The Sun Shines Brightly on The Muir House

I just finished reading Mary DeMuth's latest novel, The Muir House. She uses the symbol of the sun, almost always golden and dancing, as a metaphor of hope, even in the darkest moments. For me, the sun shone brightly thoughout the entire read. It was a five-star brightness sun.

This is the first time I have ever read a book in this genre. Kinda strange since I secretly love chick flicks (even if my wife isn't watching with me). But The Muir House is not just a chick book. It is for anybody who is searching for life, for hope, for dreams. They are always closer than we think.

I "met" Mary through Facebook and frequent her blog and newsletter. The themes there are strong in The Muir House. That's what makes this novel so good. It's personal. That was the power that came through in the words. The power of the sun came through Mary's words because they are real to her. And that's what made it real to me. Over and over I read in her blog comments about how real her words are, how the readers can identify with them through personal experience. I think you'll find yourself and some reality in The Muir House.

Now, I will pass it on first to my wife, and from there, who knows. Hopes and dreams and prayers will find the next reader who needs a little sunshine in their lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Money Saving Secrets

Book Review

Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving, Craker, Lorilee, Thomas Nelson, 2011

I live in the most densely-populated portion of the United States. One hour east of Philadelphia, two hours south of New York City, and three hours north of our Capital. Less than two hours west is Lancaster County, PA, homestead of one of our nation’s largest Amish communities. If ever one was trapped in between irrational exhuberance and old-world abundance, that would be me. You can read the same thrifty tips in the stuffy Wall Street Journal as Craker wrote in her humorous book. But Craker’s take is personal. And that’s what makes the difference. You can live nearby, read all about it, and truly believe these are great ideas – for someone else. Or, like Craker, you can take the time to become a true doer by taking a short drive across the river and spending some time with the Amish, getting to know them personally, blending into their community, and thereby coming away with a trans-cultural union that will yield the simplicity, sharing, and saving that Craker knows and writes about. It’s not just about the money and Craker gets the point across in fun, personal, and enticing ways. Enticing enough to make this densely populated reader encourage his family and other readers to give up and give in to a lifestyle not driven by driving, bugged by plodding buggies, or longing for good schmeck instead of show.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The Max is the Minimum

Unlike my last review of Alton Gansky's "Conversations With God", Max Lucado's "Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions" promised max only delivered the minimum. A cardinal rule was broken by using multiple translations to find the one which fit the best to make a point. Some Scriptures were unrecognizable even though the book, chapter, and verse were provided.

The book also tends heavily towards the God is love side though at times judgment in balance is mentioned. While this book might make you feel good, it may not necessarily make you better.

This is the very first book I have ever read by Max Lucado. I have known about him for years as a storyteller. Perhaps his fiction is better than his reality. I'll give it a try. In the meantime, I only give this book two stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Shogun'a Confuse You

I remember watching Shogun years ago, just after God saved me. I wondered why there was so much tension between the Jesuits and the Protestants who came to Japan. Then last week I read many of the posts from Christians regarding the killing of Osama bin Laden. Again that tension was there. It caused me to wonder why.

There was a period of time when I spent hours on the Christian forums, arguing back and forth about various doctrinal issues. Then one day I just stopped, tired of it all. It just felt like carnal weapons and fleshy warfare. If indeed the folks on the other side were Christians, then why were we fighting one another?

I saw godly people on both sides line up with valid Scriptures to defend their positions. How could we both be right? How could we both be wrong?

If you grew up in the sixties and seventies like I did, you remember well the frequent wars in Northern Ireland. Christians willing to go to their deaths in order to hold onto their faiths.

Or, as some have said, are we really Christians at all if we fight this way among ourselves?

Harper Lee wrote in "To Kill a Mockingbird" that the Bible in the hands of some men is more dangerous than a bottle of whiskey. I always think of that quote when I see these fights. We use the Bible as a weapon to beat one another into submission, to believe our beliefs, or else. Men will kill and be killed, certain they are righteous and right.

I no longer know what to think.

I followed the Internet Monk for a few years then recently gave up. They could not answer the question of what to do with the law even though they vehemently fight it in favor of grace. I dropped them not because of their position on grace, but because they fight to keep it, unwilling or unable to comment on the law.

I prefer to listen to "hellfire and brimstone" preachers like those found on sermonindex. I listened to a message by Ray Comfort this week called "Hell's Best Kept Secret". It made all the warfare between us Christians pale in comparison to its simple message. It was the gospel. And really, there is nothing else that matters.

At least that's what I think right now. What are your thoughts about this tough spot I'm in? Do you also wonder about what you really believe?

Man's Petty Kingdom

I had to blog this excerpt from Art Katz's sermon as heard on sermonindex.org.

“I have such a sense of sadness to see this fantastic facility, this school, these buildings, the men and families that live all about it as a cluster. To see and recognize that it is an institution and not an organism. It has all the precious potential for the expression of the kingdom if you would make but one radical apostolic shift from things institutional and the systems of man to the things that are apostolic and are the expression of his life in the community of God which is His kingdom, the Zion of God, the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem which cometh down from above where the spirits of just men are made perfect.”

A Book Review of Conversations With God by Alton Gansky

I have not read a book on apologetics since Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" back in college. I'm glad I picked up Gansky's "Conversations With God" because it is a perfect read for me as father with three young boys. The book indeed reads as easy as a conversation. These are the conversations that dad's should have with their kids. The approach is very conservative, non-confrontational, and fatherly true to the title. I felt so comfortable all the way through reading this book, as if Father was talking to me.

This is good material for future reference. A good hand-me-down for your children when they become parents. A great gift for an unsaved friend. A conversation starter. Make good use of this book. Pass it on.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

How Many Times Must a Man Walk Down This Roman Road?

Writing “Christian Mythology” was a very long process. The last five years of that effort caused something to happen to me which I can only see in hindsight now. I am just beginning to emerge from the clutches of something I did not expect.

As a writer, I never understood until now what other writers meant when they said that many times they “became” some of the characters in their books. I think of poor Heath Ledger the actor. He became the Joker and it literally killed him. The villain was so dark and lived just to see other people burn. In “Christian Mythology” I became the darkest of all that this book railed against. While I did not take on its teachings, I took on a persona just as negative, wrong, and ungodly. The strange thing is, I remember praying about this so much, asking God to show me the truth, to live the truth, and write it. I never dreamed He would do it by exposing the absolute worst in me just as I had brought to light the worst in the kingdom. This was not God’s payback. It was His mercy.

Since I finished the manuscript I have been miserable. Despair has been my constant companion. The state of God’s Bride is horrible, blemished, and stained with sin. God showed me that I am no different. I cried out to Him asking why? Why save me, why go through all this, if I am to remain a miserable wretch?

I wanted to jump right in to completing the sequel to “Christian Mythology”. While this manuscript talked all about what is wrong with the Church, its sequel “The Remnant” talks all about what is right with the Church and what we, the Bride, should be doing as a Body in these last days. I asked God to have me live this reality just as powerfully as He did with the first book. Oh if I only realized what I had asked for, perhaps I would not have been so foolish. The misery and despair only got worse.

I am convinced now more than ever of the simplicity of the gospel. The blood of Jesus afforded me two things: freedom from sin and death, and; reconciliation with God my Father. I will sum this up in just a few verses. The reconciliation part means that God redeemed me back to the relationship He wanted with His creation in the beginning. That is what Jesus prayed for in John 17. Since sin separated us in the first place, it is sin that I must now die to and stay dead to. That is my responsibility as God says throughout Romans. The indwelling Holy Spirit of salvation gave me that power. Specifically, Romans 6:11 claims this simplicity. Romans 7 declares the difficulty. Romans 8 proclaims the victory.

Go and sin no more. That is a glorious life.