Review of The Gospel According to Twilight by Elaine Heath

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Is this a good book, worth taking the time to read and ponder? Yes, it is. Maybe I think that because I'm a Twilight fan (not a diehard one, perhaps, but a pretty big one) and, to me, most thoughtfully-created works of literature centered on the series would seem worth the read. Maybe I think that because I was raised as a feminist and a Catholic, and Heath's non-patriarchal approach to the "Gospel" aspect of her investigation is one I find familiar and comfortable.

A quote sometimes attributed to Stephen King re: Stephenie Meyer's series is, "Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend." While the quote may be apocryphal, I have noticed that the Twilight series is criticized for its overemphasis on romantic relationships. Before I read Heath's book, though, I had not made the connection between the apparent fear of being single in Meyer's series and Meyer's Mormon belief system. That connection makes sense to me.

I'm also glad that Heath addresses another common criticism of Twilight: that the female characters are weak and unfeminist, while the male characters - Edward particularly - exhibit behavior that, in a nonfictional boyfriend, would be red flags for abuse. Even those of us who continue to love the book and movie series should ponder/discuss/address these aspects of the novel. I agree with Heath when she suggests we don't want young girls to mistakenly pick up the message that abusive behavior in relationships is acceptable.

Not being a particularly orthodox member of any religious group myself, I don't have any specific criticisms of the way in which Heath addresses the Gospel aspect. She's an ordained minister and an associate professor of evangelism in the Methodist church, so I assume many American Protestants will accept her credentials and understand her point of view. When I finished the Twilight series, I picked up on the fact that Bella's transformation was a akin to the transformation of the Pevensie children in the Chronicles of Narnia, with Edward in this case standing in for Aslan (standing in for Jesus). Heath takes the metaphor a step further, showing how Edward, Bella and Carlisle are all aspects of a Christ figure. Bella even rises from the dead after three days.

Based on some of the Goodreads reviews, some of the criticisms of this book have been, "Heath thought too hard about a series that is, essentially, an extended romance novel with vampires and werewolves." If you fear that the author may analyze too deeply, then no, this is not the book for you.

But if you're willing to put some deep thought into how Christianity and Twilight co-exist - perhaps as part of a book club - then you've come to the right paperback.

Ripe for Revival

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I have read books by two religious leaders who call for a revolution to transform the church. However, a study of revival shows that there have been no lasting revolutions led by charismatic pastors. Rather, there have been broad-based movements of the Holy Spirit that produced a variety of leaders in many places.

The Reformation was led by a number of men including Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Tyndale, the Anabaptists and others. It began with a deep-seated sense of dissatisfaction with the life of the church that arose out of the heartfelt prayers of believers throughout the Christian community. It was not a movement based on made-made methods or some ecclesiastical construct. Eventually the Holy Spirit raised up leaders to provide inspiration and guidance, but they were not part of the religious establishment because it was the establishment that was the problem. The same was true in Jesus' day when He cleansed the temple and swept away the entire religious establishment, replacing it with humble fishermen and tax collectors.

What got the religious leaders of Jesus day in trouble was their attitude that they were beyond reproach and their refusal to get their hands dirty. They were used to applying the Scriptures to others but not to themselves. Many modern pastors are cut from the same cloth. They limit themselves to preaching and teaching and refuse to mingle with the common people and get to know their needs and aspirations. They rarely seek the counsel of others because it would diminish their spiritual aura. We tend to be more tolerant of this kind of behavior in an age of specialization, but Jesus never meant ministry to be specialized. He intended to involve everyone in some capacity.

From the beginning to the end of the fourth century AD, the church went from being a persecuted minority to a vengeful majority that pursued its enemies with the backing of the state. In many respects, they were not unlike the modern church. Their basilicas rivaled our modern mega-churches for their opulence. Both the fourth century church and our modern churches entrust spiritual ministry to religious professionals-the priestly class in the first case, and seminary trained pastors today. The fourth century church enjoyed the power and prestige conferred by a tolerant government as does the American church today. We should be wary lest we fall prey to the allure of wealth and power that led to their downfall.

