just. do. something.

I feel so liberated right now. Set free. Released. (You get the picture.) All because my perspective was changed by a short, little book....

All throughout this senior year of mine, phrases like "waiting on the Lord" and "the will of God" have seemed to repeatedly keep popping up. Chances are, they've popped up in your life every now and then as well. As soon as things become a little uncertain, that's when "God's will" becomes ever so important to us. And, boy, have I been uncertain a lot lately!

With so many "life-altering" decisions coming up (i.e. college), I wanted to be certain that I was making the right choices. I knew God had a plan for me, but I didn't know what it was. Many days were spent pleading with God to show me His will and stressing over decisions. After months and months, I still didn't have an answer. Why was nothing clearer? Didn't God want me to make the right choice?

And then everything changed.

No, I didn't get a sign from God. No, He didn't reveal His entire will to me. But I discovered that I was in bondage to the idea that I had to find "God's will" for every decision in life. I was held back by the fear that I would make the wrong decision. I was looking for clear, distinct, unmistakable direction for my life; but that's not always how God leads.

Let me just cut to the chase: I read this really awesome book called Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung that totally changed my perspective on making decisions and seeking God's will. Trust me, this book is liberating. Because my attempted explanations to describe this liberating approach to finding God's will could never do this book justice, you will just have to read the book yourself.

I discovered that God's way is not to tell us every detail of our lives ahead of time. God's way is to grow our faith by having us constantly rely on Him. God's will happens not when we "let go and let God," but as we trust God and get going! Honestly and truly, this is one of the best (and most needed) books I have read. This is a book I will be recommending to all of my friends!

Final thoughts? JUST DO SOMETHING. And read this book.

"Trust God and do the next thing" -- Oswald Chambers

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The Hunger Games - A Christian Review

I just devoured the first two books of the Hunger Games. (Pun intended.)

Riveting. Spell-binding. These books are page-turners for sure. But there's just something about this series, something that really sickens me. Honestly, I don't really know what to think about them. While I like the action and I like the suspense, there is definitely something I don't like about these books. I just haven't quite pin-pointed what it is yet.

Originally, I started the series after all the ranting and raving I saw about them on facebook. So many of my friends seemed fanatical over them. I wanted to know what all the hype was about. Plus, I wanted to have read the book before the movie came out.

Not knowing much except from what my friends had told me, I downloaded the first book to my kindle. I made the mistake of starting it at the beginning of the week. Needless to say, I was not the most productive person that week. =) I couldn't put the book down!

(Note: I'm not going to use this review to summarize the plot; so if you are unfamiliar with this series, I suggest reading these articles first so that my thoughts make more sense. Focus on the Family, CCB Review.)

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read the Hunger Games. Generally, a book centered around teens who are forced to kill each other would appall me. I would never think of reading such a book! So why was this one different? Why did I consider it worth my time? I think it's because so many people I knew were crazy about them. They kept going on about how great they were. So I assumed it was just that. Maybe it's just me, but reading about how teens must kill each other to stay alive isn't "great" to me.

While I can absolutely see why people would love this book for its thrilling experience and relate-able characters, I just can't get past all the killing that goes on. Yes, I know it's necessary for the central plot of the story. But it's still a little disturbing. What really bugs me is how I cannot figure out the morality of these books: the morality seems to be so circular. On the one hand, killing is wrong and terrible. But the tyrannical Capital forces you to take innocent lives in order to save your own. But that's all the other person is trying to do as well! The other person is only trying to kill you because they don't want you to kill them, but the only reason you're trying to kill them is because they're trying to kill you.

Do you see how it seems so circular? I just can't figure it out. Is it honorable to kill someone in order to save your own life? If it is, then each one of the Tributes displays honor. And if all of them are honorable then no one is wrong. But I just cannot get past that there is something wrong.

I'm not saying that protecting your own life is wrong. In fact, it's right. But all of the Tributes are trying to protect their own lives. So in essence, the Capital forces these teens both to be the criminal AND the defender at the same time. You become guilty of murdering an innocent person who is only trying to preserve their own life; yet you've just preserved your own.

So this brings me to another question. Can Katniss be considered the "heroine" of the story if she is both criminal and honorable? The book series puts a bazaar twist on the dynamics of the protagonist in this plot. Is she really heroic? And if she is the protagonist then who or what is the antagonist?

I really haven't come to any final conclusions about this series. Maybe some of you could help me. I really want to know your thoughts on this series because I'm still trying to sort out my own. What do you think?

• Why (specifically) are these books best-sellers? What is different in this series that makes these books stand out above the rest?
• Is it okay for Christians to read about gore and death simply because the book is a best-seller or because everyone recommends it?
• What do you think of Katniss as the protagonist or heroine of the story? Is she really a hero?
• What do you think is the main conflict of the books? What is the struggle driving the entire plot?
• What would you say is the morality of these books?
• Is there some kind of political message the author is trying to portray? What are the major themes?
• Are these books that Christians should read?

There are parts of these books that I like. And parts that I don't like. While I haven't decided for sure what my stance on these books is, I don't think that I could truly recommend them to anyone. To me, they were too hopeless, dark, and twisted for me to call them "great." Maybe there's something I don't see, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! But for now, I guess I'll have to conclude that I didn't like the Hunger Games as much as everyone said I would.

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Book Review - And the Word Came with Power

Summary
"God, show yourself stronger than the spirits!"

This is what Joanne Shetler, a missionary to the Balangao tribe in the Philippines, had prayed for years. She was translating the Bible into the Balangao language, but the people just weren't getting it! The spirits had too much control on the people's lives. They always knew when they had angered a spirit because someone in their family would get sick. The only way to keep them from dying was to sacrifice one of their animals to the spirits. The people wanted to believe in God, but what would happen if they stopped sacrificing?

What I Learned
And the Word Came with Power is the touching story of how God changed a people forever. I have really gained a lot from this book. Because we don't usually deal with confrontations of evil spirits, I often forget how real they are and that there's a constant spiritual battle going on. This book shows that spirits really do have power--but it's nothing compared to God's!

Each chapter of this book is filled with miracles of God! When someone mentions "miracles," I usually think of the New Testament miracles of Jesus and the apostles. But this book was an awesome reminder that miracles still happen today--and the BIG, supernatural miracles too!

The Word of God is POWERFUL. That's something I too often forget. Joanne Shetler has an amazing testimony of how the Bible works wonders and changes lives.

What I Love
I love the way that Joanne describes the great work God did in the Balangaos lives. Many people might relay it as God working through them. But in her book, Joanne gives the idea that she's just obeying and following God, but HE'S doing all the work!

The summary on the back of the book has this sentence, "Be careful when you read her book, you might catch the vision, too." And it's true! This is an exciting and inspiring story! I would encourage you all to read it! I loved it all!

In Conclusion
This book is a quick, easy read, but packed-full with lessons and spiritual truths. It's a great story for all ages, to be read aloud, or alone! I would recommend this book to all of you! You'll be inspired and encouraged through this true story of God's mighty power!

Find this book on Amazon