Lose To Gain Christ: A spiritual guide to forfeiting worldly values, religious systems and traditions to win Christ by Chamu Kateya

How important is your relationship with Christ to you? Enough to give up things that you take pride in? 

Would you disdain your national pride for Christ? What about pride in your tribe or family? Would you exchange your social status for a better relationship with Christ? What if your zeal for Christ is misplaced? Would you be willing to change it? 

What if someone showed you that you trust in your own self-righteousness more than the righteousness of God? Would you get angry and never speak to them again? Or, would you be willing to examine yourself and see if you need to make changes in your heart or life so that you might lose to gain more of Christ?

These questions highlight the main points of Lose to Gain Christ. The respected apostle Paul admitted to guilt in all these areas of pride. In fact, Paul said he had more reason to boast than other people because he was:

“Circumcised the eighth day”—pride in tradition

“Of the stock of Israel”–national pride

“Of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews”–tribal and family pride

“A Pharisee”—pride in self-righteousness

“Concerning zeal, persecuting the church”—misplaced zeal

Yet, Paul’s says all these things he once counted as gain (these things that people tend to esteem), he now counts them all as losses that he might gain Christ. Paul desired an eternal relationship with Christ more than he desired worldly goals. 

Would you and I be willing to examine ourselves like Paul and choose Christ over worldly gain? This is what this book asks us as readers.

Lose to Gain Christ is well-written and well-organized. Every main point is based soundly upon scripture. This book might step on your toes because we all have a little pride in us somewhere, whether it be in our traditions, nation, family, denominations, or self-righteousness—but what if those things are what’s holding us up from having a true relationship with Christ? 

If developing a true, deep-abiding relationship with Christ is important to you, I do recommend this book, and I suggest that anyone who reads it does so with an open mind and not allow pride to get in the way. While the subject matter of this book may be touchy to some people, I can say that the author writes with a humble and gentle spirit that is non-judgmental but reflective of Christ.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Lose to Gain is available on Amazon.

Book Review: Of Love and Violence (The Tainted Love Saga, Book 3)

If you haven’t read the first two books of the addictive Tainted Love Saga series, please be aware this review reveals spoilers. I have truly loved reading this series. Sarah’s story has really taken root in my heart and I want so much to see things work out for her.

In this third installment, some bad and good things happen that make it somewhat like a “coming of age” story. The good things include Sarah’s reconciliation with her estranged family and her gaining independence by moving to another state and getting a job. The not-so-good things entail Sarah becoming heavily influenced by the bad habits of excessive drinking and bad language as well as coming face to face with the sinister intentions of some worldly-minded people.

Sarah is young and innocent in the ways of the world, reminding me of myself in my own youth. I found myself many times wishing I could interject myself into her story both to protect her and steer her away from dangerous choices. As for Bruce, I really did want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I am afraid he has left a negative image in my mind of him now because of the way he treats Sara in this book. Even so, I am invested in this series now so that it’s much more than just a romance story for me. My heart is rooting for Sarah and I want to know how she gets through this, how she prevails, and what she learns from all this. Most of all, I want to know how her story ends. So I continue to keep a look-out for future installments in this series. I recommend this book and series to those who love losing their hearts and hours of reading time into sagas that remain with you long after the last page.

You can find Kayla Lowe’s Of Love and Violence on Amazon:

Book Review: Of Love and Family (Tainted Love Saga, Book 2)

I was so excited to finally get to read Book 2 of The Tainted Love Saga series, and it didn’t disappoint! Like many of us in our youth, Sarah is naive and not just in love with her first love but also in love with her first experience with love itself. She wants to believe that her relationship with Bruce is special and will last forever. She believes and hopes in Bruce and this relationship so much that she wrestles against the values of her close-knit family who see Bruce as only trouble for Sarah. Her relationships with both family and Bruce become strained as she is torn between love of family and love of Bruce. 

In many ways, Bruce is such a true gentleman to Sarah and loves her with a love that reminds her of the Phantom of the Opera love story. Yet, as this part of her story unfolds, Sarah discovers inconsistencies with what Bruce has led her to believe about himself. Should she question his truthfulness or accept his explanations and excuses? 

Just like the first installment of this series, I couldn’t put this book down and wasn’t satisfied to stop reading when I finished the last page. I can’t wait to read the next book because, like Sarah, I really want to hope for the best and believe that her relationship with Bruce will indeed work out into a happy ending after all. 

