Treasures in Dark Places

It was a life-changing revelation to me when I realized that in God's Kingdom I was NOT just one of the crowd, as I had grown up surmising.

I am unique  - a one-of-a-kind creation.
I am made in His image for His wonderful purposes.
Because God took the care to make me someone He knows by name ... I know He also knows every detail about me.
He knows how I work,
He knows what interests me,
He knows what gets my attention,
He knows what motivates me,
He knows what excites me,
He knows what delights me !
It is all this He takes into consideration when He plans the path of my life -
when He chooses those things that will best teach me what I need to know,
when He allows those circumstances/events/trials into my life that will mature me without breaking me,
when He comes to me in relationship and fellowship, when He draws me into friendship with Him.

I am not alone in being so chosen !
Every one of God's children can boast of the same uniqueness.
Since  I am a ferocious reader, I have read  many people's life-journeys of faith and how God worked in and through them. One thing is common in all of them - whether they lived in Bible times or in the thousands of years after Acts -  their stories all are of a personal nature, fitted to their personalities and purposes.
Just when I think, I can't possible read someone's story that is radically different than any other I have read ... I come across a story that expands my mind-folder  in which I have filed all the ways God interacts with His children.

"Treasures in Dark Places"  is such a book! 
 (it can be found here)


 It drew me in, it excited me, it deeply inspired me and tore down the walls we all so easily erect to separate this earthly realm from the heavenly.
The author, Leanna Cinquanta, is modern day proof of the truth of Jesus' prophetic words in John 14:12, 
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do because I go to my Father."

Leanna's story, while definitely outside any box,  leaves no doubt in the reader's mind as to it authenticity - the proof is built in.
Leanna holds a paint brush instead of a pen, the words flowing across the page are so rich, that the descriptions she paints draw you into the movie produced in living colour on your mind's screen. Your emotions and your senses are heightened and engaged  - and you are loath to put the book down.

I love this book ... and have read it aloud to my husband - and I have ordered hard copies to give to my grandgirls.
I am not a book spoiler (smile)  so if you desire  a mind-blowing, inspiring read I highly recommend "Treasures in Dark Places."

Face to Face With Jesus

(last night's glorious sunset)

    While I read a lot of books, I recommend comparatively few... but I recently read a book that I have put on my  'must read' short list.
    The book is called Face to Face With Jesus - by Samaa Habib with Brodie Thorne.
It is a the true story of Samaa Habib, the tenth and youngest child of a strict Muslim family in the Middle East. The story is captivating, inspiring, and makes you feel like you are reading a modern rendition of the book of Acts.
     The first chapter of the book tells of the horrific bombing of the church Samaa attended. Four bombs were planted by terrorists, Samaa standing right beside one of the bombs as it went off.  She was 'killed'.   You are left 'hanging' there as the story takes you back to the beginning of Samaa's life and then leads you back to the time of the church bombing.

     I hate to be a book spoiler so I will say no more, but if you want a good, true-life-experience, inspirational, can't put the book down,  kind of read I encourage you to read this book !

     If you aren't a reader, don't have time to read,  but you have an hour to spare to listen to her audio testimony, you can find a link here.

A Forgiveness Bouquet

While I read with a passion, there are some books that  leave a deposit in my spirit that lingers and grows and changes me in some way.
I recently read a book by Michael Phillips that touched me deeply.

The story centres on a waif of a child, older than she looked who was 'different' in a way that made the villagers , adult and children alike , ridicule her and torment her with words and even daring to lay physical abuse upon her.



This child learned to be content with her own company and spent the hours of her childhood roaming the hills and fields surrounding her country home. In God's nature, she learned to know the heart of the God she loved and understood in the innocent ways of a child untarnished by worldly influence. She loved the sea, the sky and all of God's creatures.

When someone would hurt her with cruel words or actions,   she gave no counter response, not even in word, but would run to her secret favourite places where she would stoop again and again until she had gathered a  bouquet of wild flowers.   Tying them together with a string she would slip unnoticed back into the village to the cottage where the one lived who had hurt her and  would hang this bouquet above the door.
 It was her "forgiveness bouquet".  

The story threads through her life and the lives of those she touched and the lives of those whose character was changed because of her gentle, quiet wisdom and heart of forgiveness that could not be argued against.

If we all practised 'forgiveness bouquets'  instead of retaliation, instead of carrying grudges or allowing our hearts to be  filled with resentment and desire for retribution, would our world not be a radically different place ?  The change beginning with our own hearts, our own homes, our own neighbourhoods , reaching out into our world.  
Is that not the kind of hearts Jesus seeks ?

