Interrupted By God

It's Festival Season!  Soul Survivor and New Wine both begin this weekend, and one of the speakers at both festivals is Robby Dawkins.  

Robby believes that the powerful and life changing things Jesus and his disciples did were not just for Bible times.  In his ministry to hurting people, Robby sees ordinary people touched by God's power, through simple faith in God's Word.  He has seen this time and again, but it wasn't always so.

When God reached out to Robby, he was a discouraged youth pastor working in a small, dysfunctional church.  He believed God could do miracles (in theory), but the truth was that he was thoroughly turned off by the hype, manipulation and abuse surrounding many ministries.  He was stuck, resigned to a faith which mainly involved trudging from day to day without expecting too much.

* * * * * * *

The day that God chose to interrupt me, I wasn't thinking of anyone but myself.  I had been hired as a youth pastor, but my vision of ministry had pretty much been brought to its knees by the reality of answering phones and doing the menial tasks that consumed my days.  That particular day, I was in a terrible mood.  I felt deeply unappreciated by my senior pastor and his family.  I felt far from God and from all of the things He had called me to.  I was angry and hurt.  This was not in any way my shining moment as a Christ follower.

 

The phone rang, and I answered it halfheartedly.  Probably another sales call, I thought, or maybe a message for me to deliver.

 

The woman on the phone introduced herself hesitatingly.  "Look, I don't really know what to ask," she began.  "I don't go to church.  As a matter of fact, I'm not even a Christian," she offered apologetically.  "I just picked a church from the phone book because my father's going in for heart surgery right now.  He's in bad shape, and the doctors say they really don't think he's going to make it.  We had to press them to go ahead with the surgery."

 

She sounded fragile and worn as she explained this was her father's third bypass surgery, and it most likely meant the end of his life.  She didn't know where else to turn, but it had crossed her mind to call a church.  She hoped someone would burn a candle, rub some beads for her father, sing a hymn or say a prayer for him in his final stages.

 

As she tried to rationalize to herself and to me why she had reached out to us, I could tell she was a little embarrassed.  Maybe she even regretted that she had bothered to call at all.  What could I do?  I offered to pray for the surgery with her, though I didn't really want to.  It sounded as though her father definitely wasn't going to make it.

 

"Well..." I paused reluctantly, "I could pray for him..."

 

* * * * *

 

The prayer which followed began with little hope or expectation of this man's recovery.  Yet as he prayed,  he felt God speak to him: "Get out on a limb."  Then, "Take a risk."  With no real idea of what he was about to say, he found himself saying that God was going to heal the woman's father and give him a new heart!  He was horrified and tried to pull back what he had said...

 

* * * * *

 

"What you need to know is that I've never prayed for anyone and seen them healed before.  You should know that most of the time when I pray for people, they get sicker, and some have even died.  I know that God can do things like what I just prayed, but He's never used me to do them.  What I just said probably won't happen."

 

I was panic-stricken.  What if this woman got her hopes up and wound up terribly disappointed?  It would all be my fault.

She interrupted me.  "You said God is going to give my dad a brand-new heart?"

I gulped out, "Yes, but -"

 

She cut me off with a brief "Thank you!" and hung up the phone.

 

When the woman called again crying hours later, my heart sank...  "Your dad," I said, "he's ...dead?"

 

She said, "No - he's doing great!"

 

Nobody was more surprised to hear that than me.

 

"Yes, that's right..." She pressed out the story through her tears.  "When the doctors opened him up, they said my father had a brand-new heart!"  She explained how several years ago her father had had a valve replacement.  The doctors had implanted a heart valve from a pig to save his life.  All of that was gone.  All the scar tissue from the previous surgery was gone.  The doctor said it was like the heart of a thirty-year-old man.

 

I was absolutely stunned.

Do What Jesus Did will be available at all Soul Survivor and New Wine venues, through bookshops, and on line.
It is also available as an ebook.

ISBN: 9780800795573
Paperback
£8.99




"Robby does a marvellous job of letting the reader know that if he can walk in a miracle lifestyle, anyone can.  He acknowledges the reality of the dead not always getting raised, the bills sometimes barely getting paid and healing not always manifesting as we think it should.  It is honest and without hype.

Then there is the fact that miracles sometimes happen in spite of faithless prayers.  It was this experience that sent Robby on a dive into a Gospel that does what it says it will do."
Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, Redding - from the foreword.

"I loved the inspiring stories, as well as the practical insight into how to hear from God and relay what He is showing you to others.  A very interesting, inspiring and encouraging book."

Randy Clark, founder and president of The Apostolic Network of Global Awakening

Jim Wallis to visit the UK from 23 August to 4 September

Lion Hudson is delighted to announce that Jim Wallis will be visiting the UK from 23 August to 4 September to launch his new book, ‘On God’s Side’. After appearing as a main speaker at Greenbelt 2013 in Cheltenham, Jim’s tour itinerary will include a large number of events in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, as well as many high-level meetings and interviews.

Jim Wallis has met with Gordon Brown, George Bush, Tony Blair, Rowan Williams, Bono and other high-profile figures on many occasions to discuss global issues. A man who is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, he has been arrested around 20 times for 'non-violent civil disobedience'. The president and CEO of Sojourners (an American network of Christians working for justice and peace), Jim is a public theologian, social activist and an international commentator on ethics and public life. He has been interviewed on Newsnight, Today, The Daily Politics, HardTalk, The Simon Mayo Show, Radio 4’s Sunday and BBC World Service’s Newshour, among other programmes, and featured in the national press. In the States, he has written for major newspapers including The New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, and appears frequently on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and NPR. He teaches at Georgetown University and has taught at Harvard. He lives in Washington with his wife, Joy Carroll (the real-life inspiration behind The Vicar of Dibley), and their two young sons.

Jim’s new book, ‘On God’s Side’, is subtitled ‘What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned About Serving the Common Good’. In the preface to this timely and provocative book, Jim writes that:

‘The prerequisite for solving the deepest problems the world now faces is a commitment to a very ancient idea whose time has urgently come: the common good. How do we work together, even with people we don’t agree with? How do we treat each other, especially the poorest and most vulnerable? How do we take care of not just ourselves but also one another? Only by inspiring a spiritual and practical commitment to the common good can we help make our personal and public lives better.’                           

On God’s Side shows us how to reclaim the ancient and compelling vision of the common good. This is a vision that should influence and inspire not only our politics but also our personal lives, families, churches and neighbourhoods, and our vocational and financial choices. It is these individual and communal choices, writes Wallis, which will ultimately create the cultural shifts and social movements that really change politics in the long run.

Up to date information about events on Jim Wallis’ UK tour will be posted to the Lion Hudson website as they are confirmed.

For more information about Jim Wallis or to discuss author events, interviews and articles linked to the book, or to request a review copy of ‘On God’s Side’, Lion Hudson PR on marketing@lionhudson.com.

Praise for Jim Wallis and his writing:
‘Jim Wallis is compelling, provocative and inspirational, with the kind of faith that can move mountains and can certainly move people and communities.’
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

‘Wallis is a wrestler of values, ideas, and policies and how they interact to shape the world we live in. His deep, melodious voice is easy to listen to, but what he says takes a harder commitment to live by.’
Bono, lead singer of U2; cofounder of ONE.org

‘Two great issues of our time are addressed by Jim Wallis and his thought-provoking answers make powerful reading for anyone interested in social change; Jim Wallis challenges us to create a society which both addresses injustice and stresses personal responsibility and his call for a global covenant through which rich countries meet their obligations to the poor will have a resonance across the world.’
Gordon Brown, in his endorsement of God’s Politics by Jim Wallis

‘Jim Wallis and I have a variety of differences on domestic and international policy, but there is no message more timely or urgent than his call to actively consider the common good.’
Michael Gerson, The Washington Post

Chapter Headings for ‘On God’s Side’:

Part 1: Inspiring the Common Good
 1.A Gospel for the Common Good
 2.The Lion, the Word, and the Way
 3.Who Jesus Is and Why It Matters
 4.Lord, Help Us to Treat You Well
 5.The Good Samaritan Goes Global
 6.The Beloved Community Welcomes All Tribes
 7.Surprising Our Enemies

Part 2: Practices for the Common Good
 8.Conservatives, Liberals, and a Call to Civility
 9.Redeeming Democracy
 10.Economic Trust
 11.A Servant Government
 12.Making Things Right
 13.Healthy Households
 14.The World Is Our Parish

On God’s Side – Jim Wallis
Current affairs, paperback (216mm x 138mm), 320pp, 978-0-7459-5612-1, £9.99

Alive and Active

Today's post is taken from the entry for 2 July from Darlene Zschech's devotional Revealing Jesus.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12, NIV

God is not distant and aloof.  He doesn't give us the cold shoulder but speaks to us - through His Word and Spirit.  We don't have to guess what is on God's mind or beg Him to tell us what His will is for us.  His thoughts are recorded in the Bible, which is alive and active today.  The Bible was written in antiquity, but it is no dusty tome that is irrelevant to what is happening today.

