I'll be the first to admit, I'm kind of a dork :) I love learning all about the science-y stuff as well as the philosophical-y stuff. This book is great in that it has both sides of that coin;...
Living in the USA, I've never first-handedly witnessed much persecution for my faith; I've had the 'americanized' version of it (losing friends and reputation) but never have I been in any...
I'll be the first to admit, I'm kind of a dork :) I love learning all about the science-y stuff as well as the philosophical-y stuff. This book is great in that it has both sides of that coin; most have one or the other. This book is very well written and I recommend it if you are serious about defending your faith :)
Dekker's Best Book (imo) | Posted June-29-2012
I love mysteries. The suspense. The whodunits. Clue has always been my favourite games and 90% of my favourite shows are detective series. But I had always been wary of detective books, because of the graphic nature. I didn't need all the gory details.
Then I found Ted Dekker, and finially I had what I had been looking for! Dekker has a way with words, artfully weaving them together to form heart-racing, pulse-pounding, getting-papercuts-because-you're-turning-the-pages-too-quickly plots and stories.
His novel 'Adam' is perhaps his best. When the mysterious serial killer Eve sets out for another woman, detective Daniel Clark sets out looking for him. Little did he know that this manhunt would change his life in a seriously drastic way.
I really don't want to go much past that and risk letting some of the plost sneak its way in. So you'll just have to buy it.
Just don't read it when you're alone. Things become a lot scarier when you don't have anyone near you.
Over the past 13 years, the Canadian band Downhere has consistently produced good music. This first official album, released in 2001 (discounting the first independent album released in 1999) is different than their latest stuff.
While good, this album shows the band's tentative first wadings into the world of CCM. As evidenced by their winning of the 2002 Covenant award for Rock Album of the year, their entry was well-recieved.
With everything from smooth and contemplative songs (Larger than Life, Great Are You, Calmer of the Storm, Breathing In, So Blue, All The Reasons Why) to hand-clapping toe-tapping peppy songs (Free Me Up, Reconcile, Raincoat, Making Me, From Protest to Praise) and ending with a tongue-in-cheek little number (Rockstars Need Money), this album is a definite winner.
Personally, I give it four out of five, because I prefer their newer music. But if you don't have this in your musical arsenal, you need to get it! It's pretty legit :)
The Brainchild of an Amazing Website | Posted June-29-2012
So if you haven't heard of www.iamsecond.org, you should really go check it out.
No. Go check it out now. And then come back.
Did you do that? Good.
So if you were observant, you noticed that I Am Second is basically an organization that celebrates our secondary nature and God's primary nature. One of the ways that they do this is by way of videos that tell about different people's testimonies, ranging from the celebrities to the kid next door. They're a great organization.
Last year, they released a book with some of the stories found on the site, along with some new ones (at least new to me - I hadn't seen them. But that doesn't mean that they weren't there haha)
This book has so many stories in it, all talking about how God comes into a person's life and RADICALLY changes them. The variety of people in the book is amazing - everyone from druggies to prostitutes to pastors to the 'average' American person. And the book focuses on how each person, no matter who they are, is in desperate need of God to survive.
I loved this book, and it's a fantastic reminder that we're all basically the same. The surface details may look different, but underneath it all, we're all a bunch of Lazarus'. We were dead, but by the power of God, we're alive.
Living in the USA, I've never first-handedly witnessed much persecution for my faith; I've had the 'americanized' version of it (losing friends and reputation) but never have I been in any physical danger for it. So when I opened this book, I was woefully unaware of the state of the world when it came to Christianity. I never knew how dangerous it was to be a Jesus freak in other countries, and in that I never quite realized how worthy God is of the danger. This book resounds with faith in the middle of the fire, and a refusal to give up spiritual life in favour of physical life. I have yet to face this measure of persecution, but this book breathed into me personally an urgency to live as unashamedly of Christ as these people. This book strengthened my faith and resolve, and I DEFINITELY recommend it to anyone who is a Christian, period. Five out of five stars!
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