Book Review - The Lake Villa - By Ann Bennet - Publication Date: 1 March 2023

 

What a marvelous book!  I learned so much about Cambodia, about Angkor Wat, the wars and conflicts the citizens suffered over the years, about some of the towns and villages, injustices and more.  The story, despite being fictional, kept fairly close to history, which the reader will experience mostly through the eyes of Colette, a French expat woman who fell in love with the country and its peoples.  Reading this book makes me wish I could visit Cambodia.

The story began in the later years of Colette's life and doubles back and forth from the earlier years of her arrival and marriage to Henri during the French occupation.  Colette had lived mostly in Siam Reap.  The two time frames stitch the story together from both ends threading an overall experience for the reader from the 1930's to 1995.  There is some romance and some illicit bedrooms 'scenes' which a cautious reader may wish to be aware of.  Other than that I feel this has been good exposure to seeing 'another' world other than from a 'pampered' one, one may have been brought up in.  It's a good multi-cultural encounter.

                                          ~Eunice C.,  Reviewer/Blogger~

                                                        February 2023

Disclaimer:  This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

Read review on Goodreads.

The Oxymoron of the 'Free Gift'

 

The term 'free gift' grates on my nerves.  If you have to add the adjective 'free,' warning bells should jangle in your head.  Gifts are supposed to be free!  There should be no strings attached!

Yet many advertizers insist on such gimmicks to lure potential customers to part with their hard-earned money.  Note too, that 'free gifts' are often lousy items that may not even last until one gets home from their purchasing spree.

Oh the deceitfulness of it all!  Playing and preying on people's greed instead of their need.

God, however, never plays this game.  When He offers salvation to mankind, He offers it freely and free.  His grace, love and compassion wrap this gift in the most beautiful wrapping possible.  He 'plays' on our 'need'.

Indeed, how great is our need!  We do not have to be 'good enough' or reach a certain target or make a prior purchase because we cannot help ourselves one single teeny tiny iota to attain the gift of salvation, ever!

So what can a person do?  Nothing except to realize ones need and that Jesus gives this free of charge to us.  He is the one to supply the faith to believe.  The only thing we need to do is accept it.  Jesus' hands are outstretched to you with this gift.

"...the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" ((Romans 6:23 KJV).

There is no oxymoron in God's vocabulary in giving us this most precious gift of all times.  It is truly FREE!  Reach out and accept it.

                                                ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on John 3:16  and Romans 6:23 KJV. 

Lord's Day Devotion - Fear the LORD

 

Fear can be a protective emotion that causes a person to sense danger and to react accordingly by removing oneself from a certain place, person or situation.  Another type of fear is fear of man which Proverbs 29:25 warns about. 

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe" (NIV).

 One could get oneself in all sorts of danger, criminal activities, subservience and more.   However, the fear of the Lord and trusting in Him will keep a person safe and it is a quality to be praised, as seen in Proverbs 30:31.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised" (NIV).

Those of us who purport to be followers of Jesus Christ can thank God for this gift of salvation.  Entwined therein is our reverence for the Lord.  In turn, with gratitude and thanksgiving we serve Him with our obedience to His word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

At times we may still become burdened, even yoked to the fear of man or woman and become entangled in the deceit and lure of earning a greater salary, a promotion or even fame or simple recognition at the cost of compromise.

Jesus did not kowtow to the 'safety' of the religious leaders of His day.  He did not fear them although I believe He didn't disrepect them because of their position.  He did confront their duplicity.  Many of them likely feared losing their positions that were always on the sinking groud of a Roman rulers mood and grace in allowing those particula Sanhedrin memebers their 'posts'.  They didn't want to rock their boats by disruption status quo.

The fear of God and obedience to Him was always Jesus' modus operandi.  He accomplished the mission He was sent by God to complete - earn salvation for all mankind.

Praise the Lord all you people.  Come before Him with praise, worship, adoration and yes, fear of the Lord.  Let there be great thanksgiving for all He has done for us.

Partake of the broken bread and drink from the cup of wine, symbols of Jesus' death and resurrection actions for buying the pardon for our sins this Lord's Day.  One after another, brothers and sisters-in-Christ, eat and drink in remembrnace.  We now have the privilege to come before Him in confidence and trust.  There is safety in Him -  fear the Lord and live only for Him for He is our true Protector.

May our fear of the Lord cause us to run to Him and away from the dangerous and unhealthy fear of man.  Fear the Lord and trust in Him.  may it be our constant motivation to please Him.

                                                    ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Proverbs 29:25 and 31:30 NIV.

Sing, Unto You O Lord, Do I Lift Up My Soul, along with Maranatha Singers.

                                           

Jesus' Authority and Power

 

Jesus is so wonderful it's difficult to know at which point to talk about Him.  There's something though that we learn from His title 'Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One,' that He is Mighty God. Being Mighty God here on earth, He was given... 

 "...all authority and power in Heaven and on earth' ( Matthew 28:18).

To get a greater sense of this, think of an ordnary human being on earth that is a head of state, for instance, the Sultan of Brunei.  It can make one tremble inside to be in his presence despite his seeming personableness in public.

He'll come round to certain national events and 'mix' with the crowds, speaking with individuals and shaking their hands.  It's certainly an honor but one must keep in mind who he is and be on ones best behavior - don't play, play.  You know that one word from him could change your immediate fate - for good or ill.  Yet, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is still approachable in some circumstances.

