"Crazy Love - Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" by Francis Chan -- Book Review

Francis Chan is a senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. In 2008 he authored the “Crazy Love-Overwhelmed by a Relentless God,” which immediately became New York Times’ bestselling Christian book and “a message that Christians desperately needed to hear.”[1]

In his daring bestseller, Chan advocates that “the world does not need Christians who tolerate the complacency of their own lives.”   He challenges and inspires us to reject our vein excuses, break out of the dull habits of our egocentric perceptions, and to start living a faithful and a sacrificial life instead.  He offers a radical antidote to revive us from our Spiritual Coma, into “a life where we stake everything on God’s power and presence.” 

Chan correctly states that God does not have an “identity crisis”; He already knows how great He is.  It is us who are in desperate need of perspective readjustment.  We need to challenge ourselves to growth, leaving behind our Christian versions of American Dream, our selfish ambitions, our wretched individualism and numbing materialism. 

How do we worship God whom we can never fully understand?  How can we love Him with fervent passion and complete abandon?  How do we listen and obey God, especially “in a society where it’s easy and expected to do what is most comfortable?” Francis Chan addresses these questions and further challenges us to be drastically transformed by daily seeking the will of our Maker, by spending ourselves completely in the process, and ultimately reaching a place of intimate fellowship with our crazy loving Father.

Reading “Crazy Love” was not comfortable, it was downright convicting.  However, if you venture to call yourself a Christian, this is an absolute “must read” for you.  Do you dare to disturb your universe?  Read and be transformed! 




Post a comment for a chance to win a free copy of "Crazy Love."  

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[1] www.Challies.com

"Illusion", by Frank Peretti -- Book Review

Frank Peretti, one of the greatest Christian contemporary novelist, has done it again!

With a wave of his pen; or rather magnificent clicks of his keyboard, he sends us into a world of brilliant magic, a universe beyond time and space, where perfection not only exists but awaits us, cemented in faith, unsoiled and unaffected by distorted humanity and its sin.

Unlike most of his other darker novels, “Illusion” is filled with radiance and light.  It wows us with emotional intricacies and complexities of human character and drama. 

We are permitted to enter the world of a married couple, a terrific duo of famous magicians: Dane and Mandy.  For forty years they had entertained their audiences with astonishing tricks in Vegas.  But when time comes for them to finally retire, their plans are shattered by a horrific car accident, which claims Mandy’s life.  Virtually at the same time, hundreds of miles away a nineteen-year-old Mandy appears, with no memory of the past forty years of her life and a new set of unexplained abilities.  This Mandy never met her husband and yet, somehow, against all odds, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other, while strange figures examine their every move.

“Illusion” flows like a song and lights up the darkest corners of our imaginations.  It fills our minds with endless color and drenches our hearts with never ending excitement.  It is exhilarating and thoroughly enjoyable.

If Kinkade was the painter of light, Peretti is the author of absolute brilliance!

I fell in love with Mandy and Dane from the first page and subsequently cried through 39 out of 40 pages that followed.  I also managed to fill with tears every one of emotional pits, which Peretti so craftily dug for me throughout the rest of the novel.  I invited the unexplained and welcomed the invisible, because the love between Mandy and Dane was not just the romantic, nor the fleeting kind.  It was strong and timeless, rooted in the deepest complexities of our beginnings.  It was fervent and pure, steady and firm.  It was the reflection of the very vein of perfection, which flows through us all, attached at every end to the will and heart of our Heavenly Father.

I mourned with Dane and cheered with Mandy.  I laughed with them and wished them in to a happy ending, sacrificially submitting to the will of the master writer; the lord over their world and space.  I wanted to peek ahead, but never to skip, because just like in real life, here, everything mattered and I never wanted it to end!

 “Illusion” is a masterpiece and I believe a perfect tribute to Peretti’s wife, whom undoubtedly he loves just like this.  Oh, to be loved like this on this side of heaven!

Frank Peretti’s “Illusion” is bound to become an instant classic and I thoroughly recommend pursuing it.  Read and enjoy, surrender and dive bravely in to his new universe, where mysterious meets the exquisite and the two combined create a passionate torrent, which sweeps away our imagination.

 You might also like:

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? by Monika Holt

The Gentle King, by Monika Holt

http://infinitecharacters.com/

http://www.livingthebodyofchrist.blogspot.com/

"Implosion" by Joel C. Rosenberg - book review

On Sunday morning my husband and I, got in the car and visited our old home church in New Jersey, Calvary Chapel Old Bridge, pastored by Lloyd Pulley.  However, we were surprised to find that instead of Lloyd Pulley, Joel C. Rosenberg would be speaking that morning.  And what a tremendous treat it was to hear him speak.

Joel C. Rosenberg is a New York Times best selling author.  He served as a communication advisor for U.S, and Israeli leaders, including Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, Natan Sharansky, and Benjamin Netanyahu.   He has been interviewed by hundreds of radio and TV programs such as FOX News, CNN History Chanel, MSNBC, The Hannity Show, the Glen Beck Show, and the Rush Limbaugh Show.  He has also been profiled by New York Times, Washington Post and the Jerusalem Post.  Mr. Rosenberg has addressed audiences all over the world and spoken at various times at the White House, Pentagon, and to the Members of Congress.   Joel and his team designed and hosted the first Epicenter Conference in Jerusalem, and drew over 2000 Christians who wanted to “learn, pray, give and go” to the Lord’s work in Israel and Middle East. 

Joel Rosenberg is a son of a Jewish father and a Gentile mother, and he is a follower of Jesus Christ.  His greatest passion is to make disciples of all nations and teach Bible prophecy.  I unreservedly recommend following him on his blog:

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/

It was a great pleasure to be able to sit in the front row and listen to him speak. It was even a greater honor to afterward, be able to shake his hand and ask for a signature inside his newest book:  the “Implosion.” 

Though Joel Rosenberg is usually known for his fiction work, the “Implosion” is not a work of fiction, but deals with a question of whether America can recover from its economic and spiritual challenges in time?  A topic, which nowadays lays heavily on everybody’s hearts and minds.  The “Implosion” tackles subjects such as: are we living in the last days?, possible scenarios about what could happen to America in the last days, and whether there is cause for optimism while we hope for another great awakening. 

Joel Rosenberg is an exceptional author who confronts extremely difficult subjects in a very approachable manner.   He discusses worse case scenarios for the country, which he truly loves, and manages to avoid infecting his readers with anxiety and undue pessimism.

I wholeheartedly recommend reading the “Implosion”.  It is both interesting and informative, and most importantly it is very current .  Given the present-day state of world affairs , everyone should be interested in the subjects, which Joel C. Rosenberg so brilliantly confronts in his newest book.  

www.Joelrosenberg.com

Auguries of Innocence

This one is for all who love comforts of their homes and cringe at the very mention of outdoor camping escapades.  That was me, not long ago, until the Lord came along and opened my eyes.  It was quite an adventure!

Heavy drops of rain drummed against the thin canopy of our tent.  I tossed and turned longing for my comfy bed, inside of my warm house in the suburbs.  “I hate camping, I hate camping, I hate camping.”  I chanted quietly as I struggled to relax.  My three little angels slumbered beside me.  My sleep did not come easily, but finally it came.

It was midnight when the bear came crashing through our campsite, banging on the metal garbage cans, licking pots and pans and helping himself to the left over marshmallow on the picnic table.  It snorted and huffed.  Nothing but a thin layer of canvas separated my family from this black terror.

I sat up and listened; my eyes wider than saucers, my heart in my throat.

Hubby slowly raised his head, got up, carefully unzipped the tent and peered in to darkness.

I clenched my cell phone close to my heart, my only lifeline, and the world’s lousiest weapon.  Holding on to the phone, briefly made me feel safe.  Unfortunately, the grim reality quickly revealed the absurdity of the trust I was now putting in this tiny device.   There was no signal, and what was I supposed to do?  Throw the cell phone at the bear?  All the folds of modern civilization now proved worthless against this strength of God’s creation.

Hubby saw the bear!  It was black and very large, and thankfully it wandered off rather quickly.

Steve burned the fire through he night, because wild animals don’t like fires.  It was like “The Call of the Wild” in 3D.  He sat outside the tent all night, pondering how to protect his young family. One end of the stick in his hand, the other in the fire; he was ready to raise it at any moment and wave it in the air to scare the beast away.  Raaaaah!  Very manly, indeed!

The next morning we moved in to a cabin, for safety.  The cabin was old and cold, but not as cold as the tent was and most importantly it was dry.  Suddenly, I felt thankful for the bear, if it was not for the cursed bear, I would still be freezing my “behind” off inside a soggy tent.  Thank you Lord for turning these ashes in to beauty, I prayed with a smile.  And indeed beauty He gave me.   The humble log cabin stood by the edge of a noisy river. Water thrashed against grey rocks and splattered creating endless rainbows.  Ferns bowed down to the glory of their Creator, and the swinging bridge at the bottom of mossy steps danced for its visitors to melodious tunes of wild birds’ songs.

The Spirit breathed mist gently rose and fell.  Eager sunrays pierced the dark canopy of the forest, kindly blessing the spotted salamanders and orange frogs with solicitous affection.  And when the rains came and the hail fell, each hollow nook filled to the brink with transient diamonds, more precious than those on my finger. Breathless beauty heartened my curiosity.  Soon I forgot where my cell phone was and abandoned my civilized fears.

I now undertood what William Blake wrote so many years ago:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour.

We stayed a day longer, than planned.  Departing was hard and everyone cried.   

Blue melancholy drenched my heart.  I did not want to return to the hectic world, clattered by myriads of now perceptible human obsessions.  

The Fall of the American Empire?

The fall of every great civilization always began the same. When things got too comfortable, people began searching for new ways to please themselves. In the absence of struggle people’s spirits weakened.  They became spiritually comatose and their moral muscles quickly degenerated.  They ceased to invest in the future of their children and instead focused solely on self-indulgences.  And those who didn’t invest in their future simply did not get to have one.

Look back to the Roman Empire, the absolute height of human civilization; that is until we came along. Today we view Roman pleasures with a sense of disgust, but were they really that much different from the pleasures we pursue?

They loved to binge on drinking; we have our bars.  They loved violence, and we love R-rated movies and video games. And money, let’s not forget the money, we all love having and spending money, on things we absolutely do not need.  Finally, they loved lots and lots of food, and don’t we?  After all, we are the fast food nation, the snacking nation, the nation of people who stuff their stomachs to satiate their spirits. 

We comfortably give in to our fleshly passions and quickly pervert our lives, just like they did.  The Roman pleasures resulted in many unwanted babies, later on scarified on altars to foreign Gods.  Diseases run rampant, and innocence was lost in grips of sexual perversion.  Today in America, 3700 abortions are performed each day, when young women sacrifice their unborn children on wicked altars of self; that adds up to staggering 1.37 million a year.  270 cases of STD are diagnosed each day, that makes 11 cases each hour, and if you are not shocked enough yet, 1 case of STD is being diagnosed every 5 minutes in our great empire.  Child abuse is reported every 10 seconds, and 5 to 6 children die each day as a result of child abuse or neglect! Despicable! Their pleasures made the Romans and their state soft and completely morally depraved.   Our pleasures are leading us in the same direction.

Ancient Egyptians were no different, they strived for pleasure in life and argued that pleasure is the only intrinsic good.   Think of Sodom and Gomorrah.  What became of them?  Fire and brimstone, a great cautionary tale.  Look what happened to Babylon after their single-minded pursuit of sensual pleasures, without any regard for consequences.

Sure, a life where we have to worry about tomorrow is hard.  A life filled with conscious self-sacrifice is even harder.  It was once said that poverty produces men of character, yet it is wealth, which becomes the true test of ones integrity.   If we do not start investing in our future now, we are not going to have one to look forward to.

What are our self-indulgences?  Is it easier to go to work each day, even though we hear the Lord pleading with us to forget ourselves and stay home with our children?  Do we eat to fix our heartaches, or do we choose to only have one because we have the freedom to do so?  Do we spend endless hours on the phone or in front of TV, while our children starve for attention?  Do we have to have another dress, or buy yet another toy for our whiny toddler?  Do we really have to have so many things?

We had our childhoods, and it is our children’s’ turn to live, and learn, and to grow up.  Let us help them along because they need our guidance.  When their future arrives, once again we will find time to pursue our ambitions.  This day will come all too soon.  Today, let us put our strivings on hold; we do not want to look back with regrets.   Our flesh is strong and it will not be easy, but let us daily die to ourselves, for the sake of our children, so that we may live to see a better tomorrow.

http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

http://www.dadehealth.org/downloads/Now%20That%20You%20Know%20-Faith%20Community%202011.pdf

Morning Glory

      I was sitting on my porch, Bible on my lap, drinking my morning coffee. Noisy birds argued in the trees. The world was anxious for the sun to rise. Soon the top of the tallest tree would become illuminated, and all the lovely birdies would fly up to warm their tiny bodies. I have seen them there before, on top of the world raising their voices to heaven. I found such refuge in enjoying God's creation.

      I used to think that I must get away to rest and think; that I need a vacation or a retreat to recharge. After all, every day living was so draining. Then, I found that God's blessings surrounded me everywhere and my life was already filled with quiet harbors. I simply had to lift my eyes up and notice them. The birds singing in the morning or the fireflies lighting the night, are some of my harbors. Sometimes working in the kitchen becomes a harbor when I stop and pray, and that is enough. The Lord takes it from there and carries me on. He is so faithful to sustain. 

     What are your quiet harbors? I guarantee they are sprinkled throughout your days. So be on a look out and don't miss out on God's blessings. Allow yourself to be still, if only for a moment. God's greatest gifts often come wrapped in tiniest packages.

Welcome

This is my first blog entry and I have no idea what one should write on such occasion. So, I will just say that I hope to glorify God through my writing. I pray that you might enjoy it and come to visit me again. Keep me honest, and please leave a comment. Welcome to my blog!