The Canary by Jacqueline T. Moore

The Canary, by Jacqueline T. Moore, was mesmerizing from the first word.  Ms. Moore’s ability to develop the characters drew me into the plot and caused me to sympathize with each character's personal "plight." Her outstanding job with dialects and colloquialism was absolutely charming.  In particular, Jack's "slave talk" was particularly convincing. The Hebrew was also on the mark. I thoroughly enjoyed the interweaving of the characters and their personal stories. This book wasn’t simply a story of a widow with 5 children, but the story of a community. The "indomitable human spirit" is present throughout every detail of the plot from Myra's striving during her husband's illness and supporting her children after his death, to Flossie and C.B.'s abusive treatment, to the recovery in the aftermath of the hurricane.  Also, the time period is as I would have imagined it would be. Ms. Moore’s excellent historical research on the time period and the hurricane is apparent in this writing.  Go back in time with Ms. Moore, and feel the difficulties as well as joys of life in the late 1800's.

This book is a purchase that you will not regret.  I am eagerly awaiting more works by Jacqueline Moore.

K.D. McCrite has done it again! Chocolate-Covered Baloney: Confessions of April Grace

Expertly weaving polythematic elements, K.D. McCrite uses multiple conflicts happening in young April Grace’s life to teach the young reader about topics such as forgiveness, kindness, hospitality, friendship, and family, but especially what it means to see others the way Jesus sees them. Expect Chocolate-covered Baloney to challenge, and perhaps change, your young reader’s view of people and events in his/her young life.

From the viewpoint of middle-school aged April Grace, life has too many changes.  The changes of a baby brother, a new family in the small rural town, and being in middle school, have turned April Grace’s life upside down.  She doesn’t like it, not one little bit.  In fact, she is so weary of change that she chooses to completely tune out her pastor when he preaches on the subject.  Little does April Grace know or understand, life is full of changes; she is about to experience more change than she can imagine. 

From meeting her maternal grandmother for the first time, an argument with her best friend, and her sister running away, April witnesses how others struggle with bitterness, anger, and finally forgiveness.  Woven into these multiple conflicts is April’s curiosity and personal feelings of anger, guilt, and dislike for change.  Without being “preachy” K.D. McCrite does an excellent job weaving these conflicts together to show that Christians have problems like everyone else, but have something that others do not….grace.  The resolution of each problem yields heart changes for April Grace and for those around her.  One of my favorite parts in this book is when April’s mother admits to April that she is having difficulty with her past and the mysterious appearance of her long-absent mother.  This speaks volumes to me as a parent and reinforces that our children need to see our vulnerabilities to see us grow in our faith.  We can disciple them by allowing them to see Jesus work in us. 

My two girls, age 8 and 12 loved Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks by K.D. McCrite, and I expect Chocolate-covered Baloney to be no different.  I had to give up my Kindle for a few days while they were reading it and couldn’t pull them away.  I absolutely recommend this book to anyone with children in 3^rd grade and up.  You will not get a more spiritually instructional, Christian fiction book for this age group that they will enjoy. 

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.

Wild Grace by Max Lucado……a must read for teens!

“When God gives, he dances for joy. He strikes up the band and leads the giving parade.”  In typical Max Lucado style, the vision of a great God loving his people is passed on to the reader using metaphor that simplifies even the most difficult, unbelievable theological idea to a level of understanding.  In Wild Grace, God’s grace is defined through stories of real life ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  If that weren’t enough, Mr. Lucado’s writing style, elegantly simple and straightforward, drives each point home. 

Wild Grace is an adaptation of Max Lucado’s Grace geared toward a teen audience.  Each chapter is ended with 2-3 thought provoking application questions.  It is not as consuming as a Bible study, but is simple and clear.  An example is, “How has God given you grace lately?”

As the mother of a 12 year old girl who is spiritually mature for her age and experience, I would highly recommend this book to any teenager and plan to have my daughter read it, as well.  If you are an adult who are wearied by grandiose theological discussions, or just need an easy read to reaffirm what you already know about God’s grace, this book will be a fountain of blessing for you as well. 

In my final comments, I would like to express my thanks to Max Lucado and James Lund for this wonderful, spirit-filled book.  This book should be a resource for every parent of a teen that wants their child to have a better understanding of who God is and who we are to him.

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.

 

 

Constant Craving by Marilyn Meberg

               Marilyn Meberg’s sense of humor combined with her God given intelligence makes any of her books an interesting read.  Constant Craving is certainly no exception.  Giving the theological explanation that we all are “craving” the existence of which we have been deprived by sin, and are constantly looking for “more” as a result, is only the beginning of understanding the concept Mrs. Meberg expounds upon in this insightful book.

               Narratives of personal experiences of that “more” craving help to give the theology a real life application.  This insight into Marilyn Meberg’s personal life also gives the reader a feeling of personal familiarity with the author, a kindred spirit that understands the everyday challenges associated with this craving. 

               The book begins with a psychological explanation of why we are attracted to certain individuals and goes on to discuss the search for romantic love.  The disappointments found in romantic relationships is determined to be because of a misunderstanding of the stages of love and the constant feeling that there is “more” than what is being experienced in a relationship.  Mrs. Meberg devotes three chapters to this topic, primarily because this is an area causing more people to struggle than other areas.  Other topics discussed include:  happiness, friendship, time, God’s purpose, solitude, revenge, etc. 

               I thoroughly enjoyed Constant Craving. The writing of Marilyn Meberg finds an audience with intellectual as well as average readers. Her short narratives of personal experiences serve to explain deeper concepts in a way that is much like the way Jesus taught.  Jesus taught through parables; Mrs. Meberg teaches through stories of personal experiences.   Her sense of humor has the ability to catch the reader off guard, also rendering her teachings entertaining as well as informative.

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.

Jesus, Chick-Fil-A, and Homosexuality

Enough is enough! As the Chick-Fil-A hysteria has grown, both sides of this issue are becoming more and more inflamed.  The purpose of this writing is to encourage evangelical Christians who are taking a stand for their beliefs and to explain to Christians who are on the “side” of the LGBT community, why many evangelical Christians are taking a stand. If you are not a Christian you are still welcome to read this blog, but if you are offended in any way, just remember that I warned you.  That is not the intent; however, it could happen.

What does the Bible really say?  Comments used against the evangelicals range from the argument that Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality to Jesus’ ministry being a radical ministry of love.  So how do Christians explain what the Bible says when people interpret it differently?  Why do some Christians explain away some sections of the Bible and embrace others?  The divide within the Christian community seems to grow wider every day.  Unfortunately, there are many issues surrounding these questions that I will not be able to address here.  This verse comes to mind, and I suggest that it be prayerfully considered.  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14.  These are Jesus’ words.  I suggest to you that we Christians need to re-evaluate which road we are traveling. 

Now, on to some arguments that I have heard from both Christians and non-Christians alike.  “What about judge not?”  The verses in question are these, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Matthew 7:1-2.  To explore the meaning of this verse, one must first understand what the word “judge” means.  At least two words in the Bible are used to describe what we consolidate into the word  “judge” today - the word judge and the word discern.  Biblical history suggests that the word “judge” involves making a decision regarding guilt and pronouncing a sentence.  Discernment would be to determine, through God’s spirit, those things that are sinful or not sinful.  Throughout the Bible, believers are told to be discerning.  The apostle Paul even prayed for the believers at Philippi with the following words, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:10-11.  So are Christians “judging” when we say that the Bible indicates that all forms of fornication are wrong, including homosexuality – absolutely not! Are we “judging” when we say that people who practice a Gay lifestyle are going to hell?  Well, yes, we are.  It is only for God to judge and pronounce sentence.  That is not our calling.  (This is why even many evangelical Christians are upset about the activities of Westboro Baptist Church.)

Another argument to be addressed that is quite troublesome because it shows a lack of understanding of the roots of the church is that if Christians are going to say that homosexuality is wrong then we shouldn’t wear polycotton blends, eat shellfish, etc.  These things are referring to laws given by God, through Moses, to the Israelites in the book of Leviticus.  First and foremost, these were laws given to the Israelites.  God had several purposes behind these laws; the first is evident in Exodus 19:5, “Now if you will obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.  Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”  The definition of holy is “set apart”.  This is God promising to “set apart” the nation of Israel for himself as a “treasured possession”.  Therefore, the laws present in Leviticus are God’s covenant with Israel, not with the gentiles.  Can we explain away these laws, then?  No, because if these laws were requirements for holiness then, they should be requirements for holiness now.  So why do we Christians often times not know or obey these laws?  To understand this, one has to look at the early church and the discussion by the apostles and elders over requirements for the gentiles.  The discussion surrounded the requirement of circumcision, and radiated to other areas of life. The account of the Jerusalem council can be found in Acts 15,  but the basic outcome was this, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit not to burden you with anything beyond these requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.  You will do well to avoid these things.”  Acts 15: 28-29. 

Christians should want to be holy, but the purpose of the law is to make us realize that we simply can’t do it on our own.  We are all sinners and only through the shedding of Jesus blood and His resurrection are we imparted righteousness.  Does this mean that we can forget all of the law and do as we please?  Absolutely not!  Consider Jesus words, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  I tell you the truth until heaven and earth disappear, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”Matthew 5:17-18.  Consider also, the words of Paul – the man chosen by Christ to be the first missionary to the gentiles. “What shall we say then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?”  Romans 6:1-2.   Jesus made it clear that anyone can be forgiven, but is expected to repent.  It has often been argued that Jesus made it clear that we shouldn’t “judge” when he told the people “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  This argument tends to overlook that Jesus (who is the ultimate judge) also told her to “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11.  This command, straight from the mouth of God, indicates that we are not to continue in sin once we have been forgiven.

Now for the most confusing of all the misinterpretations that I have read regarding this topic – love.  What is love, exactly?  If you are a parent, do you allow your children to disobey, regardless of the consequences?  I would expect not.  If you are on a hike and your child wants to jump an unsafe distance, I would suspect that you would tell them “no” or stop them in order to protect them.  That is love in action.  God’s laws for our life were given out of His love for His children -a way to protect us from Satan and ourselves.  In the “Love Chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13.  We are told among other things that “love always protects”.  Love does not mean acceptance – “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 

So what about Chick-Fil-A?  Dan Cathy never said condemning words or told anyone they were going to hell.  He simply answered a question about his beliefs and said he supported Biblical marriage.  He gives money to groups who lobby congress to promote those beliefs.  So what?  We are blessed to live in a country where we can express our opinion and give money to whatever causes we want.  We can vote our beliefs.  As citizens of the U.S., we are more responsible than Christians in other countries who don’t have the freedom to vote and express their opinions.  So if you want to support Chick-Fil-A, go ahead.  If you don’t, then don’t.

In conclusion, I suggest to all Christians that we are to live holy lives under grace, attempting to abstain from sin. Praise God for his grace, since this is an impossible task!  Also, instead of vocally condemning the LGBT community in a hateful sounding fashion, love them, instruct them, and pray that God will use you to bring them to faith in Jesus.  What about professing Christians who are also practicing homosexuality?  Paul wrote difficult words for us to hear in 1 Corinthians 5:9-12.  Read these and other verses, but most of all pray!

Called to Controversy:The Unlikely Story of Moishe Rosen and the Founding of Jews for Jesus

“Christians need to recognize that it takes courage to witness to someone who just might be offended, angry, or argumentative.” These words of Moishe Rosen in  “Appendix A”  of Called to Controversy: The Unlikely Story of Moishe Rosen and the Founding of Jews for Jesus gives great insight into Moishe Rosen’s methodology of sharing the gospel with the Jewish people. Called to Controversy is not only about the life of Moishe Rosen, but about the development of the ministry that God gifted to Moishe as his life’s work.  Throughout the book, one sees Moishe Rosen’s life inextricably linked with the Jews for Jesus organization.  The line between private life and the ministry was practically nonexistent; sharing the gospel was a way of life for Moishe Rosen, as it should be for any follower of Christ.

Called to Controversy is an excellent read for those who are interested in witnessing to friends in the Jewish community.  This and my association with friends, who have found renewed meaning and zeal in their Christian faith by learning more about the practices and traditions of God’s Chosen People, were the motivators in my choice of reading/reviewing Called to Controversy.  I was not disappointed.  Learning about Moishe Rosen’s background and the thinking behind Jewish identity, certainly provides insights into how to approach Jews with the gospel message.  More than this, I was unfamiliar with “Jews for Jesus” and was educated about the mission of this ministry and the courage of the early volunteers with “Jews for Jesus”.

Ruth Rosen has created a masterful biography of her father, often written with insights from others who knew him.  These generous revelations from those who knew Moishe Rosen personally and who could attest personally to the deep and abiding love that Moishe Rosen had for the Lord and his dedication to sharing the love of Yeshua with the Jewish people, give the reader a sense of who Moishe Rosen was.  Ms. Rosen has skillfully created a work that paints her father as a real person with both strengths and weaknesses.  This is increasing rare and refreshing in a world where public figures paint a facade of perfection only to later be discovered as less than what they presented themselves.  Throughout the book, Moishe Rosen’s own words (recorded at the beginning of each chapter and within the remembrances of his friends) convey his principles, his concerns, and his unwavering dedication to sharing the gospel.  It is appropriate and exciting to find two appendices at the end of the book written by Moishe Rosen himself.  Ruth Rosen must be given credit for writing in a style that makes the reader feel as though they know Moishe Rosen personally.  Following the biography with these two appendices enhances this sense of familiarity. If Ms. Rosen’s goal was to have readers understand her father as though they had an opportunity to converse personally with him, I believe she accomplished this goal.

Finally, I must express that Called to Controversy has inspired me to find out more about “Jews for Jesus” and the work being done within the Jewish community.  I have visited the “Jews for Jesus” website, looked up videos on youtube.com, and purchased Witnessing to Jews by Moishe and Ceil Rosen.  This book has revolutionized how I view the need for witnessing to the Jewish community.  Thank you to Ruth Rosen and Thomas Nelson Publishing for writing and publishing such a tribute, not to Moishe Rosen, but to the Lord Jesus whom he served.

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.

Big Miracle - Movie Review

Ok, so I'm breaking with with my normal format of book reviews to post a movie review. 

Big Miracle is the true story of the efforts in the 1980's to free 3 whales trapped in the arctic by a wall of ice.  My comments regarding this movie are mostly geared to how parents can use this movie to provide positive spiritual education (discipleship) for their children.  Because my oldest child (age 11) has developed a recent interest in marine biology, we took her to see this movie before any viewer reviews posted.

First, let me say that this movie shows many people/businesses/government doing the "right thing for all the wrong reasons".  Unfortunately, doing the right thing for money, public relations, political gain, etc is the way of the world. Often our motives are not pure and we find ourselves trapped in this form of hypocrisy.  This is an opportunity for parents to point out to their children what the Bible says about our motives and to remind children that "The Lord looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Secondly, this movie was rated PG for language.  There were frequent occurrences of the "d word" and "hell".  Once the abbreviation "SOB" was used.  Also, once a word calling someone an illegitimate child was used.  Harder language such as the "f-word" was not used (thankfully).  I would suggest that the maturity level of your children be considered before attending this movie.  Our oldest could not believe the language and commented afterward that the movie would have been better without it.  Our youngest, who is 8, would have been much better off without this exposure.

Thirdly, I would like to point out something that seemed rather minor, but that some parents may feel the need to explain to their children.  In one scene, the baby whale, "Bam-bam" dies.  As the Greenpeace worker cries, one of the community leaders leads a prayer in his native language.  (My assumption is that this is a prayer for the spirit of the animal, such as is common among other Native American communities.) This prayer is not sub-titled and will not be an issue for most viewers, however, I felt it was worth pointing out because of our family discussion after the movie.  In addition, my youngest daughter (age 8) was upset by the death of the baby whale. 

In conclusion, while this movie has many good qualities and many opportunities for discussion with an older, more mature child, I would recommend that parents be very cautious about taking a younger child to this movie.  The language alone is a serious deterrent to viewing this movie.  While we enjoyed the movie, we will probably be using some of the real life drama to aid in our discussions about Biblical morality and the Christian worldview for weeks to come.