Happy Winter Solstice!

From Gary Zukav:

The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.

You are the beloved by Henri Nouwen

You are the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. This book was published in October of 2017 by Convergent Books.

This is a daily devotional written by the much-loved author of numerous spiritual classics such as The Return of the Prodigal Son and The Wounded Healer. It is intended to empower readers to claim the truth that "we are the beloved" and features the best of Nouwen's writing from previously published works.

The Amazon write-up says, "It will appeal to those familiar with Nouwen's work as well as to new readers looking for a devotional to guide them into a deeper awareness of their identity in Jesus."

My thoughts:

I wanted to fall in love with this book or this author. As someone who's encountered Nouwen quotes in countless other books of Christian nonfiction, I was sure I would become a fan and that after tasting the sampling here, I would want to read many of his books.

It didn't happen. Each sampling was taken so far out of context, and nearly always without an accompanying scripture reference, that the daily devotions were nearly meaningless to me.

However, I did leave many, many highlights, which is my custom, so it must've spoken to me to some extent. But it did not speak to me like others I have read that employed the same format.

Maybe it's just a difference in author personalities and voices.

For example, after reading Dear Abba: Morning and Evening Prayer by Brendan Manning, I went on to devour several of Manning's books. How I love this man's thoughts.

Although I did not fall in love with You are the Beloved, I am not giving up on Nouwen, however he has dropped a little lower on the list of Christian authors whose works I intend to read.

I was provided a free copy to read and review by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Bible from 30,000 feet by Skip Heitzig

The Bible from 30,000 feet, by Skip Heitzig. This book was published in September, 2017, by Harvest House. 

Book description: An Eye-Opening and Engaging Guide to the BibleEnjoy the magnificent panorama of Scripture like never before! Pastor Skip Heitzig shares a FLIGHT plan for all 66 books of the Bible to help you better understand the context and significance of each. In this one-year overview, you'll discover... 

• Facts—about the author and the date each book was written

• Landmarks—a summary of the highlights of the book

• Itinerary—a specific outline of the book divided by themes

• Gospel—how to see Jesus within the book's pages

• History—a brief glimpse at the cultural setting for the book

• Travel Tips—guidelines for navigating the book's truths

If you have ever found yourself getting lost and wandering from verse to verse in Scripture, put yourself firmly on track with the clear aerial view offered in The Bible from 30,000 Feet.

My thoughts: 

The author created a clever way to explore the Bible using flight as an acronym (see above). For each book of the Bible, he does a thorough job of going through all of the points listed. 

I found a few possible errors, depending on your stance toward modern Bible scholarship. For example, he contends that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. 

This is a common view, however I have read that most modern Bible scholars do not believe the Pentateuch was written by Moses, or not all of it. (See How to read the Bible by Harvey Cox.) 

I am not a Bible scholar, so I will leave that debate to the experts. 

I am, however, someone well-acquainted with flight, as my husband and I travel frequently, both in commercial airlines and in our own small airplane. I would say that the title should be instead: The Bible from 5,000 Feet. 

From 30,000 feet, you don't see much ground detail, whereas from 5,000 feet, you see much more. This book is dense with details. In fact, it weighs in at 642 pages. The Bible itself is only about 350 pages long. 

So, will you learn much about the Bible while reading this book in conjunction? 

Of course. The information goes well beyond the short summaries found frequently at the beginning of each book of the Bible.  

I enjoyed seeing how Jesus figures into each book. I especially liked learning about the cultural setting. That is so important, if we hope to understand what the words might have meant to people in ancient times and how it sometimes dramatically changes what the words could or should mean to us.  

I was provided a free copy to read and review by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

IWSG: knowing what I do now, what would I have done differently in 2017?

Hosted by: Insecure Writer's Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! If it links to Google+, be sure your blog is listed there. Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

The awesome co-hosts for December 6 are Julie Flanders, Shannon Lawrence, Fundy Blue and Heather Gardner.

Remember, the question is optional! Here is this month's question: 

As you look back on 2017, with all its successes/failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently?

So here I am, dipping my feet in IWSG and feeling very insecure. Guess I'm in the right place. My answer is long. If you want to skip to the summary at the end, it won't hurt my feelings.

This was me at the beginning of 2017: After an 18-month family crisis that ended sadly on December 27 of 2016, and an ongoing crisis with ups and downs (the new normal), I started 2017 with the intent of focusing again on my writing.

Fall of 2016, I had started a wagon train-themed book targeted for Love Inspired’s historical line, as they had stipulated that they were seeking wagon train stories. I spent a couple of months researching wagon trains. Fortunately, research is fun.

I was half-finished with a draft in [March] when Love Inspired announced they were closing the line. It was the second line in two years that I had hoped to break into, only to learn they were closing their doors.

