Good Friday 2014 –
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
1 John 2:2
faith in truth
Crash the Chatterbox
Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God’s Voice Above All Others by Steven Furtick
Recently I became aware of a GodTube video of Pastor Furtick that I, as an evangelical Christian, find truly offensive. For that reason, I will not promote any products of Pastor Furtick and have removed my reviews of his books from my blog.
To understand this post, please visit:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FFCM2CNU
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Breaking Free From Strongholds
Can a person be a born-again, blood-bought, Jesus-loving, child of the Most High King and still struggle with strongholds in their life? According to a book that I just finished reading by Pastor Bobby Davis – yes,… they can.
Here is an excerpt that I found so amazingly telling…
“As I said when we began this chapter, salvation is a journey. It is a process. True salvation is not a one-time event, as most people think. You go the the altar; you accept Jesus as Lord of your life; you get up and go on with your life. Sure, at that moment you were transferred from one kingdom to another, (I love that line!) but the same strongholds you stuggled with before kneeling at that altar are the same one you will struggle with when you get up.” – Saved But Still Enslaved – page 20 Continue reading
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At Peace in the Storm
Below is the online review of a book that I had the priviledge to review. This book touched my heart on so many levels that it is hard to describe. When your own storm is brewing on the horizon, or if you are riding it out right now… I recommend this book to help you to remember that you can find strength and encouragement in that storm.
“EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF KNOWING THE GOD WHO IS ALWAYS THERE TO REACH OUT A HAND AND PULL YOU OUT OF THE WAVES”
I pray you will be blessed as I was. Continue reading
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Prone To Love
“I know many who can hypothesize about Love. I know many who can debate the theology, they can tell me the Greek definitions and Hebrew pronunciation, and there is nothing wrong with that. There is beauty in loving God with all of our minds. But infinitely more important is loving God with all of our heart. Love’s not rote discipline: it’s a response birthed from an encounter, from a revelation of our heavenly Father.” Prone To Love – pg, 50
Those of you that follow this blog know that I read…. alot. I make no secret that I receive books via several publishing companies and other sites at no charge to me, in exchange for my review of the book. I am not required to give a positive review.
I have been blessed to read some amazing and insightful books. I’ve also read a few that just didn’t do it for me. And I’ve also discovered that I do enjoy reading good Christian fiction – from time to time.
That being said… Of the nearly 40 books that I have read in the last 6 months, I have not encountered a book that has affected me like “Prone To Love” by Jason Clark. Continue reading
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Determination
Determination — So this is week 2 of the Made To Crave Online Bible study. I am so glad that this is the the Word of the Week. Because it is taking everything inside me to stay focused. It’s crazy how easily we can get side-tracked. Oh I’ll read that chapter after I make the bed or do the dishes. Oh Look…. there’s a movie on that I wanted to see. There are nights, like last night, in fact for the entire day, that I was so focused… nothing could get me off track… and then there was today. Yikes!!!! But I am determined. Determined to do something with all of this. Determined to recognize my weaknesses, and to recognize that where I am weak, HE is strong. Determined to accept that it doesn’t matter what “they” say, I am made for more. That where I am right now, is not all there is. Scripture says that He came that we might have life, and life more adundantly. I don’t want just an abundant life. I want all that He has planned for my life and I don’t want my life without HIS hand guiding it. I want more of Him. I want the blessing of God on my life and my family. Continue reading
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Experiencing God’s Presence – A Review
Experiencing God’s Presence: Learning to Listen While You Pray by Linda Evans Shepherd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“God wants to hear from you – but He also wants you to hear from Him.
What if every time you had a conversation, your best friend never got a word in edgewise? Your relationship would be less than fulfilling – for both of you! In the same way, a fulfilling prayer life is more than just regularly talking to God. And it’s more than checking items off a prayer list. God loves us so much that He wants us to draw close enough not only to talk but also to listen.” Continue reading
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The Prodigal – A Ragamuffin Story – A Review
The Prodigal: A Ragamuffin Story by Brennan Manning
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Prodigal – A Ragamuffin Story by Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett
Zondervan Publishers
Jack Chisholm is “the people’s pastor.” He is the founder and leader of a growing mega-church. His slogan… “We have got to do better”. He can do it all. He knows how to preach, teach, write, and he knows how to chastise people into performing. What he doesn’t know is… grace. But after one night of reckless behavior that causes him to loose everything that is precious to him…. He learns the meaning of Grace.
I LOVE this book! It grabbed me from page one and didn’t let go until the last page. Nothing got done around here today. I thought that perhaps it was going to be one more “formula” story about the fall and redemption of a sinner where everything ends up totally restored and smelling like roses. This book is so much better than that. Continue reading
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Castles of the Heart – A Review
Castles of the Heart by Hale Meserow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“A Love story, a tale of immense personal courage, a gritty fight against entrenched racism, and a life lived in God’s care, all set in the beautiful back country of western North Carolina and the frenetic bustle of New York City…”
Castles of the Heart is a delightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. There were several strong female characters developed throughout the book, with the lead character as Starlight O’Bannion. The story follows the life – from the moment of conception – of Starlight. We are with her during her formative years, as she rises herself from the backwoods mountains of North Carolina to attend a most prestigious college to become a top ranked female attorney… something rarely heard of pre-world war 2. We are with Starlight at her marriage, her sudden young widowhood and the birth of her daughter.
As with most women of that era, Starlight is a strong and powerful woman, except when it comes to love. She again walks down the bridal aisle. We, the reader, can see where it is headed, but the young Starlight doesn’t.
With her professional life on a meteoric rise and her personal life in ruins, Starlight takes on the legal case of her life – to save the son of a lifelong family friend. I will stop this review there as much more will give away the entire ending.
I truly did take pleasure in reading this book. Though the length of the book did take me back a bit at first, I found the story to be an easy and enjoyable read. While there is clearly a Christian aspect to the entire story, I did not find it preachy or pushy.
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the “For Readers Only” group at The Book Club Network, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.
*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deeper Shopping, and Goodreads
This book is available online at
Deeper Shopping Books and Bibles
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Jesus Is In The House
Some years ago, I came across an article called, “What If Jesus Toured Your Business?” by Buck Jacobs. The summary of the article poses the question to Christian Business owners, “If Jesus took a tour of the organization you run, would He see anything that would distinguish you from your secular counterparts?” The article goes on to where the author invites the business owners through a spiritual audit of the business.
This article got me to thinking. While I am no longer a small business owner, I am about the business of my family, my home, my work and my community. If Jesus knocked on my door today and asked to spend the week with me — would I pass the “spiritual audit”? Continue reading
Saved Because of His Mercy 