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Coffee Break – 12.02.2013

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Healthy Homemade Coffee Ice Cream Recipe – It’s never too cold for ice cream. And when you add coffee to it, that makes it even better. When we make it, we’ll leave the vodka out. That ruins the flavor, in my opinion, and isn’t necessary for a great bowl of ice cream.

Chicken Promote Luxury Cars – Hopefully, the next fifty-five seconds will help put a smile on your face. Mercedes-Benz got creative with… you guessed it. Chickens!

Surreal Landscapes From Around The World – We live in a world where God’s creative variety surrounds us. Here are some incredible shots of this planet we live on, and the beauty it contains.

The Death Of History’s Most Notorious Heretic – “Who is church history’s most notorious false teacher? It might not be possible to answer that question definitively. But if we were to create a top-ten “most wanted” list, the name Arius would undoubtedly be near the top.” Church history fans will enjoy this.

State Of The American Church – I hear statements all the time that say something to the effect that the church in America is dying. While we are in a state of transition, is the church here in the US really dying? Ed Stetzer has some great thoughts on this topic.

Real Men Journal – One of my spiritual disciplines is the habit of journaling. I use several formats in doing this, depending on my day-to-day, need-to-remember type things, using Field Notes, to my full-scale, leave-a-legacy journaling. Here are my thoughts on that. This article gives more great input on the idea.

The Ultimate Secret To Effective Writing And Preaching – Since we’re on the subject of writing, this post briefly describes what makes your writing, or your preaching, or anything else for that matter, great. Ready for the secret?

Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. – Francis Bacon

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:9-10

Over the past few verses, Paul has encouraged Timothy to watch his motives, and to address the improper motives of the false teachers in the Ephesian church. He has explained the evidence of wrong motives (verse 3), the nature of wrong motives (verses 4-5), the prevention of wrong motives (verses 6-7), and now he discusses the results of wrong motives.

Take a look at this passage in 1 Timothy 6:9-10:

1 Timothy 6:9-10

Those who are obsessed with the desire to get rich and have an unhealthy longing for more material resources are staring at a trap.

Being caught up in the desire for material possessions is a downward spiral. The temptation is an enticement leading to sin. The enticement becomes a trap. The trap, once sprung, becomes foolish and harmful, leading to ruin and destruction.

Let’s take a closer look at this progression. Desiring and pursuing after riches leads to at least six disasters.

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Book Review – Critical Pursuit by Janice Cantore

Critical Pursuit by Janice CantoreAs a fan of legal fiction, such as John Grisham or Randy Singer, I also enjoy good cop/crime fiction. Most of the stuff in this genre that I’ve read has been from mainstream authors; I’ve never read good crime fiction from a Christian author.

Until now.

Janice Cantore has written an amazing book in this area, creating a plot that holds the attention until the book is done. And at that point, you wish that there was more.

Critical Pursuit is a book that Cantore published originally under a different title, The Kevlar Heart, several years ago. But recently, Tyndale House reprinted it with the new name. When I received a review copy, I was skeptical. Mainly because good fiction and Christian fiction rarely are found together.

Cantore has weaved a tale that creates suspense and drama, holding your attention. She has developed characters that you start to love and you begin to identify with them.

And she pulls a thread of faith through the story that doesn’t leave you with an impression of it being cheesy. In Critical Pursuit, both of the main characters, Brinna Caruso and Jack O’Reilly, deal with questions concerning God’s existence. Caruso has never believed, while O’Reilly has had a crisis of faith after losing his wife. Both of them have similar questions about God, and are seeking answers.

In the meantime, a psychotic predator is snatching children from around the area. And it’s becoming personal for one of these officers.

When these two cops are paired together for a few weeks, their questions need answers, and a criminal needs captured. How they accomplish these things is nothing short of inspirational.

As a new author, at least to me, Cantore seems to be pretty impressive. I’m looking forward to reading more.

Do you enjoy cop/crime fiction? If so, who do you like to read? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading Critical Pursuit, by Janice Cantore, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Coffee Break – 11.25.2013

Coffee Break

The Freshest Cup Of Coffee In The World – In this amazing episode of Sesame Street, Grover works at a cafe called The Coffee Plant. He takes a customer through the processes of where coffee comes from, along with the milk and sugar that some people like to add. It’s pretty funny and entertaining.

Ghost Towns – Abandoned places fascinate me. From amusement parks to ghost towns, I’m fascinated by the eerie beauty found in these images.

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Bee-Holder – “For a lot of people, the sight of a bee or wasp is enough to elicit some kind of visceral reaction. But a bee at 1:1 magnification becomes something a little more awe-inspiring.” The creativity of our God is amazing!

6 Benefits Of Ordinary Daily Devotions – Spending time in God’s Word is critical to spiritual growth. I release a tool to help people read the Bible completely each year, and the 2014 edition will be available next month. This article provides several great benefits of making this a daily habit.

10 Questions For Better Bible Study – Short and sweet, this post lists ten questions you should ask as you read a passage of the Bible. These will help you understand the passage better, dig deeper into it, and apply pertinent truths to your life.

10 Memory Making Things To Do With Your Wife – Just as building your relationship with God requires you to spend quality time with him, maintaining and improving your marriage requires spending quality time with your spouse. Here’s a short list of ten great ideas for husbands to make some great memories with their wives.

The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us. – A. W. Tozer

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-8

In last week’s passage, Paul addressed the false teachers’ view that godliness was a mean to financial gain. Those false teachers were partly right; godliness does lead to gain, but not in the way they expect.

See what Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6-8:

1 Timothy 6:6-8

The false teachers were partly right. Godliness does lead to gain. And Paul’s next statement stands in stark contrast to that faulty view. There is great gain, or profit, in godliness, when it is accompanied by contentment. What does contentment mean? Simply this: we are to be satisfied with what we have and not seek after material gain. Contentment pairs nicely with godliness.

The irony is in the fact that Paul was striving against a Stoic philosophy, and one of the favorite virtues of the Stoics was self-sufficiency, or the ability to rely on your own inner resources. Paul has already addressed this idea in Philippians 4:11, where he makes a strong case that true contentment isn’t self-sufficiency, but Christ-sufficiency.

Paul’s point here is to point out the fact that relying upon Christ is the only way to combat our own greed, as well as that of the false teachers that Timothy was facing.

Paul gives Timothy two reasons why contentment should accompany godliness, and why that is such an advantage, or gain.