Gardening Eden

Right in vogue with the new emphasis on going green, Michael Abbate has written Gardening Eden. His vocation as a landscape architect led him to study and see the connection between our use of Earth and the admonition given to Adam and consequently, the rest of us, to care for it.
Genesis 2:15 "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (NIV)

Abbate writes of our need to become good stewards of the earth, just as capably as we steward our finances. "If one of our responsibilites as human beings is to be the gentle gardeners of the earth, we have to steady ourselves, take a deep breath, and face the realities of our planet's health. We have to honestly investigate the condition of our environmental checking account." (pages 62-63)

The author discusses currently headlining environmental conditions. He writes of the interconnections between plants and animals, habitats and man. He challenges us as stewards to take the responsibility to oversee the viability of all the interconnections. A portion of the book is dedicated to various tips for cultivating our earthly Eden. Some are: eat locally, grow your own food, recycle, reduce fuel use, weatherize your house, use biodegradable materials, use less water, etc. Many things a lot of us are already doing, but there are challeneges to go a step further. We are Gardening Eden not only for ourselves, our neighbors, but for future generations.


Published by WaterBrook Press, released in 2009.
This is paperback, printed on acid free, recycled paper, containing 20% postconsumer waste.
I have one copy to give away.
You can find purchasing information here.

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

You know those emails? The ones that sound too good to be true? "Microsoft is doing a survey and if you send this email to 10 people they will track it and send you $50". Yes, you know the type. If you're like me, you head to this site and see whether or not your suspicions are correct.

Pastor Larry Osborne takes this a step further as he sets out to debunk 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe. In a delightful, tell-it-like-it-is, conversational style, he presents ten beliefs Christians tend to entertain. He calls these "spiritual urban legends".

Some of the chapter headings: Faith Can Fix Anything; Forgiving Means Forgetting; A Godly Home Guarantees Godly Kids; God Has a Blueprint for My Life. Osborne challenges the reader to be as the Bereans and check every belief against Scripture.

Careful reading of Scripture can reveal these answers regarding spiritual urban legends:
(pg 19) Faith...is designed to guide us on a path called righteousness...it will take us exactly where God wants us to go
(pg 31) ...It[forgiveness] doesn't start with the wrong that was done to me; it starts with the wrongs that I have done to others.
(pg 60) ...there is little emphasis on the kinds of decisions we commonly stress over. Instead the primary emphasis is on godly character and daily obedience as our pattern of life.
(pg 69) Our job is not so much to find something; it's to become someone---a reflection of his image and character no matter where we find ourselves.
(pg 100) Every trial or hardship calls for the same response: obedience. We are to do the right thing no matter what the outcome.

I especially enjoyed Dumb Idea 9: A Valley Means a Wrong Turn. Osborne divides valleys into three categories; "God Sent Me Here", "I Messed Up", and "Who Knows Why". There are different responses for each situation. Three questions to ask when in a valley are: "Why Am I Here?" "How Should I Respond?" and "What Can I Learn?" Those are questions I've learned to ask myself and encouraged my children to do when in a tough situation. As Osborne states, "There are always lessons to be learned and character to be built no matter what the cause or what the valley."

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe. Are some of these familiar? Have you really studied Scripture to see if it actually says what you *think* it says? You might be surprised.


Larry Osborne is a teaching pastor at North Coast Church in Vista, California.

2009 Paperback published by Multnomah.
Purchases can be made through: www.amazon.com, www.familychristian.com, and www.christianbook.com

I have one copy to give away.

The Treasure Principle and Experiencing the Spirit

Want to get excited about storing up your treasure in heaven?
The Treasure Principle just might give you the push you need.

This little gem is authored by Randy Alcorn, founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries. Based on Matthew13:44, the book evolved after a perspective-changing event when a judgment was held against him for participating in non-violent protests at abortion clinics. By his own choice he relinquished his pastorship so that his church would not be held liable to pay the abortion clinic. Fortunately he and his wife were living debt-free at the time. Because of the judgment he could not legally own any assets, and could not work at more than a minimum wage job. Thus began his journey from earthly to heavenly treasures and increased joy and ability to give as a steward of God.

More information here.




Experiencing the Spirit, by Henry and Melvin Blackaby, is a rich work exploring foundational truths about the gift and the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life.

A few examples:
(pg. 12) "The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is distinctive to the Christian faith. No other religion has anything like it. What believers in Jesus Christ have come to know and experience through His gift of the Spirit brings them into a relationshiip with God that's inaccessible in all other religions of the world."

(pg. 34) "The Holy Spirit must give us the ability to both recognize and respond to God."

(pg. 56) "When it comes to serving God, total dependence is better than talent and
determination."

(pg. 59) "The Spirit brings Christ to be real and personal in our lives...we experience our relationshiip with Him [Christ] through the presence of the Holy Spirit."

(pg. 60) "Pentecost was heaven's gift to enable those who would obey the Lord."

(pg. 72) "For apart from the active presence of the Holy Spirit, there's no possibilty of an individual or a church doing anything but practice religious activity."

Do you want to experience a full measure of life in Christ? Intimate relationship and committed obedience are two characteristics God is looking for. Search out the Holy Spirit and truly find Christ living in you.

Find more information here.

Clutter-FREE Christianity

Ever concerned about your heart condition? Do you wonder if God is really hearing your prayers? Is there something "wrong" in your approach to God and your relationship with Him? Are you ever in doubt or confused as to whether your actions please Him or not?

In this well written and easy to understand book, Clutter-FREE Christianity, author Robert Jeffress cuts to the heart of the matter (pun intended) and provides some answers.

A few gems:
(pg. 5) - "The essence of the gospel is a changed life that comes from a transformed heart"

(pg. 9) - "God understands that the basic issue in life is the condition of our heart. Unless our heart is right, nothing else can be right".

(pg. 21) - "To be like Jesus means to live like Jesus, and that means allowing God to have the final say in every part of life".

(pg. 40) - "...spiritual transformation is a joint project involving God's power and our effort".

Jeffress goes on to describe various "heart" conditions, poses questions, and gives examples to help us knit our hearts to God's.


An excellent book, this is published in paperback by WaterBrook Press.
I have one copy to give away.
You can also purchase it through Random House.