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The Power Of Words

I came across this video the other day.  It’s powerful!  And it really makes you think.

Watching this video really made me think.  Do I harness the power of words…

  • with my family?
  • in my preaching and teaching?
  • with friends?
  • in my writing?

Sometimes it’s easier to say something without any thought than to make sure that what I speak is powerful and edifying to others.

I’m so guilty of this.  Watching a two minute video has convicted me to be more intentional in all that I say.

Do you ever speak without really thinking through what you’re saying?  How do you make sure you’re more intentional in this?  You can leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Book Review: The Alarmists – by Don Hoesel

The Alarmists by Don HoeselI love a good suspense novel.

The Alarmists is the newest work by author Don Hoesel.  I enjoyed it immensely!

Here’s the plot.  The world is quickly approaching a watershed moment in history.  Similar to Y2K, this moment could make or break humanity.  What moment is this?  The end of the Mayan calendar in December of 2012.

Sociologist Brent Michaels is contracted by a special unit of the military to help them examine the date of several strange occurrences around the world.  These could be coincidental, but they seem just a little too structured.  They have to be man-made.  But how?  And by whom?

That’s what Michaels has to figure out.  Is there really a plot to take advantage of a doomsday scenario for financial gain?  Just how far are these people willing to go with this?

Michaels teams up with one of the members of the elite military unit to figure this out.  While is is a committed atheist, and sees no need for faith, his team mate, who he’s increasingly attracted to, is a strong Christian.

The Alarmists is an intriguing story of suspense and fear, and humanity and faith.  I really enjoyed it.  If you like suspense fiction, then you need to pick up a copy of The Alarmists.  You’ll be glad you did!

If you are interested in reading The Alarmists, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group 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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Book Review: Max On Life – by Max Lucado

Max On LifeMax Lucado’s new book is different thank anything I’ve ever read by him.

Usually, Lucado’s books are developed around a central theme, and that topic is discussed throughout the book.

Not so with this one.

The concept of this Max On Life is a lot like the FAQ section for life’s manual.  Lucado takes almost 200 questions that he’s collected over the last several years of his ministry and answers each of them briefly.

Topics range from hope and grace, pain and suffering, relationships, sex and marriage, heaven and hell, money, Scripture, prayer and more.

While interesting, I really didn’t like the format.

It was too brief.

There were a lot of questions that I felt Lucado could have delved into a little deeper.  There were a few answers that I felt he was off base.  I just didn’t think this book flowed as smoothly as it could have.

Sure, there were a few nuggets here and there that were good.  But there was a lot of reading in between those.

In my opinion, if you want information on any of these individual topics, there are much better resources out there that specifically speak to that issue.  Use those resources.  Max On Life is ok, but it isn’t that great of a help.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 10

Week 10!  We’ve come a long way!

I don’t know about you, but memorizing the Sermon on the Mount is being very rewarding.  It seems as if God is speaking the truth of each week’s passage into my life during the very week I’m memorizing it.  Pretty amazing!  My guess is that this week will be no different.

The passage for this week is Matthew 5:21-22.  This is the murder/anger passage, and is very applicable in our world today.

Matthew 5:21-22

Here’s a link to the passage at Bible Gateway.

Has any particular passage we’ve memorized so far really spoken to you?  Let me know in the comments.

 

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What To Do When You Feel Like A Dummy

Sometimes I feel like I don’t know everything I should about something.

Sometimes I feel like a dummy.

Fortunately, there is something I can do about that.

WordPress All-In-One For Dummies

I’m a reader.  I learn best by reading about how to do something, and then doing it.  Once I take those two steps, I’ve pretty much got what I needed to understand.  At least, to an extent.

So now that I’m blogging more seriously, and using WordPress as my platform, I needed a resource that would help me understand what I’m doing as well as possible.

I pre-ordered WordPress All-In-One For Dummies.  I placed this order over two months ago on Amazon.com.  After the availability date was pushed back a couple of different times, and I almost forgot that it was coming, it finally arrived at my door yesterday.

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Invisible Children: Speak Out Without Speaking

Human trafficking is a growing crisis in our world.

And many of us aren’t even aware that the problem exists.

Human trafficking occurs in three main forms:  sex slavery, forced labor, and child soldiers.  Many of you may know that our church and youth ministry are supporters of Rapha House, an organization that strives to end sex trafficking in Cambodia and other Asian countries.

But what about the other forms of slavery?  How do we combat those?

One opportunity is by partnering with Invisible Children.

Invisible Children Banner

Invisible Children was founded by three young filmmakers after a trip to Africa.  While there, they learned about the longest running war on the entire continent.  It is a conflict started by one man, Joseph Kony, who now terrorizes four countries with his LRA, the Lord’s Resistance Army.

It is the longest running conflict on the continent, and the soldiers are children abducted from their homes and forced to fight.

We are a movement seeking to end this conflict and bring them home. We seek to rebuild schools, educate leaders, and provide jobs in Northern Uganda. We are the motivated misfits and masses redefining what it means to be an activist.

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I Just Bought A New Laptop Computer… And I Love It!

I bought a new laptop computer last week.

It’s true.

I’ve been using a Toshiba Satellite for the last few years.  It’s been a great computer.  I’ve used it pretty hard, harder than I should, probably.  I’ve used it for writing, video editing, graphic design and much more.  I’ve upgraded it about as far as I can take it.

Samsung Laptop

Finally this week, I’ve come to the realization that it’s time to let it go.

I love this computer.  It’s small and very portable.  It’s only got an 11 inch screen.  I usually use it paired with a second monitor. I love this computer.

But it has to go.  It simply can’t continue to keep up with the demands that I place on it.

And so, last week I purchased a new Samsung laptop while I was on a few days of vacation.  My new unit is a little larger, it has a 15 inch screen.  It’s got a bigger processor and a lot more hard drive space, which I’m sure I’ll fill rather quickly.

This week, I’m in the process of transferring all my software and files from one machine to the other.  After I get all my stuff transferred, I’ll uninstall most of the software off of the Toshiba, and it  will be a machine my wife can use for her at-home business.  It will be more than sufficient for her needs.

I don’t know about you, but I find setting up a new computer extremely tedious.  I just don’t like it.