Recently in Books & Music Category

One of the most awesome worship songs I have ever heard is People Get Ready by Misty Edwards. It is not your average worship song. No ... it is what we call worship music for warfare around my church. I literally get chills when I hear it. It is a lengthy song ... but well worth every second of it. Click the title and come back and let me know what you think.

Suggestion: Listen to it with your eyes closed, let your body feel the beat of the music, and let the words sink into your spirit.

Worship service was so good yesterday. Both services. I loved the song selection and the atmosphere. Sometimes I just wish I could just get off the balcony and go down there with everyone else. I would love to just get lost in adoration for our King. But, I remind myself ... what I do is just as important as worshipping our Lord. My service facilitates the worship of our Savior by the congregation. I am just one. They are many.

I still miss it sometimes.

But ... hey ... I did get a little praise yesterday. We had a guest speaker, H.L. Hussmann. He came up on the balcony for me to set up his powerpoint presentation. After service he complimented me on what a good job I do. I was a bit embarrassed, but it was nice.

Our worship leader says she believes I have a calling on my life for the service I do. I hope that is true. I know I do love it and I love serving the Lord. And, while I admit it is nice to get the occassional compliment and know that I am doing a good job ... I remind myself that it is about the treasure in heaven ... not the praises here.

Anywho ...

I really did enjoy hearing H.L. Hussmann though. He was really good and I am not just saying that because he complimented me either! :) Seriously, I loved his message. You can really tell that he has a heart for evangelism too. He is quite funny and he did a really good job of engaging the congregation.

I was able to pick up his book, God's Greatest Passion, and I cannot wait to read it. A review will be forthcoming as soon as I am done. In the meantime, check out the links in this post. Dude blogs! I love it. Plus ... you can buy a copy of his book.

A group from my church went to the Lakeland Revival a few months ago (June or July). During the week they spent there, I went to another church member's house and we watched the revival on GodTV. I wanted to see if I could catch some of them on TV. Instead, I got to see Catherine Mullins on the stage singing Revelation Song ... one of my favorite songs. She was awesome! She sang and sang and sang. She jumped up and down and still sang. She never missed a beat or a breath.

Catherine Mullins is the worship leader for Coweta Community Church in Newnan, Georgia. All you have to do is hear her sing and you will know she has an annointing on her. Her ability to lead worship is a God-given gift and she has her own CD now! I cannot wait until I get my copy!

Her website is catherinemullins.com. Go check out some of the videos of her posted on her site. She also has a blog too. If you love worship music ... you are going to love her.

I love this song. I love it so much that I have a CD I made with this song on it fifteen times. That is all that is on the CD. When I am on the balcony at church and I just want to worship by myself, I put on that CD. It is amazing how close you can feel to the Lord when you just open up your heart and worship Him.

And, since I said I would post it sometime, here it is! Click the link to download the song. It will only be available for a brief time and then I will remove it.

Last night, Kirk Cameron and Lee Strobel had a wonderful discussion about The Da Vinci Code. They discussed how Christians should take the opportunity granted to us to have a dialogue with unbelievers, and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well, who may walk away confused from the book or movie. Lee Strobel has even come out with two great ways to start those conversations. One is a very inexpensive book that you can give to people called Exploring The Da Vinci Code. The other is Discussing The Da Vinci Code, which includes 4-session DVD, a group discussion guide, and a bonus outreach book. It actually takes you to all the historic locations that are mentioned in the book and separates the fact from fiction. And, as Lee Strobel points out ... only 10% is fact and 90% is fiction. Kirk even brought one of The Da Vinci Code Gospel Tracts, which are a great way to break the ice and witness to unbelievers.

My favorite three words to describe The Da Vinci Code is ... "It's fiction, dummy." Many people are walking away from the movie and the book confused, not sure what to believe. Unfortunately, my way isn't the greatest way to witness to unbelievers about Christ or even explain to them who He is. And, as I came to realize listening to Kirk and Lee last night, this is a witnessing opportunity for all of us. As Lee pointed out, we should be thanking Dan Brown for it! He put the discussion on the table and now it is time for Christians to take it to the next level.

... Satan wants you to believe that Jesus was not the Son of God so he can have your eternal soul ... forever? That is the real question you need to ask yourself, not whether or not Jesus survived the crucifixion. Jesus did, but not in the way Michael Baigent would have you believe in The Jesus Papers.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." - Matthew 28:1-10

And, that comes from the greatest book ever written ... The Holy Bible.

I put up some new music on My Radio.Blog today. Incredible by Mary Mary is one of my favorite CDs. You can find the link to it on my left sidebar under Navigation. When you click the link, it will open in a pop-up window for your convenience. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Just got this and wanted to spread the word:

Sojourners is excited to announce the revised and updated version of Jim Wallis' The Call to Conversion: Why Faith Is Always Personal But Never Private.

Originally published more than 20 years ago, this classic helps establish the theological framework behind the national best-seller God's Politics - and is remarkably relevant and contemporary for a new generation of readers.

If you enjoyed God's Politics, then The Call to Conversion will take you deeper to find the biblical and theological foundations for social justice and peace.

The Call to Conversion offers a prophetic appeal for our times - times marked by a growing gap between rich and poor, shocking images of extreme poverty revealed by Hurricane Katrina, and outrage over a government that spends billions on war while pushing tax cuts for the rich and program cuts for the poor - despite record budget deficits. Where do we find hope? Jim Wallis critiques modern culture and politics, offering inspiring stories and vision to challenge our way of thinking.

"We need a religious revival. And we may get one...the revival that Jim Wallis predicts." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

You can get your copy here.

I got this from Deb and think it is just too cool. Click the link to check out My Playlist. These are some of my favorite videos. I not only like to watch them, I love to dance to them as well and do so all over the house. :)

The playlist will open in a pop-up window.

Just so you know, I totally hated the ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It really wasn't what I expected and it totally upset me. I still cannot believe it ended the way it did.

I just hope that in the next one the situation is rectified. It has to.

Read the first chapter from The Regime, the second prequel in the Left Behind series--exclusively on LeftBehind.com!

From the book The Bible or the Axe ...

"Evil men have used God to justify their own evil deeds since time began! Ever since Cain killed Abel, Satan has been at work spreading hate and division between brothers. Real Christians do not use their faith as an excuse to sin. When a Christian sins, he sins against a holy God. The Bible condemns oppression, cruelty, and hatred in the strongest terms. Read it for yourself and you'll find out."

You can read my review of the book here.