That, combined with the fact that Christian publishers were significantly reducing the size of their fiction output, or discontinuing their fiction lines entirely, took the wind out of my sails. Christian fiction publishing had taken a huge hit due to Family Christian bookstores filing for bankruptcy.

Around the same time, my Wordpress.org website was up for renewal. As I was unpublished and there weren't possibilities, even on a distant horizon, I could no longer justify spending $500.00 a year to maintain a website.

Especially one that broke in one way or another every time Wordpress updated itself, which was frequent. Bluehost, which hosted it, also had its problems. I was glad to say good riddance to the design and maintenance of my own, way-too-expensive site.

I returned to good ole’ blogspot and opened a new blog. I had left a perfectly good blogspot blog three years previously. Why I did not return to it (this one), rather than spending a lot of time developing a new one, is something I would definitely do different.

Especially because here I am, back at the blog I'd abandoned in 2014.

But I didn't know I would return, then. In May, when I set up the other blogspot blog, I reasoned that because the blog you're reading had been a YA book review and writer’s blog, and I intended to review Christian nonfiction exclusively on the new blog, I needed an entirely separate blog in which to do it.

Different audiences = different blogs, right?

However I am now convinced it's unnecessary to maintain two separate blogs, especially as I now plan to review YA fiction, sweet and Inspy romance, and Christian nonfiction, on this blog. So I imported posts from the CNF blog into this one. I hope to attract an audience that reads and loves all of these genres as much as I do.

Though Love Inspired had announced it was closing the line I had hoped to break into, I continued to work on the wagon train story until late August, when a third family crisis affected my life greatly. It bumped me (and especially my writing routine) off track for a couple of months.

Oh, the slings and arrows of life.

In September, I attended a one-day SCBWI conference in Spokane with a good friend whose first book had debuted with a small press in July. Congratulations, Sharon!!!

That, combined with the earlier negative happenings (lines folding and the massive shrinkage of the Christian fiction market), got me interested in writing for the YA market again.

So for the past two months, I've been revising one of my two completed YA manuscripts.

And today, I have returned to this, my original blog, inaugurating it with a post about my writing insecurities! Ha. Yes, they are many and deep. 

##

Summary: 

If I could've known at the beginning of the year what I know now, I would've returned immediately to this blog after closing down my WordPress.org website instead of messing around for a few months, creating and posting on a separate blogspot blog. Heck, if in the spring of 2014 I had known what I know now, I would never have created the WordPress.org website and I could've saved a ton of effort and money. Such is life.

As to which fiction genre I should be writing, I am admittedly guilty of wandering. I'd gone from YA to Inspirational and now back to YA. It just seems that Christian fiction is not currently the market in which I should be spending my time. So I plan to continue down the YA path until I learn otherwise.

I have a plan and I am not stuck. As Seth Godin says, “The way to get unstuck is to start down the wrong path, right now.”

Having read this, do you think I should've stayed with the Inspy market? Self-published? Is returning to YA a logical direction?

What about you? What would you have done differently in your circumstances?

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson

In this work Peterson, who spent ten years creating the Message translation of the Bible, writes about the fifteen Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134) which the ancient Jewish people memorized and sang on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. Of the impetus to write the book, Peterson says,

"I knew that following Jesus could never develop into a "long obedience" without a deepening life of prayer and that the Psalms had always been the primary means by which Christians learned to pray everything they lived, and live everything they prayed over the long haul."

Peterson uses Psalms 120-134 as a frame to show us what Christian discipleship is. Though the book I reviewed yesterday, Spiritual Discipleship: Principles of Following Christ for Every Believer by J. Oswald Sanders, is also about discipleship, there is a stark contrast between the two in what each author does in expounding the basic concept of discipleship.

If Sanders’s book reads like a cookbook, Peterson’s reads like philosophy and poetry.

And, indeed, Peterson draws from poetry to talk about discipleship. Of the Psalter, which I have heard some refer to as a mini-Bible within the Bible, he says,

"There is no literature in all the world that is more true to life and more honest than Psalms, for here we have warts-and-all religion. Every skeptical thought, every disappointing venture, every pain, every despair that we can face is lived through and integrated into a personal, saving relationship with God-a relationship that also has in it acts of praise, blessing, peace, security, trust and love."

Psalm by psalm from 120-134, Peterson goes deeply into the meaning of each one as it relates to discipleship. I loved that his is not a shallow treatment, as I've often seen  in books that talk about the entire book of the Psalms.

Dealing with only 10% of them gives him plenty of pages to bring out the meat of each one, especially in relation to our walk with Christ.

Highly recommended,

Spiritual Discipleship: Principles of Following Christ for Every Believer by J. Oswald Sanders

Spiritual Discipleship: Principles of Following Christ for Every Believer by J. Oswald Sanders. 

• Print Length: 206 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers (January 1, 2009)
• 
  
• Originally published in 1990, Moody Publishers is reissuing this classic on discipleship. 
• 
  
• Sanders' contention is that many people have forgotten what it means to be a Christian. 
• 
  
• Being a Christian is not saying a magic prayer that gives us eternal salvation and then living life as usual. 
• 
  
• Christ did not commission his apostles to merely save people, but to make them disciples. There is a world of difference between the two. Unless there is a true change of heart, i.e. repentance and working toward the upward call in Christ, saying the magic prayer means absolutely nothing. Yes, we are saved by grace. But our works prove that our conversion was real.
• 
  
• The Christian needs to become more like Jesus day-by-day, and Sanders shows us how. Questions for reflection are included at the end of each chapter, which I found helpful for me, to think about and measure where I might be on the narrow path, and where I can do better. 
• 
  
• I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Artist's Rule by Christine Valters Paintner

The Artist's Rule: Nurturing your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom

For creatives with a strong bent toward the spiritual and the contemplative, you will find treasure in this book. Written by a Benedictine oblate, Christine Valters Paintner presents a 12-week course for establishing a spiritual/creative practice by using some of the Rules of St. Benedict.

I enjoyed the book to a point. Though I consider myself more reflective than unreflective, I still found her exercises, in most cases, something I wouldn't waste my time on.

Well, maybe when I was younger, I would have.

That's not to say others wouldn't find it to be just what they need. Or to say that I got nothing from the book.

I especially enjoyed her descriptions about The Divine Hours, which are the sacred cycles of each day, and their connection to the creative process.

I also enjoyed learning about a Benedictine monk's commitments to Obedience, Stability, and Conversion, and how those commitments can support the growth of a spiritual/creative practice.

Obedience is "listening deeply to the ways God calls you in everyday life and how you respond." It's about being faithful to the call God has put upon your life and not spending your precious time on things that don't further that call.

Stability is not responding to restlessness of heart and mind by searching for new experiences, new relationships, new geographical locations, in order to escape your problems by avoiding them. It's about finding mystery in ordinary life, growing long-lasting, deep relationships, and getting to know the people in the communities you're involved in. It's about staying with your problems and solving them where you're at.

Conversion is stability's opposite. It's asking yourself, "What is worth living for in this place at this time?" Having asked, it's acting in accordance with the answers discerned.

Those were the ideas I liked best in this book, however I also liked some of her other ideas as well.

If you're a fan of Kathleen Norris, you will be a fan of Christine Valters Paintner. 

Cling: Choosing a Lifestyle of Intimacy with God by Kim Cash Tate

Cling by Kim Cash Tate

• Print Length: 192 pages
• Publisher: Discovery House (February 28, 2017)

I'm always excited to read hot-off-the-press Christian nonfiction. Kim Cash Tate, who's written Christian fiction, has branched out into Christian nonfiction with this new book. In it, she highlights scriptures that command believers to cling to God: 

Deut. 10:20

Deut. 13:4

She then goes through familiar territory, writing about how we were created to cling, but separated ourselves from Him through the fall. She talks about Christ's mission to redeem us. 

Around 25% into the book, she finally launches into what it means to cling to God, choosing a lifestyle of intimacy with Him. 

Weaving personal stories, current events and especially Bible stories, she shows us people who have successfully clung to God. She uses many good illustrations (particularly the Biblical ones!), but I confess that after having read so much of the best of Christian nonfiction over the past couple of years, I didn't find much in this book that shed new light on scripture, or made me look at something differently. 

It was written well enough, but I didn't detect any flashes of sheer brilliance that made me sit back and think for a while about what she'd said. 

The only chapter that presented an idea that I hadn't come across in all my reading was the chapter entitled Healing from Immoral Clinging. 

It's a chapter on varieties of sexual sin, including premarital sex between believers. 

She then gives the reader reassurance that if we confess our sins (and walk away from them), God will, of course, forgive them.

The book came with a study guide at the end. I suspect that it will be used and enjoyed by home groups. It will deliver enough of what the group needs in order to make a good class, if not an astoundingly thought provoking one. And that's probably just fine. 

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Prayer--10th Anniversary Edition: Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard Foster

Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home

Having not paid much attention to developments in the practice of Christianity in America for many years, I am only now discovering important books that some of you have probably known about for a very long time.

Case in point is Richard Foster's classic book on prayer. Even its 10-year anniversary release was over a decade ago.

Foster is part of the Renovare movement, which focuses on Spiritual Formation. This book is one of its many truly wonderful resources.

Weighing in at 473 pages, in it Foster (a Quaker) writes a chapter on each of the many unique types of prayer.

Can you name them? Prior to reading many books on prayer, in addition to this one, I would've thought there might be a half-dozen distinctive types of prayer.

But no. There are 22 styles of prayer, which Foster writes about in this book. Each one comes straight out of the Bible, which he supports with numerous biblical references.

Over the millennia, various Christian traditions have focused more on some types of prayer than others. For example, Catholics have practiced Ignatian and Benedictine prayer, which Protestants, in general, have not--to their great loss.

All types of prayer are good, to bring us closer to God. Here are the 22 types of prayer, about which Richard Foster writes.

1. Simple prayer
2. Prayer of the forsaken 
3. Prayer of complaint (lamentations)
4. Prayer of Examen (Ignatian Prayer)
5. Prayer of tears
6. Prayer of relinquishment
7. Formation prayer: This one is Benedictine Prayer. Here's a snippet of what Foster says about it: 

“Prayer changes things,” people say. It also changes us. The latter goal is the more imperative. The primary purpose of prayer is to bring us into such a life of communion with the Father that, by the power of the Spirit, we are increasingly conformed to the image of the Son. This process of transformation is the sole focus of Formation Prayer." 

He goes into some of the Rules of St. Benedict, or the twelve steps, which include humility; The Little Way; The Communion of Solitude; Peering into the Abyss.

      8. Covenant Prayer.  A profound interior heart call to a God-intoxicated life.
      9.The Prayer of Adoration
    10. The Prayer of Rest
    11. Sacramental Prayer, (Liturgical prayer)
    12. Unceasing Prayer
    13. The Prayer of the Heart
    14. Meditative Prayer
    15. Contemplative Prayer
    16. Praying the Ordinary:

"The discovery of God lies in the daily and the ordinary, not in the spectacular and the heroic. If we cannot find God in the routines of home and shop, then we will not find him at all."

    17. Petitionary Prayer
    18. Intercessory Prayer
    19, Healing Prayer
    20. The Prayer of Suffering
    21. Authoritative Prayer
    22. Radical Prayer:

"Radical Prayer refuses to let us stay on the fringes of life’s great issues. It dares to believe that things can be different. Its aim is the total transformation of persons, institutions, and societies. Radical Prayer, you see, is prophetic." 

This is a wonderful resource on types of prayer that each of us can practice, every day. The goal is not, of course, to check off the list and boast about having done them all.

However in trying them all, we will find some draw us closer to God than others. It's those prayers that will become the most useful to us in our daily walk.

4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice by Mark Virkler

4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice.   

There are so many books on the subject of hearing God, which is something that I imagine every Christian would like to be able to do, or to do better.

I know I sure would like to improve my hearing in that regard. I am endeavoring to do that through prayer, being in the Word, being more aware of God speaking to me through others, through things that happen in my life, and so on. Our antennas need to be up at all times!

In addition, I have read several books for tips. Mark and Patti Virkler have written numerous books on the subject, and are the founders of Communion with God Ministries, which trains people to have intimacy with the Holy Spirit.

In this book Vickler says, "Hearing God’s voice is as simple as quieting yourself down, fixing your eyes on Jesus, tuning to spontaneity, and writing." He takes 310 pages to say this--which is not a criticism. I'm glad he was so thorough! But in a nutshell, that is what he wrote about. 

With my first try, I had great hope for the results, especially since I am by nature a writer. I was hoping for something like automatic writing ...  

However, I ran into a couple of problems. The first fell under the task of quieting myself down. Living with a spouse, an adult daughter and her infant son, I am bombarded with a constant merry-go-round of talking faces, or in the baby's case, reaching hands (which are so sweet and precious).

And then there's the phone ringing (soliciters, mostly), the "ding!" that alerts me to text messages coming in.

But that's easily solvable: Do this when everyone else is asleep. Do this during those 3:00 am awakenings that are so ripe for communion with God. Those hours when you love nothing more than to fall on your knees and pray, and bask in the sunlit warmth of God's presence. To God be the glory.

My second problem was not as easily solved. Alone, quieted, I fixed my eyes on Jesus, turned to spontaneity, and waited, pen in one hand, journal in the other.

I waited to hear and write what God said to me--and came up against total (but very nice, peaceful) silence. Though there were no words to write, I felt a sense of God's deep, abiding presence.

I've read numerous books by authors who promote contemplative prayer, Thomas Keating being the chief proponent of it, so I was not overly discouraged by this lack of hearing God's voice.

Even in silence, God speaks to us.

Since that first effort at hearing God's voice through spiritual journaling, I have become more aware of the spontaneous thoughts that are from God. It generally happens after prayer. Although I seldom have pen and paper in hand, I make every effort to remember what I heard, although sometimes I forget, and I can only ask God to be merciful toward me, this baby Christian.

Some people, myself included, might be tempted to brush these thoughts away, thinking they were manufactured by my own brain. But I have detected a subtle difference. There is spontaneity to these thoughts, and they are not in my own voice. So yes, I believe I am hearing from God, and to God be the glory.

Having said all that, I am at this moment being reminded of one of my favorite contemporary Christian songs. Is this the Holy Spirit speaking to me? Certainly. It's God's job to make us aware of Him, so that we can give him the glory.

I will include the song here: Worthy of it All, sung by David Brymer.

Day and Night, Night and Day, Let Incense Arise ...

Have a blessed day with God. 

How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit by A. W. Tozer

How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit by A. W. Tozer. Despite Francis Chan's contention that the Holy Spirit is the forgotten God, I haven't had any trouble finding many books on the Holy Spirit, including this by one of my favorite authors, the late and great A. W. Tozer. 

It's a short work, only 64 pages, with practical steps for cultivating a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Tozer begins by saying,

The Holy Spirit is often thought of as a beneficent wind that blows across the Church. If you think of the Holy Spirit as being literally a wind, a breath, then you think of Him as nonpersonal and nonindividual. But the Holy Spirit has will and intelligence and feeling and knowledge and sympathy and ability to love and see and think and hear and speak and desire the same as any person has. Many of us have grown up on the theology that accepts the Holy Spirit as a Person, and even as a divine Person, but for some reason it never did us any good. We are as empty as ever, we are as joyless as ever, we are as far from peace as ever, we are as weak as ever.

Throughout the remaining pages, Tozer does several things. Among them, he asks the believer if he truly wants to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Why might we not? Because if we want to live self-centered lives, rather than God-centered lives, there is no room in our hearts for the Holy Spirit. He says,

"He will not permit you to indulge self-confidence. Self-love, self-confidence, self-righteousness, self-admiration, self-aggrandizement and self-pity are under the interdiction of God Almighty, and He cannot send His mighty Spirit to possess the heart where these things are."

For those who still want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, Tozer then outlines six steps to help us to cultivate this holy, supernatural relationship.

Put Your Warrior Boots On: Walking Jesus Strong, Once and for All by Lisa Whittle

Put Your Warrior Boots On: Walking Jesus Strong, Once and for All by Lisa Whittle

Print Length: 242 pages

• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (May 30, 2017)
• 
  

Given the frightening state of the world, Lisa Whittle exhorts us to become spiritual warriors ready to stand firm in any and every challenge. Brimming with passion for God and the call for all Christians to stop being lukewarm in their faith, she tells us how.  

And how do we put on our warrior boots and become, as she says, Jesus strong? We prepare ourselves, by knowing what we believe. In other words, we read the Word. Daily. That gives us the power to stand firm in our faith, even unto death. We prepare ourselves, by being ready to give our testimony to anyone and everyone. We prepare ourselves, by choosing God before all else. That means spending time with Him before family, church, careers, hobbies. We prepare ourselves, by following Him not just some days, but every day, forever. 

I’ve read a number of books on discipleship over the years. Kyle Idleman’s Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus comes closest in execution. But Kyle’s book does not pack the same punch. If you read Lisa’s book, that is full of illustrations, declarations, and marching orders, be prepared to become a warrior for God. Onward, Christian soldiers. 

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Adventures in Prayer: Praying your Way to a God You Can Trust by Sharon Connors

Adventures in Prayer ... When I bought this, I was put off at first about the subtitle: Praying Your Way to a God You Can Trust. But the truth is, our deep seated beliefs about God were formed when we were children. Often, our imaginations created God in the image of our parents or guardians. If these people could not be trusted, how could we extend the trust to God?

I read recently that trust is one of the first things we are taught, and one of the last things we learn, and especially the ability to trust God. (Taken from God Hunger, by John Kirvan.) It is so true! 

Worse than parents who can't be trusted is the image of a God who cannot be, which was often fostered by early experiences in church. 

It's no secret that the faith of many people was destroyed by churches that presented God as angry and vengeful, ever-ready to punish and cast (most of the world) into an eternity of burning Hell. 

In this book, Sharon Connors helps believers to believe in a bigger, kinder God who is the solution to our problems. She encourages people to create a prayer space in their homes and to pray regularly. She uses affirmations and releases, which feel a little too new-agey to me, but apart from that, she gives much sound advice about prayer and forging a closer relationship to God.  

Finding the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

I was glad to find this book. After stumbling upon and naively reading a book written by someone associated with the Jesus Seminar (of which I had no prior knowledge), thankfully I found this book, which addresses and refutes the Seminar's claims. 

Since reading Strobel's book, I have read the books of a good number of other pastors and scholars who also believe that the Jesus Seminar was way off base in its claims. 

If you are unaware of the Jesus Seminar, it was a group of about 150 Biblical scholars and laymen who, during the 1980s and 1990s wrote books and papers on the historical Jesus. (Note: not the Jesus of faith and Christian theology.)

When all was said and done, they refuted much of the gospels' claims about his life and sayings, reducing Jesus to basically a crackpot who was crucified, but definitely did not rise from the grave. Or that's what the book I read did. 

It was entitled, The Gospel Truth: On the Trail of the Historical Jesus by Russell Shorto. 

Who wants a God like that? I sure don't. What would be the point of being a Christian? Shorto seemed to think that people could relate better to a fully human Jesus than they could to the God-Man that traditional Christianity believes in. 

Well, that's sure not what I want from Jesus. I need him to be my redeemer, and I need to believe in the possibility of eternal life. Christ as fully God and fully man is our only hope.   

Anyway, Lee Strobel, a journalist and former atheist, examines some of the claims about Jesus through the centuries, beginning with the Gnostics. He then goes on to present a powerful case for believing in the accuracy of the Bible. He then demonstrates that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophesies. He examines the historical Jesus, who truly lived and truly died on the cross. In the final chapter, he presents a very strong case for Christ's resurrection. 

Seed to Vision: How God-Inspired Ideas Become Reality by Steve Flynn

Seed to Vision: How God-Inspired Ideas Become Reality by Steve Flynn. 

Print Length: 192 pages

• Publisher: New Hope Publishers (May 1, 2017)

What the publisher says: 

Seed to Vision is a must-read for anyone with a God-sized idea who is unsure what to do next. Peppered with personal stories, former metro-Atlanta police special unit gang officer turned boys’ home and school founder Steve Finn shares the eight key tools God uses to turn a seed of an idea into a vision and ultimately to a reality. Be inspired to see that with God nothing is impossible—the idea He gave you can become reality.

My thoughts: 

I so enjoyed learning about how God inspired Steve Flinn, who in 2016 was recognized as one of the top three leaders in the country by the John C. Maxwell Leadership Award committee. 

A nearly impossible idea that began as a seed became, after many years, Chestnut Mountain Ranch, a 225-acre school and home for troubled boys that is located in one of the poorest and highest drug use areas of the U.S.   

But the book is not solely about how Chestnut Mountain Ranch came to be. It's also an inspiring road map for any person of faith who feels he or she is being called to execute an idea, no matter how big or small, that can be accomplished only with God's oversight. And that's all of us, isn't it? 

Each of the book's eight chapters focuses on a tool that Steve used. Tools include the need to refine the idea, to gather a team, to develop patience, discipline, perseverance, wisdom and persepective.  

He gives examples about how each tool was used in scripture. Then he discusses how he applied the tool to the development of Chestnut Mountain Ranch. 

In all, it was a very inspiring book. 
I was given this book to read by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

God gives His gifts ...

Jesus: A Pilgrimmage by James Martin, S.J.

Jesus: A Pilgrimage by James Martin, SJ. Near the beginning of 2017, there were nine books I wanted to read about Jesus. My goal was to finish them all before Easter. This book was among them, but with it weighing in at a hefty 533 pages, I was tempted to save its reading until next year, beginning on Ash Wednesday and completing it during the Lenten season. 

Instead, I forged on with it as well as the other books. Though I finished the others first, it was mostly because they were shorter. This one had a unique charm that the others lacked in that Mr. Martin visited Israel and went everywhere that Jesus went. I loved "going along for the ride" to all of those places and learning so much about what is real about each one, and what is more than likely legend. 

Spending two weeks in the Holy Land, Mr. Martin visited Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River; the Sea of Galilee,; Gennesaret, Capernaum, Bethesda, Jericho, Bethany, Jerusalem, Gethsemane and Golgotha, among other places. 

Interspersed with the diary of his journey were teachings about Gospel passages that took place in the areas he visited. It opened the scriptures to me, enabling me to see Jesus' teachings in a way I wouldn't have, had I not read this lovely book. 

I caught glimpses of the historical Jesus as well as the Christ of faith. Mr. Martin's thoughts on historical Jesus scholarship (which I find disturbing) were very reassuring to me. 

So in every way, this was a wonderful book and definitely worth the extended time it took to read its 533 pages. 

Reimagining the Ignatian Examen: Fresh Ways to Pray from Your Day by Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ

Reimagining the Ignatian Examen (Kindle ...$6.34)
Reimagining the Ignatian Examen (Paper ... $6.67)

This is one of my favorite books on the practice of prayer, which brings us into direct, personal communication with God. There are many ways to pray, and some are better suited to some personalities than others.

If you tend to be contemplative, and if you love to journal your prayers, this book is definitely for you. Even if you don't journal, this book could be for you, by going through the exercises mentally only.

If you've never practiced Ignatian prayer, here's how you do it:
1. Ask God to reveal the gifts and graces (large and small) that He's given you today, if done at the end of the day. If done at the beginning, thank God for yesterday's gifts and graces.
2. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and for the Spirit to be the initiator of the prayer time.
3. Repent of difficult moments when you sinned by commission or omission, and sense God's healing and mercy washing over you.
4. With what you learned during this prayer time about yourself and your life, ask God to show you how he wants you to respond, and what He wants you to do tomorrow. Who is God calling you to be? Resolve to be that person.

In addition to this general form of prayer, Mr. Thibodeaux includes 34 daily variations on the Examen as food for thought in our spiritual growth. For example,

Where are you? What do you seek?
the Hole in the Fortress Wall
Places, Things, Activities
Choose Life
Who do You say that I am?
My Greatest Fear

Do you like to write down your prayers when conversing with God? If so, don't hesitate to buy this book. You won't be disappointed.

The Last Days of Jesus: The Forty Days between the Resurrection and the Ascention by T.V. Moore

The Last Days of Jesus by T. V. Moore.

Paperback version ($13.57)
Kindle version ($.99)

What the publisher says: 

Thomas Verner Moore (1818-1871) was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian whose commentaries on Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are still widely referred to. Here he writes practically and devotionally on the appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples between the Resurrection and the Ascension. Each encounter deals with specific a spiritual condition in one or more of his followers and these still find their parallels in the experience of Christians at all times.

My thoughts:

This is an incredible book, no exaggeration. With Pentecost coming on June 4, I challenge you to buy the book and read it (only 184 pages) between now and then. It's the only book I have run across that focuses solely on the 40 days between Jesus's resurrection and his Ascension. And, Moore does such an amazing job at it, it's no wonder that the book is still in print, though first published in 1858.

I had never given much thought to who Jesus appeared to after the resurrection, and when, and in what order. T.V. Moore's thesis makes perfect sense. God surely had a hand in inspiring Moore's thoughts. Amazing book!

In the Secret Place by Jerry Rankin

In the Secret Place : A Pilgrimage through the Psalms by Jerry Rankin

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805448810
• ISBN-13: 978-0805448818

Publisher's description: 

For years, International Mission Board president Jerry Rankin has begun each day by reading and meditating on a Psalm. “The Psalms reveal the nature and character of God,” he explains. “The graphic, picturesque language evokes images that stir our emotions and strengthen our confidence. To know that God is our rock, our shield, our fortress and our strong tower all convey an understanding we need each day.” 

In the Secret Place gathers devotions and prayers written by Rankin for each of the one-hundred-fifty chapters in the book of Psalms. Personal yet universal, they reflect an openhearted journey of faith and deepening love for God to which the reader will aspire

My thoughts: 

Of all the books of the Bible, Psalms are probably my favorite, and this is one of my favorite books on Psalms. 

Dr. Rankin shares his insights on each psalm, sometimes by relating difficult personal experiences he suffered relative to his role as president of the International Mission Board. It not only gave me insight about the Psalms, but also some knowledge about Christian missions that I would not know otherwise. Each psalm is given a 2-3 page treatment, as well as a closing prayer. 

My e-book is chock-full of highlighted passages. Psalm 63 has special meaning for me, as I was desperately seeking God at the time I was reading Dr. Rankin's book. (I am still desperately seeking God, but in a different way, no longer lying prostrate on the floor for weeks and months on end.) 

So because of my fondness for Psalm 63, I will share a quote from him on that psalm: 

The only deterrent to becoming vulnerable to sin and spiritual failure is to have a heart that is desperate for God. 

Spiritual mediocrity is sometimes more devastating that occasional lapses into sin. To live day after day, year after year, going through the motions, engaged n the perfunctory practice of prayer and Bible reading and faithfully attending church without any manifestation of God's anointing is sad, indeed. God knows our heart. There can be no pretense when we come into His presence. He discerns whether or not that passion and thirst for Him is there, and He always responds. 

Yes, God responds! 
If you are looking to become more acquainted with the Psalms, this is a good place to start. 

What is your favorite book in the Bible? Do you enjoy reading Psalms?

Releasing the Power of the Prophetic by Jeremy Lopez

Like the book I reviewed on Tuesday, this one also presented me with new things to think about. Prior to now, all of the churches I once attended held a Cessationist belief about the Gifts of the Spirit.

That is, they believed that after the original apostles died, and especially after the canon was completed, the Gifts of the Spirit also ceased, because they were no longer needed.

But there is also a Continuationist tradition, which believes all of the Gifts of the Spirit are still in effect.

Indeed, there are prophets, or those with the gift of prophesy, in the church I now attend.

According to Mr. Lopez in Releasing the Power of the Prophetic: A Practical Guide to Developing a Listening ear and Discerning Spirit, "there is a difference between those who have been anointed into the office of prophet as opposed to those with the gift of prophesy."

"Every true prophet was determined by God before the foundation of the world," he says, "whereas all believers are given all of the Gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of prophesy."

On the other hand, someone holding the prophetic office is defined by a continued manifestation of prophecies. You can desire to prophecy, but you cannot desire the office of the prophet.

"The prophet helps," Lopez says, "along with the apostle, to build up the Body of Christ. He must be devoted to the Word of God, because he cannot prophesy beyond his knowledge of God’s Word."

He must be without character flaws, spend more time in study than the average minister, and spend an enormous amount of time in prayer.

Mr. Lopez says that "we develop faith in direct correlation with the time we are willing to spend on our faces before our Father God. Prayer is also a prophetic anointing. When you can hear what He is saying, you will begin to develop your prophetic ministry. As you come to know the voice of God in prayer, the people who hear you prophesy will say, “I know this is God.”"

"Prophets, like all other ministry offices, have varying degrees of anointing. The Church has prophets who are called to local churches, cities, governments, states and nations. Whatever level of anointing a prophet may have, he or she can increase it through prayer, study and holy living. But each prophet will be called to a specific group of people that God will burn into their heart."

"Prophecy comes in different ways to different people operating under a prophetic anointing. Although all prophesy to accomplish the same goal, the methodology may vary from individual to individual. Some prophets (or people operating in the gift of prophecy) will hear words within their spirits. Some will see an image or vision that speaks into a situation. Still others will have the words printed out for them, as if printed on a screen. People who seem to be visually oriented or artistic will often see pictures. Others will see or hear words or phrases passing through their mind."


So these are a few of the ideas I took away from this book.
If you're a churchgoer, is the church you attend of the Cessasionist or the Continuationist persuasion?
If it has prophets, or people with the gift of prophecy, are you one of them?

For me, I've never felt the urge to prophecy, but hearing corporate prophesies is one of the highlights of attending church each week. I especially enjoy hearing the prophesies given over the people who are being baptized, during Wednesday evening baptismal services.

Mr. Lopez's book taught me a lot about this very interesting phenomenon, this supernatural gift within the Body of Christ.

Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God

Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God by Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB

To begin with, not being a Catholic, I wondered about the "OSB" behind Ms. Wiederkehr's name. Apparently, she is a Benedictine oblate. What is that? It means she is a monk at a Benedictine monastery, or affiliated with one. 

What is a Benedictine monastery? St. Benedict was a fifth-century saint who wrote a book of Rules that still have much to teach us today. He also founded 12 communities of monks, and even today there are Benedictine monasteries all over the world. 

In fact, last fall my husband and I visited a Benedictine monastery, St. Gertrude's in Cottonwood, Idaho, not too far from our home, which I wrote about here. 

Now that we know the briefest information about Benedictine monasteries and Benedictine oblates, let's move on to Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God. It focuses on Lectio Divina, a Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer that promotes communion with God. 

This was not my first encounter with Lectio Divina, which I love so much that I bought about a dozen books on the subject, written by authors from several different traditions within the body of Christ. (But they all borrowed the original idea from St. Benedict!)

The author of Abide, Ms. Wiederkehr notes, 

"In the monastic way of abiding with the Word, we do not read the Scripture text to obtain information. The careful reading of the text is for the purpose of opening our hearts to be formed by the Word of God. We listen to the words so carefully that even our reading becomes a prayer."

So, how does one practice Lectio Divina? 

1. We read a selected scripture portion, generally only a few verses
2. We meditate or reflect on anything that seems to have special meaning to us, especially in ways that invite us to greater spiritual maturity. 
3. Once we have reflected, we pray about what God is telling us personally and specifically through the passage. 
4. Then we abide or rest in God.

In this book, at the end of each passage, the author poses questions to think about, and then to pray about, relative to the reading. 

I bought this and the other books on Lectio Divina because of an eagerness to see which passages each author selected to meditate upon. 

God's Word is full of treasures that I could read on my own. But I love reading the passages in concert with the thoughts of others who've meditated on them, to see what they received, as well. 

The book is divided into five chapters, each with eight scripture selections for meditation. For example, here are a few of them:

Our Desire for God: Ps. 63
Come to the Water: Isa. 55
Pilgrimage to the Heart of God: Ps. 84

Do you practice Lectio Divina? Do you think it's something you might like to try? If so, pick one of the scriptures above and see what God has to say to you. 

It's a lovely spiritual discipline, a lovely method of prayer and meditation by which to deepen our relationship with God. 

Happy Mother's Day

Miracles

I love this saying by S. Parker Cadman. God is not short on producing miracles. It's my own myopic vision that doesn't see them.