Our God IS a God who forgives .. over and over again ... and who among us does not need or desire His forgiveness?   And yet we sometimes forget how important forgiveness is to God. He watches to see how easily and quickly  we forgive those who hurt us.
Mar 11:25,26  "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." 
Mat 6:14  "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."  
Luk 17:4  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him." 

Does God not care if we are hurt ?  Ohh.. yes.. but He does not want US to have to carry the burden of unforgiveness which is like a cancer that eats at us from the inside out and robs us of the joy and blessings that God desires to pour out upon us. And unforgiveness cannot remain hidden, it will also hurt those we live with and love.
God wants us to trust Him to make all rights right,  not only in our own life and heart but also in the hearts and lives of those who are not yet His. How often undeserved/unexpected forgiveness is the key to a locked relational door.

We are approaching  the Passover/Easter season. It is a time to reflect and think about what God did for us in sending Jesus to provide for us the ultimate forgiveness we could not obtain at any lesser price than what He paid for it -  His life.
The forgiveness of God  unlocked the door, tore the veil,  that stood between us and intimacy in relationship with Him !   How precious, how  powerful indeed is forgiveness !
*****
The name of the book I read, and highly recommend,  is From Across the Ancient Waters and the sequel  The Treasure of the Celtic Triangle.  by Michael Phillips 

The Ultimate Gift

Though I love to read and read many books, I tend to recommend only those books that stand out to me as exceptional.   

A book that makes you think, one you read and it stays with you,  one that has the power to impact and change your  life -- those are  marks of an exceptional book.  

  I read one such a book yesterday that I wish you would read.   

It is not just good on a personal level but is one that you would want to share with your family. 

It could be a great teaching tool for your children/grandchildren.   

The book is entitled,

 "The Ultimate Gift" 

the author, Jim Stovall 

The book is what I call a teaching novel,  one that entertains as it inspires.   The plot is a simple one, but serves as the backdrop for the impartation of  wisdom.    

The story begins with a lawyer being advised of the death of a client who was also a dear friend.  

Red Stevens put a great deal of thought into his will and how his family would inherit his amassed wealth. 

His family, accustomed to living coddled in the lap of luxury have become greedy and self centred with a prevailing  attitude of entitlement. 

Out of  all his family members, there was only one - a great nephew - who had the spark that Red Stevens recognized as something that could save the young man from personal ruin  if it was just fanned into flame.  But how could he do that when his time on earth was almost over.  

Very creatively,   he devised a plan and called it The Ultimate Gift.   Jason, the nephew, would not be given his inheritance until and unless he fulfilled the conditions dictated by his uncle. 

I am never a plot spoiler ... smile...  so if you want to know what the gift was and if Jason fulfilled the conditions... and you want to know how this book will impact you,  you'll just have to read it yourself. 

If you have an e-reader,  its easy -  the book is offered on Amazon Kindle  for $2.47.  

Otherwise it can be ordered online or purchased from your nearest book store.    

If you have already read it ,  or when you do, I would love to hear what you think of it. 

  

Every once in a while I read a book that stirs in me the thought ... "I wish I could make everyone read this book!"
Such a book is "The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert"  by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield.

I read an article about her in Christianity Today and it tweaked my curiosity and interest.  I found her book on Amazon and 'accidentally' downloaded it on my Kindle.   I'm SURE I clicked on the "download a sample" button, not the 'buy' ... but didn't realize my error until I was reading the book.  I believe God moved my finger, knowing how the book would stir me.

It is a good book on so many levels.
It is an amazing conversion story, to use her own words, of an "unlikely convert".    Rosaria hated anything to do with Christianity. She said the name of Jesus stuck in her throat like a hair ball not allowing the name to cross her lips.   She was a tenured (can't lose her job) university professor,  a leader in the homosexual movement and especially the woman's causes and an open lesbian.  She was often a key note speaker at conventions promoting the gay community.  A brilliant woman committed to her cause and career and lifestyle.

Unbeknownst  to her,  an article she wrote against Promise Keepers would be the beginning of a life changing journey.   She received an outpouring of responses to her article.... some critical, some approving.  She had a basket on either side of her desk. As she read each letter it would go into one box or the other -- for or against her.
Until she got one letter ...  that didn't fit either box.
I won't spoil the story -- you'll have to get the book!  smile..

As well as being a great 'testimony', the book offers  more.   Rosaria shares with unusually keen insight  in   how she views the church, evangelism and also scriptural interpretation.   She has a very interesting view of worship in a church setting.  I may not totally agree with her on that one, but I can identify with  the 'spirit' of what she says.

I also enjoyed her views on what children need to grow up to be healthy, thinking , mature adults. Especially valuable is her insight gleaned from her experience with college kids coming from Christian homes.

