tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37587470862903028682024-02-06T19:08:31.650-08:00Walking the Narrow WayMy goal is to challenge you to travel a path that few dare tread ... It won't be easy, but it will be rewarding. Care to walk with me?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-10251344724814643042014-06-12T11:10:00.000-07:002014-06-12T11:24:02.304-07:00A New Kind of Hacker<br />
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“Parables are meant to re-frame the world differently so we
can experience it again for the first time. Hacker takes a simple concept that
many people already believe, that there’s another reality so near to us that
we’re unaware of its presence most of the time, and puts it center stage.” ~
Ted Dekker</div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81Vh_2UbmD8-wAArlo7gkk4qaQhWzZKtCdR-bk3Kuywp22DKS3N9FfqnX2OOEb5fNnqs3ol5khZU7ThPj7ImyhrjDl-og_tUbC7f-x0jo7OgUowACFSavAIT_Z-P64_kg0wXdafltSOE/s1600/hacker1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81Vh_2UbmD8-wAArlo7gkk4qaQhWzZKtCdR-bk3Kuywp22DKS3N9FfqnX2OOEb5fNnqs3ol5khZU7ThPj7ImyhrjDl-og_tUbC7f-x0jo7OgUowACFSavAIT_Z-P64_kg0wXdafltSOE/s1600/hacker1.jpg" height="320" width="201" /></a> What if by closing our eyes long enough we could see a whole
new reality? What if by clearing our mind we could open it to things unseen?
What if true life begins after we draw our last breath on earth?</div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> In the third installment of his <i>Outlaw Chronicles</i>
series, Dekker re-emerges with the theme of identity and the fact that our
ultimate hope is found in something beyond this temporal life on earth. He also
unravels, in classic Dekker style, the secret to genuine prayer – what it means
to clear your mind of the “firewalls” that block out God’s voice, and truly be
still and listen. </div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <i>Hacker</i> introduces us to Nyah, a seventeen-year-old
genius computer whiz who can crack into just about any company’s high security
records with a few taps on a keyboard. Why does she do it? Just to prove she
can … and to sell her services as the company’s new online security head. But
when Nyah stumbles upon some dangerous evidence during a particularly
high-level hack, she quickly finds herself in a situation in which her
technological skills can’t protect her.</div>
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Desperate, Nyah seeks the aid of an estranged friend from
the past, a fellow hacker and teen genius. What Nyah could never expect is the
new kind of hacking her friend has discovered – how to hack into the brain. Now
with a vengeful hitman on her trail, Nyah must make a choice that could alter
the very fabric of her reality – forever.</div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRnfFiZg7Aee8JeVcC8MiLuRxGU8n52jGOnRzZ2DnT319nYy3crDxEucuQdQaiut9uSOfTrg8hLXXrJllKH9EwBmrEeXs3MRV6XRI-9Fu3AyyyNvgvvW8k5dc7ZUx0CHdYnCXH03Fsr8/s1600/ted-dekker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRnfFiZg7Aee8JeVcC8MiLuRxGU8n52jGOnRzZ2DnT319nYy3crDxEucuQdQaiut9uSOfTrg8hLXXrJllKH9EwBmrEeXs3MRV6XRI-9Fu3AyyyNvgvvW8k5dc7ZUx0CHdYnCXH03Fsr8/s1600/ted-dekker.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Brimming with edge-of-your-seat action and
mesmerizing sci-fi/fantasy as only Dekker can write it, <i>Hacker</i> is <i>The
Matrix</i> meets <i>Inception</i> meets <i>Just Like Heaven</i> with a return
to dreams and glimpses of a deeper reality that made <i>The Circle</i> series
unforgettable. Fans will also love the return of Austin Hartt from the <i>Outlaw
Chronicles</i>’ first fantasy thriller <i>Eyes Wide Open</i>, and of course,
the appearance of Stephen Carter (a.k.a. Outlaw) from the series’ namesake
adult novel. <br />
<br />
Once again, Dekker peals back the skin of this world and makes what is
untouchable and unfathomable completely tangible.<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Another Dekker masterpiece worthy of five stars.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-64803729226018858902014-04-26T22:28:00.000-07:002014-04-26T22:41:56.388-07:00Happiness: A Choice Worth Making (book review)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJx_qEBsR_Bqc7wgB7idj6FKGoenx4y_Hd9SjjjSP9DDK0uF8Kjgrxej_boNDWzFCe9VXNVspTW-Rmf101AdSrUJKBTTUA9e5HR-jdVi8D8dE6aIa6HbUdbqQ-8JCCV7SbJmxz2ZR8fQ/s1600/happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJx_qEBsR_Bqc7wgB7idj6FKGoenx4y_Hd9SjjjSP9DDK0uF8Kjgrxej_boNDWzFCe9VXNVspTW-Rmf101AdSrUJKBTTUA9e5HR-jdVi8D8dE6aIa6HbUdbqQ-8JCCV7SbJmxz2ZR8fQ/s1600/happy.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><br />
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What if someone told you that you hold the key to unlocking
your own happiness and even the happiness of your spouse? Often in our culture,
people give up on marriage because it ceases to “make them happy,” and they
feel that they are entitled to this right. But what if happiness is not a right
to be claimed, but rather a goal to strive after? A goal, not to seek after
merely what boosts your own spirit, but what brings joy to others, specifically
your “other half.”</div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> In <em>Making Happy</em>, renowned marriage experts Les and Leslie
Parrot teach you how to control the climate of happiness in both your life and
your marriage, walking you through six “happiness boosters” …</div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> 1. Count your blessings</div>
<br />
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2. Try new things</div>
<br />
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3. Dream a dream</div>
<br />
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4. Celebrate each other</div>
<br />
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5. Attune your spirits</div>
<br />
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6. Add value to others</div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <em>Making Happy</em> combines meticulous research with relevant
anecdotes and sprinkles in a healthy dose of timely quotes and interactive
quizzes to keep the reader engaged. Whether you’re a single preparing for
marriage, or a couple seeking to recover the joy in everyday moments together,
this book is a great thought-provoking guide for those who strive for a blissful
life.<br />
<br />
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-35081175667501037012014-04-18T23:42:00.002-07:002014-04-19T09:00:19.558-07:00Calling the Unlikely: A Review of Davis Bunn's "The Turning"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0y5AnhWvJqOz4Hs0QOY4kgf8E8VEcYKBofl1Ye87HgWVb9TDq7VP9H8o63JyxZselm4fglJWzh7Dhu3C94kRailZPIEzIxdWmI0SUvjj7ytmAlclrjX1wm04xZXUSsS18cW6YOK4RZyE/s1600/turn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0y5AnhWvJqOz4Hs0QOY4kgf8E8VEcYKBofl1Ye87HgWVb9TDq7VP9H8o63JyxZselm4fglJWzh7Dhu3C94kRailZPIEzIxdWmI0SUvjj7ytmAlclrjX1wm04xZXUSsS18cW6YOK4RZyE/s1600/turn.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a>Perhaps you’ve heard the voice before. That inexplicable
urging deep within your heart and soul, not audible but just as clear as if it
had been shouted to you from a bullhorn. The voice of a Divine Storyteller,
nudging you to follow a path you never would have expected. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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It is this kind of Divine calling that Davis Bunn writes
about in his new “devotional fiction” novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Turning</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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A brooding businessman from Cleveland. A snobby choir leader
from Baltimore. A beautiful young oriental woman torn between two major life
decisions, and an Arab learning the Christian faith. Each one hears the same
message from God. Each must face a unique task. Each must take a monumental
step toward forgiveness, reconciliation, compassion … spiritual obedience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Feeling God call them to New York, these spiritual misfits band
together under the leadership of a well-known Christian author to battle a rising
cultural enemy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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My thoughts:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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I love the fact that each of the protagonists is introduced
as someone who we normally would not look to for spiritual guidance. Each
character has baggage, yet God does not wait till their baggage is gone to call
them. He calls them with dirty lives, and offers them progressive steps of obedience
to follow. Yet with each step, hearts are rearranged, maturity deepens, and the
characters begin to take bigger and bolder steps of faith.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Davis shows us through these characters that we don’t have
to be spiritual giants for Christ to call us. We simply need to be open to
hearing His voice. He’ll meet us in that spot where calling and action collide.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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“The fruits of the Spirit require us to grow beyond our
comfort zone. Like Isaiah, we are the most unworthy of believers. And yet God
has called us. Each and every one of the family of Jesus. We are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> invited to move beyond the failures
and limitations that confine us.” ~ <em>The Turning<o:p></o:p></em></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKg8LnbokgTYvBHXy7ubIvq7fMCcPTaq3AIQOJrAnJjqDSlUkMUEt7gAtbszg6uP4U4phr8tSs3zi_b9LTEye52ufVvZQv7QxmBf2QrbN3ZoBvJpFihWEdSeJZDJekkJBR2NhfhrljkE/s1600/davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKg8LnbokgTYvBHXy7ubIvq7fMCcPTaq3AIQOJrAnJjqDSlUkMUEt7gAtbszg6uP4U4phr8tSs3zi_b9LTEye52ufVvZQv7QxmBf2QrbN3ZoBvJpFihWEdSeJZDJekkJBR2NhfhrljkE/s1600/davis.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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Davis Bunn is as encouraging and Christ-focused as ever! I'm giving <em>The Turning</em> 4.2 stars.<br />
<br />
<o:p>I received a complimentary copy of <em>The Turning</em> from River North Fiction in return for my honest review.</o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-13075327108788730312013-12-03T22:34:00.000-08:002013-12-03T22:34:41.723-08:00Beautiful Contradiction<span class="text Eph-1-8" id="en-NLT-29175">I’m a walking, living, breathing contradiction. A grammar
snob who sometimes misplaces commas. A clean freak whose room looks like a
bomb-kissed bookstore. I’m an exercise enthusiast who both loves and hates
running and a fiction writer who’s forgotten how to plot a story.<br />
<br />
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I’ll contentedly snail my way through an autograph line, but
I hate waiting for long-term goals to come to fruition.<br />
<br />
I despise cold weather … I live in the Midwest.</div>
<br />
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I love to travel … I can’t stand long drives.</div>
<br />
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I’m a borderline Vegan who eats seafood. A workaholic who
loves to play. A perfectionist lugging an ever-present bag of mistakes.</div>
<br />
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A sinner whom God calls “saint.” A filthy peasant whom the
King of the universe calls “daughter.”<br />
<br />
I am nobody. And yet, to the only One Whose opinion matters, I am one of a
kind.</div>
<br />
Perfection is not a requirement for admission into God’s adopted family. We’re
strange, fickle creatures who strive tirelessly one moment to practice purity
and goodness, and the next fall like a slaughtered calf, sacrificed to the
idols of our soul. <br />
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> We need not hide from our Father in a dark corner every time
we do something silly or even devastating to miss the mark of perfection. We
need only to throw back our heads, spread our arms wide and relish in the
downpour of forgiveness, grace, and love waiting to fall upon us from a Savior
who sees our every fault and quirk and still chooses to call us His own.</div>
<br />
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Imperfect, yet sought after by the One Who invented
perfection. Now that is a beautiful contradiction.</div>
<!--[endif]--><br />
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span class="texteph-1-4">“Even before He made the world, God
loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.</span>
<span class="texteph-1-5">God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family
by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do,
and it gave Him great pleasure.</span> <span class="texteph-1-6">So we praise God
for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son.</span><span class="texteph-1-7"><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></sup>He is so rich in kindness and grace that He
purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.</span> <span class="texteph-1-8">He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and
understanding.” ~ Ephesians 1:4-8, NLT</span></div>
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-8373506125084592942013-10-11T14:49:00.004-07:002013-10-12T09:20:55.101-07:00Limitless Potential<br />
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<br />
Simon Orwell has grown accustomed to living in the dust of
abandoned dreams. A college dropout from a prestigious university, Simon’s life
has turned out much like his last great science project – an unfinished mass of
potential, set aside, regarded as an impossible failure. Too broken to
accomplish that for which it was created. Settling for the mundane, Simon
believes he is unworthy and incapable of fulfilling his greatest dream. That of
changing the world.</div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoHvZMToS94TGxLj18lwpHktrOpRZ0AjDuhCzgOF6sXkFq1Sp0hChvYTF0yB3tIsHR4z5nJVOjCrl6qnB-OpRhCVc5Fk7uj5xc3xLLxeaAjN5wtdPXc2P49L5m_CV3NvPm2gaOiZUrBQ/s1600/Unlimited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoHvZMToS94TGxLj18lwpHktrOpRZ0AjDuhCzgOF6sXkFq1Sp0hChvYTF0yB3tIsHR4z5nJVOjCrl6qnB-OpRhCVc5Fk7uj5xc3xLLxeaAjN5wtdPXc2P49L5m_CV3NvPm2gaOiZUrBQ/s1600/Unlimited.jpg" /></a> Summoned to Mexico by his elderly partner on the project
that would have literally brought light to those living in darkness, Simon
faces the bleakest prospect of a new chance. Perhaps not a chance to rejoin the
project and rebuild his career as a scientist – that hope has all but faded
like the dim light bulbs of the poor Mexican town – but maybe, just maybe, a
chance to remedy at least a few of his past wrongs.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Hope becomes an unreachable goal once again when Simon
arrives in the tiny town of Ojinaga to the tragic news that his partner is
dead. Natural causes of course. The same natural causes that now stalk Simon as
a hunter stalks his prey. Simon is thrown from his unassuming life, thrust into
a quest for answers as to who is behind the old professor’s death and what
clues he left behind for his young protégé.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Now, taking refuge at a struggling orphanage, Simon must
accept the help of some of his late partner’s closest friends if he is to find
answers. Because maybe, the unthinkable really is possible. Maybe he, like his
project, really does have more potential than he thought. Maybe even the
ability to light up the world.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
Least favorite parts:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> The book was slightly predictable in a few spots, but
overall that did not detract much from its readability. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
Favorite parts:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Despite his own lack of confidence and vision for himself,
Simon is enveloped by unmerited encouragement from the orphanage director (and
friend to his deceased partner), Harold Finch. Harold pushes the unmotivated
Simon to view his life as something more than what he has made it so far. To
set goals. To believe in impossible dreams. Probably my favorite line in the
book is when Harold tells him, “Son, that’s the power of dreams. If they’re not
big, if they’re not impossible, they’re not worth investing your life.” (<i>Unlimited</i>,
page 177)</div>
<br />
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Conclusion:</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> At a time when I, like Simon, doubted my potential and the
gift God has planted within me, <i>Unlimited</i> glimmered into my reading life
with a challenge – “be more.” Channel that wasted energy and potential. Believe
in the dreams that God has buried in your very soul. Believe in His ability to
make the impossible possible. Believe that you are destined to light up the dark.
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> I believe this book will challenge you as well. Dare you to
defy your doubt, to trust that when you allow God to direct your dreams, the
results could be … unlimited.</div>
<br />
I'm giving this book four glowing light bulbs out of five.<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<em>I received</em> <em>a complimentary copy of this book from B&H Publishing Group in
exchange for my honest review.<!--?xml:namespace prefix = "o" /--><o:p></o:p></em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-77967618466007107472013-02-16T12:06:00.001-08:002013-03-26T15:14:06.155-07:00The Heart Can Bleed ...In a world as dark and foreboding as the fear that rules it,
one man is entrusted with a centuries-old secret and awakened to a life
forbidden for half a millennium. Having impulsively ingested a bit of ancient
blood with only a cryptic message as his guide, Rom Sebastian discovers an
unknown power that lies dormant in every soul. A throng of emotions – passion,
sorrow, hope, love – beautiful and terrible at once, but so vastly far above
the simple life of fear known to every inhabitant of the decomposing earth.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now on the run
from a fearful government who views him as “out of Order,” Rom must choose
either to live in the familiar clutches of fear or bravely seek out the truth
behind these new emotions. To learn their purpose … and his.</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWkqW6eTnnzhhch7TFmdfB3Q6CxAu2K5pcMW-NkfYB1Yb1A4GNM_Aos2lbhiMAuS4J0KTaUEeGkwZCHFLHiLF2i8apLFclhHVYcuXtjL24n2tcZlXw7cMmw98O-jNB6NGsUWk7zZFXZc/s1600/forbidden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWkqW6eTnnzhhch7TFmdfB3Q6CxAu2K5pcMW-NkfYB1Yb1A4GNM_Aos2lbhiMAuS4J0KTaUEeGkwZCHFLHiLF2i8apLFclhHVYcuXtjL24n2tcZlXw7cMmw98O-jNB6NGsUWk7zZFXZc/s320/forbidden.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ted Dekker and
Tosca Lee serve up a heart-racing thriller that’ll engage your every emotion
and leave you craving more while digesting a hard-hitting truth. The truth that
true life is not one that sits back in pillow-fluffed ease while fearing the
future. True life is one of seeking purpose beyond ourselves, no matter what
the cost, and no matter what the pain along the way. “Because in life we risk
death. … The heart can bleed. And it will.” (<i>Forbidden</i>, page 373)</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, Dekker
transports us to an alternate reality to help us better understand our own.
Once again, he weaves a climactic tale of romance and redemption to remind us
of a certain life-giving blood. Much like the power of that life-giving blood,
this is a story that cannot possibly be understood through mere description …
it must be experienced.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Warning:</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
While similar in many ways to Dekker’s <i>Circle</i> series
(and personally, I believe that Thomas Hunter plays an unseen role in this
story, *wink, wink*) <i>The Books of Mortals</i> trilogy takes it up a notch on
the violence scale. Okay, maybe several notches. (Think head-chopping violence
and mega-creepy villains from <i>Green</i> and rack up their frequency a bit.)
Also, the spiritual analogies are slightly more vague, at least in this first
book of the series. But dig deep and think hard … the content is rich.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-85636179946683213522012-08-27T15:58:00.000-07:002012-08-27T16:06:13.021-07:00Some Dreams Are Hidden<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TAn_LMc7D5nl5JL9xbfSPeqKUbIN_3U2ZtZIqj7eztorHSVpqw3gY9rv9Q24ap89Q38Q6FFdCDa0YzN84SIiV_jPEhuFIcaXjF6To5-cS-kzdVheAPjVQLrM24E8r9M38ZuNhkGjRZ8/s1600/Hidden+In+Dreams300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TAn_LMc7D5nl5JL9xbfSPeqKUbIN_3U2ZtZIqj7eztorHSVpqw3gY9rv9Q24ap89Q38Q6FFdCDa0YzN84SIiV_jPEhuFIcaXjF6To5-cS-kzdVheAPjVQLrM24E8r9M38ZuNhkGjRZ8/s320/Hidden+In+Dreams300.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
It looms on the horizon, black and sinister, churning
through the atmosphere and masking all that it touches in shadows of doom and
deadly uncertainty. Circling the land like a beast stalking its prey, the
hurricane surges closer and closer to the Florida coast, threatening to level
everything in its wake. For Dr. Elena Burroughs, the almost sadistic storm
system is but a single raindrop in her bucket of worries. A much larger storm
is brewing, far more power-hungry ... and far more deadly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">“It all came down to the dreams. And her own next step. The
prospect of what awaited her was wrenching.”</span></em></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>As we re-enter Elena’s life in this sequel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book of Dreams</i>, she is steadily
attempting to piece her shattered world back to a semblance of normalcy. After
a fizzled romance, shelved friendships, a tanked career, along with the loss of
her home and nearly all her possessions, the world’s leading authority on dream
analysis has only one remaining option – the dreaded spotlight. With no job and
virtually no one to turn to except her ever-persistent editor, Elena reluctantly
agrees to a worldwide publicity tour … one that leaves her drained and
emotionally raw, not to mention humiliated by a demeaning and obnoxious
scientific colleague.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>A glimmer of hope shines through the wreckage when Elena is
offered a professorship at a Melbourne college campus. But no sooner has she
filtered back through the cracks and slipped momentarily underneath the fame
radar than a peculiar bit of her past creeps back into her new life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>Elena is dreaming again. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
But she’s not the only one experiencing the prophetic dreams
… more than a dozen people from around the world with no prior connection to
each other are now assaulted by the same dreams. Worst of all, these vivid
nightmares are beginning to come true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Forced once again to serve as reluctant leader of an unlikely
group, Elena feels less prepared than ever before. How can she, with a faith
gone dry, find the strength and guidance to lead such a group? Especially when that group’s most compelling urge is to warn
the world of the encroaching disaster.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">“… right now, all I can tell you is, God has never felt more
silent.”</span></em></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>The clock is ticking and Elena must seek out the truth
harder than ever before if she is to discover why she and the other “dreamers”
have been granted the ability to see the future. And more importantly, what
they can do to prevent the coming storm from destroying them all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SZMeDEp7jPsp4QcqMIHAKBVQpIXu2QXmAzbsC0Hfe7R_yQ9jECsrPLPS5cm2BVCOW8NcHoSm1CWt7YR6dbabuXd0ToMVD8LTJLCTIWegnlvYm6-OtLL83Qz49g73_4zuQdi2mF6zFKo/s1600/DavisPunnProfilePic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SZMeDEp7jPsp4QcqMIHAKBVQpIXu2QXmAzbsC0Hfe7R_yQ9jECsrPLPS5cm2BVCOW8NcHoSm1CWt7YR6dbabuXd0ToMVD8LTJLCTIWegnlvYm6-OtLL83Qz49g73_4zuQdi2mF6zFKo/s1600/DavisPunnProfilePic.jpg" /></a>Personally, I didn’t enjoy this book <em>quite</em> as <em><strong><u>immensely</u></strong></em> as its predecessor, but
that’s not to say that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hidden in Dreams</i>
isn’t amazing in its own right. Still packed with peppy dialogue and timeless Biblical
truth (not to mention a few startling plot twists that’ll have your brain doing an
about-face), this novel oozes quality and talent. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>I’m giving <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hidden in
Dreams</i> a very unsubtle five stars as well as two thumbs up to Davis Bunn!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I received a
complimentary copy of this book for review from Howard Books, a division of
Simon & Schuster. I was not required to write a positive review. The
opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with
the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-77329222696435694782012-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:002012-08-25T10:22:48.741-07:00Book of Dreams (a review)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Wf7RKWmISQDOGgTBy4AuhfDUPcRJOHUoTRfH62pjVUo9aB5IyfjrCC9mMMvJbBz5oRpejykIcBFTjDBExwSyGK7lhJuqzHuEW6ja16qdQch4jgb4KtiVAMWOesYCZdSN1aa65Y0fMIk/s1600/book+of+dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Wf7RKWmISQDOGgTBy4AuhfDUPcRJOHUoTRfH62pjVUo9aB5IyfjrCC9mMMvJbBz5oRpejykIcBFTjDBExwSyGK7lhJuqzHuEW6ja16qdQch4jgb4KtiVAMWOesYCZdSN1aa65Y0fMIk/s320/book+of+dreams.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
What if you had a choice … a choice to hear the voice of God
speaking to the deepest crevices of your soul? What if you were given a book, a
centuries-old heirloom that is a meticulous and perfect copy of the original …
and what if you were told that God may choose to speak to you through that
book? What if all you had to do … was listen? Listen. And dream.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>This is the choice Dr. Elena Burroughs is presented with
upon receiving a priceless treasure from a dear family friend who believes that
Elena may be “the one” chosen to unlock its secrets. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>For seventy-two of her eighty-one years, Miriam, a seasoned
and saucy woman with a successful counseling career, has viewed a shining gift
as a shadowy burden. Now ready to be free of the enigmatic book, she passes it
on to Elena, certain that her goddaughter possesses the gift of interpretation
necessary to discern the meaning behind the calligraphic writings. There’s more
to the book than jeweled covers and fancy lettering. Could it be that an
ancient prayer written in its original language is the key to unearthing a plot
against the world’s economy?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Thrust into an unwanted leadership position, Elena must
learn to surrender her fear of change and her aversion to letting anyone get
close. As her trusted pastor friend so wisely conveys: “God has drawn you out
of your comfort zone. Get used to it. I doubt it will be the last time.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>Ranging from the grand and historical brick abodes of London
to England’s back hills to Italian mansions, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book of Dreams</i> will steal your breath with its setting and
enrapture your mind with its deep theological themes. (Plus, any story with
such a copious supply of British accents, rain-drenched backgrounds, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">coffee</i> gets mega awesome points in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> book.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
A definite five stars! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book
of Dreams</i> is a priceless treasure worth reading.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p><u>Deeper into Dreams:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">*Warning: May contain mild
spoilers.<o:p></o:p></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
To Miriam, the ancient book containing the Lord’s Prayer in
Aramaic is nothing more than a picturesque mockery of her life – a glowing
representation of her failure. Despite the woman’s success and even the wisdom
she clearly possesses, she has spent her life feeling unworthy and detached.
Never able to move past the first page, the first word of the Lord’s Prayer in
the decorative book. Never quite able to call her God “Abba” … <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daddy</i>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
The answer was there all along.
She was upset because she felt she had missed the clues, the formula, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rules</i> of how it all was supposed to
work, but all along the first step was to come to God in utter confidence of
His fatherly love and His desire to speak to her. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Yet when Elena inherited the book, she realized that there
were no rules. All that was required was a heart searching for wisdom ... a heart that was
willing to learn and to continue searching until it found answers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Elena knew that despite the unique book’s value, the book
itself was not divine. It was merely another tool with which to better
understand the divine. She realized that the ancient book could not replace
prayer and God’s Word itself. It is through those things that we maintain
communication with the Lord and a sensitivity to His Spirit’s whisperings.
Anything else is merely another avenue through which He speaks. It is only
through prayer and Scripture that we can understand those other avenues. The
truth is right there waiting for us to open our heart and see.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-29121380920747772152012-07-02T14:14:00.002-07:002012-07-02T15:04:29.863-07:00A Rose Among Thorns<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFKyLDEPn1aZWMQTt4ce-LV5Mhsz4_a1u1ceeGzkkjJWfMi3vE0LF9XR7MTs7BMn3d-UAhTmFhQexl81M3zjTjChHKsiDi96X2WOa_jbKu-6WZGS76JG84GdhwY6OuHhVniw5FN1d8iI/s1600/TheRiverRosebyGilbertMorris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFKyLDEPn1aZWMQTt4ce-LV5Mhsz4_a1u1ceeGzkkjJWfMi3vE0LF9XR7MTs7BMn3d-UAhTmFhQexl81M3zjTjChHKsiDi96X2WOa_jbKu-6WZGS76JG84GdhwY6OuHhVniw5FN1d8iI/s400/TheRiverRosebyGilbertMorris.jpg" width="262" /></a>What happens when you toss together a middle-class ladies’
man and a dirt-poor chambermaid, telling them that a distant mutual cousin has
left them in his will? Sprinkle in some spicy love triangles and tantalizing
plot turns and you have the recipe for Gilbert Morris’ latest novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The River Rose</i>!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
We enter our story in the bitter winter of 1855, Memphis,
Tennessee. The elements are harsher than usual this year, but perhaps even
harsher are the winds of circumstance howling in the rosy face of widow, Jeanne
Bettencourt. And quite a rose she is – delicate, yet determined; painstakingly
honest and a diligent worker; penniless, yet somehow supremely confident.
“You’re not like the other chambermaids,” she is often told by hotel patrons
who are interested in much more than her room-cleaning abilities. And they’re
right. Something about her grace and intelligence seems bizarrely out of place
with her lowly lot in life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
But Jeanne’s purity of heart and nearly eternal optimism keep
her from paying undue attention to her poverty. Despite the hard times, she is
content with the Lord as her strength and trusts Him completely to provide for
her and her frail, but joyful six-year-old daughter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
So when Jeanne’s breaking-even lifestyle is interrupted with
news that she is part heir to a gorgeous steamboat, it’s obvious that the boat
is a gift from above. But she still has a choice to make: sell the boat and buy
a cracker box house of her own with the money, or live on board and begin
making a living with the steamer through freight runs. To Clint Hardin, her buff
and charming co-heir, the decision is simple. Why settle for a mediocre life
when you have a chance at the extraordinary?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
Neither Jeanne nor Clint could guess that God has much
greater plans ahead than either of them ever thought possible for their lives.
In the process, the unlikely business duo must each face their own past and
decide whether or not they will allow it to affect their future.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
All in all, <em>The River Rose</em> was a pretty nice read. I'll give this historical romance four shiny steamboats out of five.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Bonus thoughts (comparison to <em>The River Queen</em>):<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br />
Though the books in the Water Wheel series are completely
unrelated as far as characters and plot (although there is a minor character
with the last name of “Bettencourt” in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
River Queen</i> … hmmm.), I had fun noticing the little comparisons and
contrasts between the books.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
For instance, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
River Queen</i> is somewhat of a riches to rags story where a spoiled and
selfish aristocratic woman must learn how to make a living for herself and her
family. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The River Rose</i> on the other
hand, centers around a hard-working young woman whose every joy in the world is
derived from making her daughter happy. Rather than being merely a blessing in
disguise for Jeanne, the steamer that she inherits may as well have been
dropped out of the sky by angels. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Julienne, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The River
Queen</i>, is highly vain and spends most of her time fussing over her hair and
dress. Jeanne, though also strikingly beautiful, is modest and humble and
prefers to dress simply even when she no longer has to wear raggy clothes. She
is very others-focused and has a heart for the less-fortunate, especially since
she knows first-hand what it’s like to have barely a penny in her pocket.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Both women are strong and determined, daring to step out and
accomplish a task that society says they can’t. Both are strangely annoyed and
easily outraged by the man in their life who cares the most for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
But what I found most intriguing was their differing views
of God and each woman’s journey with Him throughout their individual story. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Julienne began with a nonchalant attitude toward her
Creator. She had never really needed Him, in her estimation, and therefore was
mostly oblivious to His existence. In losing her worldly goods, however, she
was plunged into the realization that life was bigger than her own personal
happiness, and she began to seek God for the wisdom and provision to survive
the uncharted waters of her life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
When we first meet Jeanne in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The River Rose</i>, she possesses an almost uncanny faith in God,
perfectly embodying what the Apostle Paul meant when he said “rejoice in the
Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” Even with the faintest raise in tips or
with the appearance of her favorite fruit or tea at the store, Jeanne breathes
a silent prayer of thanks to the Father above. Later, she must rediscover her
strong relationship with God, having uncovered the jolting truth that she has
allowed her gaze to be turned from Him once her life’s circumstances began to
blow in a new direction. She must learn that through poverty or prosperous
seasons, in sickness or in health, there is never a time when we outgrow our
need to love and depend on our God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I also enjoyed the additional plot twists of this novel.
Whereas <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The River Queen</i> plotted a
fairly straight and steady course, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
River Rose</i> dug deeper and deeper into its characters, revealing little bits
of backstory along the way that keep you reading and wondering what happened
that caused Jeanne to be widowed six years before. And before you’re half-way
through the book, Gilbert will have you wondering which man in her life Jeanne
will end up with after all.<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em>I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from
B&H Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The
opinions I have expressed are my own. I<o:p></o:p></em></div>
<em>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal
Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.</span></em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-63614117015475330152012-06-15T15:03:00.001-07:002012-06-16T10:29:29.350-07:00Something new ... a book review!It's always fun to do something new. To bring a new dimension to something familiar. That being said, I'm pleased to announce that I'll be adding a fresh new angle to my blog. Though I've written a few CD and book reviews in the past, I've generally posted them to sites with a need for that specific content, such as Christianbook.com and NewReleaseTuesday.com, leaving my blog mostly for devotionals.<br />
<br />
Recently, however, I've joined a team of book reviewers for a couple of major blog tours coming up this year. I'll be reviewing several hot-off-the-presses novels from notable Christian authors Gilbert Morris and Davis Bunn. I'll give you the gist of the story, along with spiritual lessons and sneak-peeks of golden truth that you can walk away with at the end of the book. Get ready!<br />
<br />
My first review, scheduled for early July, will be on Gilbert Morris' new novel <em>The River Rose</em>. As this is the second book in his <em>Water Wheel</em> series, I decided to read <em>The River Queen</em> first, though each book in the series is meant as a stand-alone. You can read my review of <em>The River Queen</em> below:<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h2>
“I
want to look pretty, I want to have fun, I want to dance. I might even meet
some exciting new people!”</h2>
</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNTnLtm37XxfShsybi-Pbg2H-XjP2BIHsu9tdsH0kVhF5294VmM4ARrwZKSFKwHSS8u4Wyl2-C2uvO3-eqafz5ZEtXNYo9ux1up3vWYN5_HY99VZKwC5D08Kwgtj3YhpyLKFaUkJwtJ4/s1600/river+queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNTnLtm37XxfShsybi-Pbg2H-XjP2BIHsu9tdsH0kVhF5294VmM4ARrwZKSFKwHSS8u4Wyl2-C2uvO3-eqafz5ZEtXNYo9ux1up3vWYN5_HY99VZKwC5D08Kwgtj3YhpyLKFaUkJwtJ4/s320/river+queen.jpg" width="205" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"> Thus are the words of the fiery Julienne Ashby whose
flaming red-gold locks match her haywire temper and headstrong rebellious air.
Spoiled by the life of frills and social calls and glamorous living that
sprouts from her family’s aristocratic status in the community, Julienne hasn’t
a care in the world other than the angst of wondering what over-priced outfit
she will wear for her next party. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Along
with her tomboy sister who’d rather collect worms than learn geography and her
partying brother who spends his days recovering from last night’s hangover,
this twenty-three-year-old fashion guru of 1855 refuses to cut back on her
extravagant lifestyle, despite their father’s persistent warnings that the
family’s financial position is headed downstream fast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">When
tragedy strikes and the Ashbys are forced to sell nearly all their possessions,
Julienne is thrust into a position of family leadership, discovering untapped
potential as a businesswoman and using her stubborn will to keep her family off
the street.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Enter
the<i> River Queen</i>. Now the owner of the dilapidated little steamboat,
Julienne decides that the <i>Queen</i> is their only chance to make a living
and regain their dignity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">The<em> </em>long-neglected steamer seems to mirror its primary owner’s soul – strong and steadfast
with a potential for great beauty. If only the multiple years’ worth of muck
and grime can be scrubbed away. Dallas Bronte, the steamer’s new captain and
pilot sees the hidden inner beauty of both. But will Julienne’s pride cause her
to turn to a less honorable man to assist her in renovating the <i>Queen</i>? A man who,
unlike Dallas Bronte, is not motivated by a love for the <i>Queen</i> and its
feisty owner … but simply by a desire to own them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">And
will Julienne’s regard for her steamboat and its pilot move from one of frigid
necessity to, perhaps, even love?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Through
it all, Julienne and Dallas must learn to trust in a God whose power and love
they’ve never fully acknowledged, and realize that no matter how bleak a
situation, you’re never too filthy for Him to clean up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Note:
In my personal opinion, the book didn't possess the type of edge-of-your-seat,
page-turning pull that I'm used to. However, it did bring back some reminiscent
memories of the <i>Mandie</i> series, a childhood favorite of mine, as the
historical setting and writing style is similar to that of Lois Gladys Leppard
(minus the mystery and frequent kidnappings). But for those who enjoy a good,
historical romance with a slight <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> feel and solid
Biblical values, this book is a perfect read and should be accompanied by a cozy
fireplace and a steamy cup of chamomile tea.<o:p></o:p></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-39898962760898906762012-02-22T11:23:00.000-08:002012-02-22T12:13:12.273-08:00The Faith Chronicles Part 1: Faith versus Fear<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9JWeL5GZYGNzfo-qBFcKcV2JF1BVCRbkIdXA7B4Pumj6jyCJ9UKQwudC-XdkTa9vYHoFg9mn6-EPVAtkgFXAO9YKjZM7s4ep61Pn65N-mez41wh4jgn9ceKT1uYFEDXur7AMEbGXp3E/s1600/jaws+of+the+storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="height: 273px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 406px;"><img border="0" height="250" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9JWeL5GZYGNzfo-qBFcKcV2JF1BVCRbkIdXA7B4Pumj6jyCJ9UKQwudC-XdkTa9vYHoFg9mn6-EPVAtkgFXAO9YKjZM7s4ep61Pn65N-mez41wh4jgn9ceKT1uYFEDXur7AMEbGXp3E/s400/jaws+of+the+storm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">They rise up around you on every side, choking, suffocating, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">drowning</i> you. With deadly vengeance they slam you repeatedly beneath their hammering blows. You try to fight, but they are too powerful, and each time one of the mighty waves crash upon your weakened form, you feel another piece of your endurance eroded away and rushed mercilessly into the tempest.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">But these are not waves of salt water and foam, and the storm is not one of unrelenting rain and roaring thunder. You may have never found yourself being devoured by the waves of a monstrous sea amidst a dragon-hearted downpour, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">these</i> waves are a foe that is all too familiar. Each surging breaker has its own descriptive name – a horrid, devilish name – but there is one that unites them all. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fear</i>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">Like a mighty ocean it engulfs its prey, sinking you into its cold, wet, dripping fangs.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">What fear holds you in its grasp? Fear of poverty? Fear of loneliness? Fear of mediocrity? Fear of an unknown future? There is no end to the creative forms fear takes in order to plague us. Worst of all, we seem to be defenseless against its onslaughts.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">But are we?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">To answer that question, let’s travel back to the scene of an infamous storm on the <place w:st="on">Sea of Galilee</place>. A storm where fear was rampant and defeat, so thought Jesus’ frazzled disciples, was imminent. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">Alone in the middle of the sea, the disciples struggled in vain as their tiny vessel was thrashed by the opposing wind and the menacing jaws of black water that threatened to swallow them whole. Jesus was back at the mountain where they had left Him to pray, and chances are they were really yearning for His presence right about this time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">And just when every ounce of their strength and hope had been drained by their fight with nature – things seemed to get worse. As if they weren’t freaked out enough, they now saw a new reason for terror. For there, hovering and gliding across the choppy waters was what could only be … “a ghost!” After all, what other creature could be so totally unaffected by such a storm?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">But breaking through their shouts of panic came a familiar voice. The voice of One more powerful than the howling wind that swirled around them. “Have courage! It is I; do not be afraid.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Do not be afraid. </i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">Peter was the first to obey that command. While the others were still dazed, still clinging to the mast and gripping the oars, Peter understood Jesus’ meaning. If Jesus could walk unharmed atop the source of their fears and troubles, then surely He would protect His followers as well. At that moment, Peter decided that the safest place to be was not in the flimsy shelter of their ship … but right there next to Jesus.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">And so he did the unthinkable. He asked Jesus if he could join Him on the water.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">We often pick on Peter for his lack of faith, but we forget what great faith it must have taken for him to step out in the first place. Notice that Peter did not attempt to venture out in his own power. He knew the task was impossible for a mere man to accomplish. But he sought the Lord; he asked permission and simultaneously requested supernatural means to accomplish this feat. His primary focus was on drawing closer to Christ, and his gaze was fixed entirely on his Lord. It didn’t matter to him that men just don’t walk on water. If some of his fellow disciples warned him, “Peter, that’s suicide!” he didn’t care. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">He knew that if the Master willed it, he could transcend the very laws of nature.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">So out he walked, mesmerized by the Prince of Peace in the midst of raging chaos. He knew he was supernaturally protected. His Lord had called him forward and so he could come.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">But, as so often happens in a Christian’s life, Peter’s heavenly gaze faltered and he suddenly found himself examining the “reality” of his circumstances. Worldly truth began to sink in … and so did Peter.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">“Hold on a second!” he must have thought, “I’m not supposed to be surviving this!”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">And when his focus was turned from Christ to his circumstances, his fears were realized and he lost the power to stand. When he lost sight of the Source of his power, the impossible became impossible once again. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">At that moment he could only do one thing – look back to Jesus to save him.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">I love what Jesus did next. Scripture says that Jesus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">immediately</i> grabbed his hand. He didn’t hesitate for awhile and watch Peter go down. “Well, serves ya right for not having enough faith in My power! You need to learn your lesson …” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">Ah … no. Jesus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">immediately</i> rescued him.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">But though Jesus wasted no time in pulling Peter out of the inky black waves, that doesn’t mean He wasn’t disappointed. No doubt with sadness in His dark Hebrew eyes and an incredulous shake of His head, He told Peter, "You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?" </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">The goal had been in sight. Peter had ventured out in faith, literally in deep water (or on it), in a bold move that no one else had dared to try. His troubles started when he let doubt swallow his once-invincible faith.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">That’s the biggest problem with fear … it drowns out our faith.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">Often we are just like Peter. Just when we feel God’s power the strongest, just when His peace is flowing over us like never before, just when we feel that He has given us a rock-hard faith to walk on … suddenly a split second arrives when we look at everything surrounding us. And then the doubt and fear slowly worm their way to overcoming us. That’s when we must pray for Him to save us and pull us above our circumstances once again.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">Jesus never told the disciples, “You have the power. Don’t be afraid.” He said, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It is I</i>. Don’t be afraid.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">“I am here,” He was saying, “I am with you. Place your faith in Me and you will not sink.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Don’t let fear overtake your faith. Next time you find yourself battling against a bigger-than-life storm, I challenge you to look past it. Ignore the wind. Ignore the life-sucking waves. Ignore the screaming disciples who are beside you in the ship. Look to the only One Who has power to walk above your problems … and Who can enable you to walk beside Him.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Go out to Him. And don’t be afraid.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">(Story found in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-51.)</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-78518830242425876942011-12-25T10:14:00.000-08:002011-12-27T08:27:43.016-08:00Taking the “Im” from Impossible<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsYSKLgPfc1b0PPiSbZsFvyPShGgsjzBwIOqlGGduIdT4obpu9WVUOdkNeAApG3RLg5aIrxZ25nV5mlNlzoTV4XD-gEkXfyLcUv8qsbNhsJYOjFmHaE1muzyQ_nYlIwX7g7mSd_KAFpQ/s1600/thumbnailCAGIP59F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsYSKLgPfc1b0PPiSbZsFvyPShGgsjzBwIOqlGGduIdT4obpu9WVUOdkNeAApG3RLg5aIrxZ25nV5mlNlzoTV4XD-gEkXfyLcUv8qsbNhsJYOjFmHaE1muzyQ_nYlIwX7g7mSd_KAFpQ/s1600/thumbnailCAGIP59F.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Impossible. That may possibly be the best one-word description of Christmas. Nestled among the jolly, twinkling lights and the bright, multi-colored bows and hidden behind every sale banner is a precious gift often overlooked. A gift that could shout but instead it whispers. The brightest gift packaged in the plainest wrapping. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It is the gift of the impossible.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Christmas season is a time when what shouldn’t be able to happen does happen, when naysayers are silenced if just for a few moments and crazy, illogical, unrealistic dreams become a glimmering reality. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It’s when family members who live states apart forget the cost of travel and make that long but worthwhile trip to see their loved ones. It’s when a child with nothing receives a toy and a hot meal. It’s when selfishness transforms into selflessness and an angry, bitter world, for once, becomes united in a desire for peace.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It’s impossible … but it happens.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It’s when misers find worth in more than cash, and small-town businessmen realize that they really do make a difference. It’s when a dissatisfied, young boy becomes thankful for his family (no matter how imperfect they are) and a grumpy, green mountain recluse discovers that the heart behind Christmas can never be stolen. (Hey, ya gotta love the classics!)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It’s when a childless woman old enough to be a grandma had a son of her own and a young teenager committed to purity was chosen to bear a supernatural child that had no earthly father.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Wait, what? Think about that for a second. Some things are just not physically possible right? When women get to a certain age, they simply are unable to have children. And with young girls who get pregnant … well, it doesn’t happen without a guy’s help.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">But in the words of the angel Gabriel, “Nothing is impossible with God.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">You say, “It can’t be true.” But it is.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">You say, “It can’t be done.” But God did it.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">He caused two cousins, one too old and one not old enough (a.k.a. not yet married), to each have a son – one son to announce the coming Messiah and one son to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be</i> the coming Messiah. Two sons, one miracle. The Christmas miracle.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">And it’s because of that miracle – that impossibility becoming possible – that we are able to hope for the impossible in our own lives each year. We can forgive the unforgivable, love the unlovable, and change the unchangeable. Though life is filled with obstacles that cannot be hurdled, we find that we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i> leap over them after all. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">On our own, we can do nothing. On our own, we have limits. But let’s turn back our eyes to that distant day when a baby who “shouldn’t” have been born <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> born. A child, who “shouldn’t” have survived, escaped the wrath of a raging king. A God who “shouldn’t” love mankind enough to go through the torture of becoming one of us <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> go through it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;">It was then that He placed His greatest gift under history’s Christmas tree – the gift of the impossible.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 145.5pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I am a virgin?”</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. God can do anything!” ~ Luke 1:34-37, New Century Version</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-326976054621675802011-12-07T10:48:00.000-08:002011-12-20T14:28:21.177-08:00Outcasts in a Foreign Land<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj106/Black_Spider6969/ManWalkingAlonejpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" oda="true" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj106/Black_Spider6969/ManWalkingAlonejpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Imagine you are visiting a foreign country. You’ve never been to this land before; you don’t know anything about the terrain or the people or their culture except for one thing. You know that it’s the opposite of your homeland.<br />
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Everywhere you go you feel dozens of eyes following your every move. They know with one glance that you are a foreigner. It’s obvious in the way you dress, the way you talk, even the way you eat your lunch. (Um, what are all these extra spoons for anyway?) The people know it, you know it – you are not one of them.<br />
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Question: How far would you go to blend in? <br />
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Let’s say that many of the natives are passionately prejudiced against your country. Their everyday conversation and jokes are filled with obscene insults about your government and your way of life. You have a problem. You love your country and you know that these people are simply misinformed about the place that you come from.<br />
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So you have two options. You can either:<br />
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Do your best to talk, dress, and act like the natives of the country you are visiting. This includes denying where you are from and joining in their pronounced hatred for your own country. You also hide or burn everything patriotic that you own. (How embarrassing if the natives caught you with <i>that</i>?)<br />
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<center><i>Or...</i></center><br />
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You display pride in your country despite the consequences. You don’t try to change who you are, and you are not ashamed. Sure you endure mockery and are the brunt of many a derisive sneer and mean-spirited scoff. But it doesn’t matter because this place is not your home. You come from a better land, a higher land, and you are loyal to that land. And of all those who misunderstand, to any who will listen, you are determined to gently break down their prejudice and tell them what your country is really like.<br />
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My Christian friends, how far do you go to blend in to a culture that is not yours? You’ve heard it before ... “you are not of this world.” You are merely visiting. Foreigners in a foreign land. Does the world notice that you are different? It should.<br />
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Do you dress differently? <i>“I want women to show their beauty by dressing in appropriate clothes that are modest and respectable…”</i> (1 Timothy 2:9, GW) And appropriate clothing applies to guys too ...<br />
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Do you speak differently? <i>“Let no filthy talk come out of your mouths, but only what is good for building up as the need may be. This way you will give grace to those who hear you.”</i> (Ephesians 4:29, ISV)<br />
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Do you act differently? <i>“If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don't belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and that is why its people hate you.”</i> (John 15:19, CEV)<br />
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All too often we allow the surrounding culture to intimidate us. We squirm under their disapproving glances. They think we’re weird, you can see it in their eyes. They make jokes about us and the things that we believe. Or better phrased, the things they <i>think</i> we believe. They make “being good” sound like a bad thing. They call us freaks and fanatics. (So what? I take it as a compliment. In the words of a popular DC Talk song, “I don’t really care if they label me a Jesus freak; there ain’t no disguising the truth.”)<br />
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The truth is, people, we are citizens of Heaven, and we have absolutely no reason to be ashamed of that. Why deny your homeland for a country that is not your own?<br />
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Romans 12:2 says this: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)<br />
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What is God’s will? God’s will is for us to live above the world. Not to stoop to the grime and muck of their way of doing things, not to conform to their customs and standards (or lack thereof), but to think the way <i>He</i> thinks. His opinion is the only one that matters. He is the One who deserves our loyalty.<br />
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But loyalty often demands sacrifice by its very practice. Which is exactly what the previous verse in Romans 12 informs us. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1, NLT) <br />
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Sacrifice. It’s a strong word – a serious word. It bids us to lay on an altar all the things that the citizens of this world cling to and fight for. But really it’s like burning a worthless currency, one that holds no real value but the citizens still insist upon using it.<br />
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What is this worthless currency we are called to sacrifice? We sacrifice worldly popularity, our pride, our selfishness, and our fleshly desires. We worship God, not by singing a seven-eleven praise chorus, but by the way we live. The movies we watch, the music we listen to, the way we treat people – all this demonstrates how we truly feel about God and His Word.<br />
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You’d think that it would be easy ... sacrificing the need for acceptance. After all, who needs the approval of men when God is on our side? And yet there is that part of us that longs to belong, a nagging yearning that tauntingly whispers, “The people are staring. You should try to be more like them.”<br />
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No! Don’t believe it. Don’t blend in. Even if a million eyes are watching you and a million voices are jabbing insults, don’t betray your Heavenly Country. Don’t deny your King. Remember that He endured taunting and staring and insults for your sake.<br />
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That’s right, Jesus didn’t back down from the crowd. His final resistance was by far the hardest thing He had ever done, but He refused to conform for one reason: He had an eternal purpose in mind. His reason was you – your redemption. Now your reason is Him – His glorification. <br />
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Brothers and sisters, when we feel the perplexed glances and the disapproving sneers and the pressure to be molded into something we’re not meant to be, we must remember that we have an eternal purpose. By living for Christ, we are storing up a currency of real value. Living by the “gold standard” if you will. The people of this realm may not acknowledge our wealth, but one day we’ll find ourselves in our homeland. And when we arrive there, our King’s question will not be, “How well did you adapt?” But more likely, “How closely did you stand by My standards?”<br />
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No matter what country we roam in at present, the answer to that question is one we’ll live with for eternity.<br />
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<i>“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”</i> (1 John 2:15-17, NLT)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-59064331027280931842011-10-25T17:22:00.000-07:002011-12-20T15:48:42.372-08:00Do You Trust Me?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">They’ve been discovered. The guards are closing in, swords drawn, determined not to leave the broken-up stone building without prisoners in hand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">There are no escape routes, no back door. Nothing but a large stone-hewn window behind them and a very long drop to the ground.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Impulsively, the young man whips around from the window, hand extended to his female companion. “Do you trust me?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">“What?” The guards are closing in. This doesn’t seem to be the time to discuss the “trust factor” of their relationship.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">“Do you trust me?” His words are more urgent this time, his hand reaching farther, nearly begging her to take hold.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Tentatively, her hand slips into his, a puzzled question in her answer. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes…</i>?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">“Then jump!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">You may recognize this as a scene from Disney’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aladdin</i>. If so, you’ll know what happens next. Aladdin and Jasmine leap from the window, plunge through several ragged cloth awnings, and land safely (though a bit roughly) on the sand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Though simple it may be, that little “trust me” snippet embodies a powerful spiritual analogy. I like to envision this bit of classic movie drama as similar what should happen in the tough spots and back-up-against-the-wall situations of our lives:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Doubts and fears are crowding in around us, determined to take us prisoner. Our circumstances seem hopeless; we see no means of escape. No paths to freedom. And yet, Christ can see our way out. It requires us to take His hand and jump. But first He must ask that fateful question … “Do you trust Me?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Do we really trust Him enough to jump when doing so appears to be suicide? Do we possess the kind of reckless faith necessary to let Him guide us to the answers that we can’t see?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Let’s borrow from another classic. One of my favorite metaphors for this sort of faith comes from Indiana Jones. On “The Last Crusade” after Indie has passed two of the deadly tests and approaches the final one before reaching the Holy Grail. It looks to be the most challenging test of all – an impassable chasm gapes between him and the lair of the Grail. The edges of the cliff where he stands are deathly smooth and would not permit climbing. He has no rope, no grappling hooks, nothing to help him across.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">It seems to be a plummet to certain death. Or … a “leap of faith.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">He has to make a decision. He has to trust his father’s clues. So he grits his teeth, closes his eyes, steps out … and finds that he’s still standing. How is it possible? Standing on air? No. For something he did not see is supporting him. A nearly invisible bridge of smooth, flat rock stretches before him to his destination. It is perfectly camouflaged to create the illusion that it does not exist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Did </span><state><place><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Indiana</span></place></state><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">’s “leap of faith” create the bridge? No, it was always there. All he had to do was trust in what he could not see, and what appeared to be the most difficult test turned out to be the easiest and simplest of all.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">There’s something utterly invigorating about walking in faith down a road you can’t see. It’s like free-falling from an airplane, knowing that your parachute will be there to carry you harmlessly to the ground. It’s like bungee jumping off a cliff, trusting that the cord that supports you will not break.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">It’s knowing that God can always see the path ahead, even when it appears invisible to you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Many of you probably know Proverbs 3:5-6, one of the best “trust Me” passages in Scripture, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Many times in your walk with God it may seem like He’s asking you to step off a cliff, to leap from the “safety” of your limited understanding into the unknown, to do something that seems crazy and impossible. But if you’ll relinquish your fears and just place your faith in the trustworthiness of His character, you’ll find yourself standing on a path that you couldn’t see. Crooked paths will become straight. Bridges will appear in thin air.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">All you have to do is close your eyes, grit your teeth, and hold His hand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">“With perfect peace You will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust You. Trust the LORD always, because the LORD, the LORD alone, is an everlasting rock.”</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> ~ Isaiah 26:3-4 (God’s Word)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08042806367706422233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758747086290302868.post-12235001834851954372011-05-28T15:49:00.000-07:002011-12-20T16:09:18.148-08:00It's Who He Is<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a.yfrog.com/img619/8100/fa9je.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" oda="true" src="http://a.yfrog.com/img619/8100/fa9je.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Sometimes God just blows your mind. That’s one of my favorite things about Him. So many events have transpired in my life recently that were clearly the workings of His hand … it’s made my head spin just trying to wrap my tiny brain around it all.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But one primary thought – a simple phrase – seems to encompass all of my musings as of late. It’s a glorious phrase as old and true as sunsets are beautiful. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">“God is faithful.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">What does it mean for God to be faithful? Definition: “worthy of trust; keeping one’s promise; loyal.” These are a few definitions of the word “faithful.” Our God fulfills all of these and so much more.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">He is worthy of our trust; He keeps His promises.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Last year I learned a great deal about trusting my Master. He taught me the sweetness of letting go, of refusing to rely on my own plans and choosing instead to lean on Him. He has stayed by my side even when I questioned deep down what He was up to. He has removed roadblocks and cleared the brush from my path, revealing the sunlight ahead.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">He has answered prayers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Yes, He is faithful. Even when our faith wanes, He remains faithful.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Does He have any reason to be faithful to me? Is He under any oath to bless me or binding contract that demands He must be ever loyal in the relationship I have with Him?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">I have done <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nothing</i> deserving of His faithfulness. Just like His eternal, sacrificing love, His faithfulness is unconditional.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">It breaks my heart to think that so many people treat such a loyal, loving God as if He’s cheated them. They get upset with Him. They blame Him for the hardships in their lives. They tell themselves, “God’s never done anything for me.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Oh really? More likely they have never done anything for Him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">What makes them so deserving of the blessings they claim God is not giving them? What have they done to earn the life of pain-free happiness that they expect Him to dish out? Being the antithesis of loyal and true to Him, how can they demand that He dissolve all their problems and smooth every rocky mess that they’ve created?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">And yet He does not give up on them. Though they have spit in His face, He refuses to abandon them. Though they have slandered Him by claiming that He is harsh and unfair, He has remained more faithful than they could ever imagine. He wants to be their Lord, their Guide. Their Master. He wants to light their way onto the path that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He</i> has chosen for them. A path that leads away from the death-road they chose for themselves and into unending life through Him. If only they will swallow their pride and realize that He doesn’t owe them anything.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">He doesn’t owe us anything … but He offers us everything if we will simply trust Him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">That is ultimate faithfulness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">I think I’ve realized that although God doesn’t owe me anything – He doesn’t have to answer my prayers or speak to my heart or light my path – He does these things anyway because … well why does He do it?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">I guess I’ll never know the answer other than that it’s part of His unconditional love and faithfulness. Just one of the defining aspects which makes Him the unbelievably amazing God that He is.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” ~ II Timothy 2:13</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">"Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” ~ Deuteronomy 7:9</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
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