When I chose to write a research paper on the life and works of C.S. Lewis, I sought out the best resources that were available to learn about his life and his works. Through that research, I discovered that Lewis’ stepson had written a biography of his stepfather. While many biographies have been written about Lewis over the years, I knew that one written by someone who knew him personally would be one worth reading. Even now, this is one of my biographies of Lewis to reference. This is definitely one worth checking out. ~ Bethel In his book Jack’s Life, Douglas Gresham shares the story of the life of C.S. Lewis, his stepfather and mentor. You start with the story of a boy with an active imagination who would lost his faith after losing his mother at a young age. Then he grew up, fought in a war, took in a late friend’s mother, and eventually rediscovered his faith, going on to become one of the most renowned authors and theologians of his time. Gresham reveals this through the lens of his admiration for a man who endured similar struggles in his younger life and loved him through his own difficulties. His grasp of Lewis’ writings and how his life experiences influenced them is profound, as he does a great job of summarizing some of Lewis’s concepts through the book. Including a DVD with an interview with Gresham, this book is a must have resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the life of C.S. Lewis.
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I’ve been a fan of C.S. Lewis since I read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was in junior high. But I was surprised when an older friend from my church gave me a copy of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Lenten Lands by Douglas Gresham. Prior to receiving this book, all I knew about Gresham was that he was C.S. Lewis’ stepson and that he was the executive producer of Narnia films by Walden Media. When I can to write a paper on C.S. Lewis my senior year, I drove into Gresham’s story and was intrigued. So grateful to have received a copy of this book. Whether you are familiar with the life and works of Lewis or not, you will enjoy this autobiography ~ Bethel In his autobiography, Douglas Gresham recounts the story of his childhood and how he eventually became the stepson of beloved author, C.S. Lewis. Facing anything but a carefree childhood, you follow his story from New York to Australia to England. It will draw you into the story of his life, even before it intersected with Lewis. But once they came to England, his life became extraordinary for him and his brother. You see an honest side to the difficult parts of his past. Between having a renowned stepfather, his mother dying from cancer, and eventually his stepfather pass away. Through it all, you not only discover the story of young man (at least the time he wrote the book) who learned how to overcome the difficulties he faced, but you also get an up close and personal look at C.S. Lewis, especially at the joys of his marriage and his struggles after his wife’s death as he faced the challenge of caring for two orphaned boys. If you are interested in learning more about the life of C.S. Lewis, this is definitely a book worth checking out. Teen Rating. There are some dark elements of the story that might be intense for some teens. By the time he’s eighteen years old, Gresham had lost his parents and his stepfather. Comments made the negative nature of his father’s death might be difficult for some younger or sensitive readers to handle. However, I personal believe all of these elements are handled tastefully. If you have concerns, review it before your teen reads it. To read my review of Gresham's biography of his stepfather C.S. Lewis, click here
I have been a casual fan of Duck Dynasty since the first few years of the show. I’ve even had to chance to hear three different members of the Robertson family speak at a few different events (Alan, Missy, and Sadie). Since that time, I have been interested in reading some of the books that have been written by the Robertson family and admittedly own a few of them that I haven’t read. But when I learned that they were going to be releasing a biopic movie about Phil Robertson’s godless years called The Blind, I knew that I wanted to read Phil’s personal story first. When I found this book in Goodwill last week (two weeks before the movie was to be released), I knew it was a sign that it was time to read this book. In the end, I was not disappointed. I found Phil’s writing to be honest, witty, and gospel-oriented. I’ve come to admire Phil before that I had before for all he overcame, his heart for the gospel, and his determination to live a simple life. Reading this book has made me look forward to watching The Blind and reading some of the other books by the Robertson clan in the future ~ Bethel In his first book, Happy, Happy, Happy, Phil Robertson of the popular reality show Duck Dynasty shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of the journey that led him to become known as the Duck Commander. He describes his humble beginnings living in a log cabin house, where he learned to work hard and live simply off of the land. He eventually met Kay Carroway and fell in love, getting married when he was 16 and she was 15, having their first son before she graduated high school. Not long after, even as their family was growing, Phil fell into a period of living wild and recklessly, struggling with drinking, drugs, and lawlessness that was common in the cultural revolution of the 60s. It was a difficult, dark, and uncertain time for their whole family, especially his wife and their three sons. It wasn’t until he ran all of them out of the house that he realized that needed help and was finally open to hearing the gospel. He was baptized shortly after and his life and family were never the same. He eventually went on to revolutionize the hunting industry with his duck calls and founded Duck Commander, which eventually became a multi-million dollar company. However, he never forgot his roots and chose to do his best to live simply while also growing in his faith and loving his family. All of this story is shared in the context of a lot of practical wisdom, honest opinions, and solid gospel truth. You will hopefully be moved, inspired, and a little amused by Phil’s story. Get a copy or plan to go see the movie The Blind, in theaters on September 28, 2023 (check out the movie trailer below). Teen Rating. While there are some difficult elements of Phil’s story (especially a portion told from Miss Kay’s perspective), they are told in a tasteful and appropriate way. As long as they are emotionally mature, I wouldn’t have a problem recommending this to a teenager if they were interested. I would recommend it for those 15 and older. Celebrating My 100th Book ReviewThis review is special because it happens to be the 100th book I’ve reviewed on this blog (There have been a few unofficial reviews I did of supplemental material to other books that would put me over 100 earlier this year, but I am counting mostly full reviews that explore the content and give my recommendation of a book). It’s hard to me to believe that I have reached this milestone. When I started this blog in late 2014, I didn’t really have much direction for it until I was accepted onto a social media book team for the first time and eventually started reviewing books. Within a few years, that became the exclusive focus of this blog. This blog has been a fascinating journey, leading me to meet many great people on their pages (and in some cases real life), learn so many valuable life lessons, and support some great authors in the process. I also had no idea when I started how writing these reviews would become training ground for my eventual work as a self-published author, teaching me about the publishing industry, review site systems, and book marketing strategies. I am so grateful for this continuing journey and everyone who had supported it along the way, especially the authors who have inspired me. I bought this book on clearance a long time ago, but didn’t think too much of it because I didn’t watch Fixer Upper. I didn’t watch it for the first time until the summer of 2019, when it came to be my favorite HGTV show (which is saying a lot, because I am a pretty big Property Brothers fan). Not only did I love their designs, but I loved seeing a Christian couple with a family portrayed in this type of a show. Several months and many reruns later, I finally remembered their book that I’ve never read and was excited to finally dive in. I found that this book made me enjoy the show and respect Chip and Joanna even more. Although they largely shifted their focus the Magnolia Network, I am grateful for the example of faith, hard work, and love that this couple has been able to share with the world. I think you will too ~ Bethel In their first book, The Magnolia Story, Chip and Joanna Gaines share the story of how they fell in love, got married and started a family, and started the businesses together that led to the hit HGTV show Fixer Upper. Using contrasting fonts, they share in their own words how they found themselves staring in a popular TV show when they don’t even own a TV. The story of where they were by 2016 is both fascinating to the fans of their show and entertaining for those they may not know much about this couple. Chip’s wit and humor is on full display, which is funnier against Joanna’s more straightforward nature. But all the while, even though the ups and downs of raising a family and starting and even ending businesses, their faith and trust in the Lord is evident throughout their story and will inspire those that read it. If you enjoy autobiographies, home renovations, and stories of God’s hand at work, this book is definitely worth reading. Get your copy today! I was so excited when I heard about the film Unplanned. I have always been prolife, as is the the rest of my immediate family. I even remember participating in a few “walks for life” when I was still a kid. I knew a lot about pro-life arguments, and even some pro-choice strategies. But I knew hardly anything about Planned Parenthood and I definitely knew very little about what goes on within the walls of these types of clinics. But when the film Unplanned was announced and it immediately attracted controversy, I was drawn to support the film. After I was inspired by seeing the film, I became interested in reading Abby’s book to learn the more complete story of her personal journey. I am so glad I did. Although the film does a wonderful job at portraying the story of her life, I loved hearing more of her story in her own words. If you are interested in learning more about the pro-life cause, or want to read a book about a life transformed by a radical transformation in Christ, this book is a must read ~ Bethel Abortion is one of the most controversial topics in American culture. I believe this is because of a prevailing mindset in our culture that we should be able to pursue happiness in any way we see fit and never have to deal with the consequences. But the truth is there are almost always consequences, not just for you but for those that are impacted by your decision. This is especially true with sexuality in America. By this mindset, a women should be able to have sex and not have to suffer any of the consequences, including an unplanned pregnancy. As long as that mindset is prevalent, they will always be women seeking what seems to be the easy way out. There will always be women willing to buy the lies fed to them about the baby being only “undeveloped tissue.” It makes it difficult for those that are pro-life to have hope that we will ever be able to make a difference in the fight for the unborn. In her book, Unplanned, Abby Johnson shares her journey from being pro-choice to pro-life, all the while demonstrating God’s redeeming grace at work in her life. When Abby first heard about Planned Parenthood at a college volunteer fair, she had no idea how much this organization would change her life. Having had abortions herself, she decided to support women in crisis by volunteering at the local Planned Parenthood clinic. Over the span of eight years, he rose to being clinic director, truly loving the job of helping women in crisis. Despite the disapproval of her Christian family, she was committed to her cause. But when she actually participating in helping with an ultrasound guided abortion, she knew she could no longer be a part of abortion or Planned Parenthood. She turned to the same people that she had been fighting against, the Coalition for Life, literally moving from one side of the fence to the other. When Planned Parenthood filed an injunction against Abby and the Coalition (which was shoot down in court), she was given a platform to share her story with the world and help further the pro-life cause. Abby’s story isn’t an easy one to hear, for she even warns you of this in the first sentence of her introduction. But it is one that demonstrates God’s grace and forgiveness. In a story much like the apostle Paul, we can see that God can turn the most zealous of hearts back to Himself. We just have to trust Him with all the details, even the ones that are unplanned. Get your copy of the book or the movie today! Quick Review: Unplanned MovieSince I had posted a quick review of this film on my Facebook page, I will go ahead and share the images of my review here. Enjoy!
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Lion's Eyes Reviews is a blog dedicated to reviews of Christian books, most of which are non-fiction, but may also occasionally review movies and musicals. It will also feature the work Bethel does to help launch and promote the works of Christian authors.
The name is derived from one of Bethel's favorite books, Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko. Through these reviews, Bethel hope to give Christians the tools they need to look at the world "through the eyes of a lion" so they can find the courage to "run toward the roar". To find the detailed archives of these reviews, you can check them out here: Books In Review Movies in Review Broadway In Review Quick Reviews To understand the rating used in these reviews, click here Categories
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Bethel Grove is a Christian young woman who loves to read and write, eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards, and disciple teen girls as a youth leader. What started as a hobby of writing book reviews and doing deep biblical studies eventually led her down the path of self-publishing and helping other Christian authors launch their books. She hopes to someday be a vocational youth minister and well-known author.
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