David Estes continues with the epic story of The Country Saga. I was given a copy of book one to review and loved it so much that I purchased “Ice Country”. The writing style is simple and he obviously understands the mind of youth. A great book for teens and up. I can recommend for Jr. High age and older. A story of friendship, hardship and courage. Starting book three right away! I give this book a solid 5 stars.
Tag Archives: freedom
Book Review for “The High Duties of Patia”-Fantasy Fiction
I just loved this book! Because It had all three books in one volume, it was a very long read. I read and read, cried and cried, chuckled and read some more. Then when it all finished up, I was not ready to say goodbye to all my new friends! This is an epic fantasy, many characters, (think of Tolkien’s books), it is the usual good versus evil plot. I can’t even imagine the time put into the names, lands, peoples and creatures, the different languages and customs. The characters were lovable, and my two favorite were Belo and Rafe, who were both “Amazing Nice,” and provided some comic relief. I had this book on my reading list and was thrilled when the Author, Bob Craton, offered me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I’ll read this one again, maybe more than once. 5 stars from me! Appropriate for Jr. High and up. Well done Mr. Craton.
You get all three books in one for only $4.99 Kindle version! Well worth the money!
Screen Your Thoughts
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Let’s pretend that it is spring. We have been cooped up in the house all winter and there is a fresh spring breeze blowing outside. The first thing we want to do is open all the windows wide and blow out all the stagnant air in our homes. Unfortunately, there are these little (or if you live in Wisconsin-BIG) pesky things called mosquitoes. Thank God for the invention of a simple thing called a screen! They allow the fresh breeze to come in and keep those irritating blood suckers out. The screen has little holes that are too small for those bug and creepy things to come in through.
God’s word is like a screen. But like most Godly things, it works the opposite of our window screens. The screen of God keeps the good stuff in and allows the bad stuff to fall through. Picture this in your mind for minute. This screen isn’t vertical, but it is horizontal. Now picture a shovel full of rich dirt, with some clean flowing water. This screen will catch all the precious stones and allow the silt and dust to flow on through.
We all have some thoughts that are just plain “puny”. God’s thoughts are so much bigger than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9). Here are a few examples:
“I can’t afford to tithe.”
“It’s flu (or cold) season.”
“If I just had enough to pay my house payment.”
“I hope I have a good day.”
Can you say PUNY? Those would all fall through!
Now let’s allow the screen of God’s word to do it’s work and see what is left behind.
“God said to “try” Him in paying my tithe and promised to open the windows of heaven and poor out blessings. (Malachi 3:10) So I can’t afford not to tithe!
“Flu doesn’t have a season in my body, because Jesus took my infirmities, and by His stripes I have already been healed.” (Matthew 8:16-17)
“I not only have enough for all of my bills, but I am debt free and owe no man anything but to love him. I have enough to give into every good work.” (II Cor. 9:8)
And instead of just a good day, why not a God directed and planned day. “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. The plans you have for me this day is to prosper me, not to harm me.” (Jer. 29:11)
Can you see a pattern? Allow all those “puny” thoughts, those no expectations, too little for God’s children, stinkin’ thinkin’, UNGODLY thoughts to flow through. Don’t hang on to them. If they don’t line up with God’s word and His 8,000 promises, they need to be flushed away-literally! Allow the big dreams, great hope, huge expectations to remain. Keep them as precious stones! Look at them, think about them, show them off! Nothing, absolutely nothing, is too difficult for Him! Or for His children. Matthew 19:26 says, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” He makes a way where there is no way. All His promises are Yes and Amen! To God’s glory through us. We have to hang onto, declare and receive those promises to give God the glory. The world will see how He takes care of us, and they will see His banner of Love over us, clearly defining our leader and our general. When things get hairy, which side will they flock to? The ones with the puny thinking, who’s banner over them is depression, sickness and poverty? Or the one who’s banner is LOVE! Those ones who possess peace and portray life? Who can share their abundance and stand in faith? The family of God who have a great Hope, for the One who has promised is able to do what He promises.
Don’t have a screen? Ask God to be your Lord and Savior. Give up, surrender your heart to Him. He’ll take such better care of it then you ever will. Is your screen ripped and torn, wore out? Get into His word, do some repair. Look up some of those promises. Write them on note cards and memorize them. Ask God how much He loves you then listen for His answer. David said he his God’s word in his heart to keep him from sin. Ask God to engraft His word into your heart. When you engraft one branch of a tree into another type, that engrafted tree becomes part of the host. Let God’s word not just hide in your heart, let it become part of you! You ask, and apply yourself, He’ll do it! He is faithful.