It is time to take a hard look at church leadership. If an organization is not performing, management is responsible. It doesn't matter whether it is a sports franchise, a manufacturing company, a service organization, a school or a church. The president, chief executive officer, principal or pastor is accountable. Somehow, we seem to think the church is different from other organizations and that everything that happens there is ordained by God and beyond question. As Jesus told his disciples, it is not always the best plan to follow the institutional religious leaders or Rabbis, in their case. Not to address the shortcomings of today's church leaders would be to let them become so embedded in the culture of the institution that they would lose touch with the people whom they serve.

Register Your Comments
Should church leaders be exempt from the kind of scrutiny that the leaders of other institutions face? Why do we treat church leaders with kid gloves? Is it because we are afraid we might tarnish the name of Christ? Or is it because we are afraid of the spiritual authority they wield? Isn't it rather their behavior that sullies His name? Is it appropriate to criticize under any circumstances or should the church be held to lower standards than other institutions that we hold accountable to legal, moral and ethical regimes?

The Casual Christian pp. 71-72

For a variety of resources to help you bring revival to your church, go to the Casual Christian Website at http://casualchristian.net/blog. Find more articles like this one in my book, The Casual Christian, on Amazon.com.

The Higher Dimension Of Prayer

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"FIGHTING ALL THE WAY"

In the book 1Chronicles 4vs9, we are given a story of Jabez,
"And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers and his mother called him Jabez, saying because I bare with sorrow. And Jabez called (appealed) to the God of israel saying Oh that you would bless me indeed, enlarge my coast, and that your hand might be with m, and that you keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."

It's very evident from this scripture that Jabez was born with a fight waiting for him. When he became restless he broke the yoke and the curse which was working against his life. He broke the yoke and curse of sorrow and pain by a higher dimension of praying with decrees. His name Jabez carried a curse which triggered dark forces to work against his life.

These agencies of darkness had a clear satanic assignment to hinder him, keep him unhappy, sorrowful and make his life miserable, though he was an honorable man and had all it takes to make a successful man instead Jabez was found begging to be heard, begging for respect, crying for sympathy, struggling to make end meet and fighting endless life battles. The forces of darkness had satanic mandate to implement the conditions and details of the curse which his mother innocently and ignorantly pronounced upon his life. It's clear that Jabez was born with a battle at hand which made him fight all the way, until he became restless and said "oh that you may bless indeed".

Certain battles that we fight are entirely generational curses and are caused by our ancestral pedigrees. There are people living who in the natural factor some were born with a fight or a curse already in the process fighting against their lives. Of which some, their problems are equal in number with their age. Some are born with a spiritual warfare waiting for them ready to be executed. Demonic forces working against their lives readily received and welcomed them into this life. Some were born right into the spirit of poverty. To some, life is not as normal and easy compared to others; they have to toil and fast nearly for anything.

Some are born into a family curse of infirmities, barrenness, sickness, familiar spirits and family strongholds and territorial spirits. You cannot easily walk way or break free from such struggles.

In this chapter of Genesis 27vs40, Isaac tells Esau that you shall live by the sword, which is a life of warfare and struggle. You have to fight to eat, fight to sleep, fight to live, fight to be healthy, fight to keep your marriage etc.

In this case, a higher dimension of praying is a step up kind of personal spiritual warfare. This book of prayer decrees will bring personal freedom and breakthrough. Isaac says to Esau.

But when you become restless you shall have dominion and his yoke shall be broken"Genesis27vs40

Prayer decrees are born out of restlessness forcing you to take dominion and take your life back. Just like in the book of Amos3vs12 the bible declares that

"Thus says the lord as a shepherd takes out of the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed and in Damascus in a couch".Amos3vs12

The same way we need to fight for lives and what is remaining of us. These prayer decrees and higher dimension of prayer will make you gain momentum and have dominion over every yokes of satanic power, curses and oppression.

Sympathy and tears are not an option you must consider when you life is between the rock and the hard place, when life is drawing much from you and your life is dangling between hope and hopelessness. If tears can change destinies, many people could have long time received their breakthrough, you need a bold and radical spirit if you are to win against forces fighting your life. The kingdom suffers violence and the violent take it by force.

