Miraculous Movements

Miraculous Movements is a brief account of a church planter in West Africa. He explains the miraculous explosion of the church among Muslims, even in strongly Islamic areas. The author attributes this success to the church-planting method used, which uses both relationships and a certain type of Bible studies. In the interest of full disclosure, I am not in a position to personally judge the effectiveness of these methods. I do not encounter Muslims, nor am I in vocational ministry, though I do have a church background. I requested this book from Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze program (a free book in exchange for an unbiased review), because I wanted to understand that area of ministry better. The methods proposed by this book are Biblically sound and presented as an alternative to some “traditional” methods, but does not set out to bash others. It then provides examples of what this looks like in practice and the outcomes. One of the ironies of this method (acknowledged by the author) is that an emphasis on community faith instead of number of converts actually results in more converts. I was also surprised by the hunger for God in the Muslim world, thought I suppose people who are already attempting to follow God are more aware of his absence then those who don’t even try. I also appreciated the brief appendix with an outline of the discipline method. It has the potential to be used in most contexts, with no culture-bound practices. I would recommend this book for people who are involved in missions, even if it’s just community outreach in your small town.

Giveaway: The Song of Albion Trilogy

So, the blog Starcraft is running a giveaway! Here are the rules.

1. Start inviting people through Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc...
2. Repost this blog post to your own blog
3. Follow it yourself!


Good luck, my loyal followers, family, and friends.


PS: no special treatment will be given to his acquaintances, family, or friends.

Giveaway: The Song of Albion Trilogy

So, the blog Starcraft is running a giveaway! Here are the rules.

1. Start inviting people through Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc...
2. Repost this blog post to your own blog
3. Follow it yourself!


Good luck, my loyal followers, family, and friends.


PS: no special treatment will be given to my acquaintances, family, or friends.

Free Ebook

Anne Elisabeth Stengl's debut novel Heartless is now avaliable as a free Kindle ebook for a limited time. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel as a prime example what a new fairytale could look like.

Tumblr Repost: Why do I do this to Myself?

So, I really shouldn’t be watching School Reunion when I’m already in a bad mood, not to mention it’s only three days away from the first anniversery of Lis Sladen’s death…but…but…

You know what really makes this better? David Tennant was a fan of classic Who. When he was a little boy hiding behind the couch, the companion he was watching was Sarah Jane Smith. And School Reunion was in the first “block” of episodes he filmed as the Doctor. In the forward he wrote for Sladen’s autobiography, he says “it was the realisation of a childhood fantasy I never imagined that I would entertain.” So that moment where she walks into the office with Finch and he looks up with that expression on his face….

That’s David Tennant with his childhood hero. Just like Time Crash is Tennant fanboying the Fifth Doctor. And his last appearance as the Doctor was actually on the Sarah Jane Adventures episode “The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith.” True story. I know Ten loved Rose in some way, but the Doctor—any Doctor—always has a place in his heart for Sarah.

Some things are worth getting your heart broken for.

He Chose the Nails

I requested this book with Easter in mind, thinking it might make a good reflection for the week. Although I had to wait to read it, the message is still timely—perhaps more so for reminding us that the cross is significant no matter what the season. Max Lucado’s writing style is engaging, easy to read and rich with details. It felt like a series of movie close-ups, each moving focusing on a different detail: the vinegar-soaked sponge, the torn robe, the crown of thorns. I had to force myself to slow down, to focus on the significance of each element.
While other Max Lucado books focus on challenging circumstances or lessons to be lived out in the Christian walk, this book serves more as a devotional to those who want to see the cross with fresh eyes. It’s too easy to ignore that the cross was an instrument of prolonged, agonizing execution (the word ‘excruciating’ literally means ‘out of the cross’). While I would not recommend this book for children, I think teenagers could read this and walk away with a greater understanding and appreciation of what Christ suffered for us.
I received a free copy of this book through Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program but was not obligated to write a positive review.

So, readers of this blog might just have noticed that I am an avid Whovian. And as season seven is currently filming in New York, a lot of pictures and video clips have been surfacing online. Including this one: essently a half-minute clip of someone walking past pigeons in a park. It doesn't reveal anything about the plot, the character, or anything, really. It's meaningless. But it's a sneak preview of something that will be awesome.
One part of me said that this takes obession too far, watching a short clip of someone doing something others do countless times a day just because he's in a tv show, but as I sat down to type this up, I had another thought. Maybe it's an example, not of how derranged fans can be, but of how obessed believers should be. We should want to spend every chance we get with Christ, study him and become more like him deliberately, because of who he is and what he has done and will do.
Or maybe my synapses have completely broken down and overanalyze everything...

Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame

As a fan of fantasy, I am always looking for more clean, well-written books, and Facing the Hunchback delivered. The intriguing premise will delight many a book devote into discussing what they would do in a similar situation. Appropriate for upper elementary kids, this book has only a few frightening moments, some of which will be softened for those who haven't read The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Reminscent of the Inkblood series by Cornelia Funke, I find this series an enjoyable read for fantasy fans of all ages and eagerly await any sequels.
Releases May 1