Wisdom Huner by Randall Arthur ~ Book Review

If you're looking for an exciting read, this book is for you! It was originally released in 1991, and became a best seller at that time. It was not a book that I likely would have chosen myself, but I enjoyed it. The main character in this novel is Pastor Jason Faircloth. He's been a pastor of the North Metro Church of Atlanta for 11 years, and has a master's degree in theology. However, he is very much caught up in legalism, and because he is so hard on his teenage daughter, she decides to run away from home. Pastor Jason prays fervently for her for over a year and a half, asking God to protect his daughter and bring her home. Meanwhile, we learn what is really going on with her in another part of the country...

Through losing almost everything this man has, and going through some very harrowing experiences, he comes to the knowledge that Christianity is not all about "religion", but that it has much more to do with having a personal relationship with Christ. I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories of suspense, but it also has a great message.

You can purchase your own copy from Waterbrookmultnomah.com

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Summary:

Pastor Jason Faircloth knows what he believes. His clear faith, in fact, is why he is one of the most prominent pastors in Atlanta. He relies on it to discipline his daughter, his wife, his church. He prays daily that others would come to see God's ways as he does. And it will cost him everything he has.

Groping for answers in the face of tragedy, Jason determines to find the one person left who might provide healing: the granddaughter kept hidden from him. His search takes him on an international adventure --and deep into his tormented soul.

A fast-paced suspense novel rich in spiritual depth, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism and discover how grace can make the difference between life and death.

Author Bio:
Randall Arthur is the bestselling author of Jordan’s Crossing and Brotherhood of Betrayal. He and his wife have served as missionaries to Europe for over thirty years. From 1976 till 1998, he lived in Norway and Germany as a church planter. Since 2000, he has taken numerous missions teams from the United States on trips all over Europe. Arthur is also the founder of the AOK (Acts of Kindness) Bikers’ Fellowship, a group of men who enjoy the sport of motorcycling. He and his family live in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Extraordinary" by John Bevere ~ Book Review and Giveaway!

Wow! I just finished reading "Extraordinary: The Life You're Meant to Live" by John Bevere. There is a lot of great information in this book. In some ways it reminds me very much of the Beth Moore bible study that I participated in a few years ago, entitled "Believing God." Both Beth Moore and John Bevere, basically say that there is much more to "Grace" than most Christians even realize. Yes, it is our free gift of salvation...but it's so much more than that. We all need to understand that grace is "God's unmerited empowerment, which gives us the ability to do what truth demands of us." We have been made new, and need to start living that way. We have the power that raised Jesus from the dead, available to us. We just need to tap into it through faith. This is a book that every Christian needs to read...in order to live the full and God-pleasing life that was meant for us to live.

This incredible book is available for purchase from RandomHouse.com

Summary

There’s a question that troubles many believers: “Why am I not experiencing more joy, more hope, more satisfaction, more intimacy, more power, more everything in my Christian life--didn’t Jesus promise that?”

He did promise an abundant life, but too many people are trapped by the curse of “the ordinary.” They have accepted the wrong idea that following God means losing individuality, creativity, and a passion for achieving lofty goals.

Nothing could be further from the truth! John Bevere builds a convincing case, straight from Scripture, for a way of living marked by extraordinary experiences and accomplishments—the life God always intended for his children.

Here is a guide to understanding God’s incredible plans, and how to enjoy a life where he adds the “extra” to “ordinary.”

Author Bio:
John Bevere is an internationally popular conference speaker, teacher, and author of bestsellers, including The Bait of Satan, Drawing Near, and Driven by Eternity. His award-winning curriculum and books have been translated in over sixty languages and his weekly television program, The Messenger, is broadcast around the world. John and his wife, Lisa—also a bestselling author and speaker—reside with their family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visit his ministry website at http://www.messengerinternational.org/.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, and they also provided me with an extra copy to give away to one of my readers!

Win! Win! Win! Win Win!

All you need to do to enter, is to leave me a comment after this post. I will choose a winner by random drawing on November 1, 2009. This contest is open to residents of the continental U.S. only. Please make sure to include an email address, so I can contact you in the event that you win. Good luck!

And the winner is....Sarah H! Congratulations, Sarah! I'll get your book to you ASAP. I know you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe ~ Book Review and Giveaway

There is only ONE TRUTH. Your belief of what is TRUE, and my belief of what is TRUE could be vastly different from each other, but that does NOT change the fact that there is only one TRUTH. I have tried to explain this to several people in my life, and they usually don't get it.

I'm not talking about opinions here...I'm talking about BELIEF.

For instance...some people believe in life after death, and some don't. Does that mean that for those that do believe there is an afterlife, there will be...and that don't believe in life after death there won't be? Will they just disappear into absolute nothingness when they die? No. That would be absurd. Even if you do BELIEVE in some sort of life after death, you may not believe there is a heaven...or you may believe in heaven, but can't possibly believe a loving God would send anyone to hell. Our beliefs may also differ in the WAY to get to heaven, (or hell). I happen to believe that there is only ONE way to get to heaven. And no, I am NOT trying to shove my own beliefs down your throat...I'm simply trying to point out, that even though you may think I'm wrong, (and I could be), and I may believe that you're wrong, only one of us can be right.