When you carry a Prophetic message or word upon your life, you must be aware that you are bound to come under attack. Both the recipient and the messenger can come under attack. I have written this book to help those fighting for their personal freedom and breakthrough. This book will help you fight effectively and win in life.

PRAYER DIMENSIONS

The higher dimension of prayer will teach you how to connect with your higher self (elohimic nature) and make appeals to higher supernatural power in the heavenly places. In this book find prayer decrees which will nullify every affliction of the enemy and making them never to arise for the second time. A higher dimension of praying will rend the heavens and usher supernatural and divine intervention in your life.

We ascend to a higher dimension of praying, we engage the elohim-nature (The higher self) in which our image and spiritual nature is incubated into the Greek-Zoe God kind of life and Greek-Pneuma God kind of Spirit, it is this kind of life and spirit which enables us to create and change things and situations around us through the power of the tongue or spoken words.

Our spiritual faculties and capacities namely the Conscious, the Communion and Intuition together with other spiritual senses are reinstated, reinstalled, restored and replenished when we, with prepared hearts and spirit engage prayer decrees and the higher dimension of praying.

A higher dimension of praying is a different approach to spiritual warfare; it takes a prepared heart and spiritual credibility to make effective decrees. When no man can help you, you need to make a desperate cry and call and make appeal to greater and higher power just like Jabez and Hannah did.

In the book of Job22vs27-28, we are counseled by scripture that if we make decrees, things will be established to us and light will shine upon all our way.

Decrees will
1. Make God hear you and demons tremble at your voice
2.Save you from premature death
3. Bring light in your path and sharpen your countenance.
4. Presumptuous sins and demonic bondages, Psalms 19vs13
5. Will destroy yokes and shackles
6. Will break generational curses, familiar spirits, witchcraft spells and ancestral pedigrees.
7. Decrees will end endless life battles end long over due problems.

The day you learn to decree and ascend to a higher dimension of praying will be the time you start experiencing a new dimension of living in the supernatural. Decrees and prophecy will bring life, light, form, structure and direction. Without decrees, you may not have fruits to enjoy in your life. What you are and what you eat is as a result of what you decreed, spoken or some one pronounced upon your life. Without prophecy and decrees, life is without meaning and taste.

Prayer from ignorance will make good Christians babblers and vain talkers. This kind of praying with decrees will save your life and cause you to win in life. Praying with an informed mind, revelation knowledge, understanding and wisdom is an important virtue in spiritual warfare..

Prayer decrees make spiritual warfare easy. In spiritual warfare, conflicting powers meet in the battle field. Whether you like it or not, the fact that you a Christian the battle lines are drawn. One needs to cross the line and David did.

Many books on decrees and prophecy have been written, my assignment then is to bring more details and revelation in this matter. Lack of thorough teaching and revelation on this subject has made many Christians engage prayer decrees in ignorance hence making decrees backfire and causing many casualties and victims in the body of Christ.

Many have rushed into making decrees, and many have hastily and carelessly handled and responded to prophecy without soaking and seeking out divine and godly counsel for safety and victory.

I must note that decrees are provocative and can provoke demonic powers and demonic influence which can be dangerous and destructive, that is why you need this book. This book carries tools and inspired teachings you need to make you win and make your decrees and declarations effective and beneficial.

The science of using words to fight and create is a special grace and enablement which comes of age. You can create and fight with words of your mouth and knees. When we make decrees, the elohim-nature is applied; our spiritual faculties are activated and reinstated to function supernaturally.

Apostle Lackson Banda
Writer and Author OF adorn the bride and the higher dimension of prayer
Email: lacksonbanda@yahoo.com
P.O BOX 779, Makapanstad,0404,
South Africa
Cell: 27721380459/27784292788
FAX: 0866076722

Book Review of "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" by Francis Chan

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Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God [Soft Cover]
By Francis Chan
205 pages, $14.99
ISBN-13: 978-1434768513
David C. Cook
Nonfiction

It is refreshing to read a book that directly addresses the problem inherent in Christianity today. Have many who darken the doors of various churches forgotten the central message of Scripture: the Creator of the Universe loves us all with a radical form of love? If church attendees believed that fundamental truth, why does "doing" church seem as if we are merely checking religious boxes and not having any real impact upon the world?

