Review: Same Kind of Different as Me

same kind of different as me

By Ron Hall and Denver Moore
With Lynn Vincent

Copyright 2006
Thomas Nelson Publishers


Same Kind of Different as Me tells the story of two men: an older, black, homeless man and a wealthy, white art dealer. Denver Moore is a vagabond who made his was to Fort Worth, Texas several years ago, leaving a life of modern day slavery, sharecropping, and crime back in Louisiana. Ron Hall is a wealthy, international art dealer who drives a Rolls and wears Armani. They are brought together by Ron's wife, who has a heart for the homeless in their area, and isn't content to stand by and do nothing.

Themes such as love, commitment, friendship, loyalty, forgiveness, and dedication are all addressed in this amazing true story. Along with it, though, are stories of pain, heartbreak, and turmoil. It is a testament to the faith of one woman who brought together two unlikely men in a unique friendship. A friendship that not only would survive the tumultuous waves of life, but that would make huge strides in changing the world.

Above just being an inspiring story, this book is a challenge to those of us who live comfortable lives. A calling to those of us who wake up, drive to work, and come home to dinner and a sitcom. It is a call to stand up and do something for humanity. It is a challenge to change lives, and in the process, maybe reform our own.

Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God
by Sheila Walsh
Thomas Nelson, 2009




Sheila Walsh's Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God is a wonderfully organized book that will be an encouragement to women, regardless of geography or generation. It is a book that mixes Walsh's biographical story with Biblical story in a way that teaches about the beauty and the fulfillment in total and complete trust of the High King of Heaven.

The book is comprised of chapters with titles such as "The Beauty of Courage" and "The Beauty of Crying Out to Jesus." Jumping off these themes, Walsh uses anecdotes to tell a story, often first a personal story, and then a Biblical one. The reader gets to know people like Joseph, Gideon, Tabitha, Samson, and Saul. Through these stories of the men and women of the Bible, the Christian woman in 2010 is shown that trusting God is not a recent challenge; that even in the days of the Old Testament, through the life of Jesus, and into the time of the early church, trust has been a difficult issue. In each of the stories though, Walsh paints a picture of the beauty of the Christian life, and ultimately, the beauty of being able to place our trust in the hands of the Lord of all.

With so many situations that give us a reason not to trust, women can find comfort in clinging more and more to the perfect trustworthiness of God. This is a book that will plead that case and pave the way for the beauty of trusting in our Abba Father.