A Walk Through the Dark by Eva Piper

Eva Piper, a woman in her mid-30's, teaches first grade. Her husband, a youth pastor, plans to go to a conference and asks Eva to accompany him. Their plans change. He attends the conference by himself. On his return home, he has a wreck that changes their lives. (He tells his story in 90 Minutes in Heaven.)

Eva Piper allows us to walk with her through the hospitalization and treatment that her husband of 15 years undergoes. She doesn't understand all of what she sees while she awaits for her husband to improve.  One phase of his treatment was experimental and very painful.

One of the outcomes of Don’s accident was that Eva had to make decisions that she had always left to Don to make. When Don was scheduled to be released from the hospital, Eva had to look for another house to rent because the floor plan of where they had lived wouldn't accommodate a wheel chair with a leg extension. Their three children were with other families. The twin boys went home with Eva’s parents to a neighboring state. Their 12 year old daughter lived with a family from the church.

Eva had to go back to teaching her first grade class in order to have health insurance for the family. She had to be at school at 7:30 each morning. After she taught all day, she drove the one hour’s distance to the hospital and stayed there as late as she could, then drove home. Her colleagues graded papers for her and attended to the administrative tasks.

This is a book I would recommend to a pastor, a lay person heading a small encouragement group, a nursing student or a medical student. Eva shares honestly what it is like to go through something unexpected and prolonged.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing free through their BookSneeze program. All they asked of me was an impartial review.

Strength

““The Lord is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation. He is my God,

and I will praise Him.”

 Exodus 15:2 (NIV)

As a child, whenever I felt weak, I wanted to give up. I found myself just ignoring things that pertained to the particular activity. I craved lots of encouragement.

As a young mother, I attended an area meeting of the church I attended. My church hosted the sister churches in the county and one or two in the next county to the north.  The meeting was set up with small workshops. One of the titles referred to a Spiritual gifts survey.

The title drew me in. I answered a series of what seemed to be unrelated questions about how we viewed certain situations. We then scored the surveys.

One of my gifts was that of encouragement. At that time, I didn't do anything with these results. A few years later, the Sunday school class I was in studied all the Spiritual gifts and took the survey again.  My scores showed basically the same results.

A few years later, I found myself repeatedly asking a question, “Where does an encourager go to get encouragement?” All at once, I realized I had answered my own question. The answer to my question-“ An encourager gets the encouragement he or she needs when they go to God.”

With my Fibromyalgia, when I find myself stressed my limbs begin to ache and I feel weak. I recently began a project that caused me worry and resultant pain. I sent a prayer SOS to a group of people who pray for my writing ministry. I posted a response on the Facebook page of a writer/editor/ speaker who is in my ‘friend’ list. His question that day was; “How can I pray for you?”

God, through His Word and His answers to prayer, gives us strength to face the difficult times we face in this life. Also, God sometimes places people in our path to help us through times we don’t understand.

Dear Father God; Thank You for being my strength, for standing beside me as I encounter things of this fallen world.  I thank You for the encouragement found in Your Word. I praise Your name. In the name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN

Where Could I Go But to the Lord

REVIEWS: Emerald Fire and Topaz Heat

Emerald Fire                                                    

By Hallee Bridgeman   

  

Maxine Bartlett, middle sister of the Bartlett sisters, is a successful advertising executive. She has overcome her past. In her off-work hours she pursues her dream of being an artist. She received help from her sister Robin’s husband, Tony Viscolli and purchased two apartments, turning one of them into an artist’s studio.

Maxi, as her sister’s call her, enjoys watching sports–especially football. She has a friendship with Tony’s best friend and attorney, Barry Anderson. Barry has issues with his wife. One morning, she comes to him with a life-changing problem. Her infidelity has caught up with her. The other man has backed away from their relationship.

An event happens that causes Barry to tell a room full of people that things were not as they seemed. He makes a clean breast of the situation and leaves the gathering. Maxi follows him out and drives Barry to wherever he wants to go.

Barry impetuously invites Maxi to join him and two friends and their wives and go to the Maaco bowl in Las Vegas. He knows that Maxi is a Christian. He is also, but had lapsed in practicing his faith. He made arrangement for them to have separate room. She consents but asks that nothing be said to Robin and Tony.

While they are there, they do something very impetuous involving an Elvis impersonator. Barry almost immediately regrets their action. For months Maxi stews about his reaction. She decides to pray about the situation.

One day tragedy strikes, causing Maxi to be hospitalized. This event causes a realization to come to Barry.

This is a very good story. It is a continuation of the uphill drive of a family of sisters to shed the stigma of their childhood.

I was given an e-book that contained this story by The Book Club Network. All I was asked to do was read it and give an impartial review.

                                                 Topaz Heat

                          by Hallee Bridgeman                                                                                                                                                                    

Sarah, the youngest of the Bartlett half-sisters, was adopted by Charles and Darlene Thomas.  When Robin Bartlett got a job, she approached the Thomases about helping Sarah continue her education. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were older and could not provide the funds for Sarah to do this.Sarah blocked out her life before she went to live in the Thomas family. 

Sarah attended college, studying to become a nurse. Now she works as a OB/GYN nurse. She has a boyfriend. The doctor is separated from his wife with a divorce in the future.

Several years before Robin’s husband, Tony Viscolli, chose to mentor a young man from the streets. This young man, Derrick DiNunzio, became an employee of Viscolli Enterprises. He had been managing the Viscolli New York Hotel. Due to circumstances, Tony called Derrick back to Boston to manage the hotel there.

Sarah and Derrick meet again. Derrick always liked Sarah but she thought of him as someone she had to tolerate because he was a friend of Tony’s. Something about Derrick that makes him good at his job is he doesn’t forget a face or a name. He happens to meet this doctor that Sarah is seeing. Derrick remembers the doctor staying at the hotel in New York with his wife.

Sarah becomes a victim and is in the hospital where she works. She has a flashback to her childhood.  When she rouses out of her sleep, she finds her two sisters and their husbands and Derrick around her bed. They decide to pray; Derrick chooses to pray for her first. His prayer reminds the others of his feelings for Sarah. He feels embarrassed.

Sarah later realizes that she had hidden feelings for Derrick. Something from his past comes to the forefront of their lives. God leads them through this murky time.

I enjoyed this story. These sisters and their husbands all live for the Lord, in spite of the what the world tossed at them.

I was given an e-book that contained this story by The Book Club Network. All I was asked to do was read it and give an impartial review.

Door

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,

and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

 John 10:9 (KJV)

Jesus tells His hearers some very special facts about following Him. He calls Himself the door-the entry way through which they can gain access to God. 

He continues. When the people would enter His presence, they are saved—delivered from their sin.

“To describe something of what entrance to God means, Jesus uses a well-known Jewish phrase. He says that through him we can go in and come out. To be able to and go unmolested was the Jewish way of describing a life that is absolutely safe and secure.”¹ I found this thought interesting.

“When a man can go in and out without fear, it means that his country is at peace . . . and that he enjoys perfect security. “² Wow!

Does this mean that we can experience spiritual peace by focusing on faith instead of fear? Can we live our lives and enjoy the security of having Jesus guide us as we venture into areas of life that we have not entered?

The answer to the above questions is; yes, we can. When we give our hearts to the Lord, we can rely on Him for our needs.

1.            The Daily Study Bible by Wm. Barclay John, Vol. 2 page 29

2.            Op. Cit.

Graphic from ichilly.com 

Author of Faith

“

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, 

                                          who for the joy set before him endured the cross,

                                                                 scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne         of God.”  Hebrews 12:2

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. . .” We have times when we need to be reminded that we have to look to the Lord and not to our fellow man. A former pastor cautioned us about this. Man will let you down. That pastor told us that he would let people down.

“. . . the author and perfecter of our faith. . . .” Our faith originates with Jesus. He nurtures it through Bible study, prayer and Bible reading. As we study and read our Bibles, we glean nuggets of truth that help us as we go through each day. When we have answers to prayer, we grow in our reliance on Him.  

“. . . who for the joy set before him endured the cross. . .” Jesus Christ looked past the torture of the cross and freely submitted to the tribulation of crucifixion. When He prayed at Gethsemane, he yielded control of his body to the Father.

“. . . scorning its shame. . .” Jesus willingly allowed himself to go through the mocking and the scourging, and the crucifixion because 1.) He loves us. 2.) He knew He would go to the Father.

“. . . sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus did go to the Father. His place in heaven is very important. He sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. 

Graphic from pinterest.com

Living Bread

  

“’I am the living bread that comes down from heaven.

If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever

This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’”

John 6:51 (NIV)

    

Jesus spoke these words to the Jews. The listeners argued among themselves. They didn’t believe what they heard.

Just as bread is basic to our survival, Jesus is essential to our spiritual health. In John chapter six, Jesus refers to himself as the bread of life five times (6:33, 38, 41, 51, and 58.) The Jewish listeners couldn’t process the thought that Jesus compared Himself to something so different and yet so basic.

My research on this passage shows me that Jesus is essential to our spiritual nourishment as bread is to our physical strength¹.“He claimed to be the genuine source of spiritual life and nourishment.”

Just as our physical bodies become run down without our eating of the proper foods, our spirits need to take in Jesus and His teachings in order to grow in our awareness and knowledge of Him. 

Break Thou the Bread of Life

1.Gleaned from The Gospel of John, The Daily Study Bible Series, by William Barclay © 1975 p.220

2. The Discovery Study Bible, by Zondervan © 2004 p. 1401

Graphic: Turnbacktogod.com

Life

.     

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

John 14:6

Can you picture this scene? The Master speaks to his disciples. He tells them He will soon be going to prepare places for each of them.  He vows to return and take them with Him, to join Him in the place He will be going.

One of the disciples, Thomas, speaks from his bewilderment. “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so can we know the way?”

Jesus responds with “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He says these words with certainty. He doesn't say, “I might be. . . .” He says, “I am . . . . “

He doesn't say, “There are several paths you can take to get to the Father.” He says that everyone gains access to God through Him.

Jesus enriches our lives with His presence. All He asks us to do is to live for Him and make disciples for Him. When God calls us home, He will ask us one question, “What did you do about Jesus?” How will we answer?

Graphic: www.turnbacktogod.com