The implied lack of impact we have upon the world should shake us from our collective stupor. Francis Chan reminds the church that since life goes by pretty quickly we should be spending time showing God's amazingly crazy love to this world, instead of seeking ways to entertain ourselves. How awesome is it that the one who hung the various galaxies in the skies loves mankind with a love that never diminishes? That is good news a lot of people need to hear.

Since the absentee father is becoming an accepted norm: how much impact would radical loving Christians have if they demonstrate that God is a good father? In fact, Jesus' interaction with his father reveals that he viewed God as Dad-since "Abba" means daddy in Aramaic. Sadly, the best earthly example of a father is only a faint cry of the depth of the relationship which God desires to have with all of us. Although many would agree that loving one's children is admirable-Chan asserts that even the depth of love he feels for his children fails to describe the depth of Jesus' love for us.

Do our lives reflect the depth of love we have for God? Chan poses the ultimate question: "Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything he gives you?" Ouch. Far too many would have to sheepishly admit they love everything God gives them.

In a gripping way, Chan levels the boom at the lukewarm in today's church who feel that attending church, giving money, or desiring what is popular is all that is required of today's Christians. If Christians have been infused with this crazy kind of love shouldn't they share their faith? Would Christians who were coming to grips with the depth of God's love abhor sin and not just want to rid of its penalty-but be rid of sin itself? Do Christians too glibly assert, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" and "trust in the Lord with all your heart" and live as if they do not believe it? Sadly, the author confirms that he is mortified by those in the church who know they are lukewarm and do not want to do anything about it.

Francis Chan interacts with Scripture throughout his book to reinforce his message. For example, the author reflects on Jesus' words of warning when he spoke to large crowds accompanying him and advised them to consider the cost of discipleship. In Luke 14:34-35 Jesus indicates, "Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavor, how can its flavor be restored? It is of no value for the soil or for the manure pile; it is to be thrown out. The one who has ears to hear had better listen!" [New English Translation] Chan sums up precisely the point by saying: I'm sure no one really wants to hear Jesus say, "Your life would ruin manure." The book is more than an exhaustive biblical exegesis, however. Chan shares his penchant for humor when he later shares a quip of the same ilk, "A friend of mine once said that Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly."

Crazy Love will reinforce the idea that Christianity implies a radical commitment-it is all or nothing when serving God. Once we are included in God's kingdom, the norm should be a remarkable cycle: our prayers for more love result in love, which naturally causes us to pray more, which results in more love...

In the church, we are living the poem "Three Dollars worth of God" by Wilbur Rees:

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,

but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk

or a snooze in the sunshine.

I don't want enough of God to make me love a black man

or pick beets with a migrant.

I want ecstasy, not transformation.

I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth.

I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack.

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

Crazy Love will grip you from the first few pages and not allow you to be satisfied with a portion of the eternal. After reading this excellent book you have a choice to make: run actively toward Christ or serve God your leftovers.

Amish Tripathi - An Indian Author

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Amish Tripathi is synonymous with his first book, The Immortals of Meluha. It became a best seller within a week of its release making its way to the best-seller lists. It is the first of the Shiva Trilogy which centers on Lord Shiva; it is a biographical account of the Hindu deity who in Tripathis' words was - "just a man, 4000 years ago but is today remembered as the Mahadev (the God of Gods)."

The Shiva Trilogy is set in 1900 BC at the backdrop of Meluha and begins with the arrival of Neelkanth who drinks Somraas and his neck turns blue. Neelkanth is Shiva and he saves the people of Meluha from further wars. The trilogy also describes how gods were human beings ages ago until they achieved immortality as a result of their deeds and actions. Indians refer to those times as the Indus Valley Civilization. In the book, Meluha is referred to as the 'near-perfect' empire that was created by Ram many centuries ago. Several publishers declined to publish the first volume of the trilogy - The Immortals of Meluha until it was finally published in 2010 and it went on to become a huge success. It sold more than 125,000 copies and it became one of the best-selling novels of 2010.

Amish Tripathi had initially wanted to write a book on philosophy; however he changed course and turned to mythology. He is an aficionado on history, philosophy and mythology. Literary stalwarts such as Shashi Tharoor, Anil Dharker and Rashmi Bansal have praised his writing style which is reflective of a 'compelling narrative style'.

Amish Tripathi was born in 1974 and studied at the Cathedral & John Cannon School and St Xavier's College in Mumbai. He studied at the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Preeti and son, Neel. He has worked in the financial services industry. He is currently working on the third volume of the trilogy - The Oath of the Vayuputras. It is scheduled for release at the end of 2012.

Further, adding to the accolades, The Immortals of Meluha will be made into a film by Karan Johar and the grapevine says that Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra will star in the film. The second volume - The Secret of the Nagas will be launched on August 12, 2012. The Hindi version of the Immortals of Meluha has also come out; it is titled Meluha Ke Mritunjay.

Anju Batra is a writer based in India. She like to write on Social and cultural subject. She has writer lots of Articles on the subject of Amish Tripathi, Kedarnath.

Book Review: "Six ways to keep the"good"in your Boy" of Dannah Gresh

My daughter, Madison, and I attended a "Secret keeper Girl" event at our Church last year. Dannah Gresh has created the events secret Keeper girl as a means for moms and their daughters "tween-age to connect all learn modesty and honour God." Madison and I had a great time at the event, and it came at the right time for us: before Madison was a teenager, and while she is always eager to hear what is expected (and what God expects!) clothes, modesty and spiritual life. We laughed a lot, shared much and learned a lot. It was a great start of a series of discussions on how to dress and how it should behave to honour God.

We arrived home with the book "Six ways to keep the 'bit' in your Girl: Directors of its tweens to his young daughter" by Dannah Gresh. I can not express what a wonderful resource, this book was for my husband and me. We learned how it is important to keep our children protected from incredibly sexual cultures that we live in these days. We have learned to teach the views of God on sex and marriage rather than views of the world. We have learned ways to encourage our children to interact with them (and other children) positively rather than stay connected on Facebook, video and internet games all day. We learned how it is easy for our girls to develop a negative body image because of what they see on television and in magazines. And he stressed the importance of the parents in the lives of our children.

So when the last book Dannah Gresh, "Six ways to keep the 'good' in your Boy: Directors your son his interpolations in his Teens" was released, I bought it immediately. I devoured every page. It is also good, if not better - than his female counterpart. It is written primarily for mothers, but Dannah husband contributed to the book, and his ideas are invaluable. My husband is now the reading of the book and is loving it.

The Greshes struck all hot topics that we must deal with on our tween boys. It comes to lessons that they need to learn long before that they are adults or even teenagers. Our boys need to learn many things that make our girls, but there are so many questions that they are not generally encountered by girls. Addiction to pornography and the endless video games are two of the main themes that are hard in this book. Also discussed is the need for a real (preferably outdoors) playtime for boys, the importance of the "guy" with their dads (or another bad model) and teach them how to become a man with emphasis on the care of his wife and children. There are statistics in the book (especially with regard to pornography) who's afraid of the heck out of me. I was happy to read ways to help our son to learn to respect women and women to see how God see them, rather than as sexual objects.

I am so thankful that I have my hands on this book, while our boys are still 7 and 10.

This book really guilty a sure that I encourage our boys to get lots of quality time with their father. I was also sentenced to really apply the rules regarding internet use and play video/screen time. By reading this book, I felt as great comfort for many things, we do already. We will never raise perfect children, but my husband, Ryan, and I really want to do all that is possible to raise our children as adults honor God. Ryan and make it a habit to include books of good parents in our reading of the rotation because we think that parenting is a very high call that we need to learn properly. Studied at the College for four years (or more!) for a career... why we want more that it to be good parents?

I am looking forward to read more books of Dannah Gresh as our children grow up. If you are a parent and one of his books have not read yet, I highly recommend her!

Carrie Sharpe and her husband, Ryan, write a blog week called "He said she said" (http://www.ryancarriesharpe.com/). After their son, Maverick, died almost at birth, they began to speak in public to share their story with others in a way to give encouragement and hope. They spoke to a wide range of audiences throughout the United States and the Canada. They live in a beautiful of Northern Michigan, with their five children: Madison, Maguire, Maverick, sailor and Moxie-Mae.

Book Review of "Immersion: Live the Life God Envisioned for You" by Dr. Mark McNees

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Immersion: Live the Life God Envisioned for you. [Softcover]
by Dr. Mark McNees
280 pages, $14.99
ISBN-13: 978-1460967706
Christian Devotion/Nonfiction

What covers 70% of the planet, constitutes 60% of the human body, makes up 70% of the human brain, and comprises 83% of our blood? While a person can go without food for weeks, he cannot survive more than a few days without...

...water.

Given that this clear liquid is perhaps the most important element known to man, is it any wonder that so many metaphors hint at it? Consider how living as a Christian has been has been equated with "swimming upstream," or the fact that non-Christians resent it when Christians do not "go with the flow." Certainly, existing as a Christian in the modern era requires the tenacity of a champion swimmer: to learn not to fight the current but how to thrive in spite of it.

With this mindset, Dr. Mark McNees has written a practical treatise establishing how Christians can succeed today with Immersion: Living the Life God Envisioned for you. McNees is the founding pastor of the Element 3 Church in Tallahassee, Florida and draws upon his experiences swimming competitively to give Christians realistic advice for victorious living.

His athletic prowess has helped him compete in triathlons and even complete the grueling Swim from Alcatraz: an open water swim where participants swim from Alcatraz Island to the shore of San Francisco, California. While the distance is a little over a mile, the fast moving current makes the distance swam almost two miles instead. To be successful, swimmers have to mentally prepare for, and accurately navigate, the speed of the current.

Immersion rightfully implies that the Christian life cannot be lived apart from the world-instead; Christians should live productive lives while being fully engaged in culture. McNees develops his ideology by taking the Great Commandment (to love God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength) and the Great Commission (to love your neighbor as yourself) and tying them to a swimming motif. Such a framework divides Immersion into seven parts:

Part 1

Life Immersed

The Great Commandment

Part 2

Water

Loving God with all your heart

Part 3

Breathe

Loving God with all your soul

Part 4

Navigate

Loving God with all your mind

Part 5

Kick

Loving God with all your strength

Part 6

Stroke/Pull

Loving others as yourself

Part 7

Swim to Win

Putting it all together

I appreciate McNees' complete transparency when he admits that he has not always had it together in his life. His struggles with excessive weight, depression, and a nagging sense of hollowness will communicate volumes to those who face similar struggles. When it looked as if suicide might be the only way to beat his pain, his father's gentle rebuke ultimately encouraged him. His dad said, "You haven't tried everything - you've never tried Jesus."

Unlike other Christian authors who jump from one version of Scripture to another in an attempt to find the precise word order that "proves" their point, McNees utilizes the New Living Translation (NLT) for every Scripture quoted. His biblical interpretation is sound and his scriptural application is spot on. You can read this work with full confidence that the author will not lead you into false Christian teachings. In addition, between each part of the book, the author has included a devotional guide which would be ideal for any small group Bible study.

To take the guesswork out of how to live a fully immersed life, McNees has included a novel idea to help Christians live these concepts. His W.H.O.L.E. template is an acronym that encourages the reader to holistically evaluate the Christian life by considering:

Worship-Am I spending time with God?

Heart-How is my emotional life?

Others-Am I living the Great Commission?

Learning-Am I feeding my mind?

Eating/Exercise-Am I being a good steward of my body?

Dr. McNees has written an enjoyable book that I could not put down. If you want to experience authentic Christianity and live life above your brokenness, Immersion is for you.

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd