Book Review: Word, Spirit, Power

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

I requested this book for two reasons. I really like R.T. Kendall. God used his book Total Forgiveness to help me so much in a desperate time of my life. I appreciated him as an author so I was open to reading this book not knowing much of the other two authors except that they were somewhat charismatic. Which in most cases I avoid simply because the focus on the word is usually weak. That is the other reason I chose this book. I wondered how such a solid scholar of the word could write and partner with people who may be completely different from him.

This book did however have a very good focus on the Word. It was broken up in to three parts each written by one of the authors. Word was written by R.T. Kendall. Spirit was written by Jack Taylor, and Power by Charles Carrin. Each author shared a little of their testimonies and work God is doing in their lives. It was helpful to read of their backgrounds. I appreciated too that they all saw the authority of the word important and acknowledged how some people grieve the Holy Spirit by making up what He is doing for a show. They all acknowledged revival is an act of the Spirit when He wills and that no one can make that happen.

The book was a call to people to bring the word and the Spirit together which then brings forth the power of God. I believe this book was balanced and I appreciated it because I do not like all the denominational lines we have that create division. I appreciated how three very different men of different backgrounds could come together and be in unity! Now that is true power from God.

To get a copy of this book from Amazon you can go here.

Book Review: Days of Jesus by Jim Jackson

I received a copy of this ebook free of charge from the author for the purpose of review.

This is an amazing resource and one I highly reccomend you check out! It is put together in an easy to read and understand devotional format. It is longer than the typical devotional because it is so rich and deep in explaining the Scriptures.

Each day of the 31 days of study walks you through portions of the book of John. You walk through this in order from the beggining of John to about midway through. That is why this book is called part 1. Part 2 will conclude the book of John and will be coming in the future. I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

The reason I really like this resource is because beholding Jesus is what transforms us. As we do this the Holy Spirit stirs and changes us. I found myself in spontaneous worship over and over again reading the accounts. These devotions are so helpful because they give you the historical and cultural background that is appropriate for each situation Jesus finds Himself. It is well researched and does an incredible job pointing you toward Christ. In fact I learned so much I was unaware of regarding Jewish culture.

Another amazing thing that comes with this are some short videos that were filmed on the actual locations where Jesus walked. They can be .found here. Check them out they are very well put together.

This is a great product that can be used as a tool to draw you closer to Christ through understanding the culture and times He walked along with the Scriptures. These devotionals may take you 30 minutes but they give you meat that is so worth the time. I hope you decide to pick this one up! It is well worth it AND as an ebook it is only 3.99. You can order that or the soft or hard copy here. If you do order the ebook note that definitions and explanations to each chapter that need to be expounded are in the very back of the book. Don't miss this.

Book Review: Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960 - 2010 by Charles Murray

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of review.

This book was interesting to me because I have always been interested in human behavior. This book takes a statistical look at class diversion among white people from 1960 - 2010 in America.  It is a very interesting read if you like that sort of thing like I do.

I was a bit surprised at some of the reasons for this huge gap that happened through history. It was very informative. I don't want to say what was all involved because I want you to read this yourself. Besides the complexities there are would not even give the book justice if I were to summarize them.

There were a few things that stood out to me, importance of education, solid family life, and Christian principles. The data shows when these things are strong in culture and class things are better but when they decline culture declines. These plus many other factors have helped create a divide.

Though religion was discussed in the book I cannot see how this book can be classified "Christian" that is one pet peeve I have with books that are considered "Christian." It is also important to note that the author describes himself as libertarian.


To get a copy of this book from Amazon go here.

Family Discipleship Plan Review from Precept Ministries

It is so important that we learn to study the word of God for ourselves and this resource not only helps you as an individual accomplish that goal but also helps they entire family. I received a copy of the Abraham materials which consists of these following items from Precept Ministries for the purpose of review. However there are other materials to chose from as well. Go to the link to view them all.


The Family Discipleship Plan is unique because it focuses on the entire family. So not only do you get to do your study but your family is doing it all at the same time. It is a great tool to use to get conversations going about what you are learning and feeling confident that your entire family is learning to study the word for themselves which is so important for the next generation!

In my family, I am working with a 3 year old, 8 year old and 10 year old alongside with my husband.  So how this plan works for us is as follows:

For my three year old I was given a print off sheet of activities to do with young children. They can sit along around family discussions, learn mini sections of the Scriptures, mold things from playdoh or draw pictures that go along with the Scriptures (depending on the development of your child). Any preschool children can do this part and they will pick up the enthusiasm of your excitement of the Scriptures.

The adults can chose which of the above pictured studies to do. The first is Precept upon Precept and takes about an hour a day maybe. That is the format that I prefer because it takes you into a deeper study of the word. However, if you do not have that much time to dedicate this other book gives you a less intensive but still great look into the word. My husband chose the smaller book. They both keep us on course of studying the same thing.
 








My youngest two children did this study to stay on tract reading the same Scriptures. I cannot tell you adequately in words how much I love these studies for children. It is so important to help them learn to study the Scriptures for themselves as early as possible. These books aid in this so much. Not only do they make it fun but also include another educational storyline along with them. There are so many to choose so do check them out as well here. Basically if they have a decent reading capability they can start these studies. My eight year old needs a little help but my ten year old can do this on her own.

Now I do not have a high schooler but this is another book that goes along with these if you do have one. It is a bit more geared to them instead of the adventures of Max and Molly in the Discover for Yourself Series for younger kids. It is a good resource as well. Same great stuff just more age related or appropriate.

Over all I would highly recommend this resource just for the sake of the family being able to study Scriptures for themselves and have the ability to discuss it together.

Now you may ask why can we not just open up the Bible and do it that way without the resources? That is a good question and you can certainly do it that way. However this is helping each person learn to study the word for themselves and is requiring the discipline from each one individually to do that. This hands on approach is an excellent way to promote love and learning of the Scriptures but more importantly the ability to know how to study them for themselves and it is never too early to learn that. And as you study the same thing you can discuss and share more deeply with one another as a family.

Reasons to See Magic Mike

1- You do not mind that you are the house that indwells the Holy Spirit of God and in seeing that stuff you don't mind taking Him to the strip club (1 Corinthians 6:13,19-20).

2- You do not mind descrating your marriage bed by bringing other images into it beside your husband (Hebrews 13:4).

3- When God tells you to not even have a hint of sexual immorality in your life and it is improper for God's Holy People you don't take it seriously (Ephesians 6:3).

4- You just think it doesn't affect anyone else but yourself (Romans 12:5).

5- You want to support those who practice immorality which is really showing hate not love so you do not mind being linked to those who will not inherit the kingdom of God in supporting these practices (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

When You Have Two Moms

This journey has been the most difficult yet most rewarding of my life. Life with little guy is truly an adventure. He is such a joy! Children are gifts, a heritage from the Lord! Yet why do we treat them differently? Why do we not give them the two parent home (one male and one female) that they deserve? They need this environment of love and respect that only a stable home can bring.

Marriage is suppose to represent Christ and the church to the world. Each person gets to play the Jesus role of masculinity servant leadership and femininity submission. It is a beautiful thing if lived out the way God intended. The unfortunate thing is that we are in a sin stricken world where people like to be right in their own eyes instead of being concerned about the rightness of the Holy Scriptures.

With that said, our little man has two mothers in his life. His biological mother who was deemed neglectful and his legal mother who is baffled at how this is suppose to work out. As I stated in an earlier post I did not want to like her but God has moved my heart otherwise. I am building a relationship with her trying to encourage her to do the things she is suppose to do. It is a tough kind of love but necessary for her sake and the sake of her sons. She is made in the image of God just like me and her sons.

You see adoption is final. He would be ours completely, he would wear our name, it would be complete forever. But right now we only have legal custody which is not final, I guess it is like a marriage proposal which can be broken before the final wedding day, yet after the wedding day it is final. Christ adopts us like this, once we are His there is no changing that. Yet living in limbo, lacking permanence, is hard for everyone.

When you are secure in Christ and know you can believe every promise, know you have a wonderful inheritance, know He will never let you go, know He delights so much in you that He went all the way to the cross and back for you. That security is amazing, adoption complete. Yet for those in limbo, those who cannot feel this stability and permanency, life is unpredictable. It is confusing and they remain searching for something that will bring this stability.

The first couple of months I found myself stewing in anger at the horrible conditions these children were reported to be in. Taking it further I was angry that he was kept confined to the playpen or car seat all day long. The living conditions were not clean and the location is a known hub for prostitution. So maybe I should be grateful he was confined to atleast the security of a room instead of that hard environment day in and day out.

My anger came from the lack of protection, the lack of fight for making a suitable home for these children. The complacency of selfishness and laziness. Then here lately she said she hoped that we did not think they were bad people. It confronted me and my own heart. No I don't think they are bad just mislead and lacking skills. We all are bad really apart from the saving grace of Christ. The need for Christ is the great equalizer. Whatever class, culture, sex we are we are all desperate for Christ to save us from our sin.

He came, He beat sin on our behalf then exchanged His righteousness for our sin. There was nothing we could do to earn it. It is a gift of grace. I am amazed by this. I want to shine the light of the gospel to the other mom. Thus far we have not been together in the same place with little man at the same time. However, we were invited to come to the next visit. All of us, that means my girls too. I wonder what God can do with this, two moms who hopefully desire the best for this little guy. Two moms who hopefully can see their need for Christ. Two moms who can humble themselves and admit their wrong doings and needs.

This also makes me sad on one last point,do you realize that your children are a gift? Do you delight in them? Do you give them a sense of stability? Do you chose selfishness and laziness over them? This summer time is a great opportunity to be what they need instead of sending them off wherever you can find to keep them away from you. Do you realize how many want children but cannot have them? Or how many orphans are in the world craving parents? Don't make your own crave like orphans because of your lack? Or do you know how many wicked people are out there just wanting to take advantage of them? Parents please see them as the gift they are and take the time to die to yourselves to delight in them. Show them the love of the Father. That love that the Father has freely lavished on you. Please for the sake of a generation, these are image bearers of our great God. Do not let them fall in the cracks.

Book Review: Father Hunger by Douglas Wilson

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

I was interested in this book entitled, Father Hunger, because it hits a very personal place in my life and heart. Not only am I raising a child whose father is absent (though my husband is a good stand in) I have worked with at risk children who have had absent fathers over the years as well. It is a heart breaking trend and the absence of a father damages children. I have seen it with my very eyes.

I have read many other books over the years that address this topic, yet Father Hunger was the best read yet. The subtitle is Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families, and this is why this book is different. This book takes a gospel centered approach to address this growing problem. Not only are there statistics and discussion of the seriousness of the problem at hand but also the author takes a good look at how it effects our view of our Heavenly Father God. How manhood has been attacked and how unnatural it is for this to be how we live.

It is filled with arguments as to why gospel centered fathers are important yet centers on the more important thing of needing strong men who play the servant leader role in their families and in turn this points their family members to Jesus. That is the important end desired after all.

I know this book was written primarily for men but it was an insightful read for me. I really liked seeing a book written like this from the males perspective, one that rallies men to fill the role they were called to play. I also respect how the author addresses women in the book. It was all around biblical and encouraged me greatly. It is a good read and I highly recommend it. We have a very sad epidemic of absent fathers and it cannot remain this way.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.