Book Reviews
Book Reviews
TITLE INFORMATION
ENTER HIS GATES
Corbitt, Christina
Xlibris (584 pp.)
$34.99 hardcover, $23.99 paperback, $3.99 e-book
ISBN: 978-1483623153; April 24, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
A Christian inspirational book of days with a message of hope and healing.
Corbitt’s debut work of nonfiction takes a fresh approach to an old genre: It updates the traditional book of homilies for the 21st century by presenting it in the form of a calendar, with one sermon or reflection on faith for each day. These homilies range in length from a couple of paragraphs to a couple of pages, and they make comparatively little use of direct scriptural quotations; this is not a book of analysis, still less of exegesis. Rather, these entries stress a welcoming, holistic side of traditional Protestant Christianity, starting with the January 1 message: “In the beginning, there was love. That love was the beginning for all of us.” Generally, the book focuses on the most gentle and accepting aspects of modern Christianity (there’s very little talk of hell or punishment). A strong theme in the daily entries is that the world and its miseries are just a waiting period before the faithful enjoy the kingdom of heaven. “Yes, there are problems in this world bringing suffering and trials,” the book says, “but we shouldn’t be focusing on that. This world is not our home; focus on that.” The author reminds readers that they have a guardian: “There is hope and there is healing. There is a Savior.” That savior is the answer to all their fears and doubts, someone who understands them as only one who’s been human himself can. Throughout the book, the key to everything is Christian love. The text encourages readers to avoid becoming contaminated by the evils of the world and reminds them often that “love is the greatest commandment…Jesus died for us because of love. It has always been about love.” Corbitt’s writing in these entries is clear without being simplistic and forceful without being strident. Faith-group leaders and ministers in need of a little inspiration may find the book invaluable.
A calendar of reassuring reflections for the Christian faithful.
Enter His Gates
Christina Corbitt
Xlibris, 576 pages, (paperback) $23.99, 978-1483623146
(Reviewed: October, 2013)
Enter His Gates is a 365-day Christian devotional, written by Christina Corbitt, a minister’s wife. Each day begins with a Scripture verse, followed by a related lesson. A theme of trusting God unifies the book, while the individual devotional styles and formats vary day to day.
Some entries are Bible character monologues. For example, the entry for April 4 begins, “As I sit on the side of the road, people pass by without ever noticing my outstretched hand.” This is a first-person dramatic telling of the story of the leper healed by Jesus. By contrast, January 9 is a letter to the reader, creatively written as from God. Many other entries use the impersonal “we,” with generic anecdotes.
When Corbitt shares stories from her own life, she creates an emotional connection with the reader. On May 17, for example, Corbitt writes about her ministry of emailing “daily verses” (with commentary, evidently) to a few people in her church. She says, “It was scary because I’m not a writer. Yet I had to learn to trust Him and walk by faith, even when I couldn’t see…In sending each verse, I prayed for the Spirit to travel with it and work in ways I could not understand. There were days I hesitated to do a verse. I didn’t want to encourage others; I needed encouragement.” (Those emails became the foundation for Enter His Gates.) Her openness is engaging and encourages readers to trust in their own gifts and use them “to bless others and glorify our Lord.”
This book is a product of Corbitt’s heart and her obedience in encouraging others. While the varied formats of the entries may be jarring for those used to devotional books that display consistency among entries, Enter His Gates will provide much inspiration for readers who applaud creativity and variety.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
Title: Enter His Courts
From Award Winning Author “Best Spiritual Book of Upliftment Enter His Gates of 2014.”
Author: Christina Corbitt
Publisher: Xlibris US
ISBN: 9781984559265
Pages: 372
Genre: Religious, Spiritual
Reviewed by: Rae C. Bernard
BOOK REVIEW
The world around is a challenging experience that we’re gifted to have by the grace of God. Both trials and tribulations are what molds and form us into the unique individuals we are meant to become, without it we won’t learn of our special abilities and talents. Ever thought about how much the world’s negativity can affect your well-being and health as a whole? It’s not a good look to go through life with misdirection because you’ll fall so far off the intended path that was destined for you. You live and you learn, but one of the greatest parts is the ability to know where you’ve done wrong and work towards improving yourself for the better. Encouragement these days are difficult to come by, so we tend to rely on a stranger’s word of kindness to get us through the days. No one is safe from having a moment of let downs or low points and it is most important of your attitude for an outcome to be brighter. Whatever we go through, whether family or friends aren’t doing right by you, know that the best words to curve sadness are from the Bible. Do you read it every day or only reach for it when you’re going through troubled times?
In Enter His Courts, author Christina Corbitt shares verses along with a short scenario story that encapsulates her interpretation of the verse for better understanding. We as human beings have a better grasp of things when they are easily relatable to us. Think of daily devotionals, waking up and reading a bite-sized text each day that expresses nothing but positivity will have a major influence on your overall day. Life can be greater for us if we all take a moment to listen to what God is trying to say to us. His words are a gift to us so that we may remain connected to our creator. The proper guidance we receive by reading the Bible is what will aid us as we carry on this journey of life, after all, we must use the gift of living wisely. Building our relationship with Him is most important, just like maintaining the relationships we create with each other. Positivity and love conquer all that we face in any given day and this book helps to remind us of that. We as humans must understand that we must do better for ourselves so that we’ll have a place in heaven when it’s time for us to return home to God.
I honestly hoped that I had the opportunity of reading this as each day passes based on its intended use, but I embraced every scenario as lessons learned. Of course, I might not find every situation described within this book to be relatable to me and I was still able to take away some things from it. I learned that we are special from our imperfections and negatives can be forgiven and forgotten if we truly listen to God as our teacher and guide. Through reading this book I comprehend that we shouldn’t view our lives as anything more than borrowed time to encourage ourselves to be in God’s image. Author Christina Corbitt made sure to explain just how awesome God is through the good actions of others. I know that we are special individuals to share the love God has for us with the rest of the world and by reading these encouraging words, it will spark an interest to continue aiming for positivity in your life. I truly enjoyed reading the words of both God and being witness to all the wonders and lessons learned by the characters in this book. I highly recommend everyone to read this book each day for a bit of inspiration to carry you through the day, this would definitely be something you need as a constant reminder.
Title: Enter His Courts
by Christina Corbitt
Xlibris
book review by Barbara Bamberger Scott
BOOK REVIEW
“What is Love? The answer is God is love.”
Author Corbitt has composed a Christian-themed journal of 365 modern parables. These readings are diverse and offer a fresh, simple look at timeworn ideas. On New Year’s Day, the journal opens with the reminder that it’s time to let go of yesterday because God is already here, making all things new. Regarding forgiveness, a mother advises her little boy to pray to Jesus on behalf of those who tease him at school (July 26). On January 16, the parable concerns a man who, worrying about his children, keeps filling groundhog holes until his children declare they have no groundhog problem. They are right; their father dealt with it though they never knew he was doing so. The June 26 entry compares the beauty of dandelions, a prolific weed, to the attractions of sin. On Christmas, the author reminds us that “we are the ones who received the birthday gift.”
Corbitt has constructed this book with meticulous care. Each entry opens with a biblical quotation drawn from several attributed sources, including the New King James Version, the New Living Translation, and the New American Standard Bible. The stories sometimes involve the author in dialogue with God, as when she questions why God will reject the unfruitful tree or imagines walking with God through Paradise. She presents refreshingly innovative interpretations at times, suggesting that if someone steals from us, we should forgive the sin but be wary of the sinner, perhaps leaving fake money in the thief’s path. She has fashioned many charming metaphors to make her points: God, she believes, sees us as His beautiful roses, ignoring the thorns of our many sins. This devotional collection could make a thought-provoking study for Christian groups, as well as giving practical counsel and inspiration to readers who choose it for daily meditation.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review