Compare that to the USA's presidents.  You've heard of 'surround sound' for music listening enjoyment, well these guys have 'surround security' and you'd best not mess with them.  It would be higly unlikely to ever get near enough to have a personal conversation or even to shake his hand.  He has great power and authority not only in his own country but world wide despite the currrent decline of influence and recent rise in dislike and defiance of the American strategies.

Does this help bring the picture into greater focus?  Jesus, the Messiah and Anointed One, is the King of all these 'kings' and Lord of all these 'lords'.  His authority and power encompasses all of Heaven and the Earth!  Indeed, how great He is!  He is my God.  He is Someone to truly boast about.

We show Jesus our reverance by acknowledging His authority and power.  He gave testimony to these in His miracles and daily living.  

Think of the time He healed a man of leprosy with His word and with a touch.

"Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' He said, 'Be clean!'  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured" (Mark 1:40-42) [emphasis mine]

Put this in context.  In those days leprosy was uncurable.  It left horrible disfigurement of face, limbs and more.  Up to that time only a very small number of people had ever been healed of it.  There was the great army general  Naaman in the Old Testament (OT - 2 Kings 5).  It had been unheard of before this but God honored the faith of a young girl who believed God could do such a healing.  Sure enough, He could and did.

Back to Jesus' day when the 10 lepers were healed (Luke 17:11-19).  Other than these few recorded events, to have leprosy meant to be ostracised and receive a 'death sentence' being confined to living outside the city gates for the rest of one's life.  They had to shout, "Unclean, unclean!" to anyone who happened to come too close.  Shame and likely loneliness were part of the equation added to their burden.

Nowadays, at least since 1982, physicians have been able to prescribe medicine to treat leprosy, which is rather effective if taken for 6-12 months, apparently.  Depending on the advanced stage of the disease, the longer or shorter the treatment time.  A cure will basically be effected.

Astoundlingly, for our particular leper in question here, it took only a word and a touch.  Did you notice he was healed "immediately"?  With modern medicine it takes between 6-12 months to hopefully cure or at least, halt, progress.  This can be nothing less than Jesus' authority and power over disease at work.  Jesus, who is God.  Jesus who is my God.

If someone happened to touch the 'unclean' leper, they too would be marked as 'unclean'  for a time.  This is a contagious disease at some stages of the illness but perhaps not as contagious as it was once deemed.  

The atmosphere if one came near would be very similar to what often happened during the recent COVID-19 (and its mutations) era.  If someone so much as coughed or sneezed, anyone standing nearby would run away or scold the person asking them to 'go away'.  You didn't want to 'catch it'.

Jesus actually touching the 'unclean' leper was against social norm and regulations.  However, Jesus was, 

"filled with compassion" (Mark 1:41-42).

Compassion, meaning one feels sorry for someone else and does something to aid them.  Jesus was "filled" with it.  It's good to reflect and see if our hearts are filled with compassion for others.

When we are followers of Jesus Christ we have His Holy Spirit indwelling us.  We can then be filled with compassion as Jesus was, albeit we will be somewhat imperfect due to our human being-ness.  We can ask for grace from Him because it is free.  

God freely gives of His free gift of grace to assist in freely giving out acts of compassion.  We can ask for His help 24/7. 

This is part of life He gives.  He,

"gives life to whom He is pleased to give" (John 5:21).

When we think of 'life' we may again think of doctors and nurses.  They perform CPR for people who've died.  This takes great effort and often docs will try to revive a patient 20-25 minutes and maybe even up to an hour, generally speaking.  Jesus spoke words.  He raised Lazarus from the dead, saying,

 "Lazarus, come out" (John 11:38-44)!  

It had been four days already too.  Jesus called him by name and Lazarus came forth.

He also raised the widow of Nain's only son (Luke 7:11-12) and Jairus' 12 year old daughter (Luke 8:40-56).  With words and touches Jesus gave life.  Amazing and astounding but by the authority and power invested in Jesus the Son of God, life was given.

There's another kind of life that Jesus gave.  It's called "everlasting life".  When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the debt that was created by my sins and the sins of every person who ever lived on the earth, had ever committed.  He shed His blood for us.

"The blood of Jesus Christ cleans us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

It's a serious matter.  We can accept or reject this gift Jesus offers.  He doesn't force us to take it.  His gift of salvation is free of charge to us although it cost Him everything.  I've heard this called, "costly grace."  The good news is that we can now have forgiveness of sins and everlasting life (John 3:16).  

Many people try to do many good deeds and there's nothing wrong with that.  However, if we attempt to do good deeds in order to earn merits towards our salvation it won't work.  Our good deeds may or may not ever outweigh our bad deeds and we can never be sure of it.  This causes worry and anxiety.  We cannot earn salvation.  We just reach out and accept this gift.  The gifts of grace and faith from God are wrapped up in the miraculous gift of salvation too.  This gift has the power to change us for the better as well as give us life - eternal life.

All this because Jesus has the authority and power in heaven and on earth.  Let us accept His gift with thanksgiving.  We can show our thanks by now doing good deeds in His name. 

What an amazing and mighty God we have through Jesus Christ!  Indeed, He is so wonderful!

                                                 ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Navigators - Knowing Jesus Christ, Book 1 Chapter 1 - Study in Christian Living.

Sing, What a Mighty God We Serve, along with Goober Sir.

