Today's guest blogger is Teresa Jones, author of the Christian self-help book, Return to Your First Love.
As a Christian, I oftentimes come into contact with people who have preconceived notions about Christianity and Christians. And my friends who are non-believers sometimes treat me differently or are afraid to offend me because of my faith. I've had more than one good laugh over things people assume about me because of my faith in God, but's not only non-believers who jump to conclusions. Christians can do it too. So, when I heard about Teresa's book, I thought I would ask her to write a post about some misconceptions by and about Christians.
Return to Your First Love is not the typical self-help/relationship book filled with anecdotes and quotes from experts. Readers are invited to sit in the front row to experience actual events that dig deep and expose carnality and misconstrued ideas about Christianity, which will in turn guide them to a path of true intimacy with God.
Author Teresa Jones walks readers through decades of her life, and shares valuable lessons that have been both beneficial as well as costly. Her life experiences will speak to anyone no matter the stage of life. Return to Your First Love is a timely message that edifies, exhorts and encourages in times of uncertainty. Readers will be compelled and encouraged to seek a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Three Misconceptions About Christianity by Teresa Jones
Money is not evil:
Many Christians look at those who are rich and decide that money is evil because of some of the negative and destructive behaviors some of them have. Money, in and of itself, is not evil. The purposes for which money is used is either good or evil. When one compromises to obtain it, the motive to have it becomes destructive. The desire to have it becomes a problem then. Money is dangerous in the wrong hands, and it only messes up a fool.
When money is in the hands of the wise and those of high moral character, money can accomplish great things. He that has the gold makes the rules. I wish more money was in the hands of responsible Christians. One can feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and provide shelter for the homeless. Character promotes a purpose and avoids waste. God does everything with a purpose. If you have no Godly purpose for desiring wealth, God will not give it. For those that say they can get money without God, beware. Satan blesses too.
Holiness is not a technique:
Holiness is not a technique or a method to look godly. No one has ever seen God, He is a Spirit. Therefore, no one has a clue as to what it means to look holy. Holiness is not long dresses and no makeup. Avoiding entertainment such as movies and secular music doesn’t make one holy. However, there are some forms of entertainment that should be avoided. God wants us to enjoy life, as long as it is done within His Will. His Holy Spirit leads us unto all truth. Holiness is a state of the heart. Holiness causes us to treat our neighbor right. Holiness is having the mind of Christ.
Pastors are not super beings:
We are to honor those to whom honor is due. With that said, we should honor our pastors. God assigns pastors to watch over our souls. They are our leaders, our guides, and they model godly behavior before us. Some also refer to them as the angels of the house of God. However, pastors are not to be worshiped. Worship only belongs to God.
In today’s church, the role of the pastor is construed in the lives of some church members. Oftentimes, some perform services to vie for the attention of the pastor. Some want to be known as the pastor’s favorite, which creates competition, and ultimately division within the body of Christ. Without a doubt, a pastor serves a special role in the life of a believer. But, he or she is a believer as well. One day, pastors will have to face God’s judgment like everyone else. Only God has a heaven or hell to put us in.
Teresa Jones is a writer for the Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA), which publishes the award-winning Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT). Teresa is a member of Toastmasters International and the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). Teresa is faithful member of the Apostolic Faith Church, where she serves as a prayer counselor for the Prayer Line Ministry. She and her husband, Alexander, have been married for 16 years and have two children. You can visit Teresa R. Jones website at www.teresarjones.com. You can contact Teresa at teresa.jones@revelation2-4.com.
In 1939 the Germans invade Poland, setting off a rising storm of violence and destruction. For Anna and Jan Kopernik the loss is unimaginable. She is an assistant professor at a university in Krakow; he, an officer in the Polish cavalry. Separated by war, they must find their own way in a world where everything they ever knew is gone.
Anna’s father, a prominent intellectual, is deported to a death camp, and Anna must flee to Belgium where she joins the Resistance. Meanwhile, Jan escapes with the battered remnants of the Polish army to Britain. When British intelligence asks him to return to Poland in an undercover mission to contact the Resistance, he seizes the opportunity to search for his missing wife.
Through the long night of Nazi occupation, Anna, Jan, and ordinary people across Europe fight a covert war of sabotage and resistance against the overwhelming might of the German war machine. The struggle seems hopeless, but they are determined to take back what is theirs.
Night of Flames, How It All Began by Douglas W. Jacobson
A funny thing happened on the way to college. My daughter’s college, that is. In 1991 we sent our daughter off to the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, an excellent mid-size university campus four hours from our home in Milwaukee. It was difficult at first having her that far away, but like all parents of college-age kids we took a deep breath thinking it could be worse, she could be going to New York or California. Hah! Little did we know!
As time passed, a nice young man entered her life, a nice young man who was not from New York or California . . . but from Antwerp, Belgium. And so, the journey began.
As it turned out the young couple got married and eventually moved to Belgium. That was fourteen years ago. If having our college-age daughter four hours away by car was tough, having our newly married daughter an eight-hour plane ride away was a bit tougher. The remedy, of course, was traveling to Europe . . . often.
Now I have always been interested in WW2 history. Over the years I’ve read everything I could, both fiction and non-fiction, about this incredible world conflict which changed the course of human history. As I’ve often said in the talks I give about my book, for an American interested in WW2, spending time in Europe changes your perspective. As an example, consider this: In the memory of most Americans, WW2 began with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. By that time, more than three million Europeans had died in the war. By the time the war ended, four years later, that number would be more than thirty million . . . and eighty percent were civilians.
Over the years, as my wife and I traveled to Europe 2-3 times a year, we developed many relationships, including a very close friendship with my son-in-law’s parents who were children during the German occupation of Belgium. They didn’t talk about it at first; in fact they never talk about it all, except when someone like me-—whom they know and trust is really interested and really wants to know. And, in time, they did tell me about it. They told me about living in the cellar during the shelling of their working-class neighborhood near the port of Antwerp. They told me about foraging for food in the streets then rushing home before the German snipers could shoot them. They told me about the day in 1941 when the Gestapo barged into their home during dinner and took away my son-in-law’s grandfather. Four years later he returned, having walked home from Hamburg, Germany where he’d been a forced laborer.
Much has been written about the great battles of World War Two in Europe, the epic clashes of great armies at Normandy and Stalingrad, in the mountains of Italy and the deserts of Africa. But what has really inspired me were the stories of courage and perseverance of the common people caught up in this titanic struggle. Stories like those of the women and teenagers of the Comet Line who rescued hundreds of Allied aviators shot down over Belgium and Holland. Stories like those of the Armia Krajowa, Poland’s Home Army who risked their lives every day for six long years trying to preserve what little they could of their humanity.
In his book, World Crisis, Winston Churchill said, “When the trumpet sounded every class and rank had something to give. But none gave more, or gave more readily, than the common man and woman.” In those eloquent words lies the essence of what I have tried to honor in my historical novel, Night of Flames.
Douglas W. Jacobson is an engineer, business owner and World War Two history enthusiast. Doug has traveled extensively in Europe researching stories of the courage of common people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. His debut novel, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War Two was published in 2007 by McBooks Press, and was released in paperback in 2008. Night of Flames won the 2007 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD from the Wisconsin Library Association. Doug has also published articles on Belgium’s WW2 escape organization, the Comete Line; Poland’s 1st Armored Division; and the liberation of Antwerp. Doug has just completed his second novel set in Europe at the end of WW2. You can visit his blog at www.douglaswjacobson.blogspot.com.
Joining us today are Bob Brooker and Kaye O'Dougherty, authors of Football is for Lovers. I’m not sure how football and sex are related, but the authors will be able to provide us with some humorous insight, I’m sure.
Welcome to The Book Connection, Bob and Kaye. Why don’t you start by telling our readers a bit about yourself?
Bob is an old saloon singer who, as Bobby Brookes, recorded for RCA Victor and Capital back in the day; Kaye has trouble carrying a tune in a bucket. Even so, after we met at a recording studio on 42nd Street (yes, that 42nd Street), we began a decades-long partnership as Brooker and O'Dougherty, collaborating on a variety of theater, film, TV and video projects, performing, writing, directing, managing, and producing. Football is for Lovers (which can be found at www.footballforlovers.com) marks our debut as book authors.
You’ve collaborated on a variety of other projects, but this is the first book you’ve written together. Why?
Yes, Football is for Lovers is our first book. After years of being an entertainer, Bob's stroke a few years back ended his life on the wicked stage. His light-footed days treading the boards were definitely at an end. And Kaye has never spent a light-footed day in her life. So a book seemed like a good idea.
What do you enjoy most about your collaborations? What are some of the challenges of working together?
Although one of the pluses of the collaborative method is that it brings broader, more diverse perspectives to the table, it is nonetheless true that, at the end of the day, it can only work if the collaborators have the same ultimate vision. That is, to use interior decorators as an analogy, if one wants to do a French Provincial room in shades of off-white and mauve, and the other is more into psychedelic retro post-modern in hot pink and chartreuse, there could be a problem. So even though we fight – a lot! – about how to get there, we always seem to agree on where we're going. Even so, the preliminary fighting before we get to our goal can get a little intense. So I guess our greatest challenge over the years has been not to kill each other.
Tell us about Football is for Lovers?
We thought it was a shame that a cool game like football was apparently causing conflict in a lot of relationships. Val, our favorite bank teller, admitted she didn't know anything about the game, but she still swore she hated football. Well, obviously, if Val didn't know what the game was about, it couldn't really be football that she hated, now could it? A brief discussion of the subject revealed that it was being ignored by her boyfriend from August pre-season through the February Super Bowl that was putting a strain on their couplehood. So we wrote Football is for Lovers as an antidote to what seems to be a rather common problem. In the book, we not only make understanding the game as easy as buttering toast, but also we give you the tools to make football work for your relationship, not against it. Football is for Lovers gives you a whole new way of looking at football that can end the TV clicker wars, spice up your love life, and maybe even get you some M&Ms into the bargain. Not bad, huh?
Where did you find the inspiration for this story?
Football is for Lovers is humorous non-fiction, so there's really not much of a story line. But since it reflects our rather off-kilter view of life, I guess you could say we're our own inspiration. For us, human behavior is a constant source of . . . well, many things. Most of it defying logic. So we can't help but laugh . . . especially at ourselves. And we kind of like the idea of the rest of you crazy humans laughing along with us.
I’m one of those women who dreads football season. Not so much because the hubby ignores me, but because I really don’t understand football and don’t find it very interesting. Can your book help me?
Absolutely!!! It's like the stop action button when you're watching the running of the bulls at Pamplona. And what makes it even easier than the bull thing is that where everybody is running to is more clearly defined. Plus each team wears a different color uniform, so you can tell the bad guys from the good guys. Better yet, you get to pick which is which! We note in the book that football is chess on Astroturf. And at one level, it can be. But it can also be understood and enjoyed at the checkers level. Maybe even the sub-checkers level. In Football is for Lovers, we bring it down to the sub-checker basics. As one of our readers notes, it's nice to learn something and be able to laugh at the same time. If you read the book, you can – and you will!
There’s also some humor in this book. How does it all come together to make football widows happy?
It makes them widows no more! Really, that's the point. Speaking of basics, the basic premise of Football is for Lovers is that sharing is good. And when there's something this easy and this much fun to share – and believe us, it is – why choose widowhood? The thing is, we take the pain out of the learning process. Not only does this book give you sufficient education in the fine art of football so you can follow along with the action on Sunday night, but we've even included some fine art of the more classic variety (two illustrations of works by Jean Dubuffet), plus a Burma Shave sign and enough weird factoids to help you sound clever at cocktail parties. As if you weren't clever enough already. So why be a widow when good times can be yours just by flipping a few pages? Oh, and did we mention there are some rather hot . . . uh . . . relationship tips in there as well? Hey, it's all good!
Will men enjoy this book too?
We think so. Football is for Lovers offers so many one-up tidbits that we're pretty sure most men will get something out of it. We're willing to bet there are facts in there that they don't know. Like Terrell Owens' middle name. Or who the Cleveland Browns are named after. That's another thing: if you know the answers first, these items are great for making bets. We even suggest some interesting pay-offs. Plus the book is well-researched and accurate, and treats the game of football with respect. Because we do.
Where can readers purchase a copy Football is for Lovers?
They can order the book online on our website, www.footballforlovers. There's a direct link to our publisher for shipments inside the United States, plus a link to Amazon for our International clientele.
Besides the links for ordering, the site has excerpts from the book, a Family Album, attire to wear while watching the game (which we explain in some detail in the book), and a bunch of articles. So y'all come see us, hear?
What is up next for you?
We're working on our second book – also humorous non-fiction – He's Not the Guy (God Didn't Do It!). It bothers us when we hear those stories about things like, say, a building collapsing and ninety-nine people being killed. And the sole survivor says, "It was a miracle! God saved me!" So - uh – exactly what does that mean? God killed the other ninety-nine? We think not. And we intend to set the record straight.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Might as well pull out the old cliché: life is short. The thing is, if you have the chance to share something – yes, like football – with someone you love, we say: for goodness sake, do it! Because . . . yeah: life is short.
Thank you for stopping by today. Good luck with your book!
In Distant Thunder: Book One of the Lightning Chronicles, the unthinkable has happened. Iranian terrorists are poised to strike the United States and Israel with tactical nuclear weapons. How will the world respond? More importantly, how will a sleepy suburban Church in America respond?
Ty Dempsey is a young American pastor who finds himself in a trial of grief after the loss of his younger brother to the war in Iraq. During his darkest hours, God brings to life a series of passages in the Bible that Ty had always considered allegorical in nature. They aren’t. With a strong sense of urgency that the message must be preached to his congregation, Ty dares to go beyond anything he has ever done before. Most of his people are intrigued, but others begin to stir trouble. The result is a church conflict that threatens to destroy his ministry. His only reprieve is found in a budding romance with talented and beautiful singer, Blake Sieler.
Meanwhile, Moshe Eldan is an Israeli F-16 “Lightning” pilot who is faithfully doing his duty to protect his increasingly beleaguered nation. But things have gotten more complicated than normal. Beyond the fact that Hizbollah fighters are administering their cyclical rocket attacks across the border of Lebanon, neighbor nations are beginning to act provocatively, even after a Palestinian State has been formed. Worse, his wife confronts him with a startling prophecy from the Bible that seems to be coming true ten thousand feet beneath his wings. Never one to be anything other than a secular Jew, Moshe is forced into a journey toward faith. Then, his Lightning jet is shot down by a Russian Mig 29, and things get suddenly complicated.
Strangely, these two men, from totally different backgrounds and cultures are connected in ways that can only be orchestrated by God. This fast plausible, paced thriller never stops moving, and the end will be shocking.
EXCERPT:
Tel-Abib, Babylon 568 B.C.
The old man kicked at a clump of dried grass, while he wiped away the sweat that was burning his eyes. Just standing in this heat weakened his spindly legs, and a scorching wind seared his lungs. It was the season when relentless summer winds sucked the life out of just about everything in this “Heart of Babylon,” greatest of all kingdoms, center of the universe.
“Bah,” spat Ezekiel, the crusty old prophet. “There is only one King who will lay claim, and it is not Nebuchadnezzar!”
He wasn’t concerned about his words falling on the ears of a stray Chaldean; he was already known by most as a lunatic. In reality, only a handful of his own people actually listened to him. Mostly, he was mocked as a babbling fool, and that only sharpened his frustration.
He was meandering along the eastern bank of the Chebar Canal, alone with his tortured thoughts and nagging regrets. So many hopes and dreams had been piled up like refuse in a trash heap, sometimes he wondered if there was any point in continuing what seemed to be a fruitless ministry. Worse, Ezekiel knew he was nearing his last breath. The reality that he would not see his beloved Jerusalem again weighed heavily upon him.
Stolen away from his homeland by the King of Babylon some thirty years earlier, the prophet had nearly forgotten the beauty and blessings of Judah. Only images remained. Some were pleasant ponderings; others were memories of shattered possibilities. But most glaring were the remembrances of a greater invasion of wickedness that had consumed his people.
He’d cried out fervently while still in Israel, trying to awaken the people to the abomination of it all. Few listened. Wretchedness had been unleashed upon the people, and it came from the iniquities of the people themselves. No matter how passionately he’d challenged the depravity, there seemed to be no power behind his words. None of his pronouncements carried the necessary weight to bring about change. His desire to call upon the conscience of his nation was simply not enough. So, with the heaviness that accompanied a sense of failure, Ezekiel had left prophetic utterance to the prophets, to the few who claimed to have the power.
It wasn’t until he’d settled in the hovel called Tel-abib, situated beside this dirty river, that he first began to feel an odd stirring in his belly. Strangely, it signaled the arrival of a power that would energize his words. It was also when his dreams began to turn dark. He was shown things he, to this day, could not comprehend.
His visions were so horrifyingly real that he’d developed a tremor in his hands, and a slight twitch had become noticeable under his eye. Whenever he shared the dreams and visions, the quaking and twitching became so prominent that people would either discount him as sick or denounce him as a fool. But the inner stirring only intensified until it became a raging storm.
He lifted his head and looked toward a setting sun smeared by distant dust-filled winds. Slowly, his thoughts turned to his once lovely Jerusalem, and it made him mourn. Worse, his wild visions concerned that once great city. Over the last few weeks his waking dreams had disturbed him so much that he’d hardly been able to stomach his food.
Whenever the trance fell, a huge valley would be stretched before him, a valley filled with nothing but dust, dry bones and armor. It was a place of defeat and death, where all flesh had been picked clean by vultures and jackals. Some great battle had been waged and an army had met complete annihilation.
With each repetition of the vision, the prophet would end up puzzled and confused. But the last few times, something different had happened. What seemed to have been a messenger from the Almighty had appeared beside him. The figure was beyond comprehension, yet exuding a sorrowful compassion for the lost people lying before him.
“What do you see, son of man? Describe it to me,” the bronze-hued, light shrouded being commanded.
Ezekiel’s knees were banging together like drums being played at a wedding feast. “I see bones, nothing but bones. Bones separated from one another and piled high. Swords, helms, bucklers, and shields,” Ezekiel answered weakly.
“Can these bones live again?” the being asked. “Can there be life in place of death?”
Ezekiel strained his eyes out over the valley looking for any sign of a survivor, any life at all. Not even a bird remained to pick at the bones. Everything was desolate. With a shrug and a sigh, he let the question stand for a moment. How does one give answer to such a majestic being, when words fall short of holiness and are shrouded in trepidation?
“You know, my Lord, you know,” was the prophet’s feeble reply.
“I tell you, son of man, these bones will live again.”
Suddenly, a swirling wind blew outward from the messenger and passed down the entire length of the valley. It was accompanied by bursts of lightning as it rolled forward in raw, creative power.
A clicking sound could be heard, something far beyond Ezekiel’s knocking knees. It was the sickly pop of bone reconnecting with bone. He looked toward the nearest pile of death and gasped as a soldier was swiftly reassembled, then another. He witnessed a torrent of bones flying as if they were looking for the correct skeleton to connect to. Then, sinew and tendon began to form in joints and spread rapidly over each body. Flesh appeared. Clothing followed it.
Armor flew into place on one lone soldier nearby. The new man took his place among the hundreds of companies who were being formed across the entire valley. Then, silence. The army was standing, living, breathing, and ready to march to war. Sweat poured down Ezekiel’s face as he turned to the messenger.
“I tell you, that which was dead will come to life. My wayward people were crushed under my discipline, but they shall be restored. Jacob shall live again, and my servant David shall be king. I will make a covenant of peace with them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the whole world will see my sanctuary standing in their company forever.” Then the man was gone.
It was the same nearly every night for the last moon cycle. Ezekiel grunted as he thought of how he was getting to the point where he could repeat the words with each night’s visitation.
However, this last part of the vision needed a bit more consideration before he shared it. The people were already raising their eyebrows, no need to confirm his lunacy just yet.
Suddenly, the prophet felt himself driven to his knees by the weight of a massive hand. He was pushed mercilessly downward until his sunburned forehead touched the parched earth he’d been kicking moments before. Then a voice said,
“Son of man, set your face to the north, to Gog of the land of Magog, to the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him…”
You can listen to the Prologue and the first two chapters from Distant Thunder by visiting the author's website.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jimmy Root Jr., has served as an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God since 1982, including service in Nebraska, Missouri, and a seven year term as a missionary in Colombia, South America. Jimmy is the lead Pastor of Family Worship Center of Smithville, a growing suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. Married to his wife Jean for twenty-nine years, the Roots have three grown children.
Root is a 1981 alumnus of Central Bible College of Springfield, Missouri where he majored in Biblical Studies and Pastoral Theology. He is also an alumnus of Southeastern University, Lakeland Florida, where he majored in Intercultural Studies.
A lifetime student of Biblical prophecy, Jimmy is also the Professor of Eschatology, The Study of End Times, for Berean University through the Northern Missouri District School of Ministry. He is a featured speaker at Churches and other venues, and is the host of “The Bible Uncensored” radio broadcast heard on radio stations around the country.
His writings, both in book form as well as his blog, are purposed to be a wake-up call to a sleepy American church that seems to be losing a truly Christian World View. Distant Thunder and its sequels, A Gathering Storm and Then Comes Lightning, will reveal to the adventure/thriller aficionado the reality of the coming fulfillment of Biblically prophesied events. You can visit his website at www.lightningchronicles.com or his blog at www.prophecyalert.blogspot.com. Connect with him on twitter at www.twitter.com/JimmyRootJr and Facebook at www.facebook.com/jimmyrootjr.
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, the unthinkable has happened. Iranian terrorists are poised to strike the United States and Israel with tactical nuclear weapons. How will the world respond? More importantly, how will a sleepy suburban Church in America respond?