Them's Fightin' Words

Okay, these are supposed to be my thoughts, my words, my observations, my book reviews, but I just couldn't pass up the following that I received from fellow author Bill Myers. (Google him and check out his site. Not only does he have lots of great works of fiction for adults, but he has great series for young adults and children as well) In any event I received the following in his newsletter. I'm calling it "Them's Fighting' Words" and you'll understand why in a moment.

"Isn't it interesting that in the wilderness, when Jesus and Satan were fighting, they didn't use guns, guided missiles or even nukes? Instead, the Creator of the Universe and the most evil force in the Universe fought with what they both knew to be the most powerful force in the Universe . . . God's written Word. Satan would attack, Jesus would defend and counter attack. Back and forth they went, using only the Word of God, and with nothing less than Christ's entire mission (and our survival) at stake. If those two thought God's Word was so awesome and powerful, who are we to think any differently?" - Bill Myers

My slant on this; not only are the most powerful forces on this planet WORDS, but the most powerful words are those of God. Something to keep in mind at all times. When we say things without thinking we're doing Satan's job for him. How many people have been hurt by a word that was spoken without thinking, or worse, with some religious straight jacket around them? I have met many people who are no longer in church or are just coming back to church or want to come back and are afraid. What all these people have in common is that someone has told them things that were not in love. For instance, the woman who was told to marry an unbeliever. When that marriage didn't work out she divorced the man and the church tossed her out. Or what about the woman who was witnessed to and brought into the kingdom of God by members of another denomination out of a disturbed past. When she accepted Jesus as her savior they turned around and, without training her, told her to go out and witness to others. There are those who don't come because of tattoos, the way they dress, piercings, because they smoke or drink. None of this has to do with what God's Word says, and because of that the mighty power God gave us with words is abused. When someone speaks to one of these the Words of God found in the Bible, they are spoken in love, and bring about healing. This, church, is what we must be doing. There is not a single person you should consider your enemy. They are all people God wishes to come to Him and find salvation in Jesus Christ. Yet many of them are motivated by a spirit that is opposed to God, and these spirits are the enemy we must fight, and we must fight them with the Word of God.

FORGIVING SEAN, by Jessica Adriel

From the back cover:
"Marissa Gladstone has already lost a baby, buried her father and had one man walk out on her. So when her boyfriend Hawke, suddenly proposes, Marissa's not so sure things will last. But when her ex-fiance Sean shows up after a two year absence, things get messy. Both boys compete for her attention, but when one of them makes a stark confession, her entire world unravels. Will she push through the heartbreak Sean caused her when he slipped town and finally accept Hawke's proposal or will fear make Marissa lock her heart away forever?"

The book is something like the above description, with a few added twists and corrections that, had they been added, may have given away too much of the story. Let's see if some corrections are in order. Hawke didn't "finally" propose. He'd proposed several times and she was just waiting for him to do it again to accept. The one thing that I think should be clear by the title, is that this is a book about learning how to forgive someone who we feel doesn't deserve our forgiveness, and that takes some doing, especially with Marissa.

There are a lot of people who, like her, have been terribly hurt by people who claimed to love them, people they had loved. The feelings of betrayal can be some of the greatest hurt anyone can go through. Like Judas kissing Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Like Jesus, however, we are to love them just the same. When Jesus looked down from the cross He was looking down at you and at me. He knew all the many ways we were going to be rebellious against His will, and said, "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing."

In Forgiving Sean, Marissa has to come to that point where she can forgive her boyfriend just as clearly as surely as He had forgiven her. If she cannot, then she not only is in a bind as far as her love life is concerned, but she is going to be in bondage in her Christian walk. It's something she needs to learn. Something you and I need to learn. The journey to Marissa coming to that point is filled with confusion, frustration, pain, and finally it is true love that gets through. I'm not a romance reader by and large, but this was handled well. If you like romances then this book is for you. If you don't like romances, you might give it a chance just to get the message it can speak to your heart.

Visit Jessica at the author's website


Purchase Forgiving Sean at
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
ScibblyGumBooks

There is more information about Forgiving Sean, by Jessica Adriel, but you know what? I'm going to let you search for it. I will, however, give you the following links to where other reviews can be found. What I am not going to give you are the accompanying dates when they will post their reviews. In fact some may actually post on the same day, while other days nothing new will be posted. So it's like a scavenger hunt. I hope you enjoy this. Please leave your "mark" on the different blogs you visit. God speed.

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

IMPORTANT
As a member of Christian Fiction Review Blog (known as CFRB) I review quality Christian fiction in order that the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be shared with others who might hear it in a context that they would appreciate and understand. Each book is "previewed" in order to maintain the quality and content of the book. Books that are accepted for blog tours are given to the members by the author to review, according to the number of members requesting a copy. It is the belief and practice of CFRB to post positive reviews as a type of payment for these books. However, I want to emphasize again that these books first go through a preview stage where they are deemed of a high enough quality to tour.