Christianity Books - Page 8

He Loves Me! Learning to Live In the Father's Affection

Wayne Jacobsen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Assurance of His love 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Have you ever fallen into a performance trap? Felt like God only loved you if you were performing to His standards? Doubted His love for you during hard times? Wayne Jacobsen has penned He Loves Me! to offer warm, personal encouragement for Christians who feel removed from the love of their Father.

Jacobsen writes strongly, sharing his conviction and personal experience of God's unfailing love. Revisiting familiar parables and scenes from throughout the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, Jacobsen builds a case for God's ongoing desire to enter into relationships with each and every one of us.

He Loves Me! keeps a tight focus on God's love. Jacobsen repeatedly turns the readers eye away from themselves and places their sights upon the Heavenly Father. Rather than exploring the message of salvation, Jacobsen's work is written for those who have already entered into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but who may not feel confident in His love.

While an excellent resource for new Christians who seek to understand the basis of their new position in Christ, He Loves Me! also offers a healing balm for those wounded by works-based religious belief systems. A theme that occurs repeatedly throughout Jacobsen's works is that Christianity is not a religion, a set of rules that Christians must follow in order to please God. Rather, it is God's invitation to enter into a relationship with Him each day through the death of His son on the cross. It is refreshing to read a work from a man who is so clearly grounded in this truth and who proclaims it loudly.

Jacobsen reassures us that we will never be good enough for God, we will never be able to please Him with our own efforts at righteousness. Our status with Him is dependent entirely upon Jesus' work on the cross. Our position in Christ rests not upon our striving to fulfill the laws' commands, but rather the holiness that knowing Jesus will produce in our lives as we let His love fill us full to overflowing. I went into Jacobsen's body of work with a degree of skepticism, being unfamiliar with his teachings. I wondered if I'd encounter claims of universal salvation, the dismissal of sin or a philosophy of `easy-believism'. Thankfully none of these were present, only a rallying cry to return to the foundations of faith - knowing Jesus and following Him.

However, there are some weak points present in Jacobsen's work. Few scriptures are provided to back up his points, and single verses at times serve as the foundation for suppositions that are widely divergent from those held by the majority of the body of Christ. For instance, he posits that believers no longer need to fear God, but a brief survey of the word `fear' as used throughout the New Testament would display that the matter of fearing God is not as one-sided as presented here. Scripture speaks to the fear of God in a believer's life, as well as fear not being present in perfect love. All instances of the term `fear' need to be taken into account to form a balanced view of God's thoughts on the matter. Jacobsen's beliefs regarding sin should also be closely compared with scripture; it seems that they may ultimately lead to the doctrine of complete sanctification within this life when followed to their logical conclusion. Readers will need to proceed with discernment, eating the meat and spitting out the bones.

If you've been entrenched in a struggle to trust in Christ's work on the cross on your behalf, these teachings regarding God's love may take some time to sink in. Jacobsen acknowledges that tuning in to God's love and experiencing Him daily takes time, patience, and trust. With each chapter Jacobsen provides points for personal application, as well as questions that can be explored in a group discussion setting. Seeking God in prayer that focuses upon the suggestions offered, and discussing these teachings with others will serve to deepen understanding and belief.

For myself, I'm inspired to read through the New Testament once again, seeking to understand the love of God through His word as I seek to draw near to Him. I am confident that He Loves Me! will reach many believers who are seeking to regain an authentic, personal walk with Christ as they emerge from works based expectations.

Editorial Review:

Do you find yourself picking through circumstances like children plucking daisy petals attempting to figure out whether or not God loves you? If you find yourself least certain of his love in those critical moments when you most need to trust him, there is hope for you. Where? At the one event in human history that forever secured your place in the Father s hear--the cross where Jesus allowed sin and shame to be consumed in his own body so that you could freely embrace a relationship with his Father. There you will discover that what he always wanted was not the fearful subservience of slaves, but the loving affection of sons and daughters. If your spiritual life feels more like performance than freedom, like an empty ritual rather than a joyful journey, let Wayne help you discover a Father who loves you more than anyone on this planet ever has or ever will and how you can rest in the confidence of his affection for you through whatever circumstances you face.

Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent

Arnold Ytreeide

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great story / devotional book for Advent 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This was our family's best Advent yet! Occasionally "Jotham's Journey" was a bit too action-packed for our daughter (age 5), but she and our son (age 8) couldn't wait for each day's segment. Arnold Ytreeide is a master storyteller. His intricate blending of facts about biblical times into a fast-paced storyline captured our imaginations. We'll never look at Advent the same again. Our family can't wait to read Ytreeide's other books in 2006 and beyond.

all around great 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

accurate description of book, prompt service, and a great book in general- but especially for Advent and preparation for Christmas- I didn't want to stick to the Advent timeline they give because I wanted to keep reading

Family Advent Tradition 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book was out of print for a while, and I was happy to see a new publisher pick it up. Our family incorporates this into our Advent traditions, reading a section each night (as laid out in the book). At bedtime, our three kids (ages 4-9) sit while I read, and even my husband sits in (and reads to catch up if he misses a night). Each night ends on a suspenseful note, so the next evening the kids get ready for bed in record time so that we can read that night's story (finding out how last night's climax was resolved, and again ending with them wondering what will happen next). It is a family strengthening story and tradition for us. This is one in a series of three books (Bartholomew's Passage and Tabitha's Travels are the other two) which we rotate over three years, then will start the cycle over again. I bought these two copies to give as gifts.

Editorial Review:

In this widely popular, exciting story for the advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem.

Keeping Faith

Jodi Picoult

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 149 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great story, weak ending. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love this author's work and read her often. But often I notice her endings are weak and vague. This story drew me in form the first few pages. I couldn't wait to get the chance to read again. I got to the end and went "what?". I wont revel any spoilers but just don't expect any big shock or twist at the end. Just enjoy the story.

Editorial Review:

One of America's most powerful and thought-provoking novelists, New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult brilliantly examines belief, miracles, and the complex core of family.

When the marriage of Mariah White and her cheating husband, Colin, turns ugly and disintegrates, their seven-year-old daughter, Faith, is there to witness it all. In the aftermath of a rapid divorce, Mariah falls into a deep depression -- and suddenly Faith, a child with no religious background whatsoever, hears divine voices, starts reciting biblical passages, and develops stigmata. And when the miraculous healings begin, mother and daughter are thrust into the volatile center of controversy and into the heat of a custody battle -- trapped in a mad media circus that threatens what little stability the family has left.

Raven: The Untold Story of The Rev. Jim Jones and His People

Tim Reiterman, John Jacobs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Must Read!! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed this book better than 'Seductive Poison' by Blakey. Reiterman was not involved with Jones in an intimate way and so this book gives a more objective view. I'd done quite a bit of researching online about PT, Jones and Jonestown only to find that quite a bit of info. I gathered seems to have come straight out of this book almost word for word in some instances.
Where do you begin when talking about Rev. Jim Jones. He represents to me someone who truly comes along like 1 in about 5 million or once every hundred years or so. You do find manipulative or even fraud "prophets" but most do not come with the complete package Jones had. Not only was he very handsome, extremely intelligent and articulate but he had an extraordinary way about him to manipulate even the most seasoned hustlers, con his way into the pockets and bedrooms of followers, all along portraying himself to be a lover of Black people when certain situations show that this wasn't always the case. He preached Socialism and racial equality but never really allowed any of his Black followers to move up in the church heirachy other than security jobs or field hand work.
Jones was also a very sexual person. He blatantly talked about his wide and varied promiscuity with both men and women alike but rarely if ever intimate with the Blacks.
I've listened to some of Jones' audio as he loved to tape record most of his sermons. I can tell Reiterman must have listened too because you can read some of what you had listened to in the audio. Jones was almost an anything goes type of speaker. What made him so different was he'd do sermons and talk about anything in front of even children: anything from suicide to traitors to sex and genital smells to someone plotting yet another move against him real or imagined.
What intrigued me most about Jones was that he was the most promiscuos person I've heard of in a long time. He pratically slept with his entire white staff, men and women of about 30 to 35 people! This doesn't include strangers and the cop he was arrested for soliciting gay sex in a public rest area. Whew!
At any rate, the suicides or homicides, well...I'm not totally convinced it was a mind control experiment by the CIA though anything is possible. What I believed happened was that Jones escaped with his people to Guyana to live out their Socialist Utopia and to get away from problems he may have had in the States. One major problem was an illegitimate child a married woman bore with him (Jones also claim to have slept with her husband as well). Evidently, she was in Jonestown and escaped leaving the son behind. She had a change of heart and wanted him back but Jones was having none of it. Though paternity was never fully established, Jones believed it to be his and threaten the woman's life if she ever came to Jonestown to retrieve her son. Her husband was ex-Peoples Temple attorney, he sided with the wife and a vicious battle of the two with Jones turned into a true hate-fest with Jones constantly making references to it in Jonestown. Then there was the Concerned Relatives, or people who were related to Templers and wanted their release from Jones. They eventually invaded Jonestown with Congressman Ryan and Jones perceived this as a threat and harrassment. Templers had already been forewarned by Jones of the imminent death of relatives who entered Jonestown for such an excursion. So as the story goes, he got his goons to gun down 5 people and wound several others as defectors were boarding a plane to permanently leave Jonestown. Interesting note, the front photo of this book was taken by a photographer who was killed in Jonestown by Jones' rifle squad. Knowing that he was done in for and would be held responsible, if indirectly, for the deaths of the Congressman, defector and NBC crew and also have to give up custody for the little boy he claimed his own, his solution; death.
He had prepared his people for many months for death as what they would call "White Nights". Being the intuitive person he appeared, maybe he foresaw that fateful day or carried a death wish all along (he suffered severe psychic exhaustion, drug addiction and hopeless despair and depression).
We all know what happened next. Sad and tragic story. So if you are interested in knowing about this piece of tragic history, this is a good book to start with.

Editorial Review:

The “seminal book on the story of Jonestown” (Associated Press) is restored to print for the thirtieth anniversary of the Jonestown massacre, with a new preface by the author.

After many years, one of the most widely sought out-of- print books is newly available: Raven reveals the complete, shocking story of Jonestown, providing the definitive account of the worst cult tragedy in American history.

Tim Reiterman’s PEN Award–winning work explores the ideals-gone-wrong, the intrigue, and grim realities behind the Peoples Temple and its implosion in the jungle of South America. Raven clarifies historical misperceptions regarding the character and motives of Jim Jones; the reasons why people followed him; and the important truth that many of those who perished at Jonestown were victims of mass murder rather than suicide.

Here is the unparalleled record of a catastrophe the world still struggles to comprehend.

The Success Principles (Live)

Jack Canfield

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 282 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Jack Canfield reveals the simple set of rules for success that led him to become the multi-million copy bestselling author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and shows how anyone can follow these principles to achieve their own dreams. / Greater levels of performance and achievement are attainable by anyone. This book offers the proven self-empowerment tools and time-tested performance strategies that are the basis for personal and professional success. / Jack Canfield has become the author of over 50 best-selling books by following these principles -- here he reveals how they can help you to take on greater challenges, produce break-through results and achieve undreamed of success. / With the Ten-Step Action Plan you will learn how to: -- Take responsibility for your life -- Set goals and manage time -- Invest in developing knowledge and core skills -- Face up to what isn't working and stay motivated -- Focus on your unique abilities -- Transcend other people's limiting opinions and much more. / Decide what you want, believe you deserve it and practise the principles, and with these powerful new habits you can experience astonishing opportunities and extraordinary results in all aspects of your life, from your career to your relationships.

The Best Christmas pageant ever

Barbara Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 115 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

love it 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have read this book at least once a year for 15yrs and now I'm reading it to my kids. It's a quick read, I can't put it down.

Very Well Written! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I like books and I don't know if this is my favorite book but it is excellent. We read it as a family every year at Christmas. It never fails to touch me. It is fun with a redeeming message.

One of the Best Christmas Books Ever 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The worst kids in the neighborhood decide to be in the annual Christmas Pageant and turn the weeks leading up to the event into a very funny, read. I've read this book to many classrooms of children over the years and it's guaranteed to make them listen and laugh.

...

True meaning of Christmas in an untraditional presentation 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It's a fun story about an untraditional Christmas play. It shows how good can come of seemingly negative changes and find some unexpected, meaningful outcomes.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Editorial Review:

Called one of America's favorite Christmas stories, and now a classic television movie, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has been a favorite of young readers the world over since 1972. Funny, memorable, and outrageous, it is the story of a family of incorrigible children who discover the Christmas story for the first time and help everyone else rediscover its true meaning.

48 Days to the Work You Love

Dan Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 122 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Don't waste your time or money 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't waste your time or money on this book. Dan Miller tells you what to do but not how to do it. Everyone knows the common sense advice. But does Dan Miller give some new insight, approach or technique? No.

It's really just a front for self-advertisement of his other services and web site. Well Dan, I already bought the book and wasted enough money. And I'm looking for my refund...

Don't even get me started on the crappily edited CD-Rom that came with it. It sounds like Miller's 12 year old nephew taped and edited it in his basement on his boom box. Run, don't walk, over to What Color is My Parachute. Now that is a book worth reading!

The "Dave Ramsey" of Careers 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

For those to whom "the whole college experience" is recent and whose enthusiasm and optimism are unchecked this book may be unnecessary and perhaps even somewhat unintelligible. Dan Miller has tapped into the positive mindset and self-confidence of youth, and may be less relevant to the recent graduate who has not yet faced a tough job market.

For everyone who's found themselves in a dead-end job or career, however, or whose college experience is more than a few years old or perhaps even nonexistent, or -- perhaps worst of all -- who has suddenly found their training and experience are "no longer required" by an employer, Dan has the proven ability to inspire or restore the youthful enthusiasm which once filled each of us as we saw the future full of endless possibilities and opportunities. Some of Dan's best "students" are people who have come to realize from his books and materials that getting laid off, "downsized," "offshored" or even fired can be the most positive experience in a career, the springboard from which to dive into a future which might before have seemed too difficult or too risky to pursue; not an ignoble end but an invigorating new beginning.

If you're fresh out of school and full of optimism, put the skills you've learned to work in the job market. Just be aware that the person you'll be asking for a job may well have reached that position by putting Dan Miller's ideas into practice. Dave Ramsey teaches people how to get the most out of their finances; Dan Miller gives people the tools to recognize and make the most of their God-given abilities.

The new grad may lack the experience to appreciate this book, but if you're not fulfilled in your current job, if you dread Mondays, if you want to pursue the adventure and fulfillment of seeking and doing the work you were created for; whether you have a job now or need one, Dan Miller's "48 Days to The Work You Love" is the doorway to a new beginning.

To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

John O'Donohue

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the author of the bestselling Anam Cara comes a beautiful collection of blessings to help readers through both the everyday and the extraordinary events of their lives.

John O’Donohue, Irish teacher and poet, has been widely praised for his gift of drawing on Celtic spiritual traditions to create words of inspiration and wisdom for today. In To Bless the Space Between Us, his compelling blend of elegant, poetic language and spiritual insight offers readers comfort and encouragement on their journeys through life. O’Donohue looks at life’s thresholds—getting married, having children, starting a new job—and offers invaluable guidelines for making the transition from a known, familiar world into a new, unmapped territory. Most profoundly, however, O’Donohue explains “blessing” as a way of life, as a lens through which the whole world is transformed.

O’Donohue awakens readers to timeless truths and shows the power they have to answer contemporary dilemmas and ease us through periods of change.

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate

Jerry Bridges

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Challenging book 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Bought this book for a men's group Bible study at my church. It was personally challenging and led to lively discussion over sins we accept.

Editorial Review:

As Christians, we believe that all sins are considered equal in God's eyes. Yet while evangelicals continue to decry the Big Ones--such as abortion, adultery, and violence--we often overlook more deceptive sins.

It seems we have created a sliding scale where gossip, jealousy, and selfishness comfortably exist within the church. In short, some sins have simply become acceptable.

Acclaimed author Jerry Bridges believes that just as culture has lost the concept of sin, the church faces the same danger. Jerry writes not from a sense of achievement, but from the trenches of his own personal battles. Drawing from scriptural truth, he sheds light on subtle behaviors that can derail our spiritual growth.

Throughout, Jerry encourages victory over personal sin through the gospel's transforming power. This release is perfect for readers who long to thoughtfully examine their lives and discover a deeper walk with God.

The Secret Scripture

Barry Sebastian, Wanda MCCaddon (Narrator)

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> Irish

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Clear View 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Roseanne Clear is an ancient woman living in an Irish asylum to which she was committed "for social reasons" after she bore an out-of-wedlock child. She has been a resident for so long that no one knows how old she really is or exactly what the circumstances of her commitment were. The "secret scripture" of the title is Roseanne's narrative of her life, written on scraps with a pilfered pen and hidden under a loose floorboard. At the same time her story is unfolding, the psychiaitrist who heads the institution is slowly putting together a competing narrative of Roseanne's life. The asylum is closing -- Ireland's version of de-institutionalization -- and the terms of Roseanne's commitment must legally determine where she'll be placed next.

In the end, the two narratives come together in a wholly surprising way, but not before surveying Ireland's brutal and complicated history of political and sectarian violence from the establishment of the Free State up to the present. The author turns a particularly cold eye on the devastating grip that the Roman Catholic Church held on Irish society and politics for the better part of the 20th century. Although I've cited its political and historical scope, the novel tells its story in wholly personal terms. At various points the novel is funny, magically poetic, tragic -- and often all three: a great read.

Once you've read "The Secret Scripture," go on to read "The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty" -- a prequel, sort of, of this novel.

Editorial Review:

Barry has given us a heroine of delicate complexity in a setting of regged beauty. His flawless use of language and plot hold the reader rapt from beginning to end