Father of Lights, Wanderlust Productions

This film – documentary style – pulls in the listeners. I put it in the DVD player. Called the family to check out the beginning – without expectations. Well. That’s not true. I put it in with doubt. With unexpectedness. With an eye to see untruth.

And we began to watch, and listen – it almost felt like we were participating. We could feel That Light come into the home – listen – watch – and pray. That’s what I felt on my heart. My family has watched – putting it on pause when interruptions came.  We stopped it mid way – to soak in the miracles we had seen – and restarted it it this weekend.

I had a hard time knowing what to share with you – outside of an informational review – until this weekend. 

We are in the 10th chapter of Acts.  Peter and Cornelius are getting together through dreams and the obedience of traveling – and inviting. People who should never even eat together – come together to praise the gospel – and the Holy Spirit shows up – and the evidence that the Gentiles are included in God’s plan is evident – and people speak in tongues and praise the Lord. The story is retold several times in these couple of chapters.

Which is what is going on in the movie.  People are stopped. Given a vision, given a task – and step out in an unknown faith – willing – able – willing to be put to death. Willing to be stoned, put in a conflict zone.

And this weekend – after the big service encouraging the speaking of the Gospel of Christ – we sing dry feel good songs, we talk of feel good things like God’s Love. And then we wait – hoping that the Holy Spirit moves like He did in Acts. We attend a community service – and I hear the longing – a friend said – ‘I was just waiting for the Holy Spirit to swoop in and show up’.

The only thing – is that we live in the “Comfort Zone.” The Gospel is not new to us. We have no fear in praying for people. We might have embarrassment fear – but not conflict zone fear. Most of us know where the rent is coming, where the food will come from – even if it is from the Government when we lack. 

The thing that is most eye opening in this film  - is remembering – or realizing – how far the Gospel of Jesus is to millions of people in other countries.  And being reminded of how little we really go out to share Jesus. Plain. Simple. Do you even know anyone that you would be the first person to introduce Jesus into their life?

And so we sit. I am in a heated home on the lake in a leather chair with the laptop on my lap – hoping to encourage others on the internet – hoping to encourage someone in town – show them the joy and peace that marks the difference of Christ in my life – and I feel so inadequate. So small. Oh that we would live a life – totally dependent on the Gospel of Christ. Totally dependent on Him for healing and provision.

This film series is amazing. I have  friend that travels like this in Napal.  When asked at a gathering why we do not see these miracles here in the US – he simply answered – we don’t need them. By our lives we tell the Holy Spirit that we do not need it. Oh For the love of the Father and His Son and His sacrifice – Simple – Walk by Faith – By those who believe. I invite you to watch this series!

From the Publisher :

Wanderlust Productions presents Father of Lights

• Website: http://fatheroflights.wpfilm.com 
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fatheroflights
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wanderdarren/
• YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/wanderlustproduction

About Father of Lights

FATHER OF LIGHTS chronicles the journey of filmmaker Darren Wilson and his team as they fearlessly travel the globe, far from the daily existence of the typical evangelical believer in the West. By thoughtfully documenting the stories of extraordinary believers and candidly filming miracles, visions and other supernatural occurrences, Wilson engages viewers in modern day examples of the true nature and character of God.  

Wilson gives honest access to his own spiritual questions as he tackles the religious misconceptions he has struggled with throughout his life.  “I went into making this film by asking the simple question: who is God? I wanted to know His character, His personality, and who He truly is. To answer this question, we had to peel back the many layers of religious garbage that has been passed onto him through generations. That He is angry. Vengeful. Wrathful. And in general, that He doesn’t like you very much. The truth, as you will see vibrantly in this film, is that He is the most loving, compassionate, and wonderful Father you can imagine.”

About Wanderlust Productions

Wanderlust Productions is a video production company focusing on creating content for various media that highlights, informs, and is designed to spiritually stretch our audience.  Created by Darren Wilson, Professor at Judson University, Wanderlust’s focus is on telling stories that inspire and agitate, that are unwavering in their honesty yet are emotionally compelling.  While our content will always be Christian in nature, we are not afraid to explore themes, concepts, or areas that may be considered “risky” by the Christian establishment.  Wanderlust prides itself on its willingness to put the story above the message.  That being said, the message will never waver.  

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in 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."

Against the Tide, Elizabeth Camden

I have a new favorite author! Elizabeth Camden. Wow!  I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and intriguing title – then instantly captivated on the first pages of her book – There is not a minute of the story that you are not begging to know what will happen to Lydia!  A true heroine!  Braving a loss and hardship – pulling herself up – learning several languages, working and earning and saving.  The story has twits and turns – mysteries to be solved – adventures to be had – difficulties to conquer – a perfect weekend read.  The romance part of the book – is slim and slight – just the right amount to pull the characters together to fight for each other. The pull of the agnostic Lydia to want to feel God is powerful – in most stories the whiney leading lady is wishing Christ on her Man – it is the opposite here, strong quiet men show Lydia how to pull through an addiction she doesn’t even recognize. I could go on – I just give this a Two Thumbs Up and know that I will be looking for other titles from Elizabeth Camden. Great, Great read for sure!

From the Publisher:

Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden

Lydia Pallas has carved out a good life for herself in Boston, where she has landed an enviable position as a translator for the U.S. Navy. When her talents bring her to the attention of the mysterious Alexander Banebridge, he hires her to translate a seemingly innocuous collection of European documents.
    But Lydia soon discovers this job is more than it appears. Bane is driven by a secret campaign to end the opium trade, compelled by his troubled past. When Bane’s enemies gain the upper hand, can Bane and Lydia—and the love growing between them—survive the forces that are conspiring against them?

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for a review on my blog and on a retailer’s site. I ask for books that I think I will enjoy from Bethany House and am free to post my full opinion.

Twice a Bride, Mona Hodgson

From the Publisher: Packed with heart and faith, Twice a Bride will thrill and inspire historical romance readers who love to lose themselves in the untamed beauty of nineteenth-century Colorado.Willow Peterson is at a crossroads. Standing alone over her father's fresh grave, she ponders the question she's seen etched on everyone else's face. Will this loss send her over the edge too, as her husband's death did? She has come back once from the devastating effects of loss, started fresh in Cripple Creek, Colorado, and might find her second chance at love working as a portrait artist for photographer Trenton Van Der Veer. With help of the spirited Sinclair Sisters, can Willow embrace God's plan to overcome her past and provide a home for her?
From Pebblekeeper: I’m not sure that my review is quite fair – taken from the fact that I jumped into Book 4 without reading 1-3. I didn’t see that fact when I choose it.  One of the selling points for the book is that this story can stand alone, but I am not sure I agree.
The first parts of the story feels like being invited to dinner with a friend.  You arrive at the diner thinking that you will be able to really have a cozy chat, but find out that they invited 15 family members and a few townspeople with them.  You get the feeling that the food is going to be amazing, and you will have a bit of time with your friend, but you have to spend a few minutes getting to know the history of each person at the very large table.
On the plus side, I feel like I learned enough that I’d like to go back and read books 1-3, but if this wasn’t a review book, I don’t think I would have read it straight through without starting with book one.
I did enjoy Willow’s journey. I have read a few books about the first women photographers, so this was an interesting take on a woman portrait painter. I would call this story a historical romance, but not necessarily a Historical Fiction.  I don’t quite believe that these characters would have existed in that time. I like the historical fiction that makes me feel as if I’m looking through a journal of a woman who wrote daily entries. Really seeing how her life played out, and how she lived day by day.  I am finding within my own reading preference, that I no longer enjoy books where the whole starting and ending points are in discovering a single man in town and then marrying him. Isn’t there romance and life and leisure and adventure outside of flirting?
So, like I said above, I thought I’d be walking along side this Female Portrait Painter, but her whole family showed up and mostly, we hug out at a soda fountain eating pecan fudge and flirting on dates. You pretty much know from the first chapter where it is going – but I DID enjoy the ride.

Publication History: Trade Paperback Original

• Twice a Bride (paper original): A Novel by Mona Hodgson
• On Sale Date: October 2, 2012
• 9780307730329, 0307730328
• $13.99/$16.99 Can.
• Paperback / softback / Trade paperback (US)
• Fiction / Romance
• Paperback Original

• Autho
• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

 "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Over the Edge, Mary Connealy

Over the Edge by Mary Connealy
The Kincaid Brides #3

From the Publisher: Seth Kincaid survived a fire in a cave, but he hasn't been the same since. Then he fought in the Civil War and returned to Colorado crazier than ever.
Somewhere along the line, it appears Seth got married. Oh, he has a lot of excuses, but his wife isn't too happy to find out Seth doesn't remember her. Seth is willing to make amends. Callie is more interested in shooting him. Can they rekindle their love before one of them goes over the edge?

 

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From Pebblekeeper:

Mystery, Adventure, Family, Villains, Diamonds, Caves – Oh ya – I really enjoyed this story!  I had no idea it was a Book 3 until the final page when I looked for more books available from the author. It definitely stands alone.  I liked the idea that the two involved in the romance part – were already married.  It is fun to walk with these two fireballs as they figure out why they got married in the first place.  I really like Callie – she has a wonderful combination of courage and strength, and yet, traveled from Texas to Colorado to be with her married family.  There is a story line through their discoveries of the caves that I found fascinating.  Mentions of the flood and the wonderment of how the animal fossils came to be lodged in this area of the Rockies. You will not be disappointed with this book – I recommend Over the Edge!

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for reading it and sharing with you!

Brush of Angel’s Wings, Ruth Reid

Publisher’s Book Description

Rachel and Jordan's feelings for each other are hostile at first, but angelic intervention helps the two discover peace . . . and perhaps love.

The youngest and last unmarried of four sisters, Rachel Hartlzer spends most of her time helping with barn chores. Her role abruptly changes when her father hires Jordan Engles, the son he always wanted.

As Jordan takes on brotherly roles around the house, like escorting Rachel to the youth singing, the enmity between the two grows. Besides, Jordan has one foot in the Englisch world and is determined not to get involved with an Amish girl.

Neither realizes that God has sent an angel, Nathaniel, to help mend their hearts. The angel’s intervention helps them find peace and healing in accepting God's will for their lives.

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Pebblekeeper’s Review:

This one is a hard review to write – The story of Jordan and Rachel is a good one. Good enough, that I did enjoy reading to the end of the book – and did want to see how their story turned out.

However, there is a huge “Angel” theme throughout the book, which I should have known from the title, but didn’t realize how far it would go. There is an evil angel and a good angel. They have full conversations. The evil angel is intent on the two not getting together and on making sure they are all in sour moods. The good angel keeps thoughts in their heads, flips pages of the bible and is waiting on cue for the characters to call on God so he can directly intervene.

I flipped through many passages of the angel babble.

So – Story wise – it is a pretty great Saturday afternoon read.

Theology wise – it rubbed me the wrong way.  I do believe, because I’ve seen my 11 year old boy get out of scrapes that he should have never come out of alive as if an Angel were holding him up, that there are angels  - but I do not know their direct role in our lives.  I do believe, because the bible makes it clear, that there are evil angels – that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against the rulers of this dark age.

What tripped me up – was the absence of the Holy Spirit or Christ throughout the entire book.  Call on His Name – Jesus Christ.  These characters do not seem to have a personal belief in God or Christ Jesus. Just a head knowledge that one should read the bible, and one should call out to God when trouble comes. 

Many books come across this way – especially Amish – but this one – well, It was just weird having so much angel interaction without any cries to Christ or the Holy Spirit. Seemed a bit to mystical weirdo to me. Like that for a discription?  However, as I said before, it wasn’t enough to make me stop reading the book – which was good.

See how this is hard to explain?

I received this for free from BookSneeze as an eBook in exchange for reading it and sharing it with you. Many of my friends enjoy Angel’s and feel very connected to them. If this is you – you will adore this book!

How Do You Do It? Is Your Answer Faith?

I just closed the last page of the book – The Fourth Fisherman.

First off – since this is a review – before I get into the meat of it – in a world that is cutting corners, publishing cheap books, and pushing towards $.99 e-books, This book is Fantastic. Hard bound with a wonderful finish. Cloth Binding. Thick Linen Pages.  Beautiful Jacket with a description that pulls one in. Gripping the book – it feels like a treasure. Like you should also use the nicer tea cup, use a prettier quilt, nibble better licorice. What you’ll find though, as you grip the pages, is that you are reading a journal, of a personal story, one I invite you to read.

I will let you know that from the first page, the book pulled me in. Don’t start this on a Monday Morning when you have laundry and school work. Save it for when you’ll have the whole day  and the wee hours of the night to finish it.  He once told his story in a church 45 minutes before first service, ended an hour after church was out, and had to come back for 2 hours on another session to finish.  That’s what it will feel like.  He’s telling this insane story. He leaves room at the end to tell how the story developed into the pages you are reading, and the toil and faith it took to get to this point – And that is all of the story I can give you.  I have to let you have your own ride, into this story of lives that will make you ponder if it is fiction or non fiction. It made the media and governments and citizens declare that it was false.  You’ll be hard pressed to believe it – but you will.

I was on page 135 before I needed a book mark – only to take a break to do some mom things.  On page 186 – I had my first post it note –

“For many, the fishermen’s experience is beyond any realm of understanding, and because it doesn’t fit into a compartment we can fathom, we question what is true. When you haven’t experienced the miraculous, it’s hard to get your arms around it. We are pretty wired to the ordinary. That’s sad, because it leads us to dismiss the remarkable, the triumphant, the extraordinary, the supernatural. Those are compartments many of us don’t have. As a result, we dprive ourselves of these dimensions to life.”

My second post it note is in the Epilogue –

“The realization that there was a finite amount of time left for them set in. That happens when death stares at your every day. Making every moment count becomes a lifestyle.”

Joe Kissack told this story many times before writing the book.  People tried to convince him he was The Fourth Fisherman – but he didn’t want the story to be about him. 

As I write this blog – this year – I feel more compelled to bring in more of our faith journey with you. Not just how we learn, the unbelievable environment we live in, or how crazy my boys will be in front of the camera.  When people ask – How do you homeschool high school? I want to say  - Because I have Faith and my Bible.

I don’t hare a lot about my family-  mostly, my hubby’s job has mentioned they don’t want to show up in Social Media. So his name isn’t mentioned.  I see a lot of my hubby in Joe. The hurt.  The relationship with his father. Just this morning, hubby was praying about a hard situation at work. We received an e-mail from a past youth pastor. I read it to him. It was urging us to remember that we are to please God and not Man. That our humbleness will be our guide instead of pride. (You may read it here.) I  identified with Joe’s wife, Carmen.  Joe being the kite, and Carmen holding the string on the ground.  Joe dealing with his ‘stuff’ the only way he knew how and Carmen taking charge of the home and children. It’s hard to relate here – without you having read the book – but the dynamic really spoke to me. Page 211:

“I see desperate hope in the eyes of women who have remained strong for so long that they have forgotten what it’s like to breathe a sigh of relief from it all. I want them to know that God rescues men and brings them back.”

After hearing this crazy story of transformation- redemption – faith – hope – strength – humility – my favorite pages were 208-2011 – hearing a few more personal paragraphs about the people. After turning that last page, I just clung to the book and let the tears fall just a little bit.

I confess, looking into high school – looking into the what ifs for the boys’ futures – wondering daily about employment and transportation and bill money – I have to give it to the Lord. I walk today – by faith and my bible. Claiming what I can do right now, what I have right now, what I know to be true – right. now.  And give the rest to God.  Oh how I want to talk about this story to you – but you’ll have to flip each page on your own – and then call me.

 

 

• Book Website
• Video
• Follow Joe on Twitter
• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books  / WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for reading it and sharing it with you. I am SO glad I did.

Through Rushing Water, Catherine Richmond

From the Publisher:

Sophia has her life all planned out—but her plan didn’t include being jilted or ending up in Dakota Territory.

Sophia Makinoff is certain that 1876 is the year that she’ll become the wife of a certain US Congressman, and happily plans her debut into the Capitol city. But when he proposes to her roommate instead, Sophia is stunned. Hoping to flee her heartache and humiliation, she signs up with the Board of Foreign Missions on a whim.

With dreams of a romantic posting to the Far East, Sophia is dismayed to find she’s being sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the bleak Dakota Territory. She can’t even run away effectively and begins to wonder how on earth she’ll be able to guide others as a missionary. But teaching the Ponca children provides her with a joy she has never known—and never expected—and ignites in her a passion for the people she’s sent to serve.

It’s a passion shared by the Agency carpenter, WillougIhby Dunn, a man whose integrity and selflessness are unmatched. The Poncas are barely surviving. When U.S. policy decrees that they be uprooted from their land and marched hundreds of miles away in the middle of winter, Sophia and Will wade into rushing waters to fight for their friends, their love, and their destiny.

From Pebblekeeper

I really enjoyed reading Through Rushing Water.  I read it some time back, and forgot to write out a review. This afternoon – I was looking through my Kindle and saw the book there  - and started reading.  I was taken back to Sophia’s shock when she realized it would not be her that would be the congressman’s wife. I was quickly swept to her decision to not go to China – but to the Dakota Territory and quickly realized I had read this fine story before.  It is such a great read – that I will continue this evening, and re-walk her journey with the Ponca People.  I really loved her relationship with the people, and her struggles as she grows and matures as a young lady.  Her prayer book always just out of hand when she needs it most, she learns how to communicate with Christ in her own words.  How many of us rely on resources and tools to be able to communicate with our Lord? Strange that the author was so honest with this missionary character – letting her be walking out of duty and distance, and the joy of growing with her as she develops her own walk.  This is well worth the purchase – reads well on the kindle, a light read, but a heart felt story.  Wonderful Historical Fiction.

I received a copy of this book for free from BookSneeze as a part of their book review team in exchange for an honest review.

 

Through Rushing Water

By Catherine Richmond
Published by Thomas Nelson