Deeply Loved: 40 Ways in 40 Days to Experience the Heart of Jesus By Keri Wyatt Kent Book Review

In Deeply Loved, Keri Wyatt Kent has written a 40 days devotional type book to encourage readers to get closer to God and to experience His complete never ending love. God loves each of us like we’re an only child. God desires to connect intimately with each one of us and you’re supposed to enjoy being in His Holy presence. Each day contains a scripture verse and a “Presence Practice” to guide readers into studying the love of Christ in more depth.

 

Keri Wyatt Kent made a great point about setting a part quiet time for God and being intentional about seeking God’s face. Solitude benefits us because you’re more inclined to listen to God so that we can hear the things He’s wanting to convey to us. Some of us are wanting to be closer to God and have a stronger relationship with Him. But building a relationship always requires sacrifice of time on our part. An important quote was, “What advice would you give this spouse, longing to feel the love of her husband? Hopefully it’s obvious: in order to feel more connected, this person needs to spend time with her spouse. It’s that simple. Sit down on the couch and talk about your day. Go for a walk and talk about your dreams. Go golfing or sailing or enjoy some other activity together. Make love. Just be together!” (Page 43). It’s the same way with God, we have to spend time studying His word, praying, and enjoying being in His presence.

 

Day 28 entitled, “Trust” was very life changing for me and vastly revealed to me the things I worry about. Keri Wyatt Kent shared a personal story about trusting God with all of her worries, fears, and concerns. Her son injured his hand in volleyball practice and he had a sprained finger. Like any parent, her mind was going through all the worst possible outcomes. Her problems began to overwhelm her and she was stressing. Her husband is self-insured and his insurance policy doesn’t cover an orthopedic specialist. She had to trust that God had it all figured out and she didn’t have to worry. Her son’s hand thankfully healed and no trip to the doctor was needed. One important thing Keri did was write down and list what she was worried about. And she replaced her worries with things she had to be graceful for. I decided to do this as well.

 

Some of my worries are: Losing my parents, never going on a date, never marrying, never having children, not having good friendships that last through the seasons and changes of life, not being good enough, being alone, and never seeing my dreams and desires come true.

 

Things I am thankful for: Jesus dying on the cross for my sins, my salvation, a place to live, parents that love me and care for me, a family that would always be there for me, pets to love, food to eat, the ability to cook meals, music to listen to, and books to read.

 

I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone who needs a reminder that God loves you completely. God’s love is unfathomable and on this side, we won’t ever realize how much He truly does love us. This book will help readers to experience a life changing relationship with the person who created you. I immensely love how Keri Wyatt Kent related to the readers and shared personal stories and ways she became confident in the truth of God’s love. The book will reveal to you His caring loving touch in your life. If you’re longing to enhance your relationship with God and take it to a whole another level, then this book will substantially impact your life!

 

 

“I received this copy of Deeply Loved for free from Abingdon Press for this review”.


 

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

 

http://www.amazon.com/Deeply-Loved-Experience-Heart-Jesus/dp/1426744811/

 

Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska By Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss Book Review

 

Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska is about the journey of a famous singer, Ginny Marshall. Ginny is pursuing her singing career full speed in Los Angeles, California. Music producer, Danny Kingston decided to surprise her with a new recording contract from a label to record a new album. Ginny is torn on if she should accept or not so she decided to travel to Alaska to meet an old lover. She fell in love with Brett Miller and got engaged but she broke it off. She chose to follow her dream of a recording career and move to LA. She hasn’t spoken or seen him since the break up and she mailed back his engagement ring.

 

When she arrived in Alaska, Brett is off on a wildlife adventure to clear his head. Ginny meets Brett’s Grandma, Ethel and stays at her house until Brett comes back. Grandma Ethel reveals and tells Ginny to read these love letters. These letters contain a written love story between Ellie and Clay. Ellie became Clay’s children governess and she watched over the children daily. Love and friendship eventually begin to develop between Ellie and Clay but the trials and conflicts of life initiate to come against them. You will have to read the book to see if Ellie and Clay fall in love.

 

Brett returns from his trip and they have a choice to make will they heal and let forgiveness happen or will they go their separate ways.

 

I would recommend this breathtaking fiction novel to anyone who enjoys romance and the thrill of falling in love. The novel was very descriptive in displaying how Alaska looked and the community that existed in the rural area. I immensely enjoyed how this one book had two different stories tried together to convey that love still exists and is possible to find. No matter how far or how long the expedition to love may take for someone to find their true love, it’s viral to keep believing. The novel was a true complexion of forgiveness and having the courage to mend and move forward despite your heart from being broken. I especially loved how the story had a major decision to be made. Would Ginny choose a career or love? I believe everyone at some point has to choose which one they care more about. This story will inspire you to give love another chance and to never give up on finding it!

 

Summerside Press has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for being a part of Tricia Goyer 2013 Launch Team.

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Finds-You-Glacier-Alaska/dp/1609365690/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

Check out the behind the scenes trip to Glacier Bay:

http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2011/09/research-writing-trips-buds-car-rental.html

 

Gustavus Inn at Glacier Bay Recipe: Halibut Caddy Ganty

 

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ListingRecipes.aspx?inn=215887&recipe=29483

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:

http://www.amazon.com/God-All-Creation-Lessons-Wildlife/dp/1400074592

http://www.christianbook.com/creation-life-lessons-from-pets-wildlife/james-robison/9781400074594/pd/074594

 

James Robison Author Bio:

 

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=74980

 

More Info:

 

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400074594&format=book

 

Read Chapter One:

 

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2012/04/10/sneak-peek-god-of-all-creation-by-james-robison/

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:

http://www.amazon.com/Bold-Love-What-Happen-People/dp/1400204208

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 9^th-15^th 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:

http://www.iamsecond.com/livesecondbook/

 

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

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 9^th-15^th 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:

http://www.iamsecond.com/livesecondbook/

 

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 9^th-15^th 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:

http://www.iamsecond.com/livesecondbook/

 

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

God Loves Broken People (And Those Who Pretend They’re Not) By Sheila Walsh Book Review

In God Loves Broken People, Sheila Walsh enforced the concept of dealing with your feelings of being broken. There are many ways to handle your wounds from your past. Shelia encouraged readers to believe and study what the Bible declares over your difficult circumstances. She described her own feelings about hurts in life and not understanding why bad things happen. She wrote this book to reveal her own struggles with her broken pieces. Jesus is always there to assist us when we are going through our hurts and our pains.

One of my favorite examples that Sheila shared in her book was how her husband had an extreme fear of water. The fear was passed down from his very own father. His father got robbed in a grocery store and they beat him and nailed him to a whiskey barrel. The fear of living his life and the pain he endured consumed his father. One day his father was watching the news broadcast. There was a breaking headline of the day telling about a boat drowning accident. He warned his son to never get in the water on a boat because he would drown. Sheila’s husband as an adult made a choice to start reading and speaking the word of God to overcome his fears. He decided that he didn’t want to pass down this generational fear of the unknown to his son. Now father and son go fishing together on the boat trusting that God will protect them. This story spoke volumes for me! The lesson is to believe the truth of God’s prevailing and life altering word. Fear and spoken negative words over our lives can be transformed with God’s healing and changing power.  

I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling and feeling like they are the only one going through difficult times in their life. If you’re feeling broken and beat down by life then this book will offer you hope that God is still on the throne controlling all things. Asking the why things happen in our lives seem to be a common thing we have all done. It’s comforting to know that we aren’t alone in our struggles and heartbreaks. Our Savior is ready and willing to lead us broken and all until we make it to the other side. Even when we do make it home he will still be there but only then will we be completely whole. This book will reveal the truth to you about how much God still desperately loves you especially through your broken pieces!

“I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.”

If you would like to purchase a copy of God Loves Broken People check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/God-Loves-Broken-People-Pretend/dp/1400202450/

How To Find God's Love By Don Nori Sr Book Review

How To Find God's Love, Don Nori Sr explored the depths and truths of God's endless love for you. Don Nori Sr was lonely and he felt that his life didn't matter. He didn't know how people would remember him. But God revealed his deep love for him. The book has tons of scripture to back up and support the truth of God's love. He included stories from others about how God turned their life around. He became a friend to the lonely, he set someone free from chasing after money and fame, and he set someone free from drugs and having sex to obtain someone's love. Every chapter included a powerful prayer to pray to our Father!







I would strongly recommend this book on God's everlasting love to everyone! It was a great reminder that God is more than able to change someone's life. Real joy and love comes from God. I found out that it is important to believe the life changing Gospel for myself. There is incredible power in the name of Jesus! God is always ready to forgive us for our sins all we have to do is ask! He will be a friend who is standing right by us always! Praise God! If someone is desperately seeking for love and wants to find freedom, read this book on God's unfailing love! It makes a wonderful tool for helping lost souls to come to know God!! This book will lead millions to salvation and people will find Christ!!







Don Nori Sr and Destiny Image has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

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

http://www.amazon.com/How-Find-Gods-Love-Nori/dp/0768432960/

Read the First Chapters:

http://www.howtofindgodslove.org/media/freechapter.pdf

Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After: Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance By Craig Groeschel Book Review

In Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After, Craig Groeschel teaches readers the importance of maintaining a healthy marriage that lasts. The book was previously published as Going All The Way. He encouraged readers to get closer to God and to receive God’s love. We can’t give away true love to our spouse if we don’t love ourselves completely. He also pointed out that he doesn’t believe that there is only one person out there for you. It’s impossible to meet every single person in the world. It’s our free choice on who we choose to marry. Another concept that Christians must follow is to not marry someone who doesn’t share their common believes. Craig shared why we need to wait until marriage to have sex and live together. He revealed the two biggest lies we use to reason that sex is fine before marriage. He included some helpful tips to stop you from going too far. Some of the tips are “keep four feet on the floor, keep your bed your bed, and other extremely important tips. Craig Groeschel wrote one chapter for men and one chapter for women. Men are supposed to be leading the household spiritually, financially and protectively. The women chapter included the lies that women are telling themselves.

The book also contains discussion questions for you and your spouse to use to explore deeper into your healthy marriage.

A helpful quote is:

“God wants marriage to be characterized by purity and open sharing. Our Enemy, the devil, wants marriage to be filled with dirt, the partners walled up, hiding in the shadows of sin.” (Page 140)

I would recommend this wonderful book on marriage and dating to teenagers and adults! If you are single get this book and read it! Even if you are married it’s important to read and put these principles into practice. It’s is never too late to work on becoming the person God is calling you to be. I have learned helpful details about not forgetting to date my wife when we are married. Once you say I do the game isn’t over and the mission isn’t complete. As a man, I am called by God to love my wife and lead her and protect her from harm. When another man has hurt her emotional and physically, I have to stand up and commit that I won’t. Women tend to compare themselves to others. I must also build my wife up by saying how wonderful and beautiful she is. God made her the way he wanted her and the world doesn’t have the final say as to what she is or what she isn’t. Marriage takes a lot of commitment and determination to love one another despite the conflicts that we will face. Standing together as one flesh and working on communicating in our marriage relationship is what God had in mind. The enemy is a liar and he will do anything in his power to create conflicts in your marriage. How you handle them is up to you! This book has the power and influence to help couples to marry with an assurance to love each other completely and to make it last. I am currently not married but I have already decided to add this book to the list to read again with my future wife. Craig Groeschel has written the book that every couple needs to read it’s time for marriages to start thriving!

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After: Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance check it out on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Sex-Happily-Ever-After/dp/1601423691

Read Chapter One:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/57399993/Love-Sex-and-Happily-Ever-After-by-Craig-Groeschel-Sneak-Peek

For More Information on Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601423696

Craig Groeschel Author Bio:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=75379

Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions by Max Lucado Book Review

Max Lucado is a popular Christian writer and he currently serves at Oak Hills Church. Max Lucado has been asked a number of questions dealing with life struggles and challenges. Max has decided to share the questions and answers in his new book called Max on Life. Max has included 172 questions and answers in this book. The book contains questions and answers asked about finances, forgiveness, hope, hurt, suicide, homosexuality, relationships, heaven and hell, illness, and a whole lot more. At the end of the book, Max incorporated a special section on writing. Max on Life also has a topical and scripture index to help readers relook at a question again.

Here are some quotes from the book:

“Be careful. Don’t make a decision in a storm that you wouldn’t make in calm weather.” (187)

“Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist. Bitterness is the trap that snares the hunter.” (47)

“For in the end, all believers will tumble skyward into the embrace of heaven, where nothing bad will ever happen again.” (65)

An example of a question in the book is: “What does God think of suicide victims? What does that mean for their salvation? For our memories? For our peace of mind?” (208)

Max answered a lot of questions that some Christians would have a hard time answering. He doesn’t sugarcoat the message and what he believes. He applied scripture to each question. I enjoyed reading this book because Max answered a lot of my questions that I had. I found out how to deal with circumstances that we have to endure in this life. Max’s new book will help you look to Christ and his word on how to handle situations in your life.

I would recommend Max on Life if you have any questions about God and life in general. Max does his best to answer a range of great questions that we all have. This book does contain adult and teenager material. It is a great guide to search for answers for our many questions that we may have!  If you have been pondering something give this book a chance and it just might answer your many questions.

“I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.”

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

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Life-Insights-Important-Questions/dp/0849948126

Read a preview of Max on Life below:

http://thomasnelson.insidethecover.com/widget/?isbn=9780849948121

Mere Churchianity by Michael Spencer Book Review

In Mere Churchianity, Michael shared a story about a letter he received from an atheist. The atheist was a worker at Dairy Queen. She wrote to Michael, who was the youth minister, and she told him that his youth group wasn’t very nice to the workers at Dairy Queen. His youth group made a mess with a saltshaker and left it to be cleaned by someone else. She didn’t like Christians but could you blame her for the way that the “youth group” acted. The youth group had a chance to influence non-believers for the better and they failed.

Michael wrote this book for leavers of the church. He believed that most Christians who have left the church are leaving because of some of the legalism rules we have placed on the church. He doesn’t think they are leaving because they don’t believe in God. It is because they are looking for the real Jesus and some churches aren’t showing and teaching about Jesus. We are all called to be disciples of Jesus and we are supposed to help one another.

“Many leave the church because their aloneness is never recognized by others, and others in the church never realize their own sin in isolating the people in their midst. So those who don’t conform and thus fail to fit in, for whatever reason, are left alone to be alone.” (180)

My thoughts on this book are that as a church we all need to do better than we are currently doing. We shouldn’t have our youth groups or adults groups making messes for other people to clean up and insulting workers. We are called to be the church and we are called to be like Jesus. Jesus served the homeless, the out casted, and anyone who needed his help, which we all need, his help. Non-believers are watching Christians to see if we are living out what we are teaching. I understand why some people leave the church now. But we have to live out what we say we believe. I wonder how many youth groups and adults have done something similar to this story. I agree with Mere Churchianity and that we are called to be disciples of Jesus and we need to serve one another. We have to live out what we believe and mean it!

I would recommend this book to any church member and any member that has left the church. We can all grow to understand why some people leave the church. We can all also learn to reach out to church members and non-believers and show them the real Jesus! We have to always remember that actions speak louder than words! We can’t forget who Jesus is and what his word teaches us to do.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

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

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307459179/ref=cm_rdp_product

Check out Chapter One:

http://multnomahemails.com/wbmlt/pdf/SneakPeek_Mere%20Churchianity.pdf



If you would like to rate my review click the link below:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/6383

The Cause within You by Matthew Barnett Book Review

Matthew Barnett is one of the founders of the Dream Center in Los Angeles. His father, Tommy Barnett also helped his son start the Dream Center. Matthew first started preaching at the early age of twenty years old at Bethel Temple in Los Angeles. When the church began to dwindle from thirty nine people to zero, Matthew cried out to God asking him why members of the church were leaving. He eventually found out his answer from God. God was calling him to lead and assist the homeless, broken, and hurting people in Los Angeles. The Dream Center believes in loving people and serving people. They hope hurting people will come to know that Christ loves them completely. The Dream Center helps drug addicts to recover, prostitution victims, human trafficking victims, homeless families, and anyone who is hurting to make a better life for themselves. In “The Cause within You”, Matthew shared his whole story about how God provided the money to start the Dream Center. The Dream Center has helped a great number of people who were hurting and broken and changed their lives around for the better. God has used the Dream Center to start a new different kind of church to reach out and bless others who are hurting.


I liked that the book shared an enormous number of stories about people being changed by another person’s love. This book encouraged me to never give up and to always give God the credit for my cause. I would recommend this book to teenagers, college students, and adults. Everyone needs to find the special cause that God has for them. This book will help guide you on how to find out what your cause is. Most importantly is to remember that God will lead you to where you need to be at the exact time. If you fail from time to time just remember to never give up on your cause! God will always show up when you need Him. All you have to do is to seek God and he will provide.

Near the end of the book, Matthew also included some Bible scripture passages to meditate on and encourage you on your journey to fulfilling your cause.

One of my favorite scriptures, Matthew included was:

“If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31

If you would like to purchase a copy of “The Cause within You” it is available on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Cause-within-You-Finding-Created/dp/1414348460/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top



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

Love Revolution Shown by a Church

This Love Revolution story is about a church who gave itself away. I have been looking for a church to attend for quite a while. This past two months I stopped going to church all together. Every church I have went to hasn’t felt like home to me. But this church holds a back to school Christian event for the county along with many churches in the area. I had no idea that God would bring someone to my doorstep but he did. They are giving away a prize at the back to school event and when I entered the contest. One of the question asked, “If I had a church I go to”. I clicked no. They also asked, “If I wanted more info on the churches in the area”. I clicked yes. Then God showed up! I had no idea this church member from one of the churches would come actually to my door. I thought they would send a flyer not a person to my house. J But I am glad they did. He brought me homemade bread, info about the church, a message series, and a worship team CD of the church. Why would someone randomly do that? After all they had no idea who I was. I haven’t been to a church service there before. I honestly had no idea where it was located even! They were starting a love revolution! I haven’t ever heard of churches doing anything like that in my entire life. I felt the LOVE of God for the first time in a long time. It was the God in him. So I decided to give church another try. It just takes one!


Natalie Grant is starting a LOVE REVOLUTION! Joyce Meyer is also trying to start one. I think it’s a wonderful idea. So I posted this story on Natalie Grant’s Love Revolution website.

http://startaloverevolution.com/
If you have a love revolution story about you or others post it on her site. You might be wondering what in the world a love revolution is. It means everyone coming together and helping one another in small ways. Some examples would include feeding the hunger, donating to charities, helping out at church, holding open doors for one another, buying someone a coffee, talking to someone who is lonely, and anything else you can come up with.

Mission Completed

I had my run for St. Jude’s Research Hospital on Saturday, June 12. It was extremely hot in Nashville, TN. The humidity was smoldering to anybody’s body. The run was at 8 am. This little girl named Ellen Taylor kicked off the 5k run with the National Anthem. One guy juggled balls during the whole walk/run. I don’t know how he did that. I did good to walk and run it. Then two girls walked and hula hooped the whole run. I only had about two months to prepare for the run. I could only run for 0.31 miles. Then my right foot started killing me, but I finished the 5k. Most people walked and some ran the whole time. But the reason we all came together was for the children not for being first.

Someone recorded this video of Ellen Taylor performing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaJKOWvhL5g

I would like to thank everyone who has read and supported me during this run/walk. Thank you everyone who donated or who has ever donated to St. Jude’s. I even saw young kids ranging from 3 to 16 helping one another. I even saw some older people helping and running. The world would be a much better place, if we all would just reach out and move along and help one another. We can’t live in fear or let our doubts hold us back any longer. So thank you for reading any of my posts.

I went to Nashville for the CMA Fest too. It was my first time going and it was a blast. I only went to three of the four nightly concerts. I was hurting and too sore to stay for the last night. But I got to see a lot of artists and TV show stars. I even got to met some of them, which was awesome. I went to the Convention Center which is where artists sign at booths. My favorite would have to be Point of Grace. They made me feel like they cared about me as a fan. We connected and Leigh even remembered my name. Point of Grace did a free concert at the Music City Zone and Leigh said, “We met Andrew today. Hey Andrew” I got a picture of her pointing at me. I about flipped out. If you ever get the chance to go to the CMA Fest, it is worth it. It was crazy and hot though just to warn you. Nashville is very hot! Two of the best singers at the nightly concerts would have been Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride. They rocked it! Everyone who performed was great! But they were my favorite, if I had to pick two.

I also heard of a new artist, Danny Gokey. Yes, he is from American Idol too. I got his new CD this week and it is great. I like most of the tracks and I agree with this dude. His first single called, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” is a song about looking ahead in life and not living in the past.

Here are the lyrics:

“Life hasn't always been a party but mostly it's been good There's only one or two things that I'd change if I could I don’t get lost in the past or get stuck in some sad memory yah My best days are ahead of me

Age is nothing but a number Sometimes I have to wonder What does it really mean But hey I’m still putting it together I keep getting better if I keep getting better I can be whatever I want to be My best days are ahead of me”

Here is the powerful video for the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqus079lUz8

I know we all have some things we regret but the past is the past. We CAN’T change it. No matter how much we would like to change some things. We all make mistakes. But all we can do is pray for forgiveness and receive it. Then move on. As the song says, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” we have to believe that.

Who knows maybe I will run another one completely one day.

“Forget perfect. Perfect is boring! Our bodies are beautiful, no matter how narrow our cultures definitions might be. Embrace your perceived imperfections- they make you unique- and love who you are. It’s the only way to move forward.” Jillian Michaels “Winning By Losing” Page 6

Oh and my supporters raised $500 dollars for the run. Which I couldn’t have done it, without you thank you again. I made my goal with everyone’s help. $5,110.00 was raised by Team Messina so far. They are still counting the donations. I believe you can still donate so I don’t have any clue, when they will stop the donations. $27,019.10 has been raised for the St. Jude’s so far! Let’s just pray that we help save a life with all the donations and maybe we will find the cure to cancer!