Life

For the first time in a long, long time I have no book reviews to do. At least I don’t think I do. I am reading a book or two or fifty, but I’m in the process of reading them. I have learned that publishers generally want you to read the book before you have read the book.

But since I have no book reviews you’re stuck with the thoughts in my head.  I don’t know whether to tell you to check your twitter account, facebook, the stock market, or stay here and suffer the consequences.

Well with a thought like that how could you possibly leave?

On Sunday our pastor used Ephesians 5. He reminded us we are to walk in light and also to walk in wisdom.  He brought out that we are to walk in light because we were once darkness but now we are light. We aren’t THE light, that is Jesus. But we are light. We are to shine our light brightly and not hide it under a bushel basket. We aren’t supposed to attempt to put it out. We are supposed to live in such a way that our light shines and when people see us they really see Jesus.  When we do that we’ll have to be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have or the light we spread.

But that isn’t all we supposed to do. We are also supposed to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. We are supposed to have no fellowship with them; we are to expose them and we are not to speak of them.

So, why do we?

We not only fellowship with them, we refuse to expose them and we speak of them loud and long.  Why?

I have noticed a movement in the church that says we are not supposed to ever tell anyone what they are doing is wrong. Why? Is that not exposing the unfruitful deeds (works) of darkness?  Im Florida, failure to tell your neighbor his house is on fire is illegal. Why would you not tell your neighbor that? It’s a pretty important thing to tell your neighbor, especially if he is inside his house.

Why do we not tell people what sin is and what the cure is? Hell is a lot more dangerous than just your house being on fire. But if we don’t tell others we are condemning them to a life apart from God forever. And forever is a very long time.

We also aren’t even to speak of them. We aren’t to name the things people do. Why? Because it’s shameful. For many of us, not only are we speaking of it, we’re practicing the very same things. People, this should not be! Have we no shame? Have we really forgotten how to blush?

I am not at all saying we are to let the world “go to hell in a handbasket“. Not at all! I am saying we are to be light, exposing dark places. Those dark places inside of us and in the world. Now we aren’t to beat the world over the head, “You’re a dirty rotten sinner and you’re going to hell!” We are to walk in love, in light and in wisdom.  We are to be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us about the hope we have. We are not to keep it to ourselves. Light was meant to be shared!

So go share your light today!

Star!

Sometimes I fear it appears all I do is read and blog, blog and read, read and blog. I can most heartily assure you that is not at all true. I seem to run around from sun up to sun down. I have just come across a lot of really good books lately.

Yesterday afternoon saw me escaping from the heat to my recliner with my nook. I had downloaded a book from Book Sneeze and spent an enjoyable Sunday afternoon lost in the world of teenagers.

Yes, the above book, Starring Me by KristaMcGee is a young adult novel and quite honestly is the best YA novel I have read in a long time.

Kara McKormick is a teen age girl who dreams of acting. She had appeared in a reality show much like the Bachelor. She had competed with other girls to win a date to the prom with the President’s son. Kara wasn’t picked but that didn’t stop her from trying out for a new show on a brand new network.

After the reality show, Kara meets a young pop singer and of course, develops a crush on her. Isn’t that every girl’s dream? What Kara doesn’t know is this singer is going to be the star of the new show.

Can Kara survive the meanness of the other girls who are also trying out for the role? What will she decide when her father has a heart attack? What will she do with Jesus?

You’re going to have to read the book to find out!

I loved that this book didn’t have much of the boy-girl relationship. There was a relationship but it wasn’t mentioned much and when it was the boy and girl were praying about what they should do before proceeding with the relationship. I just don’t like reading a book for young adults and finding it to not be any different than the books I read for adults.

There was one and only one part of the book I didn’t like. One of the girls pretends to be a Christian so she can win the role. She tells Kara that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe something. That thinking has infiltrated the church and I hate it. I know God hates it! He clearly states He is the ONLY way to heaven. I wish the author had more clearly pointed out the fallacies of this line of thought.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of review.

Mondays

You know, every now and again a book keeps coming to your attention and you keep rejecting it until finally you can reject it no more. So you find yourself reading this book you’ve passed over so many times. You’re sure you won’t like the book. You have the “why bother” attitude.

And then you’re sucked into the good book vortex and you have no hopes of ever getting out alive. I just read such a book.

Bet you couldn’t have guessed that, right?

If you are debating reading Mondays with My Old Pastor by Jose Ruis Navajo, please, debate no further and read the book!

Jose Ruis Navajo is a young pastor who is really struggling with every aspect of ministry life. His wife encouraged him to speak to his hold pastor.  Now I do need to interject here a moment and let you know the use of “old pastor” is not at all derogatory, but is in reference to his being older and a former pastor.

He calls his old pastor and sets up a time to visit on Monday. Without really the real situation Jose was dealing with he spoke to every aspect of the struggle.

They meet for several weeks and there is a chapter for each Monday. And each one will have you reaching for your pen, or pencil as you underline great truths you’ve known for years but never really thought of it that way.

There are a million quotes I could post here but I want you to read the book. So I’ll just give you one.

“My life has sprung forth from the shade of the cross. I have always lived protected by it, and I want the cross to be the ladder that lifts me up to His presence when my times comes.”

Honestly, dear readers, you need to read this book!

I received this book free from the publisher which in no way affected my positive review.

 

Read This One!

In my down time I love nothing more than to sit down and read a good story. I might sip some coffee or water but if the story is intriguing that is soon forgotten in favor of drinking of the words on the page.

Every now and again I come across a book that is just beautiful. The plot, the climax, the characters and the character of the book are just top-notch. Books like this make me want to do nothing at all but read and I always feel more than a little sad when I’ve finished the book.

The Anniversary Waltz by Darrell Nelson is just such a book. In fact it chronicles the love relationship that stretched 60 years between a man and his wife.  Sixty years! A lifetime to be sure. A marriage lasting 60 years today is almost unheard of. Some marriages anymore might not last 60 days or 60 weeks or even 60 months.

The story starts in 1946 with an American GI returning home to Montana from World War II. Adam Carlson soon meets Elizabeth Baxter, niece of the mayor and girlfriend of Nathan Roberts.

Now I’m pretty much going to refuse to tell you much more about the story except to say, “You have to read this book!” If you want a good story, read it. If you want to lose yourself in a book, lose yourself in this one.  If you want to read a beautiful love story in which not everyone is filthy rich and perfect, read this one!  If you want to read a historical book that is about people who actually lived, read this one! If you want a book that will inspire to you to hang in there, read this one.

As Beth Moore says:

“I am blonder than I pay to be.” And since my hair is not at all blond that is really saying something. I am often heard to announce, “I am very blond today!” Usually of course when I really screw up.

Like the other day when I walked into our pastor’s office, after staring at the rough draft of this week’s bulletin full of his arrows and notes to “move this here, and put that there” from the afternoon before. I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I told him, “I just can’t remember where part 2 of the message goes. And does this song get moved here with this one? What about this song?” As soon I say that I can clearly see, reading the bulletin upside down, where part 2 of his message goes. Oh yes.  It goes right there  where he very clearly wrote, “Message Part 2″.  He then asked if I ever had trouble reading and following arrows.

Yes, he went there. And the only answer I had? “No, I’m blond.”  Now we all know I’m not blond…not really. But I think that just proves God has a huge sense of humor. All the blond qualities jammed inside a redhead’s body in one neat, slightly disheveled package. (Oxymoron, anyone?)

You know how everyone always says to learn from someone else’s mistakes? Well we can’t all do that. Sometimes we are called to make the supreme sacrifice for the betterment of our fellow man and be the someone else. Today, I made that sacrifice.

To make a long blog story, short…Please do not use your arm to stop the falling blade of a paper cutter. Bad things will happen.

Just trust me. You don’t wanna go there.

The BlackBerry Bush

The BlackBerry Bush is an excellent story written by David Housholder. It is the story of Kati who grows up just outside of Bonn, Germany and Josh who is born in California on the same as Kati.

An invitation to a treasure hunt through the landscape of your soul…..

Josh grows up an artistic and gifted California Golden Boy, but for all that life has handed to him, he struggles with his identity and role in the world. Surrounded by unrealistic expectations, he feels hedged in.

Kati’s German heritage presents its own obstacles to understanding herself and what freedom means. She is crushed by disappointment at never being “enough”–especially for a mother who cannot be satisfied.

As Josh and Kati’s lives unfold, longing for true freedom reverberates in their souls. Come discover with them the life transforming power of  a “chance encounter”…or is it chance after all?

(I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of review.)