This is the third book in the Faith and Freedom trilogy written by Douglas bond.
It's a good conclusion to the trilogy, and it's well written.
Here is a review
In
this Faith & Freedom Trilogy Book 3, sixteen-year-old Sandy
McKethe, son of Ian McKethe who plays important roles in the two
previous books, Guns of Thunder and Guns of the Lion, sequel series to
the Crown & Covenant trilogy, decides to go off to fight with the
Continental Army under George Washington against the British in the
American Revolution. After participating in the Battle of Dorchester
Heights outside of Boston, MA, he and his new friend Salem Poor, a free
black, sign on to serve in the Continental Navy aboard the sloop
Providence under the intrepid sea captain John Paul Jones. Over the
next four or so years, not only do they sail the seas capturing British
ships, but they also spend some time in Paris, France, where Sandy meets
both Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.
Upon returning to
America, the two fellow soldier-sailors are assigned to the disastrous
attempt under the hapless Commodore Dudley Saltonstall to take the
British fortifications at Penobscot Bay in Maine, which results in total
defeat and destruction to the Continental forces. What will happen to
Sandy and Salem? Will they be captured or escape? Will they even
survive? Here is historical fiction which presents an engaging and
accurate account of America's revolutionary beginning without political
correctness. Sandy faces some hard questions and wrestles with
difficult decisions, as all believers do in times of crisis, but the
emphasis of the book is upon his striving to follow God’s will in
everything that he does. The ending is both sad and surprising. We did
the book as a family read aloud and everyone enjoyed it.
I hope you get these books if you don't have them. They are good books with no bad and inappropriate sections, and are well written.
Guns of the Lion is the second book in the Faith and Freedom Trilogy written by Douglas Bond.
And this is also my favorite of the three books.
Here is a synopsis(I did not write this one).
As the second installment of Douglas Bond's Faith and Freedom Trilogy, Guns of the Lion begins shortly after the story in Guns of Thunder
ends. Ian M'Kethe and the trusted Indian Watakoog are canoeing down the
Connecticut River on their way to the new College of New Jersey, where
Ian plans to enroll. Along the way, Ian reads a manuscript written by
his cousin, Gavin Crookshank, about the many trials he endured during
the recent Second Jacobite Rebellion of 1745–46.
The young Scottish shepherd Gavin is taken from his familiar moor by
British troops and impressed into duty aboard the admiralty man-of-war
HMS Lion. It is learned that Bonnie Prince Charlie and a small
army of supporters have sailed from France aboard two ships in an
attempt to reach Scotland, organize a rebellion, and take back the
throne of England for the House of Stuart. The Lion sails into
French waters to prevent the two French ships from carrying out their
mission. In a pivotal sea battle, Gavin serves with distinction as a
sharpshooter, but Charles escapes and lands safely on Scotland's shore.
Gavin's unique position as a Gaelic-speaking Scot who faithfully
served King George II is noticed by the admiralty. He is sent back to
Scotland as a spy with orders to infiltrate Charles's army of Scottish
Highlanders. Gavin wrestles with his national and familial loyalties to
his homeland and to Charles, who is often more rogue than sovereign, and
his sworn allegiance to King George II of England. How can he reconcile
the command of Scripture to honor his earthly king and obediently serve
the King of heaven and earth? Gavin resolves to go as ordered and to do
all he can to save lives and prevent senseless bloodshed. Will he
succeed?
The historical setting of Guns of the Lion is accurately
presented. The reader will learn much about this period of Scottish
history. Bond's storytelling is compelling—you will not want to insert
your bookmark and turn out the light—and is suitable for ages teen
through adult. The plot flows naturally from the character Gavin
Crookshank, who is engaging and likeable, one with daily struggles,
tests of faith, and foibles we all can relate to. He weighs opposite and
seemingly legitimate courses of action as he meditates upon the words
of Scripture—an example all would do well to heed. On the first page of
his manuscript, Gavin tells his readers in America, "I hope in God." In
spite of the many hardships, challenges to both his person and his faith
akin to the Pauline perils of 2 Corinthians 11:26, Gavin's hope is
confirmed and he remains steadfast to the end.
