Thr3e - Ted Dekker (now a Motion Picture)

Those who know me know that Ted Dekker is my favorite Christian fiction author. Recently, I told my father that I get afraid to pick up a Ted Dekker book because I end up loosing sleep from not being able to put it down once I start. My wife got me Ted's most recent book, Saint, for Christmas and likewise I'm enjoying it immensely (book review soon to follow).

Thr3e was my first introduction to Ted Dekker and ever since I have been a fan of Dekker's works. Thr3e is a suspense thriller that gets a running start in the first chapter and every time you think things are letting up the action gets more intense. The story is built with layers and everytime you think you've got a handle on things new angles are introduced. The characters are rich and the suspense real and from the moment you pick up the book from chapter one you long for Kevin to beat the psychotic on the other end of the phone. If you have shied away from Christian fiction in the past but you are ready to make the leap this is a great place to start. You won't be disappointed.

From the back of the book:

"Kevin Parson is driving his car late one summer day when, suddenly, his cell phone rings. A man who identifies himself as Slater speaks in a breathy voice: We're going to play a little game, Kevin. You have exactly three minutes to confess your sin to the world. Refuse, and the car you're driving will blow sky high. END CALL."

I recently found out that Thr3e will be released to movies in January of 2007. I'm equally excited about the fact that the producer of the X Men movie has done this movie. You can see the trailer and visit the official movie website at: http://www.foxfaithmovies.com/thr3e/ .

Ted had the following to say on his blog article entitled, They're going to crucify us this year, "In 2007 three of my stories will rock the boat with increasing intensity. The first will be the movie Thr3e on January 5th, which is a first of its kind: A movie adaptation of a Gold Medallion 'Christian' novel that doesn't look at all 'Christian' on the big screen. It's a parable, and, like many of the parables Jesus himself used, it doesn't dwell on the church or God. Just a story to illustrate a desperately needed truth. Like many in his day, many in today's church will cry foul.The movie is clean, no offensive language, no sex, rated PG 13 for some frightful scenes. Already the Christian community is divided on the movie. They all love the story, but some are put off by the lack of an invitation to rush the alters at the end. One major Baptist magazine gave it high marks, another one trashed it for not being Christian or clear enough. The reviewer didn't even get the point. Reminds me of the disciples 2000 years ago. "

J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told

Zondervan Publishing (publisher of The Purpose Driven Life and Praying the Names of Jesus) is a fantastic publisher of inspirational books and Zonder Kidz is a childrens division of the publishing company. This Christmas season, a book caught our eye called, "J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told" and we bought it for our family fun nights. We went a step further and purchased some candy canes to eat while reading the book. The kids (ages 3 to 11) loved the book which was filled with colorful pages. The book follows a set of kids who listen to a story from the candy maker and his explaination of which features of the candy canes represent which aspects of the Christmas story. We also enjoyed it's evangelistic ending proclaiming the good news of salvation.

I was orginally concerned that this book was going to make the dubious claim (an experience we've had at churches before) that candy canes were invented for a Christian Christmas purpose but I was put at ease when discovering that this story was written from a fictional perspective and just telling of a good story. The candy cane was used as a paradigm to drive the Christmas story and was successful in elevating the message over the candy cane.

I hope your family enjoys this story as much as we do.

A Case for Christmas by Lee Stroble

The Case for Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger

This is another book in the list of Case for... series by Lee Stroble which explores the evidence to support the Biblical accounts of the Christmas story.

Like my other Christmas book reviews this is another short read and easy to pick up during the busy holiday season. For those who have never read one of Lee's books, this is a great introduction to his apologetic works. Lee speaks with easy interviewing style narratives and engages the reader with well researched and authoritative references.

Some readers maybe furstrated that this book is a subset of the Case for Christ book, but I would appeal that this is a Christmas holiday centered book and a good reminder of the apologetic arguments which are relevent to the season.

In many ways, Lee's books are really geared for Christians affirming their faith. In this respect, the arguments Lee presents are put in plan understandable terminology and lend to the reader enough information to research further if needed. Another aspect of Lee's books is that it may help lead an agnostic or someone on the fence to Christ, but those not believing the Gospel message will have issue with the use of "experts" clearly on the side of Christianity. Rather than getting an opinion from both sides, Lee's approach is making the assumption that the arguments for not believing the Christmas story (or anything Biblical for that matter) are already evident in the world and he approaches his sources with those arguments and asks his sources to rebutt them. With this in mind, I think the greatest strength of Lee's books is in the fact that he has sought out experts specific to the area of study of each argument. These sources then use sound critical analysis and verifiable evidence to support their beliefs and opinions.

In otherwords, I think you're either going to agree or disagree with Lee Stroble and I think most of that will have to do with your position prior to picking up the book. Likewise, this is a great gift idea for those curious about the facts or details of Christmas and those looking for a solid foundation for explaining the faith that is within themselves.

15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." - 1 Peter 3:15-16

If you like this book or are looking for other similar books I would recommend the following:

• The Case for Christ
• The Case for a Creator
• The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict Fully Updated To Answer The Questions Challenging Christians Today

The Drummer Boy: A Christmas Tale - Ted Dekker

The Drummer Boy: A Christmas Tale

By: Ted Dekker

Imagine a place and time where Christmas has been banned and the very mention of the holiday is offensive. Imagine also that during this time December 25th means nothing more than a holiday to celebrate good will and prosperity. The Drummer Boy: A Christmas Tale by Ted Dekker paints a clear picture of this time and a boys struggle to learn the origins of the forbidden holiday.

Ted Dekker is by far my most favorite Christian fiction writer but I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed with this tale. It's a good story in the context of the Christmas season and sure to entertain the children but misses much of the mystery and suspense of a great Dekker thriller. I'm not so disappointed with the elementary story line as much as the predictable story plot. Ted Dekker is known for his edge of your seat, up to the minute suspense and unfortunately there was none found here. He could have created a children's Christmas classic while at the same time tapping into his suspenseful side but instead he managed to create a loving but unfortunately forgettable holiday dud.

If your looking for a quaint Christmas story to replace many of the secular holiday tales then this is a good alternative but if you're looking for a typical Ted Dekker classic pass this one by and get Dekker's newest thriller.