on this day in christian history

this is a cool lil day by day... devotional i figure... has some interesting historical facts about different saints and marters, who have fowarded the gospel of christ and radically changed the the world... it is a informative read and am giving my copy to my paster who is in love with history... will be a great  christmas gift idea for the history lover in ur life..


(this was a free advanced copy give by thomas nelson inc. in return for honest review of material)

Living Life in the Zone by Kyle Rote Jr

this i a cool 40 day devotional that incorporates real life christian men who are in the sports field. it is an interesting read, and i though I'm not much for sports, i found the message to be rather refreshing. I'm thinking about bringing the book up as a possible men's group study for church. might be beneficial for most men, as it deals with  personal, family, marriage professional. etc..  id recommend this to a friend or family member.

(this copy was given free by Thomas Nelson company to be read for review)

The way home staring Dean cain

A parents worst nightmare..... and a mans life changed!!!! The way home i a true account of Randy Simpkins when his 2yr old son Joe goes missing.  as a father myself i injected myself into the story.. the emotions that are brought about by this movie, shakes the very foundations of a father. Randy(Dean Cain)  is a work first man. then loses his son and realizes the important things in life.... God and family.  shows the awesome power of Gods provision... neighbors, friends, churches and emergency personal all search for this boy for about 6hrs (movie time), no one gives up hope or dependency on God.  beautiful movie and a must see for any christian family, and especially parents and fathers specifically... bring us back to whats important.


(this movie was and advanced copy given by Thomas nelson company for an honest review)

Eternal torrment in hell....act of Gods mercy?

Ok, i know some of you are going,"what is this nonsense?...mercy!?!?" Yes, mercy. Think on this, (and i hope you can follow it bounces in my head) Jesus when he was praying in Gethsemane bled sweat, agonizing; "if there is anyway this cup may pass from me let it be so; but your will be done not mine" (paraphrase) the "cup" was not death, it was "our" just punishment for "our" sins; God's Wrath!!! so think about this, Jesus, creator of the world(Jn 1:1) who knew what God Wrath consisted of, in my opinion, was scared of it. That to me says something about the power and magnitude of it. So a fearful Jesus Willingly threw himself in front of us to take on all of the "anger" of God, for us!! Pretty nice of him, if anyone jumped in front of me with a bullet coming id be friends with him for life, because i owed him mine.  "So what does that have to do with hell?" you ask. simply this.... whats done is done!!!  Weather you believe Jesus died for you and redeemed you of your sins, or not.....HE DID!!!! you cant change it! you can only choose to be thankful for a fresh start and take his hand.... for those who (my opinion) are to stubborn to change and follow Jesus... there is punishment... a place of eternal torment where there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." wheres mercy?? what if  Jesus never died?  Jesus himself was fearful, to the point he sweat blood, so wouldn't that make HELL significantly less than what we deserve.  I think if Jesus took our rightful punishment, that Hell as bad as we think it is, is done out of Gods mercy and love...  Think about it, post if you agree. post if you think I'm totally wrong...  just think about the price Christ paid for YOU!!!!!

the butterfly effect

great book! butterfly effect talks about how your life can impact lives hundreds of yrs ahead in time. the author gives example of one man and tracing back couple of generations. though a short read its impactful and mind opening. good story to read to kids bout 5-9 to get them thinking about their actions. would look for more books by the author.




recieved an online copy of book provided by thomas nelson for review

the skin map by stephen R. Lawhead

Ive never heard of Lawhead before, but after reading "the skin map", I'll say hes a very accomplished writer. Ive always like fantasy books myself (dragons and whatnot), but this tale of other dimensions and different times was captivating. he mixes a fantasy with a strong logical science, that made me want to look up some things. the story starts out as a reluctant and scared "kit" has to find his lost girlfriend. with the help of his long thought dead great-grandfather, they go off to look for a precious map to guide them on their way. a very interesting read, and I'm considering reading the second quest in the bright empires trilogy "the bone house"

this copy was given to me as an advanced copy by thomas nelson for reviews

stresses

how come you can never just have a simple conversation with some one and it turn out, that they understand where u come from? how come its always has to be for or against? Does no one see the middle ground or is it always about war? people constaintly have to harp about something!!! he said this and i didnt like it so i hate him, she does it this way and i dont ,they're wrong. WHY?!?!?! do people have so much hate inside that it spills out over the STUPIDEST things? or so set in their way that if you pose an alternate thought (even if you agree) that you are just stupid, against them, or dont care!! I just dont get why so much stress is wanted in peoples lives. Ok you have a peoblem with some one lets voice our opinions about it and let it go. not REPEAT things over, (let me say that again) NOT REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!! now im not feigning perfection here, ive been guilty just like the rest of us, but that dont mean i understand it, nor want it to continue..... what do you think? whats your thoughts about it? post any comments you have about it.

The Jesus you cant ignore--by John MacArthur

picture Jesus in your mind....is he laughing? love in his eyes? maybe holding a sheep or a child? what about a look of anger? maybe yelling? do you see him as one who might start a fight?

John uses yrs of sermons about jesus and his life, plus bible scripture, to compose a radical look at jesus. a jesus of hard truth, and absolute discust in the religion practice of that day. john makes mention, "that Jesus' harshest words were reserved for instintutionalized religious hypocrisy." the thesis, "we can not be men-pleasers, and servents of christ at the same time."

I would reccomend this book to anyone who is dedicated to seeking Jesus.
"The Jesus you cant ignore" give a pretty accurate insight on how we have became a civilization of not rocking the boat, but we need tostep up and defend the gospel, sometimes even from those we least expect to.

(this book was an advanced copy given by Thomas nelson for review)

A guys guide to life- by James Boyett

Ok where was this guy when i was growing up? A guys guide to life- by James Boyett is a frank, and laid back book about the troubles that guys(young teens to not so young adults)can appreciate. it talks about myths of manhood, to how to still be a gentleman in this day and age, and right down to a chapter on sex, and how most are just as confused as the rest. this is a great book for any young teen, and some dads to to help with connecting to their boys. im starting a boys class this fall and will include this book in some life lesson points. James has a real bead on things and would be a recommended read to any male.

( this book was given as an advanced copy for free by Thomas Nelson Publishing, in return for a honest review)

Billy Graham--- "STORM WARNING"

WARNING!!!!!!!! What do you do take action or blow it off? Billy Graham’s book storm warning is about the signs of the times. He uses today’s newspaper headlines and world events and compares them with the book of revelation and Matthew 24. He takes the complexity of bible prophecy and simplifies it into tough questions for us to ask ourselves today.

Billy Graham is very intriguing in his relative ideas. He softly urges us to not stand idle, but to acknowledge the signs that Jesus predicted and prepare. He goes over Revelation 6 and describes (his own thoughts) on the horsemen, and the signs of their entrance.

All in all a great read. This was the first book by graham that I have read but wont be this last.

I acquired this advanced copy from Thomas nelson publishing in return for an honest assessment.

Prayer

I was at a men’s bible study the other night and we started talking about prayer. so I t got me thinking...What is Prayer? what was it intended for? and when did it start?

What is prayer? Webster's encyclopedic unabridged dictionary defines it as: "1: a devout petition to GOD or and object of worship; 2: a spiritual communion with GOD or an object of worship.
petition simply is: to beg for or request; communion..(hmm sounds like communication) is: and interchange of thought or emotions; I.e. intimate communication

so, prayer is a conversation that is held for GOD. (I personally don’t believe idols deserve prayer, so I’m not including an object of worship. sorry!) I said something that kind of made sense.." Prayer is the mortal tool for communicating to GOD" it is a tool just as a telephone is a tool. for all yall that have cell phones, you like mobility, well you've always had "spiritual service." and unlike some providers (*cough*Verizon*cough* J/K) you always have full bars.

ok so prayer is a communication tool. so what do I do with it? this is tough. I personally believe that I can talk to god (pray)about anything; help to control my attitude; peace in the house; get to work on time....lol. I’m sure he delights in everything that we say to him; Praise him!!!!! thank him!!!! be flooded with adoration for him. think about it..... don’t you like praise? we're in his image. what do you like to hear/) ask for his love and forgiveness. it don’t mater if you stole a million dollars or ate your wife’s last chocolate....(ummm I really wouldn’t suggest that by the way) we all are in need of his Grace, ask for your needs to be met, for it says " ask and it will be given; to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" ( Luke 11:9 NIV )

ok prayer is communication to GOD for worship and praise, and for our needs and wants. So when did prayer start?

the first mention of prayer is in genesis 20:17 when Abraham prayed for healing of Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls. that’s the first prayer mentioned, but what about direct contact? Abraham, Noah, Adam all talked to god, held dialog, communicated, intimate conversations... they expressed desires, petitions to god, their needs and wants. in genesis 18 Abraham "haggles" or "barters" for Sodom. in vs. 27 Abraham says: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord,..." he was praying...by definition he expressed his thoughts,. Even emotions, to GOD. and GOD answered ( albeit directly) but we to look for answers too? just a matter of weather we hear the answer that god gives us. but that is a discussion for another day.

summery... PRAY!!!!!! talk to god use your spiritual phone and talk. he's always there and willing to listen. tell him about your day, the trouble , the victories, and throw your burdens upon him. "PRAYER IS THE MORTAL TOOL USED TO COMMUNICATE TO GOD" Have you "called" your FATHER today?

changes

don't you just love the seasons? you have a gradual change from the cold of winter to the cool and refreshing of spring, then to the heat of summer(most in Texas know alot about summer as it takes up 9 month of the yr....lol, to the season known for change...Autumn! wonders abound, leaves change to different hues as the start to die and fall. but theres something funny about round here, not all the trees shed there leaves, some cling on to the last seasons foliage. resistant to change, refusing to let what they have to die. do you think those trees know that it makes way for new leaves, or rather new life. maybe they are comfortable, afraid maybe? That's kinda how i view our walk of faith, as a tree in autumn. we have all of these leaves, ( or carnal desires)and we've had them for the entire season of our life. they are comfortable, we cling to them. then the season changes, Christ enters our life. we are so enamored with the promise and the relief of our burdens, but only a few leaves fall. we find ourselves clinging to what we know instead of letting Jesus prune our death from us. now I'm not tring to imply that we are blatantly doing every sinful thing we can think of, but I'm talking about those Lil "no one knows" or "its so hard"s. like for me i used to smoke,(its been 6 mths...yea!!!) but that is one of the leaves that i dropped (might have been a branch) but i have no desire whats soever for one. but on other things like cursing, its hard to stop, iknow its not good and i know i need to stop,but i cling to it. with the wrong emotions it comes out. our carnal selves cling to carnal desires. so what can we do? we do whats hard for every man....ask directions. god gave us a map, instruction manual and a great example. with every word we take in in ernest, Jesus prunes more of our leaves. until we are bare, then we are "set apart" from the others. our winter.... cold and lonely with respect to the world. but (and I'm talking from texas view point here) it doesn't last long, soon we'll be filled with new life, and will be brighter than the ones who held onto the leaves of their former season. its one way to look at it any way. its kind of what i have to keep in mind, that god aint finished with me yet, and I'm really glad he has a lot of patience.
if anyone has a view id like to hear from anyone who visits my site

Classic Wisdom for the Professional Life edited by Bryan Curtis

OK i just got the book in and read through it. honestly, i was expecting a more or less self-help type of book. this book though is compilation of quotes and saying that pertain to different aspects of a work environment. its not broke into specific genre its just 164 pages of quotes. that being said if you are someone who like quotes from famous persons, then you'll like this book. i am only moderately interested in them, but i liked some of them I.e. "no man ever listened himself out of a job" quoted from Calvin Coolidge. they might be good to put on sticky notes and give Lil inspiration to yourself through the day.

all in all id say its a fair book,(might be better if i loved quotes), i would have like to see them grouped by subjects, kinda like Leaves of Gold. but i found the quotes making me think a Lil so its okay.


Classic Wisdom for the Professional Life edited by Bryan Curtis was given to me by Thomas nelson in return for a honest review

Captivating- by John and Staci Eldridge

i have read two of john and staci's books "love and war" and "Wild at heart". so i was kinda excited to get the complimenting book 'captivating". all i can say is WOW!! it is very eye opening as to the hidden allure of a woman and where, dare i say us guys just dont apperciate teh grand design that god intended... to paraphase what john and staci said, when god made the created order, you recognize that each reation is grander than the next, untill you hit gods piece de resistance woman.... captivating gives insight to how there is no iron clad do and dont of a woman, but a multitude of variations, each one that is in god own image. just need to dive deeper into a womans heart of hearts to gain insight into gods strength of love. i could go on fo ra while about the awesome power in this book, i definatly reccommend this book as well as "wild at heart" to both men and women for a deep understanding of each other. cant wait for more from john and staci.

(captivating was given as a free copy by Thomas Nelson in return for an honest review)

"if i could ask god anything" by kathryn slattery

ok this is a nice Q&A book geared to children. its more for the high age group i think more for 5+ (mainly because younger one ask why alot...lol) but it covers alot of the questions that arise like "who is God?, Jesus?, Holy Spirit?" of course not all of them are theological, ie.."what did Jesus wear?, is Jesus' last name Christ?" , and what i think every kid goes through at least once (maybe even some adults too), "Help! What should I do when I think a church service is boring?"

i think itll be an interesting read for children and parents alike. it will help parents to explain somethings in a way that kids will understand and parents may not feel so put on the spot. kuddos kathryn , i really enjoyed this book and im sure many others will too.



(the book "If i could ask god anything" by kathryn slattery was provided by thomas nelson publishing at no cost for a honest review)

"The Voice" new testament, commentary bible

i read " the voice" which is a commentay bible that is written uniquely as a screenplay.. has a very even and flowing layout with inserted blocks with background notes like a study bible. for me it would be more used as a compainon of, not instead of, a traditional bible. It uses newer termonology, that may be lilte confusing for some..i.e...in romans 1:1 says pual was " called by God to be His emissary" instead of apostle. but all in all i found it to be a good trans lation of the bible and a good read for those who, like me, like haveing a movie play out in their minds.




(Thomas Nelson has provided a free copy of "The Voice" in return for a Honest review)

hello all. i was just siting he and was think about some interesting personal bible studies i could do.. i need to work on my walk with god... you knwo what i think that i need to tell yalll some history about me huh? might be nice i fyall knew about me. lets ssee where to start how bout jr( me) the young yrs. well i grew up as a jehovahs witness, (which i knwo alot of yall are think, cult people who knock on your doors to try and convert u and dont believe in god or jesus) well yall are wrong. yeah they have there own belief system just like any other chuch,(baptist and methodist dont agree on same traditions do they?) but they whole heartedly believe in jehovah god and his son, they observe the passover and remember the sacrifice that jesus made for us....but anyway im getting off topic here.

I grew up in a strictly run CHRISTIAN family we went to church 3 times a wk, i prayed earnestly to god about things taht concerned me, everyone was impressed by the knowledge that i had of the bible and the questions that i posed. but some of me questions were there, (as in many other denominations since) were kinda chuckled off, told i was wrong , and tha tit ws black and white with now room for any other version or interpretation. (now 10+ yrs later my questions and reflections are being posed by Preachers), but i guess its in gods time right? anyway i was devoted to god, i wanted to become and elder in the church(deacon for those who dont know). Where did i stray? hard to say, i think it started when i saw the two people i was close to start to sdrift away. my dad was.... well truthfully a drunk, workaholic. now im not tring to say he was a bad man, just someone failed and hurt him a long time ago, and he nevet knew how to deal i guess. he poured his energy into his work, came home late worked in the driveway till later. now soem would say he neglected us..., maybe, but in his mind he was doing the best for us, he broke his back and body to support us, but he didnt know how to live with us. had a short fuse and got violent soem times. mom did her best to shield us kids, course i was oldest adn the boy so....i got it hard, to beatings for my sister sometimes... i could take em. i lost my innocence, started hating god for letting things happen like that. dad got worse, mom got "free", dad went "nuts" and it started being like "two rosters in the hen house". I HATED GOD. "i had read to put your trust in him and he would be with you, where was he? why did my family hav eto break up, and my life as i knew it come crashing down? what good could come out of it?" Hard questions for a 13 yr....i was so clouded in myself i just saw what i wantted. how many of you know that feeling? dispair, loneliness, hurt, anger... looking back i lost more than my family..... i ran from my "father" i ran from my dad in heaven, what purpose did i missout on when i turned from him? what plan did he set in motion that i could have been blessed by...did i shove back in his face?

And what did i GAIN? i went down figuring tha i could do what i wantted to. started smoking... started having fleshy desires, watching adult material and subcuming to my desires. met my ex wife, and layed with her...got her pregnent... left school...eventually got married... had 2ndboy, then divorced, ..... another desertion......

for another time i guess... sorry so long how i havent bored yall. bye for now

books reviews

I going to be using this blog as a form to review soem books i have been and will be reading.(along with other items) ive been reading a book entitled "lessons from the carpenter" by H. Michael Brewer. so far it very... eye opening, i have a love for wood myself, and its moving to see how jesus is the master carpenter, transforming the raw material of our lives, in to the beautiful masterpieces through the uniqure creation process that wood needs. so far ive gotten bout half way through it, and its hard to put down. i would recamend reading it to anyone that has a love of Christ and wood..

starting gate

hello everyone, my name is dewey ( yes like the duck), im kinda starting this just to open up and share situations, events and problems. i find its easier to express yourself to an audiance that you cant see. some of yall my have same problems or might think im crazy matter of opinion i guess. but there will be more to come im sure tilll then , bye