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The account of the battle in opening paragraphs of The White Horse King could have been taken straight from the pages of The Lord of the Rings.

From there the book becomes more of a historical narrative, albeit a very interesting one. Alfred was the fifth son of Æthelwulf, king of Wessex. We learn about Alfred’s formative years as the Vikings begin to attack various nations that made up Britain in the early 900’s, specifically the nation of Wessex. It was during these years that Alfred made two pilgrimages to Rome with his family. He received confirmation from Pope Leo IV during his first visit.

Alfred became known as a fierce fighter in the battles with the Vikings and after the death of his four elder brothers, he became king of Wessex. The book chronicles many of the battles and an especially low time of his life when he was forced to flee and remain in hiding from the Danish invaders until he could muster enough troops to retake his throne. It was during these years that Alfred would lead bands of men in ambush of various Viking troops and he learned much of their tactics.

The Vikings were especially brutal to to the conquered king. They would offer the defeated king in various forms of sacrifice to their god Odin. However when Alfred defeated the Viking Guthram and his army, instead of killing him, he gave Guthram the option to be baptized as a Christian. Guthram accepted this offer and was baptized and never again attacked Alfred or the kingdom of Wessex.

When Alfred retook the throne, in his most significant and lasting achievement, he completely reorganized the military structure. Instead of a disorganized band of nobles and landowners called up to fight as needed, he instituted a professional, trained standing army.

Alfred also saw the need for the people to become literate, able to read and advance in Christian learning. He brought together the best scholars he could find to help him learn Latin and then assist him in translating many texts into the vernacular of the Anglo Saxons. He established schools for the children to start learning as soon as they were able. Literacy was required for anyone serving in any form of government office.

Lastly, Alfred instituted a reworking of the entire legal code. The legal system when Alfred became king was based more on the station of the claimants in a case than anything else. “[T]he composition of the [legal code] really constituted the culmination of Alfred’s work to rebuild the defenses of Wessex and to revive learning throughout the nation.” In doing so, Alfred established the framework for what would be known as “common law,” the foundation for the legal systems of England, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and Pakistan. Interestingly enough, the code began with the Ten Commandments and included parts of Exodus 21-23 and the Sermon on the Mount all in the preface.

I read this as part of Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger Program.

This book is a must-have for anyone who cares about America. Our country became great because of numerous people doing the best they could where they were. In this book you will read about patriots you’ve heard of, such as Andrew Jackson and George Washington, but also many that you have not, like Israel Putnam and William Carney.

Each day has a short entry about one patriot with brief details to whet your appetite for more research if you find yourself interested. You’ll also find a list of other historical events for the day. Interspersed between the months are various items too large for a single day, such as the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution to name a few.

I have really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone with any interest at all in the history of our nation.

I read this as part of Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger Program.

Perspective. This little book is all about how your perspective affects not only your outlook on life but the quality of your life. This fictional account of a character named “Jones” is full of little nuggets for various aspects of life that open the door to leave you wanting more about the subject, whether it’s different love languages or how you treat your coworkers. I would definitely recommend the book.

I read this as part of Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger Program.

The Word of Promise Next Generation – New Testament: Dramatized Audio Bible is a great addition to anyone’s library if you have children.  My own children know a lot of the actors from their various roles in currently popular movies and t.v. shows and this audio Bible certainly appeals to them.  The DVD that comes with it includes interviews with several of the actors, and it is obvious that some of them have a relationship with Christ.  It is just as obvious that some do not, although they try really hard to “talk the talk”, but my kids were encouraged by the ones that spoke of their relationship with Christ in meaningful terms.

I have listened to a couple other dramatized audio Bibles and the associated sounds and music would at times be distracting from the text being read.  That is not the case with The Word of Promise Next Generation version.  While some of the dialog did seem at times a little stilted, I was never distracted by it or the background sounds.  The actors read from the International Children’s Bible and it is a very understandable version for the target audience to use for listening to the Bible.  While I would not recommend it as the sole source of the Scriptures, even for the audience to which it is targeted, it certainly accomplishes the goal of getting younger teens to spend more time in the Word.

I listened to this this as part of Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger Program.

I have really enjoyed my copy of the The Orthodox Study Bible: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today’s World from Thomas Nelson. I come from a primarily “Protestant” background and the short introduction to the Orthodox Church was very helpful for me to understand just who is the Orthodox Church. I’m sure there is much more to know than the information contained in the short introduction, but it is a good starting point for someone who has no idea.

I found the other introductory material very informative as well, such as a chart showing differences between the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant canons as well as a short overview of all of the books. The introduction to each of the books is to-the-point. The font used in printing is easy on the eyes.

But what makes this Bible unique is the English translation from the Septuagint and the notes throughout the text. The Old Testament text is very readable and in modern vernacular. The verse notes are “stable,” in that they are based on a tradition that advocates reading the Scriptures in community rather than the latest fad.  I will continue to enjoy reading not only the Protestant canon but the Orthodox canon as well.

One thing I miss in this particular volume is a bookmark. I know, it’s a small thing, and there are plenty of things around I can use instead, but that would be a nice feature for future printings.

I read this as part of Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger Program.