Would the World be a Better Place without Christ?

 

(Leave a Comment to be Entered into A  Drawing for a Free Copy of The Grace Effect!)

What would the world look like – without Christians? How would it function?  The Grace Effect – is a narrative into that world through the eyes of a young child waiting to be adopted. The Vast Differences that the family sees – while living abroad waiting for the paperwork to be approved.  - The tag line – “How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption or Unbelief” refers to the opening and closing chapters of the book – as Larry Taunton shares openly his dinner conversations with Atheists, his public debates thoughts – and the opening and ending of those, and the effect on his colleagues.

This is not a highly Christian Theological Christian Book. There is not a lot of Scripture used to tell people why they should believe in Religion. After all – I know that you can’t use the Bible to prove a faith point to someone who does not have faith in God or the Bible – and so it seems so does Larry Taunton. 

What this book is for me – is Historical. It opened my eyes to the history of Russia, the Ukraine, the leaders, WW2, Germany, the pool of decisions made that led to what their countries are today. The wave of Secularism, Socialism, and the extinguishing of religion – of Grace.

I have been pondering these words – had a long conversation with a couple of friends – I want to read the book again – But two facts firmed in my head.

1 – I will no longer call myself a Secular Christian.  I’m not sure what I thought that was. Or that I tagged it to myself, but others have.  I had done some research last year about Secular Homeschoolers – and really didn’t like what they had to say on their forums. Here I was, tolerating their decision to use curriculum that wasn’t Bible Based, but they were not tolerating my choice to live a faith in Jesus Christ. I realized through these conversations – that Secular came to mean – Absolutely Without the Influence of the Bible, God, Christ. In the book – Atheism and Secularism went hand in hand, not by the Author’s words, but by the words of those he spoke to, who lived in the freedom to stand and shout what they thought from the rooftops, and then created countries of people to follow them, not only in the 900 a.d. time, but today. I am not Secular.

2 – I will not longer tease about Socialism. I will learn more about Socialism, and share what I find with every. person. I . Talk. To. So beware. This is your warning. How Secularism, and Socialism work hand in hand, has been proven throughout hundreds of years to evolve with intention – has left me speechless. (almost). Teasing about wanting socialism because it means the government will mow the yard in front of my house because they want more tourists to come to town – hurts my heart even more. Do you know that you can go just about anywhere in our town, and use a heated lighted restroom with 2-3 rolls of toilet paper in each stall, numerous stalls, up and down the beach? It would be the perfect place for a pregnant woman to reside! I have heard people complain about the toilet paper being out at a beach spot that sees sometimes a thousand people on a Saturday.  Really?  Why don’t’ we be thankful for heated lighted indoor plumbing with numerous stalls and bring a roll of toilet paper? Sorry. Getting distracted – but I feel like a frog that has been placed in the pan of cold water, and the water is simmering to boil – and we’re all about to get cooked as we stand on what we are entitled to here in America – and we point fingers at who should provide it.

Sigh. Breathe. Focus – Book Review – Right.

The Grace Effect gave me a tiny line – to keep in the front of my mind – when talking to people of other denominations or ideas of how to interpret the Bible – in the end – does it point – to a Grace. A Saving Grace? Is the only objective in the end to have, receive, accept, lean on, the Grace given freely by Christ?  And do you know – what people in America are free do do – because they have felt that Grace – that makes them extend Grace to others? The Grace Effect? Food Banks? Health Care? Cookies? Pot Lucks? Wait. Focus. I think I’m hungry.

I am going to read the Grace Effect with a highlighter Pen. It was another book that I read in a day and couldn’t put down. I am going to research more the historical claims made about the leaders in and around the Ukraine. I am also challenging you to read more about it too!

About The Grace Effect:

"Simply defined, the ‘grace effect’ is an observable phenomenon—that life is demonstrably better where authentic Christianity flourishes.”

What does Christianity give us beyond televangelists, potlucks, and bad basketball leagues?  Not much, according to the secular Left.  The world, they say, would be a better place without it. 

Historian and Christian apologist Larry Taunton has spent much of his career refuting just this sort of thinking, but when he encounters Sasha, a golden-haired orphan girl whose life has been shaped by atheistic theorists, he discovers an unlikely champion for the transforming power of grace. 

Through the narrative of Sasha’s redemption, we see the false promises of socialism; the soul-destroying influence of unbelief; and how a society cultivates its own demise when it rejects the ultimate source of grace.  We see, in short, the kind of world the atheists would give us: a world without Christianity—cold, pitiless, and graceless.

And yet, as Sasha shows us, it is a world that is not beyond the healing power of “the grace effect.”  Occasionally infuriating, often amusing, but always inspiring, The Grace Effect will have you cheering for the courageous little girl who shamed the academic elitists of our day.

The Grace Effect

•         Website: http://www.fixed-point.org/
•         Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fixedpoint?ref=nf
•         Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/fixedpoint
•         Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Effect-Reverse-Corruption-Unbelief/dp/1595554408

 

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Encounter, Stephen Arterburn

Wow. It’s 3 a.m.  I considered going back to sleep, after waking up at one thirty for just a few more pages. I started reading this book this morning, well, yesterday morning, and just couldn’t put it down. I even took it to the park, a walk, and in my truck to read between appointments.  The story, simple and of itself, presents as a mystery, people story – very gripping, pulls you in, fast paced – and urges you to want to know how it will turn out.  From the author, it is a parable about a combination of real life events, to help you identify with one of the characters, and to help you with where you are in life also. If you have a wall built up around you – and the anger, hurt, resentment is killing you – read this book. He talks a lot about walls, the ones we build. Perception. The story we think we know, may not be the truth. We walk though this man’s story – as he works to take down that wall.  I didn’t really come to personalize the story to me – until the final pages of the book.  Page 147 “But you have to go beyond the entitlement of resentment so you can have the freedom found in acceptance”.  This isn’t some big self help you’re going to be fixed book. It isn’t another book saying forgive and forget. It is the very forgetting from hurts long past gone that are causing the troubles. Seeing someone elses persepective, being willing to hear their story, without the tainted glasses of  how that story effects you. Drink it in. Finding a way to forgive through Mercy and Grace. Giving Grace – when you can’t find the emotions for forgiveness. Acceptance.  It is funny that the author is the creator/founder of Women of Faith – this topic of Perspective, Acceptance, and your Role in the Healing kept coming up a lot, and since, in all of my readings of books this past month, passages of scripture, it just keeps coming up.  Meekness. Mercy. Grace. Perspective.

Stephen has another book out about healing, I think I’m going to request it to review next. Again, this book isn’t a fixer type book – but something to help you see – what you may not have even been looking for.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion from BookSneeze.com.  Again, Thank you Book Sneeze, and thank you Stephen.

From the Publisher:

Book Description

A wealthy businessman travels to Fairbanks, Alaska, to learn why his mother abandoned him when he was a child, and in the process learns that not everything is as it appears to be.

The Encounter, the unique new book from best-selling author and counselor Stephen Arterburn, is a moving parable involving Jonathan Rush, a wealthy and famous entrepreneur, who is tortured by bitterness toward his mother who abandoned him when he was four. He travels to Alaska to find her but instead meets an enigmatic old woman known only as Mercy. Mercy has the information he needs but is strangely reluctant to talk to him. Somehow Jonathan must find a way to persuade a frightened woman to unlock the secrets of his past.

The book includes an invitation to the readers to verify the facts of their own stories, to accept the reality of their existence, especially the most painful ones, and to live in forgiveness. The end result is a healthy new way to look at life with an ability to share hope with others for the future. Healing is possible but requires truth, acceptance, and forgiveness, including of oneself.

Behind the Veils of Yemen by Audra Grace Shelby, a Review

Oh –I REALLY enjoyed this book.  I could have read it in an afternoon, however, I mistakenly started reading this on a Monday, and our Mon – Weds is really packed with activities. I finished it this morning – Weds. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I requested this book from  Bethany House as a free review book – maybe an inside look at the Muslim faith? The trials of the American Missionary in Yemen? What I received, are wonderful quotes, heart felt relayed experiences, Audra’s transparent real thoughts, as she doubts her own faith, her own, walk, her own motives. And – How the voice of the Lord pulled her through each step revealing His Truth. I am definitely passing this book on to a friend, already have had it requested, and it might become a gifting Christmas gift to a few of my friends.

My first favorite passage is on page 12, just a few pages into the story, as she sits on a plane, watching men come back from a Holy Experience type holiday – “How long do you think the spiritual high from the Hajj will satisfy you? Will it be enough?” I wanted to ask. I wondered if they were seeking God or simply pursuing self – fulfillment.” – Wow. I had to seek out my own heart on that question. Coming back from Women of Faith. Seeking out new groups that have been created at our church fellowship, activities around town, homeschool studies. Am I still seeking GOD, or seeking self-fulfillment? Are you?

As you read the book – another favorite part was on page 88. I don’t want to get into copy write laws so I won’t quote more – but it talking about a tree- that seemed strong, but had fallen in a windstorm, revealing disease, and a hollow trunk. I too, want to be careful not to just resemble a safe strong climbing tree on the outside.  She relayed this experience to another – about other faiths, but again, I had to take it to heart in my own life.

Oh, and the tears were a flowin on page 102 when the Lord spoke to her, revealing the difference in her faith and those around her – Jesus is Alive – Oh. Please go read this book! I could have underlined a line out of just about every page.

I hope it is ok, but I would like to share one more passage -

“My heart ached as I looked intently at her. I longed for Fatima to experience for herself what she kept trying to experience through me. She wanted my prayers, my strength and my hope, but she wanted to get them her way. When her way was not enough, she relied on me to provide what she was looking for. She saw the relationship I had with God and wanted it, but she would not accept that Jesus Christ was the only way to have it.  She pondered it, but then backed away.”

Oh my dear friend.  Are you looking, attached to someone – seeking self fulfillment – wanting the peace and hope of their life? Does it always seem just out of reach no matter what church you try, denomination you study, book you’ve read, friends you’ve had? Have you looked to Just Christ. Simply Jesus? Jesus alone to find that peace?  I beg you. Read.  This. Book.

Ya, know, the funny thing is, no where in this book do you come to the moment when they share about any “converts”, where anyone got “saved” or that they “rescued” anyone from sin.  It was about their family, learning all of the detailed ways that the Yemen People lived – helping them – sharing their lives – and showing them the Love of Christ.

From the Publishers:

Behind the Veils of Yemen by Audra Grace Shelby
With only prayer and a faith that always seemed too small, Audra Grace Shelby departed with her family on a one-way flight deep into the heart of conservative Islam. Here she recounts her harrowing journey as a Christian woman thrust into a culture dangerously different from her own. From the friendships she forged, to her gnawing doubt and fear, to her offers of hope when her friends' religion failed them, she gives us glimpses into a world most have never seen. And she shows how the grace of God transforms lives--even in the midst of an Islamic stronghold.

The Wonder of Your Love

I received a copy of The Wonder of Your Love by Beth Wiseman from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review on my blog and Amazon.com.

I had a hard time getting into this book, which is rare for Beth Wiseman’s writing.  I restarted the first 35 pages several times (e-reader pages), and then gave it a 4th start to see how I liked it after page 70.  She did introduce a new character and gave a bit of a mystery story line that held my interest to see how it all panned out.  I thought it mixed too much Englisher life with the Amish life, introduced to two people who would marry by the end of the book in the first couple of pages, and didn’t really create the characters or families as richly as her other books. I was sad to see in the end of the book – a few lines of how the Amish judge harshly the Englishers – which would conflict with their beliefs, according to the character – but Beth wrote in a jean and t-shirt or tight pants and mid riff shirt abused teen girl with piercings that wanted to be friends with an Amish male teen as a “good friend” to help her get better. I can see why the mother was not pleased with the friendship. It was such a short story line, but short enough that if this teen came hanging out at my house, I’d discourage the friendship as well.   All in all – I did read it to the end, but only out of a day of feeling ill and wanting to know what the mysterious house would turn out to be. I’m not giving it a great review.

The Doctor’s Lady

I was able to review The Doctor’s Lady by Jody Hedlund this week as part of being a reviewer for Bethany House.

The book came at a good time where I needed to take a day’s break and curl up with a good book.  I followed Priscilla from Angelica on the East Coast to Fort Walla Walla on the West.  The characters were richly built, easy to identify with, and quickly sparked the “pulls ya in” quality that I like in a book.  I did /do tire of characters that seem to always whine and wonder to themselves parts of their lives that we are pretty sure will work out in the end, or through the book, so the whining/not communicating part got old. But – for these characters – I do think that on the trail, in few numbers of company, they, like us, only had a few thoughts to ponder on those many months. It reminds me not to continuously ponder a “what we said/what we think might happen” dialog in my own use of time.

I was so pleased to hear that the story had, in fact, been based on Narcissa Prentiss Whitman and Eliza Hart Spalding, the first White Women to cross the pass in 1836. As all good little missionary minded school girls of Oregon – we know / have learned quite a bit about these two courageous women.

Looking for a great book or kindle download? I suggest that you might really enjoy this one!

Wrapped in Rain, Charles Martin, Book Review

"Life is a battle, but you can't fight it with your fists. You got to fight it with your heart."

An internationally famous photographer, Tucker has traveled the world and seen both the serious and the strange. But when his brother escapes from a mental hospital and an old girlfriend appears with her son and a black eye, he is forced to return home and face the agony of his own tragic past. Back in rural Alabama, Tucker comes to terms with the ghosts he left behind. Miss Ella Rain once loved Tuck and his brother like they were her very own. Hiring her to take care of Waverly Hall and to keep them out of sight was the only good thing their father ever did. And though Miss Ella has been gone for many years, Tuck can still hear her voice. And she keeps telling him, encouraging him, that by reaching out to this young boy he can redeem his father's tarnished legacy and pass on the good she brought into his life.

---

A very different writing style. Gripping. Descriptive. Starts at a run right in the middle. So much so – that I couldn’t keep up. We’d be neck deep in a place, a person,  - and then flip. Even in the diving in of a beginning – he was slow to pull out the full story. I was intrigued but almost put the book down. He made me want to know. I wanted to meet Miss Ella Rain. I wanted to protect Mutt and Tuck. I wanted to swoop up the little girl and dress her in wings. He captured my heart with this one. With a husband that suffered child abuse – without reason – I was drawn in. Oh if everyone had a Miss Ella.  My hubby did. He had a Mimi.  If you need a book that will capture your attention, and demand to be read- one that you are a passenger – without knowing where it will go – you won’t know or see any romantic theme – you won’t know what Mutt will do – you won’t know where Tuck’s heart will go – you’ll just ride. I definitely want to check out the other titles by Charles Martin – I am grateful to his amazingly clear writing voice!

I received an free download to my iPod to read in exchange for mentioning the book on my blog and writing a review on a book publisher site. I am allowed to give my free truthful opinion.

The Harvest of Grace–Cindy Woodsmall

I love Cindy Woodsmall's family gathering at Ada's House. The Harvest of Grace intertwines so many of her characters - if she would have added some holiday themes or a wedding, it would have felt like a family gathering! I read the book in a day - enjoying catching up with everyone and meeting a few new folks. It makes a great stand alone novel - but you'll get so much more out of it if you have read her other books!
Here is a chance to win a copy of the book!