Andrew Smith's Blog

My name is Andrew. Come and have a look inside my life and watch me share what is on my heart.

God of All Creation: Life Lessons from Pets and Wildlife By James Robison With James Randall Robison


 
God of All Creation is about the love of God found through the touch of pets and their unconditional love. James Robison and Betty Robison have a miniature dachshund named Princess. Through watching his lovely dog, he has learned that God has the best interests in mind for us. He will chase us even when we choose to try and run from his leading and calling. Princess loves to hunt and chase deer, rabbits, armadillos, badgers, and squirrels. James doesn’t care if Princess wants to chase rabbits and squirrels because they can’t hurt her. He also has witnessed how he wants to be good to Princess and he loves riding her around in his truck. God revealed to him and made recall how his children longed to do good because good was good and it was how they were raised. God has given us His word to display how he desires us to live and love.

 

I immensely connected with the animal fable James Robison shared about a wolf getting caught in a trap. A human found the wolf but the wolf refused to receive help from a human. He could have rescued him and saved his life but he couldn’t bring himself to trust a human. This story is told to convey how much Jesus wants us in Heaven with Him. But in the end, it comes down to us choosing to believe in Christ. He won’t force us into a relationship with Him.

 

I would recommend this fantastic novel to anyone who is an enormous pet lover. If you enjoy loving on pets of all kinds then this book will benefit you and you will be able to get a lot from it. I have grown up loving dogs and have had four dogs through my lifetime so far (I’m only twenty-two) and will most likely continue. It will assist you in learning about how much God truly loves His people. Each of the stories is about four pages long and can be read like a devotional. This book would make a great gift for anyone who enjoys nature and pets. God truly loves you and wants the best for you this book is a great reminder of that.

 

“I received this copy of God of All Creation for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of God of All Creation check it out on Amazon.com or Christian Book.com:



 

James Robison Author Bio:

 


 

More Info:

 


 

Read Chapter One:

 

Bold As Love: What Can Happen When We See People the Way God Does By Bob Roberts, Jr. Book Review


 
In Bold As Love, Bob Roberts, Jr. met Prince Turki al-Faisal, who is the founder of Saudi Arabia’s modern intelligence service. He is a Muslim and he encouraged Bob Roberts, Jr. to bring different faiths together and to learn to respect each other beliefs. He figured if Bob could bring harmony between diverse faiths in Dallas, he could do it anywhere. He decided to invite Jews, Muslims, and other faiths into his congregation to prove that though we disagree in our faiths. Most of us fear that if we connect with other people of dissimilar faiths we might be converted or challenged in our faith. He has seen people engaging in connecting with other faiths actually grow stronger in their own personal beliefs. An important aspect to remember is to not judge others for their faith and to racially love them.

 

Bob Roberts, Jr. stated that every believer must answer three questions, “Why do you believe in God?, “Why do you believe in only one God?”, and “Why are you a Christian?” Or “Why do you believe in the Trinity?” It’s important to know the answers for yourself where you can share with others what you believe. You can also learn and listen to what other faiths believe in and why they believe it. He encouraged readers to live with the concept of “multifaith”. He wants different faiths to be able to live and interact with each other without having to tone down or change our beliefs.

 

I would recommend this magnificent book to anyone who has a difficult time accepting others because they have different views from us. We’re called to show Christ’s love to others and this doesn’t mean we have to convert to another religion. It only means demonstrating love boldly. I especially enjoy how transparent Bob Roberts, Jr. was in sharing that he was upset about someone suggesting for him to return to Vietnam. He had a difficult time in traveling to Vietnam after we lost a great number of our service men and women. But he was committing to forgiving and not punishing people who weren’t even a part of the war. If you’re looking for a book to racially change your views on how we treat people of other faiths, then this book will guide you on displaying the love of Christ. We can choose to love and reach out to others or we can harden our hearts.

 

"I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson/Handlebar Marketing for this review".

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Bold As Love, check it out on Amazon.com:

Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First: Day 4 Blog Post Children of God


 
Week 9: Day 4 Child

 

This day described the scriptures of John 1:1-18. “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). God created everything in His image. Light shines brighter than darkness and darkness can’t put out the light. John the Baptist was called to declare that the King Jesus was coming to the world. Jesus was and still is the true light in the world. He entered the world and was rejected by his own people. Can you imagine how that must feel to be rejected by the very ones he was trying to reach? Whoever accepts Jesus into their hearts and repents for their sins, they become children of God. The law came from Moses but when Jesus arrived this is the first time the world saw the true Messiah.

 

Like any parent, God disciplines us and give us rules to protect us. Even when we don’t always want to follow the rules, they are set in motion in order to guide us to become more Christ-like. Some people didn’t have parents who cared about them, but luckily God does love and care about you! God cares so much about what His children are going through. He loves all of His children and we’re called to do the same.

 

I am participating in journaling about my experiences in reading Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First By Doug Bender. I will be blogging through four days about the different things I have learned to help promote this life changing book.  The book is available for purchase.

 

If you buy the book during the week of December 9th-15th make sure you email your receipt to the email address promo@iamsecond.com. They want to give you some special bonuses!

 

For all the full details check out:


 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Live Second, check it out on Amazon.com:

Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First: Day 3 Blog Post : Leaving this World Naked



 
Week 8: Day 6 Naked

This day contained the scripture verses Ecclesiastes 5:10-20. This is written to remind us that people in love with money will never have enough. They will always be trying to earn more money to purchase bigger cars, houses, more designer clothes, latest technology, latest hunting and fishing gear, and anything else you enjoy buying. If you love having a big bank account, you will always be trying to add more money to the account. It will never satisfy you for very long. People with less money will be able to sleep better because they aren’t afraid that someone could steal what they have. Some rich folks are consumed with watching and protecting what they have.

 

The verses reminiscent us that we arrive here through our mother’s womb and we had nothing. When we die, we can’t take anything with us. Wealth won’t make us truly happy. Happiness comes from memories we make, the time we have spend with our love ones, and the difference we made in the world. An important thing to remember is that our children won’t remember all of the nice presents we purchased for them to enjoy. They will remember if we took the time to get to know them and see how they view the world through their eyes. We have to focus on the big picture of life and see what truly matters.

 

I am participating in journaling about my experiences in reading Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First By Doug Bender. I will be blogging through four days about the different things I have learned to help promote this life changing book.  The book is available for purchase.

 

If you buy the book during the week of December 9th-15th make sure you email your receipt to the email address promo@iamsecond.com. They want to give you some special bonuses!

 

For all the full details check out:


 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Live Second, check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Second-Ways-Jesus-First/dp/1400204801/ref=pd_sim_b_1



Check out this cool graphic promoting this awesome book:

 

Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First: Day 2 LOVE God, Yourself, and Others!


 
Week 7: Day 3 Love

This day had the scriptures verses Mark 12:28-34. These verses described the teachers of the law asking Jesus which command is the most important. Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (Matthew 12:28-34 NIV).
 

The first step to love is to love God completely for who he is. He is the Healer, the Creator, the Father, the Provider, our Shepherd, and our Savior. He is the one who sent his only son to take the sins and failures of the world. Sin separated us from God because He is holy. He was beaten, whipped, and crucified on the cross for our sins. He took our guilty and forgave us for our many sins we have committed. All we had to do was repent and know you’re sinners. God has an unfailing love for His people and he isn’t mad at you. He has an unconditionally love for us.

We must learn that we can’t just love Him when we want Him to move in our circumstances. Even when he chooses to wait to answer your prayers when you pray, he’s working on it!

The second commandment is: loving your neighbor as you love yourself. This requires that you must first love who you are. If you don’t love yourself, how can you love someone else? Loving yourself means accepting yourself even though we’re not perfect and until you get to Heaven, you won’t be. You must realize that you have flaws but Jesus still accepts you and loves you. This doesn’t mean that He doesn’t want you to improve and become more Christ-like, he does. Loving yourself means understanding you’re not accident, even if you’re birth wasn’t planned by your parents. When the sperm met the egg that’s when love started! God planned for you and you’re made for a purpose that he wants you to complete. Run the course he has for you!

The second requirement is to extend that love to others that you encounter every single day. This includes the slow drivers you’re wishing would go on, the slow cashiers when you’re in a hurry, your brothers and sisters when they disappoint you, your children when they go down a different path, your spouse when they let you down, your boss when they having a bad day and taking it out on you, and any other people you have a difficult time loving. It’s not easy to love like anything in life it takes effort and time. But LOVE is worth it! Without love where would we be? Would you rather love or spread more hatred in the world, it’s your choice!

 

I am participating in journaling about my experiences in reading Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First By Doug Bender. I will be blogging through four days about the different things I have learned to help promote this life changing book.  The book is available for purchase.

 

If you buy the book during the week of December 9th-15th make sure you email your receipt to the email address promo@iamsecond.com. They want to give you some special bonuses!

 

For all the full details check out:


 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Live Second, check it out on Amazon.com:

Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First: Day 1 Forgive Even When It's Hard!

 
 
 
 
 
 


I am participating in journaling about my experiences in reading Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First By Doug Bender. I will be blogging through four days about the different things I have learned to help promote this life changing book.  The book is available for purchase.

 

If you buy the book during the week of December 9th-15th make sure you email your receipt to the email address promo@iamsecond.com. They want to give you some special bonuses!


 
For all the full details check out:

Week 7: Day 2: Release

This day consisted of reading Matthew 18:21-35 in the Bible. The concepts presented in this passage were Peter asking Jesus how many times we are to forgive our brother who has wronged us. Peter suggested seven as the ultimate number we are suppose to forgive someone. Jesus replied, “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). Jesus then described a parable of a debtor who owned the king millions of dollars. The master ordered to sell him and his wife, children, and everything he had left. The man pleaded with his master not to do that. The master forgave him and cancelled his debts.

When he left the masters face, he turned right around and found a servant who owned him a few thousand dollars. He chose to not forgive the servant who owned him money and he was eventually put into jail and tortured. The moral of the story was he was forgiven for his debt but he couldn’t forgive someone else’s debt. And Jesus warned that if we don’t forgive others the heavenly Father will do the same thing to you.

 
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t had to make the choice to forgive someone who has hurt and let them down. Bitterness is easy to allow to poison our very souls. I will admit I have been there and I was stubborn and determined that it was out of my control and power to forgive people that have hurt me.

How many relationships have ended because someone couldn’t forgive? MANY!

Major offences can come occur when the person we love walks away, we’re cheated on, people borrow money and don’t pay us back when they say they would, people criticize us and call us names, we’re fired or laid off, done wrong in a church, and a number of other things. Others may struggle with forgiving the small offences that can still wreak our world if we let it like our children spilling liquids or food, or breaking glass on the floor, our spouses leaving the toilet seat up (sorry men), the lawn didn’t get mow on time, the house isn’t clean, or anything else you can think of. But is it worth it holding on to anger?

Bitterness blocks us from ever finding love again whether in friendship or a relationship. Freedom only comes when we chose to release the hurt and forgive, no matter how painful it might be. Perfection doesn’t exist and we must know we can’t demand ourselves or others to be perfect all the time. We will all make mistakes and offend others at some point.

The question that we must ask ourselves is, “How many times have I personally hurt someone?” We must remember that Jesus forgives us every single time we confess our sins and hurts!

 

“I received an advance copy of Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First for free for this review.”

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Live Second, check it out on Amazon.com:


 
 
 

Fire of the Raging Dragon: Pacific Rim Series By Don Brown Book Review

 

Fire of the Raging Dragon is the second novel in the series Pacific Rim Series.

 

The Chinese president, Tang Qhichen, also called the Raging Dragon, ordered his military forces to attack and conquer the island Itu Aba, Spratly Islands. Itu Aba belongs to Thailand. The Chinese gained control of the island. And the Taiwanese captured the Chinese ship Shemnong which is carrying military weapons. Many lives were lost and some of the remaining people on board the ship needed medical help. Shemnong requested medical assistance from the USS Vicksburg. The United States President Douglas Surber granted the request and ordered the ship to help the people on board. They discovered crimes against humanity on board the ship Shemnong. President Surber ordered for the ship to be captured and placed in United States care. This upset President Tang Qhichen and he attacked USS Vicksburg. USS Emory S. Land was near the ships and the Chinese captured the ship and demanded the United States to release Shemnong or they would kill everyone on board the ship. President Surber was torn in making a decision to let Shemnong go and ignore the crimes he saw on the ship or let Vicksburg be destroyed. But a major factor was his own daughter was a marine on board USS Vicksburg.

 

I immensely enjoyed reading this novel. It had a breathtaking plot and action that kept me hooked in. The novel had me feeling like this could truly happen. The crimes against humanity that was revealed in the novel could really be happening and we have no idea. It’s shocking and heartbreaking that something like this could exist. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves adventures and suspense. It would leave you entertained and thankful for the military that are committed to serving their country. They know the dangers and risks and still faithfully protect. If you’re looking for a great gift for someone, then this is the new series they will enjoy to receive!
 

 

“I received this book for free from Zondervan for this review”.
 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Fire of the Raging Dragon, then check it on Amazon.com or Zondervan.com: