My Thoughts on the Future

As the daily news gets uglier and bleaker DAILY, it is time to fish or cut bait. So quite plainly, all that is happening is leading up to the Great Tribulation and it appears that it is in our VERY NEAR future. It is what has been building since the day that sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden. Even those who don't believe this realize that something very ominous is happening and either try desperately to push it out of their minds or tremble in fear of the future.

I personally believe in God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. I have believed in Him since the day I was born (and maybe before that -- not sure of the theological standing of that idea ;-) ). I cannot remember NOT knowing that God was there and that He cared about me. I didn't always honor him as I should have. I went through a time of questioning and seeking and through all of that, it came back to the simple fact that HE IS! I cannot look at all the intricacies, the brilliant array of shapes and colors and wonder of the natural world without knowing there is a Creator. But beyond that, I have had conversation and fellowship with God all my life and have never, ever been alone because He has been there with me. I cannot even fathom how people can deny His existence.

If you are reading this and you don't have the same personal assurance of His existence or if you do believe He is there, but haven't engaged Him, please just stop and ask Him right now to show Himself to be real to you. If nothing happens then what did you lose? You don't even need to feel foolish if you were all alone when you asked. But I know that He will respond to you because He loves you and wants relationship with you.

Maybe you think you don't want anything to do with God because your experiences with Christians haven't been happy ones. Christians are all human and subject to human weakness, but I would just recommend that you find a different group of Christians and try again. The ones who really walk the walk can become the best friends you ever had.

If you have a Bible, open it and read it. If you don't have one, find one. They aren't hard to come by. I could give you all kinds of scriptures and formulas for becoming a Christian but none of them are a match for the leading of the Holy Spirit or just a genuine desire on your part to find out everything you can for yourself.

And the good news is, those people who have a relationship with the Father are not troubled by the all the impending doom in the news. We know that it all has to happen for the end to come. I personally cannot wait for the Bridegroom to come and all that has been laid out for the future to transpire. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes

Wow! I don't know what to say about this book. Anything I say won't do it justice. I couldn't put it down. It is the story of a young couple and the wife's journey through an abusive relationship. All the things she tells herself and others are typical of the skewed thinking of a victim of physical and emotional abuse. I have watched so many women struggle with this over the years and I think every woman should read this book. Even if it is not their story, it is the story of someone close to them and it will help them gain a better understanding of what that person is going through.

Alcohol and drugs are included in this story, but abuse in any form takes on the same characteristics. This book should be on the reading list of college classes for those studying to be social workers, counselors, attorneys, etc.

The story also stands alone as a good read. The story is told in first person by the abuse victim, Penny, to her infant son, Manny. She is telling him what happened after the fact.
The characters are interesting and compelling. The friends Penny makes along the way add to the story with their own journeys. The glimpse of their faith is honest and straightforward, not preachy. Her Sudanese friends are especially interesting.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Everyone should read this book.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale to review. I did not receive any compensation for completing this review. All opinions are my own.

Julie Klassen’s The Tutor’s Daughter

This book was a yummy read from start to finish. Emma Smallwood is the daughter of a scholar who has been running a school for boys in his home for many years. Since the loss of Mr. Smallwood's wife, he has been depressed and no longer interested in his school. An opportunity comes for he and his daughter to go to Cornwall and tutor two boys whose older brothers were former students in the school. When Emma and Mr. Smallwood arrive in Cornwall, all is not as they had expected. There is a mystery afoot and even the brothers they already knew seemed to be different than their rememberance of them. What ensues is a wonderful mystery (you won't figure it out right away)and budding romantic feelings. It is like reading Jane Austin with spiritual undertones. Both Henry Weston, the eldest son, and Emma examine their faith in the process.

To see a trailer about the book, click HERE

This book kept me glued to it till I finished. The tale was marvelously wrought and I was fascinated with the location, the plot, the depth of the characters and the never boring story of redemption. I can't wait to see more by this author!

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to review. I did not receive any compensation for completing this review. All opinions are my own.

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