As much as I pray that God's Word will be a huge part of your life, I must also warn you.  Beware when you open your Bible.  Like a mighty warrior's sword, it is razor sharp and cuts from both sides.  Any of us who have read God's Word know firsthand what a source of joy and comfort it is.  But we likewise know it cuts to the core.  It cuts through excuses and attitudes of pride.  God's Word always goes to the heart of the matter.  God loves us enough to correct us and bring us back on course when we have gotten off His path for our lives

Yes, it's true, God's Word can hurt.  Never wield it carelessly.  Read it in awe, knowing that God is penetrating your spirit and soul with wisdom, comfort, healing, correction - and all the truth you need in life.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  Thank you, heavenly Father, that you speak words of life into my soul and spirit through the pages of my Bible.


Revealing Jesus.
9780764211546
£9.99
You can order the book via your local Christian bookshop, or any other bricks and mortar or online bookshop.
For digital readers, this is also available in ebook format.

And the Winners Are....

Three novels from Bethany House!  Once again, Bethany books have come up trumps at the Christy Awards, winning the Historical Romance, Suspense and Contemporary Romance categories.

 

The Christy Awards were first awarded in 2000, and honour excellence in Christian fiction in several categories.  You can find out more about them here.

Against the Tide, winner in the Historical Romance category, tells the story of Lydia, a young lady living in Boston, and working as a translator for the US Navy.  Lydia's language skills bring her to Alexander Banebridge, a mysterious man working to end the opium trade.  When his enemies gain ground, Alexander is forced to turn to Lydia for help...

The Suspense Category Winner, Rare Earth, features Marc Royce, who we first met in Lion of Babylon. In this story, Marc is sent to audit a relief organisation working in Kenyan refugee camps. However, his true mission is to focus on the area's reserves of minerals essential to high tech industry.  These elements, known as 'rare earths' have inflamed tensions worldwide, and stoked tribal rivalries.  Can Marc do anything to help restore justice?

Finally, in The Breath of Dawn, winner of the Contemporary Romance Award, two people with traumatic pasts must confront them in order to build a future - if they survive!

As well as these three prize-winners the author Lynn Austin, who has written a number of successful novels for Bethany House and who is an eight-times Christy Award winner, was inducted into the Christy Awards Hall of Fame.  Karen Hancock, who is also a Bethany author and the winner of four Christy Awards, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Well done to all the authors, and well done to Bethany House's staff, who clearly know a good book when they see it!

You can order any or all of these books in the UK via your local Christian bookshop, or any other bricks and mortar or online bookshop.
All three are also available as ebooks.

Spring Snippets From Page 99!

Last year, Quench posted a couple of blog posts promoting new and forthcoming titles by using extracts from page 99 of each book.  I've seen this kind of idea in shops before.  Chicken House have done it/are doing it very effectively on at least some of their books by saying 'read page....' on the back.  I have bought at least one of their books as a result.  So I thought I'd take a look at some of our May and June titles, and give you some tasters from page 99 of each.  (Thank you, Quench Bookshop, Reading, for the idea!)

(Details of each book including extracts can be found at the foot of the post.)


Just before the doors started to close, they made it onto the elevator we'd just exited.  I made eye contact with the man in the front of the elevator, and there was a sense of recognition.  We both looked away before the doors slid shut.
    Time had stopped for us, but the clock had just started for these men who were on a lifesaving mission.  I looked at the aide who was with us, and I could see the horror on his face.  I knew immediately who they were, and it was a sight we were never supposed to see.
    The transplant team had come to collect Taylor's organs.


A long stretch upward brought us to a mountaintop several hours later.  From there we could see our destination thirty miles away, a city lying in a long valley ringed with mountains.  I-15 runs through Cedar City, and in the distance I could see the bridge I would cross over the interstate.
    Little yellow sunflowers along the roadside brightened the journey.  These little buttons of golden joy were also useful in determining wind direction, bending before the winds sweeping through the mountains.  Along the last five miles to Cedar City, the pretty flowers bowed low in my direction as a strong headwind tried to blow me back to Nevada.


