Tuesday, March 31, 2009

It's Not About The Bunny.



Here is a beautiful e-mail my cousin sent me. If you have never heard of C28 it is a store full of beautiful neat Christian clothing. Aurelio Barreto is the founder and CEO of C28 and Not of this World. Every month he sends a heart felt news letter, this month was his Easter message "It's not about the bunny"

Message From Aurelio Barreto - C28/NOTW Founder & CEO

Dear Friends,
This Easter, I don't want bunnies, I want Jesus. I don't want to merely know "about" God, I want to actually "know" God. Who is He, this King of glory, who by His resurrection from the cross saved a wretched soul like me? "Who is He, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— He is the King of glory." Psalm 24:10 As a people and nation we are good at knowing "about" God, but poor in actually knowing God. Moses said to God, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:13-14 I'm convicted as I write this because I realize it's easier to merely know about God, than to know Him personally. How often do I want His rest, and yet make little time to be in His presence. Did you know that to have His presence is to have His rest? Will you seek His rest by giving Him your presence through prayer, the reading His Word, worship and/or quiet times with Him alone?

ENTER HIS THRONE ROOM OF GRACE When we spend time with Him, we get to know Him. Spending time with Him through prayer and reading the Bible is more important and beneficial than doing things for Him. God invites us to spend time with Him and gives us access to Him by our faith in Jesus. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Imagine that, not a throne of condemnation, not a throne of punishment, but an approachable throne of mercy and grace to help us in our times of need! If you need closeness with God right now and already know Jesus by faith, then enter His throne room with confidence, not scared like a stranger, but with confidence like a child of God. Wow...what a great God!

IT'S WHO YOU KNOW, NOT WHAT YOU KNOW OR WHAT YOU DO Will people remember you for the things you did for God? Or, will you be remembered for God's mercy displayed through the grace of Jesus Christ working in you and through you? Will they say you knew the Lord in an intimate way because you believed, trusted and obeyed God? Will they say that even though you made a lot of mistakes in life, you knew God’s grace and believed in Him? "Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." John 6:29 Do you spend time listening to God and therefore know God (know His small voice), or do you merely do things for God? Do you sometimes identify with Martha who knew Jesus as a friend, but did not know Jesus? "She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said...She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better..." Luke 10:39-42 Imagine if after all the distractions and busyness of life, when it's all said and done, God said, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Matthew 7:22-23 What a sobering verse for all of us who label ourselves "Christians".

GOD SEES THE LIGHT IN YOU Believer, you may be feeling condemned, beat down, exhausted, and even mourning over your countless sins. But know with certainty that the Lord Jesus sees the "light" in you, the light of His grace working in you that He placed in you. "God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness." Genesis 1:4 You may be convicted by mistakes in your life and feel apart from God; or you may be asking "what light working in me?" But stand firm knowing that God sees His light and that is what matters most (not what we see, but what He sees). Why? Because God is our judge! While we may feel unworthy in our standing with Christ, know that Jesus never loses hope in us because He sees the light that He has placed in us. God sees us as unstained children by our faith in His Son Jesus Christ. "…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 Once in His grip, we are always in His grip. Through our faith in Jesus, sinners like you and I are atoned for, made right, forgiven 100%. When we repent, turn to Him and believe in Him, we are saved forever! That is how powerful, perfect, righteous, and majestic His sacrifice on the cross was for our sins. We sinned but He paid our debt--that's His wonderful grace.

REST EASY You may already know Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, and yet at times feel at war with God. Take heart--you are not alone. Please know it doesn't matter whether you feel like you are innocent or not, what matters is that your judge (God) sees your innocence through His Son Jesus. The truth is that through Jesus we have peace with God whether we feel like it or not. Jesus said at the cross "…"It is finished"..." John 19:30 meaning His job had been completed for those who would believe in Him. Jesus was the perfect man for the perfect sacrifice because He was God in the flesh--sinless. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand..." Romans 5:1-2 All of us go through dry times in which we feel apart from God, but rest easy knowing our faith in Jesus gives us the "justified" and permanent standing that God requires. We can rest in the finished work of the Lord Jesus because our past, present and future sins have been paid for by His blood. Will you now take the time to look towards Him in prayer and receive His grace? If you need to repent from your sins before God, then do it right now. Cast your cares upon Him and ask Him to help you; He will do it! "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

REJOICE, I SAY IT AGAIN REJOICE This Easter, will you turn from your self-sufficiency and look to the Lord Almighty, our King of Glory? Will you turn your face to God in all humility and allow the grace of Jesus to give you rest and peace? "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26 Turn your attention to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the One who took our place on the cross for our sins, and rejoice in Him. If you already know Jesus by faith, take the time to reflect on the cost of your salvation and celebrate it with gladness and a grateful heart. Will you go out of your comfort zone and share the "Good News" of your salvation with others? Will you share the love and grace of the risen Lord Jesus with those who do not deserve it? If you do, God will be glorified in your life :-)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Hunter Brown CSFF Blog Tour: Day Three

Will today is the last day of "Hunter Brown" CSFF blog tour. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed sharing about "Hunter Brown" and the Miller Brothers. Thanks again to everyone who left a comment... it was very kind of you all and felt really good (: Here is a little info on the second book of "The Codebearers Series" coming soon this summer.

This cover is not completely finished, yet for more info click here

Book Two: Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire

Hunter's connection with the Shadow has been broken, but the real battle has only begun. Upon returning home he discovers things are no longer as they used to be. For starters, he begins to see things no one else can. Yes, the Shadow are still alive and well in Destiny and they seem to be growing in number every day. To top things off, a mysterious figure seems to be following his every move - causing trouble at every turn.


