Hosanna Emily's Blog, page 31

Forgiveness: The Willingness to Forgive

          Almost every Christian knows that the Bible says, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44)   It is a commandment that can seem impossible at times. 
     Forgiving your enemy is…hard!  It is difficult, trying and takes a great deal of patience and love.  How can you forgive someone who hurt your feelings?  How can you forgive someone who did wrong against you?  And how can you forgive someone who just doesn’t care?  
     You read amazing stories about people like Corrie Ten Boom who showed compassion to the very ones who killed her family and ruined her life. She said, “When He (God) tells us to love our enemies He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”
    That shows that we can forgive, because God first forgave us.  He can help us.  He will be right beside you through the whole ideal, as He was even before it started. 
     But here is a harder question.  How can we forgive our friends?  Surely, there are people you can think of that fit into that area.  Friends who hurt you.  People that you trusted who turned out not to really want your friendship.  How do you forgive them?
     Here is the answer:
     God
     Ask His help.  Pray often.  And then do it.  Just forgive the person.  Sent him/her an email just asking “what’s up?”  Try to rebuild your friendship. 
This can seem impossible.  I know people who I need to forgive.  And it’s hard!  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.  You need to do hard things sometimes.  Often enough, the offender doesn’t even know that he/she hurt you.  Just forgive them, as God forgave you.  Take the first step in faith.  God will never leave your side to stable you if you fall.  

"Tomorrow You Die" Review

Another book in the International Adventures series!

    Reona Peterson Joly and Evey Muggleton Heckman never dreamed of the adventure and danger that lay before them as they attended a short-term missions school in Switzerland. Then, as the two young women sought God, they began to sense a burden for the mysterious, isolated nation of Albania - a nation unlike any other.In the 1970s Albania's leaders boasted that theirs was the first completely atheistic nation in the world. Closed to almost all outsiders, Communist Albania particularly wanted no contact with Christians. In this nation that had sealed Christian citizens in barrels and rolled them into the sea, preaching the gospel was punishable by death. Willing participants in God's plan, yet unsure of how He would lift their burden, Reona and Evey took the first small steps of faith. Through a miraculous set of events, the two young believers were drawn into the danger and intrigue of being God's undercover agents in a nation that officially despised Him. 
My Review:
     I was disappointed with this book after I had finished another in the series that was amazing. Tomorrow You Die is an interesting read for someone with a heart for Albania. If you are not interested in that European country, then it will probably not grab your attention. There were numerous pages in the book that talked about the history of Albania and how it boasted to be the first completely atheistic nation in the world. Some parts of the book were interesting, but there was not much action throughout the piece. I admired how Reona Peterson Joly and Evey Muggleton Heckman risked everything for the Gospel. The ending was nice, showing the testimony of an individual who was saved because of their mission. I will be reading more in this series...but hopefully they will be written better than this one.

"The Secret of the Swamp King" Review

     As book two opens, Aidan is living in the court of King Darrow. He has become best friends with Darrow's son Steren, and he enjoys great favor among the courtiers. But King Darrow's suspicion is growing and his insecurity causes him to hate the young man who saved his kingdom. Concerned about his king's spiral into ever-darker moods, Aidan asks what he can do to help. Darrow sends him on an impossible adventure to the recesses of Feechiefen Swamp, thinking he is sending Aidan to his death. After all, no Corenwalder has ever returned from Feechiefen alive. But Aidan's fate is not sealed yet for Aidan has allies among the feechiefolk who know him as the hero Pantherbane.

My Review:
      The Secret of the Swamp King is another exciting book by Jonathan Rogers! It continues off of the first book in the Wilderking Series, and it is recommended to read book #1 before this one. This book is as good as the Bark of the Bog Owl if not better! Aidan, the main character, is forced into a situation that he eagerly embraces and sets out for the adventure that follows. There is not a dull part in the book! He is forced to show courage, strength and trust in the One God. One of my favorite things about this book is Aidan's friendship with Dobro Tutlebane! I love when those two characters are together! =)This series only gets better!

About the Author:

    Jonathan Rogers grew up in Georgia, where he spent many happy hours in the swamps and riverbottoms on which the wild places of The Wilderking are based. He received his undergraduate degree from Furman University in South Carolina and holds a Ph. D. in seventeenth-century English literature from Vanderbilt University. The Bark of the Bog Owl has already found a receptive audience among Jonathan’s own six children. The Rogers clan lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where Jonathan makes a living as a freelance writer. The Bark of the Bog Owl is his first novel.

Your Can of Asparagus

 
 Several weeks ago, my father was telling us a story about when he was a child.  He attended a Catholic school and enjoyed the times where they would set up a box in the main room for students to bring their “offering” of a food item.  The food would then be put into their program and then donated to the poor around the city who were less privileged and in need of food.  The reason he said he enjoyed watching as the box for donations was slowly filled, was because of the interesting items given.  Everyone would bring the food from their pantry that they did not want!  They dug towards the back row of cans, where the slimy, canned spinach was, or the can of asparagus, or the expired box of crackers that was probably stale.  You could see all the food that no one wanted being donated to the poor…as if they would want it!
   Of course, no one bothered to notice that the people accepting this food was just like them.  They also had taste buds and food that they did not like.  They probably didn’t like canned spinach, or asparagus.  They would rather have a nice box of something special.  However, they never received it; everyone was too selfish to see beyond their own desires. 
   How often do we do this unknowingly?  How often do you give your afterthoughts to God, saying, “Well, I have time for You for a few minutes, but after that I need to go to this.”  Have you ever done that?  Is your prayer and devotion time just a deliberate motion so you don’t feel guilty later?  That is not what He wants.  He wants you.  Your life.  Your time. Your love.  Why don’t you offer it to Him?  Keep your asparagus.  He doesn’t want it.

"The Bark of the Bog Owl" Review

Here is another review of one of my favorite books ever!!


Twelve-year-old Aidan Errolson comes from a long line of adventurers. His grandparents were among the first settlers of Corenwald’s Eastern Frontier. His father had been one of the kingdom’s greatest warriors. Aidan, on the other hand, lives the quiet, comfortable life of a nobleman’s son. He never has any real adventures, and that, he believes, is the one great injustice of his otherwise happy life. All that will change the day he first hears the bark of the bog owl and meets Dobro Turtlebane. Dobro is one of the feechiefolk—a tribe of half-civilized swamp dwellers who fight too much, laugh too loud, cry too easily, and smell just terrible. But another meeting on that remarkable day may change Aidan’s life even more profoundly. Bayard the Truthspeaker arrives with a startling pronouncement: Aidan Errolson will grow to be the Wilderking—the long-prophesied wild man who will come out of Corenwald’s forests and swamps to lead the kingdom back to its former glory. There’s just one question: Is Bayard the Truthspeaker a prophet or a madman? This initial installment in The Wilderking Trilogy is sure to capture the hearts of young and old, boys and girls alike. Written in the same fashion as The Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Bark of the Bog Owl, as the author says, will help “direct a God-fearing boy’s sense of adventure and warrior spirit – his God-given wildness.” 

My Review:

    Ever since I was...maybe 8, I have LOVED this series, which makes this the 7th year being one of my favorite series!  When I finished the last book in the series, I would want to cry because it was over!  The Bark of the Bog Owl is full of adventure, story twists and unusual characters.  The characters are real, and you learn to love them through the story.  Jonathan Rogers also takes this book an extra step to parallel one of the most exciting adventures in the Bible, to show how it might had felt for the protagonist.  (I will not spoil who the Bible character was)  Though this series might be said to be for younger readers, I still enjoy it, and can't stop reading after book 1.  This series is not only for guys!!
    This book has encourage me to, as Bayard the Truthspeaker would say, "Every great man starts out as a boy.  Every great woman starts out as a girl...Live the life that unfolds before you.  Love goodness more than you fear evil...the One God is with you."  That is how any Christian should live--always trusting in the One True God!
   Here comes the next book! **pulls out The Secret of the Swamp King**


About the Author:

    Jonathan Rogers grew up in Georgia, where he spent many happy hours in the swamps and riverbottoms on which the wild places of The Wilderking are based. He received his undergraduate degree from Furman University in South Carolina and holds a Ph. D. in seventeenth-century English literature from Vanderbilt University. The Bark of the Bog Owl has already found a receptive audience among Jonathan’s own six children. The Rogers clan lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where Jonathan makes a living as a freelance writer. The Bark of the Bog Owl is his first novel.

"Totally Surrounded" Review

     I just finished an awesome book by Christiana Di Stefano Davis!!!!  This is her only published work (that I am aware of), but it is definitely worth the time to read!  Here is my review!



With danger on every side, would she live to fulfill her destiny? 
"I'm going to see Jesus now," the little girl whispered, "and I want to show Him that I suffered for Him, too." Moments later, she was in God's arms... This image, and countless like it, resonated in the heart and soul of Christina Davis as she shared and lived out the gospel in a remote, danger-filled jungle of the Philippines. 

Her three-month mission trip grew into a six-year labor of love. Surrounded by threats from militant rebels, witch doctors, and the hostile jungle, Christina used any opening to proclaim the one true God who had freed her from the prison of her own pain and fear. 

Christina's incredible story is a captivating adventure of how one woman's determination to answer God's call forever changed her own life and altered the destiny of a people enveloped in a web of fear, darkness, and oppression.

My Review:

     I loved this book!  The complete piece is full of stories of Christiana's missionary work to the people of the Philippines!  The real-life encounters range from stories that will make you laugh, cry and then cheer on the main character.  Her courage made me wish for the same in my life.  She was willing and eager to give up everything familiar in her life for God, and she did so!  The story is exciting, touching, and thrilling all at the same time!  AND, it is 100% a true story!  The ending was sweet and sad, but especially stood out to me in two reasons.  (SPOILER ALERT)  The first is that she married the best friend of the nephew of my favorite missionary!!!  And she lives in my favorite state!!  (END OF SPOILER)  This book will encourage you to use your gifts and talents for God, while learning about an amazing missionary.   Please read it!!!  I am looking forward to reading more in the series (International Adventures) and have already started another book!

About the Author:

    Christina Di Stefano Davis heads a nonprofit ministry that helps to fund a Manila Bible college and an orphanage in the Philippines. She and her husband, Michael, live in Kentucky with their two sons, Jake and Trevor.

Introducing My Novel

Hello Readers!
I am going to introduce my WIP novel as a Beautiful Book link-up!  I have been working on this novel since the first of July, however it is still in the writing stage.  So, here goes!

How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?      I came up with my favorite scene last year.  I considered writing the story then, but decided to put it off, and I am now very glad that I did!  I have no clue how I first came up with my scene, but it was something that I thought would be the perfect one for me to write, and now it is in rough draft form. :)Why are you excited to write this novel?      I really enjoy history.  Because this novel is historical fiction, I have LOVED writing it and learning more about the time period!  And...this novel has been something that I have thought about for a while, so finally putting it into words has been pretty fun!!What is your novel about, and what is the title?     My novel is historical fiction during the years of early America.  It is about a girl who lives during those times and what they had to go through.  I don't actually have a title yet, however.Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)    Let's see...Madison is real.  She has problems that she goes through, yet tries to stay trusting in God.  Nektosha is a beautiful girl who just wants a friend.  And the last one I will mention is Edward who is protective and loyal.Which character(s) do you think will be your favourite to write? Tell us about them!  I love writing about all of my characters...I don't have a favorite. :) They are all so different!What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way?     My main character just wants a home.  After moving around, she wants a place that can be her own.  She also wants people in her life that understand her--true friends.  There are many obstacles in the way that she has to overcome.Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)     My novel is set in early America during the settlement period.What is the most important relationship your character has?    My character has an important relationship with her best friend until something happens. (I won't spoil it by saying why)How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?     My protagonist learns to trust in God and that His way is the best way.  Always.What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?     I want my readers to learn the same thing that my characters did:  that God always knows the right ways, and we just need to trust Him.  I want my readers to enjoy my novel, and learn from it at the same time.  BONUS! Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.     One: just sit down and do it...don't forget about it!  Two:  Word wars are nice ways to quicken your pace.  Three:  Set a daily amount of writing that you want to complete.  And stick to it!!!

Changing the World

     Someone once told me, “I want to do something but I don't know how…I want to impact and improve this world.” What if changing the world wasn’t as hard as everyone thought? What if changing the world really could happen…and happen by only the lives of regular girls and boys around the world?      You don’t need to change the lives of everyone around the globe. You can’t. It is absolutely impossible. But together, you can change the lives of thousands, millions, or billions. How do you do that? By touching the lives of a few.     Think of anyone who made a big impact on the globe.     Mother Teresa had many helpers behind her work. Though she did give up a lot for the poor, she didn’t do it alone.     George Washington didn’t win the War for Independence alone. He had armies of thousands of people backing him up.     Abraham Lincoln didn’t win the Civil War. He was only the leader of vast armies of brave hearts who said “we will stand against the evils of slavery and keep this nation together.”     Even Jesus asked His Father for strength to go on and complete His mission! He wasn’t truly alone.     And YOU don’t have to be! Jesus Himself told us, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b) He promised to be with us…all we have to do is ask.

     How can we change the world? By touching the life of one or two people around you! Imagine if you changed the lives of three people. What if those people each touched the lives of three others? And then if all of those touched three more people? After a while, there would be hundreds, no thousands of lives touched! So why don’t you go out right now and make a difference?
Go tell someone “hi”.Give someone a hug.Write someone a letter.Smile at someone.Tell someone that you love them.     Maybe that is all they need for a brighter day. Maybe that would brighten their mood. Maybe that would bring them to Jesus. You never know until you try, right?

     I think Dr. Steve Maraboli put it correctly when he said, “With one kind gesure you can change a life. One person at a time you can change the world. One day at a time we can change everything.”