Faith

...now browsing by category

 

Sober Cycle

Monday, May 6th, 2024

SOBER CYCLE REVIEW

First things first. I confess I have never had a drink of any type of alcohol. None. So it is a legitimate question for you to ask, “Why then are you reading this book and now doing a review of it?” Fair enough. That was the first question I asked myself when I read the original version. (This is a second edition of that book and I’ll mention at the end what is different). Here is my answer: As a pastor, even though I have never had any issue with alcohol (the first sentence tells you why), I know there are people in the churches I have pastored in the past and even now in this current one, who have had struggles with alcohol. The cold, hard truth that also comes into play is that there are other addictions besides alcohol-porn, tobacco, meth, cocaine, sex, lying, etc.- that are just as treacherous and just as gripping on a soul.

Sherry and I share a kinship-we both love cycling. That is what drew me to the first book to begin with. When I heard she was coming out with this second edition, I immediately pre-ordered it (then waited). I’m going to be honest…I have no clue if any of the print/story part of it is new. It has been a couple of years since I first read it. But that was a good thing. When I picked up this second edition it was like reading it for the first time and I HAD TROUBLE PUTTING IT DOWN…for the second time. I remembered how it started and obviously know how it ended, but all the material in between was like reading it for the first time. What I really appreciate about Sober Cycle is the brutal honesty and transparency Sherry showed. That shows the transformation which has taken place in her heart because she certainly had no transparency or honesty while in the throes of her alcoholism. From the people I have spoken with about their addiction that is a big part of it-hiding and lying.

Sherry is very upfront, not only about her struggle with alcoholism, but also how she finally broke that chain. She calls her ministry She Surrenders for a reason. It was the moment she surrendered her struggle to the Chainbreaker (Jesus) that she finally began to experience victory on a permanent basis. No more binging. No more alcohol-free day(s)/month(s) only to revert back to what she was.

I’m proud to know Sherry, even though we have never met face-to-face. My guess is if that ever happens there will be big smiles, lots of laughter, and maybe even a bike ride in the picture. I have given away a number of her books to alcoholics as well as their families. I don’t see that changing in the future. This will be my go-to book to encourage and help anyone I know who is struggling or loves someone who is. I recommend you buy a copy, read it, and then find someone to pass it on to, especially if they are a struggler with this, or any, addiction for that matter.  

What’s new?  There is a book club study guide to work through. There is a short Q & A section. But perhaps more importantly, there is a short blurb (page and a half) about Selah House Recovery, a place for women to go who need help recovering. I’m a firm believer that our experiences were never meant to be kept to ourselves. Selah House is Sherry’s effort to give back and help other women who are chained to this insidious monster.

Posted in Book Review, Compassion, Cycling, Faith, Family, Opinion, Second Chance, Story | 2 Responses »
Tags: ,

A Country Music Star’s Review

Wednesday, January 31st, 2024

REVIEW OF LIKE A RIVER

By Granger Smith

First, you need to know I am not a County Music (CM) fan. A few years ago (like 20-30+ when I did listen to CM), I was very picky whom I listened to. I even wore a cowboy hat! But after about 4 years I went back to my roots of rock ‘n roll and metal. So you might be wondering why in the world I would read a book by a CM star? To be honest, it sat in my Amazon cart for several months because I couldn’t bite the bullet. But I finally did and I’m here to tell you I’m glad I did.

Granger Smith and his wife, Amber, had three children:  London (7), Lincoln (5) and River (3). Lincoln and River were best buds so they were off playing together and Granger was helping London with a new gymnastics routine. His career was a shining star getting brighter by the day. This particular day, one day before the CMA awards, he was with London, when he suddenly noticed the boys were quiet. River had wandered off from his brother and Granger found him face down in the family pool. Despite efforts by him doing CPR and the EMS there was no hope. They rushed him to the hospital but his long time without oxygen gave them no hope. They donated his organs and allowed him to pass naturally.

This book is Granger’s efforts to process his grief and to share the lessons he learned with us. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like for him, or for any other parent in a similar situation, or for any parent having to say “Goodbye” to a child. As you can imagine Granger’s life from that point on was a roller coaster. He admits faking it and lying on stage and telling people he was okay (typical for most of us). He also found himself going down the rabbit hole of marijuana usage to help him deal with the nightmares (PTSD). Then the dark night of the soul where he had a loaded gun ready to end it all. Shortly after that dark night and his decision to follow Jesus, he approached Amber about having another baby. But she had had her tubes tied and so the chances of that happening were slim. Oh, the miracles of modern medicine. They implanted an egg but Amber had a miscarriage. With one frozen embryo left they tried one last time. This time God blessed them with little Maverick.

