Nancy Missler

These are two studies I did recently by Nancy Missler that were AMAZING!!!

     The first is "The Way of Agape." Nancy explains the difference between God's love and Human love. She also explains how we are to demonstrate this love towards others. She goes through each part of loving the Lord with all of your: strength, soul, mind and heart. Although originally designed for a women's marriage seminar, this is in NO WAY limited to only women or only the married. This is an amazing study with brilliant principles for EVERYONE.

     The second is "Be Ye Transformed." Now that a firm understanding of God's love has been established, Nancy explains how that love is to transform our lives. She systematically explains the truths of God in order to set the believer free "from ourselves, our circumstances, other peoples' responses and Satan" in order to truly be vessels of the Holy Spirit in the world.

     Nancy Missler does a brilliant job backing up every statement with scripture, personal experience and the experiences of others. Each statement is systematic and easily understood. Her ministry is The King's Highway and is dedicated to helping believers grow stronger in their Christian walk. She is also married to theologian and scholar Chuck Missler, founder of Koinonia House Ministries, whose specializes in Current Events and End Time Prophesy.

Combat Faith

     Combat Faith was a book that my father and I did together as a devotion last summer. Hal Lindsey does a brilliant job of fleshing out what "battle-ready" faith looks like. When my parents first met it was actually at Hal Lindsey's church in California.

     This book addresses faith in a way that has largely been glossed over in the Church today. Although it was written in 1986, is sounds as if it was written yesterday. The principles are easy to grasp and explained in an applicable manner. What particularly impressed me was understanding that God does not ask for "blind faith"; God asks for faith based upon His character and His proven actions. God builds a reputation and a verifies Himself before ever asking to be trusted.

     Hal Lindsey also makes a point to tell the reader that as Christians we are at war. Every moment of every day, the evil ones are seeking to devour us. However, as in any war, there a battle tactics used by the enemy that we can overcome. Christians fight on three battle fronts: against the spirits of darkness/the demonic realm; against the culture which seeks to separate us from God; and against our sin nature. These three fronts require different strategies in order to be defeated.

     As Christian soldiers, we also need to understand our weapons of warfare: the Armor of God. Hal Lindsey goes through each piece of armor in great detail, but even more importantly -- how we put it on! Included in our bag of weapons are also the promises of God. Since God does not ask for blind faith and has provided a firm foundation for Christians to draw upon for their faith, we have a host of biblical promises from God that we can turn to for encouragement in our faith. This is probably Hal Lindsey's greatest strength; he goes through many of God promises as well as teaching the reader how to discover more promises for themselves.

     This book was a great encouragement to me. I grew so much as my father and I read and discussed each chapter together. The church has done such a poor job equipping the saints for battle; as ambassadors for Christ we must push ourselves to greater heights of understanding. This book is a great asset in understanding how to have "faith that can move mountains."

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

     "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

     These are some of the most famous words in literature geek-dom. The opening lines to The Hobbit are well-loved and well-remembered. However, does anyone know how this phrase came into existence? I was talking with my English Professor and he gave me the story:

     Tolkien was a professor at Pembroke College. One afternoon, while he was grading papers, a random line popped into his head, and he scribbled it at the top of one of the papers he was grading: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." Tolkien did not know what a hobbit was. He did not know why the hobbit was living in the ground. He simply thought the line sounded interesting and wrote it down. It was sometime later that Tolkien sat down to create a story around this mysterious creature living in the ground.

     What does this mean? I remember my professor telling me this story, and, as he spoke, I began wondering if I could apply this to my life. Sometimes random stuff floats around and somehow bumps into us. Other times, we find ourselves doing things, and we don't quite know why. Some people have a particular inclination or desire that has been verily born into them, but they don't know for what reason or for what purpose. Once in a while a sudden urge or idea will come upon us, and we will have no idea from whence it came or how we're supposed to react. It can often feel as though life is just a bunch of strange incidents, feelings and oddities -- none of which make sense. Sometimes we feel lost in a great big world of storms and raging winds; not knowing if we are to remain grounded during the storm or if we are to allow ourselves to be taken by the currents. Sometimes we feel like failures doing nothing original, having no ideas of our own, seeming to have no talents or skills to offer the world.

    BUT... the world is much bigger than it at first may seem. This is not something that should strike fear into the heart of any Christian, for, if the world is so large is not our GOD larger still? God is the one who created us. He is the one who knew before the foundations of the earth were laid what your name was going to be. What your favorite color was going to be. What you'd enjoy, hate, love, loathe. He designed you with an intricate purpose. AND since He knew everything you would think and do before you were born, He has decided to use everything you have gone through and everything you think you're unworthy of accomplishing to enhance His glory and His kingdom AND to draw you into a closer relationship with Him.

    That's a pretty big God.

     What makes life difficult is understanding conceptually how big and powerful God is but not TRULY living this belief through every fiber of our being. This was a huge struggle that I had battled for years. What made it impossible for me to truly understand was my belief that I had gone through so much and done so many things that if I couldn't conceive of an alternative, an alternative couldn't exist. This is a plague for many who are intellectually or experiencially gifted. I can look back now and see how silly this belief was: me, a tiny human being, who though that I could understand the depths of God and complain that His actions were either unfair or unreasonable. I fell for the deception: "it cannot get any better than this" -- especially concerning my relationships. Since I could not conceive of any man being as good or better than the guy I was looking at, a better guy could not exist. I had been so many places and seen so many people, I thought I knew best.

     I was wrong.

     But God in His mercy uses everything for His glory if we are willing to obey Him. Some things don't make any sense. Sometimes we feel like shaking our fists at God, wondering why He has decided to put us in these circumstances. BUT God is so much bigger than anything we can imagine! And just because we may not receive full understanding in this life does not mean we will not receive full understanding in the presence of God in heaven.

     I am aware that this doesn't always make us "feel" better in the midst of our hardships and shortcomings. But day by day, minute by minute, moment by moment, this is something we can take comfort in: God is bigger and smarter than us.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -- Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

     If this is a struggle for you, the best advice I can give is that this is a moment by moment battle. Any time you feel the weight of hopelessness or uselessness crushing upon you, pray. Carry a pocket Bible with you and read it whenever the wave hits you. Again, this is a moment by moment struggle. At 7:39AM you can be sitting on top of the world, but at 7:41AM you can be so deep in the depths of despair there seems to be no light at all. TAKE COURAGE! No matter what your feelings are, God remains true. Prayers and Scripture readings will help you align yourself with Him, and in the end, isn't that the whole goal?

Passion And Purity

This had to be one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Elizabeth Elliot takes you through the journey of her relationship with who wold eventually become her husband, Jim Elliot. In today's society -- even with all the great Christian literature out there -- there are still some areas in relationship that are not really talked about.

No matter where or how you are raised in America, it is impossible to grow up without the influence of "the need to date" being ingrained into your mind. As much as we work to learn to not need to date, there is still something inside that whispers, "You need to date. Everyone else is dating. You can keep your purity of heart and still date. You have friends that are strong Christians and they date. How about dating, but just don't call it 'dating' -- call it 'hanging out.' Look at John and Marry; they met and got married their first year in college and they're doing just fine. What about Billy and Sue? They met in high school and got married after graduation. If you're not dating, you could be missing out on what God has planned for you." While many of these "whisperings" are not necessarily "bad" or "wrong" the real issue comes in the heart. Elizabeth Elliot does a magnificent job of dealing with each and every one of these questions.

Although this book is slightly more focused on the issues that women face when dealing with relationships, Elizabeth Elliot makes it clear that she wanted guys to read this book as well. She includes many large sections quoted directly from letters of Jim Eliot describing his struggles and desires. This incredibly raw and real book discusses the situations that come when questioning God's purposes. How does His call on my life connect with my desires? What should I do when I know I want something (a relationship), but I feel like I'm not doing what I'm supposed to in order to get it? Are there times when God will give me a desire, but then tell me I cannot have it? Each of these questions are explained in great and personal detail.

I found this book help me personally more than practically all the other books I have read put together! Passion and Purity takes a rather radical stand on living a life truly devoted to God; there were sections that I had to fervently pray over, deciding whether or not this behavior really was "outdated." Through my own personal devotions, I have found this book to be completely sound, and it is my behavior that needs to change.

This book is wonderful for anyone seeking a truly deep and devoted life to Jesus -- not solely in the world of dating, but in every area of life. Radical by today's standards, Elizabeth Elliot calls the readers to the ultimate example of excellence and purity -- Jesus Christ, for whom there is no excuse in compromise.

Dragon Keeper

Title: The Dragon Keeper Series (By Donita K. Paul)

Rating/Review:
Language (1 being clean, 5 being cuss-a-thon) - 1, zero swears!

Morality (1 being hethanistic, 5 being righteous) - 5, total purity!

Violence (1 being clean, 10 being a blood bath) - 3.5 There is fighting between the "good guys" and "bad guys"

Theme (1 being satanic, 5 being righteous) - 5 there is an EXTREMELY strong Christian theme throughout the book. There is a God and Jesus character with whom the main characters all ineract.

Over-all interest and read-ability (1 being terrible, 10 being amazing) - 9 very interesting. There is action and a good plot to the story that keeps you wanting more.

Plot Summary: Kale, an orphan, discovers she has a gift with dragons. In her quest to protect eggs, she finds herself pulled into battling an evil that threatens her land. With the help of God (Wulder) she overthrows temptations to attain her goals.

Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Inkheart

Title: Inkheart

Rating/Review:
Language (1 being clean, 10 being cuss-a-thon) - 4 there were a couple d--n's and perhaps a few hell's

Morality (1 being righteous, 10 being hethanistic) - 3, the only morality problem I have with the book is the excess of lying (I think ANY lying is excess.) The characters are constantly lying to each other (especially the father to the daughter and vise versa) because they think it's for their "best".

Violence (1 being clean, 10 being a blood bath) - 2, there is no out and out bloody violence. There is a chase scene, but no gore.

Theme (1 being righteous, 10 being satanic) - 2, there was nothing satanic in the book. The main characters have the ability to read things and people out of books (which I consider more like a "super power" rather than sorcery).

Over-all interest and read-ability (1 being terrible, 10 being amazing) - 6, I think the book could have been a bit more "exciting" -- more action I mean. The writer takes time to go into everyone's thoughts and describes in great detail the scenes and people.

Plot Summary: Meggie discovers that her father can read people out of books, and unfortunately, he has read one of the most evil villains of all -- Capricorn -- into our world. Meggie and her father, Mo, set out to discover a way to defeat this evil and perhaps find her long lost mother.

Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Shiver

Title: Shiver

Rating/Review:
Language (1 being clean, 10 being cuss-a-thon) - 7, several d--n's and a lot of hell's

Morality (1 being righteous, 10 being hethanistic) - 7, these characters have nothing wrong with sleeping together behind their parents' backs. The relationships between parents and children shows the parents to be uncaring, stupid clods, while their children are really the ones who care.

Violence (1 being clean, 10 being a blood bath) - 3, there were several bloody scenes of wolves attacking people (not severely bloody) and one scene of a boy having his wrists cut.

Theme (1 being righteous, 10 being satanic) - 4, Werewolves were the main theme of this book. There was zero magic involved, but there was a very subtle line that hinted that the church was not the place to go in a crisis.

Over-all interest and read-ability (1 being terrible, 10 being amazing) - 7, it was a good read, but I like a bit more action in a story, this book seemed to be a little slow for my tastes.

Plot Summary: Grace gets saved from an attack of wolves by a wolf with yellow eyes. Over the next 6 years, grace forms a special, yet distant, bond with this wolf whom she constantly sees in the woods behind her house. One day, after being shot by a hunter, Grace sees the wolf change into a man, Sam. Since Grace's parents are never home and don't care about parenting her, it's easy for Grace to hide Sam in her room for the next several weeks. During this time the become co-dependent on each other as they try to keep Sam human while helping the rest of the "pack". While Sam is living with Grace, she begs him to sleep with her which he ends up doing right before he rejoins his pack as a wolf.

Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Set-Apart Femininity

I just got finished reading "Set-Apart Femininity." That was possibly one of the best books I've ever dared to open! It is an almost radical look at how we as girls really are to be set apart from the world to god! It goes over everything from the way we act to what we allow to affect us to our relationship with god. The thing I love about Leslie Ludy is she really does address everything. Whenever there is a chance that you might find a loophole in trying to be wholly God's (because let's face it, we are sinful people, and without conscious, persevering effort to become more like God, we will do whatever we think we can get away with) she slams it will a good dose of Bible verse and Godly examples from great Christians from the past.

Leslie Ludy challenges to truly put God first, above everything else, and fights the ideologies of the world -- even the "seemingly harmless" good ones. She addresses the apathy in church and simply edifies her fellow sisters in Christ.

One thing I would suggest is that guys interesting in learning what kind of girl they should look for should read this book. I really think it is a good idea for us to read books written for each other (as in girls read "guy books" and guys read "girl books"). Guys who read this book will be better able to understand and help their sisters in Christ (and wives) and they will also get a better idea of what they should be looking in a girl they are interested in marring.

This book, however is not reserved to single girls or guys who are interesting in learning about us. I encourage married coupled to go through this book. There are many applications that can be used in married life as well. Radical ideas like using "date night" for prayer or limiting your interaction with singles of the opposite gender after marriage are just some of the topics Leslie touches on.

This is another absolute MUST read for Christians who are interested in taking the next step in their relationship with God. Every step forward brings you closer to God, let us all step together!

The Harris Twins

I just got back from a book tour by Alex and Brett Harris (brothers of Joshua Harris, writer of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye") And it was one of the best things I've ever gone to -- I wish CHURCH was this good!!!

The seminar was from 9am to 4pm and did the Holy Spirit move!

Alex and Brett have started a movement called "The Rebelution" a movement targeted at teens. The Rebelution seeks to break the low expectations the world has set before us and change us into the best that God would have us be...

Alex and Brett have written two books thus far, their first being "Do Hard Things." "Do Hard Things" is really the core of the Rebelution. It gives insight and stories to a time before complacency and ways to become people of God driven excellence. This book shows that giving in to "the easy way" and accepting the attributes that the world had ascribed to us (rebellious, lazy, irresponsible, childish) is giving in to low expectations. Low expectations that channel the way our entire lives will move. And how having high expectations for ourselves will grow us and change us into real fighters for Jesus Christ, and true threats to the enemy.

Their second book, "Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are." Answers many of the questions a person starting to seek high expectations and do away with the low.

As for the actual seminar, Alex and Brett are amazing speakers; their passion and energy flows into the room -- both entertaining and educating the audience. They share spiritual truths and don't hold back when it comes to saying what we may not want to hear. They led the room in the most beautiful alter-call I have ever heard -- not sugar coating anything for the new-coming believers. Their brother Joel led the band in several worship songs through out the day, and Joshua closed the evening.

I STRONGLY recommend these books to anyone who is sick of
a) sleepy Christians in the world
b) non-Christians in the church
c) both

Check out their website at TheRebelution.Com.

Are you part of the Rebelution?