ME TOO—Experience The God Who Understands

Thursday, October 20, 2016

ME TOO
Experience The God Who Understands
By Jon Weece

OVERVIEW: According to pastor Jon Weece, Christianity does not require you to smile through your pain, much less ask you to praise God for tormenting you. The truth is, God doesn't enjoy your suffering, but he does understand it—and he knows exactly how to fix it. That's what ME TOO is all about: A God who turned the ugliness of the cross into a spectacle of eternal beauty. An all-powerful Lord who will do the same with the pain of this world. An eternal Father who specializes in wiping away tears and putting you back together again. If you'll allow him.

AUTHOR: JON WEECE is the lead pastor at Southland Christian Church, a community of 14,000 Christ-followers in Lexington, Kentucky. He is the author of Jesus Prom. Prior to joining Southland, Jon was a missionary in Haiti for four years, where he met his wife, Alli. They have two children.

MY REVIEW: It's my opinion that we all need a great reminder of how wonderful God's love is for us. Jon Weece's splendid book provides that reminder. In twenty, brief, easy to read chapters Jon shows us over and over again the Father's love. He divides the book into three parts. Part 1 is The Cross—What Jesus Did. Part 2 Talks about The Church—What Jesus Is Doing. And part 3 explains The City—What Jesus Will Do.

I agree with what bestselling author, Kyle Idleman said about Jon Weece and his book, "He will help you see that you are not alone. God is with you, he understands what you are going through, and it's safe to be vulnerable and ask for his help."

We are not alone. We are all "Me too" people. "The cross is God's "me too" statement to a world saturated with suffering. And the church was designed to be a "me too" community where people could suffer together."

Get this book. You will be blessed. Read it. Share it with others. They will be blessed too.

(I received this book from BookLookBloggers in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

TOO MUCH POWER

Friday, October 14, 2016

I'm a simple man. So my thoughts are simple.

Our central government has too much power.

"America's founders had it right---that strict limits on the power of the central government and strict protection of the individual are the keys to a genuinely free society."


The President of the United States, The Attorney General, The FBI and the list goes on are government people who no longer uphold the law but hold themselves ABOVE the law.

I have lost respect for our government because of the waste and corruption.

OUR GOVERNMENT IS TOO BIG.

If I was the only one who thought that I would just try to forget it.

But what amazes me is that almost everybody I know or hear talk about it feel the same as I do.

Here's the scary part.

The majority doesn't want to do anything to change it. And if a change is not made the government will just continue to grow larger and more corrupt.

'MY GOVERNMENT" would be "reduced to the barest essentials; an executive branch consisting only of the White House and trimmed-down departments of state, defense, justice and environmental protection; a Congress so limited in power that it meets only a few months each year; and a federal code stripped of all but a handful of regulations."

Maybe I'm dreaming the impossible dream and maybe my dream is so big that without God it is impossible. Ok. I'm counting on God. He's made other dreams of mine come true why not this.

I talk to Him about this and have for several years. I'm going to keep chasing this dream until God tells me to stop.

DREAMING AND PRAYING UNTIL THE END.

THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER IS A LIE

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Truth. I like the sound of the word. My mother taught me what it meant. I grew up with it.

Naive. I didn't know this word growing up. But I know now it is a word that describes me when I was young. Ignorant, immature, trusting. I like trusting best.

I trusted and respected all adults. Mothers, fathers, teachers, preachers, policemen (I didn't know any police women), crossing guards. I din't know any politicians but I would have trusted them.

One day the lamp flickered. I don't know when it was I only know it happened. Not suddenly. Not all at once. Slowly but surely the lamp went out and the flood lights came on.

I could see more clearly now.

But it wasn't a day for rejoicing. The joy of trust was gone. The spring time days of trust were gone.
Discernment was needed. I didn't know who to trust. I wasn't sure I could trust myself.

The newspaper was one of my favorite things that I carried from youth into adulthood. The newspaper is where I found all kinds of truth. Truth from A to Z.

It's been months since I heard the old, familiar thump of a paper plotting on the driveway in front of the house. CANCEL! STOP DELIVERY!

SAD. I almost get teary eyed thinking about it. And then I get mad.

What you read on the front page of the paper is a lie. The stories told there are not my stories. Not your stories.

The front page of the paper doesn't tell about all the husbands that kissed their wives good-bye in the morning before leaving for work and then remained faithful all day.

The front page of the paper doesn't tell about all the young people who went to school this morning, went to work in the afternoon or just went about doing what was right and good.

Read the paper with discernment. Some news is good. Some is bad. Some people are good. Some are bad.

I pray for the day when your son or daughter can pick up the paper and read it knowing that what he/she reads is as close to the truth as it can possibly be---and that it is fair to all concerned.

I pray they want to be part of that truth. I pray they grow up wanting to do the right thing.

Maybe, just maybe they will become an honest reporter.

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CHASE THE LION

CHASE THE LION
If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You,
It's Too Small
By Mark Batterson

OVERVIEW: Chase The Lion is more than a catch phrase; it's a radically different approach to life. It's only when we stop fearing failure that we can fully seize opportunity by the mane. With grit and gusto, New York Times best-selling author Mark Batterson delivers a bold message to everyone with a big dream.

AUTHOR: MARK BATTERSON is the New York times best-selling author of a dozen books, including The Circle Maker, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, and Wild Goose Chase. he is the lead pastor of National Community Church (NCC), one of the most innovative and influential churches in America. One church with eight campuses, NCC also owns and operates Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, the Miracle Theatre, and the DC Dream Center. Mark holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University. He and his wife, Lora, and their children love living on Capitol Hill.

MY REVIEW: Mark Batterson writes, "This is a wake-up call to stop living as if the purpose of life was to simply arrive safely at death. Our dreams should scare us. They should be so big that without God they would be impossible to achieve. Quit running away from what you're afraid of."

Wow! What a challenge. What a book. Yes. I like this book. I like it a lot! This is a book every young person should read. I wish I could have read a book like this when I was young. But it is not just for young people. Like Batterson said, this is a wake-up call. It's a wake-up call for all of us. His statement, that our dreams should be so big that without God they would be impossible, just blows me away. Rarely, if ever have my dreams been that big. At least I didn't know it at the time. Now that I am older I can look back and see that many of my dreams would not have come true without God.

This book is based upon 2 Samuel 23 and tells the true story of an ancient warrior named Benaiah who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day—and then killed it. You should read his story in the Bible and then read this book. Chase The Lion is "written in a way that both challenges and encourages. This revolutionary book will help unleash the faith and courage you need to identify, chase, and catch the five-hundred-pound dreams in your life."

(I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

OUTLAW CHRISTIAN

Friday, August 26, 2016

OUTLAW CHRISTIAN
Finding Authentic Faith
by Breaking The Rules
By Jacqueline A. Bussie

OVERVIEW: Drawing from Scripture and real-life experience, Outlaw Christian is Bussie's rallying cry to believers who care too much to let suffering go unquestioned and doubts unanswered. She calls for a faith that laments, loves, laughs, longs, and lives, but never dies.

AUTHOR: Jacqueline A. Bussie is director of the Forum on Faith and Life and professor of religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. A graduate of Davidson College and Yale University. She holds a PhD in Theology, Ethics, and Culture from the University of Virginia.

MY REVIEW: Because I review so many excellent books in a year, I can't say this is the best book I have read so far this year. But I can say, without hesitation that this is ONE of the best books I have read this year. It is outstanding in so many ways. This is a life changing book.

Bussie's writing is clear, honest and written in a way that keeps you turning the pages. You really do not know what she is going to say next. This is a challenging book because it takes the average reader to places he/she has never been before. I spent forty-seven years in the Christian ministry and yet Bussie introduced me to thoughts on suffering that I had never even thought of before.

I like what author, Shane Claiborne said, "There's nothing fluffy about this book. It is raw, sassy, and from the heart. Bussie reminds us that God is not scared of our doubters, fears, and darkness—God even experienced them in Jesus. This is a fresh invitation to the faith for skeptics, doubters, seekers, and even folks who like that old-time-religion."

However, as much as I like this book, I can not recommend it to all of my friends. I have a few who will just not be able to handle it. They already have a ready answer for every suffering person and they don't want to be challenged. But I am happy to know there is a multitude of sufferers, questioners, and thinkers who will be blessed by this splendid book.

(I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

THE BRIDE(ZILLA) OF CHRIST

Friday, August 19, 2016

THE BRIDE(ZILLA) OF CHRIST
What To Do When God's People
Hurt God's People
By Ted Kluck & Ronnie Martin

OVERVIEW: The Bride(Zilla) of Christ is a verbal IV dripping with the mercy found only in Christ. Though you've been wronged, or perhaps you've wronged another, there is cause for great hope. The hurt is not the deepest thing. Grace is deeper still.

AUTHORS: Ted Kluck has authored or coauthored over a dozen books, including the bestselling Whey We're Not Emergent. Kluck's work has appeared in ESPN the Magazine, Sports Spectrum Magazine, and at ESPN.com. He is an assistant professor at Union University and lives in Jackson, Tennessee, with his wife and sons. Ronnie Martin is an internationally known Dove Award-nominated recording artist with more than twenty album credits spanning three decades. He is lead pastor of Substance Church in Ashland, Ohio, where he lives with his wife and daughter.

MY REVIEW: Funny, serious, revealing—scary. This book is all of that and more. Most of all, it is a much needed book. It will be helpful to many. I am glad to have it now because I can share it with other Christians, especially young ministers. I personally had a great need for it about thirty-five years ago.

You may be a little puzzled about the sub-title: What To Do When God's People Hurt God's People. Hopefully you have never experienced this kind of hurting in your own life. Therefore you might think it strange that Christians would be involved in hurting one another. IT HAPPENS! I'm sorry it happens. And it's a shame it happens. But it does.

"What do you do with that reality, a reality that sometimes hurts?" Ted Kluck and Ronnie Martin aren't interested in 140 characters of tweetable comfort. They'd rather share their own stories of being both the wounded and the wounder. Plus they offer practical, yes-you-can-do-this steps to moving forward in those times when the Church hurts.

(I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.)