The book ends with Granger telling us that he has given up the road traveling and singing CM to attend Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is pursuing a Master’s Degree and preaching. I like what he says: “Other than that, my future is none of my business. What a freeing feeling that is.” (p.184)

I did enjoy this book. It wasn’t a sordid “tell all” like many of them could do. Instead, it was a “God came through and I want to share my testimony with you” book. His story of losing River is heart-breaking, but to see what God has brought out of this is truly inspiring.  He was honest; he was real; and it was well worth the time reading. (He still didn’t convert me to CM).  🙂

Posted in Book Review, Compassion, Death, Faith, Family, Opinion | 6 Responses »

#DarkHorse

Thursday, January 4th, 2024

I’m not a runner. Never have been; never will be.  The only running I have done is while playing baseball or basketball; running to the bathroom; or running after my girls when they wanted to play. I tried running once. ONCE. I didn’t have the right shoes to start with. I didn’t have the right technique.  I didn’t have the right clothes. And I had balky calf muscles that didn’t like running outside on uneven surfaces or on hard surfaces. So that lasted all of about one week. 🙂 But call me for supper, pizza, or ice cream and I was all there! In fact, I was there as quick as you can say, “Roadrunner.”

My theme for 2024, as you can see, is Run with the Horses. I “borrowed” it from a book by that title authored by Eugene Peterson. A book I have not read to be honest. It is a play on Jeremiah 12:5. The whole idea was that if Jeremiah was tired from daily life, how can he expect to run with the horses when the going gets tough?  Truthfully, I believe life in 2024 is only going to get tougher for those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ. My desire this year is to prepare us as well as I can to life with all its muck and mire, so that we won’t get bogged down and be unable to run with the horses.

Please join me/us each week as we pursue this goal.  We have two services every Sunday (unless it is changed for a reason). One at 9:00 and the other at 10:45. Both are live streamed. If you desire to and are able to join us in person, we would love to have you visit.

Posted in Faith, Freedom, Pick me Up, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic, Story | Comments Off on #DarkHorse

Talking Animals-Glade Review

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024

My blogging friend, Martha Orlando, has written a wonderful series of books called The Glade Series. It morphed into two trilogies. The other is Adventures in the Glade. I recently reread the first trilogy and decided to do a review of them. Following is my review:

How do you feel about talking animals? Not the Dr. Doolittle kind but the Narnia kind? I fell in love with the Chronicles of Narnia when I was about 27 years old. That was the first time I ever read them. I had heard of them when I was in college and saw a fellow student reading them, but when he said they were children’s books, I just sloughed it off. “I have better things to do than to read children’s books about talking animals.” Or so I thought. One read of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe changed all that.

I was unsure what to expect when I started reading Martha Orlando’s Glade Series (and the Adventures in the Glade series which follows). Talking animals with human interaction was a tough act to follow. This is my second read of The Glade Series. My first one was several years ago (circa 2015) so reading this again was like reading it for the first time. I’m glad since I didn’t come into it with any preconceived ideas of what I did or did not like. I have to be honest: except for not liking Davy’s disposition in the first book (before his encounter with Grey, the squirrel), there wasn’t much I didn’t like about this series. Martha’s story telling abilities improved with each book and pulled me in. I wanted to keep reading long past when I needed to stop. 🙂

The story starts with Davy’s mom taking Davy and his sister Anna to a place off the “grid.” No internet. No TV. No PSP. It has electricity and one bathroom (oh the inconvenience of that!). And only one neighbor, the Fairchild’s, who took care of Jim’s (Davy’s stepfather after the death of his father in the military) grandpa. Grandpa had stories to tell…did he ever! They were stories of talking animals which delighted children. It was during a story telling episode at his mother’s wedding to Jim that Davy was told he was the “Chosen One,” but had no clue what that was all about.  He was to find out when he meets Grey in person. After his night sleeping when Grey and the Wise one visit him unawares, Davy’s whole demeanor changes. Personally, he is much more pleasant to read about. 🙂  Davy is eventually introduced to The Glade and meets the animals he will soon rename as the “Chosen One.”

There are several specific things which are out-of-the ordinary. Davy is the only one who can see Grey (whom he renames as Racer). He misspeaks a few times and others hear him talking to Grey, but he covers it well.  Jim (the stepfather) has a cousin (Ronnie) who wants the land for building and reverts to underhanded means to get control of the land. That whole scene leads to some creative means (with the help of the animals from The Glade) to stop the building project. The final book of this first trilogy gives Davy a chance to introduce his whole family to the animals in The Glade.

When I first read this a number of years ago, I found it enjoyable but I had a tad bit of trouble “getting into it.” That was simply because of time lapse between reading each volume. This time was different since I was able to go from one right to the next. I saw so much more this time and enjoyed it so much more as well. If you have young children, I would suggest you read this to them. If they like to read, encourage them to read on their own. They will come to love and enjoy the characters as much as I did. And don’t make the same mistake I did when I first heard about Narnia. Stories like this are good for adults also! Martha has done all readers of fantasy a great service by writing The Glade series. Now on to the next trilogy which continues the antics of Davy, Racer, and the animals of The Glade as they protect what is theirs.

Posted in Book Review, Faith, Family, Opinion | 6 Responses »

Meet Michael Kent-Hughes

Monday, December 11th, 2023

REVIEW OF GLYNN YOUNG’S BOOKS

I read fiction at home to forget, to go into “another world” so to speak, to read something different from my daily reading. Since I’m a pastor my daily reading consists of (of course) reading the Bible for personal need; reading the Bible for study; using various other books for help with preparing sermons; and reading books that enhance my ability to communicate to the audience with some knowledge of the subject.  🙂 I don’t want to simply puppet, or worse, plagiarize another preacher. But when I’m home? Most serious study material is off the table.

That is why I picked up a series I had read over a period of several years as the books came out and decided to reread them. Starting with Dancing Priest in 2011 (Book 1); followed by A Light Shining in 2012 (Book 2); then Dancing King in 2017 (Book 3); Dancing Prophet in 2018 (Book 4); and finally Dancing Prince in 2020 (Book 5), Glynn Young captivated me. I couldn’t wait until the next one came out and as you can see there was quite a gap, i.e. a long, impatient wait between books 2 and 3. I read Books 1 and 2 several times in preparation for the next ones, but have to admit Books 3, 4 and 5 received one reading each. So when I sat down to read these books again, the final three were like reading them for the first time, while I thoroughly enjoyed being reminded again of why I totally enjoyed Books 1 & 2 originally. I will not be able to give a real comprehensive review here since I plan to cover all five books.  What I will do is give a brief synopsis of each book then give my thoughts.

Dancing Priest-Book 1. Michael Kent is introduced to us and will become the major player in all five books. Michael is a cyclist (a man after my own heart) whose Christian worldview and desire to join the Church of England priesthood inspires his every thought and action. A catastrophic event in the Olympics catapults him into the consciousness of just about every person, race, and country. His concern for his fellow cyclists during the Olympics gives us the “tell-tale” heart of this young man. His desire to be God’s man leads him to San Francisco and not Africa, where he truly wanted to go. But even there, events in and around St. Anselm (an Anglican) Church he serves as basically a youth pastor, show his heart for God and people.

A Light Shining- Book 2. This book picks up where Book 1 left off. His marriage at the end of Book 1 is highlighted in the beginning of this book.  Their openness to God’s leading not only leads them to continue caring for Jim, the young man Michael is the guardian for in Book 1, but also circumstances move them to “adopt” one of the homeless boys Michael met in Book 1. A cataclysmic event changes everything for Michael and Sarah Kent-Hughes. {Spoiler alert: Michael, due to events we find out about in Book 1, is in line to be the king of England. An assassination attempt is made on Michael and Sarah’s lives}. That’s all you get from me! 🙂

Dancing King- Book 3. The approach is different in this book. Glynn writes it from the perspective of different characters telling the story as they see it. I like this approach because we get to see Michael’s effect on the principle players in his life. Michael is to become the king of the United Kingdom following the cataclysmic event detailed in Book 2. But once again, there are nefarious dealings afoot from church leaders who don’t like Michael’s desire to reform the Church of England (the church his ordination is in and as the monarch he will be the head of). Michael’s team is top-notch and seems to have an “answer” for those wanting to destroy Michael. But Michael’s own integrity and his relationship with the Queen (Sarah) shines so brightly that people are willing to follow his leadership. The book ends with Michael and Sarah being coronated as king and queen of the UK.  

