Lauren Reeves

“Forgotten Faith” is an informative, thought-provoking study of Genesis and Revelation. Author Lauren Reeves ties this first and last book of the Bible together in order to demonstrate how the promises and hope extended by God in the beginning continue on to the End Times. She does this in part by pointing out parallels between the Biblical figures and events in Genesis and Revelation, and more broadly in the other books of the New Testament. As Reeves explains, “The Old Testament show more contains the physical representations of the spiritual realities found in the New Testament…The Old Testament records the physical stories that actually happened so they could be picture lessons to help us understand the spiritual realities under the new covenant in Jesus.”

This book makes some very stimulating points and connections that would serve a study group well, although it can also be approached privately in a devotional style. Reeves takes readers through each of the main stories in Genesis, offering insight into details that might have been overlooked. For instance, she points out that in Eden, the serpent targeted Eve first because as a woman she is the one through whom the Messiah would ultimately come. With regard to Cain and Abel, she discusses how Cain also had “fruit issues” like his mother, thinking that he could come before God with a better offering than the one God had already ordained. Later, she compares Nimrod and the Tower of Babel to “A Tale of Two Cities”, remarking that “The first city is Jerusalem, the city of the living God and of Christ. The second is Babylon, the city of our Enemy—the father of the antichrist.” This is one of the aspects of this book that I appreciate the most, the ability to make these kinds of connections and then return to the Word itself and develop clearer wisdom and understanding.

Connecting Genesis and Revelation seems to have been executed rather quickly at the end of the book, but again the insights are intriguing. I enjoyed the charts that Reeves includes a few times in the text; they would be even more impactful in the print version because the text was very small and difficult to read on my Kindle. She does list the interesting similarities between Joseph in Genesis and Jesus toward the end of the book. Throughout the narrative, she seeks to answer common challenges posed to the Bible. There are a few points that I do not entirely agree with, but I nevertheless found this to be a timely, easy-to-read study. Overall, “Forgotten Faith” serves as an edifying book that reminds readers to keep fighting the good fight and to remain strong in the faith.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own. show less

The reason I like this book is because the author brings up great arguments about things from the Bible that are discussed in heated conversations at times. I enjoy a book that makes me think and see other sides even if I don’t agree with them. God did create the universe and everything in it. There are scientists that have different view points and those that interpret scriptures to fit their way of thinking.

“Shouldn’t we expect some similarities within a creation designed by the show more same Creator and Artist?” What a thought provoking question. We are similar yet so different. I loved going through the book of Genesis and having it broke down into sections. We first journey with the author and talk about Adam and Eve. What if Eve could take back what she did? Would she do things differently if she knew what the outcome was. I thought about this and have my thoughts . If I knew that my decision would have consequences, would I want a do over? Would I learn anything if I never made a mistake? Better yet, would I decide that I didn’t need God anymore because I knew I could have a do over every time?

God wants and desires a relationship with us. His heart breaks when His children hurt or turn their back on Him. God still pursued Adam and Eve even though they were ashamed and wanted to hide from Him. I liked the different people she used in the Bible to illustrate God’s grace and His abundant love for us. I loved the author’s statement about wanting to “be around a body of believers who are not threatened by anyone else’s successes or gifts.” Wouldn’t that be great to live where there is no jealousy or strive? We would support each other and rejoice when others are prosperous and there is no judgment.

The author does a good job of going through Genesis and giving us a view of what was in the scriptures. I don’t think that I have read a book that was so detailed in looking at a particular part of the Bible and dissecting it verse by verse. I found the book to be well written and gave me many new insights into the scriptures . There is a lot of information to go through and I think it would make an excellent Bible Study.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. show less

"...Oregon Trail didn't just show you how to die. It also taught you how to live."

Thus the title of this book! Enjoyable, especially if you've played the game. I grew up on the old, old version, so those graphics probably would have made this even more nostalgic for me. Still, I laughed a bit, and it's a quick read, so it was worth it! Now, I'll pass this along to my daughter, who already enjoys OT more than I did!

Some fun lessons, like "Deal with your haters by naming your wagon party show more after them." I totally did that!

Good luck getting to Oregon! To Chimney Rock... and beyond! show less

Probably closer to 2 stars but I’m rounding up for pure nostalgia. There were a couple of moments that were truly funny and I did laugh at the intro, but I think Lauren’s Oregon Trail game was fancier than the one I grew up playing on the Apple II-e computers at school, so it missed the mark a bit for me. Also, there’s not much in the way of real life lessons. It’s mostly just clever illustrations with snarky quips that mostly aren’t funny. The illustrations are fabulous, though, show more and I think the book is worth taking a look at for those alone. My life lesson from this book that I will share with you is borrow a copy, enjoy it for what it is, and save your cash for food or oxen. Oxen would be a better investment. show less