Posted by admin on Jun 12, 2009 in
Reviews I know, I know, it’s been too long. You’ve most likely forgotten I’m doing this – so have I.
It’s not that I’ve stopped reading or stopped having opinions. I’ve been reading some incredible books and Strang Communications have sent me three more to review. I’ve also read and commented on a few books for writers, but they haven’t been appropriate for this blog. I really don’t want to chop people up with my comments – especially considering my latest booklet is called “How to Judge and Not Be A Jerk”. (Yes, I’m working on a new bookstore for that).
We’ve stopped having a store at www.EmpoweringInspiration.com and it’s become a blog for practical advice to live out the Christian life. So the links I have on previous posts won’t work (my bad).
Anyway, I made a commitment to use Fridays for this blog… about three weeks ago. And today the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since I answered my last email and in a few minutes I get to take my beautiful bride out to lunch, so this will be quick….
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). Miracles in your life demonstrate the nature of God. Each story told of breakthrough carries the potential to release the power of Jesus into a hopeless situation. When we share what God has done, it causes faith to explode as the testimony prophecies His desire to do the miracle again! In Pastor Bill’s new book, “Release the Power of Jesus,” you will discover how to: Encourage those around you; Leave a legacy of God’s work in your life; Live under the influence of His mighty presence; and Release the Kingdom everywhere you go. Learn how your personal God stories will set your world on fire as you release the power of Jesus!
As a speaker and a writer I have noticed that good speakers often write poorly and good writers rarely can captivate an audience. I’m really insecure about asking for comments about which camp people think I fall into – do I write poorly or can I not preach my way out of the proverial paper bag? I don’t want to know today… maybe not ever.
But it’s people like Bill Johnson who give me hope that the dichotomy I’ve noticed isn’t a given. Bill’s strength is preaching, but his writing is not poor. You experince his wisdom and feel the presence of the Spirit on the pages of his books. Release the Power of Jesus isn’t the most motivating book of Bill’s I’ve read – but the message is essential to what the Spirit is saying to the church today.
Bill’s wisdom points out truth in actions we may not have considered as important. He has the ability to get you to say “Is that really what it means?” and then when you examine the Scripture in context you realize a hidden gem that you’ve overlooked the many times you’ve read that passage. His teaching on testimony has revolutionized how we use it.
I’ll let you read the book to understand the wisdom Bill brings to the message, but as I understand “The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy” it means when we talk about the good things of God, we invite Him to do it again. When I pray for people’s healing, and I can tell them a time when someone else was healed, we often see them healed as well. When I talk about what the Father has done it happens once more.
I don’t want to share more of the message, and I do really need to go pick up Kaz, so I’ll just say, I do reccomend that you not only read Release the Power of Jesus but live it out in your life.
T H Lund
Trevor Lund
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Posted by admin on Jun 12, 2009 in
Reviews I’ve just finished reading The Ultimate Treasure Hunt by Kevin Dedmon and would love to share my thoughts with you.
A guide to Supernatural Evangelism through Supernatural Encounters
The Ultimate Treasure Hunt leads believers into a supernatural lifestyle of Kingdom building. Author Kevin Dedmon captures the heart of witnessing and personal evangelism through his taking-it-to-the-streets ministry where healing, miracles, and deliverance are regular occurrences.
Based on biblical principles and personal testimonies, you will learn how the simplicity of hearing a word of knowledge from God leads you to clues for the treasure hunt.
Witnessing the love and saving grace of Jesus does not need to be invasive or argumentative; rather, it is a supernatural encounter when God reveals Himself in a specific way.
The fun begins when you read the step-by-step guidelines for embarking on a successful, fulfilling “treasure hunt.”
I heard about “treasure hunts” a few years ago and even took some people to the streets with the little knowledge I had of them. I am convinced what Bill Johnson says is true “Without power, the gospel is not good news.” I’m Canadian and we still have a bit of a social more not to talk about “religion”, so sharing your faith on the streets is not comfortable for me and or my “mark”.
A treasure hunt removes the guilt to witnessing and instead offers the treasure an opportunity to connect with the living God who loves them. How much fun is that? It brings power to evangelism and lets love rule the day. How cool is that? It let’s God be God and us be cheerleaders. How tough is that?
I don’t want to give it all away. Get the book, it’s well worth the read – but only if you at least try the adventure with a group of friends. You’ll be brought to tears and laughter. I know I was.
Trevor Lund ExpectancyMinistries.com
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Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 in
Reviews I met Bob Cornuke in Wellington New Zealand… well, I almost met him. I was waiting to talk to him about his book when I found out my car was locked into parking space when the office beside the church let out. No one is in downtown Wellington after the close of the business day. I had a bit of an adventure on my own.
Before I knew I would be trying to get the attention of a relaxed security guard, I watched with the rest of those gathered, this newly released video. If you haven’t seen “The Search for Mt. Sinai” I’d highly advise you pick up a copy and check it out.
The split rock is the most amazing thing for me… well the burned mountain top is pretty cool as well. Check out this clip…
Search for Mt. Sinai is an exciting adventure for the family. Explorers Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams take an incredible expedition into the blistering heat of the deserts of Saudi Arabia to investigate what many scholars believe to be one of the greatest discoveries in history the real Mt. Sinai, the holy mountain on which Moses received the Ten Commandments. As part of the Bible Explorer Series, this DVD documentary tells their amazing story of how they crawl into forbidden military installations and use night vision goggles to avoid being detected. Their risks pay off, as they discover over a dozen significant remnants still remaining, including where the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, the altar of the golden calf, and the split rock of Horeb. The explorers embark on a journey that will change their lives forever and find remarkable evidence that confirms the Bible as historically accurate.
I appreciate the fact there is no claim that this is the real Mt Sinai. But when you take a look at the evidence… wow, both my daughter and I want to take a trip to Saudi Arabia.
Pastors, get this for Bible studies. Students of the Word, take a look at it to make it come alive. Curiousity seekers, see what it could lead to.
It’s true, when I grow up, I want to be Bob Cornuke. So support the work of the BASE institute and check out what they’re up to next… they did find evidence for the shipwreck of Paul. But that’s for another review.
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Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 in
Reviews 
When I sat down to think through this review site, something came to me quite quickly.
Books take time to read. DVD’s are less of an investment.
But more imporantly, I realized I’ve been purchasing DVD’s that will help me motivate people to positive change. Hey, using clips in a message is like quoting a book. It gives credit to the right person, and encourages people to support the artists.
Now Mark Gungor’s Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, is not something you want to use clips from. When you buy the DVD’s there is a note telling you how to get the rights to show it in a church. Do this pastors – it’s easy enough to do, and it helps to support more projects like this that are a valuable resource to followers of Christ.
Now there are clips all over the web, so I thought it would be fun to show you one of my favorites so you’d get a feel for the tone and style of most of the DVD’s.
Kaz and I took the time to watch the DVD’s over a couple of weeks. It opens up discussion beautifully. It’s couple time to invest in your relationship… and trust me, the investment is worth it.
It’s not a systematic approach to counselling. Sometimes your laughing so much you need to think hard to remember the point. There were moments I wish he gave a 10 step plan – especially explaining how he “slow roasts” his wife, since he’s “the initiator. But what you glean is powerful and it’s best feature is opening up discussion points between partners.
That’s easy to do when your laughing.
Kaz and I are both excited to try his Flag Page Test to help us define what we truly love about life. I want to know Kaz’s 5 love statements. Maybe I’ll write about it after we try it out. I’m intrigued with his assertion that what is wrong about counselling is that we try to fix what’s wrong, instead of building on what is right. He’s on to something there.
So, as you can tell, I highly recommend Mark Gungor’s Laugh Your Way to A Better Marriage Pastor’s show it in your churches. Couples, get a copy to enjoy in your own home… OK I’ll leave you with another video clip from it… enjoy.
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Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 in
Reviews As I’ve written before, I started this review site to review books. But I’ve found I have a number of DVD’s and the time it takes to watch a DVD and form an opinion on it is much less than it is to read 600 pages of a novel. So today I’ve reviewing Darren Wilson’s Finger of God.
I first heard about this DVD from watching an episode of Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural and after a little searching, I was able to find that episode on YouTube. What I heard, made me really want to watch this documentary.
Here’s the advertising copy for this DVD.
Hundreds raised from the dead. Manna appearing in the Pentagon. Gemstones fallling from the sky. Teenagers healing perfect strangers on the street. This isn’t old time religion. This is a new beginning. A spiritual revolution. This is the Finger of God.
Prepare to go on a dizzying journey around the world – from the streets of Northern California to the mud huts of Africa; from the undergound church in China to the Gypsies in Eastern Europe – you will be challenged and encouraged by the extraordinary things God is doing in our world today. Born out of filmmaker Darren Wilson’s personal journey of two years and hundreds of hours of footage, Finger of God will show you a world you never knew existed. A world of hope and courage. A world where God’s fingerprints are found in the unlikeliest of places.
So since you’re entitled to my opinion, what did I think about Finger of God? First off, the film does get a little long at times. But that says more about my attention span than the content – my attention span is not much more than a gnat. And Darren starts off with the things that happen that are hard to explain, and really – I believe – God gives us to make us wonder.
That being said, here’s why I love it. This is a record of Darren’s journey into the supernatural. He poses questions that seem obvious when he says it, but they are questions I’ve never considered. He also follows some amazingly weird people around… I like amazingly weird people. He’s got rare historical record from China, and I’m a big fan of history and remembering it. He’s got normal people doing supernatural things.
My favorite line in the movie is spoken by a “dead guy” telling his story. I won’t give away the details but I’ll give you line the police man asks… “How can you forgive someone who has killed you in this way?”
That’s an unponderable that brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it. I’m using that clip when I talk about forgiveness this Saturday.
Are you someone who wonders if God still does miracles today? Watch this DVD
Are you needing encouragement that God is still good? Watch this DVD
Are you feeling the need to allow God out of the box you’ve put Him in? Watch this DVD
Do I recommend it? Oh yah. I think I’ve just convinced myself to watch it again.
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Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 in
Reviews The Shack
by William Paul Young
Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.
Have you heard the controversy around this book? Chuck Colson, John McArthur, Mark Driscoll are all on record as completely misunderstanding what a novel means and acting like complete religious nuts. God bless them… Google “Pastor Bob” and “Stay Out of the Shack” and you’ll hear Pastor Bob say “Just because it works, doesn’t mean it’s right.”
I’ll end up saying, “By their fruits, will you recognize them.” But let get on with the review.
I really have mixed feelings about this book. I have no problem with the theology presented. My God is big enough to be more than I can imagine, so being shown as an African-American women is not out of the scope of possibility. I can’t accept any description of Him as sufficient, so why is Aunt Jemimah any more offensive than Santa Claus, or probably closer to the mark for some of the critics – Zeus? 
The other huge criticism is that the main character cusses out God. And how can you do that when you stand before a Holy God? If that bothers you, stay away from the Psalms, avoid Lamentations, never read Job. In our sanitized English translations, those complaints seem spiritual. They don’t have the same language the MacKenzie uses, but the sentiment is Biblical. And if these church leaders don’t recognize that… well I really feel sorry and am praying for their spouses. It’s legitimate for us to pour out our complaints to God in private. When we don’t we’ll take it out on those closest to us.
I don’t have theological problems with the Shack - so label me a heretic and move on.
Or read a little more and hear what I have to say.
I love the fact that this book is self-published. Sure, Paul is quick in interviews to point out that his friends started this publishing company, so technically it’s not self-published. Technically, OK. But when you have no advertising budget, little distribution, and zero publicity… it’s self-published. And it’s great to see 4 million copies sold. Hope it helps people to consider letting us help self-publish them at ImaginePublishing.com
I’m torn about the book, because
a. the writing isn’t that good, and
b. it’s sold 4 million copies.
I need to explain the first part. I’m a writer, and love writing fiction. I have yet to publish a novel, but it’s coming. I’m studying the craft, and like to learn from writers I like to read. I enjoy writers who show and don’t tell. As a reader, I want to draw conclusions myself and I want to be surprised by the twists.
This book is mainly a series of conversations. It’s “tell and don’t show” and as I writer I have huge problems with that.
But when I think about what the book contains, as a writer I don’t know how I could show the truth that comes through those conversations. So I admit I need to be more generous with Young’s format.
Two things have happened since I’ve read the book that has made me take another look at it. The first was I saw an interview he gave on Canadian TV. I spent some time trying to find the video of the interview, but couldn’t. If you haven’t heard him, here’s a comparable interview he gave, but he didn’t mention what caught my attention with the interview I heard.
In that interview, he responded to the question “What was the low point in your life?” with the answer “The day my wife confronted me about a three month affair I was having with her then best-friend.”
Suddenly the questions in the Shack made more sense. Here’s a softer interview he gave it’s still good to know where he’s coming from.
The second thing that has happened is that I’ve met people who have started dealing with the junk in their own lives after hearing Paul’s story and the message of the Shack. And this is where “By their fruits will you recognize them” comes into play.
Lives are being changed by this story in conjunction with Paul’s personal story. It’s a message of reconciliation. Since God’s given us that message of reconciliation, why are we saying really ignorant things like “Just because it works, doesn’t mean its right”?
Get to know the love of the Father, and if you think you alread do, make sure you’re showing it to others. I don’t care if you have a name like Colson, McArthur, Driscoll, or even Pastor Bob – quit judging someone else’s servant.
Good thing I’m fasting from negativity.
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Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 in
Reviews 
T H Lund
OK, I admit it. I’m a bit of an addict. Social networking, blogging and setting up websites are a lot of fun for me. If I remember, I’ll put my links on this page for you to connect with me online. I have a random thought blog, a podcast, a theological blog…. and now I’m setting up this blog to review books and another to give advice for online options.
My business coach has got me into better scheduling my time, and I’m thrilled to see that I have time to post to this site about three times a week. If I can really get motivated, I’ll set it up to have a lot of reviews to post straight out of the gate. There is a lot to review at www.EmpoweringInspiration.com and I’m happy to get after it.
hmm… maybe I should be reviewing websites as well? Ah, better just get on with creating better ones for business, ministries, and writers through www.AskandImagine.com – if you want to do your own, check out our newly revamped hosting company www.IntegrityOnlineServices.com
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Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 in
Reviews Our daughter Taya is a gifted writer. When I read this review she wrote for her class, I knew I had a partner for this site. She puts more into it than I would, but she’s asked if in the future she can do a little less. I’m OK with that. This book is not available at EmpoweringInspiration.com but there are many other books for young readers and teens available for you.
By Taya (age 10)
Freedom Crossing by Margaret Golf Clark has 148 pages and is a book about people set on helping slaves escape to Canada. When Laura Eastman, a headstrong fifteen year old, is brought back to her home after living with her Aunt and Uncle in Lewiston, New York, has no clue what will happen.
During the dark, cold night, a mysterious knocking comes from the back door. When Bert, Laura’s thirteen year old brother, went to answer it, she sneaks down after him. Joel Todd, a friend of the Eastman’s, and the midnight visitor, brings Martin, a twelve year old slave trying to escape. As Laura eavesdrops on their conversation, she finds out that Bert and her Dad help slaves escape with an underground railway. Having the duty of safely bringing Martin to the river by twelve o’clock the next night, can Bert do it without his father’s help?
After being forced to let Martin stay, Laura refuses to let him stay in the “secret room,” hidden under the floorboards of her bedroom. The next day, Martin is rushed to a wardrobe, to hide from the slave catchers searching the Eastman’s home. Just as they start climbing the stairs, Bert drags Martin to the secret room. By the time the floorboards and rug were back in place, the slave catchers had already thrown everything out of Martin’s former hiding place. Questioning, the slave catchers left empty handed. With another knock on the door, a strange note in a code is sent to the Eastman’s house. Mrs. Fitch, Laura’s neighbor, came carrying bad news that Mr. Todd had been arrested for helping slaves, and Joel was being imprisoned in his own house. Who is the mysterious code from? Will Joel escape from home? What will happen to Martin?
I think Freedom Crossing is interesting and full of drama. Laura makes everything dramatic, from bursting through doors to throwing books against walls. Even refusing to help abused slaves like Martin. I also think Laura is stubborn and headstrong, since she fights until she gets her way. Margaret Golf Clark made the book very descriptive. She describes simple things, like the glow of a lamp to Sally, “the fastest horse in town.”
I think grades three to six could enjoy this book. If someone younger read it, they might not understand the concept of how awful the blacks were treated and how some white men tried to help them. Anyone who believes in freedom, and likes drama and adventure, should read Freedom Crossing by Margaret Golf Clark.
****
Four out of five stars
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Posted by admin on May 27, 2009 in
Reviews 
I don’t know how I get myself into some things. I was minding my own business on Twitter, trying to answer questions people posed and be an encouragement where I can, and a tweet caught my eye. Strang Communications was looking for people to comment on their latest book by Brian Zahnd called “What to Do On the Worst Day of your Life“. Since I was in the middle of encouraging people to live Life Above the Negativity and what I saw of his thoughts coincided with many of mine that I share in “Life Above the Negativty – from 10 minutes a day” and also in our daily emails for 40DaysFromNegativity.com I volunteered to have a look at the book, interested to see more of what it says.
Here’s a video explaining the story…
So, after getting to read a pre-published version (how cool is that? I mean I do it all the time at ImaginePublishing.com, but this is the first time for a publisher that I don’t own) here’s what I wrote them about my thoughts about Brian Zahnd’s What to Do On the Worst Day of Your Life
Brian has captured a timely and effective message that is timeless as we will always have trouble in the world. Trouble is going to come. Jesus predicted it. Paul promises it for people who marry.
We need to know how to deal with with. Pastor Zahnd provides proven strategy that recognizes the devestation without being defined by it. Tracing the worst day in David’s life, he gives us strategies, tools and permission that make it possible for us to enter into our destiny.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, because all of us have people we can encourage and all of us will one day need the encouragement this message provides.
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Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2009 in
Business thoughts,
Reviews I knew I had something important to share, but I got to blogging reviews and looked at the clock. I need to be out the door in a couple of minutes and I worked through my work out time. I know, when I have so much fun sharing my opinion, I forget to look at my moleskin to see what I had planned for today.
That what it was… I wanted to share an opinion. I wanted to tell you once more about how cool God is. I see it in the connections He gives me.
So someday this week, I got to thinking I needed to research an article/video/podcast/press release submission site to develop. I’m sitting on the perfect domain name and these are services I need. I didn’t want to be paying too much monthly and see little results. I found many of the scripts and a lot of the features I wanted. But who has the time when you already have ImaginePublishing.com, AskandImagine.com and ExpectancyMinistries.com? I wanted this service to grow these businesses. I knew there would eventually be a conundrum.
So imagine my surprise to come across a new site that offered article and video submission, and I could try it out for $1. I checked the monthly rates following and it was only $17 – more reasonable than setting up a new site for myself when I really didn’t have the time. It was through Paypal, so I knew I could cancel at any time.
So through a series of circumstances, I’ve met the owner. Love his bigger picture. See he’s a guy with integrity. So I can’t help but recommend you to http://www.downloadsuniverse.com. If you want a higher page rank for your site (and you do, if you want traffic) you need to have backlinks to your site. You can get high quality ones but producing high quality content and submitting it to high PR sites. DownloadsUniverse.com helps simplify the process. Check it out. I like what I see.
Tags: answers, blogs, connect, PR, sites, traffic, writing