"I guess you'd probably like the wood chopped a little bit bigger than that."  He forced a grin and nudged with his food one of the chips he'd managed to take off.
  She nodded.  "Yes.  A bit bigger would be helpful."
  Only then did he chance a glance at her.  She seemed to be fighting back a smile.
  "Go ahead.  Laugh." His grin widened.  "I deserve it.  I can admit - I'm a complete imbecile."
  Her smile broke free.  And even though she didn't laugh, he could see the hint of laughter dancing in her eyes.
  He had the feeling she wasn't used to smiling, much less laughing.
  "I suppose after my performance today, you'd like to hand me back over to the duke?"
"Maybe I will." As soon as her return jest was out, she ducked her head, almost as if she feared his response.
  Couldn't she see how much he enjoyed bantering with her?  "If you must return me to the duke," he persisted, "then at least persuade him not to put me back in the dungeon."
  Her gaze jerked up, and her smile faded.  "You were in a dungeon?"
  "Yes.  And only hours away from losing my head."


"I can't tell you everything," Mom answered, "You have to feel your way along on this a little bit at a time.  But I can tell you this.  The Fallen One is the ancient adversary, the serpent who seduced Adam and Eve in the Garden.  The morning star cast out of heaven.  He goes by many names - some call him Satan, others call him the devil, still others call him Beelzebub or Lucifer or the Prince of Darkness. But whatever you call him, he is the tempter and the accuser of humanity.  Like a shooting star he was flung from heaven, and since that day the angels refuse to even whisper his name.  Any evil comes from him.  He's behind it all, even the accident.
   "Look at me," she continued, putting my face in her hands and turning my head towards hers.  "That's on him, not you, do you hear me?  Somewhere you got the idea that it was  your fault.  It wasn't.  Sometimes bad things happen.  You need to believe that, Sky."
  It was a moment between a mother and a son that needed to take place.  Lord knows, I wanted to believe her, I needed to believe her, but somehow I just couldn't.  Things you've held onto for so long are hard to let go of, even if they're wrong.


As with most things, worry can have both a positive and a negative side to it.  When, for example, our concerns focus on circumstances within our control and prompt us to take action to prevent something bad happening, worry can lead to productivity.  Most of the time, though, we waste our energy worrying about things that are entirely out of our control or even our influence.
    Just as with anger, anxiety can trigger our fight-or-flight response.  Chronic worry damages our body.  Studies have linked it with suppression of the immune system, digestive disorders, muscle tension, short-term memory loss, premature coronary artery disease, and heart attacks.
    And consider this: 85 percent of the things we worry about never happen.  In addition, worrying about what might be supplants our trust in God.  In essence, it moves us further from, instead of closer to, Jesus.


Taylor's Gift, PB, £8.99

Biking Across America, PB, £8.99

A Noble Groom, PB, £8.99

The Gate, PB, £8.99

Tempted, Tested, True, PB, £8.99

All titles also available in digital editions.

The Father You've Always Wanted

Father's day is just a few weeks away, so I have chosen a book on Fatherhood to feature in this post.

"How many of you did not have a father who knew how
to love and bless you?"

Ed McGlasson asked this question one evening when he was speaking, and the response was a sea of raised hands across the room.  It's an interesting question.  It is not "How many of you did not have a father who loved you..."  Though that may be true, sadly, for many.  This question allows that the fathers of the audience on that day DID love their children, but they did not know how to demonstrate it.  I wonder how many of those listening people understood the experience of an 83 year old Jewish man who told Ed, "All I ever wanted from my dad was for him to tell me one time that he loved me and that he was proud of me." 

Ed McGlasson's expertise in writing for dads comes from real, sometimes painful experience.  A father of five, he found that he was struggling to be the loving parent to them which he wanted to be.  He found it hard not to push his kids away from him when he was disappointed with them, and over-reacted when he was angry.  Busy trying to prove himself to those around him, he was pushing his kids to perform, because that's how his stepfather had parented him. But it wasn't the parent he wanted to be. 

He didn't want to be a 'better dad', he wanted his children to know without question that he loved them and was proud of them.  Despite good intentions and much effort he knew he was failing, and came to realise he needed something more.  Much more.  What he sought was an encounter with God which would turn his heart towards his children, as Mal 4:6 describes when it says God will "turn the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers."  Ed wanted to know the hopes, dreams, passions and despairs of his children. 

He uses an example in the book when his son Lukas asks him whether he will still love him if he doesn't play football the next year.  Ed tells him that he will love him no matter what he chooses, and asks him what he wants to do instead.  Lukas, beaming, tells him that he has tried out for the tennis team, and made it in!  Ed writes:

"My son Lukas is like so many men and women I have met who feel trapped trying to live up to what they think their fathers want.  The fact I didn't know Lukas was interested in tennis taught me something: I wasn't close enough to his heart to know what his dream was.  But that's exactly what our job is as fathers.  We are called to listen to the heartbeat of our children's dreams, no matter how soft the sound, and call them forward in love toward wide and wonderful horizons."

This is a brave book.  Ed is very open in his own failings and frustrations as a parent, and as a believer.  His father died before he was born, and his stepfather parented harshly, with constant expectation and little affirmation.  Ed refers to this as broken parenting.  So when he became a parent himself, his frame of reference was also broken.  This issue of 'father wounds', caused by the failings of our earthly fathers is a major focus in this book and is tackled head on throughout. 

There are lots of examples and practical ideas in this book, and it is very compelling reading - even for a female who is not a parent!  I can recommend it to anyone who wants to understand God the father's true character better - rather than the God the Father we see through our father-hurt eyes - as well as to both fathers AND mothers desperate to parent their children with purpose, value and loving connection.

Full book information
You can pre-order the book via your local Christian bookshop, or any other bricks and mortar or online bookshop.
For digital readers, this is also available in ebook format.

"The Thing is, Everybody DOES Hurt..."

I've always hated the song “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. As a band, they always struck me as overly whiny and weaselly. R.E.M. was the guy in the perfect thrift-store ironic T-shirt, trying to find himself. Or the girl at the bookstore who was trying too hard to look casual. I’m from the middle of a cornfield (Hartford City, Indiana), and singing about how “everybody hurts” just seems soft, self-indulgent, and pointless.

But the thing is, everybody does hurt. Life (thirty-six years and counting) has shown me this. I’ve felt pain caused by others and, what’s worse, my own sin has caused mental, physical, and emotional pain in others. Everybody hurts, and sometimes because of me. And in the church we sometimes expect people to just shrug and say, “Well, it’s all part of God’s plan,” which isn’t necessarily untrue, but it’s a response that strikes me as a little inhuman and, if Scripture is to be believed, unspiritual. Job rent his garments and screamed, and the Bible said he was without sin in that particular situation. Jesus sweat blood in the garden. He didn’t just skip to the cross saying, “Hey, I know how this is going to work out, so it’s all good.” Pain is real, and it’s not necessarily unspiritual to acknowledge it. This book, in part, is an acknowledgment of pain and a reflection on what to do with it. My chapters are narrative in nature. By the ripe old(ish) age of thirty-six, one of the things I’ve learned about myself is that this, for better or worse, is how I write. This is a book about finding God in the dark. My chapters, in particular, will tell the stories of my “dark”—losing an adoption; experiencing professional failure; and then ultimately, by a movement of the Holy Spirit, confronting my own dark, sinful heart. Now, looking back, I am filled with thankfulness for these events because they are the events that God ordained for me to bring me into closer, deeper communion with Him. But in the midst of them, there was great pain.

Still, a temptation in reading a book like this, and narratives like these, would be to say, “Yeah, but Kluck hasn’t gone through ________. He hasn’t gone through what I’m going through.” I know this will be a temptation because I’ve said similar things myself about stories that belonged to other people. “Yeah, but . . .” I fully and openly acknowledge that there are many people who have gone through things that are much harder than the things I describe on these pages. But what’s worth acknowledging, I think, is that these are the circumstances that God put me through in a particular time, and a particular place, for a particular purpose (my good and His glory). I’ve tried to re-create them as accurately as possible, even though the process was, at times, more than a little painful. If you’re in Christ, you can trust that God is doing, and will do, the same for you in your circumstances. I’ve also tried to include Scripture that’s practical and relatable—the kinds of Scriptures you can pray through when you can’t seem to find the words or energy to pray on your own.

One of the things I’ve always struggled with in life is listening to spiritual input from anyone whom I hadn’t perceived as having gone through “deep waters.” My hope and prayer for this book is that by reading about my deep waters, you can love and trust God more through yours.

Humbly, in Christ,
Ted Kluck

The above is Ted's introduction to Finding God in the Dark.
Full book information and a sample chapter is available via the above link.
You can pre-order the book via your local Christian bookshop, or any other bricks and mortar or online bookshop.
For digital readers, this is also available in ebook format.