a poignant story about a transformed heart (and person)

Jackie Hill Perry’s book Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been ( B&H Publishers, 2018) is the kind of book that many from the ‘Christian Community’ will love because they will read it and think that Perry is suggesting that God is going to make all LGBQT people ‘straight’, or ‘normal’.  And I imagine that many members of the LGBQT community will hate the book for the same reason. And of course all of them would be wrong.

                Mrs. Perry’s story is her own story, and she tells it well, starting with her family of origin, going on to her same-sex attractions and gender identity issues which blossomed into a full scale Lesbian lifestyle.

                But somewhere along the way, God got hold of her, and changed her heart. The change wasn’t easy, but God kept calling, and she kept responding.

                There were a couple of parts of the book that I particularly liked.  Miss Jackie Hill is now Mrs Jackie Perry, and she and her husband have 2 children.  She comments on the fact that this was part of her hear transformation, and not a plot to convince her that if she would ‘just get married’ that she would learn to be heterosexual.  (That does happen many times, but often those marriages end in disaster—it was never real in the first place). 

The other helpful part of the book, Part 3 Same-Sex attraction AND…., which the author states are intended to be a resource. She mentions that she has talked a lot about herself, and about God, but she also wants to include some practical tips for others. There are a lot of scripture passages that Jackie uses to help answer the questions that so many people have when friends or family members come out as members of the LGBQT community.

A poignant story that ends with transformation…and that’s what God is all about.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of their blogger’s program. I was asked to write an honest review, and there was no expectation that the review had to be positive

4/5

thoughts on "Who Sang the first Song?"

It’s harder and harder to find books in which the words and the illustrations are both exceptional, and are written/drawn for the same age group.  I think that Who Sang the First Song (B&H Publishing, 2018) by Ellie Holcomb, with illustrations by Kayla Harren, has some great art, but the words don’t seem as if they would be memorable for the intended age group (On Amazon, the Product details list the age range as 1-4, and grade level as preschool and up---not even sure that those two ranges match).

                It’s a cute story that asks a simple question: Who sang the first song? And then there are a lot of suggested answers, ending with the real answer. That as God was in creation mode, He also created the song. And that He created us to sing.

                I appreciate the thought behind the book, and really liked the illustration, but think that the 1-4 group will be much more interested in the pictures than they are the words of the story itself. I hope I’m wrong because we need more God-centered books for the pre-school group.

3.5/5

I received a copy of this book as a part of the publisher’s bloggers’ program. I was asked to write an honest review, and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Get Rid of that Clutter

I’m sure that if I were to do one of those silly tests that asks ‘what’s your elf name’, or ‘when I walk into your space, what’s the first thing I would notice’, the answer would probably involve the words ‘clutter’ and ‘books’.  I have good intentions of cleaning up the clutter, I really do, but then I look at the mess, and am immediately overwhelmed.  So a book about getting rid of clutter seems just like something I could use to advantage.  Of course I got the book The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life (Waterbrook, 2018), by Joshua Becker, several weeks ago, and it’s been cluttering up an end table in the living room since. One of Becker’s suggestions is that we find a better place for all those things we want to keep handy so we can grab them at a moment’s notice. If they’re stored neatly they are less of a distraction, and we can focus better.

                I thought for sure that I would learn a lesson when my siblings and I cleaned out our parents’ home a couple of years ago. The amount of stuff that they had accumulated after being in that house for well over 50 years was astonishing. I thought that I would start cleaning out our house as soon as we returned home. But the day hasn’t come yet. 

                Until, maybe, now. This book is written in such a way that I’m motivated to at least start the process. There is no shaming involved, but plenty of encouragement. Becker talks about the advantages of decluttering, and some of those advantages are pretty compelling.  Intimacy, less distraction, a sense of peace, having space to gather and talk, rooms being used for their stated purpose, not to mention the financial benefits that come with not having to buy every ‘latest and greatest’ item to hit the market.

                I also liked his approach to decluttering.  Take it as it comes, start with one room at a time (and he even lists areas in the house in order of how easy they usually are to declutter. Along the way he asks questions like is it needed or wanted. Does moving something help the room meet its purpose? He also offers hints like 3piles: keep, throw away, or donate/recycle.

                I started going through my closet (I know better, but Becker reminds the reader anyway to no try to declutter your spouse’s side of the closet). My wife asked what I was doing and all I could say was that I was reading a dangerous book.

                With winter upon us, maybe I’ll have some time to get through some more piles over the next few months.

                4/5

                I received an unedited proof copy of this book as part of the publishers ‘book launch program.  I was not required to write a positive review, just offer my honest opinion.

Creed II releases next week, but a favorite sports movie of mine is Greater

Interestingly enough, even though I’m not a big sports fan there are a few sports themed movies that do capture my attention. One of the few is a recent (2016) football movie called “Greater”. But it’s not just about football, it’s a story about faith, it’s a story about life and it’s a story about following your dreams. This is the story of Brandon Burlsworth, a wanna-be football player, who time after time was told he wasn’t good enough to go pro. 

From a young age Burlsworth wanted to play football, and not just play, but play for the Arkansas Razorbacks. There was just a couple of small problems: namely that he really didn’t have much of what football coaches were looking for. A lack of ability and skill definitely stood in the way of his reaching his goal.

But he refused to take no for an answer, and every time he was told he wasn’t quite good enough, he asked what he could do to get better. Even when the answer reeked of sarcasm, he took it at face value. I couldn’t help but be impressed by his dedication, which led him to do whatever was asked of him, and then add, so what’s next?

Sometimes it seems that everything is going against you and there’s nothing left to do but quit; but quitting was never an option for Brandon Burlsworth. He didn’t always have it easy at home, his dad was an absentee father who showed up occasionally and made promises which he rarely kept. His older brother wasn’t always available, but his mother believed in him. The other thing he had going for him was a constant faith in God which got him through one heartache after another. We have a generation of ‘fatherless children’ growing up, but here is a reminder that God doesn’t disappoint like earthly fathers tend to do on occasion.

            Throughout the film we see Brandon getting up earlier than his team mates, early enough to read from his Bible, and then to hit the practice field earlier than anyone else on his team. And he is also the last to leave. Every weekend he makes the drive home from college so that he can take his mother to church.

            What makes Brandon's faith stand out is not how he tried to prove that he had it, but the simple fact of how he lived it. As time went on the team members who made fun of him for his glasses, his faith, his weight, or any other reason, saw how he responded and started following his example.  They started going with him to Bible studies, and their lives changed as a result of his unwavering faith.

If you followed Arkansas football, you might remember the tragic end to this story:  "Eleven days after being drafted into the NFL and before he was able to sign the contract that would have changed the financial status of his family forever, Brandon died in a car accident on his way home. His death stunned the state: He did everything right, and yet he was snatched away before he and his family could enjoy the fruits of his labor."  But the legacy lives on through the charitable foundations founded in his name. Scholarships are given, and walk-ons are much more likely to play ball than was the case before Brandon Burlsworth refused to give up.

Brandon’s story was a testament to determination and the power of faith, and the power of family support.  I recommend you have some tissues close by if you watch this movie!

Creed II  is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of family. The movie, which stars Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone premiers next Week (Wed, Nov 22), just in time for your holiday weekend.

About The Movie (Synopsis)

Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family's past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what's worth fighting for, and discover that nothing's more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can't escape your history.  The film releases in theaters on Wednesday, November 21.  #CreedII

Watch the TRAILER HERE

You can't put God in a box of your own making

‘Fess up!  You’ve tried to put God in a box, we all have. Some of the lucky ones figure out fairly quickly that it doesn’t work, while others keep trying, long after any reasonable person would have given up. Sadly, many people give up on God when He doesn’t meet their expectations, but the lucky ones, give up on their expectations before giving up on God.

                Luke Norsworthy tells his story of the struggles he faced trying to reconcile a good God, with the bad things that happen in our world. Not only the natural disasters, but the bad things that happen to people who are trying, to the best of their ability, to follow God, and walk with Jesus.  Someone once said that the good is the enemy of the best, and when it comes to faith, truer words were never spoken.

                In God over Good; Saving Your Faith by Losing Your Expectations of God (Baker Books, 2108) we are introduced to a way of understanding God that, because it asks us to think outside the box, at first seems to make little sense, but the further we travel with Norsworthy on his journey, the more we see that if we trust God rather than chase after what we think is good, our faith becomes stronger and stronger.

                The theology is all here, and it’s written in an engaging style that most of us can identify with. You don’t have to be a theologian or bible scholar to understand Luke’s thought processes. 

                Does it answer all the questions you might have about God? Probably not, but in the end, God is not someone or something designed to fill a box of our making, and there will always be things about God that we don’t understand. And if we understand that, our desire to walk for God strengthens.

                I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a part of their blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review.

               5/5

Take the family to the Cross

There’s a lot more to family than we usually think. And if you grew up watching “Leave it to Beaver’ you were probably surprised when your family didn’t measure up to that of the Cleaver’s.  As Charles Dickens wrote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. And in this insightful book on the family, Dr. Russell Moore addresses the best, the worst, and the in-between.

Theologically sound arguments coupled with personal experiences of pain and joy, and the everyday reality of family life is one way to describe The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home (B&H Publishing Group, 2018).  It’s deep—I could only read a chapter or two at a time without having to stop and digest what I had read, but it’s also personable, and an easier read that some of Dr. Moore’s other books.

It’s easy to sum up: in this time when regular church attendance is defined as once every 3 weeks, and Christianity offer is nothing more than sitting in church hoping to be entertained by the music and inspired by the message, this book is a great reminder that a life with Jesus means taking everything—the joys and the sorrows, the good, the bad, and the ugly—to the Cross.

I received a copy of this book as part of the publisher’s bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed are my own.

4/5