Book Review - The Ragged Orphan - By Lindsey Hutchinson - Publication Date: 24 February 2023

 This has been a mostly pleasant, heartwarming read as we follow "orphaned" Jared from his destitute days, until he does better.  The story starts out rather sadly for him but picks up as he finds ways to keep himself fed and his wits alert about him.  He confronts Mr. Toby MaGuire with surprizing results.  He meets other lads of similar circumstances.  He has some scrapes with and makes some friends - one of whom is Seth.

This historical fiction is targeted at the adult reader and although the storyline touches on the harsh realities of alcohol abuse and what a person does under its influence, I found it to be otherwise, an easy read.  I also found myself happily amused and satisfied with the outcome of all interchanges among the books' characters and what the work of kindness can do.  I feel other readers would most likely concur.

                                               ~Eunice C.,  Reviewer/Blogger~

                                                            January 2023

Disclaimer:  This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

Read review on Goodreads.

Prayer - Prince of Peace

 Jesus, Prince of Peace, thank You for the peace we can have through You.  You are worthy of all glory, honor and praise.  I exalt you, oh Lord.

Some day we will travel up to be with you forever in Your Home on high.  I look forward to hearing Your shout and being with You soon.

Come quickly, Jesus.

                                                     ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on isaiah 9:6; Revelation 22:20 NIV.

Sing, Revelation 22:20, along with The Corner Room.

Prayer - Mighty God

 Father, you are the great and Mighty God, the all powerful One.  You are the one who calms angry seas and gale force winds.  You also calm the hearts and minds of Your human beings when they trust in You.

We can cast out demons that think they are strong but in the name of Jesus and by the power and authority You have invested in Jesus whilst He was earthbound, just like when He spoke the words and the evil spirits left.  At times Your people can be harassed and hassled by these evil ones but we also know, you can command them away.

I ask now in Jesus' name, for any of my family members or friends who are depressed, sad, sorrowful, bowed and bogged down with life's trials and tribulations, that You purify our friends' spirits with Your Holy Spirit.  May any connections to evil spirits and former worship practices of any idols once used and worshiped and prayed to before they came to Christ be broken, smashed and cut 100% off!  May their spirit be tied to and aligned with Your Holy Spirit as they actively strive to overcome.

Bring the oil of joy and anoint them with it.  Be their strength and song, all the day long, and so emanate You.  

I ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

                                               ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-17 NIV.

Sing, To Us a Child is Born, along with Seeds Family Worship.

Lord's Day Devotion - Prayer - Love's Sacrifice

 Heavenly Father, You are my loving God, the Creator of all the world and of us human beings. Thank You for Your sacrificial love that sent Your one and only Son Jesus to redeem us back to You because of our sin.  His death and resurrection was wondrous for me even though so painful for You and Him.

We can now rejoice always, pray unceasingly and give You our thanks at every turn.  Thank You for Jesus my Redeemer, Savior, Friend.

As thanks now, as one of Your chosen people, I want to clothe myself with compassion such as Jesus had for the poor harassed and helpless throngs in His day on earth.  Help me to also be clothed with Your law of kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, and the like, through walking in step with Your Holy Spirit.  All this so that whatever I do or say it will be in Jesus' name and glorify His name and give You glory.  

Partaking of the broken bread and drinking of the cup of wine we bless You and remember this sacrifuce of love for us, for all time and eternity.

Thanks be to You Father God, in Jesus' name.

                                                         ~ERC  February~

Based on Colossians 3:12-17 NIV.

Sing, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, along with Magdalene Shodavar.

Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One

Here's a very familiar verse which we more often than not, hear read and recited around Christmas time,

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Evelasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).

This is a prophesy of the Messiah's coming that Isaiah wrote about 700 years before Jesus was even born into the world.  Imagine how each generation looked for this Anointed One and expected Him to come during their lifetime.  When He finally came, not many recognized Him.  They expected something grand especially with names like this.  They expected a great warrior king who would get them away from the Romans or from whomever had them in captivity at the time.  They expected Him to be rich and richly clothed.  Outward appearance.  They did not expect a person from a poor family and lowly circumstances and especially not born in a stable or who lived in Nazerath!  

Take a good look at each of those names of Jesus and think them out as to how they reflect who Jesus is.  We can use these names to worship Him, and when we pray.  You know the Lord's prayer that Jesus taught His disciples "Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name..." is a good beginning to our prayers.  Mostly when people pray they  begin something like, "Heavenly Father..." or "Our God and Father..."  or "Almighty God"  which are good.  As you think of each of those names Isaiah wrote about, in turn we can use them as we understand them.

Wonderful Counselor - an advisor, someone who gives advice.  The Holy Spirit is our counselor who brings God's words to our minds .  However, we will only know God's word when we read it often and meditate upon it.  When we know it and understand it and obey it, then we are counseled.  Yes, other brothers and sisters-in-Christ can counsel us too but we need to be sure that the advice is based on the Word of God in context.  That is why He is so Wonderful a Counselor.  When you receive His counseling you can thank Him and begin your prayer, "Wonderful Counselor..."

Mighty God -  He is strong and powerful, He speaks words and people are healed, or raised to life, He also spoke and the world was created.  When we see the stars and all His handiwork, we see His power, splendor and might.   When Jesus got into the boat with the disciples after having just walked on water that had huge waves and with the wind blowing hard, the waters instantly calmed.  His power and might over the wind, weather and waves, is mighty.  When He does something mighty in our lives, we can worship Him in this attribute and aspect of God and Jesus in our lives, beginning our prayer and praise with greater understanding of what we are claiming, "Mighty God..."