I hate being a 'book spoiler'  so I won't say more but I'll leave you  with you one of the three life lessons   that Rosaria says she relies on.

***
When you don't know what to do, go back to the basics

When I used to run marathons, I had a training partner who would say to me, at the most horrific moments, usually at about mile 20, "Rosaria, this could be the best moment of your life!"
I thought this man was certifiably nuts, a DSM-IV special.  I tried to ignore him.

But later I started to understand his meaning.
This expression teaches me now that while I am motivated by the Big Question, I do not have the Big Picture. I do not know how student resistance, classroom explosions, my own general screwing up, or mean spirited colleagues will really affect my success or failure as an intellectual and a teacher.
So I find myself, in life's most unbearable moments, in and out of the classroom, saying, "this may be the best moment of my life."
At first, this makes me feel, perhaps too viscerally, that I am on mile 20 of the marathon and I'm about to throw up. And then it reminds me that even if I do throw up, I still have a marathon to finish, and something extraordinary will happen in the process of focusing on the rigor and simplicity of putting one foot in front of the next.
***

How Will You Be Remembered? - book review for "Out Live Your Life"

Max Lucado begins his book with a fable.
The story takes place in a little village that is thriving in ways that are astonishing. A guest asks how all this has been accomplished and the response is that it is all Father Abraham’s doing. When the guest asks to see where Father Abraham lives , he is taken to the wonderfully stocked and staffed medical clinic and to the fishponds to see the extensive canals that connect the ponds to the ocean bringing the fish in through the gates at high tide for harvest. The guest is taken to a chapel high on the mountain and told that Father Abraham has taught them about God.
When the guest asks if Father Abraham lives in the chapel and can he see him , he is told that is not possible since he died many years ago. The confused guest is told that he had not asked to see Father Abraham but had asked to see where he lived and they had showed him.

The theme of Out Live Your Life seems to be a popular one in today’s literary world… -that we CAN make a difference in our world, a difference that will outlive us and continue to bless others even after we are gone.

Each of us is given a life that has never nor ever will be ever given to anyone else. It is our life alone. Do we do our part to make a difference in our world or do we simply turn away from opportunities or challenges, pretending not to see.

The author takes the reader through the chapters that each deal with a different aspect of changing your world , such as how a simple act can have far reaching effects, finding the work that you feel most comfortable doing , the importance of teamwork, seeing the need- then doing our small part and God doing the big part, doing good quietly – not with ulterior motives or self-glory, staying humble - “we can rise too high but can never stoop too low” , the importance of prayer. He addresses the fact that often we feel we are not qualified but he gives examples of how the least qualified have often made the biggest differences in their world – differences that long outlived their physical lives.

At the end of the book is a discussion guide making this book applicable for a group study.

I always enjoy Max Lucado’s gift with words, using them in his unique picturesque style which makes reading his books a pleasure.

Living the Butterfly Effect

The gift book “The Butterfly Effect” is just that .. a gift book. It is beautifully and artistically put together – the kind of book that is visually appealing.

The word content left me somewhat disappointed. It left me wishing the author had fleshed out his good ideas into a fuller text where the thoughts and stories were more developed. Perhaps that was not the intent of the book.

The Butterfly Effect is based on Edward Lorenz’s hypothesis that if a butterfly flaps his wings, setting molecules of air in motion, it would eventually result in a hurricane on the other side of the earth.
Andrews takes this idea and applies it to the idea that each of our actions have that kind of effect. None of us can say that we are not important or that our life does not matter. We affect others by our words and actions in ways we cannot see.

In the book, the author uses real life stories to demonstrate how a seemingly isolated or simple act/decision of one person changed the course of history.

Not one of us is created without purpose, not one of us is expendable in the eyes of God and we have within us the potential to make a difference in the world in which we live.

This book, like all of Andy Andrews books, is thought provoking in its unique presentation.

Excellent Reads

If you are looking for some good books to read this summer, I just read a couple that I would highly recommend !

On is "The Torn Veil" by Gulshan Esther. Gulshan was born into a rich and highly revered Pakistan family. Her family being deeply religious, she too closely followed the Islam religion. She did not have many distractions in her pursuit of pleasing Allah, since she was a cripple and needed help with the simplest tasks.

When she was 19 her whole life changed! In seeking Allah for healing, it was Jesus she met. But I won't give away the story -- the book is very moving, inspirational and encouraging to your own faith. After I read it, and read it aloud to my husband he went out and bought several more copies and we have been passing them out.

I have also read the sequel, "Beyond the Veil" which is also good.