Will Hunter be able to resist the Shadow alone...and who is this mysterious new stalker that haunts him as he goes?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Hunter Brown CSFF Blog Tour: Day two



Dear Friend,
If you have found this book, please read it with the utmost urgency.
It details the sequence of events that led to my unexpected death.
What you are about to read is true.
But I must warn you, there are forces at work that do not want you to read it.
Beware.
H.B.

Does that just not beg to be read? Hunter Brown was fun, exciting, and most of all had a wonderful message. I love reading books with a nice, good, Christian message in them and The Miller Brothers did it with flying colors. I really liked how the Miller Brothers wrote Hunter Brown in first person form, Hunter was the one telling the whole story, I thought it was pretty neat. The book is physically really beautiful. Being an artist and writer myself I would find it to be a dream come true to be able to write the book, design the cover, and have some of your own drawings inside...wow.
The only bad thing I can say about Hunter Brown is that I was a little confused for a while in the beginning of the book between two characters Stretch and Strubbs, I kept mixing them up. I think it was because they both start with the letter “S” and they both were Hunters best friends. I also realized the Miller Brothers really like names/things that start with “S”. Other then that the book was a great read and I would recommend it to boys and girls 12 to young adult.


Enjoying the story for free online? http://www.codebearers.com/
But, it's even better when you hold it. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593173288 .




Check out the other tour members blogs (:
http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://www.thebooknook08.blogspot.com "> Melissa Carswell
http://invalslittleworld.blogspot.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://www.the160acrewoods.com/"> Amy Cruson
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://sjdeal.blogspot.com"> Shane Deal
http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com/"> Karina Fabian
http://www.goodwordediting.com/"> Marcus Goodyear
http://anewnovelistsjourney.blogspot.com"> Todd Michael Greene
http://writingchristiannovels.blogspot.com/"> Katie Hart
http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart
http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com"> Timothy Hicks
http://tiredgarden.info"> Jason Isbell
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://www.mikelynchbooks.blogspot.com"> Mike Lynch
http://sparksoflava.blogspot.com/"> Magma
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://linalamont.blogspot.com"> Nissa
http://betterfiction.com/blog/"> Wade Ogletree
http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte
http://ansric.blogspot.com/"> Steve Rice
http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson
http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower
http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/"> Speculative Faith
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://www.Christian-Fantasy-Book-Reviews.com/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.novelteen.com/"> Jill Williamson

Monday, March 16, 2009

Hunter Brown CSFF Blog Tour: Day one




Hello my name is Ryan and today is my first day of doing a blog tour with CSFF. This months blog tour is about an awesome book called, Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow: book one of The Codebearers Series by The Miller Brothers.
Usually before I read a book I like to know something about the authors behind the story, in my view it makes the book even more enjoyable, so today I’m going to tell you a little about these two wonderful authors.

Christopher & Allan Miller, spent over 30 years in Christian Bookstores and book clubs operated by their parents, learning first hand the value of faith-based stories throughout their childhood. Today, they carry forward a passion to bring to life stories that inspire and illuminate the truth of God's Word in a fresh way. They combine their unique skills as authors, computer animators, and multimedia designers to produce stories of faith and fun for families everywhere. They reside in Seattle, Washington with their families.



Allan Miller, still loves bedtime stories... only now he is the one reading aloud in silly, dramatic voices to his two boys, Toby and Henry ( great names). Together with his wife, Sarah, he enjoys getting out of the house whenever the Washington weather allows, to lead their family on an “adventure walk” where they delight in discovering “things they’ve never seen before”...until the little feet get too tired. Outside of family time, Allan has enjoyed being able to work with youth through his church AWANA club and speaking at local schools and events about the creative process. Someday he’d like to fly in a hot air balloon and do a back flip (but not at the same time).

Christopher Miller, is the father of two boys, Keegan and Truitt( I love those names). He recently finished constructing a playhouse for the boys in the backyard... a feat he hopes not to repeat again anytime soon. In addition to being a father of a toddler and an infant he keeps pretty busy designing Web sites, working with a youth group, writing books, and speaking at schools and events. He is terrified of roller coasters, but his wife loves them, so he tries his best to keep calm and join her on as many as his nerves will allow. He would not be caught dead in a hot air balloon.


You can visit the Miller Brothers’ Web site at www.luminationstudios.com

Their Book website at http://www.codebearers.com/

Their Blog at http://themillerbrothers.blogspot.com/

And buy their book at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593173288

I hope you enjoyed learning a little about the Miller Brothers and please come back tomorrow, I’ll have my review on what I thought of Hunter Brown.


Check out the other tour members blogs (:
http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://www.thebooknook08.blogspot.com "> Melissa Carswell
http://invalslittleworld.blogspot.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://www.the160acrewoods.com/"> Amy Cruson
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://sjdeal.blogspot.com"> Shane Deal
http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com/"> Karina Fabian
http://www.goodwordediting.com/"> Marcus Goodyear
http://anewnovelistsjourney.blogspot.com"> Todd Michael Greene
http://writingchristiannovels.blogspot.com/"> Katie Hart
http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart
http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com"> Timothy Hicks
http://tiredgarden.info"> Jason Isbell
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://www.mikelynchbooks.blogspot.com"> Mike Lynch
http://sparksoflava.blogspot.com/"> Magma
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://linalamont.blogspot.com"> Nissa
http://betterfiction.com/blog/"> Wade Ogletree
http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte
http://ansric.blogspot.com/"> Steve Rice
http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson
http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower
http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/"> Speculative Faith
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://www.Christian-Fantasy-Book-Reviews.com/"> Phyllis Wheeler
http://www.novelteen.com/"> Jill Williamson