Summary:
Amanda Janvier and husband Neil take motherless niece Tally into their seemingly storybook life, all the while refusing to acknowledge that their son Chase is haunted by memories of the horrific house fire no one talks about. Secrets of the past can’t stay hidden forever behind their white picket fence.
Author Bio:
Susan Meissner cannot remember a time when she wasn’t driven to put her thoughts down on paper. Her novel The Shape of Mercy was a Publishers Weekly pick for best religious fiction of 2008 and a Christian Book Award finalist. Susan and her husband live in Southern California, where he is a pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. They are the parents of four grown children.
This was a really fascinating book. I so appreciated the steering away from the stereotypical casting of teen that has suffered loss and lived a life that is not 'the norm'. More often than not, these characters (and their real-life counterparts) tend to get the short end of the stick. They are labeled 'troubled', 'rebellious', 'anti-social', and typcially are involved in any number of 'unsavory' activities. I applaud Ms. Meissner for not taking the 'easy route' with the character of Tally.
There are multiple stories going on throughout the whole book. The interweave so well, and keep you turning the pages as you cheer for each character. This book deals with hard decisions, real-life temptations, and healing. You won't be disappointed!
To learn more about the book, to read an excerpt, and to order your copy, please be sure to visit Waterbrook Multnomah today.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
for 'White Picket Fences' by Susan Meissner brought to you by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
Monday, November 2, 2009
for movies!
Young Christians today are more like St. Francis of Assisi than a circuit riding preacher. “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” This is a generation focused on being the hands and feet of Christ and meeting the physical needs of those in both the local and global community. They are building houses, planting gardens, taking food and clothes to the poor and helping the widows and orphans… and then they are sharing the gospel. And they are using technology like never before. They communicate the message through audio, film, video and the internet, and they strive for excellence within those mediums. They must. This is how they will reach their generation for Christ.
I share their passion. In the film, The Gospel According to Matthew, we were able to capture the heart of Christ that is so often missing in Christian films, but the quality of the film making was constrained by an $800,000 budget. Now we are inspiring a movement that will bring Jesus to film in a version that literally leaps off the screen and into the hearts of viewers.
The budget for a typical Hollywood production is $100-110 million. Actors’ salaries account for much of that cost. Because the new Jesus movie will be not be paying big name actors, our team believes we can produce a world class, state-of-the-art film incorporating the latest cutting-edge technology for just $45 million. The production will be shot on location in Jerusalem and shot digitally using CGI backgrounds and a green screen stage, providing unlimited potential for sharing the gospel for generations to come.
We are inviting people from all nations and all generations to join this movement to bring the gospel to all people. A movement made of 4.5 million people contributing a tax deductible donation of $10 each would fund the cost of the film. The Gospel belongs to everyone, and the new Jesus movie will be produced expressly so it can be accessed by everyone, no matter their financial situation. Our team's vision is to see the film translated into as many languages as possible and supplied to mission organizations and churches all over the world.
You can become a part of the movement to reach the next generation. Please help us spread the word to your friends and family. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at http://www.newjesusmovie.com./
Also, you can keep up with our progress by visiting any of these links:
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Bruce Marchiano is an actor, author, international speaker, and the founder of Marchiano Ministries, a non-profit organization reaching out to people both spiritually and practically in the USA and across the world. He is best known for his joyful, passionate portrayal of Jesus in the film, The Gospel According to Matthew. Thursday, October 29, 2009
for pictures!!!!
(These pictures are not in any particular order!)
David being David....
Why we are not in the Family Portrait business:
Troy's BIG catch of the day...(okay, okay, it's a stuffed fish...but a guy CAN dream!)...
David sliding down a Fire Pole:
Climbing on a Pirate Ship toy...
Marlee girl finding her way through the hedge maze in the midst of the corn maze:
Ah ha...the castle!!!
In the corn maze:
Random picture from home....the fog was moving in!
Marlee's nature shot...pretty good, if I do say so myself!
Troy pickin' and grinnin':
Jacob got his birthday present a month early - his 'excited' expression was for his dear old mom!(Thanks, Jacob!):
Marlee and David's watermelon crop - Dad could have eaten it in one bite!!
David being David...
Laylie, Marlee and Elsie reading 'The Jungle Book' -
for catching up
Not sure where I left off...but I'll just fill you in on what has been going on around our house. We have moved to a year-round school year this year as a test drive. So far, everything is going smoothly. Every 9th week we take a week off, and we just enjoyed our first week off last week. We focused on what we had been learning in History and Bible while doing crafts. The kids made a replica of Charlemagne's crown when crowned 'Holy Roman Emperor'. They also made a necklace of Thor's hammer - which also led to discussion of Charles the Hammer. They made mosaic tile coasters (which didn't turn out so well) and finally we made paper mache whales as we talked about Jonah and his trials.
The kids and I went to Green Bluff a few weekends ago to enjoy their Harvest Festival. We went through a corn maze - the kids explored a castle - and we picked up some very cool wool hats for the little ones (who aren't so little anymore!). It was a fun day!
We have been staying relatively healthy this season. A few coughs and stuffy noses - but nothing too serious - of which we are very thankful!!!
Victoria continues with her studies through Whitefield - which she thoroughly enjoys - and I have been reading some of J. C. Ryle's works. If you have not read anything of his, I highly suggest you do. It is very, very good teaching...and though written in another generation - it pertains to ours just as well. Of course - isn't the Lord wonderful in that way? No matter the culture or the society - His word fits all.
Troy took a day to go fishing - and has been using his smoker with great success. He and Jacob refabricated an old refrigerator into a smoker - and it works wonderfully! I'm not much of a fish eater - but I have had a few tastes - and it is very good.
Pictures will follow soon - I have to track down the camera and get them on the computer!!!
So, how are things in your corner of the world?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
for getting away from being 'Christian-ish'
About the book:
Somewhere between cold faith and hot pursuit lies lukewarm spirituality. And in the median between the wide path and the narrow road we find the middle-ground of the spiritual walk. It's something not quite Christian. More like.Christianish.
It may feel like authentic faith. It may even look like the real deal. Yet it's often easy to settle for the souvenir t-shirt—the appearance of a transformed heart—instead of taking the actual trip through true life-change. We find ourselves settling for a personal faith that's been polluted by culture, and diluted by other people's take on spirituality.
Christianish tells the story of one man's journey to move from the in-between to a life that's centered on Christ. To move forward, author Mark Steele goes back to the beginning, to examine Christ's life and words. Through stories and insights that are sometimes profound, often hilarious, and always honest, Mark delivers a compelling look at what our faith is all about.
So rediscover what it means to live like Christ, and ditch the ish.
About the author:
Mark Steele is the president and executive creative of Steelehouse Productions where he creates art for business and ministry through the mediums of film, stage, and animation. Mark is the author of Flashbang: How I Got Over Myself. He lives in Oklahoma with his wife, Kaysie, and their greatest productions: Morgan, Jackson, and Charlie.
Mark Steele hits hard in this book as we travel with him through his own journey out of being 'Christian-ish'. I didn't always agree with Mr. Steele's conclusions - but this is definitely a hard-hitting book that looks at what our culture/society has done to 'Christianity' in our today. Isobel Kuhn referred to it as 'The Misty Flats' - Mr. Steele calls it 'Christian-ish', but they both are referring to the same thing - a form of godliness, with missing God altogether.
To find out more about this book and to order your copy, please go to David C. Cook today.
for missions at home
What has washing someone’s car got to do with the gospel?
Committed to bringing the Christian message to young people to his hometown of Manchester, England, Andy Hawthorne was shocked when a missions partner told him he shouldn’t just preach the gospel but also engage in community projects.
It worked. The Message Trust has been recognized internationally as bringing hope and change to the roughest, poorest neighborhoods of Manchester.
And it got him thinking: What, exactly, should the priority of the church be? Should it be the lamp on a stand—bold, unashamed gospel proclamation to as many as possible? Or should it be more salt and yeast—serving and blessing the vulnerable and marginalized, with no questions asked?
The answer, of course, is both. Christians who truly want to follow Jesus should explain the good news with words—but also make sure to demonstrate the gospel through what’s been described as random acts of kindness. Written in a passionate, nonreligious style, Hope Unleashed is filled with moving true stories and practical ideas and strategies for Christian mission based on word and deed.
Andy Hawthorne is an evangelist, author, and founder of the Message Trust, an award-winning Christian mission organization dedicated to bringing the gospel message to the poorest neighborhoods of his hometown and beyond. He is the author of Diary of a Dangerous Vision and The Smile of God.
Hope Unleashed: Serving God through Words and Actions by Andy Hawthorne
David C Cook/August 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1-4347-6448-5/softcover/171 pages/$12.99
To find out more and to purchase your copy, go to
David C. Cook.
I was excited to receive my free review copy of Hope Unleashed from David C. Cook. This is an interesting book - not so much a 'How to...', which I was expecting, but more of a wake up call to what mission could look like in your own neighborhood. It is a rather quick read, and tells the interesting story of what thinking outside the traditional box of mission can look like and how God blesses the work in the process. If you want a new perspective on mission work, you won't be disappointed. However, again, it is not so much a 'How to...' book that spells out how to get something like what they described in the book going in your neighborhood, but it is full of wonderful ideas that the creative mind can put to work for the glory of God.
Monday, October 19, 2009
for thoughts and ponderings
From "The Valley of Vision" found at Banner of Truth:
O God,
Though I am allowed to approach thee
I am not unmindful of my sins,
I do not deny my guilt,
I confess my wickedness, and earnestly
plead forgiveness.
May I with Moses choose affliction rather than
enjoy the pleasures of sin.
Help me to place myself always under thy guiding
and guardian care,
to take firmer hold of the sure covenant that
binds me to thee,
to feel more of the purifying, dignifying,
softening influence of the religion I profess,
to have more compassion, love, pity, courtesy,
to deem it an honour to be employed by thee
as an instrument in thy hands,
ready to seize every opportunity of usefulness,
and willing to offer all my talents to thy service.
Thou hast done for me all things well,
hast remembered, distinguished, indulged me.
All my desires have not been gratified,
but thy love denied them to me
when fulfilment of my wishes would have
proved my ruin or injury.
My trials have been fewer than my sins,
and when I have kissed the rod it has fallen
from thy hands.
Thou hast often wiped away my tears,
restored peace to my mourning heart,
chastened me for my profit.
All thy work for me is perfect,
and I praise thee.