Another book I thoroughly enjoyed is "Flight to Heaven" by Capt. Dale Black. It is not your usual NDE testimony ... and again I don't want to give away the book. There is one section that gives the account of his experience in heaven. It is the most believable, beautiful description I have even heard or read.

I know you will enjoy these books ... and if you read them, come back and tell me what you thought of them!

The Heart Mender - book review

Someone once said that there is no work of fiction that was not somewhere rooted in fact.

The author of 'The Heart Mender' insists that his story is true and I believe that it is. But unless you believe in a Master Weaver of life and its events, Andy Andrews' story seems incredulous.

It all starts with the death of a tree. A necessary and common occurrence in nature and yet this tree hid a secret that would never have been uncovered except the tree died and needed to be cut down.

Forgiveness and second chances and the wisdom of those the world considers 'less than' are the themes of this book's pages.

The story is masterfully told and , even though the suspicions arise early in the reader's mind as to the outcome of the story, the suspense holds to the last pages.

"Except you forgive... " Jesus taught the importance of forgiveness. While we all find reasons not to forgive the most hurtful offences committed against us, the fact remains that unforgiveness in a cancer that destroys from the inside out. To forgive is a choice, a decision that sets the captive free - free to enjoy the best that God has waiting.

I don't want to give the story away .... but encourage you to read it for yourself.

A Look at Five Cities

“You can’t see the forest for the trees”, is an old saying particularly true for anyone looking out at the world from his own point of time.
.
In his book "5 Cities that Ruled the World", Douglas Wilson takes a step back and gives his reader an objective view of the tapestry woven by five cities and how they affected the course of history; the five cities being Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, New York.
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When looking back down the corridors of time there is only one viewing station that will give you an undistorted view, and that is from God's perspective ---- it is after all 'HIS-story'. All history has God's hand of direction and intervention in it...and we need to look for His fingerprints.
We see that without the spiritual component the story of Jerusalem makes no sense. It is a little piece of dessert that, thousands of years after God showed Abraham the promised land, still commands the attention of the world around it.
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One intriguing detail the author suggested about the city of Jerusalem was that when Nehemiah requested permission to rebuild the walls of the city it was Ahazarus and his queen Esther that is referred to in Nehemiah 2:6.
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I found it interesting how the author singled out each city for the one characteristic that most defined its influence upon the world. Jerusalem, spiritual – Athens, intellectual – Rome, law and justice and freedom and its costs – London, literature - New York, commerce , wealth and international trade.
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The one criticism or disappointment that I had in the book was that I expected the author to bring in more of God’s perspective . He started off doing a great job with the city of Jerusalem, but then by the time he got to the last city, New York, he seemed to have forgotten the God-focus altogether.
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If you have an interest in history and how each civilization influences the ones coming after, you will find this book an interesting read.
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review for Book Sneeze - Thomas Nelson publishers

A Sequel, For What Gain?

Not every book grabs an audience as “The Same Kind of Difference as Me” did. It is a beautiful love story between a woman and God, between a woman and a man and the unlikely love of friendship between two very different men.

The temptation, when a book takes the reading audience by storm, is to write a sequel. For Ron Hall, a salesman by talent and experience, that temptation was too great to resist.
His sequel “What Difference do it Make?” is on the store shelves but I could wish the book had remained unwritten.

I do not mean to minimize the accounts of people whose lives were impacted and changed by Debbie’s story . They are inspiring to read. Nor do I minimize Denver’s childlike faith and wisdom that breaks through on the pages.

What bothered me about the book was the fact that a large part of the book is about Ron Hall working through his relationship with his father and that not in an insightful way. I was rather embarrassed for him. While he realizes that forgiveness needed to be extended to his father for being less than the father he would have wished for, never throughout the book did Ron convince me that his faith in God is deep or even real. And because of that, the book did not fall into pleasant places, and I put it down keenly disappointed.

Do You Need to Refocus?

Sometimes our lives are not fulfilling or satisfying because we are focusing our attention on the wrong things.
That is the foundation on which Marcus Buckingham built his teaching.
When I first picked up his book, “ Find your Strongest Life” , I had two thoughts… one – what does a man know about how a woman works? And two … maybe I’m at the wrong end of my life to get anything out of this book.
By the time I finished the book I was ready to concede that maybe my initial reserve was perhaps - at least somewhat - premature.

While Buckingham does slant his book toward women, the principles he expounds are not gender specific except in the examples he uses. And while it is not a ‘Christian’ book I found it easy to parallel many of his thoughts and arguments on biblical principles.

He starts off his book by debunking 10 myths about women.
A couple of them really caught my attention.
How often do we hear that women are great at multitasking while men do one thing at a time. Buckingham says that it is simply not true. He says neither women nor men can multitask and still maintain a high level of productivity. Multitasking is working on the level you would if you had gone without a night’s sleep. Plain and simple – multitasking is ‘divided attention’ and not only that, scientific research has proven that when we attempt to give our attention to several things at the same time the part of our brain that controls memory and learning actually shuts down.
Another myth was that women are happier with more choices available to them. With growing equality in the work force and increasing options available in balancing home and career, women expected to finally be ‘happy’. But what research has shown is that women are much more unhappy today than they were in the 60’s. What is wrong?
Buckingham contends that with so many choices open to women they simply shut down, or continually question the choices they have made.

The fact that women are unhappy is what inspired Buckingham to write his book advising how we can find that illusive ‘satisfaction’ missing from our lives.

He contends that our default is to attempt to fix what is wrong, but he points the reader in the opposite direction . Find out what is RIGHT and build on that. Find the ‘strengths’ that you have, discern the ‘moments’ that give you a sense of joy and then find ways of taking every area of your life and making your decisions based on what is uniquely YOUR strength.

A couple of criticisms. The book started off slow and took too long to grab my full attention. Then , secondly, the book leans toward the ‘driven’ woman, especially in the personal life examples given. This could leave you feeling the book is not for you. However, if you separate the principles from the author's application, it is a worthwhile read that gives you something to grow on, principles that can lead you to a ‘stronger life’ no matter where you find yourself today!
******

In Honour of Evelyn

Yesterday was a very special day ! One of those days that will be recorded in my memory, on that page dedicated to special people.

But my story didn't start yesterday.

Earlier this summer, I was at House of James buying books to take on vacation with me. As I gazed over the many books in their used books section, one title stood out to me, "In the Wake of Martyrs".

It turned out to be one of those rare books that moves you deeply and doesn't leave when you put the book down.

The author, missionary Albert Brant, recorded his life among the Ethiopians whom he and his wife Evelyn served for 35 years. Reading the fascinating story, I also saw Albert's heart. He was truly a humble man abandoned to God, - a man of prayer who spent hours on his knees. Through his eyes, I fell in love with the Ethiopian people.

It was when I finished the book that I realized it was published posthumously by Albert Brant's widow, Evelyn. She wrote a Postlude, that she ended by quoting Rev 7:9 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands"

and then she penned the words that melted my heart...... "You will find my beloved husband among the Ethiopians."

Reluctant to just close the book and put it on my book shelf, I noticed that the book had been published in Langley, not far from where I live. I googled Evelyn's name and a site came up connecting her with a church I was familiar with. I wanted to thank her for the years she and her husband had dedicated to bringing the gospel to their beloved people. Contacting the church, I was given Evelyn's e-mail address. I was so excited to learn that she lived in Abbotsford about 1/2 hour away from me. I sent her an e-mail and received a very sweet reply.

Today, I met her for lunch and then we sat in her lovely apartment and talked all afternoon! What a joy it was to spend those hours with her. Evelyn is a beautiful woman, 89 years young, with the most interesting stories to tell.

She told me about her introduction to the computer many years ago. When they had mastered the difficult language enough to translate the scriptures, they needed to have the New Testament printed.

It was Evelyn who drew the characters for the computer software and also designed the keys to facilitate the over 200 characters that comprise the alphabet. Then she typed out the New Testament into the computer so it could be sent to the printers. I held one of those bibles in my hand yesterday. I opened it at random and asked her to read me a portion. She smiled and read John 3:16.

A trained nurse, Evelyn cared for the people's medical needs. Her first 'clinic' was outside under a sycamore tree. The people quickly learned to trust her and came from far and wide for her attention. Later a building was constructed that became their hospital. She learned to do eye surgery and delivered difficult births.

But always their focus was on the reason they were there .. to preach the good news of Jesus. The believers grew in number and maturity. At the time of Albert's death there were 50,000 believers who called him their father in the faith.

Albert and Evelyn had only one child, a son, Howie. The greatest pain of Evelyn's life is that she was so often separated from Howie. Even today, she is separated from him . He is still in Africa.. his three grown children also serving the Lord, one in Jordon, one in Germany and one in the United States.

When I first entered Evelyn's apartment yesterday afternoon , my attention was immediately drawn to a large framed picture hanging on her wall. I asked her about it, and she told me the story.

(here is a photo of the picture)

The little child in the foreground, wearing the hat, is three year old Howie. The Brants had been in Ethiopia about 6 months - the year 1946 - and one day Albert and Evelyn saw little Howie talking to a group of people around him. He was 'preaching' , telling them the story of Jonah in their language. Albert got his camera and slipped around from behind and snapped the priceless photo. "A little child shall lead them" (Is.11:6)

I asked Evelyn yesterday what , other than the fact that she missed Howie so much when they were separated, was the most difficult thing she had to deal with in Ethiopia. She thought for a long minute, and then answered that there really wasn't anything difficult. She loved the people and loved the privilege of living among them. Ethiopia was her home.

