Randy Alcorn is a rare author.  He is one who can engage the reader with compelling stories, while providing a deep subject line.  If God Is Good is a timely read because of the hardship the world is facing in this generation.  Today is an important day to tackle the subject of suffering.  There are several books on the market that have the same storyline but fail to attack this age old question at it’s core.  In Randy Alcorn’s characteristic way, he looks at the suffering of this world from an intellectual perspective that is woven with faith.  Perhaps some readers will be turned off by the depth that Alcorn writes, but I feel it is important to dig deeper into this important subject.  The author clearly proves the presence and reality of God in the midst of a suffering world and gives a clear cut resolution to that suffering.  Faith. 

If you are looking to answer the question of evil and affliction. This will be a great tool for your study.

Summary:

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.
In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God–Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.

Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Author Bio:

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

You can pick up a copy at your local bookstore or at www.christianbook.com.  You can also find the book at Random House Publishers.

For a while now Josh has been after me to set him up a website.  Well, I finally gave in.  He has officially started The Life of a Pastor’s  Kid blog.  You can check it out at www.lifeofapk.com.  DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on his blog may not be the same as my views.  Don’t Blame Me:)

Sonya and I have been discussing lately how well Josh has adapted to public school.  I must admit I was nervous how he would handle it, but he has made a good transition from homeschool to public school. 

In a new school it is tough to be new and Christian, but Josh is unashamed of either fact.  This morning, he made sure he got to school early enough for See You At The Pole.  For a student that is a public expression of his faith.  Also, today he had a public presentation in speech class and one of the things he had to address is the one thing that he could not be swayed in and Josh declared that he could not be swayed in his Christianity. 

These are proud moments as a parent, but also a reminder to undergird him in prayer that he always remains steadfast no matter what.

Saturday, we were slumming around the house (or at least I was, Sonya’s always working around the house).  I was in MY chair when I heard a couple of blood-curdling screams.  Hannah is screaming and Sonya chimes in with, “Danny! Danny! there’s a huge snake in the laundry room.”

Now being the man of the house I had a crucial decision to make.  Should I get up out of MY chair?  After all , it was a snake.  Perhaps if I procrastinated long enough it would go away.  But then the thought ran across my mind, “or perhaps it could have babies.”  I got up from MY chair bracing myself for a 6 foot water moccasin or if I evaluated the screams right, I might be facing a 30 foot anaconda:) 

When I entered the room, there it was a HUGE one foot (12 inch) garter snake.  I wrestled it for a few moments before I conquered it and threw it outside.  I could tell by the look in my special ladies eyes that I was their hero. 

Josh then went outside to make sure it was dead.  I know there are good snakes and bad snakes (kind of like cats right?).  Well the only good snake is a dead snake.

Hannah woke up at the crack of dawn this morning, so I took her with me to take Josh to school.  She was in a good mood and we had a little chat on the way home.

Hannah: “Daddy, are you going to stay at the house when we get home?”

Me: “No I have to go to work.”

Hannah: “No!”

Me: “Well I have to go to work honey.”

Hannah: “No, you have to sit down for a little well, so we can talk about it.”

Me: “Okay, we can talk about it.”

At three years old, Hannah is teaching me the longing she has for a little extra time with me.  In her own way she wants to have one on one time to “talk about it”. 

As parents do we value time with our kids as much as they value time with us?  Just sitting around and shooting the bull is more than just chit chat when it comes to our kids.  Chit Chat is valuable time that let’s our kids know we care about them and their lives.

I am a huge fan of the Houston Astros.  I have been since I was a little kid.  I have loved them in good times and in bad.  In recent years, since their World Series try a couple of years ago, the Astros have been slacking. 

When a team begins to go downhill, they look for people to blame.  In professional sports we hear the terms, “we are in a rebuilding season”, “next year is our turnaround year”, and while those things are true, eventually you have to come up with the goods.  At some point you have to actually turnaround.

Such is the case with the Astros.  We have been hearing these phrases the last couple of years.  If something doesn’t change, someone has to make a change.  Today, Manager Cecil Cooper was dismissed.  In his playing days with the Milwaukee Brewers, Cecil Cooper was a hitting machine, one of the greatest in Brewers history.

The first year with the Astros, fans had a love affair with Coop.  He was the greatest thing since cotton candy.  But when the team did not turn around, someone had to pay.  Today was payday.  Every organization has to have a scapegoat and here he was.  I did not care for Coop’s coaching tactics, but it is always easier to coach from my living room than from the bench.  I have often wondered if it is hard to coach a group of guys that make four times as much as Coop did.  Nonetheless, the coach is the guy that goes first.

In business and church it is the same scenario.  Everything rises and falls on leadership.  Yes in the church, we play by different rules, but every pastor should take seriously his or her role of leadership.  As goes the leader so goes the church.  I have often said, we are in a season of revitalization or rebuilding. We indeed are!  Recently though, I have began to seek the Lord for what is after this season.  I want to look ahead to where we are we will be after our rebuilding season.  I can only use the rebuilding phrase for so long.  Somewhere, we must begin building and this is where leadership comes in.

For me as a leader, that leadership begins with being under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  If the church doesn’t continue to move forward, I must seek the heart of God to determine why.  The Bible says that it is His church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.  If we are lined up with God and His Word, growth will come in due season.  Certainly there are different seasons for the growth of the church.  It is following God where He leads us so that we can build the team that He desires.  As the leader of RFA, I want to put our team on the winning track.  I am looking for God to lead us in the ways He has for us.  Let’s build the church!

I haven’t been able to finish this book yet, but so far it has been a great read.  Wilkinson has authored another easy reading, fast moving book.  It is written in the same style as his Prayer of Jabez book, however, You Were Born For This is longer and, I believe, surpasses his first book.

The author challenges the readers to live beyond the normal Christian life and encourages them to change their mindsets.  He engages the reader with stories that can easily be applied to our own lives.  To sum up the challenge, “Live in tune with God and expect him to use you to deliver miracles to others.”

Summary

His New York Times phenomenon The Prayer of Jabez changed how millions pray. Now Bruce Wilkinson wants to change what they do next.

Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by a direct intervention from God. Around the world these acts are called miracles—not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven.”

In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which he is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a “Delivery Guy” from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose, and spiritual growth.

You Were Born for This will change how readers see their world, and what they expect God can do through them to meet real needs. They will master seven simple tools of service, and come to say with confidence, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today—and I expect to!”

Author Bios:

One of the world’s foremost Christian teachers, Bruce Wilkinson is best known as the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Prayer of Jabez. He is also the author of numerous other bestsellers, including A Life God Rewards, Secrets of the Vine, and The Dream Giver. Over the past three decades, Wilkinson has founded several global initiatives, including organizations that recruited and trained thousands of Americans to address hunger, AIDS, and poverty in Africa. Bruce and his wife, Darlene, have three children and six grandchildren. They live outside Atlanta.

David Kopp has collaborated with Bruce Wilkinson on over a dozen bestselling books, including The Prayer of Jabez. He is an editor and writer living in Colorado.

You can order you can order a copy of You Were Born For This at www.christianbook.com.  You can also view a introduction video on the christianbook site.

For many years I have tried to find the perfect formula to lose weight.  The truth is, I don’t want to give up anything in order to lose weight.  I want to eat what I have always eaten and still lose weight. 

I have recently made a discovery that has proved helpful.  Ice Cream helps me lose weight.  Two or three scoops a night of Braum’s Cookies and Cream is sure to help me lose all the weight I need to lose.  You see, for me Ice Cream is my comfort food.  It is like an anti-depressant.  So here is my theory.  When I get down in the dumps I like to eat.  Eating, to me, is not only a hobby but it is a comfort.  Because I eat more when I get depressed, I find that Ice Cream has the tendency to wipe away my worries and foul moods.  If I have less depression, I will  not eat as much.  Ice Cream keeps me from being depressed.

So here it is, eat Ice Cream at least once a day and it will keep me from being depressed which in turn will help me to eat less.  The Ice Cream Diet is the way to go.  Move over Atkins and Maker’s Diet, this is the new fad.

After writing all of that it sound preposterous.  Why?  Because it is ridiculous to think that we can eat Ice Cream all the time and lose weight.  It is an indulgence that has to be kept under control.  My theory that it makes me eat less is my own rationale.  I think that because I want to believe it.  Ice Cream will not cause me to lose weight, no  matter how much I want to believe it will.

In our lives, we somehow think that we can flourish spiritually, with out giving up some of the pleasures of life.  People in our world today, want to be spiritual but they are unwilling to give up their old lives of sin.  They want to go to Heaven but they give the least of the cost to get there.  We buy into the notion that because God desires that we be saved that He will somehow allow us to be saved and still live like we aren’t.  We can rationalize everything.  We can use excuse after excuse of why we cannot give up certain things, but in reality is that what God allows or is it what we want Him to allow?

What is it in our lives that we have excused because it is too difficult for us to overcome?