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Encountering The Master Carpenter by Brad Simon

Apr17

Walking With Jesus

Encountering The Master Carpenter by Brad Simon is a devotional book that will aid you in your faith walk. This book is designed for us to get to know Jesus and to discover His will for our lives.

There are fourteen devotionals based on fourteen biblical passages. The author gives his thoughts on the passages, backing up his words with scripture. Each section ends with a prayer and identical questions which are designed to help us think about what we have read and how we can apply the truths in our lives.

The passages are all from the New Testament. We want and need to know the heart of Jesus. When the storms of life hit, and they will, we need to have firm foundations so we do not crumble. “When the floods of life overwhelm us, we can stand firm on the solid rock of God’s Word and experience peace, joy and stability.”

The devotionals cover different topics. We hear about Jesus calming the storm and also walking on the water. We need to know that we have Jesus in our boat. “They [disciples] looked within and saw fear. But they failed to look up by faith and see God.” Fear and faith cannot exist side by side. If we have faith, we need not fear. When Jesus asks us to ‘come’, we can step out of the boat and trust Him.

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And … So We Walked by Rick & Jane McKinney

Feb27

So Very Powerful

And… So We Walked by Rick and Jane McKinney is such a powerful book that reveals the faithfulness of God and also faith in action.

In 2005 Rick McKinney ‘heard’ God tell him to walk across America. “Walk it all in My Name.” An obedient servant, married for over thirty years at that time, together with his wife Jane, on 1st January 2006 began their walk from California to Washington – a distance of 2,800 miles. Their walk was completed on July 4th 2006. It was a total walk of faith. It was a walk that would change the couple. It was a walk that impacted many along the way. And … So We Walked is a book that should impact our lives and change the way we live. Every day is a new opportunity to tell a lost world about Jesus. We do not need to walk across America. Maybe we just need to walk across our roads and tell someone about Jesus. Or across our neighbourhoods. Or maybe just across the room. You never know when God will set up a divine appointment. “Divine appointments with people we didn’t know but that God knew needed to hear about Him.”

Rick and Jane McKinney knew they could rely on God. “He would never leave us, always empower us, and confirm His presence and guidance in our lives.” There were times when they sensed “an angel is walking with us.” God never left the couple to walk alone. And God never leaves us to walk alone.

God calls us to see the world through His eyes. “We were beginning to see people through the eyes of Jesus.” When we look with Jesus’ eyes, we see the heart of God. The world will look different. We will see the injustice and the prejudice. We will see the marginalized and the forgotten. – and our hearts will break. “God had broken our hearts for our nation.” The McKinney’s realized that America needs God. Our world needs God.

We are called to tell the world about Jesus. I found the following quote so powerful: “We ‘talk’ loudest by how we ‘walk’ “ Wow!

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How Can God Hear A Man Like You? by Glenn Walsh

Feb18

The Prodigal & The Faithful One

How Can God Hear A Man Like You? by Glenn Walsh is a powerful story of redemption as we see a soul walking from darkness to light.

There is power in hearing people’s stories and the author’s story is incredibly powerful. He is honest as he shares his battles with demons and his addictions to drugs. Glenn Walsh’s life was washed up but God had big plans for him. “Even before I came to know Christ as my saviour, He had time and again sent His angels to protect me.” God knows us and cares for us even before we say ‘yes’ to Him.

As a child the author was brought up in the Catholic faith. His childhood was difficult and God seemed silent. “The God whom I cried out to each night just remained silent.” No evidence of God answering prayers meant that the author walked away from God – but God was not done with him. “When I was utterly lost, He [God] was there for me.” God showed up time and time again.

When the demons shouted that Glenn Walsh was no good, worthless and God would not want him. God told the author that he was loved. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” When the demons cry out, the name of the Lord will silence them. “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to get out.” There is power in the name of Jesus.

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Refuge Of Grace by Tracy Smoak

Sep12

Faith Walk

Refuge Of Grace by Tracy Smoak is a powerful book that will enhance your journey with God. It can be read as a whole or break it down into a chapter a day as part of your daily devotions and let the words sink into your soul.

Tracy Smoak draws us near to the heart of God as she studies His word. She looks at the lives of familiar Biblical characters – David, Jeremiah, Ruth, Mary, Paul, Jonah and more – and applies their lessons to our lives today.

Each chapter has a passage connected to our contemporary lives as well as the Biblical characters. There are many Bible quotes. There are also reflections such as questions and a prayer. Each chapter invites us to look inwards and examine our lives.

As we journey through the book, there are lessons to be learnt or to remind ourselves of.

We observe that God sees us. We cannot hide any part of our lives from Him. He sees our darkest secrets and He loves us anyway. We cannot earn His love. We cannot lose His love because His love is part of His character. God is love.

We can trust God. He longs to bless us, not because we deserve it but because it pleases Him. “The Canaanite woman sought blessing, not because she ‘deserved’ it, but because she trusted God’s goodness.”

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