 Everlasting Father -  We can depend on good fathers (I know there are horrible abusive fathers), that's what they are supposed to do, be dependable.  Jesus is God our Heavenly everlasting Father.  He cares for such as you and me.  He is everlasting too.  My father is gone on to be with Jesus, other people's fathers up and leave their families, abandoning them, some fathers are physcially present but hide behind a newpaper or sit glued to the football game, the news and more.  Physically present but not engaged with his family - unreliable and unrelatable.  

But God...but Jesus...is everlasting, He is always with us.  As we also read and hear a lot at Christmas time, Emmanuel, God with us.  Before the world began, God is.  Jesus is.  The Holy Spirit is.  For eternity past, then God created time, as we know it, like a parenthesis in the middle of eternity, then the end of the world will come and eternity future is ahead of us  Eternity...Time...Eternity although to God 'time' is incorportated in that. For us we only see now and eternity to come.  Jesus is everlasting.  This can boggle the mind.  We can see how great, mighty and dependable He is by reflecting on His everlastingness.  He is always with us.  This is something more to praise and worship Him for.

Prince of Peace - He came to die for us, redeeming us and buying us back to bridge the gap and separation our sin made between us and God.  He came to bring peace for us.  Jesus is the prince of that.  No one can surpass Him.   We can have peace of mind and heart despite the troubles and difficulties of life.  I love this.  When we know His peace, we can praise and worship Him for it, beginning, "Jesus, my Prince of Peace, you are worthy of all my praise..."

 The title 'Christ' or 'Messiah' means 'Anointed One'.  In the OT only prophets, priests and kings got anointed with olive oil at their inauguration ceremony.  The very first was Aaron, Moses' brother.  Moses anointed Aaron and Aaron's sons, to be the High Priest and the priests, respectively, to begin the ministry of the animal sacrifices in the Tabernacle of the Israelite worship God set up for them to do.  

They were responsible to lead the nation in worshiping God and teaching and keeping His commandments, and way of life.  Jesus, prophesied to be the "Anointed One", is our King of kings and Lord of lords.  Like I mentioned earlier, they waited for Him for hundreds of years.  It was difficult though for them to recognize Him for who He was.  

They listened to His preaching and saw all His miracles, the healing of the people and even the casting out of demons from people.  Still, it was difficult for the people to comprehend who He was, their Christ.  Their Messiah.  To this day, many Jews will not acknowledge who Jesus is.  Many do though, praise the Lord.  Do we?  When we do, we need to praise Him and be obedient to His will and ways in our lives in order to be His good disciple.

Yes, Peter, one of the inner circle disciples, did become devoted to Jesus.  He was the more outspoken of the disciples.  I like him.  He realized who Jesus was...their Messiah!  Their Son of God!  It is profound.  How did an uneducated, lowly fisherman recognize Jesus where the religious leaders of his day did not, or would not.  It was noted in Matthew 16:17 that the Father revealed it to Peter.  Sometimes when we have 'revelations' we still don't or won't believe or do anything about it.  Dear ole Peter, believed and declared it.  When we realize who Jesus is in our lives, we will declare it too and live accordingly.

When we read the New Testament (NT) it is often necessary to refer back to the Old Testatment (OT) to get the connections of the customs, and more, as they relate to and help explain some of the things we learn of in the NT.  As the NT is the new testament or covenant that God has with His human beings, you'll find some things are different now, eg. we no longer need to do animal sacrifice to atone for our sins as Jesus is the Lamb of God who died on the cross for our sins.  His ONE sacrifice is good for all our sins, for all time and for all people and we no longer need to repeat such.  Anyway, I think this is more than enough for now.

Jesus, the Son of God...let us bow down and worship Him, our Redeemer, Savior, Friend and One who is fully God as well as fully man.

                                             ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Navigator's Knowing Jesus Christ, Book 1, Chapter 1.

Sing, How Great Thou Art, along with Hillsong Worship.

For further explanation re: eternity and time, see Lord's Day Devotion - Eternity (.....) Eternity.

Prayer - Jehovah Rapha

 Lord God, Jehovah Rapha, grant our sick friends and loved ones healing all throughout the devastating and painful processes towards that end.  May Your healing touch be gentle but firm,  healing them physically, spiritually and emotionally.  

May they respond in kind, successfully and optimally, so that all lesions, tumors, broken bones, skin grafts and you name it, of our fallen human race, will be healed.  May You get the praise and glory due Your name through it all.

These processes are often long and drawn out but help the sick one and their care-givers to have endurance, peace, learn greater patience, whatever betide, and come out a finer 'vessel' having stronger bonds of faith more firmly planted in You.

I ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

                                                      ~ERC  February~

Prayer - Refreshed Soul

 Abba Father, thank You for the times of refreshing where You restore and refresh my soul as I mediate upon your word; in them, indeed, are words of life and eternal nourishment.

Basking and bathing in Your presence is my inheritance in Christ.

Thank You!

Thank You for walking through life with me, leading and guiding through the darkest valleys.  Help me to fear no evil but to fear only You and that Your perfect love will cast out all fear of others leaving or of other bad things happening.  Thank You for the comfort of Your rod and staff which help me to be refined in You, to be restored, rebuilt, refreshed.  

Your goodness and love follow me all the days of my life.  However, I need fresh reminding of this.

I look forward to being inYour house, forever.   Until then, Your wisdom, power and might see me through the seasons of life.  May I speak only the words that please You.  I ask and give you praise in Jesus' name, Amen.

                                                     ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Psalm 23 and 1 John 4:18.

Sing, The Lord's My Shepherd, along with New Scottish Hymns.

Book Review - Lonely Lake Killings - By Wes Markin - Publication Date: 15 February 2023

 One never knows what a tragic avalanche childhood abuse will spawn.  Lonely Lake Killings gives vent to horrendous outcome scenario.  There are secrets and injustices upon secrets and injustices, twists and turns aplenty, compounding and impeding Detectives Gardener and Riddick's investigation of murder.  Quite the thriller!  A couple of drawbacks for me though were:  the bad language tossed in and some of the characters liked to drink too much.  All in all, I found it a riveting read that could likely keep just about any reader eagerly reading until the end.

                                           ~Eunice C.,  Reviewer/Blogger~

                                                           January 2023

Disclaimer:  This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

Read review on Goodreads.

Prayer - Turn My Heart

 Abba Father, thank You for the new heart you've given me that wants to know You.  To know You are God, to know You are the LORD.  I'm glad I'm one of "Your people" and You are my God; the one true God.  Continue to turn my heart ever towards You, not just a piece of it, but the whole 💗.

It is so easy to say, Father.  Help me to practice turning to You to know You.  May others too, be turned to know with all their heart, I ask, through me.   In Jesus name, Amen.

                                                ~ERC  February 2023

Based on Jeremiah 24:7 NIV.

Book Review - The War Pianist - By Mandy Robotham - Publication Date: 16 February 2023

 The War Pianst is the second Mandy Robotham novel I have had the priviledge to read and review and I feel extra-ordinarily pleased and excited to have been granted the assignment.  It is a thoroughly riveting book, one that made my pulse rate soar, made me hold my breath in suspense and fear for the characters in the danger zones and read far into the wee hours of night.  Definitely one of those heart-stopping action-packed works of historical fiction where the punches just keep coming and coming unabated.

Action begins simmering and percolating in London during WWII Blitz days with 'mild' acts of resistance through Morse-coded radio contact with secret messages swiftly zinging to and fro London and Amsterdam. The ante is upped significantly and moved to Holland where the resistance to Hilter and his mean men began to take a foothold.

I like that this author used a so-called, 'ordinary and mundane' woman who thinks little of herself and her own abilities and took her outside of her boxed-in self in ways that astounds her - you know the scenario where one needs to pinch oneself to see if what is happening is reality.  Such was Miss Marnie Fern  of BBC, and the main character in this thrilling tale.  Other characters with spine and some with dubiousness, are:  Gatsby; Corrie; Willem; Daisy, Lizzy, Darcy, Jan, Gus, Dirk, dear young Felix, Miss Roach, Raymond and the abominable Lother Selig, to name a few.  There is also sadness, after all, there's a war on, but also a touch of romance, humor, and good naturedness, which when all combined, creates a kaleidoscope of exceptional enjoyment.

I highly recommend this book and authoress, who certainly has earned a 5-Star rating from me!

                                         ~Eunice C.,  Reviewer/Blogger~

                                                     November 2022

Disclaimer:  This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

Read review on Goodreads.

Prayer - Talk to Him

 In our human hearts Lord, we often harbor anger, resentment, disappointments,  hurts and so much more of the like.  Parents, friends, or others we look up to, have let us down.  Then the one in whom we used to confide is no longer at our side, beck and call.  Our confidant is gone.

But You, oh Lord are our Friend who is always with us.   You never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8).  "What a friend we have in Jesus" as the familiar hymn line says.  Your ear is always open to our cry - 24/7.

It is best to talk to You of our unhappiness as that way, we do not counter-hurt others.  If only we would remember to seekYou first.  You are always on 'standby' mode, standing by to hear, listen and speak with Your still small voice of comfort and conviction.  You do not disappoint.  Help us to endure until our life's work is ended and You call each of us Home to be with You, forever.

May we find ourselves not "just an extra limb" of not much use in the body of Christ or even in our own family, but may we be found to be good and faithful servants of Yours, fit for Your use.  May the brothers and sisters-in-Christ recognize this too.  

Lord, there are those ready and willing to serve but who are not sure in what capactiy.  Lead and guide each of us to the path and plan You have devised for us and may there be great teamwork among each member of the body of Christ in the churches and/or Christian organizations we have come to shelter in.  Let that unity of Your Holy Spirit be kept in the bond of peace.  Let us throw out all the bitterness.  Let there be forgiveness and reconciliation as the norm.

May all shelter but not in in-activity to bench warm but to pro-actively further the Kingdom of God.

In Jesus' name I give you praise and honor, Father.  Thank you for hearing my prayer..

Amen.

                                                   ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Deuteronomy 31:8 and Psalm 34:15-20 NIV.

Sing, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, along with the VagleBrothers.

Lord's Day Devotion - Christian or Disciple?

 

I love Lord's Days.  They remind me of all the wonderful things Jesus has done for me - for the whole world of humanity, in fact.  He's done so much.  To name a few, the redemption He procured for us on the cross; His love and care and concern, wanting to heal the cavernous breech sin created between God and man.  He bridged this gap.  He made the way available through the power of  His cleasning blood, for those who by faith accept His offer of salvation.  He has made us righteous in the sight of God.  Due to His grace and mercy, we can partake of the broken bread and drink of that cup of wine in remembrance of all this and more that He has accomplished for us.  

Jesus didn't leave us just to be satified with becoming a Christain though.  He wants His children to grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him and develop a relationship with Him, learning to trust and obey Him.  Just like the twelve disciples did with Jesus.  Jesus nurtured and trained them for what was to come and for their mission.

That is, going into all the world and preaching the gospel to the whosoever!

Disciples follow their leader.  They do what He does, go where He goes, behave in certain manner so people would know, he or she has been with Jesus.

God doesn't want "just a Christian".  He wants a determined disciple.  As we remember Jesus in His death and resurrection and His time of ascension, remember too, His last injunction.

It's called "The Great Commission."  Jesus passed the baton on to His disciples like the sprinters of 4 x 100 track and field relay races do.  They pass the baton forward to the next and next sprinters.  The early disciples did this very thing, most at the cost of their lives.  The next and the next generations down throughout the ages, each obedient to the faith and trust in Jesus and their commission mission.  

Nowadays, we too must not slack in our duty.  The Great Commission was, and still is, a divine command.  

Let us not be complacent or lethargic for the end of this age is coming and the harvest is still plentiful and ripe.  Work while it is still 'today'.  Pray for more harvesters.  Be one.

Definitely this is something more to think about this Lord's Day as you reach for the bread and wine.  Pass it on...pass it forward.

Think, ask and answer honestly:  Am I, "just a Christian" or am I a determined, sincere disciple?

Depending on your answer, what are you willing to do about it?

This could be the best Lord's Day of your life.

                                          ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20 NIV.

Sing, The Commission, along with YWAM.

 

The Relay Race

 

Who's your favorite missionary?  I can't really decide for myself but among my favorite are Amy Carmichael, Lottie Moon, and Adoniram and Anne Judson.  The current one uppermost in my mind is Gladys Aylward.  She was a small but hardy woman who did mighty feats for the Lord in harvesting souls for Christ in China.

She grew to be less than 5 feet tall (roughly 152 cm).  God looked forward and knew she was going to devote most of her life to Him among the Chinese who were, generaly speaking, not exceptionally tall people of stature.

Let's start this story with her being back in England.  She was a typical young person who was full of energy to dance and have fun with her friends.  One night though, by God's divine plan, she ended up in a church, of all places!  She'd been on her way to yet another dance, definitely NOT a gospel meeting in a church!

It was God's bombshell on her life,  She got converted body, soul and spirit that night and never went to another dance!  Somewhere, later along the line, she heard about the millions of harassed and helpless souls in China who were perishing.

In great anxiety for this harvest field, Gladys went about seeking those she thought would be "good enough" to go.  That is, men who were well-educated and of some wealth.  She even challenged her own brother.  In the end, her brother got so annoyed by her insistence that he go, that he barked, "If you are so concerned about them, why don't YOU go!?"

Oh, that took her back a peg or two.  Never in all her foggiest or clearest of thoughts did she believe she could go!  She was "only a maid."  She wasn't so good academically and she barely had two coppers to rub together AND she was short!  These are all not in her favor, so she thought.

Nevertheless, she did try to prepare herself to go.  Alas, one missionary society told her she wasn't fit to go.  However, she'd heard the call of Jesus say, "Follow Me!" and, "GO!"  "Go to China", she believed.

The result was, she worked and worked in her maid capactiy, earning enough for a train ticket from England to China (yes, she must have gotten a ship across the English Channel).  Finally, the day arrived and off she went.

Of course, it was not smooth going as her route took her through territory at war.  After some scary and dangerous difficulties, some good Samaritans helped her escape by boat and she eventually got to Yangcheng, China in more or less one piece, albeit somewhat disshevelled.  On top of all that she did not speak Chinese.

In Gladys' heart of gold, though, God was with her and because she had been willing to go He helped her.  She found her way to an older missionary lady, Jenny Lawson and the two operated an inn called, The Inn of Sixth Happiness.  They targeted muleteers on their way to trade in the town.

While the muleteers ate in the Inn, Jenny would tell them Bible Stories.  Gladys did eventually come to speak Chinese but it was rough going at first.  She was well satisfied though that she was helping to save the Chinese millions from perishing.  She was one of the harvesters in God's harvest field in the land of plentiful ready harvest.

I want to interject again, that because Gladys was willing to go, God helped her and she accomplish much for Him and the people of China.  The verse from Zechariah 4:6 comes to mind,

"'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD almighty" (NIV).

Thinking back to what Jesus did in His walk upon Earth, there was a two-pronged agenda.  One was to address those who

 "had many diseases and every affliction" (Matthew 9:35 ESV). 

 He healed them.  

The other prong was that in every city and town, he also taught in their synagogues,

"proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom..." (Matthew 9:35 ESV),

to all the 

"harassed and helpless" (Matthew 9:36 ESV).

Physical and spiritual healing took place.  The trailblazing Jesus left a marvelous wake in His path as He forged forward, determind to complete His mission.  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we can do no less.  Have you heard the Savior say, "Come, follow Me!"?  

What is your answer?

Gladys Aylward's was a firm, "Yes!" and she put her talk into walking action.  What beautiful feet she must have had as the number of her footprints chalked up as she too, visited one Chinese town to village after another.

You see, the Mandarin (headman) of Yangcheng got her to enforce the new law which forbade the cruel and painful practice of foot-binding of young girls.  Gladys gladly did the job on one condition - she could preach the message of Jesus as she went place to place with her job.  Oh how joyful this made her and the citizens came to love her, giving her the name 'Ai Wei De'.  It means "The Virtuous One".

This small but mighty lady was not yet finished with her harvesting.  The Japanese invaded China in 1940.  Their attacks and bombings left many children orphans,  Gladys had already adopted a few children, what was so huge about leading more than 100 children over the treacherous mountains from Yancheng to safety in Xian?

So much for being "unfit"!

We should never be cocky Christians but neither should we underestimate God's powerful help and guidance when we realize we are one of the "helpless" and even if our faith may falter betimes, we need to depend on and cling to God our Rock, Fortress and Deliverer.  We will be able to do many might acts in Jesus' name no matter how big or small we may be - this, all because of a willing heart that says, "Here I am, send me!" or "Yes, I will follow," and then put those words into action.

In the ensuing years, Gladys set up orphanages and continued to do good wherever she was planted.  Can you see why she is one of my favorite missionaries?

These followers of Jesus Christ from ages past have set the compass for those of us from subsequent generations and milleniums.  Jesus started it all, will we continue our leg of the race?

It's somewhat like the track and field relay race, the 4 x 100.  This is where there are four sprinters set at equal distances of 100m apart on the track.  The lead sprinter holds the baton and runs forward to the second runner, which he will pass forward to him.  This second sprinter, goes his 100m to the third, passes the baton forward.  The third grabs it and does his 100m gauntlet and passes it on to the fourth, who takes it the last 100m to the finish line.

Each sprinter has done his part in completing the race.  Some of the atheletes are faster, some are slower but each has the determination and focus on reaching the end line as soon as possible.  In the spiritual realm of gathering God's ripe harvest for the Kingdom of God, every follower of Jesus Christ must do his or her part in fulfilling The Great Commission as Jesus commissioned His disciples to do (Matthew 28:18-20).

This is not only for your own generation.  It is imperative to pass the commission baton forward to the next generation and so on.  We will never know the extent of Gladys Aylward's planting and harvesting sprint but God knows and that's what counts.  It will be the same for us when we are willing to be part of that relay race set out for us.  Willingness is the key.

What will you do when you hear Jesus call you to follow Him?  How about when He commands, "GO!"?

                                                   ~ERC  February 2023~

Based on Matthew 9:35-38; 28:18-20 Isaiah 6:8 ESV?NIV

Sing, Rescue the Perishing, along with, Islington Baptist Church

Reference:  Gladys Aylward.

Book Review - King of Kings - By MJ Porter - Publication Date: 10 February 2023

 

The author MJ Porter chose to stick fairly closely to actual fact with this novel of historical fiction.  Even so, there is some tweaking here and there.  At first, I found it a bit difficult to sort out all the who's who of the various kings from the various places, but thankfully Porter offers a glossary of names and terms to help keep them all straight.

There are Viking, Norsemen kings, Welsh and Scots kings and of course, the English king and so on, from all over Britian.  The time frame of these kings and their men who lived and died, being from 925 to 934.  

War and conflicts are never nice to hear or read about so I didn't much care for that part of the book's drama.  There was plenty of tension just striving for the attempt at a peace accord signing.  Would they all agree, and if so, would they keep their word?  Do read to find out.  

Those with strong hearts, and a fondness for the bickerings and strife among kings, along with an appetite for history will find this book of interest, I believe.   Although I did find some of the tale diverting, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea.

                                          ~Eunice C.,  Reviewer/Blogger~

                                                     January 2023

Disclaimer:  This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the Boldwood Book publishers.

Read review on Goodreads.

Book Review - Double the Lies - By Patricia Raybon - Publication Date: 7 February 2023

 

Annalee Spain, found herself in hot soup once again for all her sleuthing efforts, but she was not one to give up, even if she and her friends were threatened.  This time she rather fell into a mystery murder to solve, or rather, it found her.  Readers will be in for quite a race against time right there along with her.

This book has been tagged, "mystery thriller" but I'd append, "historical fiction" and "race conflict".  This is because of references to prejudicial acts of ostracism and worse against Jews, Blacks and Catholics in Colorado and elsewhere, giving the reader a small glimpse of what these people groups have had to endure in years gone by at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan and other such people bent upon hate against fellow human beings.

The most curious aspect of this narrative is that Annalee is a praying detective.  I've never come across such before in books, that I can recall, so it's an added positive feature of her character for me.  Readers will also be amused that this is a kind of take-off on the famous and beloved Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, private investigator series.  Just beware of the lies!

I was not disappointed in any part of this story.  Good for you, Patricia Raybon!  Hope there will be as many more to come as you have already written.

                                                  ~Eunice C.,  Reviewer/Blogger~

                                                             September 2022

Disclaimer:  This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

Read review on Goodreads.

Anointed Lips

 

One way to 'anoint' ones' lips is by smearing lipstick or some lip balm on them.  However, this is not what I mean here by the title "Anointed Lips."  Ha, ha.

The other day someone sent me a video clip of a young lad of about 10-12 years of age (roughly, I'd say).  He was preaching for all he was worth, as if he was going to be the next 'greatest showman'.  He went on with the great gusto about being anointed for preaching.

Obviously, he must have felt he was anointed.  He didn't seem to think much of other preachers who were not.  Now I don't know exactly what his young definition of being anointed is, and hopefully I'm not taking his spiel from the clip out of context.  Nevertheless, one of the things he did mention, and which I've heard another preacher, whom I do believe is "anointed," say, is that a person, i.e. a preacher, without the anointing, is only imparting information and not giving revelation that helps change peoples' lives.

There's merit to those words.

We often hear Church people praying for the speaker of the day, that the Lord will give him "anointed lips'.  I wonder if this phrase is used without much thinking of what one is actually asking.  It feels rather like a Christian cliche.  I have wondered about it myself.

Perhaps it stems back to Old Testament times when prophets, priests and kings were anointed with oil at the initial outset of their ministry.  Remember back to Moses' anointing Aaron and sons before they began their work of the priesthood in the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:30; Leviticus 8:30).

The process was to pour a special recipe of anointing oil upon their heads.  It would run down the face, no doubt reaching the lips, beard and even the collar of their clothes.  In fact, that is alluded to in Psalm 133:2-3.  It is seen as a blessing and a sanctifying from the Lord.

Samuel the prophet was sent to anoint both Saul and David to be kings of Israel (1 Samuel 9:11-13; 16:1-13).  Then the prophet Elijah was sent to anoint the newbie prophet, Elisha as his successor (1 Kings 19:16-22).

In the book of Isaiah, God told Isaiah to go and do certain things and to preach but he said he was too sinful a man - a man of  'unclean lips'.  A seraphim took a live burning coal and touched Isaiah's lips with it, telling him he was now made holy for his task.  This sounds like a form of anointing to me (Isaiah 6:4-8).

God wants His children to be holy as He is holy (Leviticus 19-20; 1 Peter 1:16).  We cannot go through Sunday motions of preaching, teaching, singing praise and worship and then the rest of the week living unholy lives of swearing, taking the Lord's name in vain, telling dirty jokes, treating people like dirt; exploding in terrible tempers and/or getting involved in sexual sins and so on.  This is NOT becoming of one who professes to belong to Christ.  These are only "Sunday-go-to-meeting Christians."  They do not live holy lives.  They do not live "anointed" lives.  We need what is called 'progressive sanctification,'  daily living in obedience to God and His Word.

When a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior they have been made righteous and holy by Him.  This sets each one apart, as sacred for His use and purpose.  They have been personally "anointed" by God our Heavenly Father to do His work as He sees fit.  This is called 'justification and sanctification'.  However, the daily 'progressive sanctification' is imperative as well.

(We won't get into these terms here but I think their meaning can at least be vaguely ascertained from the contexts above.)

This is why it is so very important to live holy lives, remembering that as children of God, we are 

"all chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that we may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9 NIV).

Anyone who is put into the position to help "feed" the flock of God must humbly keep this in mind.  Otherwise, pride may spring up in the heart.  A true believer in Jesus, who came to faith in Christ for his or her salvation, is anointed for doing good deeds and to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, just like any other believer who continues to fear God and live a holy life, fulfilling their God-given purpose.

If someone is up there on stage as a worship leader or in the pulpit preaching but does not seek the Lord every day of the week, then it is a sham for sure and is NOT speaking with 'anointed lips'.  The presence and power of God will indeed be missing.  It could well be entertaining and a gleaning of information but there may not be much changing of lives.

When fire and dynamic empowerment of "the Spirit of the Lord" comes upon a person, it's like the remarkable occurance during the naming of John the Baptizer.  Zechariah, his father, had been mute for nine months because of his unbelief.  However, when he did obediently declare his son was to be named "John," his tongue was loosed.

Zechariah

 "was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied (Luke 1:57-79).

The people were totally amazed.

There are other such biblical examples such as Peter who had been a bumbling disciple of Jesus, but when filled with the Holy Spirit he became a positively powerful preacher-apostle.  Thousands had their lives changed because of it (Acts 2:41; 4:4).

Of course our dear Jesus of Nazareth is always our Perfect Example.  He was anointed by God Himself, with the Holy Spirit.  I love seeing the results...

"... God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38).

He was the 'Anointed One' referred to even in the Old Testament, and which Jesus read about, referring indirectly to Himself for the benefit of the people in the synagogue,

"The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anoined Me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Acts4:18-19; Isaiah 61:1-4).

How riveting for His audience.  They were stunned.  Some were even angered as they knew exactly that Jesus was saying He was the fulfilment of this prophesy - He was the Anointed One.

Brothers and sisters-in-Christ, when we seek first the Kingdom of God, faithfully read and obey God's word, engage in His interests, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct our lives in pleasing manner to the Lord, our life and therefore, our lips, will be anointed.  We will preach it and we will go about doing good as Jesus did.  We have been anointed by the Holy Spirit to do so.

Pray for one another for this to be so, not just a last minute cliche before a brother or sister gets up to preach but for every single day of our lives, until Jesus comes or death doth us part.  Create waves of change in peoples' lives as did Jesus.

Pray it in Jesus' name.

                                                ~ERC  January 2023~

Based on Exodus 30:30; Leviticus 8:30; 1 Samuel 9:11-13; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; 1 Kings 9:16-21; Isaiah 6:4-8; Leviticus 19-20; 1 Peter 1:16; 1 Peter 2:9: Luke 1:57-79; Acts 2:41; 4:4.

Sing, Take My Life and Let it Be by Frances Ridley Havergal, along with Islington Baptist Church and Holy And Anointed On along with Brian Doerksen.