The Crimson Cord- Jill Eileen Smith

Big Thank you to Revell Publishers for sending me this book for an honest review!

 The story of Rahab is one of my ultimate favourite stories. When i was in bible college i took a class on the book of Joshua, so imagine my utter happiness when i was reading this story to see the wars, the treachery of Achan and the deception of the Gibeonites in here!

 This story was a really original retelling of Rahab and Salmon's story (which again, is one of my ultimate favourites) What I liked about it was the originality.

 I've read loads of Rahab retellings and none had her be sold into prostitution because of a husband, so this is awesome!

Also, many retelling stop after the Hebrews take Jericho. This one goes beyond that and shows what happens after!

 The characters were great, smith did what not a whole lot of Christian Authors do...she made the character, even the hero- Salmon flawed. Cool right?

 So for those who are not familiar with Rahab's story found in the book of Joshua, I'll do a bit of a plot description.

Is there any hope of redemption for a prostitute?
 Rahab didn't believe so.
 In the land of Jericho, filled with pagan practices and debauchery, fear has suddenly consumed the land.
 The Hebrews are coming.
 The Hebrews with their God- Adonai, who parted the red sea, who destroyed Egypt, the nomads who have wandered the desert for 40 years...are finally claiming their promised land.

 Rahab has lived a horrifying life, satisfying the wiles of men. So when destruction is inevitable and suddenly salvation comes knocking at the doorway... how could she refuse?
 Will the Hebrew God accept her?

 Read to find out!

 Okay now, what i wasn't a big fan of: Rahab in this story showed only minimal interest in the Hebrew God before the Hebrews took Jericho and then, she becomes devoted. I would have loved it if she had showed a stronger curiosity even before...because let's face it, why else would she put herself in danger?

 But apart from that is was original (as original as a biblical retelling can be) and it had biblical references for a lot of the chapters.

I liked it!

God bless!
-Em.

Mining For God Trailer

Heeey Readers!

Have you found yourself asking the question of 'What is Christianity?' or 'What do people think Christianity is?'

A documentary was made, focusing on the American culture about these questions of Christianity. There are a bunch of speakers like Lee strobel, Paul Copan, Nabel Qureshi and many more who speak about it and in it.

I'm not telling you guys this as a money- grabbing scheme, I just watched the trailer and thought it looked cool! What do you guys think? There's a link at the bottom:

Mining For God- Official Trailer

I haven't watched the movie, so I'm not 100% sure at the arguments, so don't eat me okay? Like I said, I saw the trailer and thought it may be a source of interest to you guys.

God Bless! :)

Don't get lost in translation

Hiya Readers!

So I was doing a Bible study and just praying and spending time with the Lord, when I got thinking.
Man, this has been the craziest few months of my life...Why, do i feel like I'm trying so hard for something but I'm messing up more than I'm succeeding?

So then like a whisper from the Holy Spirit, It's almost like i heard-

"You're TRYING so hard to be a good Christian that you're FORGETTING to be one."

biggest ouch of my life!

but also, how true is that?

Many of us want to be like the apostles and disciples...don't deny it, you know it's true.
However, whenever we fall short we feel like we're God's biggest disappointment...so we think, I just have to try harder!

And then, everything else gets lost in translation.

All the sudden we're everywhere trying to be a good christian, our deeds are there but our heart is grossly missing out of it.

biggest no-no.

What is the greatest commandment?
Yes, you're nodding going, Em, Its Mark 12: 28-34, give me something harder than this kid!

Yes, you'd be right, but I'll remind you. When I was in Bible college one of my teachers used to say- "When you think you know everything there is to know about the Bible, that's when you realise that you know nothing."

Anyway,
So we are to Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

This is very true.

So when you're trying to be a good Christian, you're forgetting that you're doing it for Christ...Your focus is all about you and spiritually- you're dying a little.

So whatever you do, do it unto the Lord that's what I want to encourage you because at the end of the day, it's not what you do that matters, but why and how you did it that will stick with people the most.

A verse that really tugged at my heart strings this week

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven" -Matthew 5:16

Maybe this post was for you. Don't despair...just return to your first love. Confess, Repent and thank him...He is good and will uphold you always.

Stay awesome and God Bless.

Em.

A chance to defeat stress?

http://thestressoflife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/stress.jpg

Hey Readers,

Today I'm dishing out a dose of reality that we all experience, and that my dear readers, is stress.
I don't know about you guys, but whenever i get stressed, i feel unbelievably guilty...do you?
why that is? easy! because i get told it is wrong to worry.
I mean, whenever i talk to anyone about my premature grey hair (just kidding). They always say that we are to trust! often times that's not exactly what i want to hear.

I want a pity- fest for crying out loud, is that too much to ask!?

the answer is yes, it is too much to ask. Sorry. 

 Now, now, don't go closing this page with an eyes rolling saying "here we go again, no one understands!"
because i do, seriously.

I am a teen girl in university studying youth work, which is like social work only focused on teenagers who have issues like abuse, mental, physical or spiritual, depression and suicide, and anything from alcohol to drugs, well, anything really.
Now tell me that's not stressful! Not only that, but as I'm sure most of you are experiencing that family life is.not.easy! It's enough to make you lose hair like crazy, and add in other factors,volunteer jobs, responsibilities, lack of sleep, work and sometimes, church could be a pressure you face.
We have now a recipe to reduce the toughest body builder to tears.

Sheesh, sometimes (most times) I like to imagine myself hopping on a plane and moving as far from life as possible! Canada became one of my favourite words when i think of running away.
However, like what my Pastor's wife tells me when i speak of my Canada fantasy, she'll say something wise like:

"No matter how far you run, your trouble will always catch up to you, so why not face them now?"
Yep she's wise and sometimes it's not what i want to hear, hands up people who huff when the truth is told?
i must say, i am positively guilty of pouting at such words.

praise the Lord for patient church leaders!

So what does the Bible say about the evil that is stress? Let's see, wow there's actually boat loads!

"Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you' he shall never permit the righteous to be moved." -Psalm 55:22

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” - Matthew 11: 28 - 30

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.- Isaiah 40:30-31

AND SOOO MANY MORE VERSES! So Amen anyone? The Lord knows i'm young and weary! This week has been trialing for me, I'm facing things at the moment that are not fun, stress is making me sick (literally).
 You know those people who overeat when they get stressed? well, for me it's the opposite. When i get this badly stressed, i don't eat at all and when i do i feel horrible stomach pain, and feel like the food will come back up!
 So this results in me not having enough nutrition and having university friends ask me why I look like I'm about to faint.
Not good stuff! one meal a day is not enough to function at university...i'm learning that now!

So what's the right thing to do? I guess i may as well sing a bit of frozen "let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore! let it go, let it go, turn away and slam the dooorr etc..."

  okay, here is a few tips to let things go:

 1. acknowledge that you're stressed or you have a problem! (this may seem obvious, but majority of people don't know they are stressed until a meltdown happens!)

2. If you start crying, that's okay! (tears often help, i find when I'm bawling my eyes out, tears are the beginning of healing and prayer sessions get more intense!)

 3. Find a GODLY (and i stress the Godly) someone you trust that has a no judgement policy! (This helps! You need a Godly someone to open your heart to, how else will you get good and sensible advice? i have two people in my life and church, my pastor's wife and a youth leader! If you do not have these, maybe find a christian counselor or christian youth worker?)

 5. Be honest with yourself (any anger and resentment bubbling inside of you?)

 6. Remember, God loves you, he doesn't condemn you because you worry, he wants to give you rest and take your heavy load! (remember Matthew 11: 28-30?)

 7. Smile, and take time to go on long walks or start working out!

8. Nothing worries you less than taking the Bible and reading God's promises and his acts of love (I will never leave nor forsake you- Deuteronomy 31:6)

 9. Pray!

10. Think of the good things in your life and not just the nasty!

 11. Things will get better, Hope is the enemy of stress, anxiety and depression. Hope in God and he WILL see you through the storms of life!

12. You can't run away, face the issues now and the stress will one day be a distant albeit unpleasant memory, but you'll remember how the Lord came alongside to help you, because you asked him to be there with you :)  Hope that helps!

We were MADE to thrive! (A take on Psalm 1)

ARE YOU THRIVING?  

Emmeline's Photography-Redwoods New Zealand
yes i did take this amazing photo!

Readers! HELLO! yes I'm still alive. I know, I know, I had to take a special trip to space since April...they didn't have internet there...so, i couldn't blog. Just kidding!

Let's begin by a few questions-

1. Are you happy? I'm not talking about happy in the sense that you're not exactly throwing your body on the floor, and bawling your eyes out, so that must constitute as you being okay and happy. I'm talking about a happiness that radiates out of your soul, you can't help but throw your hands in the air to worship and laugh.

2. Are you simply surviving? again I mean this in the sense of- do you wake up everyday to simply...well go back to bed later? Or are you waking up in a very sponge-bob manner and saying:

"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it (!!)." -Psalm 118: 24

okay some more questions later about your self-evaluation, lets begin with another Psalm:

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. -Psalm 1:1-3 

I know most days when I sometimes (most times) throw my body out of bed, i have the insane urge to throw my hands in the air and declare- "it is all meaningless!" (come on I can't be the only one)

But then, in the throws of my teenage tantrum, i realize that, well, if i get out of bed thinking that I'm going to do nothing worthwhile, then my big problem here is that my spiritual condition is less than alright. I'm shriveling up...not exactly thriving at all...and definitely not being like a tree planted by the rivers of water! fruitful what is that?!

I guess I got the wake up call that what I've been doing lately is merely surviving, and that's quiet sad, definitely not what the LORD has in mind. You know what I mean?

So that's when I decided, enough is enough! ladies and gentleman, inwardly you know you want so much more than just surviving too! I mean have another look at that picture, isn't it pretty? (i know I'm biased) but don't you want your life to radiate such wonders, growth, fruitfulness and just absolute awesomeness (I am aware that this is not a word :P)

When I went into my local christian bookstore and saw the new casting crown album and saw the cover, i was intrigued and quickly made my purchase. When the song 'thrive' came up, i couldn't help feel a deep sense of happiness at it, (yes, some serious head-bobbing was happening, maybe a little dancing too!)

I realized that, that particular song had something special in it. You see its not so much the song itself, its the lyrics...the message and the scripture behind the song that made me feel so unbelievably happy! dare I say even Hopeful!
Here have another little read of the lyrics:

So living water flowing through, God we thirst for more of You. Fill our hearts and flood our souls With one desire,  Just to know You, and To make You known, We lift Your name on High. Shine like the sun make darkness run and hide, We know we were made for so much more Than ordinary lives, It's time for us to more than just survive. We were made to thrive.

Now a bible verse:

"...So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:17-19

to have purpose on this earth we need to be GROUNDED in love, have faith. Take a dose of the wonderful Living Waters that is Christ, how you might ask? spend time with him. Not just 20 minutes of reading the word, while mentally blanking out or make plans for the weekend, OR think what you might eat in a moment.

Find your joy in Christ because Joy +Love + Faith =Growth (Thriving)

again some Lyrics from that song:

Joy Unspeakable, Faith Unsinkable, Love Unstoppable, Anything is possible!

That's what I'm talking about, those are the things that make us alive.

So start living my friends! The bible says:

One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.

in other words, life is short!

change your mindset and see the glories of being alive!
It isn't easy...but then again, is anything worthwhile easy?

we live in a world that endorse easy living, we become spiritually lazy. I know! trust me i do! so i challenge myself, just as I do you! stop merely living, if we begin thriving...we might just have some -positive change in this world....hey now, wouldn't that be awesome?

so my last question is this- what are YOU going to do now?

check out Casting Crowns' song on YouTube via this URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ71RWJhS_M
Disclaimer:- The Lyrics of the Thrive song is by Casting Crowns, Not my own at all.

Everything was meaningless...a chasing after the wind.

Dear Readers,

I know I've been M.I.A for the past two or so months, I had started University, and assignments kept piling up, but I do apologize because blogging is a commitment!
Observation of the month: While attending University, I have never realized how easy it is to forget yourself and to become someone you're not. Its appalling really when you think about it, all notions of who you are in Christ suddenly takes a back-corner, and you end up submerging yourself in the non-Christian world.
That is if you're not in a Christian University, which my area is sadly lacking...but even then, nothing is guaranteed...but I digress.

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun."- Ecclesiastes 2:11 NKJV

or in other words:

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."- Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV

It's really interesting when you realize that the wisest man on earth saw all he did as a waste of his life...as a torrential waste of time. Food for thought-
I strongly believe that in the end of Solomon's life, he saw it all like that because he knew that all he had done was not unto the LORD but unto his own desires...fleshly desires that led him to his downfall.
Have you read Solomon's story? Its worth a look I assure you!

Now don't go scoffing at Solomon, because he began the same as we all do; with a determined purpose to serve God with all his heart, soul and might, and by golly he was like a torpedo! He began to build the temple of God with a single intent: build the dwelling place for the glory of God and to honor his Father's (David)- dream. Soon enough, Solomon began to feel he wanted more, his thought pattern changed, it wasn't about pleasing God anymore, it was all about him (i like to call it me-ism). He began to think that he was king after all, wasn't God pleased with him? Didn't he deserve more? (Isn't that always what we tell ourselves? how deluded are we?) but to Solomon that meant 'women' that was his weakness...but enough about that for now.

My point is- it's just too easy to forget that the things you've set out to do for God, If your mind is off of Christ, then your purpose tends to simmer away and complications come to bamboozle you from your walk of faith. Then all that's left is a huge mark of regret and utter dejection, because you wanted to serve the LORD so much, but now, you believe that you can't do it...you can't reach it and you feel guilty. Wake up and smell the toffee my friend! Solomon's fate doesn't have to be yours! Christ came to give us a second chance! Is there a lingering sin in your life that is hindering you and making your walk with God more like a drag? Or more like something that began so awesome and now feels like a pain? It's time to reevaluate your set-out commitments to Christ.

I just want to be blunt and tell you, you can be the best looking, unbelievably talent and whatever else the world holds dear today, but all of THAT stuff is MEANINGLESS! because at the end of the day the Bible says:

"...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal".- Matthew 6:20

Key point- wealth perishes!

The things that hold worth in this life is-

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." - Galatians 5:22-25

So have you felt slack lately? Losing the joy of your salvation? then read up on David's plight when he had transgressed against God. Psalm 51 is a comfort, it is a prayer of repentance.

You can do it friends, don't you want to say at the end of it all and say:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."- 2 Timothy 4:7

let that be your war cry, keep your eyes on Christ! you can do it, we all stumble, but Christ is always there for us! Stop thinking of what this will profit you, and renew your mind to focus on Christ! and don't forget:

"We love Him because He first loved us" - 1 John 4:19

God bless you Readers!

A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson

Book review

I was given this ARC by Bethany House publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

A sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson is a story of forgiveness as well as how love can bud through loss.
This story portrays two protagonist named Marty (Martha) and Jake, both no longer believe in love due to many hurts from the past and through a 'convenient marriage arrangement' both are either running away from something or seeking to please someone.

Now, let's get to business. I give this book a whooping 2.5 stars out of 5.

I will not lie, I love Tracie's books but this one did not amaze me, to be honest i found that it lacked depth.
I say that because we first meet a still grieving widow who can't bear to remain in her home state, so of course she seeks to run away from the daunting memories. Then we meet Jake, who is also a widower who feels much the same, and after many betrayals and hurts, he's sworn off love.

This book had some really nice themes but again, it felt like everything was too easy. The problems they faced were so easily fixed, faith in God restored without a large amount of struggle despite the fact that the characters appeared to have monumental issues and anger towards God, yet 'BAM!' easy fix...no worries. The Romance...it was too quick! no love comes softly and flourishes into something sigh-worthy, Jake and Marty despite Jake's unwillingness to love and Marty's broken heart, they fall in love so quickly that it made it feel so unrealistic.

But let's be a bit more positive shall we? Tracie Peterson is so amazing in setting the scene, the description of Denver and it's opulent society was really well done! I must say, I praise the Lord that I don't live in those days, i don't think I could handle it! but also i'd probably be a servant...but I digress. I truly enjoyed the household servants! Brighton and Mrs. Landry were so cute, to be perfectly honest, the secondary characters had more depth and complexities to them than the main 2 characters! What up with that?
What I did like though, was the one realistic quality to Marty's character, Tracie Peterson did something a lot of writers don't usually do, and that's to make the character a *wait for it* LIAR...so that was nicely done! I really liked Alice! She's so sweet and strong in the faith, she also had spunk! But again, that means I like a secondary character more than the main.

Now the no-no thing for me...a pet-peeve of sorts- is to finish a book without completing the story. I swear that when i got to the last page, i felt like a chunk had been left out! It didn't say anything on who Mr. Smith was, nor anything about Marty and Jake with the Texas situation nor didn't it explain why Mr. Morgan was investing so much in Jake, I mean, he could be plain nice...but it doesn't feel like the Morgans would invest in someone without an expected return. I know authors like to leave cliff-hangers to make the readers excited about the next book, but this one annoyed me frankly...too much was missing!

You'll like this book if you want an easy and very light read...without lots of conflict and a quick romance.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I promised honesty.
.
Congratulations Tracie Peterson on your 100th book!    

- E