I just read a book by Larry Osborne, entitled: 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe. Just because "everyone believes it" doesn't make it true. It was a great book. The author lays it all on the line here, and like the little boy in the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes", he's not afraid to bust the widely held myths and "urban legends" that surround Christian's beliefs these days.

Here is a summary of the book:

Just Because “Everyone Believes It” Doesn’t Make It True
People don’t set out to build their faith upon myths and spiritual urban legends.

But somehow such falsehoods keep showing up in the way that many Christians
think about life and God. These goofy ideas and beliefs are assumed by
millions to be rock-solid truth . . . until life proves they’re not. The sad
result is often a spiritual disaster—confusion, feelings of betrayal, a distrust
of Scripture, loss of faith, anger toward both the church and God.

But it doesn’t have to be so. In this delightfully personal and
practical book, respected Bible
teacher Larry Osborne confronts ten widely
held beliefs that are both dumb and dangerous. Beliefs like
these:

• Faith can fix anything
• Christians shouldn’t judge
• Forgiving means forgetting
• Everything happens for a reason
• A godly home guarantees good kids
…and more.

To learn more about this book, or to purchase it, click on one of the links below:

Amazon.com

Christian Books.com

I have also received not one, but TWO copies of this wonderful myth-busting book from Coast to Coast Publicity to GIVE AWAY to my readers! To enter, simply leave me a comment regarding one of the myths this book talks about, and make sure I have a valid e-mail for you, in the event that you are chosen as one of my lucky winners. This contest is open to all residents of the continental U.S. and will be open until May 2, 2009. I will post the winners here on my blog on May 3rd. Good Luck!

Clutter-Free Christianity: What God Really Desires for You ~ A Book Review and Giveaway!

Clutter has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a home with 9 siblings and a mother who worked full time ever since I started school. It was just something I learned to live with. Don't get me wrong, (especially Mom if you're reading this), our house was never really filthy, it was just hard to avoid that "lived in" look with that many people living under one roof.

As a wife and mother myself, I've had a constant struggle with clutter all my life too...and that was true even before I met my husband Ray, who is the King of clutter, and brings home every stray item he finds, just to give it a home...or because he MIGHT need it some day.

Anyway, in "Clutter-Free Christianity", Dr. Jeffress is talking about a whole different kind of clutter. He shows us how to cut through the clutter of everything we may have heard about being a Christian and get back to the basics of what God really expects and wants from us.

I'm finding this book truly fascinating. For instance, he tells us that a "kingdom" simply implies the territory that is ruled over by a particular monarch. Therefore, the "Kingdom of God" not only refers to heaven, or some future time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, but that the Kingdom of God exists right here and now and means "any place where God's will is being obeyed." That was a real eye-opener for me.

Here is a summary of the book:

When did the Christian life become so complicated?
Your greatest desire is to please God, but with each passing week, your spiritual to-do list grows longer. As you strive to fulfill a never-ending inventory of requirements for being a godly parent, spouse, voter, employee, and more, you feel increasingly disconnected from the God you’re trying to serve.
It’s time to cut through the clutter and get to the heart of what it means to please God. In this liberating look at the core principles of faith, Dr. Robert Jeffress reveals the truth about what God really wants from you–and what He wants to do for you.
Through solid biblical teaching and practical insights, Dr. Jeffress points you toward a revitalized faith centered on becoming more like Jesus in action, attitude, and affection. You’ll learn how to partner with God in the process of spiritual transformation as you choose to follow Christ in forgiveness, obedience, trust, contentment, service, and prayer.
Through a renewed focus on experiencing the kingdom of God right now, you’ll find your to-do list shrinking and your spiritual life deepening. It all comes with embracing Clutter-Free Christianity.Includes a Bible study guide for personal growth and group discussion.

Clutter-Free Christianity would make a great bible study for small groups too, since it includes a bible study guide section in the back of the book. The book is available from Random House Books for just $13.99.

I am also going to GIVE AWAY a copy of this excellent book. To get your name into the random drawing for this book, just leave a comment after this post. You can come back and leave a comment each day for more chances to win, just remember to leave me a valid e-mail address, so that I can contact you in the event that you are chosen as the winner. This contest is open to all residents of the continental U.S. A winner will be randomly drawn on April 18, 2009. Thanks! and Good Luck!

Dr. Robert Jeffress is the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, one of the most historic churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. The author of sixteen books, he is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, live broadcasts of Dr. Jeffress’ weekly messages reach millions of listeners and viewers each week, while his daily sermon series airs on 1,100 television stations and cable systems nationwide. Dr. Jeffress and his wife, Amy, are the parents of two adult daughters.