Dancing Prophet- Book 4.  To be honest, this one was the hardest to read. It hit too close to home. Michael and Sarah have begun their reign as King and Queen and while life looms large in front of them, a tsunami is about to rock the Church of England. Glynn acknowledged the similarity between his story and the scandal which rocked the Roman Catholic Church a few years ago regarding the abuse and sexual abuse of the priests. The unveiling of this within the fiction story written by Glynn is eerily similar, but not nearly as bad as the real thing. As is typical with hidden sins, once the water starts flowing the flood gates soon open. Glynn handled this masterfully (IMHO) and showed how a man or a woman of integrity and a heart for God can make a difference. I’ll let you read this on your own rather than give you any more detail.

Dancing Prince- Book 5.  Michael is seen as more fallible in this book than in the others. He takes on too much; neglects those who need him; and finds himself lost due to {Spoiler alert: Sarah’s death}. The primary character in Book 5 is Michael, but even more so his son, Prince Thomas. My second read of this book clarified some things for me (as multiple readings will sometimes do). Prince Thomas had a closeness to his mum (Queen Sarah) that even Michael was jealous of. That closeness caused a rift between the father and son, especially as it involved her painting. Even though I would have loved to have read further adventures of the Michael Kent-Hughes clan, I realize that all good things must end. I think Glynn brought these to a masterful close.

I am not blowing smoke when I suggest that you begin reading these right now. Okay…so buy them first, then read them. 🙂 Glynn has woven a genuinely enjoyable series to read. Reading this will give you many hours of “escapist reading.” Along the way you will learn some history of the UK, the Church of England and the Anglican Church (which I knew nothing about), and the way the monarch works (and you will be glad we don’t have one). You will learn why a church should never have so much influence and power in government. Simply said, I believe you will find your time captured by the stories. Well done Glynn!

Posted in Book Review, Church, Faith, Family, Opinion | 10 Responses »

#EnjoyLIfe!

Thursday, July 27th, 2023

This Sunday is Move Up Sunday for our young people.  K kids move up to Early Elementary; 3rd graders move up to Late Elementary; and 6th graders move up to “Big Church.”  I see eye rolls when I speak of “Big Church.” But at OVCF we offer a children’s program from Nursery through 6th grade on Sunday morning. They meet to learn at their age and learning level while the adults are meeting (and hopefully learning at their age level. The maturity of the pastor may have something to do with that! 🙂 )

Normally we do the program in the youth addition for the young people. With Pastor Ryan gone on sabbatical, a different approach is being taken. Since this is a 5th Sunday, and since we normally have the young people (except for Nursery and Pre-K) join the adults, it was decided to make it a whole church celebration. We will honoring the teachers and helpers and volunteers in the youth program as well as the ones who will be moving from Late Elementary into “Big Church.”

Given the special meaning of the day, I decided to divert for one week from my series on Revelation (can you imagine the young people as they hear about trumpets and judgment? Talk about PTSD?) So I decided to write a sermon geared specifically for youth this week. I’ve called it Enjoy Life and the Scripture will be Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14.  I wrote it from the perspective of a 70 year old pastor who wants to leave some words of wisdom to his young charges.

One caveat: the first sermon will have the sermon in its totality. The second service will only have the second part since the program for the young people will take a good chunk of time. So if you watch online, you will hear the whole sermon at 9:00 and an abbreviated version at 10:45. Either way I hope you will join me in person or online.

 

Posted in Christian living, Faith, Family, Preaching, Scripture look, Sermon Series/Topic, Youth | Comments Off on #EnjoyLIfe!

HereCometheHorses!

Thursday, July 6th, 2023

 

Welcome back! I feel like I ought to be singing that song from “Welcome Back Kotter” by John Sebastian.  After a two month hiatus, I am back to my series on Revelation. I don’t regret the side detour though. It was something I felt God was leading me to do and over the two months I had it confirmed multiple times. But I’m back to Revelation and will be starting at Chapter 6.

