Israel at War by Joel Rosenberg

If you know Joel Rosenberg, then you really don't need to read this book. There isn't anything that is surprising about his views of Israel and an nuclear armed Iran.

Rosenberg takes us in a close-up trip to the Israeli Prime Minister and how he handles this situation with the Iranians. What this book truly does is give us a better understanding of the man, Netanyahu. 

His writing is clear. His knowledge is crisp.

You won't finish reading this book wondering what Rosenberg believes a nuclear Iran will do and how Israel will respond.

He pulls in the United States and the how the situation will implicate us.

This is a fairly short book at only 100 pages so there really isn't much to review because so many people already know Rosenberg from his fiction writing.

This will resonate with people who already agree with his thinking.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Tyndale Publishing.

The Invested Life by Joel Rosenberg & Dr. T.E. Koshy

Joel Rosenberg wants to counter the push toward seeker-sensitive church. It's not that it's completely wrong,  he simply understands the church to be about bringing people to Christ as well as helping them mature in their faith.

Rosenberg and Dr. Koshy bring us into their discipleship process in this book. You'll gain some new tools and some fresh ideas on habits of old that are still valuable.

There are nine chapters in this book. Each chapter builds on the previous one to help you move forward in your discipleship.

1. Two simple question.
2. Defining Discipleship
3. Be Discipled
4. Follow Jesus' Model
5. Prayerfully Choose
6. Get Started
7. Go Deeper
8. Worship Together
9. Track Your Progress

At the end of each chapter is a personal testimony to give that personal touch to this book.

Very simply, this is a how-to book. It will give you the preliminary tools and ideas to get started in investing in others and allowing others to invest in your life.

You may feel like you'll want to seek out more challenging/practical books for when you've been through the process.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Tyndale Publishing.

Dead Heat by Joel Rosenberg

Last night the series came to an end for me. I stayed up through midnight to finish book 5 of Joel Rosenberg's political thriller series. Dead Heat was better than I was expecting. I had gone to amazon and read all the horrible reviews. I enjoyed this book more than books 3 and 4.

Dead Heat is not a happy book. It is very dark. Just as a small spoiler, what happens in this story occurs directly before the Rapture. (Think Left Behind)

Now, I'm not one to agree with that kind of theology but I do enjoy a decent political thriller and Dead Heat delivers. The scenes within the US government reads like a Tom Clancy novel.

It's fast paced and exciting. Nevermind that the chapters are only 2-3 pages long - I was zipping through this thing.

No one is safe when three nuclear missiles strike Washington DC, New York, California and Seattle. Someone wants to deliver a message to the world and they've pretty much decimated the symbolism of America. (Yes the nukes strike and at the first part of the book)

How would America respond? Who is responsible? These are the thoughts that drive Rosenberg's finale.

Outside of the quite long sections of religious banter, this novel is a decent "easy summer" read. Nothing too hard for the mind to comprehend.

The Ezekiel Option by Joel Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg's third political thriller has me crying, "foul".

Let's back up a bit; I really enjoyed his first two novels, The Last Jihad and The Last Days. These earlier books had a great story to them and were very engaging. However, by the end of The Last Days, Rosenberg added a little conversation that was a sneak-peak at what was to come.

And what came was The Ezekiel Option.

The story is about Rosenberg's main character, Jon Bennett, a senior White House adviser and his fiancee trying to stop a massive war in the middle east.

There's a new czar in Russia and he knows how to play the political game. He calls on Israel to dismantle all of her nuclear weapons and help create a peaceful Middle East or face dire consequences. Remember America saying the same thing to Iraq? That is the plan for Israel. In this case, will America step up to protect Israel? Will there be a volley of nuclear warheads?

The long and short of the book is right there.

Now comes the part that I despised: This book has become another series in the Left Behind theology. There are pages upon pages of theology preaching by two characters. They even mention LaHaye and his books. Unbelievable.

Can we please just have a cool political thriller without the religious gab?