Even though it is really long, I suggest you still read it.
It's really profound and very true, you might be more careful about the movies you watch.
Three Questions to Ask Before Watching a Movie
It’s never been easier to watch movies, and lots of them.
Netflix, which leads the race as the top online streaming service,
provides more than 10,000 movie options for its 40 million subscribers —
and it’s flanked by formidable competitors like Hulu Plus, Redbox, and
Amazon Prime. Considering the sheer crowd on this track, and each one’s
continued efforts to specialize its features, the movie industry doesn’t
appear to be slowing down.
Add to this online surge the weekly box office numbers, and one thing is clear: a lot of us are watching a lot of movies.
And let’s face it, they’re not all good movies. In fact, many of them
are bad. And I mean bad in every sense — poor storylines, debaucherous
scenes, shaky acting — there are plenty of ways it could go wrong. Which
means, there are plenty of ways to ruin your evening by watching a
movie. Therefore, we should think carefully before devoting hours of our
lives to the screen, whether at home or in a theater. So in hopes of
more thoughtful entertainment, here are three questions a Christian
might ask before watching a movie.
1. Should I really watch this movie?
Seriously. Don’t assume you’ve already answered this question because you want to watch a movie. Back up and think honestly. Why are you interested in this movie? What is this movie about? How do you know that’s what the movie is about? What piqued your interest in it?
This sort of interrogation is simple permission to play. And we
shouldn’t let up so easily. Don’t be duped by the rating or the trailer.
Those are both marketing tools that are not trying to talk you out of
watching. Read some reviews. See what other people are saying about it.
And of course, set a standard, which won’t be the same for everyone.
Without getting into prescriptions here, consider two aspects for how
you discern that standard.
First, make it a reasonable benchmark that you can sustain. Which
means, don’t make overly audacious goals built on bad logic. Consider
whether your movie standard, if applied to the Bible, would bar you from
reading important portions of the Old Testament. And, to be sure, don’t
think that biblical narratives like David and Bathsheba, or Ehud the
assassin, mean it’s okay for us to watch similar scenes on screen. Be critical and sober about what you say is good to watch.
Second, how you discern a movie standard is largely determined by
your integrity. Some movies should be out of the question, and for those
on the bubble, we know best how certain things affect us. We know where
we are weak. And if you are unsure, I think it’s safe to say that if
you find yourself repeatedly stumbling over the same sort of scene, then
it means you should avoid it. We just know, if we’re like most people,
we shouldn’t watch everything put before us. Sacrificing our serenity of
mind — or mental purity — is not worth a few minutes of supposed
entertainment. We can still understand a story even if someone stronger
has to fill in the gaps we can’t handle.
2. Where are the true and false depictions of reality?
This actually starts with the concession: this movie will have true and false depictions of reality. Then we ask, so where are they?
We should be shrewd here. Oftentimes the most twisted depictions of
reality are in the PG flics, and worse, the feel-good movies that
present a dangerously shallow picture of romance. Letting our guard down
on these romantic comedies is partly responsible for the mass confusion
today when it comes to dating and relationships. Unless we watch these
cheesiest of movies with a critical eye, we may simply be inviting
Hollywood to instruct us on what love is. Look for what’s false and
expose it, at least in your own mind. Work at recognizing the garbage
even in the prettiest packages.
And also, be able to see the good — because most of the time, even in
the darkest of movies, something true is being said about the world.
Mentioning examples in movies risks a perceived endorsement, and a
spoiler if you’ve not seen them yet, but some themes to look for
include:
confusion — Are the chaotic moments in the storyline treated as problematic? Is there a restlessness about them?
hope — Is there a perceivable solution to the problem? Is that solution sought?
justice — Is there genuine recoil against evil? Does the oppressor pay in the end?
mercy and grace — Are there moments when the character forbids a
harmful tactic even when it’s in his or her power? Are there surprising
moments when a character is motivated only by the good of another?
sacrifice — Is putting others before yourself, even at personal cost, imbibed by one of the characters?
order — Is a resolution realized by the movie’s end? Do the
characters sense that the chaotic events of the story have been put to
rights?