I recommend both this book and series to anyone who thirsts for books you can’t put down and stories that take root in your heart.

Find Kayla Lowe’s Of Love and Family on Amazon!

Book Review: Of Love and Deception (Tainted Love Saga Book 1)

Have you ever read a book that just sucks you in like it was a black hole to another dimension? You open the book and start reading, and the next thing you know, hours have passed. You’ve forgotten about that pot of beans on the stove or your kid at school waiting on you to pick them up. Yeah, Of Love and Deception is that kind of book.

Sarah MacKenzie has just moved away from home to begin her freshman year of college. She’s a good girl from a loving family. She’s serious about studying and making good grades. 

She’s also a huge Phantom of the Opera fan, and little does she know this passion will soon take her on the ride of her life with twists and turns that are both thrilling and frightening.

No sooner has Sarah unpacked and settled in her dorm room than an online stranger strikes up a chat with her on a social media platform. The stranger is a fellow Phan (fan of Phantom of the Opera).

She enjoys her conversation with her newfound friend so much that in no time at all, she finds herself spending all her free time on the Internet chatting with him. As the days and weeks pass, an online relationship develops between Sarah and her Phantom Lover.

Then, Phantom Lover wants to meet Sarah in person. Is he all that he claims to be? Does he really care for Sarah, or is their relationship only a cyber fantasy? Does Sarah’s future promise a happy ending or disaster? You’ll have to read the book to find out. 

What I thought about this book:

Of Love and Deception is the first installment of the “Tainted Love Saga” series. It’s a well-written book with scenes and dialogue that stole my attention away and held me captive until the ending. Soon after I began reading this book, I was swept away with the plot. I didn’t want to stop reading. I was gripped with the need to know how the story turned out. The ending is a bit of a surprise, and it also makes me definitely want to read the next installment. 

Out of a 5-star rating, I give Of Love and Deception five stars because it’s just that good!

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase or learn more about Of Love and Deception at: 

kaylalowe.com/

Amazon

 

Book Review: The Master Narrative by Michael Allyn LaBorn

Have you ever put together a jigsaw puzzle? Most of us have tried and often got discouraged or bored and then abandoned the puzzle forever. Sadly, it’s the same for reading the Old Testament. 

Many people attempt to read God’s Word but get overwhelmed–or bored—by all the characters and plots that are laced with words, names, rituals, and cultural practices that are archaic to us today. 

But, what happens when you do manage to complete a puzzle? You see the whole big picture. 

Once you learn how to put all the pieces of the Old Testament together, you finally see the whole large picture that God has been painting since before Creation. 

Finally, all of God’s puzzling commands and complex stories of the O.T. come together, and you can rejoice in that “Aha!” moment of, “Now I see!”

More than that, once you view the Old Testament as one big picture, you finally see just how real God is and how marvelously He has been working in people’s lives from day one until now. 

That’s where The Master Narrative comes in as a study tool to aid you in putting all the pieces of the Old Testament together and understanding it as a whole. 

Each chapter of The Master Narrative is fairly short and to the point, outlining: 

• An Overview
• Author (info about who wrote the O.T. book)
• Timeline (when in history this took place)
• Basis Summary
• Theme(s)
• Final Summary

The author, Michael Allyn LaBorn, backs up everything he writes with scripture and cites the verses at the end of each chapter. This way, you can —and should–read the scriptures for yourself to understand more clearly what God’s Word is saying.

What I thought about this book:

I loved The Master Narrative! In fact, I can’t love it enough! I’ve been studying the Old Testament for years, but Michael LaBorn opened my eyes to seeing important points in God’s Word that I have missed. 

This reference book helped me look at the Old Testament with fresh eyes and see how every little thing that happened in the Old Testament was guided by the hand of God to reveal a divine purpose for mankind.  

The Master Narrative is written well, and you can tell the author is educated in the scriptures and gifted with a deep understanding of the Bible as well as a talent for saying things in a way that anyone can relate. 

Out of a five-star rating, I would give The Master Narrative five stars because it’s a study guide that keeps on giving. You can keep it handy every time you sit down to start studying a new book of the Old Testament. 

I received a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase or learn more about Michael Allyn LaBorn and his book, The Master Narrative at:

Michael’s website:  www.michaellaborn.com/

At Amazon: