let's all be thoughtfull

For some strange reason people tend to like people who are just like them, and in doing so, they (we) miss out on some of the best that God has offered us.

                Thoughtfull: Discovering the Unique Gifts in Each of Us (by Dorena Williamson, Illustrated by Robert Dunn, B&H Kids, 2018) takes an unexpected twist that helps us to see why Jesus told his followers that to enter the Kingdom, they needed to become like little children.

                Ahanu wins a prize in school, and his friend Joshua is eager to congratulate him. But then Joshua hears something on the bus that makes him a little mad, and a lot sad.

                This story is a lesson in how to deal with bullies, and also the importance of seeing each of God's children as exactly that: a child of God.

                This book belongs in every pre-school and elementary school library.

                I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a part of their bloggers’ program.

Definitely a 5 star book.

Jesus Revolution: Lord, do it again

I grew up in a college town, but still wasn’t ready for hippies. Yes, even in upstate New York, we had heard of hippies. After all, we were only 220 miles from Woodstock; I was 17, and getting ready to start college, but never made it to the festival. Still, when the word came that a group of hippies were actually going to be nearby, it was big news, and a lot of people, me included, went to where they were camping to get a look at this new phenomenon. Make love, not war; flower power, long hair on men, the music, the clothes, everything about it was different from what I had grown up with. Still it fascinated me, and the fact that they were doing drugs, having sex without the benefit of marriage, and living in communes made them seem even more exciting. Forbidden, but exciting.

                And out of this group of misfits and outcasts, at least according to polite society, came the Jesus Movement. It seems like all that free love and flower power wasn’t filling the void that so many people were looking for. They were looking for something to answer the deepest questions of their souls, and not getting the answers in the nightly news reports about crooked politicians, or an unpopular war. They weren’t finding the answers in the staid churches of their parents: churches where the ladies were dresses, hats and gloves, and the men wore a coat and tie. Barefoot or sandals, bright colored tie-dye shirts, and bell bottoms, or maybe togas, just weren’t appropriate for such a solemn occasion as a Sunday morning worship service. Even the music preferences were so different that this new generation couldn’t understand why anyone would want to listen to dirges played on an organ. Peace, Joy, Love were the words of the day.

                And in the midst of this Cultural Revolution, a young man of 17, dealing with a dysfunctional homelife, involved with drugs, and trying to find his way in the world, stumbled into a different kind of worship experience and fell in love with Jesus.

                Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again (Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn, Baker Books, 2018) tells the story of Calvary Chapel, of Harvest Christian Fellowship, how a generation turned back to God, and yes, how God can do it again. 

                I grew up and had my own identity crises during the same time frame, it just took me a little longer to get my act together than it took Greg Laurie. This book is not only a wonderful stroll down memory lane for people like me, but an amazing chronicle for those who were born too late to experience it. Woven among the stories of what was happening at the time, are story after story of how God was at work among a most unlikely group of people. 

                With what is happening in the world today, perhaps it’s time to start praying as if we expect to see God respond.  To start praying that most dangerous of prayers: Lord, do it again!

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

                5/5

Time to choose

I like the concept of Choosing the Extraordinary Life: God's 7 Secrets for Success and Significance by Robert Jeffress (BakerBooks, 2018) but as I read, I kept feeling that there was something missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it, just a feeling.

Additionally, especially in the early chapters, even though this is supposed to be lessons learned from the Prophet Elijah, I kept thinking that I would like more Elijah and less Jeffress later on in the book, it seemed that he addressed both of those concerns, but there was still more of other people, and not quite enough Elijah.

Having said that, there are definitely some nuggets of wisdom in this book: a reminder of the idolatry that we still practice—not stone of metal figurines—but things like money, jobs and relationships; or how Elijah knew to turn to God for the answers when no human could ever hope to answer the question.

And the secrets themselves are simple things that all Christians should already know: things like discover your purpose or wait on God's timing. Things like step out in faith, learn to handle bad days, and develop a prayer life. We should already know them, but as is often the case, we need frequent reminders of what we already know.

There are certain things that we can choose for our lives, but often there are choices made for us, and except for the rare individual, those choices tend to define us or at least influence our future choices. Most of us, if we could truly manage it, would, I’m sure, choose the extraordinary life. However first we have to learn that the extraordinary life may not be based on job, money, possessions, relationships, or success, but rather on learning to be content with what we have, even if we are striving for something else.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a member of the blogging program.

4/5