Ancient Blessings Spoken

There are many Scriptures that foretell of the blessings that will flow from God but none are as impressive as  the blessing given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 which states, “Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land [Israel] that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you [Israel and the Jewish people], And I will curse him who curses you: And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (p 6, The Power of the Prophetic Blessing).'”  From that one blessing flow the blessings for all mankind.  John Hagee, author of The Power of the Prophetic Blessing, outlines the meaning behind the blessings detailed in the Holy Bible as spoken for His prophets, how those blessings pertain to the current generation, and how to claim the blessings for yourself and your family.

Hagee strongly ties the blessings to the Jewish people through which everyone else is blessed and also warns against any prejudice or malice toward the Jewish people to avoid the loss of the blessings.  His book is written so the average reader is able to follow his thoughts.  He backs all of his opinions with Scripture.  I enjoyed reading his perspective and would recommend his book for those interested in delving into this topic.  One specific highlight of this book was a description of a demonstration that his wife, Diana, uses in her Women of God seminars based on the book God Uses Cracked Pots by Patsy Clairmont.  “…Diana displays two urn-shaped vases on a table.  She takes a candle and places it in the first vase, which is beautiful and flawless in every way.  Diana lights the candle, covers the opening of the vase, and holds it up for the audience to see.  The vessel, though perfect, does not allow the light within it to shine through its unblemished exterior.  It is useless to light a path for those needing to find their way.

Diana then places a candle in the second vase, which is cracked and scarred.  She lights the candle, covers the opening, and holds up the ugly vessel.  The radiant light from within the vessel floods through the broken places, providing a beautiful glow that guides those who have lost their way.

And so it is with out lives!  We all have ugly cracks and scars caused from the heartbreaks of our past.  Maybe those cracks and scars were caused by sexual abuse; perhaps they were caused by the rejection of your mother, your father, or even both your parents.  Maybe those cracks were caused by a bitter divorce, or a secret abortion, or the time you spent in the penitentiary in the dark past no one knows about.

God, the Master Potter, could have allowed your life to be flawless – but those ugly cracks caused by the setbacks of life allow the light of God’s love to shine through you to give guidance to those searching for truth in life’s journey.  Blessed are those who are cracked pots, whose imperfections of the past are the source of courage, strength, and inspiration for those searching for the Light of the world (p 169-170).”

I received this book free for review from Handlebar Marketing.  You can win this book by commenting on this blog!  Winners will be chosen by Random.org on September 10, 2012.

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Prose and Song about Ruth

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group is proud to announce the release of Liz Curtis Higgs’ new book Girls Still Got It. Higgs is the author of Bad Girls of the Bible where she use wit and humor to talk about women that she calls bad for the moment, bad for a lifetime, etc. In her new book, she has written about a good girl of the Bible – Ruth. I have not read the book but WaterBrook graciously offered a video from Higgs and the first chapter. Please enjoy!

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Questions and Lessons on Faith

In my lifeftime, I have had questions about faith, God, His will for my life, and the big one – why does God allow suffering in the world.  It is hard to reconcile the loving God with the violence, starvation, hatred, and desperation found around the world.  I, as well as many others, question how can God allow this to happen and yet expect me to only believe in His love and blessing.  Andrea Palpant Dilley, author of Faith and Other Flat Tires: AMemoir Searching for God on the Rough Road of Doubt, travelled this path as well.  Dilley had been born into a missionary family who served as Quaker medical missionaries in East Africa during the first six years of her life.  By age twenty-one, Dilley was facing that road of doubt over the dysfunctionality of the church, the perceived silence of God, and the age-old question of suffering.

Faith+and+Other+Flat+Tires+Sample+Chapter

This story is her story.  Her story of doubt, questions, searching, and her journey of being a Christian refugee.  Her journey is similar to many others including myself.  She pushed the limits of what she had held sacred, she clung to the fleeting security of men, and she questioned everyone about their faith.  This story is also about her journey back to the security of God and the outpouring of His blessings.  I found her book to be truthful and upfront about the struggles of many to reconcile the church, God, and the world – especially the younger generation.  Her chapters are not too long and keep the reader interested in the next marker on her journey – whether that marker be an obstacle or an insight.

If you are facing that rough road of doubt, or know someone who is, then this book is for you.  I received this book free for review from Handlebar Marketing and I would like to offer it free to a reader of my blog.  Please leave a comment on my blog and I will choose a winner using Random.org.

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Max Anders on Biblical Prophecy

Max Anders, author of the What You Need to Know series, which encompasses lessons that can be completed in under an hour each on a variety of topics such as Salvation, Spiritual Growth, and the one that I read, Bible Prophecy. Anders book is broken down into 12 chapters explaining topics relevant to biblical prophecy from different evangelical positions. Our world appears to be in the “last days” which prompts much discussion as well as fear. Anders’ book assists individuals and groups with easy to read and discuss lessons.

Chapters include “What is the Big Picture of Prophecy?”, “What Are the Major Views on the Rapture?”, “What is Hell?”, and “Will All Prophecies Be Fulfilled?”. At the end of each chapter, you will find sections to summarize the chapter, check your comprehension, questions for further discussion, how to respond if there is unbelief, and Scriptural as well as other books to study the topic further. Anders series of books comprises what is titled “Basic Knowledge Curriculum” and is easy to read. One caveat that I encounter was that I did not always find it engaging as it was quite simplistic in style. However, he did not take one evangelical stand which was appealing to me. I believe that the series of books would be a good endeavor for a new believer to explore areas of Christian beliefs.

I received this book free for review from booksneeze.com.

Let Us Not Forget

I would love to say that it is rare that I climb up on my soapbox to preach a sermon, but that is not me.  I climb upon my soapbox every time something  breaks my heart or inspires my sense of justice and mercy.  Today I am not only on my soapbox, but I brought along my megaphone so that others will hear.  The authors of Daughters of Hope, Kay Marshall Strom and Michele Rickett have written a book that had me crying, angry, and hurting.  Forgotten Girls Stories of Hope and Courage is a book of short stories of girls and women who have been oppressed, held captive, raped, beaten, and forced into lifestyles that were not of their chosing.  Stories of girls from Nepal, Indonesia, North Korea, China, Senegal, Egypt, and the Sudan (to name a few of the countries of origin) who were sold into prostitution or forced marriages, were held either kidnapped or abandoned, were ostracized, and who felt unloved or unwanted.

In the introduction, the authors wrote, “Have you ever noticed how seldom something “life changing” really changes your life?  The term gets tossed around a lot – to describe watching the sun set in a gorgeous blaze of color, for instance, or to rave about an exciting adventure.  Consider the number of books with the phrase splashed across the front cover.  Good things, all.  Inspiring and helpful and memorable.  But life changing?  Yet truly life-changing events do occur.  Events that forever mark a divide between the then and now of life.  Between despair and hope.  Between ignorance and understanding.  Between death and life.”  I can tell you that this book IS life changing!

Living in the West, we can read about the horrors of war and dictatorships, but after a time we become immune to the stories or we learn to tune them out.  However that is not what Jesus called us to do.  Jesus called us to live as Micah described in verse 8, “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  To do what is right is to seek justice for those that are widowed, orphaned, captive, and oppressed.  Our hearts should be broken for the same reasons that Jesus’ heart was broken.  Strom and Rickett’s book will open your eyes, your heart, your sense of justice and mercy.

The Kidnapped Bride video

I read this book as part of the United Methodist Women’s Reading Program.

Sisters in Service
Reaching Out to the Unreached
News from the Frontlines of Persecution
Human Rights Watch
International Center for Research on Women
United Nations Children’s Fund
World Vision

The Art of Waiting

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, waiting means to look forward expectantly.  Psalm 27:14 tells us to, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  However waiting on the Lord can be hard because we relate waiting with being still and inactive, to be wasting our time even sometimes.  Taryn Hutchison learned and exhibited valuable lessons about waiting in We Wait You Waiting on God in Eastern Europe. Taryn was a missionary serving with Campus Crusades in Eastern Europe – Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, etc. during the last ten years of the 90s.

Hutchison began her journey with a year-long commitment and ended up falling in love with the country and peoples of Eastern Europe. She began her journey in Austria at a hostel prior to receiving her assignment. Hutchison explains that the one place that she feared going to the most was the one place that God sent her and she cried out to Him for strength and grace. What she received was a group of friends and guardians that turned her one-year assignment into a life-long love of the country and peoples as well as a ten-year commitment.

Hutchison’s journey was not an easy coast. She was robbed several times, stalked by an admirer, detained by officials, and experienced difficulties when moving from Romania to Hungary and again from Hungary to the United States. Waiting on God to provide what she needed each day opened up opportunies to see the people that He loved and sent her to to demonstrate His love. She also saw the patience and acceptance of people who had waited 45 years for the United States to save them from the harshness and depravity of the Communist Regime.

I read this book as part of the United Methodist Women’s Reading Program and would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about Campus Crusades, missionary work, or Eastern Europe.

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Promises Fulfilled

On the cover of Pete Wilson’s latest book, Empty Promises, features a fortune cookie. For most people, the fortune cookie uncovers a small slip of paper that “promises” great things in our future. The same is true for horoscopes and dreams – we reach for a brighter future filled with promises of wealth, status, success, true love, and our every desire. However, those are only empty promises compared to the one true Promise, God. Wilson’s book is twelve short chapters with titles like: “The Seduction of Achievement,” “Addicted to Approval,” and “Chasing a Dream.”

Empty Promises was an enjoyable, informative book that encouraged me to look deeper into what gives me joy and purpose in this journey called life. I also found myself guiltily looking into a mirror through several of the chapters. However, the greatest thing is that even though I found myself seduced, addicted, and in a chase, I also found the truth about what promise was real and long-lasting. In Luke 10:41-42 Jesus said, “‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'” The only promise needed and able to fulfill is the One who is truly able to promise joy, peace, and satisfaction.

I received this book free for review from Booksneeze. I would encourage anyone who is struggling with life to get a copy and settle in for some soul-searching time with the greatest Promise you will ever find or need!

He Answers Your Every Need

Sometimes our deepest hurts are masked so well that only God can see. God then places “angels” in our life to address those hurts and assisting you with learning to trust while He illuminates the pain as well as the path to freedom. In Beth Wiseman’s newest book, Need You Now, the Henderson family must deal with danger in their hometown which leads them to the small town of Round Top, Texas. The three teenaged children deal with the move in different ways, but the youngest, Grace, is utilizing a dangerous coping mechanism. When the mother, Darlene, begins her first job outside of the home, the children begin to feel a sense of abandonment. Darlene connects with the neighbor who has buried the pain of her child’s death and marriage break-up behind a facade of indifference. Darlene also connects with the special needs child that she is employed to teach which opens a dam of emotions from the child’s widowed father. All of these “hurts” are seen by God and each connection opens the door for the alleviation of that pain.

Wiseman’s newest book is an ebook and is only the first half which is a first for her. However, we all love a cliff-hanger so it only leaves you craving more! I had not read any of her Amish fiction books and so this was my introduction to her writing style but I found her to be engaging. I would encourage readers who are interested in reading this book to order the ebook at Ebook Part 1
or you can order the complete book or other Beth Wiseman titles from the publisher Thomas Nelson Publishing at Print Version

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I revieved this book free for review from netgalley.com.

To Fear or Not To Fear

This is the first time that I am writing a review of a book that I hope to read. Fearless by Eric Blehm is the story of Adam Brown a Navy SEAL, husband, and father who lived with astounding faith and died fearless. Please take the time to check out this book!

Adam Brown was a proud Arkansas father of two who embarked on the mission deep into the Afghanastan mountains on the search for enemy combatants. He never returned home to his wife, children, and parents or the dirt of Arkansas. This story is about Adam, his faith, determined strength and his upbringing to “do what is right.”

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Pearls of Wisdom

Breaking the Ten Commandments Discover the Deeper Meaning is a book in which the author, Eric Butterworth, has uncovered discernments concerning each of the commandments that takes the reader beyond the surface. Butterworth wrote this book originally in the 70s and it was re-released this year in paperback. I chose to read this book via ebook to review it. I honestly expected the book to be a dry read. I was completely taken aback by the honest appraisal of each commandment beyond the typical biblical discernment. Reading about each commandment was like the opening of a new flower – petal by petal, layer by layer.

I found myself going back to reread a section and then making a connection in applying it to my life. My pastor had linked the Sermon on the Mount to the Commandments so I had already begun a journey of unpacking the magnitude of Jesus’ words. I also found myself choosing to pneumonically tying an image to each of the commandments based on his explanations and discernment. For instance, the sixth commandment says, “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). Butterworth opens the discussion by saying this: “Four words, plain and simple, no qualifications. Does the frenetic advocate of the Decalogue keep this commandment and accept its implications unequivocally? No killing at all…no destruction of life of any kind…no eating meat…no killing insects…no killing in self-defense…no capital punishment…no war. Suddenly our ‘back to the Ten Commandments’ man runs for cover. Then begins his array of rationalizations: ‘But we must eat meat to get sufficient protein…and actually Jesus ate meat. We have a right to kill in self-defense. Society has a right to kill offenders. A nation has a right to kill enemies in war.'” Butterworth finishes that thought with, “We are left with the inescapable conclusion that no one really takes it literally.” Within that same chapter, he discusses the reason that pearls are created – irritation! Irritation is the beginning emotions for anger that leads to rage and in many cases – murder. Hence the image of a pearl will help me remember to not kill or become enraged.

I would encourage anyone who wants to uncover and disect the truths found in the Ten Commandments to pick up a copy of this re-release of Eric Butterworth’s book.

I received this book free for review from netgalley.com.