There are others, but this is a good start. Basically, we want to
watch movies with an eye for the true, the honorable, the just, pure,
lovely, and commendable. Heeding Paul’s instructions in Philippians 4:8,
we should “think about these things” — which doesn’t mean we retreat
from the world and handcuff ourselves to the idea of truth, but that we
go out into God’s created world and look for the truth that’s there —
especially when we are watching a movie.
3. What kind of hero does this movie really need?
This last question is related to the previous. The themes mentioned
there are fundamental for a decent story, even though they’re sure to be
flawed. There has to be some sense of confusion portrayed as confusion,
and some concluding sense of order portrayed as order. But each movie’s
definition of confusion and order probably won’t line up perfectly with
God’s.
In the same way, every movie will have its hero. There will be a
protagonist — the character that we are supposed to root for, the one
who we consider better than ourselves just enough to want to be like
him, at least in some ways. And, in most cases, this character won’t
line up perfectly with the true and better Hero.
So what if we asked, when this hero is put forward, how the true and
better Hero would act? Whether than this or that flaw, how would he be
perfect? No Achilles’ heel to work around. No foible to tolerate. How
would Jesus be in this movie? How could the good ending be even better?
What if we let the message of the movie point us to the bigger and
better story that is actually real life? The one where the writer enters
the script and assumes the guilt of his characters, suffering in their
place and defeating their greatest foe, and only then to reign as the
unseen king through the simple acts of his
former-fiends-now-turned-friends until the day when everyone and
everything will see him as he is, when justice is executed and mercy
consummates the creation of a whole new world where pain is eternally
absent and joy is eternally endless.
Christian, this is our story — the true story. And if we are
going to lend our mind to a movie, let us walk away with a greater
grasp of what really is.
This is the first book in the Faith & Freedom Trilogy written by Douglas Bond. I recommend this book,
especially for those looking for a bit of North American history, and who like story's that have a biblical world view with no bad language.
If you don't have This book, I suggest you try it. It's well written, has lots of action, dialog, and is safe for smaller children.
It's on the life of a young American during the French and Indian war. As war nears, Ian MKethe is too young to go. His
grandfather teaches him to hunt, along with Watookoog, an Indian, who
hunts with a bow. Ian takes care of the farm by himself, growing a crop
of corn and selling it to provide form his
family. Although he really wants a new rifle, he makes a sacrifice and
purchases a pair of spectacles for his cousin Roland instead. For the
first time in ages, Roland can see clearly.When the war arrives, Roland
enlists. Ian is still too young to go. He continues to work his
cornfields and take care of his family. When Roland is taken prisoner at
Louisbourg, Ian in consumed with worry. Had Roland been injured? Lost
his spectacles? Would the French force him to fight against his own
colonials?Now eighteen, Ian leaves his family and goes to war. But he doesn't get to fight. He find himself engage in manual labor, salvaging
debris, moving cannons, digging trenches, and building. One day when he
is gathering firewood, he is shot at. An Indian attacks him. But before
the Indian can finish him off, Frenchmen take him prisoner. This is an
intriguing story of a boys life during the French & Indian War.
There is a lot of history packed in here, including some historical
issues of faith. Overall the story was interesting as were the
historical facts and Ian's life on the farm.
Douglas Bond is a Christian writer who has written more than 20 books,
primarily historical fiction.
He writes books that are safe for all ages, and very intriguing and real.
Check out his blog here, and I will be doing reviews on some of his books in the upcoming weeks.
This is the third book in the Faith and Freedom trilogy written by Douglas bond.
Guns of the Lion is the second book in the Faith and Freedom Trilogy written by Douglas Bond.
It’s never been easier to watch movies, and lots of them.