What’s Stopping You?
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“Your eyes saw my embryo, and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed for me, before any one of them had yet happened. God, your plans are incomprehensible to me! Their total number is countless! If I tried to count them—they outnumber grains of sand! If I came to the very end—I’d still be with you.”
Psalm 139:16-18 Common English Bible
“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” Psalm 139:17-18 NKJV
God says the plans and the purposes that he has for you are more than the sand of the earth. There is no way we could ever count every greain of sand. We tend to thing, “God has a plan for me.” Plan-singular. Then we make a wrong choice somewhere along the way and thing, “I missed God’s plan!” But don’t despair, that is another of the enemies lies. God doesn’t have a plan for you, he has plans-plural, and they are limitless! If you have ever stayed at or near a beach you know what sand is like. We went to the Hateras Islands, in North Carolina one summer and I’m telling you-that sand was invasive. Just when you thought you had gotten rid of it all, it was between your teeth, sheets, in your shoes, and even clogging up the sinks. That sand was everywhere and it just kept coming. Sometimes in handfuls, and sometimes just one more grain. Stop and think about that for a minute. Those are like God’s plans for us.
“If God has so many plans for us, why aren’t I seeing them come to pass,” you ask.
There are many things that can hinder, or even stop His plans and purposed in our lives. He’s planned it all out, equipped you with gifts, talents, and His word to fulfill them, so we are clearly the issue. First of all you have to accept Him as your Lord. We call it “getting saved” or “being born again.” We have admitted our sin, have conceded our need for someone else to come in and clean us up, and then surrendered our lives to His perfect will, and those wonderful plans. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). In salvation we become His children, dearly loved. God says if we are His children, we will do what He says. Which leads us into the second reason that those plans may be hindered. We have to be living in His will, or at least attempting to do that. Salvation is not just a prayer, one that you say once, or even over and over, without a life change. We can’t be “like dogs who return to their own vomit.” (Proverbs 26:11) Salvation is constant choice to surrender to Him, to not give into temptation, and to build a relationship with Him.
Proverbs 26:11 leads us to another reason-sin. We all mess up, but all followers of Christ, we should be quick to ask God to forgive us, and then move on. “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again : but the wicked shall fall into mischief,” Proverbs 24:16 KJV. If a married couple or a family has strife in their home, their prayers can be hindered. It goes to say the same thing can happen in our churches. We need to try and live peaceable amount each other so we don’t hinder God’s plan for our family or the Body of Christ. Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” We need unity.
Fear keeps us from seeing God’s plans come to pass. I dealt with fear for more years than I would like to remember until I was delivered. Fear paralyzes you. It keep you in confusion and constantly worrying. It drowns out the voice of God. God says that “perfect love casts out fear.” I used to struggle with that, because I bought into the lie that my love wasn’t perfect enough. Then I got the revelation that He was never talking about my love, but His. When we realize how much He loves us, we can have confidence in Him and what He says, that gets rid of fear! We hear Him loud and clear when we begin by hearing Him say how much He loves us!
There are so many things that seemingly creep in that can hinder God’s perfect will in our lives.
So we need to be able to hear His voice clearly, then do what He says. Our world is noisy! TV’s, radios, ipods, ipads, computers, and the list goes on! Sometimes it is hard to hear that “still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11-13). The last week of January our church is “fasting” noise so that we can purposely listen for that voice. Corporately, we always fast and pray together in January for the new year. This year God has laid in on the heart of our Senior Pastor, William Hohman, to lesson the distractions. For some of us that might not be too hard, I love my quiet and the TV, or the radio are hardly ever on. But for some, who have either or both running 24/7 as “background noise” this will be hard. Unfortunately we can’t control our work or our school environment, but we can control our home, or our own rooms. I encourage you to fast with us the last week of January. Shut off and shut out as much noise as you can. Then talk to God. Now here is the clincher, then shut up and listen!
God in His wisdom and perfect love, seeing the end from the beginning, seeing you righteous and accepted, has many plans for you! Not plans to harm, but to bless! So what is stopping you?