Men of Faith, I am?

I think I can place myself among the mighty men of faith in the Word. I am so much like them. Take for instance Adam; like him I also try to blame others rather than to admit it was me. Like Moses; I also loose my temper. Elija; one moment I see God’s miracles and power and the next moment I run because of the fear of people. Like Samson; I sometimes dabble with unclean things when I should stay holy. Or like king David; I find my eyes committing adultery. Like Tomas; I doubt. I’m even like Peter; a hypocrite who betray Jesus in the smallest of things.

Jip that is me, so much like the mighty men of the Bible. Some people go through this life flying to God’s throne room, some sprint, some run and some walk. Me, I crawl and most of the time Jesus has to drag me. My hands and knees are bleeding of all the falling and stumbling.  This is my Faith Crawl. How does yours look?

Fearless – Max Lucado

Your child dying.

Your husband running off with his secretary.

Not having enough money.

Not being liked.

Death.

This book came at the right time for me.  I have recently experienced a number of personal events that awakened every fear within me.  The day that “Fearless” arrived in my mailbox, God began to work.  Mr Lucado addresses the rational and sometimes irrational fears that we have and approaches them in a way that shows God’s control and sovereignty.   

I have always loved Max Lucado’s books but because I have my firm favorites, I didn’t expect this one to hit home as hard as it did.  This book challenged me to respond to God’s goodness and in so doing, release my fear to Him.  To me, this book is summed up in a simple statement right in the first chapter – “Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness.”  I am challenged, when faced with fear, to look unto God, the Name above all names, to immerse myself in Scripture and to remind myself that the Creator of the Universe cares not only for the sparrows of the air, but also for me.  As always, Max Lucado backs up his statements and storytelling with scripture references. 

This book has changed me.  Mr Lucado has reminded me that my courage lies in my faith.  This is a book I will read again.

100 Bible Stories, 100 Bible Songs by Stephen Elkins (Illustrated by Tim O'Connor)

It has been said that the Bible is so deep that the world's greatest theologians are puzzled, yet so simple that even a child can understand it.  "100 Bible Stories, 100 Bible Songs" for children proves it.  This is a fantastic resource for parents, providing a solid yet simple story base with complementary choruses to aid learning both scripture and the reference.  I'd say that this book is suitable for age 2 - 7.

The pictures are beautifully yet simply illustrated by Tim O'Connor which helps in the telling of the story.  This is definitely a book that will be treasured for years to come.  The songs on the accompanying cd's are simple, yet lively.  They are perfect for reading with the book or even to listen to during the day.  The book is divided into the Old and New Testament and each story has the accompanying scripture tagged on.  I have found this useful for my own time with God. 

I love that my son, who is only 2 years old, is already trying to sing with the cd's.  He is being trained up in the way he should go with this fabulous book.

GENTLE

The God I serve is almighty and powerful. He created the whole universe in seven days. Now He could have done it all in a split second, but He wanted it to be seven days. With the wind He separated the Red sea. He made the earth stand still so that the Israelites would have victory in battle. His voice is like thunder. When He returns the mountains will crumble and the heavens will roll away like paper. The thing is that just with a glance, He can destroy the whole universe in one second. This is within His power.

When we speak about the Holy Spirit we think of ultimate power, extreme miracles and the power of God in our lives. 1 Kings 19:11-12 says; “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper”. All that power was contained and displayed in the gentleness of a whisper. This is how He works in our lives through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not always speak to us with overwhelming words and power, but with a soft gentle word. For example; just the other day I was walking along the hallway of the place I worked at when I passed a piece of paper lying on the ground. A soft voice told me to stop, turn around and pick it up. I did it. Another time I used a spoon in the kitchen where I work and put it in the sink. I turned around to walk away (I was in a real hurry) when the Spirit asked me who is going to wash that? I had to turn and do it. You see, it is about the small things. It may seem small, stupid and insignificant but this is where we grow and learn to obey His voice. How can He trust us with the big things when we can’t obey Him in the small things?

Book Review of "His Name is Jesus" by Max Lucado

What a lovely book! I was won over at the mention of Lucado’s name! Besides being an aesthetically beautiful book, it is also superbly compiled. The pictures captured me, the words, even though they are excerpts from other books Lucado has written drew me in as I again encountered the birth, life and death of Jesus. This book is captivating to any age. Even my 2-year-old sat quietly with me as we paged through the book and read about Jesus.

This hard cover gift book is beautifully presented. It comes complete with a sturdy slide-in cover to keep it protected. While I know the story of Jesus’ life, I was reminded by this book of how completely human He was. It is easy to read, and is nicely laid out so that one could read it in short pieces or as a devotional. While this is definitely a beautiful coffee table book, it meant far more than I expected to me. It’s a non-threatening journey of Jesus’ life which even skeptics would be tempted to delve into a little. I honestly loved this book and would recommend it as a gift for anyone at any age.

Fruit

A poisonous fruit
A bite, death will follow suit
Too soon words forgot
My lips glazed in sweet rot

Through ages of lives
We stumble with bloodshot eyes
Defeated our souls lay
Given over to death’s decay

Unripe, healing fruit in animal trough
Choked by poison we laugh and scoff
Three; moulded metal key
Ripe fruit hammered back on tree

A healing fruit
A bite, life will follow suit
Soon words recall
From my lips crimson blood sprawl

Me and J. Iscariot

There are two people in the Bible that makes me very uneasy. The first one is Jesus because I want to be like Him. The second is Judas Iscariot because I don’t want to be like him. You see, I look in the mirror and I am supposed to see someone that looks more like Jesus, but instead I see someone who looks more like Iscariot. Poor Judas thought he did the right thing, honestly he thought Jesus was fake and so he did what he thought was best. But me…. I know the Truth, but still I do the wrong thing. I hate the Iscariot in me that shows his face time and time again.

I have broken skin on my knees and bleeding skin on my hands. Oh, how I wish I could say it is from constant prayer, but it is from falling again and again. How many times can one man fall before God does not catch him anymore? Truly His grace is too big to comprehend.

Am I the only Christian that falls, gets up and battles his Iscariots with broken bleeding hands? Am I the only Christian that keeps on pushing forward on a rocky road with bleeding knees? Am I the only one, or are there more of you out there? I can only wonder.

I sit in the dust and it is only Jesus that comes to attend my wounds. I look up and tears stream down my face for He has done it so many times and I fear that this might not be the last. How I hope it is the last, how desperately I hope.