WORD up!

In the prophetic books of Joel and Obadiah, we see a fascinating and frightening vision of locusts decimating the land, and another surrounding the Day of the Lord and the judgment of God.  And on the flip side of that coin, we get a glimpse of God’s compassion toward His people, the promise of His Spirit, and the blessing He promises to bestow. These books are such rich and interesting study.   And I was absolutely stopped in my tracks by the message – the warning – from God through Obadiah: TREAT YOUR BROTHER WELL Obadiah teaches that Edom will definitely be judged by God (Obadiah 1-9).   Obadiah spells out Edom’s sins against Judah (Obadiah 10-14).   Obadiah speaks about the judgment of the nations (Obadiah 15-18) and the future blessing for Israel (Obadiah 19-21).   Edom will be completely wiped out for mistreating his brother, Judah.   If you recall, the Edomites were the descendants of Esau.   And Obadiah teaches that they would be judged f...

Today, we’re looking at the Old Testament prophetic book of Amos.  These 9 chapters may seem intimidating, but they pretty short with a profound message about Judgment .  The Sovereign Lord roared, spoke against Israel, and showed Amos.   When we walk away from our time together today, I want you to know The Lord’s relentless judgment of sin is coming: NOW is the time to repent!   Heavenly Father, would you open our eyes and hearts to see and receive what you have for us today?   Would you bring understanding and conviction and humility to the heart of each of us?   Show us something new and mind blowing in Your Word.   In Jesus’ name. Amen.   We have three divisions: 1.The Lord roars: For sins I will not relent (Amos 1-2) 2.What the Sovereign Lord has spoken against Israel (Amos 3-6) 3.What the Sovereign Lord showed me (Amos) (Amos 7-9)   Let’s dive right in to this amazing book of prophecy.   Read Amos 1:1-2 ....

Content ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line ): 1.Amos, vision;L roars/thunders;for sins Damascus relent ;destroy king;sins Gaza relent ;dest king(1:1-8) 2.sins Tyre relent ;consume fort;sins Edom relent ;cons fort;sins Ammon relent ;con fort;king exile(1:9-15) 3.sins Moab relent ;dest ruler;sins Judah relent ;cons fort;sins Israel relent ;trmpl poor,profane nom(2:1-7) 4.hs G drink;dest Am;brt out Egypt;raised proph;u cmd proph proph ;I crush u; esc ;bravest flee(2:8-16)   5.Hear wd L;walk together agreed;L does 0 w/o reveal>proph;L spkn,who can but proph(3:1-8) 6.proclm:assemble;SL:enemy overrun land;shepherd rescues;hear/testify;1d I punish;hses dest(3:9-15) 7.hear;SL sworn;sin;boast;empty stomachs;withhld rain;plagues;u retd Me;prep meet Almighty(4:1-13) 8.Hear lament;fallen;SL:seek Me/live;md Pleiades/Orion;dest strghld;I know offenses;seek good(5:1-14) 9.h8 evil;wailing st/vineyards;woe;d L dkness;h8 ur festivals;let justice r...

First, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Susan May Warren and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Sundown" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “Sundown” by Susan May Warren is Book 3 in the 3-book Sky King Ranch series.   Although this book is part of a series, it would be enjoyable as a stand-alone read.   However, it is definitely more enjoyable if you’ve read the first two books:   “Sunrise” and “Sunburst”. “Sundown” is another fast-paced, suspenseful story with strong characters in whom the reader can invest.   Susan May Warren is a gifted storyteller.   I always enjoy her books and consider each story entertaining with valuable life lessons.   I highly recommend this book.

First, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters and their publisher for sending me a copy of "Targeted" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “Targeted” is an anthology of three romantic suspense novellas:   On the Run by Lynette Eason, Deadly Objective by Lynn H. Blackburn, and Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters.   All three novellas are fast-paced and suspenseful, well-written and entertaining.   The characters are well-developed for such short reads.   All three authors are very talented with developing fairly complex plotlines quickly.   They also tie up those plots quickly and neatly.   All three novellas were very enjoyable reads.   I highly recommend this book for an entertaining few hours by the fire with a nice warm drink.

Divisions ( run-on sentence OK, direct verbiage from Scripture/Principles are Aims for each Division – a truth about God, a truth about man, a truth about God’s relationship to man; a sin to avoid, promise to trust, example to follow, command to obey, truth to believe ): 1.Jonah ran away from the Lord (Jonah 1:1-17) Principle:   There is nowhere you can run to get away from God. 2.Jonah prayed from inside the fish (Jonah 2:1-10) Principle:   Challenging circumstances entice people to pray. 3.Jonah preached and Nineveh believed (Jonah 3:1-10) Principle:   God’s Word changes hearts. 4.Jonah became angry (Jonah 4:1-11) Principle:   Our Christlikeness is revealed by our attitude toward our enemies’ redemption.   Subject Sentence ( 10-word sentence with proper structure showing exactly where you are in Scripture ): Jonah ran away, prayed, preached to Nineveh, and became angry.   Aim (“ To Cause My Audience To…” Know, See, Learn, Underst...

 First, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Amy Lynn Green and her publisher for sending me a copy of "The Blackout Book Club" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “The Blackout Book Club” by Amy Lynn Green is a sweet novel that is a terrific tribute to librarians and libraries and a love of books!  Set during the Second World War, the story of Avis Montgomery and her book club is a story of relationship and connection, and overcoming fear and hardship, and life, joy and love. I really enjoyed Amy Lynn Green’s writing style!  The story is told from the perspective of four “leading ladies,” who are the members of this book club.  Each character has a unique viewpoint from a different town or walk of life, that gives the story a beautiful, rich, life-like thickness.  This is an engaging, enjoyable, deep, contemplative book, not a...