I’ve titled this sermon Here Come the Horses! for an obvious reason.  Let me just state the obvious as you read this chapter: white, red, black, and pale. There are several different interpretations for the appearance of these horses and I plan to bring them out. I have my personal belief but that ruins it if I tell you ahead of time. 🙂 

We all have expectations. Every sermon I prepare I have an expectation that a life will be touched, maybe changed or rearranged. What type of expectations do you have concerning the Christian life? Is it what you expected it to be? We all wonder about the future. Truth is: none of us knows what the future holds, but there are some expectations we can count on. I plan to probe that in this sermon as we talk about the horses and what they mean.

I hope you will join me in person or via live stream.  If not, then please pray for me. Honestly, it is a struggle getting back to Revelation after the series on Anxiety and Worry and Fear and Depression. I feel like it helped some people and wonder about this series on The Lamb Wins!

 

Posted in Doctrine, Faith, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Prophecy, Revelation, Sermon Series/Topic | Comments Off on HereCometheHorses!

#DriveaNail

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023

I have been preaching on anxiety, worry, fear, and depression (mention only) for the past two months. I have two sermons left in this series. This week’s sermon is titled Drive a Nail Through These Truths.  If we are going to win the war over fear, anxiety and worry, there are certain truths we must believe.  It is because we must believe them that I have called this sermon what I have.

There are three unshakeable truths we must believe and get a handle on.

#1: God is with you…even if you can’t feel it.

#2: God is working…even if you can’t see it.

#3: God has a plan…even if you can’t understand it.

I’ll be using the example of and words to Joshua in 1:9, 3:15, and then using the story of Jericho falling as the basis for this week’s sermon. Please feel free to join us in person or via live stream. You can find the links to the live stream at the church’s website here.

I look forward to sharing with you.

 

Posted in Anxiety, Christian living, Faith, Fear, Health, Sermon Series/Topic | 2 Responses »

#GiantSlain!

Thursday, June 1st, 2023

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.” Arthur Somers Roche (Quoted in Winning the War on Worry by Louie Giglio)

If there is one common denominator among people-believer and unbeliever alike-it is the fact that worry is so prevalent. Worry is like a barnacle that attaches itself to a boat. A barnacle is a crustacean that attaches itself to another surface (the most familiar is one that attaches itself to a boat). They need to be removed because as they build they cause a drag. Some will actually attach themselves to the inside of sea life and grow, changing its “personality,” if you will. Anxiety is like that. It attaches itself to a host (us) and causes a drag on our forward motion. As it stays, it grows, and get harder and harder to get rid of.

Worry is a giant we need to slay. That is my desire for Sunday’s message I have entitled “Bringing the Giant to its Knees.” There is no doubt we live in an “anxiety-ridden” society. Life seems to assault us from all angles. What can we do? My prayer is to answer that question this week. I look forward to seeing you in person or via live stream at 9:00 and 10:45.

 

Posted in Anxiety, Faith, Freedom, Health, Sermon Series/Topic | Comments Off on #GiantSlain!

#EssentialsToBelieve

Thursday, May 25th, 2023

In 1816 Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Adams in which he said, “There are indeed gloomy and hypochondriac minds, inhabitants of diseased bodies, disgusted with the present, and despairing of the future; always counting the worst will happen, because it may happen! To these I say how much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened!” (Quote from Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer-p.12)

I’m pretty sure Thomas Jefferson had plenty to be anxious about!! 🙂

Whenever someone is going through a “down” time or depression or simply fighting their own emotions of being down, they tell themselves lies they come to believe.  In his book, Attacking Anxiety, Pastor Shawn Johnson takes lessons from his own struggles with depression and anxiety and panic to gives three essentials a person must believe. I will talking about them this Sunday:

  1. You are not crazy
  2. You are not alone
  3. This will end.

I realize those who struggle with a chemical imbalance in their system will find some of this hard to believe. And accept. But my desire is that I can give them hope that it is not a lost cause. Primary to that is what we tell ourselves. We all need to start telling ourselves, “You are a child of God. You are a loved child of God. Like everyone else, you are a slightly broken child of God.”

Please join us this Sunday live or live stream at 9:00 and 10:45. There is hope for all of us.

 

Posted in Anxiety, Christian living, Compassion, Faith, Fear, Opinion, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic | 2 Responses »

« Older Entries