuth as a major character in his stories, but from time to time I pick up and read Jesse’s. It is just a preference.

I guess if you were to ask a mystery reader why they read mysteries they would answer ‘for the thrill of the chase.” This genre needs a victim, a person who solves the puzzle, and one who commits the crime. Basic plot and red herrings help in the story.

When two authors come together and write a book together they must bind their styles into one unified voice. The Kellermans seem able to do this.

People are throwing a party. Gunshots are fired. Chaos follows. Bodies are found. One body is unidentified., A female. Who is she? Why was she murdered? What is the story this female has to tell?

This question leads our sleuth-- a coroner—along with a young female officer to seek answers in the past. Soon other incidents crop up. A cult is found, or maybe a different type of educating kids. What is Jane Does link to this school?

Along with this case, our hero must deal also with his brother who is trying to fit back into society after a period in prison.

It is purely plot driven. Characters are only there to keep the story moving forward. The police are police. Our hero is a coroner, but we don’t spend any time in a coroner’s theatre as you would if you were reading a Patricia Cornwell story with Dr. Key Scarpetta. Our victim is not anything but a body.

Mystery readers form a unique group of readers and have their own special preferences. Not all read police procedurals. Not all read who dun’ its. But they all enjoy a good puzzle. That may be why they come back again and again to favorite authors. I think this one is a good Kellerman tale and should be enjoyed by fans. It has 31 chapters.

The Outsider by Stephen King

Once again, he is on the best sellers list. If you are looking for a good read, you can’t go too wrong by picking up a novel by this writer. Sure, there have been a few that are a bit disappointing, but this one is worthy of his skills.

All writers worth their salt, so to speak, seem to slow down as they age and put out a few books to keep their name before the public. That is especially true of those the world deems authors of best sellers.

King likes to write in the genre of horror. That is, mostly. He has also written in the mystery realm (End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes) as well as the western realm (The Dark Tower trilogy). But he seems to be more at home in the horror realm.

He has tried to make a statement about the environment (Under the Dome) using the horror motif. He has lots of short story anthologies in print of his works. So, we know he can produce.

This story starts with an arrest. Did they arrest the right person? What are the repercussions of that event? Who gets hurt? Is it possible there is a supernatural element at work?  What is going on?

Kings use of senses and his use of words, not large or complicated, move the tale along. He has control, as he should after writing all these years. It is something to admire his craft about. You can sense the rewrites to find just the right verbiage.

He has said in the past in his book ‘Danse Macabre’, a book explaining this writing technique, he likes to shock people. In this book, as the reader gets involved in the flow and texture of the tale, he is pleasantly rewarded by spurts of uneasiness.

 King is weaving his magic.

I enjoy finding out in each book what kind of monster it contains. In Cujo it was a rabid dog. In Misery it was a zealous fan. In this one; No, I will not do a spoiler.

When you finish this book, you are satisfied. And isn’t that why you read books?

It is published by Simon & Schuster, Inc and can be found at your local bookstore or online. It may even be in your local library. That way you can save some money and enjoy the tale at the same time.