I admire Evelyn, and I am humbled by the self-less love with which she and Albert walked alongside the Ethiopian people. True love does not notice sacrifices and that is what marks Evelyn apart from the crowd. She is not aware of her life being a sacrifice, only a privilege.

I am so thankful that she was faithful to the call of God. She has served Him well and I know that her reward awaits her.

I am so pleased to call her my friend.

***

The Marriage Key

There is no doubt that the oldest institution in our society, marriage, is crumbling. My heart breaks over and over again as I hear of yet another divorce. I don't even need to know the family being torn apart, I know the decision of each couple giving up on their marriage will have a ripple effect that we cannot see the end of.

Many books are written to hopefully strengthen marriages, but 'Love and Respect' gives the God-key to a satisfying and fulfilling relationship between husband and wife. Dr. Emerson addresses the basic differences in how men and women `think' and the difference in their deepest need.
The back cover says..."A wife has one driving need- to feel loved. When that need is met, she is happy. A husband has one driving need - to feel respected. When that need is met he is happy."
If you `get that' you get the book.

I totally agree with the principle laid out ... and it is laid out VERY clearly ....but I found the book very repetitive - the same thing said over and over again, especially in the first part of the book. While I found that weakness irritating, the message is so good that I forgave the author and I do recommend the book for the truth that it proclaims!

`Getting' the message of this book WILL strengthen your marriage. I especially would recommend it to young people anticipating marriage - it will give them the key to build a godly marriage on a solid God-given foundation.

Fear Only Fear Itself

I admire Max Lucado's ability to use words in a way that turn a thought into mind arresting phrases and his latest book did not disappoint me.

"Fearless" is like the gentle lullaby of a mother soothing her troubled child. It is a book that you will want to keep beside your bed to re-read when Fear knocks on your door. Lucado's advice is "Just don't invite it in for dinner, and for heaven's sake don't offer it a bed for the night."

Lucado describes the pandemic of fear in our society.
"We sophisticate investment plans, create elaboratesecurity systems, and legislate stronger military, yet we depend on mood alteringdrugs more than any other generation in history. Moreover,ordinary children today are more fearful than psychiatric patients werein the 1950s."

All of us struggle with fear at some point in our life. `Fearless' addresses our fears, how they cripple us with their power to destroy. Fear brings with it a perceived loss of control, attacks our character, causes spiritual anmesia, makes safety our god. When we fear we cannot love deeply, we cannot give of ourselves nor dream.

Lucado raises the questions but repeatedly points to the answer.. Jesus.
The storm Jesus stilled wasn't just a little storm, it was a `siesmos' storm. The Greek word `siesmos' used in Matt. 8:24 indicates a HUGE kind of storm. It is interesting to note that Siesmos is the same Greek root chosen to form our word seismograph for measuring earthquakes. Though the storm was terrifying, three words from Jesus "Peace, be still" answered the disciples terror. Only JESUS is a safe place. He never leaves us, He never panics, He repeats over and over "Don't be afraid."

An acrostic gives an eight step solution to combat fear.... Pray first, Easy now, Act on it, Compile a worry list, Evaluate your worry categories, Focus on today, Unleash a worry army, Let God be enough .... follow this plan ...and you will be P E A C E F U L .

Are you worried about the economy? About your investments? About how you will hold onto your stuff?? Lucado shrinks our fears by making us look at the big picture..... "After all, it's just Monopoly money. It all goes back in the box when the game is over."

This book is an easy read but it is a book that puts fear into perspective for the one who is a child of God. Love and Trust dispel fear. We can face whatever comes our way if we just put our hand in His hand and look into His face.
(The included study guide makes the book a good choice for group discussion)

Hidden in Full View - A Photo

Don't you love when in a very familiar story, told countless times from countless perspectives until it is familiar to everyone, there suddenly is found a revealing piece of the puzzle that was left unturned by the many who passed by?

That is the story of "It Happened in Italy".

While it is the stuff fiction is made of, it is a true story that changes our understanding of historical events.

It was the author herself, Elizabeth Bettina, who turned up that ignored puzzle piece that lay hidden in full view waiting for someone to give it more than a passing glance.

Elizabeth, an American, with strong family roots in Champagna, Italy, travelled many times, with her grandmother back and forth to visit her grandmother's childhood home where family members still live.

On the visit that changed her life, she was given a book by a distant relative. In it was a photo taken on the steps of a church in Champagna, the very church where her grandparents were married. What made Elizabeth look twice was the fact that in the photo were three men... a police officer, a priest, and a rabbi. Elizabeth's keen mind immediately recognized that she had never seen nor was aware that there there had ever been any rabbis in Champagna during the 40's.

Elizabeth's sharp reporter's mind and her keen curiosity would not let her rest until she had solved the mystery. Her book chronicles her quest and reveals a piece of the holocaust story that restores one's faith in the goodness of man in the face of evil.

Here in Italy, the internment camps were built, not to destroy the Jews but to protect them. Elizabeth's journey is one that leaves you wondering ... how in the world did this story remain hidden until it was almost buried forever with the last survivors of these camps?

This book tells the hitherto untold story of Italy's reaction to Hitler's resolve to exterminate the Jews. One particular poignant account tells of an 'Italian Schindler' who saved many Jews from being exterminated but he paid with his own life at Dachau. He himself died the death he saved others from. It so spoke to me of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

While I was disappointed in the literary level of the book, I know if you have any interest at all in WWII and the plot against the Jews, this book will surely interest you in showing you a side of the story you have never heard.

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Helpful Tool for Understanding Your Neighbour

We all live with people who do not believe the way we do - in our neighbourhoods, at work or at play – people we meet and interact with in our daily lives.
As Christians, if we want to dialogue with them about our own faith, it is sometimes helpful to understand where they are coming from.

Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions by James A Beverley is a wonderful resource to give you an overview of the major religions of the world as well as hundreds of new religious belief systems.

This 850 page volume is well organized into 19 main sections … Baha’i, Branch Davidians, Buddhism, Christian Science, Christian Sectarian Groups, Hinduism, Islam , Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, Mormonism, The New Age, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Satanism, Scientology, Sikhism, Unification Church, Witchcraft.

These main sections make it easy to find the info that you are looking for regarding any religion or off shoot group.

The book is written in an easy to read and understand way and is meant as an introduction to the different religions, rather than a complicated in depth study.

I appreciated the ten principles the author laid out that form the framework within which he responds to the hundreds of groups and leaders covered in the book.
Principles like the one he lists first … “All religions and philosophies are to be measured by the final revelation of God in Jesus Christ”. (pg8)

While this is not a book you curl up with to read from cover to cover in one sitting , it is a book you will want to keep handy to inform yourself of what a certain religion, referred to in the street or the media , really teaches. Living in a multi cultural world that is shrinking rapidly in so many ways, connecting people shoulder to shoulder … gives Christians an opportunity to be a ‘missionary’ without stepping out of their own neighbourhood. But we cannot be effective if we don’t understand what our friends and neighbours believe.
With 'Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions' in your hand , you will no longer have an excuse not to know !!

Stirring Thought and Emotion

If you are ready to have your world view changed or at least seriously challenged, then “The Hole in our Gospel” is a must read.
The author, Richard Stearns, is the President of World Vision US.
Not only is the book a moving account of his own faith journey, but also a window into his ministry and a view of the world through his eyes.

I found reading the book a deeply emotional experience – and the emotions and thoughts stirred up are still occupying my mind several weeks later.

Stearns raises the question…What have we done with the gospel? Have we reduced it to a passive personal trust for our own salvation?
He declares that the gospel was never meant to be only personal , it was meant to be lived out in an active expression through works born out of love and compassion for the less fortunate of this world.
If we do not care for the poor and desperately needy of our world then we have created a ‘hole’ that the gospel was meant to fill. He says, “A church that lives within is four walls is no church at all!”

Stearns challenges the reader at ground level thinking - sharing the questions he has asked of himself… “What is my responsibility for the poor? How should I use my money? How do I deal with my own self-centeredness? What does God expect of me if I claim to follow Him? Can I call Him ‘Lord’, even when I don’t always do what He says? What right do I have even to write a book like this, challenging others in their Christian walk?”

What I found moved me so deeply was Stearns’ very humble and open sharing of his own heart. Stearns’ tenderness before God and his willing obedience to even the difficult things God required of him are so evident in his book.
No condemning preaching here – the author’s fingers point first to himself, no lofty theories of what should or should not be done. The focus is on each individual as Stearns says… “In the end, responding to the gospel is not something meant for nations or communities or even churches, it is meant for individuals – one person at a time!” And each person must answer for himself what his God-given responsibility is.

If there was a weakness in his book, Stearns does not clearly differentiate between the ‘world’ and the ‘people in the world’. Scripture makes it clear that we will never win the world since it is enmity with God … but we can win people OUT of the world. It seems Stearns believes that if we do our part then the world itself will become God’s kingdom. For instance on page 2 he says, “The gospel itself was born of God’s vision of a changed people, challenging and transforming the prevailing values and practices of our world. Jesus called the resulting new world order the ‘kingdom of God’… and said that it would become a reality through the lives and deeds of His followers.”

And on page 243 he says, “Jesus seeks a new world order in which this whole gospel, hallmarked by compassion, justice and proclamation of the good news, becomes a reality, first in our hearts and minds and then in the wider world through our influence . This is not to be a far-off and distant kingdom to be experienced only in the afterlife. Christ’s vision was of a redeemed world order populated by redeemed people--- NOW!”

Yet Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world…. “ John 18:36… and Jesus clearly spoke of God’s kingdom as a spiritual one .. not a physical one…
He said “The kingdom of God is within you!” Luke 17:21

In spite of my struggle with the ‘this world’ emphasis … I would encourage everyone to read “The Hole in our Gospel” and find someone to discuss it with.
*******

The Power of Perspective

"A new book hits the store shelves today!"

What determines the success of your life? No, it isn’t your birthright, nor is it in the abundance of privileges you are granted, nor the circumstances that happened to be in your favour! It is something much more simple than that and something that we all have power over – perspective !

Andy Andrews, a motivational speaker/author, plays the various themes of ‘perspective’ in the lives of his characters in "The Noticer”. Though this new book is a work of fiction…yet it is not fiction, in so far as the personal experiences that shaped the author’s own life are woven into his story.
A main character, Jones, moving phantom-like through the life-stories, personifies the wisdom that comes to all of us. It is our choice whether or not we - listen and apply the wisdom given us through the ‘noticers’ in our life – people who come alongside to encourage and motivate us.

There is an insightful principle tucked into each chapter that will make you think. One that stood out to me was the statement that it is not our own experience that is the best teacher but the experience of others. It is up to us to be willing to listen or read and apply!
I appreciated Andrews emphasis on thankfulness. He says “the seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart!”

We hear a lot today about how a friend accepts us just the way we are. Andrews points out that a best friend is not willing to turn a passive eye – but rather has the courage to tell us the truth in order to motivate us to be our very best.
A thought-provoking definition offered for ‘wisdom’ is “the ability to see into the future the consequences of your choices in the present”.
The author also presents a unique insight on how to know if the one you are dating is the ‘one you will love to spend your life with’.
Though the book espouses godly principles, I was disappointed that God was not clearly revealed as the Source of all Wisdom.

The author’s intent in writing this book was to encourage and motivate the reader to reach out and take the time to encourage someone in their life – to share the right perspective that will empower them to turn in the right direction.

The book is a light, enjoyable read with deposits of depth.
It would make a meaningful gift to that special graduate in your life!

It Started with a Hug

Have you ever considered that one hug could redirect your life?
That is the personal testimony of author Dr. Earl Henslin who starts his book, "This is Your Brain on Joy", with an account of how a hug gave him a new world view.

If you are interested in how your brain works but are daunted by technical medical terms you cannot pronounce , much less remember, then welcome Dr. Henslin to the rescue. He takes the complicated and reduces it to layman's terms with a sense of fun in making science intelligible to the average person.
He speaks of the different parts of the brain in terms of a house with two stories and a basement, fitting the functions of the brain to the use of the different areas of the house. For example the Basal Ganglia resides in the basement where we find all our terrifying fears!

He explains how the brain is affected by scents, music, exercise , humour and beauty.
Our brains are enriched by reading books, controlling our thought life, relaxing, praying and getting enough rest. It is not only our bodies that need nutrition but also our brains. Dr. Henslin explains the kind of foods and supplements our brains require to function, along with exercise and when appropriate , medication.

Suffering from ADD himself, the author gives helpful information regarding this affliction and also addresses OCD.

Dr. Henslin believes that a healthy brain brings joy - and that is the purpose of his book - to educate his readers in understanding what that means and how to attain it!

I do have a couple of criticisms.. One ... I appreciate that the author is a Christian and brought scripture into his book.. but I found that the scripture references were weak, as though inserted as an afterthought.
The other criticism I have is that Henslin seems to put an unbalanced emphasis on the value of SPECT brain imaging based on his belief that there is no such thing as a normal brain.
He believes that many of our `sins' (pg12) are really due to a knock on the head that we received during our childhood.
He suggests that most everyone should have their brain imaged to see if there is lingering damage from some forgotten fall.

"This is Your Brain on Joy" presents a lot of good, helpful information in a very understandable format ... but personally I would recommend "Who Switched off My Brain" by Dr. Caroline Leaf as a more scientific study of our brain as the control center of our emotional and mental health.