In our increasingly secular society, being a Christian carries a cost. Whether through public criticism or the quiet loss of respect, it is hard--and becoming harder--to be known as a Christian. Even as believers try to follow the will of God, they are often misunderstood and left to deal with the awkward, sometimes painful results of feeling disconnected from their fellow man--or even stigmatized.This past year the Lord has been speaking to me about "counting the cost" and choosing to stand for Him, and Kendall's words breathed confirmation into what I have been sensing.
The things we must avoid is destigmatizing the Gospel, that is taking the stigma out and still calling it the Gospel. This I fear is what the Church at the present time, speaking generally, has done. With the destigmatizing process has come a loss of the Church's power. I call upon every reader of these lines to be bold and uphold the pure, unembellished Gospel of Jesus Christ - precisely as it is taught in the New Testament.This book embraces the truth of scripture and engaged my mind and my spirit. If you're seeking a closer walk with Christ and a life that will impact others, this book will encourage you to be both brave and bold.
Noticing Him everywhere with Jennifer
For Seattle architect Heather Hampton, a trip back to tiny Moses Lake, Texas, is hardly in the plan. Yet because a promotion hinges on the sale of the family farmland, Heather heads to the last place she ever wanted to go. She's determined to return home, signed contract in hand, the next day.Once again I was captivated by the sights, sounds and movements in Moses Lake, turning page after page, trying to make sense of the riddle Heather was pondering:
But the currents of Moses Lake take visitors on unexpected journeys. As Heather's stay lengthens, she discovers a family steeped in secrets and an unexpected connection to local banker Blaine Underhill, despite his opposition to Heather's project. With each new revelation and question, Heather can't help but wonder if the handsome banker--and the family she has come to know again--are crooks or crusaders. Somehow she must find out the truth before she loses everything she has worked for and everything she's found on the shores of Moses Lake.
The future is a blank page, but not a mystery.Heather finds her answers and deepens her faith in ways she never expected.
15-year-old loner, Lexi Vogan, has had enough: four foster families in two years is enough to make anybody run away! Alone in the world, she flees to Jacksonville where a group of runaway teens live in abandoned tunnels hidden below the city. It seems like the perfect place for a forgotten face.
Liz Swavier, 36, became a widow two years ago when her husband succumbed to cancer, but she’s doing okay, at least that’s what she tells herself. Working long hours as a doctor in the ER department, Liz's friends and family grow concerned that she’s hurled herself into work to numb her grief.
Then, on a typical Friday afternoon, an appointment with Divine intervention causes these two very different lives to collide beginning a journey towards restoration that only an all-knowing, loving God could weave together.My heart and mind were engaged from the start as Dennis had me slipping in and out of the lives of her two central characters. I flipped page after page, not wanting to put the story aside.
What God wants most of all is you. Just as you are. Then he'll show you how he wants to use your life to partner with him in fulfilling his purposes. It won't be a burden, but instead a glorious adventure - with plenty of room for mistakes, growth, and joy along the way.This is more than mere preaching, more than just words on pages. Holly offers exercises that help us focus our thoughts and discover what we believe about ourselves and our place in the life God created for us.
Dare to embrace who you are. Dare to do those weird things you do. Dare to trust God's whispers into your life more than the demands of the world around you about the "right way." You have the Holy Spirit within you, and he will show you what you need to change in a way that's gentle, life giving, and affirming.When I first began reading, I was a bit skeptical. I do not like the "self-help" genre. I was happily surprised to find that this volume will not fit into that category, for it is indeed a "God-help" book, reminding all who read that He can do for us what we can not do for ourselves.
