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Book Review - Singularity by Steven James

4/26/2015

Steven James is one of only a couple authors whom I have read everything they've written, or at least published. I can't make a much stronger statement of my appreciation for his writing. Singularity does not disappoint.

This is a well-paced thriller with a nice blending of science and romance as well. This series comes much closer to Science Fiction than his previous series, The Bowers Files. That said, this is still a Suspense/Thriller more than any other genre. If you've read the first book of my series, you'll know that a mix of Sci-Fi and Thriller is right up my alley.

As always, his characters are believable and likable, or despicable as the case may be. There is an edge to many of the scenes, which may prove less than desirable for those who shy away from violence in their reads. This is consistent with his prior novels. So, if you've enjoyed his previous novels, you won't be disappointed with this one.

I am still trying to get used to his use of present tense for the protagonist POV in this series. That said it doesn't detract from the story, though I don't find it adds to it either, at least for me.

I am also reading Steven's book on writing, Story Trumps Structure. Interestingly, there was one section in Singularity that I felt stepped a bit too far from the flow of the story. It was a strange sensation of feeling like I'd jumped books as I read the section that seemed a bit of a soapbox for writing a good story. I'm not sure if I would have felt this quite as succinctly if I weren't reading his book on writing.

All-in-all, this is another intriguing story with a strong message from Steven.

'Till next time!

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Whatever You Do For The Least of These . . .

4/12/2015

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Our mission is to publish uplifting Christian novels in an effort to raise funds to help those around the world in need. I am pleased to announce that so far this year ten more families have much needed clean water. This brings the total for our first twelve months to roughly three-dozen families. That means clean water to drink, better hygiene, improved health, less time spent carrying contaminated water, safety, and even more time for education, for the children of these homes.

Our goal for the Unseen Dominion series is to raise enough funds to pay for at least one community water-well. As you can see from the graphic, we still have a long way to go. I am optimistic that we will be able to accomplish this goal. Not because of our efforts, but because of you. Your involvement in this effort is what makes this goal a possibility. You are helping to fulfill Jesus' call to provide a "cup of cold water" to those who need it most.

If you've been following my blog long enough, you've heard me talk about the challenges of getting momentum as an indie publisher and relatively unknown name in the publishing world. As we prepare to have Restoration's Journey, book two of the series, ready for release this fall, we need your help more than ever. Through the next several months we will make a push to raise awareness of our mission and of our first book, In The Image of Man. Here are some ways we can definitely use your help:

Pray - Nothing "we" do will bring about the momentum needed to get this project off the ground. We need God to lift it up. So, we need you to lift us up.
Read - If you've already read In The Image of Man, thank you. If not, your purchase will help provide clean water and hopefully be a worthwhile investment of your time.
Rate - Click a star. It's that simple. Getting ratings on Amazon helps to put the book in front of more readers.
Review - A quick honest blurb about why you liked the book can be so influential in someone's decision of purchase the book. Shout out on Amazon and Goodreads.
Discuss - Tell others about the book and our mission. Talk in person. Join discussions on Goodreads. Vote for the book in Listopia lists.
Follow - Follow me on Goodreads, this blog, Facebook, or Twitter, to stay up-to-date on my progress with Restoration's Journey.

Thank you for helping!

'Till next time.

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Passion Week - Day 8: The Firstfruits

4/5/2015

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Today’s Scripture Reading: Lev. 23:9-14; Matt. 28:1-10; 1 Cor. 15:20-28

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Where do I start today? There is so much that could be said. But I am going to focus primarily on the Feast of Firstfruits. If you're anything like me this is probably something you haven’t heard much about. However, the significance of the timing of this festival is incredible. God told Moses to tell the Israelites that when they entered the Promised Land and harvested their crops, they were to celebrate by bringing the firstfruits to the priest. He would then wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted on their behalf. This was done after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is important to note that this was not after the High Sabbath but rather the weekly Sabbath. Thus this was always done on the first day of the week.

Now we have the women, including Mary Magdalene and others, coming to the tomb on the first day of the week, and finding the tomb empty. Christ was risen, the first of the harvest of those who have fallen asleep. Christ was the firstfruits just as 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us. Just as we were made dead to sin in Christ, so we were made alive in Christ. This was a day of triumph.

Throughout scripture, God continually used this time of the year to demonstrate a renewed hope for His people. This was true for the nation of Israel, and now it is true for all who trust in Him as their source of Salvation.

Questions for Reflection:

Do you face issues in your life that seem impossible to overcome?
Are you willing to trust in the power and love of Jesus who overcame death itself to be our Firstfruits?
Finally, are you willing to proclaim the hope you have in Him?

ebook available at Amazon

Thank you for joining me for an in-depth look at how the Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits all pointed to the perfect sacrifice offered by Jesus on the cross. I hope you found it both enjoyable and life-changing.

Check back often for updates on my adventures in publishing my book, as well as writing and editing the next one, not to mention all the other fun adventures that may come along.

HE IS RISEN!!!

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Passion Week - Day 7: A Special Sabbath

4/4/2015

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Today’s Scripture Reading: Ex. 12:7-20, 13:3-10; Romans 6:1-23

"The Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work." (Leviticus 23:6-7)

Today I want to look at two things. First, as we see above the 15th of the month of Nisan, the day after the Passover, was to be treated as a special day, in which no work was to be done. This would have been referred to as a High Sabbath, or Special Sabbath depending on your translation. We saw yesterday in our reading, in John 19:31, that John said the bodies on the cross should not be left there during the Sabbath. John notes that this Sabbath was a high, or special, day.

Many people assume, as do some translations, that because Jesus needed to be taken off the cross before the Sabbath, that the crucifixion had to have taken place on Friday, the day before the weekly Sabbath. However, when you study the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, you see that the day after Passover was always a Sabbath, regardless of the day of the week. It was a High Sabbath. Each year, this High Sabbath fell on a different day of the week. Much the way, our 4th of July celebration falls on a different day each year. While it is possible that Jesus was crucified on Friday as tradition holds, what is known for certain is that Jesus would have been placed in the tomb by 6:00 p.m. at the end of the 14th of Nisan to avoid this High Sabbath. As I've said before, the day of the week isn't important. The fact that Jesus was the perfect Passover sacrifice, that is what is important.

The second thing I wanted to look at today is the significance of the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We saw in today’s reading that this celebration was in recognition of God delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt. This was the first day the Israelites were free from slavery to the Egyptians. Likewise, the 15th of Nisan was also the first day after Jesus’ death on the cross. Therefore, for a world in bondage to sin and death, it was the first day of freedom from this slavery.

It is important to remember however, that God did not immediately bring the Israelites into the Promised Land. He first led them into the wilderness. This time provided a period of testing and trials for the nation. Often, the Israelites responded in disobedience and a desire to return to the slavery out of which they had been delivered. It wasn’t until this rebellion was removed from the nation that they were brought into the Promised Land. Likewise, God does not immediately deliver us from this world, but rather He uses our time here to sanctify and prepare us for eternity.

Questions for Reflection:

Do you ever find yourself drawn back to the slavery of sin from which you have been delivered?
Take some time to pray and ask God to forgive your impatience and unwillingness to live as the new creation he has made you.

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Passion Week - Day 6: The Passover (Part 2)

4/3/2015

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Today’s Scripture Reading: Ex. 12:43-47; Mark 15:15-31; John 19:28-37

"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." (1 Corinthians 5:7b)

The Lamb had now been inspected and found to be without blemish. It was the Jewish custom that at 9:00 a.m. the lamb would be led by the priest into the temple and put on display. Notice in Mark 15:25 that at the third hour, which was at 9:00 a.m. Jesus was put on the cross. Then according to Ex. 12:6 the lamb was to be killed at “twilight.” This could also be translated as “in the middle of the evening.” The evening started at Noon and went until sundown, or 6:00 p.m. Thus the middle of the evening would have been at 3:00 p.m. This is when the High Priest would have killed the Passover lamb. Again we see from Mark 15:34 that it was at the ninth hour, or 3:00 p.m. when Jesus said His final words on the cross.

After making the declaration “It is finished,” Jesus gave up His spirit. Incredibly, it was Jewish tradition that after the High Priest killed the lamb he would make the declaration “It is finished.” Even in death Jesus completely fulfilled the requirements for the perfect Passover sacrifice. We find in John 19:33 that because Jesus was already dead when the guards came to break the legs of those who were on the crosses, they did not break his legs but rather pierced His side with a spear to confirm He was dead. We are told in John 19:36-37 that this fulfilled the requirements. What requirements? That the bones of the Passover lamb were not to be broken. God made sure there would be no doubt that Jesus was the complete and acceptable sacrifice for all of us.

Jesus tells us that His blood was shed for many in Mark 14:24. This includes you and me. Isaiah 53:5 tells us that “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Jesus knew the price He would have to pay so that we could be healed. This verse points out that it was not simply His death that healed us, and provided our perfect peace, but also His stripes, His wounds, and His bruises. The beatings, and all the blood shed was for us. The sacrifices of lambs and bulls could only cover up the stain of sin. However, Jesus blood washed away the stains once and for all.

“What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, NLT)

Questions for Reflection

Have you ever accepted the complete and perfect sacrifice He made in your place?
If you have, are you living your life as if your sin needs to be covered by your attempts at sacrifice, or knowing that your sin has been removed and you have been made new by His perfect sacrifice?

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Passion Week - Day 5: The Passover (Part 1)

4/2/2015

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Today’s Scripture Reading: Lev. 23:1-5; Luke 7-22

“This is My body which is given for you ... This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

At this point, it gets more complicated to avoid talking about specific days of the week. There were two traditions in Jesus' day for keeping the Passover one took place on the 14th of Nisan, the other took place on the 15th. Another complication in talking through what-happened-when is that the Jewish day started at sundown, not at midnight as we are accustomed. Therefore, it is quite possible that Jesus both partook of the Passover with his disciples and was crucified on the same day. (Which we would view as two different days.) So it would be wise to view today's post and tomorrow's as Part 1 and Part 2. Let’s take a look at how this day started.

Matt. 26:20 tells us that when evening had come Jesus sat down with His disciples to share the Passover meal together. Just a note for clarification, this reference to “in the evening” could also have been translated “as the evening was completed.” Anyway, Jesus makes the statements that most of us are familiar with, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19b) referring to the bread, and “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:20b) referring to the cup.

Given the way in which Jesus so perfectly and completely fulfilled all of the requirements of the Passover, I believe that He was not only referring to the bread and the cup, but also to His coming fulfillment of the Passover later that day. Most likely when Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of me,” He would have been referring to the celebration of the Passover as a whole, not simply the breaking of bread. We will see later how the Passover was connected to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus’ reference to the bread of which they were partaking has much more significance when viewed in light of the festival that was about to begin.

Questions for Reflection

If God is all knowing, do you think it is more likely that He perfectly orchestrated the events of Christ's Passion Week to align with all the Old Testament events, or that the events God previously prescribed were forward looking to this single pivotal event in history?
Given that God's plans and ways are perfect, are you willing to trust Him enough to take control of your life?

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Passion Week - Day 4: A Lamb Without Blemish

4/1/2015

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Today’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 12:1-6; Mark 12:13-34; Luke 22:66-23:14

“Your lamb shall be without blemish,”

Here we see that the requirement for the Passover lamb was that it be without blemish. They would select the lamb on the 10th of Nisan and keep it under watch until the 14th of Nisan. This gave them time to inspect and observe it for any type of blemish. As we saw Sunday, Jesus was led into Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan. So what was happening between the 10th and the 14th. Amazingly enough, He was being inspected. Look at the words used to describe the discussions Jesus had with the various religious leaders during this time period.

“The chief priest and the elders … confronted Him” (Matt. 21:23)

“The Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him …” (Mark 12:13)

“Some Sadducees, … asked Him” (Mark 12:18)

“One of the scribes … asked Him” (Mark 12:28)

Were all of these religious leaders coming to Jesus to learn from Him? No, they were trying to find fault with Him. They wanted to find a reason to kill Him. Ironically, it was the fact that they couldn’t find fault with Him, thus He was without blemish, that made Him the perfect sacrifice. Beyond these indirect methods of questioning we also see that on the 14th Jesus was actually put on trial to find a reason to kill Him. The inability of the Jewish leaders to produce two or three witnesses that could agree meant that, according to Deut. 17:6, He could not be put to death under Jewish law. However, that didn’t stop them from taking Him to Pilate, and then to Herod, and back to Pilate to get Him condemned.

The final declaration of His being without blemish is found in Pilate’s summary statement in Luke 23:14, “I have found no fault in this Man.” Jesus was the Lamb without blemish.

Questions for Reflection

Are you without blemish, do you have sin in your life?
If someone was to spend 4 days inspecting everything you did, would you want them to make public the records?
God tells us in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned.” This is why we needed someone who was sinless to take our place.

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Book Review - Singularity by Steven James

Whatever You Do For The Least of These . . .

Passion Week - Day 8: The Firstfruits

Passion Week - Day 7: A Special Sabbath

Passion Week - Day 6: The Passover (Part 2)

Passion Week - Day 5: The Passover (Part 1)

Passion Week - Day 4: A Lamb Without Blemish

Author -
Robert Roush

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Categories

Book Review - Singularity by Steven James

Whatever You Do For The Least of These . . .

Passion Week - Day 8: The Firstfruits

Passion Week - Day 7: A Special Sabbath

Passion Week - Day 6: The Passover (Part 2)

Passion Week - Day 5: The Passover (Part 1)

Passion Week - Day 4: A Lamb Without Blemish

Author -Robert Roush

Archives

Categories

Author -
Robert Roush