My Latest Christian Read

I am slow sometimes to discover great things.

Like author Ted Dekker.

 I see his newest books AD 30 and AD 33

all over the place, but wasn't really interested.

But then I saw a book he wrote called "Black"


and thought I'd give it a try.

It is the first in the "Circle Series"

And I liked it so much that I read all 4 books of the Trilogy in 2 weeks

(yep, 4 books---trilogy)

In the first book  we meet Thomas Hunter


(the series has been turned into a graphic novel)

He is living in Colorado and while being chased by bad guys

he gets a grazing shot to the head.

He makes it to  his sister's house, she is an ER nurse

But since she is not home, he falls asleep while waiting for her.

And immediately wakes up in another world...with Amnesia.
(this only makes sense if you read the 4th book, Green)

Thomas Hunter treks back and forth
 between these 2 worlds  each time he sleeps.   

The new world is Earth 2,000+ years in the future.

In both worlds humans are in jeopardy.

In our world a genetically altered virus is unleashed
and Thomas Hunter has the use knowledge from the future

to save our world.

It is the future world that held my interest.

I have always wondered what if God 

created other worlds throughout the universe?

I think if He has, He would create humans in His image

and place them in a Garden of Eden.

And what if those Humans choose not to sin?

Would paradise exist forever?

Would there be death or would the people live forever?

That is what the future is like in this book.

Thomas first finds himself in a very dark, evil place.

But it is outside of a beautiful garden.

He escapes the evil place and enters the garden.

It is paradise and many people are living there.
There is no illness, no death, no sadness.

Is it Heaven?  Or is it a New Garden of Eden?

It is the latter. 

And as long as no one leaves the garden and 

drinks the water in the evil place

it will continue to be paradise.

Well, you know us humans.

Towards the end of the first book one of the leaders

of the Garden leaves to confront the evil dwellers of the dark forest

and is tricked by the leader of the evil beings into drinking the water.

Sound familiar?


Paradise is over run with evil and life gets very difficult for mankind.

In the 2nd and 3rd books of the Trilogy

(White and Red)

the story continues--the battle to save our world from the virus
and the battle to defeat evil in the future.  

The parallels will be obvious....not just between
the story line, but between the future world and our world.

It is a story of Redemption.


And a Redeemer.

The 4th book, "Green"  kind of stands alone.

It is not necessary for the overall plot line.

But it does complete the "circle" of this "Circle Series"

The story helps you to make sense of what it means to be a child of God.

It gives you a different idea of who God is.

And it gives you a knew way to understand God's love for all of us.

Even those who are so evil that our first thought is to annihilate.


Try it out, I think you will enjoy it!!

Risen

Anyone planning to see this movie?

I hear excellent things about it!

Sounds like Hollywood finally got one right

And the most important one at that!

Here is a great LINK to see a really good review of the movie

It is my hopes that some "fence sitters" 

will finally come off that fence 

and consider some hard Truths....

That Jesus Christ is  Lord

and He has

Risen

Prove It!!

That is what the Atheist demands.

But the proof is all around him.

He simply needs to open his heart and mind to the Truth.

If He's real, why doesn't God just show Himself?

Because if He did

It would destroy our Free Will.

God has placed enough proof in this world

for the Believer to see and know Him.

But He has hidden it just enough

that the Non-Believer can't see it.

At first that doesn't seem fair.

But He does this because God wants us to Choose Him!

With our Free Will He wants us to Choose!

And when we choose Him, our eyes are open to the truth!

We see the proof that has always been there all along.

What before we counted this proof as random events,

or coincidences

But we now see the Hand of God in Play.

Seek Him and You will Find Him

You will see His Proof.

We are told this in  Jeremiah 29:13

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Open your heart to the possibility of God

Seek Him with that open Heart.

You will Find Him

and 

You will have your Proof.

Love

Do you ever wonder what it's all about?    Love, that is.....

It is an amazing and wonderful thing that in all things that truly matter, all you will need to know on that subject is found in God's Word:  The Bible.

In the case of love, read  1 Corinthians 13

You will know how to recognize when true love is given.

And when you offer true love to others.

For me, the greatest eye opener is verse 5:  "(Love) does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

How many times have you listened to or gossiped about others or talked about your friends or family behind their backs?  That dishonors those you say you love and care about.

How many times have you done good for others to gain attention for yourself? Have you heard others brag about the good they've done, what they've done to help others?   That is self-seeking---that is not love.

How many times have you or someone you know been very easily offended or hurt by someone they love?  A friend mis-speaks, you don't give them the benefit of the doubt and become angry. Your friendship is not in jeopardy over a mis-understanding----you need to be slower to anger.   Trust that your friend means you no harm.   I have seen the same with siblings---ever get angry for no real reason with your brother or sister?

Do you hold grudges?  Do you think to yourself the next time they do this same stupid thing I am going to let them have it?  Do you keep score and not realize it?     Love does not keep any record of wrongs---it forgives---over and over again.

This is not to say you should be a "door mat" and let everyone walk all over you or push you around---anyone doing that is NOT your friend or loved one!  You should love them as Christ does, but you can still avoid them, leave them alone. Protect yourself---but always love them.