C.R. Mooney

Dr. David Jeremiah’s subtitle implies that his book is going to help explain current world happenings in light of Biblical prophecy, however I believe a more accurate subtitle would be “10 Opinions Why I Believe The World Is Going To End In My Lifetime.”

Some of this text is well written and researched, like his history of the Middle East and rebirth of Israel as a sovereign nation, but it pretty much ends there.   Some of his prophetic clues are vague speculation at best.  One example is prophetic clue two, the possibility that Israel is sitting on one of the world’s largest oil reserves.  He cites two verses, and the remainder of the chapter is dedicated to “what if” speculation.

Clue five is “Without a Trace” otherwise known as the rapture.  This chapter lays out his timeline with the rapture of the saints coming before the Tribulation.  I am not sure how this is a clue as to what is going on in the world today, unless the rapture has already occurred, and we are now in the Tribulation.

Another of his clues is that the United States is not mentioned in the Bible.  Again, I still am not sure how that is a clue of what is going on today.

I found this more to be an explanation of Dr. Jeremiah’s eschatology than a guide to what is going on in the world today.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com for allowing me to blog-review this book free of charge.

I have been broken lately over this question: What if God was as faithful to me as I am to him?

It is humbling to say that as I read the Bible, I fall very short of what Jesus would define as His disciple.   I will write more on this later, but please consider the question in your own life.

Venom and Song is the second book in the Berinfell Prophecies Series by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper.  It continues the story of seven elf lords who were kidnapped from their world as babies and hidden on earth by the Spider King.  In book one, Curse of the Spider King, the children are discovered by their own kind, and return to their world, Allyra, to defeat the Spider King.

Venom and Song follows the young lords as they train for and battle the Spider King and his forces.  Along the way they deal with the trials of transforming into a team of warriors, the pressure of being royalty to a people they have just met, and the betrayal of those that were to be trusted.  This story has a great flow, and is ripe with suspense and twists.

Book two picks right up where book one ended, so I believe that if you have not read the first, you may find it hard to keep up with the many characters, especially when the seven lords are referred to by both their earth and elf names.   Also, some of the characters disappear for awhile, probably a product of page limitations.   The characters were fun to follow, and the creatures and people of this world were well crafted.

There is quite a bit of violence in this, which is fine for me, but possibly not suitable for younger kids.

I loved this story, and I hope that there is a book three available soon.   I will be holding onto this one for my kids to read.

I received a free copy of this for review courtesy of Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze program.

You really have to check out everything this guy puts out.

Storm Amazon.com With Us!

http://www.christopherhopper.com/2010/06/storm-amazon-com-with-us/trackback/

Blogs are curious things, no?  For some time now, I have been struggling to write.  No,  I think I have been outright avoiding writing.  I’m not sure of what it is.  A funk.  A wall.  Maybe just stubborness or fear.  I’m not sure.  Maybe it’s that I don’t want to write unless I think it’s going to “mean something.”  Anyhow,  I am going to be writing more.  The posts will probably be shorter and more observational.  Just maybe “There’s Something Deep Inside” will turn back into the writing outlet I need it to be.

It has been said that if you want to be successful, you have to surround yourself with successful people.  If you are like me, you may not be not privy to such a selection of friends.  “Classic Wisdom for the Professional Life,” by Bryan Curtis, a book of quotes from some of the most successful people past and present, allows you to immerse yourself in their way of thinking.

I found “Classic Wisdom for the Professional Life” to be informing, inspiring, and convicting.  You can see how those quoted knew not only how to dream, but what it takes to fulfill those dreams.  Many quotes offer some discerning words to those who need motivating to achieve their own dreams.

While the book is not organized into chapters or themes, I still find it a great read.  One other thing I would like to have seen is a reference page for the quotes.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for inspiration and motivation, or as a gift to someone you want to impart them to.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com for allowing me to blog-review this book free of charge.

I love the story of Robin Hood. The best version I have seen (though I haven’t seen the new movie) is the cartoon. I still whistle the little ditty from the narrating rooster, lol.  I love the characterization: Robin Hood as a fox standing up for the poor rabbits, the adviser to the king is a snake, Little John as a giant bear, the clumsy guards as vultures, the sheriff is a wolf, and get this, the priest is a badger. A Badger!

What’s not to like with this guy, right? He’s a handsome critter with a persuasion toward sticking up for the little guy, an incredible marksman, has a go-get-em attitude. He’s so amazing a character, that we forget he’s an outlaw in all of this. Yes, the king is away fighting a war, and his nephew is quite the tyrant, but Robin is still robbing from the rich to give to the poor. We are empathetic to his cause though, aren’t we? It’s only fair right? We want this wonder boy to come in and save the day, right the wrongs, and stick it to “the man.” We want him to break the prisoners out of jail and take back what was theirs. We stand by and root him on, “Go get ‘em Robin!”

It ends great. Robin gets the fair maiden and King Richard returns to restore order to the kingdom.

It’s a great story, but that is it. A story. The problem starts when we bring this to reality, and we make Jesus into Robin Hood.

While I do not know if he was any kind of marksman, I know Jesus was no thief. But we do expect that he will use rich people to give to the poor, and that somehow, we who do not have much to give are not expected to. We turn ourselves into spectators. Instead of getting into the action, we stand in the crowd, and cheer on Jesus and his Merry Men. We want him to be the one to take up arms against the tyrants in our lives and restore to us what we believe was wrongfully taken (relationships, money, status).

I think that God requires more than that from us. Jesus tells a story of a man in need, a man who was destitute. He was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. Even in this state, there were people that passed him on the roadside, and left him in that condition. People with status, and the ability to help him walked by in their arrogance, feeling it was beneath them to assist.

Finally there was a man who helped. His heritage was such that the Jews called his kind half-breed, and treated them such. This hurt man, under different circumstances, may have called him a dog and spat on him. He was a Samaritan, and he put aside all these differences, put the man on his donkey and took him to town to get the help he needed. And he didn’t just dump him at the ER, he paid for the expenses, and told the help that if it wasn’t enough, he would pay the rest when he came back to town.

This is what God expects from us, no matter our situation, or how people have treated us. We are not to be the victims waiting for a Robin Hood to save the day. We are to be like the Samaritan. No matter how much or how little we have. It’s high time we (mostly talking to myself here, so “high time I”) stop waiting for someone else to make a difference. We can’t think that because we do not have the resources to help everyone, that we cannot help someone.

Someone needs what you have.

Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’   Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

My daughter Laila (8 years old) wrote this song today. I am humbled. I love you baby girl!

“Good Morning Jesus”

Good Morning Jesus
Good day
You know that i love you
Want to come and play
Maybe hide & seek
Or Maybe tag
I know that you love me
Today & Everyday
Every night i Pray
And you always listen
You never ignore me
And that makes me glad
Good Morning Jesus
Have a nice day.

Luke 6:46a: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,?’”

I ran into this verse today, and it really has me thinking. I have to look at my motivation, reason, and if it is even true. The second parts says, “and do not do what I say?”

Am I really obeying? Really?

Why do you call Him Lord?

I think I may never drink a soda again.  Okay, maybe I will, but not for the rest of the day.

Where Is God?: Finding His Presence, Purpose and Power in Difficult Times

There are several pressing times in my life when I had to ask, “Where is God?” Dr. John Townsend tries to help answer this question in his book.

For me, “Where is God?” starts very slowly. I understand that he is building a foundation for his later points, but it just dragged on forever.

Honestly, I tried to write this review several times trying to highlight parts I liked, and other than his answer for, “How does a loving god allow suffering,” and the list of recommended reading at the end, the book did nothing for me.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to blog-review this book. You can’t win them all.

If you surf around the blogosphere very much, you may have run into Jonathan Acuff’s blog, stuffchristianslike.net.  His site is a fresh and hilarious look at things we (Christians) like that can get in the way of our relationship with God.  His blog got popular enough, made it into a book:  “Stuff Christians Like.”

I just finished listening to the audiobook (available at christianaudio.com) and my review is simple:  Awesome!

I read quite a bit, and very few books get the five star treatment, but Acuff has earned it.  His humor in essays like “Booty, God, Booty” and “Understanding how metrosexual your worship leader is” (Christopher, we need to talk, lol) is perfect anesthetic for him to slip in honest, convicting truth.  I would describe his style as Donald Miller meets Matthew Paul Turner.

This book is great for both Christians and non.   It’s like Acuff is fishing on a lake, and he sends his lure down into the lake.  The Christian fish can’t resist the sarcastic humor mixed with truth, so they latch on immediately.  Meanwhile, the non Christian fish are laughing it up, “See, we told you this Christian gig was a trap!”  Then, with masterful precision and sleight of hand, Acuff lays out the Truth like a stick of dynamite and cleans out the lake.

What are you waiting for?  Go get a copy. Clicking the pic will get you there.

Why do I care so much about how many hits this blog gets and not how many demons are being cast out of people?

I found this little ditty from one of my favorite speakers, Damon Thompson.. Something I really need is an urgency to complete what God has given me to do.

Your thoughts?

Another goodie: