The Last Jihad & National Treasure

I've had the opportunity to read a really good thriller and watch a really good movie over the last few weeks.

The book is Joel Rosenberg's "The Last Jihad" a fast paced thriller in the Tom Clancy genre. Rosenberg's book is very well researched and very well written. It is fast paced with a complicated-but-not-too-complicated plot.

The book is about events in the Mideast concerning Iran, Iraq and Israel and is set in the near future. It is gripping, engaging and thoroughly entertaining in a I-couldn't-put-it-down type of way. I really enjoy espionage/action novels and this is one of the better ones I've read.

Rosenberg is a Christian and writes his books in an evangelical light but manages to keep things in context without compromising his witness or bogging down the story with too much preaching. This is great Christian entertainment and a safe read for anyone concerned about possible immorality of questionable situations.

His plot is very intriguing and has plenty of challenging elements to it that caused me, on numerous occasions, to stop and consider carefully what he writes. There's enough truth and insight in his story to make you realize that a careful reading of Scriptures can be highly relative and revealing to current events on the world stage.

All that is good...but here's the big attraction; this is the first book in a series. It was written shortly after the events of 9/11 and has been eerily prophetic in its' depiction of major events since then. I have just started reading the second book in the series, "The Last Days" and it has the same characteristics. So much so that Rosenberg has been interviewed on CNN, Larry King and most of the major networks concerning his propensity to predict major events before they occur!

If you like thrillers, if you enjoy great writing and expertly developed plots, pick it up and take a read. I promise you will not be disappointed.

If you're looking for an entertaining movie, Kelly and I went to see "National Treasure - Book of Secrets", a movie starring Nicholas Cage. This is a sequel to the original "National Treasure", released in 2004.

Bear in mind, this is not great theater, it is easy entertainment. This movie will not win any Academy Awards but it is a well done adventure story that you can take your family to without having to worry about profanity, nudity or immoral behavior.

There's a lot of intriguing speculation about secret societies and ancient cultures but it is handled well and in an inoffensive way. The action is fast-paced and exciting and the characters are believable with the good guys ultimately winning out over the bad guys.

Cage is a great actor who has been pretty spotty in choosing good roles. This one suits him to a tee. He plays an Indiana Jones type character who is surrounded by a colorful and fascinating supporting cast. This is great action/adventure and one of the few movies I've seen recently that was well worth the steep price of admission.

It's great to know that there are still movies and books available that do not assault our Christian values or cause us to hesitate in recommending them to our families or friends.