In her powerful new book, Linda Evans Shepherd explains how to reach out to God and ask for a miracle. She shows how God’s miracles may not come packaged in the ways we would expect, but they do come in ways that will transform our lives. This book will be a comfort to those who struggle with faith yet still dare to believe that God cares. Through solid biblical teaching and real-life stories of answered prayer, Shepherd walks with readers on a journey to renewed hope and the assurance that God still works miracles.
Hurting people want a God who is big enough to rescue them from heartache and circumstances beyond imagination. But even if they believe that such a God exists, they may have no idea how to approach him, much less how to ask him for the impossible. Shepherd will help those struggling with feelings of hopelessness to ask for a miracle from God who truly loves and cares for us.
ISLAND BREEZES
I believe all the miracles in the Bible happened. I also believe that miracles still happen today. Just not to me.
This book has changed that. I now believe that miracles can be part of my life.
I was a little late receiving this book, so have not completely finished reading it. As I continue to read through this book, I’ve become a believer.
I know God can and will work miracles in my life.
How exciting is that!
***A special thank you to Donna Hausler for providing a review copy.***
Linda Evans Shepherd is the author of over thirty books including When You Don’t Know What to Pray: How to Talk to God about Anything and When You Can’t Find God: How to Ignite the Power of His Presence, and the co-author of the popular series the Potluck Club and the Potluck Catering Club. Linda is an international speaker and media personality and is the creator of RightToTheHeart.tv and appears as a frequent host of Daystar’s Denver Celebration.
She’s the leader of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and president of the nonprofit ministry Right to the Heart, which has seen over 500,000 people come to faith. She’s married and has two children. To learn more about Linda, her speaking, and her ministries, see VisitLinda.com.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.? They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.
Available July 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Ginger Chen, Marketing Assistant, Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Vannetta Chapman has published more than 100 articles in Christian family magazines. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas Hill country. Her first two inspirational novels—A Simple Amish Christmas and Falling to Pieces—were Christian Book Distributors bestsellers.
Visit the author’s website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Amish schoolteacher Miriam King loves her students. At 26, she hasn’t yet met anyone who can convince her to give up the Plain school at Pebble Creek. Then newcomer Gabriel Yoder steps into her life, bringing his daughter, an air of mystery, and challenges Miriam has never faced before.
Product Details:
List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (July 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736946128
ISBN-13: 978-0736946124
ISLAND BREEZES
And they say females talk too much. One little lady didn’t. She didn’t talk at all.
Her new school teacher didn’t think that fact should be ignored, but Grace’s father didn’t want anyone to try to force speech upon her.
So, the school teacher and the father clashed. It took a near tragedy to change that.
Will Miriam and Gabe come to terms with what’s best for Grace? Will they figure out what’s best for them all? It looks as if they’re going to have to make some compromises. AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Pebble Creek, southwestern Wisconsin
Three years later
Miriam King glanced over the schoolroom with satisfaction.
Lessons chalked on the board.
Pencils sharpened and in the cup.
Tablets, erasers, and chalk sat on each desk.
Even the woodstove was cooperating this morning. Thank the Lord for Efram Hochstetler, who stopped by early Mondays on his way to work and started the fire. If not for him, the inside of the windows would be covered with ice when she stepped in the room.
Now, where was Esther?
As if Miriam’s thoughts could produce the girl, the back door to the schoolhouse opened and Esther burst through, bringing with her a flurry of snowflakes and a gust of the cold December wind. Her blonde hair was tucked neatly into her kapp, and the winter morning had colored her cheeks a bright red.
Esther wore a light-gray dress with a dark apron covering it. At five and a half feet and weighing no more than a hundred and twenty pounds, Miriam often had the unsettling feeling of looking into a mirror—a mirror into the past—when she looked at the young woman who taught with her at the one-room schoolhouse.
In truth, the teachers had often been mistaken for family. They were similar in temperament as well as appearance. Other than their hair, Esther could have been Miriam’s younger sister. Esther’s was the color of ripe wheat, while Miriam’s was black as coal.
Why did that so often surprise both Plain people and Englischers? If Miriam’s black hair wasn’t completely covered by her kapp, she received the oddest stares.
“Am I late?” Esther’s shoes echoed against the wooden floor as she hurried toward the front of the room. Pulling off her coat, scarf, and gloves, she dropped them on her desk.
“No, but nearly.”
“I told Joseph we had no time to check on his cattle, but he insisted.”
“Worried about the gate again?”
“Ya. I told him they wouldn’t work it loose, but he said—”
“Cows are stupid.” They uttered the words at the same time, both mimicking Joseph’s serious voice, and then broke into laughter. The laughter eased the tension from Esther’s near tardiness and set the morning back on an even keel.
“Joseph has all the makings of a fine husband and a gut provider,” Miriam said. “Once you’re married, you’ll be glad he’s so careful about the animals.”
“Ya, but when we’re married I won’t be having to leave in time to make it to school.” Esther’s cheeks reddened a bit more as she seemed to realize how the words must sound.
Why did everyone think Miriam was embarrassed that she still remained unmarried? Did it never occur to them that it was her own choice to be single?
“Efram had the room nice and warm before I even arrived,” she said gently. “And I put out your tablets.”
“Wunderbaar. I’ll write my lessons on the board, and we’ll be ready.” As Esther reached to pull chalk from her desk drawer, Miriam noticed that she froze and then stood up straighter. When she reached up and touched her kapp as if to make sure she was presentable, Miriam realized someone else was in the room.
She turned to see who had surprised the younger teacher. It was still a few minutes before classes were due to start, and few of their students arrived early.
Standing in the doorway to the schoolroom was an Amish man. Pebble Creek was a small community, technically a part of the village of Cashton. Old-timers and Plain folk alike still referred to the area where the creek went through by its historic name.
Miriam was quite sure she’d never seen the man standing in her classroom before. He was extremely tall, and she had the absurd notion he’d taken his hat off to fit through their entryway. Even standing beneath the door arch, waiting for them to speak, he seemed to barely fit. He was thin and sported a long beard, indicating he was married.
In addition to clutching his black hat, he wore a heavy winter coat, though not the type worn by most Wisconsin residents. The tops of his shoulders, his arms, and even parts of his beard were covered with snow. More important than how he looked standing in her classroom was the fact that he held the hand of a small girl.
“Gudemariye,” Miriam said, stepping forward and moving past her desk.
The man still didn’t speak, but as she drew closer, he bent and said something to the girl.
When Miriam had halved the distance between them, he returned her greeting as his somber brown eyes assessed her.
The young girl next to him had dark-brown hair like her father. It had been combed neatly and pulled back into a braid, all tucked inside her kapp. What was striking about her wasn’t her hair or her traditional Plain clothing—it was her eyes. She had the most solemn, beautiful brown eyes Miriam had ever seen on a child.
They seemed to take in everything.
Miriam noticed she clutched her father’s hand tightly with one hand and held a lunch box with the other.
“I’m the teacher of the younger grades here, grades one through four. My name is Miriam King.” The girl’s eyes widened, and the father nodded again. “Esther Schrocks teaches grades five through eight.”
He looked to the girl to see if she understood, but neither replied.
“And your daughter is—”
“Grace is eight years old, just this summer.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “I’m Gabriel Miller.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Miriam offered her best smile, which still did not seem to put the father at ease. She’d seen nervous parents before, and obviously this was one. “You must be new to our community.”
“Ya. I purchased the place on Dawson Road.”
“Dawson Road? Do you mean the Kline farm?”
“Ya.” Not quite rude, but curt and to the point.
Miriam tried to hide any concern she felt as images of Kline’s dilapidated spread popped into her mind. It was no business of hers where this family chose to live. “I know exactly where you mean. My parents live a few miles past that.”
“It’s a fair piece from here,” he noted.
“That it is. Esther and I live here at the schoolhouse during the week. The district built accommodations on the floor above, as is the custom in most of our schoolhouses here in Wisconsin. We both spend weekends at home with our families.”
“I don’t know I’ll be able to bring Grace in every day.” Gabriel Miller reached up and ran his finger under the collar of his shirt, which peeked through the gap at the top of his coat.
Miriam noticed then that it looked stiff and freshly laundered. Had he put on his Sunday best to bring his daughter to school on her first day? It said something about him if he had.
“A man has to put his farm first,” he added defensively.
“Some children live close enough that their parents can bring them in the winter, and, of course, most everyone walks when the weather permits.” Miriam paused to smile in greeting as a few students began arriving and walking around them. “Others ride together. Eli Stutzman lives past Dawson road, and he would be happy to give your dochder a ride to school.”
“It would be a help.” Mr. Miller still didn’t move, and Miriam waited, wondering what else the man needed to say.
She looked up and saw one of the older girls, Hannah, walking in the door. “Hannah, this is Grace Miller. She’s new at our school. Would you mind sitting with her and helping her this week?”
“Sure thing, Miriam.” Hannah squatted down to Grace’s level and said something to the girl Miriam couldn’t hear.
Whatever it was, Grace released her dat’s hand and took Hannah’s. She’d walked halfway down the aisle when she turned, rushed back to where they stood, and threw her arms around her father’s legs.
One squeeze and she was gone again.
Though it was fleeting, Miriam saw a look of anguish pass over the man’s face. What could be going through his mind? She’d seen many fathers leave their children for the first time over the last eight years, but something more was going on here.
“She’ll be fine, Mr. Miller. We’re a small school, and the children look after one another.”
“It’s that…” he twirled his hat in his hands once, twice, three times. “Before we moved here, Grace was…that is to say, we…well, her grossmammihomeschooled her.”
“I understand. How about if I write a note letting you know how Grace is doing? I’ll put it in her lunch box at the end of the day.”
Something like relief washed over his face.
“Danki,” he mumbled. Then he rammed his hat on his head and hurried out the door.
Esther caught her attention from the front of the room and sent a questioning look toward the man’s retreating back, but Miriam shook her head. She’d explain later, at lunch perhaps. For now they had nearly forty children between them to teach. As usual, it would be a busy morning.
Gabe did stop to talk to Eli Stutzman. He wanted to make sure he trusted the man.
It helped when three girls and a boy who were the last to climb out of the long buggy stopped to wish their father a good day. The littlest girl, probably the same age as his Gracie, wrapped her arms around her daddy’s neck, whispered something in his ear, and then tumbled down the steps into the chilly morning.
“That one is my youngest—Sadie. Always full of energy, but she’s a worrier. This morning it’s about a pup she left at home in the barn.” Covering the distance between them, the older man removed his glove and offered his right hand. “Name’s Eli Stutzman. I take it you’re new here, which must mean you bought the Kline place.”
“I am, and I did. Gabriel Miller.” Gabe stood still in the cold, wishing he could be done with this and back on his farm.
“Have children in the school?”
“One, a girl—about your youngest one’s age.”
Eli nodded, and then he seemed to choose his words carefully. “I suspect you’ll be busy putting your place in order. It will be no problem giving your dochder a ride back and forth each day.”
“I would appreciate it.”
Stutzman told him the approximate time he passed the Kline place, and Gabe promised he’d have Gracie ready at the end of the lane.
He turned to go and was headed to his own buggy when the man called out to him.
“The Kline place has been empty quite a while.”
Gabe didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced out at the surrounding fields, covered in snow and desolate looking on this Monday morning.
“If you need help, or find something that’s worse than what you expected, you holler. We help each other in Pebble Creek.”
Gabe ran his hand along the back of his neck but didn’t answer. Merely nodding, he moved on to his buggy.
He was accustomed to people offering help. Actually delivering on it? That was often another story, though he wouldn’t be judging the people here before he knew them.
Still, it was in his nature to do things on his own if at all possible.
Was his new home worse than he had expected?
Ya, it was much worse.
The barn was falling in on itself, and the house was not a lot better, but he knew carpentry. He could make them right. At least the woodstove worked. He’d been somewhat surprised to find no gas refrigerator, but he had found out who sold blocks of ice carved from the river. The icebox in the mudroom would do.
Gracie would be warm and fed. She’d have a safe place to sleep and to do the drawing she loved so much.
He didn’t think he’d be calling on Eli for help.
He’d see that Grace Ann made it to school and church—he’d promised her grossmammisas much. But other than that he wasn’t looking to make freinden in Pebble Creek. He wanted to be left alone. It was the reason he’d left their community in Indiana.
He could do without any help.
His parting words to his parents echoed back to him.
“I can do it on my own.”
As he drove the buggy toward home, Gabe looked out over high ridges and low valleys. Dairy farms dotted the snowcapped view. Running through it all was Pebble Creek, no doubt a prime place for trout fishing most of the year. He’d heard the call of wild turkeys and seen deer. It was a rich, blessed area.
Pebble Creek ran through the heart of Cashton, the closest town. It also touched the border of the school grounds and meandered through his own property. It bound them together.
As he approached home, Gabe’s mind was filled with thoughts of the day’s work ahead of him. He wondered where he’d find the energy to do it all, but somehow he would.
For Gracie he would.
His parents had offered to send his youngest brother along for the first year, but Andrew was needed on the family place. And, truthfully, Gabe preferred to be alone—just he and Grace.
“I can do it on my own.”
“Just because you candoesn’t mean you should,” his mother said. She had reminded him as he was packing their things that pride was his worst shortcoming, though the Lord knew he had many to choose from when it came to faults.
Was it pride that scraped against his heart each day? He couldn’t say.
He only knew he preferred solitude to company, especially since Hope died.
Hope.
That seemed ironic, even to him. She had been his hope, his life, his all, and now she was gone. Her death had happened so quickly—it reminded him of one of the Englisch freight trains barreling around the corner of some bend.
A big black iron thing he hadn’t seen coming. A monstrosity with the power to destroy his life.
Which wasn’t what the bishop had said, or his parents, or his brothers and sisters.
He slapped the reins and allowed his new horse, Chance, to move a bit faster over the snow-covered road. He’d left Indiana because he needed to be free of the looks of sympathy, the well-intentioned words, the interfering.
So he now had what he’d wished for—a new beginning with Grace.
If it meant days of backbreaking work, so much the better. Perhaps when he was exhausted, he would begin to sleep at night.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling, Whitaker House Press/Publicity for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Larry and Tiz Huch are founding pastors of DFW New Beginnings, a vibrant multi-cultural church in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. For over 30 years the Huchs have shared the message that God is good and His love has the power to transform, regardless of one’s past, through preaching, speaking, teaching, books, podcasts, and their weekly television outreach, New Beginnings, which airs worldwide via the Daystar TV Network. The Huchs have three children – all active in ministry—and three grandchildren.
God designed the family to be nurturing and empowering havens, but few can find time to share meals, let alone be the family God intends. In Releasing Family Blessings, Larry and Tiz Huch offer a biblical model for the family, examples from their own marriage, and wisdom gleaned from over years of counseling couples. Written in a “he said/she said” format, the Huchs candidly disclose conflicts that began for them day one as self-proclaimed “stubborn and sinful newlyweds.” Also covered are “15 Habits of Happy Couples,” how to develop positive and purposeful parenting skills, and how to transform one’s house into a haven of God’s peace.
Product Details:
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Whitaker House (July 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1603745548
ISBN-13: 978-1603745543
ISLAND BREEZES
This book isn’t just for parents. It’s for all married people. This is a “he said, she said” book, so one gets the viewpoint of both sides.
Larry and Tiz will help you see the plan that God has worked out for your life and your marriage, as well as help yor release the blessings.
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR US, HE WILL DO FOR YOU!
What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined for life—to strengthen each other in all labor, to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to be one with each other in silent, unspeakable memories?
—George Eliot
He said:
Tiz and I just celebrated our thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, praise God, and in our years of marriage and ministry together, we have learned a thing or two. Our relationship started out on a rough and rocky road, but, by the grace of God, as well as through our own personal growth, we learned how to build a strong marriage and a solid family. Today, we are happier than we have ever could have hoped to be, we’re enjoying life more than ever before, and our ministry is more fruitful than it has ever been. We also know that our best days are still ahead of us!
We share these things not to flaunt or brag, but to encourage you—what the Lord has done for us and our family, He will do for you, too! And we’re committed to helping that happen. For years, we have counseled couples and taught on breaking generational curses and releasing family blessings. We have seen hundreds of thousands of lives changed, marriages saved, and families helped and made whole by the power of God. That’s why we’re excited about this book—it’s a way to show countless more couples and families how to break the curse and unleash the blessing! Our intent is not to fill your head with teachings but to fill your heart with hope and faith that you, too, can transform your life, your marriage, and your family. Our hope is that you will view our experiences as a bridge over the rocky places of past mistakes and onto the smoothly paved Promised Land of God’s covenant blessings.
Worldly Advice Versus Biblical Wisdom
She said:
I know that most people want to be happy; to have the best marriages possible; and to raise happy, healthy children who rise up and call them blessed. Those who aren’t married yet probably hope to have a happy marriage someday. And these are some of the wonderful things God has in store for us! Yet we live in a world that gives us all kinds of alternative options. Some people say, “I have the right to do this or that,” or “I’m living in liberty. I’m just going to do what feels good.” The Bible says that there is a way that seems right to man, but it ends in destruction. (See Proverbs 14:12.) Unfortunately, secular values and worldly “morals” have bled over into the Christian faith, to a large degree. We rarely hear about anyone desiring to stay on the path, even in church. I don’t know about you, but if someone can save me from a lot of heartache, I want to hear what he has to say. I want to learn from those who have done it right and found success.
Now, Larry and I won’t claim to be experts in the realms of marriage and family. We have a great marriage and a wonderful family, true, but only because of the One who designed marriage in the first place. Our relationship is truly a living testament to the power of God. Sometimes, I just have to sit down and take a deep breath when I think about where God has brought Larry and me. We’ve proven that He can take two independent, stubborn, angry, messy people, bring them together in marriage, and create a beautiful relationship out of it. God has taken the traumas we’ve been through and turned them into a sense of compassion for others—a desire to see them through the same problems.
Even though Larry and I became Christians around the same time, our testimonies were completely unique, and our backgrounds could not have been more divergent. When we came together and tried to reconcile our differences, the process was often less than peaceful. We needed to practice forgiveness and learn some new methods of conflict resolution. In Larry’s family, “conflict resolution” was achieved through big brawls—whoever emerged with the least amount of blood on him was dubbed the victor. By contrast, in my family, we would talk things out and compromise, but whoever didn’t get his way would walk away with an attitude—one that lingered. Which is worse: a bloody brawl or a long-lingering attitude? Which one wreaks more destruction? I’m not even sure. They’re about even, in my estimation. When we got married, Larry and I both had to learn better methods—God’s methods—of resolving our differences, so that we could become one.
In addition, the Christian fellowship that we were a part of emphasized the sacrifice of self and of family for the sake of the ministry, and it took years for Larry and me to learn to put each other first. Thirty-five years later, we’re still learning how to do that. Even when we’ve been married to our soul mate for years and years, the process of two becoming one never quite ends. It’s a lifelong journey. On the path of marriage, husband and wife will either move further and further apart or move closer and closer together until they are one unit—indistinguishable from each other. The latter concept is how God intended marriage to be.
Basically, the only reason we can speak so boldly about building great marriages—the reason we can claim God’s ability to turn things around—is because we have experienced it ourselves. God has taken the traumas we’ve been through and turned them into a sense of compassion for others—a desire to see them through the same problems.
Blessings Come When We Follow God’s Plan
In order to bless us in every area, including our marriage, God has worked out a plan for us—a path that leads us to success in all aspects of life, including our relationships with our spouses. And His plan does not consist in a bunch of dos and don’ts. It’s a bunch of “get to’s” and “want to’s.” His plan, which is laid out in the Bible through the law, is really a path that leads us on the shortest route to the highest level of blessings possible. The law is meant to signify the pathway to all goodness and blessings.
When I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and became a Christian, I didn’t just decide to act differently. In my heart, God gave me a whole new set of “want to’s.” And that’s what we want to develop in our children—a desire and a heart to do what’s right, so that, when they’re older, they will do it on their own. When Larry and I first became Christians, we came out of the world and stopped acting as we had because something changed on the inside. Our desires had been transformed. Instead of denying ourselves the things we had formerly desired, we started saying, “I don’t want to do that anymore, God. I want all that You have for me, instead.” This is why, if we’re going to raise our children God’s way and follow His plan for our families, we must have the living Spirit of God in our homes.
When we say no to God and say yes to junk, we’re only hurting ourselves and shortchanging our own futures. God loves us immeasurably, and He wants only the best for us. He accepts us the way we are, but—praise God!—He loves us too much to leave us that way. How many of us became perfect the day we said yes to the Lord and accepted Him into our hearts? How many of us have been perfect in the days since then? I’m not talking about perfection. I’m talking about saying, “You know what, Lord? I blew it. I made a mistake. I gave in to temptation. But I want to move forward. I’m not going to make excuses any longer. I’m going to change, through the power of Your total restoration.”
Again, the reason Larry and I are so open about the challenges that we faced early in our marriage, with anger and fighting and immaturity, is that we want you to understand that what God did for us, He’ll do for you, too! He is a good God who changes us from glory to glory. Larry and I weren’t perfect back then, and we’re still far from perfect today. But we see where we want to go, and we’re determined to move continually in that direction.
Blessings Come When We’re Willing to Change
Jesus said that we can’t put new wine in old wineskins, or they will burst. (See Matthew 9:17.) When we give our hearts to the Lord, we become new creations. The old person is gone; a new person has been born. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17.) And we continue to grow by renewing our minds through the Word of God, day by day.
Paul sums it up well in Romans 12:2: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (nlt).
The same process must occur in a marriage relationship. When we give our hearts to our spouse, the old person is gone, making way for the birth, or formation, of a new “person”—a new couple. When husband and wife renew their minds together, their relationship grows and evolves so that it resembles more and more closely the relationship of Christ to His bride, the church. (See, for example, Ephesians 5:25–27.)
God’s will for us—His plans and purposes for our lives—are always good! He loves us with an infinite, never-ending love, and He wants the absolute best for us. We can trust Him with our eternity, and we can trust Him with our lives while we are on this earth!
Larry and I really do strive to build relationship and our family according to the Word of God. We know and we teach that the Lord is never pointing a finger of accusation at us but is always reaching out a hand to help us. If we will develop a sensitive, repentant heart and merely say, “I admit that I blew it. Forgive me, Lord, for being angry and crabby. Please make me a better person tomorrow, and please renew my mind so that I became more and more like You,” it makes a big difference.
Yet, some people just want to dig their heels in and say, “This is the way I am, and nobody’s going to change me.” The Word of God does a great job of getting past the symptoms and getting to the cause. The Bible says that the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword (see Hebrews 4:12), and it never fails to get in there and pull out the crud that interferes with our lives and adversely affects the people around us and put us on the right path—the fast track to success and fulfillment. Isn’t that good news?
Repentance is not the same as confession. Repentance is like a soul shower. I was raised in the Catholic Church. At my weekly confession, I would say, “Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned,” and then—guess what?—I would spend the week doing the same things, only to confess them again the following week. But true salvation and repentance are different. You’re not just saying, “Forgive me, Lord, for doing such and such.” You’re saying, “Forgive me, Lord, and cleanse my soul. Change me, Lord, so that I don’t go back and do the same things again. From this moment forward, I commit never to go back there again. Please give me Your strength and Your equipping to be strong and committed to moving forward into all that You have for me.”
The God we serve answers prayers like that. His anointing, or the smearing of His abilities, is not just for Sunday mornings. His anointing goes with us out the church doors and into the world. He smears us with His abilities so that, no matter the temptations and difficulties we face, His moral compass will guide us in the right direction. His strength will enable us to do the right thing and to walk it out. And this is what we want to teach to our children. It’s the Master plan, straight from the Mastermind.
A Resource for All Walks of Life
He said:
You may be a newlywed wondering how to start your marriage out on the right path. You may have been married for some time, and you desire to go from good to great. You may be in a marriage that is struggling, and you don’t know how to get past the challenges you’re facing. You may have gone through a painful divorce and are wondering if there is hope for your future. You may be facing seemingly insurmountable conflicts with your spouse or with your children. Your family might be in need of a minor tune-up or a major overhaul. Or, you may have a wonderful marriage and family, but you know others who still need some help. You may be a parent searching for a way to raise your kids in the “training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4)—whether they’re six or sixteen.
Regardless of your situation, it’s never too early to get your family going down the right path, nor is it ever too late to steer them back to that path. Our God is a God of hope, restoration, and second chances! Somebody once said that the church is like a body shop, with various wrecks in various stages of repair. Our God is in the business of taking every “wreck” of a life and completely renewing and restoring it! As He does this work in our lives, He is never pointing a finger of accusation at us. He is always reaching out a hand to help us!
No matter who you are, where you’ve been, what stage of life you’re in, or how daunting the challenges you’re facing, believe me when I say that God has a new beginning for you! With God’s help and a little coaching from Tiz and me, what might have seemed impossible is now within reach.
Get Ready for an Incredible Journey!
She said:
The object of this book is to lead you on the exciting journey of life. Whether you are single, married, divorced, or widowed—and whether or not you have children—God has established a pattern for your life, and He wants to use you to extend His mercy, grace, and healing throughout the world. It’s a lofty charge, but you’re up to the challenge!
Again, the key is to go step-by-step. Together, we will see the burdens and challenges dissolve and disappear as the blessings of God multiply in your life and family! What the Lord has done for us and for so many others, He wants to do for you. Remember that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37 niv)! Place your trust in Him as you step onto the path toward bringing in blessings and being a blessing. Whatever the enemy may have stolen from you, God is going to multiply back to you, in an exponentially greater amount. Your best days are still ahead of you!
Points to Ponder and Apply
God is the Author of everything, including marriage, and He set out a plan for success in His Word, the Holy Bible.
When we enter into marriage, we are to become a “new creation”—two individuals who are at the same time one unit.
The key to improving your marriage and family is to move one step at a time. Practice patience as God does a great work in you!
Provocative New Book Suggests Living with Less is the Secret to Having More
The American way of life pushes people to constantly strive for more–more money, more stuff, more clout. Consumerism has taken over our culture. But how much is enough? And how do we know when we have too much of a good thing? How should Christians respond to the ever-present push to buy more? In this provocative, paradigm-shifting book, Will Davis Jr. challenges readers to discover the peace that comes through contentment with what we have and compassion for those in need.
Through surprising statistics, scriptural insight and real-life stories, Enough: Finding More by Living with Less encourages readers to examine their lifestyles and reevaluate what they truly need to live happy, spiritually-fulfilled lives.?Davis shares his own journey to be content with less – less stuff, less money and unfortunately, less pizza. What he, his family and his church discovered is a deeper, fuller life that isn’t bogged down by material possessions.
“Your purpose in life isn’t to make money,” writes Davis. “If you limit your life’s purpose to acquiring wealth or living comfortably, then you’ll never have enough, and you’ll never be satisfied.”
Davis isn’t asking readers to take a vow of poverty, but to consider the Bible’s promise to those who willingly choose to live with less. “The Bible says you’ll be richer if you scale back what you have. It says your life will be fuller. You’ll have less stress, more time for the things that matter, the potential for better relationships and more joy. Bottom line: in the language of our culture, you’ll be happier.”
Davis is the founding pastor of Austin Christian Fellowship in Austin, Texas, which has increased their giving from one percent to 30 percent in the past six years with a goal of giving away 50 percent of their income. The staff practices vision-based budgeting where the staff prays about their vision of their respective ministries, and they budget accordingly. For a church with a multimillion-dollar budget, they rarely have more than $100,000 in the bank, and often it’s significantly less.
ISLAND BREEZES
I’ve been yearning for a simpler lifestyle, but have been foundering when it comes to attaining it. A little over a year ago I decided to get rid of at least one thing every day.
Do you know how easily that can go from six books to one empty vitamin bottle just so I could say I got rid of something that day?
I don’t want to live with all this stuff in my house, but didn’t really have a clue as to how to separate myself from it.
That’s where this book come in. It all boils down to changing my thought processes. God has been using this book to open my eyes. When I really looked around what I thought was my enough, it turned out to be much more than enough.
Now I’m seeing ways to bless others with stuff I thought I needed. I just keep seeing more and more ways to turn all this stuff to enough rather than more than enough. Heading towards this simpler lifestyle is so freeing. It’s bringing much more peace into my life.
Do yourself a favor and use this book to find out what really is enough.
***A special thank you to Donna Hausler for providing a book for review.***
Will Davis Jr. is the author of?Pray Big,?Pray Big for Your Marriage,?Pray Big for Your Child,?Why Faith Makes Sense and?10 Things Jesus Never Said. He is the founding and senior pastor of Austin Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational church in Austin, Texas. He An avid hiker, mountain-biker and water-skier, Davis and his wife, Susie, have three children and live in Austin, Texas. For more information about Will and his blog, visit http://willdavisjr.com and follow him at @willdavisjr.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books for everyday life.? For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.
Available July 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Bestselling author Ann Gabhart, most known for her critically acclaimed Shaker fiction, pours her personal experience and story-telling ability into The Gifted (July 2012). Set in 1849 Kentucky, this stand-alone novel follows Jessamine Brady who loves her Shaker brothers and sisters, but longs for life and love in the outside world.
Jessamine has been in the Shaker Village for half her life, but in spite of how she loves her sisters there, she struggles to conform to the strict rules. Instead she entertains dreams of the world outside. When Tristan Cooper seems to step out of those dreams to entice her into the forbidden realm beyond the Shaker Village, her life turns upside down. Will Jessamine be able to survive the storms of the world? Or will she retreat back to the peace of Harmony Hill?
The thousands of loyal fans of Gabhart’s Shaker novels will love this entrancing story of learning to trust the gifts God gives us and let him guide us through life.
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I always enjoy Ann H. Gabhart’s Shaker books , and this one is no exception. These books just seem to gt better and better.
Jessamine really tries, but she just doesn’t fit the mold. She became part of the Shaker community as a young girl, and just don’t let go of the memories of her life outside.
Her gift with words and the creating of stories just doesn’t belong as part of a Shaker’s life, but it’s part of who she is.
When she finds an injured young man in the woods, she manages to get him back to the Shakers who tend his injuries. At the same time she becomes drawn to him and through him, the outside world.
Through a quirk of fate, Jessamine is thrown into that outside world. She encounters difficulties conforming to that world. In the end she must decide to remain or return to the Shakers as she watches the man she loves commit himself to another.
Get those tissues ready.
***A special thanks to Donna Hausler for providing a review copy.***
Ann H. Gabhart?is the bestselling author of several novels, including?Angel Sister,?The Outsider,?The Believer,?The Seeker and?The Blessed. She lives with her husband a mile from where she was born in Kentucky.
Available July 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Saloma at About Amish is giving away a copy of her book, Why I Left the Amish, and one of her husband David’s handcrafted bookmarks. You have a choice of woods, and they’re all beautiful.
The drawing will be on Thursday, July 12. Hurry on over.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Susan Otis, Creative Resources, Inc. for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joel Richardson is an internationally recognized expert of biblical prophecy, the Middle East, and Islam, a human rights activist, and lecturer who has been involved in outreach and ministry to Muslims and Christian/Muslim interfaith dialogue since 1994. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling The Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth About the Real Nature of the Beast, co-editor of Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out, and co-author with Walid Shoebat of God’s War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible.
Mideast Beast completes and establishes the revolutionary argument introduced in Joel Richardson’s New York Times bestselling The Islamic Antichrist, namely that the Antichrist will be a Muslim, whose empire will arise out of the Middle East.
Whereas most students of the Bible have long held that some form of humanism or universalist religion would catapult the Antichrist to world power, Mideast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist systematically proves that the long awaited system of the Antichrist is even now before us and knocking at our door – virtually unnoticed by the church.
Through a scholarly and theologically grounded, yet simple presentation, Richardson thoroughly corrects the objections of critics, establishing beyond a doubt the biblical case for an Islamic Antichrist.
With Large segments of the Christian missionary movement embracing a heretical method our outreach to Muslims, Mideast Beast cuts to the core of the matter, revealing the true nature of origins of Islam.
Product Details:
List Price: $25.95
Hardcover: 283 pages
Publisher: WND Books (July 5, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936488531
ISBN-13: 978-1936488537
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This book has turned a lot of what I’ve been taught on it’s head. It also shows that biblical prophecy is not as difficult at most people think. It boils down to context.
It is illogical of us to presume a Western viewpoint on Middle Eastern events. Scripture was written by a Middle Eastern people and , therefore, needs to be read as such.
I’m still working on this book. It’s not the sort of book one zips through in a few hours. This book is totally engaging my mind.
I’m truly enjoying reading this book. It is like being back in Bible college. I don’t mean that it’s overly scholarly, but that it makes me use my Bible along with it. It makes me think.
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
P R E F A C E
ON 2006, MY FIR ST BOOK was published as Antichrist:tIslam’stAwaitedt Messiah, but later republished as ThetIslamictAntichrist. On the sur- face, the book was a comparison of Islamic and biblical eschatology
(the study of the end-times), but in spirit, it was also my best attempt to blow a trumpet and sound an alarm. I am firmly convinced that Islam is the single greatest challenge that the Church will face before the return of Jesus, yet most are still either asleep or in denial. IslamictAntichrist was my sincere and deeply heartfelt effort to awaken the believing community from its slumber regarding the looming challenge and relevance of Islam as well as its premier role in the last days. And beyond this, the book was a call to action; to imitate Jesus, embrace the cross, and fearlessly give ourselves to the Muslim world, so as to perhaps snatch a few from the fire.
IslamictAntichrist set the basic biblical end-time narrative side by side with the Islamic vision of the end-times. The resultant picture brings to light the shocking reality that as a religious system, Islam is anti-Christ to its very core. Islam’s basic doctrines represent a direct frontal attack against Christianity, declaring many of those doctrines that the Bible sets forth as holy, foundational, and essential to be the greatest abominations and blasphemies imaginable. Whereas the Christian faith is founded upon the belief that God Himself became a man in Jesus the Messiah, Islam declares in its Qur’an that anyone who believes in the Incarnation com-
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mitsthe worst form of blasphemy imaginable, is cursed by Allah, and will suffer “a grievous penalty” in this life and in the next. Beyond this, Islam’s end-times narrative, in so many ways, is simply the biblical end-time story flipped on its head. While the whole book cannot be summarized here, just a couple of brief examples should paint a sufficient picture.
First, the biblical descriptions regarding the coming of Jesus the Jewish Messiah bear many striking resemblances to the coming Antichrist of Islam, whom Muslims refer to as the al-maseehtal-dajjaal (the counterfeit Messiah). Second, the Bible’s Antichrist bears numerous striking com- monalities with the primary messiah figure of Islam, who Muslims call the Mahdi. In other words, our Messiah is their antichrist and our Antichrist is their messiah. Even more shocking to many readers was the revelation that Islam teaches that when Jesus returns, He will come back as a Muslim prophet whose primary mission will be to abolish Christianity. It’s difficult for any Bible believer to read of these things without becoming acutely aware of the satanic origins of the Islamic religion.
In 2008, I also had the opportunity to coauthor another book on the same subject with Walid Shoebat, a former operative for the Palestine Liberation Organization. This book, entitled God’stWartontTerror, is an almost encyclopedic discussion of the role of Islam in the last days, as well as a chronicle of Walid’sjourney from a young Palestinian Muslim with a deep hatred for the Jews, to a Christian man who spends his life standing with the Jewish people and proclaiming the truth concerning the dangers of radical Islam.
Together these two books have become the cornerstone of what has developed into a popular eschatological revolution. Today, I receive a steady stream of e-mails and reports from individuals expressing how much these books have affected them and transformed their understanding of the end-times. Students, pastors, and even reputable scholars have expressed that they have abandoned the popular notion that the Anti- christ, his empire, and his religion will emerge out of Europe or a revived Roman Empire. Instead they have come to recognize the simple fact that the Bible emphatically and repeatedly points us to the Middle East as the launchpad and epicenter of the emerging empire of the Antichrist and his religion. Many testify that although they have been students of Bible prophecy for many years, never before had anything made so much sense,
P r e f a c e
or the prophecies of the Bible become so clear. And even more important, some have even written to share that they’ve become believers or recom- mitted their lives to Jesus as a result of reading these books. Hallelujah!
Others, however, express that while the thesis presented in Islamict Antichrist and God’stWartontTerror makes a great deal of sense, they still have many unanswered questions. The purpose of this book is to set forth
a scholarly, yet popularized, succinct presentation of the Islamic Antichrist theory based on the most relevant passages of Scripture. If there is even a chance that Islam is, in fact, the primary subject of the Bible’s many antichristic prophecies, the possibility alone should be enough to merit serious consideration of the relevant texts.
I want to state at the outset that this book’s purpose is not to debate what many might feel is irrelevant or even morbid end-time trivia. Many may ask why it even matters if the Antichristwill emerge from Europe or the Middle East, whether he will be a humanist or a Muslim. The fact of the matter is that the practical implications of the many subjects discussed in this book are profound. If, in fact, Islam is the religion of the Antichrist, the significance is earth-shattering. As much of the Church today, including large segments of the missions movement, increasingly embraces an approach toward reaching Muslims that flirts with syncretism and outright heresy (I am referring to what has become known as the “Insider Movement”), it is imperative that followers of Jesus determine exactly where they stand concerning the origins and nature of Islam. As we strive to love Muslims, must we also love Islam? Or is it possible to passionately care for Muslims, while hating Islam? Is Islam a faith system that can create a genuine relationship with God, or is it purely a soul- destroying ideology? Can one be both a Muslim and a follower of Jesus, as many evangelical missiologists claim? Are the Allah of the Qur’an and the God of the Bible one and the same? And what about Israel and the Jewish people? Fierce anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are now spreading from the Muslim world into the Christian Church; what did the prophets say about these things? Where is a disciple of Jesus seeking to love both Mus- lims and Jews to stand on these matters? What about the “Arab Spring”? Does the Bible inform us as to where this sudden and drastic change in the Muslim world is heading? Further, while numerous demographic models inform us that Islam will soon emerge as the world’s largest religion, many
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within the Christian Church believe and teach that most of the Islamic world (and Russia) will soon be destroyed in a series of prophesied battles, resulting in the religion of Islam virtually disappearing from the earth. But does the Bible really teach this? How we answer these questions and what we believe about these things will drastically affect our approach toward prayer, intercession, evangelism, and missions. These are not questions that the Church can afford to get wrong. Carefully searching the Scriptures so as to answer these questions accurately is absolutely essential. This is why this book was written. While this study will certainly answer many questions concerning the end-times, it is far from irrelevant or morbid eschatologicaltrivia. As the Church seeks to plot its way forward into the ever-changing world, it is essential for the Church to grasp the truths brought forward in this study.
I also appeal to you to approach this book prayerfully. I have written the book prayerfully and I ask you to talk to the LORD as you read it. There are few subjects that are as serious and pressing as that discussed here. As we study the subject of the end-times, we must do so in a spirit of prayer. Across the body of Christ, throughout the earth, many believe this is the generation that will live to see Jesus’ return. So then does this generation have a greater duty to become a community of prayer dedi- cated to loving one another? “The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. [nasb] Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:7-8).
This very well may be the generation that has inherited both the mas- sive opportunity and the immense responsibility that was spoken of by the prophet Daniel: “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).
Daniel saw a glimpse of it–but many reading this book may very well be among those who will actually live it. I appeal to you to seize this opportunity with everything you have. The urgency of the hour demands no less.
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FAR TOO M ANY CHR ISTIANS believe the subject of the end-times to be an insurmountable mountain far too high and complicated to climb. As a result, many simply entrust their beliefs regarding
the end-times to their pastor or various “prophecy experts.” Certainly the Lord has given some to function as teachers within the body of Christ to help guide fellow believers into a proper understanding of the more complicated aspects of God’s Word, but in no way does this excuse any believer from responsibility to search these things out in the Bible for him- or herself. One of the best things any teacher can do is equip his or her students with the tools necessary to study and understand the Bible on their own. That is the purpose of this chapter: to equip both the student and the seasoned teacher alike with some very clear, simple, and easy-to-follow principles to simplify the Bible’s message concerning the end-times and make them available to all. The false belief that the subject of the end-times is beyond the ability of the average Christian to understand must be shattered. After grasping the principles explained in this chapter, many who once felt intimidated by the subject of the end-times will be confident that eschatology is not a subject beyond their ability to understand. The following seven principles represent the approach to understanding biblical prophecy that we will take throughout the remainder of this book.
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R U L E #1: K E E P F I R S T T H I N G S F I R S T
Shortly after graduating from high school, just after becoming a believer, I worked as a house framer for a year. To build a house, one must begin by laying a proper and solid foundation. How and where one begins always affects the end result. This is true whether we are dealing with a house or theology. A bad or weak foundation will cause the end result to be unstable, faulty, or potentially even dangerous. In home building, if one were to begin by building the roof and then worked backward to the foundation, he would end up with some serious problems. Yet this is precisely what some actually do when they are trying to build
a solid biblical eschatology; they decide that they want to understand what the Bible says about the end-times and then they turn right to the book of Revelation, the very last book of the Bible! Now, please don’t get me wrong; the book of Revelation, is crucial to understand when studying God’s plan for the ages. But it is not where we start. Revelation is predicated on a wealth of previously revealed prophetic knowledge found in numerous passages throughout the Old and New Testaments. Perhaps more than any other book in the New Testament, Revelation is jam-packed with direct quotes, allusions, and even more subtle echoes of dozens upon dozens of biblical passages.
Imagine going to a symphony. During the performance, you hear stringed instruments, drums, woodwinds, but it is not until the grand finale that all of these instruments come to one amazing crescendo. This is what Revelation is; it is the grand prophetic-symphonic crescendo composed of many other prophecies found throughout the Bible. But as beautiful as grand crescendos may be, they do come last for a reason. Before we can expect to understand what Revelation is trying to tell us, we must first understand what the passages upon which it is built are saying. The Bible is an unfolding story. And if we seek to properly understand the story the Bible is telling, we must begin at the beginning of the book, approaching the story as it was written, as it unfolds and expands. This is all just simple common sense.
So the first rule to follow when we desire to understand what the Bible says about the end-times is: Start with what comes first. We begin with the foundation–at the beginning. This couldn’t be much simpler.
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In terms of Bible study, this means that we begin with the Torah, the first five books of Moses, and move forward from there.
R U L E #2: K E E P I T S I M P L E
Besides being the last book in the Bible, there are other reasons not to begin with the book of Revelation. Revelation is perhaps the most sym- bolic and apocalyptic book in the whole Bible. When we begin trying to understand what the Bible says about the end-times, we do not begin with the most allegorical passages. Neither do we start with passages that are tricky, hard to interpret, or confusing. Instead, we should begin with what is literal, direct, and easy to understand. So not only do we not start with Revelation; we also do not start with Daniel or Ezekiel. While both of these books come far before Revelation, they are also both very figurative, filled with dreams, visions, and much symbolism. So while Daniel and Ezekiel are essential to understand if we are to accurately grasp the Bible’s message concerning the end-times, like Revelation, these are not the books we should begin with. There are numerous other essential passages that must be examined first. Not only are they older than Daniel and Ezekiel, but they are also clearer and easier to understand.
So our second rule is that we should begin with that which contains the least measure of confusing, questionable, debatable, or hard-to- understand elements.
R U L E #3 : B U I L D D O C T R I N E O N T H E F U L L C O U N S E L O F S C R I P T U R E
Many years ago, when I first become a believer, I lived just south of Boston. I was nineteen, and understandably, because of my conversion and radicallife change, most of my friends no longer wanted to spend time with me. As if overnight, I had become an extremely vocal and evangelistic Christian. As such, I spent many Saturdays walking around Boston, seeking willing listeners with whom I could share my faith. In those days, one of Boston’s largest semi-cultic groups was the Boston Church of Christ, sometimes referred to as “the Boston Movement,” founded by Thomas “Kip” McKean. I used to run into disciples of this group quite often. One of the distinguishing beliefs of this group is that
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it is the actual act of baptism that saves a person. According to them, without water-immersion baptism, one absolutely cannot be saved. To establish this point, they would always turn to Acts 2:38, which reads, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins’” (nkjv). Being
a zealous new believer, and a Berean as well, I began to examine the Bible to see what it said about the means whereby we are saved. I found seventy-two verses, from Genesis to Revelation, that state very clearly that it is our faith in Jesus and what He accomplished for us on the cross that saves us. What I found revealed that when we believe these things with sincere and repentant hearts, we are indeed baptized and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:5 says, “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (nkjv). Ephesians 1:13-14 also states, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (nkjv).
The promise, of course, is of the future completion of our salvation when our bodies are resurrected and glorified. Water baptism is merely on outward sign of the inward reality that has already taken place when we believed and were baptized by the Holy Spirit. So, let me ask: in light of the seventy-two verses on one hand that say that we are saved by faith, and the one verse on the other hand that is used to claim that it is the act of baptism that saves us, scripturally speaking, which position is built on a more solid footing? Obviously the weight of the Scriptures tell us that it is faith that saves us, and water baptism is the first essential act of obedience after we have come to faith.
The point in telling this story is to remind us not to develop theories, positions, or doctrines based on select, limited, or isolated passages, while ignoring the wealth of other passages that speak to any particular issue. Whatever position we arrive at, it must conform to the full counsel of Scrip- ture. Our position must be able to bring together all of the numerous and relevant passages throughout the Bible, revealing a consistent story. It is both dangerous and irresponsible to base any doctrine or idea on one or even a few isolated passages. But when we see a theme that is repeated numerous times
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throughout the Bible, over and over, then we know that we are building on a foundation of consistency. So the third rule is to build on themes that are repeated and consistent. Build doctrine on the full counsel of Scripture.
R U L E #4 : R E M E M B E R , C O N T E X T, C O N T E X T, C O N T E X T
Ask any Realtor what the key to home sales is, and he or she will say, “Location, location, location.” Likewise, anyone who has spent three days in Bible school or seminary will tell you that the cardinal rule of respon- sibly interpreting Scripture is context, context, context. Perhaps one of the easiest mistakes to make when trying to understand Bible prophecy is failing to take into consideration the larger context of the Bible. Ameri- cans in particular are infamous for being self-centered with regard to our view of the world, and as such, it is we who are most likely to make this common error. Because of America’s relative geographic isolation as well
as our exalted role in the earth in recent history, we may even have some legitimate reason for our lack of awareness of the world around us. But when attempting to interpret and understand Bible prophecy, such a self- focused attitude is highly detrimental. Let me explain.
Today, the Church in the United States, and the West in general, is contending with various issues, such as moral and cultural relativism, secular humanism, Darwinism, religious pluralism, and intellectual atheism. The list could go on and on. All of these anti-Christian ideas and worldviews seem to be increasing their hold on Western culture and society. So the Western Church lives in an atmosphere where the television shows, movies, and media to which we are exposed continu- ally send us messages that conflict with a biblical worldview. Likewise, if our children attend public school or a secular university, the teachers and students alike aggressively espouse one or all of these anti-Christian worldviews. The result is that Western believers tend to imagine that the same spirit of the age we are contending with here is also being contended with in every other part of the world. As we rightly discern the demonic powers behind many of these ideas that are daily assaulting our families and our faith, many assume that this prevailing spirit is in fact the premier spirit of the Antichrist. Many imagine the Antichrist to be a leader of a global world religion that welcomes everyone, except
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true Christians, of course. Because Western culture is the only world that most Westerners know, as we turn to the Bible and read the end- time prophetic passages, many make the mistake of reading their own worldview and personal experiences into its pages. The problem with this, of course, is that the Bible is and always has been a thoroughly Jerusalem-, Israel-, and Middle Eastern-centric book. As we will see, biblical prophecy tells a very Jerusalem-centered story. Jerusalem is the city around which the entire story of the return of Jesus revolves. This is the city from which Jesus will literally rule the earth after His return. This fact must not be missed.
So if one is living in Jerusalem today, while the ideas that flood Western society are present, the primary demonic spirit that is threatening to destroy the Jews and Christians, the people of God, is not religious pluralism or intellectual atheism; it is Islam, through and through. In the United States, the spirit of Islam is less significant; thus it is easier for Americans to be slow to grasp this point. But when we look to Israel, the epicenter of the geographic context of the Bible, it is easy to see that the spirit dominating the entire region is not universalism or new age religion, but Islam. Extending several hundred to thousands of miles around Jeru- salem, Islam controls the Middle East, Northern Africa, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Israel sits in the center of this ocean of hatred.
So as we approach the Bible to understand what it is saying with regard to the end-times, the fourth rule is that we must take into consid- eration its proper context. We must be cautious not to read a Western worldview–a foreigntcontext–into the pages of this Eastern book called the Bible. We must never forget its Middle Eastern-/Israel-centric context. The Bible was not written primarily for Americans or Westerners. The Bible is a Jewish book with a Middle Eastern emphasis and worldview.
R U L E #5: D O N O T R E A D P R O P H E T I C L I T E R AT U R E A S I F I T I S A T E C H N I C A L M A N U A L
This rule piggybacks on the previous rule. It says that Westerners must acknowledge that most prophecies in the Bible are written as ancient Hebrew prophetic poetry or apocalyptic literature. Western Bible students should familiarize themselves with the characteristics of these types of
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literature and the many literary devices they utilize. This includes things such as Hebrew idioms, hyperbole, and the dual fulfillment of so many prophetic passages. Because much of the West’s cultural and intellectual roots are found in the Enlightenment, we have particular ways of thinking, reasoning, and viewing things that are often in conflict with the manner in which the Bible is written.
I was once speaking at a conference and explained that reading the Bible literally sometimes means that we do not take things in a hyper- literal fashion. Sometimes reading poetry in a hyper-literal or technically literal fashion can lead to all sorts of problems and misinterpretations. Sure enough, after I spoke, a somewhat confrontational man met me at the front of the church. “I read the Bible literally, period,” he said, inferring of course, that I was encouraging a nonliteralor slightly liberal interpretive method. Feeling a bit feisty, I opened my Bible to Isaiah 60, a passage that speaks of the blessings that will come to the Jewish people during the messianic kingdom. “So you take the Bible literally, no matter what?” I asked as I handed him my Bible, pointed to verse 16, and asked him to read it aloud: “You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles, and milk the breast of kings; you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Not wanting to admit that reading this verse literally would have some rather embarrassing implications, he said that he would need to study “this one” a bit further. But I believe he understood my point. I hold to a literal interpretive method, but I read prophetic poetry as prophetic poetry, historical narrative as historical narrative, proverbs as proverbs, etc. These things all speak of very literal realities, but they rep- resent different types of literature and use varied expressions to convey these realities, each with its own rules and characteristics. So when we are reading Hebrew apocalyptic literature or prophetic poetry, we do not read this material as if we are reading an owner’s manual for a Toyota
Tundra. For further exploration of this issue, I highly recommend a very simple book, HowttotReadtthetBibletfortAlltItstWorth, by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.
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R U L E # 6 : R E C O G N I Z E T H E U LT I M AT E E M P H A S I S , T H E B I G S T O R Y O F B I B L I C A L P R O P H E C Y
Understanding the general nature of biblical prophecy is not nearly as difficult as many Western interpreters have sometimes made it. While nearly every prophecy has historical application in either the immediate or near future of the prophets, the ultimate burden of all biblical prophecy is the coming of the Messiah, the Day of the Lord (God’s judgment on the earth), and the messianic kingdom to follow. While each prophet was most often first speaking either to the circumstances of his day and age or to events in the near future, the primary burden of the entire Bible, of every prophet and apostle, is the coming of Jesus and the establishment of His kingdom rule over the earth. As such, one can rightly say that biblical prophecy is first and foremost Messiah-centric. It is ultimately about Jesus.
Of course, in highlighting the Messiah-centricityof Scripture, one must acknowledge both the first and the second coming of Jesus. Modern Christians most often major in the prophecies that point to the first coming of Jesus, and minor in the prophecies that speak of His second coming. The fact of the matter, however, is that the primary emphasis of Scripture is the second coming. Far more prophecies address the second coming than the first. So the three primary emphases of biblical prophecy are:
* the immediate historical context of the prophets’ era,
* the first coming of Jesus, and
* the second coming of Jesus/the Day of the Lord.
But here is the problem: One of the characteristics of Western thought is that we like to organize and classify things into neat categories. Westerners like to systematize everything, including our theology. We may even attempt to dissect the living Word of God as if it is a frog in a high school science lab. As such, when attempting to interpret the Bible, we often attempt to define each verse or passage as if it is speaking of either the historical or the future fulfillment as if it must be one or the other. But we need to understand that the Bible is an Eastern book and was not written with a Western mind-set. And so, almost as if to drive
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Westerners crazy, we frequently find in the Scriptures an intermingling of the historical and the future into one seamless passage. Consider, for example, the following classic passage:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7 nkjv)
This passage speaks as if the primary purpose of this Child, this Son, is to vindicate Israel over and against her enemies. Consider what the Child brings about: Israel’s boundaries will be expanded; the yoke that burdens the Jewish people will be shattered; warriors’ boots and blood will be things of the past. This Child will bring in everlasting peace. Yet the Child has come, but the remainder of the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. Israel is still oppressed. Wars continue. Within this passage there is a two-thousand-year pause or gap. Yet a face-value reading of this passage gives no real indication of this. In one seamless passage, we have both the historical (the Child was born) and the future fulfillment (He will rule, shatter the rod of oppression, and bring in everlasting peace). As much as we in the West like to approach a passage and divide it up into neat categories of historical or future, oftentimes both elements are intertwined. Sometimes a passage may be partially historical with shadows of futuristic prophecies. Other times, a prophet may be speaking almost entirely of the future with only a slight shade of historical emphasis. Still other times, a passage may be entirely futuristic or historical. How then are we to understand such passages? The answer lies in understanding the big story that all of the prophets were telling and identifying the commonly repeated themes that make up this big story. Let me explain.
Most have heard the saying “Don’t miss the forest for the trees.” The point of the saying is to warn against becoming so caught up in the many intricacies or details (trees) of any subject that you miss the bigger picture (the forest). Perhaps nowhere is this warning more appropriate than with regard to the study of biblical prophecy. When studying the
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Bible’s many end-time passages, it’s very easy to become so engrossed in one particular passage that the larger story is missed. I’ve watched both students and teachers make this mistake dozens upon dozens of times. But this error is easy to avoid. Before running with any one passage, we must first solidly grasp the larger, overarching, ultimate story being conveyed throughout the many prophecies of the Bible. Thankfully, this is not dif- ficult. The wonderful thing about the Bible is that it tells the same story over and over again in numerous ways. Whenever a theme is important, it will be repeated multiple times throughout the Bible. When something is important from a prophetic perspective, the Bible will make that point abundantly clear by reiterating it dozens of times in a number of passages. It is through taking note of the commonly repeated themes that one is able to grasp the “big picture” of biblical prophecy.
Repeating what was said earlier, while every prophet was speaking either to the immediate circumstances of his day or the near future, the ultimate burden of all biblicalprophecy is the coming of the Messiah, the Day of the Lord, and the messianic kingdom to follow. The coming of Jesus and the establishment of His kingdom is the big story that all of the prophets were telling. This is the emphasis of the entire Bible. In the next chapter, we will briefly survey some of the most important prophetic passages regarding the Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus. For the purpose of this study, we will consider the specific nations against which Jesus executes judgment when He returns. What we will see is that over and over, the same general story is being told. While numerous subthemes could be highlighted so as to expand this basic picture, the four primary themes that will emerge are clear:
* In the last days, the Antichrist, his empire, and his armies will arise from out of what today are the Muslim majority nations of the Middle East and North Africa.
* These nations will form a coalition, union, or alliance and invade the nation of Israel. Severe persecution of Jews and Christians will be a global pandemic.
* After a short but extremely terrible season of victory by the
Antichrist and his armies, Jesus will return from heaven to deliver the
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surviving Jewish people, many of whom will have been taken captive by the conquering invaders.
* The righteous dead will awaken and, together with the living saints, be “caught up” in the air, where they will instantly receive eternal life in their glorified resurrection bodies.
* Jesus will destroy the Antichrist and his armies and establish His messianic kingdom over the earth from Jerusalem.
While there are certainly numerous other details that we could unfold, as we will see, it is these four larger themes that are repeated most fre- quently throughout the Prophets. When trying to understand the biblical prophets, it is through understanding the big story concerning the coming Day of the Lord and the kingdom to follow that many formerly confusing passages throughout the Prophets will suddenly make sense. While they were all speaking to the events of their day or near future, they are all ulti- mately telling the same big story and pointing to the same glorious future.
R U L E # 7: U N D E R S TA N D T H AT W H E N G O D A L M I G H T Y I S P O R T R AY E D A S B E I N G P H Y S I C A L LY P R E S E N T O N T H E E A R T H , I T I S G O D T H E
S O N ( J E S U S ).
This finalrule is more of an observation, but it is essential to grasp if we are to properly understand numerous passages throughout the Prophets that speak of the return of the Messiah and the Day of the Lord: when God is portrayed as being physically on the earth, it is usually either a historical, pre-incarnate appearance of God the Son or a prophetic por- trayalof Jesus the Messiah at the time of His return. Many Christians miss this fact because they are confused regarding the nature of the Trinity. Often, when the individual being described is referenced as God, or with the sacred name Yahweh, most often translated as “Lord,” many simply assume this is God the Father. But throughout the Bible, God the Father does not come down to the earth until the very end (Revelation 21-22).
God has appeared to men and women at various times. Consider just a couple of examples:
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Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the- God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13 nkjv)
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” (Genesis 32:30)
But despite these and other appearances of God throughout the Old Testament, the apostle John made it clear that no one has ever seen God the Father, except God the Son:
“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” (John 1:18 nkjv)
“Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.” (John 6:45-46 nkjv)
The apostle Paul also made it clear that God the Father has never been seen:
I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things . . . He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:13-16 nkjv)
Yet throughout the prophets, there are numerous passages that speak of God being present on the earth. While several passages could be cited, consider the following:
Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. (Exodus 24:9-11 nkjv)
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While numerous individuals and groups of people saw God histori- cally throughout the Bible, all of these passages must be understood as pre-incarnate appearances of God the Son. So also when we see God physically present in the context of future prophecy, should we understand these references to “God” or “Lord” as references to Jesus after His return. Consider for example the passage in Zechariah:
For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rif led, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. (14:2-4 nkjv)
Here Yahweh, the Lord, is seen to physically stand on the mountain. He is described as fighting against the armies of gentile nations. This is clearly a messianic prophecy concerning the day when Jesus the Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives as He executes judgment against those nations that come against Jerusalem.
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In conclusion, let’s summarize the rules of interpretation that we’ve discussed in this chapter. By following and applying these simple rules, anyone can find biblical prophecy far more approachable and easy to understand:
* RULE #1: Begin with what comes first, nottwhat comes last.
* RULE #2: Begin with what is clear, direct, and easy to under- stand, not with that which is highly symbolic, allegorical, or difficult to interpret.
* RULE #3: Build on themes that are consistent and occur repeat- edly throughout Scripture.
* RULE #4: Always remember: context, context context.
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* RULE #5: Do not approach the Bible as if it is a technical manual, but instead keep in mind its Eastern nature.
* RULE #6: Recognize the ultimate emphasis of biblical prophecy;
that is, know the “big story.”
* RULE #7: Recognize that when God Almighty is portrayed as being physically present on the earth, this is God the Son, either historically as the pre-incarnate Son of God or as Jesus at the time of His return.
Janice Thompson spins a story full of humor and crazy family dynamics in this colorful inside look at Hollywood with a healthy dose of romance.
Tia Morales is used to calling the shots. She’s the director of the popular sitcom Stars Collide, and her life on set is calculated and orderly. Well, most of the time. But her life outside the studio is another matter. If only she could get her family to behave as well as her stars do! When she starts butting heads with handsome camera operator Jason Harris, it’s enough to send a girl over the edge. Will she ever learn to let go and take life-and love-as it comes?
ISLAND BREEZES
I love these people. It was exciting to see the ice begin to melt between Tia and Jason. And the chapter titles. Can you figure out how they relate to each other and to the book? Janice Thompson always does special things with these titles.
It’s always good to see how her characters progress through the books. We even had another wedding done by the planner from the Weddings by Bella series.
And then there’s Brock from that same series playing a bigger role here. If you’re a regular reader here, you know I really like that hunk of manliness.
But back to Tia and Jason. He has a lot of barriers to get past with this lady. This is a laugh out loud with a few tears kind of book. I’m sorry to see this series end.
I wonder what Ms Thompson has in store for us next. I hope it’s something that can carry over some of these characters. By the way, I miss those Texas ladies and their endless supply of advice.
***A special thank you to Donna Hausler for providing a review copy.***
You can go here to enjoy some of Ms Thompson’s behind-the-scenes experiences. There’s also a nice feature article on Family Fiction.
Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author and screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson offers an inside look at TV land, drawing on her experiences as a screenwriter. She is the author of the Weddings by Bella series, Stars Collide, and Hello, Hollywood! She lives in Texas.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.? They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.
Available June 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
