There is More!: The Secret to Experiencing God’s Power to Change Your Life By Randy Clark Book Review

 

There is More is written to guide readers into the truthful insights of impartation and the appointing of the Holy Spirit. Randy Clark begins the book by defining that impartation means, “transference of the anointing” (Page 16). He also explained how the Old Testament impartation occurred when Moses placed his hands on Joshua and the Spirit of wisdom was given to him. The next examples would be when Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, which was really the Spirit of God working through Elijah. God allowed this to happen where his presence and power could be known more fully. The New Testament impartation transpired through the act of ordination, healing and blessings, and the gifts of the Spirit and being baptized by the Holy Spirit through impartation. One example of healing and blessings befell when Jesus prayed over the little children lives and he placed his hands on them. In Acts 19:6, we read that Paul placed his hands on newly baptized believers in Ephesus and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in tongues and prophesize. Another instanced happened when Paul gave some Christians in Rome some spiritual gifts to be used for the glory of God.

 

Randy Clark described the way he encountered impartation and how he has witnessed incredible events throughout the book. His first impartation occurred when he attended the James Robison Bible Conference and he was a Baptist at the time. The night before the conference he had a dream that he was declaring to his congregation that God was calling them up into a higher level of His Holy Spirit. The second day, John Wimber preached a message and the crowd saw a woman’s hem shaking and she touched someone and then they began to shake and it kept repeating until many people were healed. Next they started to worship our loving Creator through praise and Randy felt God was telling him to lift his hands (and Baptists don’t normally do this). He felt the presence of God began to overtake him and he tried to hide behind a projection screen. But he couldn’t hide his shaking and crying. The next night Randy Clark met John Wimber and he asked for prayer for one of his deacons. John told him that he wanted to pray for him and for his heart because a church has wounded it and he decreed that there was an apostolic call on Randy’s life. He has experienced impartation many other times in his life and he shared some of those throughout the book.

 

I would recommend this vivid awe inspiring and informative book on impartation to all believers who are wanting to learn how impartation occurs and how to receive it. This is the first time, I have such a charismatic packed book about impartation of the Holy Spirits gifts and power. It definably defined countless implausible examples of healing and gifts of the Holy Spirit being given. I liked how Randy Clark shared a ton of other people’s encounters with impartation. Some of the healing stories were people being healed of knee problems, a bad heart, eye injury and blindness, prisoners being baptized, and gifts of the Holy Spirit being received. My favorite story was about Carole Baerg, who took a mission trip to Belgium. A woman brought her daughter who was eight to nine months pregnant up for prayer. The doctors declared that the fetus was dead and they would wait a week longer to deliver it. Carole prayed over the baby and she admitted to God that he didn’t have the faith to pray for this. Three years later, when she took a trip back to Belgium, a young boy ran up to her and said, “I’m the miracle baby” and the grandmother approached her and confirmed it. This story is very touching and unbelievable astonishing! But I have no doubt that God is able to perform miracles. I loved how the book taught be many new things about laying hands on people, praying over people, fainting in church and being overwhelmed by the power of God’s Spirit, speaking in tongues, and people being healed. If you’re looking for more information about impartation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, then this book will teach you many magnificent things!

 

“I received this book free from the publisher through the Bethany House Publishers/ Chosen book review bloggers program.”    

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of There is More, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

http://www.amazon.com/There-Is-More-Secret-Experiencing/dp/0800795504/

Is God Anti-Gay: Any Other Questions About Homosexuality the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction By Sam Allberry Book Review

 

Homosexuality is a topic that is prevalent in the headlines today and many Christians are still unsure as to how we are supposed to address this. But in this new book entitled Is God Anti-Gay? Sam Allberry explored the deeper questions that Christians are asking about homosexuality and how are Christians supposed to respond.  

Sam Allberry is an associate pastor of St Mary’s Church in Maidenhead, United Kingdom. He admitted throughout the book that he has experienced homosexual feelings. He openly stated that he doesn’t define himself as gay because using the term gay labels an identity. He promptly specified that, “It is a part of the picture, but does not get to the heart of who I am. So I prefer to talk in terms of being someone who experiences homosexual feelings, or same-sex attraction.” (Page 9). He shared that over the years when he expressed to his church that he was struggling with same-sex attraction, most people reached out to him and encouraged him and prayed for him. They didn’t reject him and make him feel like an outcast. They showed him the true message of Christ.

The first chapter enclosed the significance of marriage and that it is between a man and a woman. Sam Allberry begins discussing that God created Adam and he made Eve from his body. Genesis 2:24 decrees that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. When two people say their vows and say I do they have been knitted together and they are now in union with each other. Marriage is about two flesh becoming one flesh. Sam also explained the gift God has freely given to married couples and it is the special connection of making love and having sex. This is also the physical act of two flesh becoming one. God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and to reproduce children. Having children is supposed to be grounded in marriage. He also pointed out that marriage is meant to imitate our relationship with the three person Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Sam clarified that he has seen many gay couples display commitment to each other but it’s impossible for male and male or female and female to become one flesh.  

The second chapter of the book covered what the scriptures have to say about homosexuality. Sam Allberry stressed the critical reminder that homosexuality is now the whole message of the Bible. We need to focus on the newness that is found in Christ and the forgiveness that He offers. He pointed out that Genesis 19 enclosed the hidden sins found in the city of Sodom. For example, some of the sins were adultery, lying, oppression, criminals, arrogance, not assisting the poor, and homosexuality. One of the sins isn’t any greater than the others but they still faced the judgment of God. In Genesis 19, two angelic prophets were staying with Lot and a crowd of men gathered and demanded to have sex with the two men. Jude 7 is very vocal about how the cities Sodom and Gomorrah struggled with sexual sins and this is an extreme example of punishment of fire for their sins. Next, Sam looks at Leviticus 18 and 20 and both of these verses stated that men shouldn’t lie with another man. The rest of the chapter addressed many more scriptures against homosexuality. The author went into the deep questions of, “Surely a same-sex partnership is OK if it’s committed and faithful” and “But Jesus never mentions homosexuality, so how it be wrong?”  

Chapter three discussed homosexuality and the Christian and it contained tips on what to do if you’re experiencing same-sex attraction. Sam Allberry stated that many people who struggle with same-sex attraction feel unclean or even damaged goods. But Christ message is that He is able to forgive all sins and wipe all of our sins away. This chapter covered the vital question, “Can God change our sexual desire?” He also goes into detail about the gift of reminding single and what scriptures verses have to say about it. He addressed the main struggles that homosexual Christian encounter and have to deal with.  

Chapter four revealed how churches are supposed to respond to homosexuals in their church. A common problem that they feel is rejection from Christians. But Christ message is for all and for anyone who believes that He is Lord and He died for their sins. This chapter talked about what to do if gay couples begin to attend your church and how do you handle it.

Chapter five addressed the precarious way to share the true message of Christ with a homosexual person. This chapter shared how to handle and react when someone has come out to you and says that they are gay.

As you can see, this book was written for today’s times and it is a topic that many Christians are wondering on how to respond to homosexuality. For that reason, I would recommend this brilliant book on the subject to all Christians and church members. This book would be an enormous resource for any church leader or pastor. Even though the book is a short book written in about 83 pages, it has powerful concepts and life changing principles on addressing homosexuality and how we are called to love everyone and exhibit Christ’s love boldly. This is the very first book that I have read on the theme of same-sex attraction and homosexuality. I will admit that I haven’t had a lot of friends who struggle with homosexuality and it’s not something that I have witnessed much of personally. But the book still impacted me into making sure that if I do/ went I do come across someone that is gay that I must love them just like Christ. I immensely loved that it was written from the view point of Christians. Sam Allberry did an excellent job at exposing the hidden truths found in the word of God about homosexuality and he even presented an outstanding aspect about marriage and two flesh becoming one. The book has the potential to influence many Christians into being the church that they we are called to be and welcoming gays into our churches. Many Christians will have great difficult doing this, and if that is you, then this is a must read for you! Remember that Christ came and died for all sinners. This book is an essential read for every Christian who is confused on how to handle homosexuality.

 

“I received this book for free from Cross Focused Reviews / The Good Book Company for this review”.

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Is God Anti-Gay, then check it out on The Good Book Company or Amazon.com:

 

http://www.thegoodbook.com/christian-living/questions-christians-ask/is-god-anti-gay?utm_source=tgbc&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=is-god-anti-gay

 

http://www.amazon.com/God-anti-gay-Questions-Christians-Ask/dp/1908762314

 

Check out the book trailer:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHlCTaaCCBs

Adventures in Odyssey ACTS Post # 3 with Giveaway

Theme: Grow in your walk with God every day!

For moms with kids in school, the most hectic months of the year are usually September and May. The end of the school year involves parties, playoffs, and final projects. The beginning of the year has moms and kids feeling overloaded with shopping trips, sign-ups, and new schedules.

Establishing healthy, positive routines is a tough job. Too often, music lessons, sports practices, and after-school clubs can overshadow the routines that build family and healthy habits—both physically and spiritually.

One of the great new Adventures in Odyssey products released this year is 90 Devotions for Kids, aimed at kids 8 to 12.  This soft-cover book draws you in with illustrations, puzzles, and kid-friendly applications. It also includes a daily Bible verse, daily challenges, words of encouragement from different AIO characters, and more. Even if your kids aren’t already Adventures in Odyssey fans, they’ll enjoy these daily devotionals, and get to know the Odyssey crew along the way.

This devotional, and the edition coming this fall (90 Devotions for Kids: Life Changing Values from the Book of Matthew) are great tools to help your kids put a regular pause in their day for Bible reading, prayer, and thoughts about God. If you start now—by the first day of school, you’ll already have a spiritual component scheduled into your kids’ routine. After that, everything else will hopefully just fall into line!

 

 

 

FREE download of an excerpt from 90 Devotions for Kids:

http://www.tyndale.com/blog/index.php/aio-90-devotions-for-kids/

 

And please check out the ACTS challenge contest going on right now:

http://www.whitsend.org/FeaturesView/ACTS.aspx

 

To celebrate the Summer of Service challenge, Tyndale has generously offered to let me giveaway a copy of 90 Devotions for Kids to a lucky winner.

 

 

 

 

Enter to Adventures in Odyssey 90 Devotions for Kids:

                                                                                                                                                 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Master of the Impossible: How Our Extraordinary God Conquers Overwhelming Circumstances By Tish Hagee Tucker Book Review

In Master of the Impossible, Tish Hagee Tucker, the daughter of Pastor John Hagee has written an inspirational book to encourage readers in whatever storms of life they may currently be in. Tish Hagee Tucker writes about her compelling miraculous healing from cancer and how she overcame the numerous odds stacked against her. It all begin when she went to the doctor for having bronchitis and they ran some regular tests. A few weeks later when she was driving in her car her cell phone rang. The doctor called and told her the dreadful news that she had a type of cancer called leiomyosarcoma. Satan started planting the lies in her head and declared to her saying, “You just received a death sentence, so now what? I can control you through fear. Your life is over” (Page 3). She held onto the promises of God found in Psalm 27 and they brought her great comfort. These verses reminded her that God is her main strength and there is no need to fear the enemy. God decreed that He will set us on a firm solid rock to protect us from the schemes of the evil one. Leiomyosarcoma is a very rare form of cancer and the doctors stated, “If you survive the first five years of sarcoma treatment, your chances of living will drastically increase to 20 percent” (Page 37). Many family members and friends prompted praying and interceding on her behave to be healed from cancer. She had two small children at home and like most parents, she was very concerned about what the future held and if she would be there to see them grow up. That night she repented and confessed her sins and asked for forgiveness. Then she proceed to pray protection of her two girls and she asked God to grant her an execution to stay on earth if losing their mother would cause her daughters to miss their destinies. The book will take readers through her struggles and triumphs and you will see how God incredibly healed her from cancer and what is impossible for man is possible with God.

 

I immensely felt encouragement and I was awestruck when Tish shared a personal story about after she was diagnosed with cancer a divine person influenced her life in unlikely place. The person spoke a word from the Lord and she had no idea who this person even was. This part of the story is truly powerful that it will give you cold chills and it was a magnificent reminder that God cares so much about His children and what they are going through. I was fascinated by the appendix of the book that contained about thirty pages worth of scriptures from every book of the Bible where readers could conquer whatever situation that was their impossible in life. If readers will speak out these verses and mediate on them, they will have an effective defense strategy against satan and his lies.

 

I would recommend this phenomenal book especially to anyone who is seeking healing from a terrible diagnosis and maybe even the doctors have given you a zero percent survival rate, this book would be a fantastic encouragement to you! I loved how Tish reassured her readers that God is no respecter of persons and He can certainly still heal you from whatever sickness you may be up against. I would also recommend this book to anyone whose marriage is on the verge of a getting a divorce, God is more than able to mend your broken hearts and you can recover what the enemy has stolen from you. If you’re recently lost your job or you’re having a hard time making ends meet, this book enclosed a few examples of how God came through and unexpectedly provided for families who needed God’s provision and they will persuade you to look unto God. The book did an outstanding job on witnessing to readers on the importance of trusting in God and remembering that He is all powerful and whatever storms we have to encounter in life, He is always there. If you’re looking for an astonishing book to assist and guide you on your transition through the difficult storms of your life, then you need to read this one!

 

“I received this book for free from The Booketeria/ Charisma House for this review”.

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Master of the Impossible, then check it out on Amazon.com or Christian Book.com:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Impossible-Extraordinary-Overwhelming-Circumstances/dp/1621362175

 

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=362173

The Full Armor of God: Defending Your Life from Satan’s Schemes By Larry Richards Book Review

The Full Armor of God explored Paul’s letter in the book of Ephesians and he described what all of the different pieces of armor, we are required to put on to stand against the devil’s schemes. A significant aspect that Larry Richards revealed was that in Ephesians chapter six, Paula summarized how the soldiers would put on the whole armor. In the letter of Ephesians in previous chapters, Paul wrote in the reverse order where readers could grasp the deeper meaning. Some people believe that demons are former angels that got casted out from Heaven when God removed satan. All we know for sure is that satan has an army of about one third of the former angels. Larry Richards stated and pointed out that demons don’t possess our bodies, they can only influence our thinking and declare lies that we believe to be true. Demons fight against believers because they don’t want us to realize our true identity in Christ Jesus. They tempt us with ungodly temptations in order to get us to become addicted to sinful practices. They tell us to continue to hold on to unforgiveness so that we never let our wounds heal. The book covered the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sandals of peace, the breastplate of righteousness, and the belt of truth in complete details.

 

The book began with the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 1:1-23). Larry Richards also reminded readers the connotation of Psalm 139 and how God has made and uniquely knitted David together in his mother’s womb. Like David, God has done the same thing for every single human being and he has purposely chosen the exact egg that our mother produced. He also chose the precise sperm from the millions that are dad produced that would penetrated the egg and form a baby. God created us the meticulous way that He gave us just the right looks, IQ, height, gifts, and talents that He wanted you to have for His purpose and glory. Larry also exposed the truth that satan hates you and his own purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy what God has for you. The enemy wants you to believe that you’re worthless, not good enough, a failure, unwanted, and a mistake. Satan ultimate plan is to get you to believe the lies that he speaks through other people in order to hinder you in realizing your potential and identity in Christ. He also uses other people’s action to prevent us from moving forward in life and living out our proper destinies.

 

This section on the helmet of salvation was life changing for me to read and let sink deep into my mind and soul. I instantly related to the lies that believers believe about themselves that Larry Richards listed in a neat chart on page 32 and 33. I recognized that I have believed most of them that satan has instilled into my mind to mediated and rehearse upon. Some of the lies I have believed from this list was, “No one will ever love me, I’m ugly, there’s no use trying, God can’t love me, I’m weak, no good, I hate myself, It’s always my fault, I don’t deserve to be happy, I might as well kill myself, nobody cares, it will never get better, and I’m going to die alone.” This helped me to see that I actually believed that I was worthless, not capable of having someone love me, that I wasn’t good enough to be accepted, and that people would always leave me. I remember like most people what people have said to them and I can still hear them to this day. People in my childhood have called me fat – my boobs and back jiggles when I walk, gay because of the way that I talk, I would never have a girlfriend, I would never be able to drive, and many more. I can personally proclaim that I let their comments define my life, and I allowed satan to unknowingly influence me to stop living freely, and to stay in my comfort zone, where in a sense I am protected from their negative decrees spoken over my life. I now am able to distinguish and trace back to where some of the lie roots were originally planted. Some of my early school memories were getting pitched and kicked by two girls on the playground and no teacher protected me and came to my defense. I knew as a boy that I couldn’t fight back so I took it and I never told the teachers. The lie that I believed was that I wasn’t worth protecting and they must be doing it because I’m bad. This part of the book really reinforced the importance of mediating on what God says about us and understanding that all of these were lies implanted by satan into our minds. I loved how Larry went through the scriptures and uncovered the truth that we are adopted into His family and we are blessed with every spiritual blessing and God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for your numerous sins.

 

I would recommend this glorious book to everyone who is still struggling with some of their childhood issues and they are seeking freedom and wanting victory from the enemy schemes. This is a magnificent book written on spiritual warfare and it released the truth behind the hidden meaning about putting on the whole armor of God. This book is the best one that I have read on spiritual warfare and putting on the armor of God, I highly recommend it! This book has took me into a profound study of Ephesians and the authority that we have over the enemy. It taught to understand where the lies declared over my life really came from. It also assisted me in helping me to replace the lies with the helmet of salvation and to mediate on what God has stated about me. I immensely loved the confessions, the renunciations, and the declarations on page 44 and 45. One of my favorite renunciations was, “I renounce the lie that I will always be alone. I am a member of Your family, Father, and have a host of brothers and sisters who will welcome me into community” (Page 44). This book has truly impacted my life and I read it during the time that I truly needed to hear the message presented. I will be rereading this one again! I have been struggling with lies spoken over my life recently again and it finally clicked at who was behind the negative lies. This book has set me free from the lies and it had helped me to put on my new self in Christ! If you’re seeking a powerful book on spiritual warfare, then you definably need to read this one!

 

 

“I received this book free from the publisher through the Bethany House Publishers/ Chosen book review bloggers program.”   

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Full Armor of God, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Full-Armor-God-The-Defending/dp/0800795423

Chivalry: The Quest for a Personal Code of Honor in an Unjust World By Zach Hunter Book Review

Chivalry is written in the concept of ten principles that is based on how the ancient knights conducted their life. Zach Hunter explained that when he is discussing the word chivalry in this book, he isn’t talking about how guys are supposed to treat girls. The code of chivalry is for male and female and is meant to be applied and live out where we can see a greater impact for Christ’s kingdom.  

The second code in the book is entitled, “I will never attack from behind”. Backstabbing, gossiping, and criticizing others seems to becoming more and more acceptable in our cultures. Zach stated that in ancient times, knights would only attack someone else and fight back if they were in fact being attacked by an enemy first. He goes on to declare that we should always be loyal to our friends and never share personal secrets that people have shared to us. If someone trusts us with things that they are going through then we should be committed to being a true friend. Jesus always loved others and like him we’re called to do the same. An essential lesson in this chapter was with the changing times and technology, Zach encouraged readers to have important conversations face to face. For some examples, if we are wanting to break up with someone, ask someone out on a date, or you need to converse something personal, plan a time to meet to or do it on the phone voice to voice.  

One of my favorite codes was, “I will honor truth and always keep my promises”. This one really stressed the significance of being honest and when we promise that we will do something then we must try our very best to follow through. Zach Hunter shared a personal story in this chapter about when his family moved from Georgia back to Colorado during the winter break in his senior year. He decided to spend the extra amount of time in introducing himself to every single classmate in all of his classes. He began to meet a girl outside of school for coffee regularly and they began to become friends. He knew that she saw her only worth and value in her appearance. Zach eventually began to fall for her and he decided to ask her to go to prom with him. She stated that she would love to go with him and he was really looking forward to the big night. A few weeks later at a concert, he received a devastating text from her that regrettably professed, “I’m so sorry, but I can’t go to prom with you. I already promised someone else I would go with them a year ago plus I made other plans with friends… I’m sorry but I can’t go to prom with you” (Page 96). He called her the next day and she blamed it on her friends. She stated that they all agreed to all go without dates and she had broken that friendship rule. Funny how she kept her “promise” with her friends but not with Zach and her story kept changed dramatically. He later deliberated what happened to his friend that he had grown up with and he acted like he truly cared about what Zach was going through. When prom finally arrived, Zach decided not to go to prom but made the mistake of checking Facebook and he saw that his friend went with the girl. He later found out the truth and that his friend went to school with a bouquet of flowers and got on a blended knee and asked her to prom, and shocking she agreed! Zach, I thought was very genuine and he described how he had always struggled with low self-esteem. He shared this story to explain to readers that being honest and speaking the truth in love is what God has commanded us to do. I really connected with this story because like Zach I have went through some bad dating experiences, let’s just say they could be country songs. I have seen people lie and try and play with my emotions in order to feel in control. I even had one girl that I went on a date with lie about how much money she was inheriting from their grandmother death and the amount kept magically increasing each time. Honest and telling the truth is something the world is beginning to lack. Being honest is beginning to be an enormous quality that I find attractive in a woman and it’s a character trait that I want to display to be the man, husband, and father he is calling me to be. Zach Hunter recently has gotten married so there is hope for me yet.

I would recommend this remarkable book on chivalry, especially to teenagers and college students because it’s more geared to that age group. But many adults would still benefit from absorbing the ten codes of chivalry and applying them to their daily life. I immensely enjoyed the ten principles presented in this book on chivalry and living how Christ has called us to live. The ten codes of chivalry are not easy to live out and many times we will fail but we have to keep trying to be transformed into the image of Christ. Some of my favorite life changing codes were, “I will never abandon my quest, I will fear no evil, I will fight only for the sake of those who are unable to defend themselves, or in the dense of justice, and I will honor true and always keep my promises”. I really loved the last section of the book called, “Onward Living the Code” because it contained numerous questions and a reminder of what each code of honor encompasses. The book enclosed many personal stories about Zach, a vast number of scripture verses, thoughts from a few of his friends about different chivalry core points, and countless examples from historical speakers and everyday people. The book has the powerful force to influence our generation with following the ten codes of honor and it will prominently benefit readers into living their full purpose in life.  

 

Tyndale House Publishers/ Tyndale Momentum has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

 

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

 

http://www.amazon.com/Chivalry-Quest-Personal-Honor-Unjust/dp/1414376359

 

Check out the Book Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zRj6e-bxo2U

 

Zach Hunter discussing Chivalry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD0yG2tycG4&feature=youtu.be

 

Q & A with Zach Hunter:

http://mediacenter.tyndale.com/downloads/press_kits/AuthorQ&A.PDF

It’s Okay You’re With My Father: A Child Abuse Investigator’s Call to the Church By William “Chris” Shelton Book Review

 

It’s Okay You’re With My Father is written to encourage churches to respond to the crisis of fatherless homes and to reach out in love especially to children who were brutally abused. Chris Shelton has a degree in Sociology, has served in the Army as an infantry squad leader, and eventually was asked to become a U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his faithfulness and his outstanding integrity. For about eight years, he has been an investigator in child protective services. His job required that he had to travel a lot and he realized that he couldn’t be the husband and father that he felt God was calling him to be. He has recently decided to become a pastor and he founded Reach Out Christ’s Kingdom (R.O.C.K.) Ministries. His ministry is committed to inspiring churches in creating an environment where everyone is accepted and loved regardless of their past or background. The church is christened by the blood of Jesus and we’re to love others for who they are. He has a vision for every church to support foster care children and parents and to reach out in love and be the true Kingdom of God. Chris Shelton has written this book as a way to influence churches, pastors, and believers to be the church and he wants to wake people up over the issues that the church needs to address.

 

Chris Shelton shared a number of case stories throughout the book that will incite readers into recognizing the dangers that our children are facing. He begins the book by stating that many homes don’t have the fathers in the homes and most of our children are being raised by shows like, “Jerry Springer”, “MTV Spring Break”, and “Girls Gone Wild”. Some of the upsetting cases, he has worked was a 14 year old raping a 9 year old, a 21 year old raping a 14 year old, and a 11 year old virgin getting pregnant the very first time in a back seat of a friend’s borrowed car. He has questioned innumerable 13 and 14 year olds girls who admitted to have had six or seven sexual partner since they were 11 years old. He has experienced cases where fathers had raped their own daughters, one step-father even traded his own step daughter to a drug dealer and exchanged sex for drugs and then the step-father raped her and made her perform on him regularly, and a man who was full blown in occult practices and fondled one of the women’s daughter that he was seeing. He has also had to work cases where children lived in poverty and the family had low incomes. Most of the cases that he has worked child services was called in because of drugs in the home. The book contained so many more heartbreaking stories but it will inspire churches to reach out in love to a world who is in desperate need of love. The book title also came from a special hidden spiritual message that Chris Shelton explained. Towards the end of the book, he revealed that when he initiated his ministry the enemy tried to take his son, Adam’s life.

 

One of the stories that stood out to me was a case that Chris Shelton had to trust the Holy Spirit completely in order to solve the case and he believed that God would show in where the critical evidence was located at. A twenty-two year old man used to be a big popular kid at a local high school. After he graduated he began flirting with and hitting on underage young girls. He would use a tactic and a master plan in order to obtain what he was truly after. He would offer to take young girls who were out alone out for a drive. He would provide the girls with beer and then he preceded to have sex with them. Chris Shelton pointed out that many of the young girls are enticed with the fact that an adult man was showing them interest and affection. One day he targeted and picked out a 14 year old virgin. He tried to get her drunk but she didn’t like the taste of beer. She took a few sips in order to please him and where she would look like an adult. He was highly wasted and he raped her. When she arrived home she was crying and she told her mother what happened. The medical examiner stated that she was still bleeding and her tears were pretty bad. Chris knew that they no one saw her being picked up and they were no witnesses around. The twenty-two year old also used a condom and they couldn’t find it. Chris decided to use a method that they taught their special agents and he rode with the young girl back to where the incident happened. He guided her in picturing that she was watching a movie. She told him where to stop the car and Chris walked alongside the road and found the condom that was used. At first he denied having sex with an underage girl but when the condom was found he changed his answer and said it was consensual. He ultimately was convicted of the crime. This story displayed the power and the prompting that the Holy Spirit can assist us in our everyday lives in only we will listen.  

I would immensely recommend this magnificent resource to anybody in leadership positions, every pastor, deacon, believers, and even non-believers. The book will benefit readers in learning about child abuse and the viral need to take action and connect with people who are hurting and who are needing love and acceptance. The church is the leading catalyst for change and if churches would reach out to fatherless children, abused children, and foster care we could significantly impact our future generations for the better. I exceedingly liked all of the cases Chris Shelton shared in this book even though a lot of them were difficult to read because of the distressing content presented in the book. I liked how Chris relied on God and he prayed for God’s assistance during all of the terrible child abuse cases he had to encounter. I immeasurably valued the story about the vampire like occult and the very real facet that spiritual warfare is very existent. It reinforced that they are angels protecting us from the schemes of satan and his demons. The biggest lessons that I learned from the book was the importance of protecting our children from predators, watching what our children watch, and paying attention to who our children are talking to online. I also learned the hidden danger of viewing pornography and how that has affected a majority of the child abuse cases. I loved the appendix and the helpful steps to help people who were abused and how to distinguish the signs and symptoms. I also liked the stance Chris took in encouraging churches to help foster children and I whole heartily believe this is imperative. Chris did an astonishing job at convincing me that some churches must do more in helping, accepting, and loving abused children and children in foster care. This book will massively influence the body of Christ and this is a book that every church leader and member needs to get a copy and read!

 

“I received this copy of It’s Okay You’re My Father for free from the author for this review”.

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of the It’s Okay You’re My Father, check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Okay-Youre-Father-Investigators/dp/1449720781

 

Check out Reach Out Christ’s Kingdom website:  

http://www.calltohonor.org/index.php/home

 

Like Reach Out Christ’s Kingdom Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ROCK-Ministries/163934951311

 

Like It’s Okay You’re With My Father Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Its-Okay-Youre-With-My-Father/260115984024693

 

Like A Call to Honor Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Call-To-Honor/249140488546259?fref=ts

 

 

 William Chris Shelton discussing his new book on Homekeepers:

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngODM86BjLY

 

 

The Fourth Fisherman: How Three Mexican Fishermen Who Came Back from the Dead Changed My Life and Saved My Marriage By Joe Kissack Book Review

 

In The Fourth Fisherman, Joe Kissack has written about the journey of five fishermen who vanished on an expedition on the western Mexico coast. Senor Juan, Salvador Ordonez, Lucio Rendon, Jesus Vidana, and Farsero left the coast on board a boat called a panga. When they were out at to sea, a storm began to come and they lost their cimbra, which is a fishing line that costs more than three thousand dollars. Senor Juan emphasized that they must keep searching for the cimbra and they ultimately ran out of gas and the engine sputtered and died. They were alone and lost at sea for about nine months before they were rescued. Salvador had one Bible on the boat that they all read and mediated on while they were lost. The book gets very graphic on all that they had to do in order to survive and find food. Two of the fisherman unfortunately didn’t make it and died. The book covered two stories that was intertwined together to display God’s divine power, the fisherman story and Joe Kissack personal story.

 

Joe Kissack had to endure through a difficult childhood and deal with a hard to please father. His father was an alcoholic and he loved to drink. His father would also use a paddle to punish him when he acted up and misbehaved. He was told as a child to bend over and hold his ankles while he was being hit by a paddle. This messaged conveyed to him to never mess up and to always perform perfectly. Joe tried to be strong enough and he was very competitive in sports to succeed. He strived to be a linebacker in order to make his father happy. He had a lot of angry and he wanted to hit someone back for the pain he felt inside his soul. He got the position of a quarterback on the football team and his dad reminded him that he wasn’t any good at football. As he became older, Joe became his dad’s drinking buddy and he used alcohol to escape the pain of his childhood. He realized that he felt better temporary because of the effects of alcohol. Joe Kissack became driven to succeed and he took a job in licensing the rights of television programs to broadcast stations. He kept climbing the ladder and he became rich and he purchased anything that his heart desired. Eventually the price of money and success came crashing down when he entered a deep depression and he began to take medicine and drink alcohol to relief the torment he felt inside. His wife, Carmen and his two beautiful girls were affected in ways he hasn’t perceived. He also revealed how he came to know Christ and how his life has dramatically changed.

 

Another favorite piece of the book was the story about how his wife told him that they were expecting their first child. He arrived at the hotel and he saw a teddy bear with a ribbon attached to two balloons one pink and one blue. Then he read the card and it said, “We are in the pink…or… the blue. Love, Carmen.” (Page 38). I thought this was a really neat way to tell your spouse that they are doing to be a dad! Future wife, wherever you are at, please take note, I would truly love a kind genuine big reveal surprise.

 

I would recommend this glorious book on the fishermen to anyone who loves inspirational stories that contains a message of hope in a God that protects and guides his chosen people. I enjoyed reading about the fishermen lost at sea and they encouraged me in my faith in God to always hold to the expectation that God will deliver me in whatever battles that I may be facing. I believed that Joe Kissack did an incredible job at combining both of the individual stories into a much greater concept of how God increased their faith. I immensely loved the transparency that Joe Kissack shared in his own life and how he thought that being successful would cause his father to declare and say to him that he was proud of him. Joe’s story taught me that many men struggle with working hard to achieve greatness and to accomplish work in order to feel better about themselves. Most of us men long to hear from our dad that he is proud of them. This pointed out to me that whenever I became a father that I must step up my game and proclaim to them that I’m proud of them. Joe also imparted in me the importance of spending quality time with my children and not be so concerned about climbing the ladder of fame. This book had a number of tangible reminders that God was present in the fishermen lives as well as, Joe Kissask. If you’re looking for a book that has the potential to encourage you in your walk in God and one that will at the same time instigate you into a deeper relationship with Christ, then this is the book you need to read!

 

“I received this copy of The Fourth Fisherman for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Fourth Fisherman, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030795627X

 

Book Trailer:

 

• Book Website
• Video
• Follow Joe on Twitter
• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio