Sunday, May 30, 2010

'Jesus Never Fails' - Reviewing My Mom's Book

My mom just wrote a book. Well this one's been in the works for 35 years. It's about my parents risking everything they had to follow Jesus' call into full-time ministry with Campus Crusade back in the late 70s.

Now as an adult (and pastor) I think they were crazy! But as an 11-15 year-old I didn't know.

They were just my heroes following their Hero.

Last month I read the rough draft of mom's journal notes and stories taking shape into this book. I was struck hard by the intensity. Often I choked back tears at the behind-the-scenes confessions and prayers of what my parents went through learning to trust Jesus to put food on the table, clothes and shoes on four growing kids and let Him shape their young hearts. My, how it shaped us all.

I am emotional still as I think of the legacy they passed on to me in their own broken but faithful way.

Mom tells the stories straight: the good, the bad and the ugly. It's a real story of a real family struggling and celebrating God's faithfulness. The journey has been hard and with much heartache along the way.

But it's totally worth it. For God's glory and fame!

O that more of us would live stories of deep and even crazy trust. These stories are priceless and I'm honored to have been raised by parents that were willing to risk everything to follow Jesus. May the Lord raise up more of us who will trust Him and find out Jesus Never Fails. For our benefit and our children.

I'm helping her get the word out. If you could order one directly from her for $12, she can save you $5 off the publisher's price. I think its worth it to challenge more folks to trust Jesus with their lives in a practical way. Thanks for considering it.
____________________
from my mom Barbara Moon
Jesus Never Fails:Stories of God's Faithfulness illustrate through story after story both the difficulties and joys of living by faith and seeing God provide. These stories are taken from my  personal experiences, a diary I kept while we raised support, and newsletters we sent to friends, family and supporters after joining a faith-based ministry.

Whether you’re learning to live on a budget, struggling to trust God with your finances or a missionary, campus minister or church planter raising support, this short 93-page book will help you see God’s faithfulness. I’m excited about the potential for people to see God’s creative provision when learning to trust Him.

1. Could you help me get in 60 paid for direct-orders? I want to get Jesus Never Fails into the hands of people who could use a break. The retail price is $17 with shipping. But if we can get 60 orders paid at $12 then I can use my author’s discount and ship them at no extra charge!
2. I have no advertising budget. Could you spread the word via email, Facebook or Twitter to people who might want to buy a copy for friends or family members who would benefit from these real-life encouraging stories? Thanks!

To direct-order from me, send a Facebook message--or email to barbaramoon77@yahoo.com and I’ll tell you how to send a check. Thanks so much!
Jesus Never Fails Indeed.

Monday, May 24, 2010

L O S T not a Loss for this Father


L O S T is over.

And I have a few comments. As a fan, as a student of philosophy.And as a father. Mostly as a father.
  • I watched this show with my teenagers. When we started they were 14, 12 and 9 and now they are 20, 18 and 15. And it was worth it. I got a glimpse into the world in which I am sending them to navigate. I also got to see their hearts, share in some drama and philosophy. And it was fun.
  • Reincarnation makes for a sweet 'heaven' ending for a TV show, but it's depressing. Everything in that story we cared about is an illusion? Seriously? Compared to the incomparable, real, actual inheritance of the heaven of the Bible, that was 'making mud pies in the sewer when a day at the beach is offered.' I'm pretty sure my children get that difference and distinction.
  • People who claim that all religions are equal or the same (as apparently do the writers of L O S T) are ignorant or stupid. Putting symbols of world religions in a church building does not mean they agree. The major religions of the world make mutually exclusive truth claims. Don't be naive.
Do I think watching this show L O S T was a loss? No. Am I going to rant about it and preach against it. No. Will I make a point to watch all 6 seasons with my future grandchildren. Probably not.

Those who watch it will enjoy a delightfully complex story. At the end, a thinking person will have a very compelling and memorable view of the meta-narrative of 21st century secular religion. And hopefully we'll be able to kindly, firmly and truthfully critique it and compare it to the meta-narrative of the Grand Story of Redemption.

That is part of what makes L O S T not a loss. I'm raising thinking people. They get it. Jesus' sacrificial redemption is real and effective and not an illusion. Thank God.