Short Hiatus

Friends...

During this year I will be taking a few short hiatus in order to finish a couple of writing projects that I have been working on. This is the first hiatus.

I will be back writing in a little bit.

So please feel free to browse some of the older poems and writings while I am working!

Love and Blessings!

ML

A Devotion with a Purpose

"Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?" -Isaiah 2:22 NIV

We all look to celebrities, to our families, to talk show personalities for answers to our problems. When a tragedy strikes a nation or a calamity occurs we turn on our television and see what the television personality says or call our family for answers. While people can offer advice that will satisfy our immediate needs, we can always find ourselves still in need of answers.

Instead of looking to man and trusting in man's pursuits, let us pursue God for His answers to the fears and worries of the world.


©2012 MLMichaels

Four Letter Words by Bill Giovanetti

When I come across a Christian book with the title Four Letter Words, right away I was intrigued. As I began reading the book, I began to have that old recollection of sitting in church as a young girl. Truth pored from the pulpits and little if anything or anyone challenged that truth. But as an adult, and especially these days, I am challenged by everything and everyone. In college, on television, in music and movies, during holidays, and in the grocery store, I am challenged by others for what I believe. Every where the truth of God is being diminished to the point that people don't really know what they believe anymore. Everything is one big hodge-podge, smudged with a cherry on top.

In Bill Giovannetti's book, Four Letter Words, Giovannetti writes about how our culture has forced itself upon, specifically Christians, to not say or to not talk about what we believe. Jesus had become a four letter word. Or as we say in the south, a wordy dird.

I was very impressed with Giovannetti's natural style of writing. At times he his comical and at other times, very revealing of his own walk with Jesus Christ.

In a foreword by his friend Ken Cleaver, PhD, Cleaver asks this simple question from the bible:

"And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way (1Peter 3:15, 16, NLT)."

Dr. Cleaver writes that we had to learn how to talk to people about Christ, but how do we do that in a world with no truth, some truth, or multiple truths going on at the same time.

Bill Giovanetti walks the reader step by step through some of the biggest questions that non-Christians have when confronted by the truth of Jesus Christ. They include truth, knowledge, pain and suffering, good and evil, and the Bible.

Giovannetti writes:

"I wrote it to teach Christ's followers to cuss boldly --to speak faith's four letter words--without backing down, yet without correctness."

I have read several authors who have gone the way of the world, choosing to write from a worldly view instead of from a biblical view.

This is an amazing book for anyone. Those who have been walking with Christ for a while, those new in their faith, and those who have no faith and are looking for answers.

The bible is the only true place to find answers for the questions of life, but for non-Christians this book will direct them to the answers found only in the bible. This book is a big sign post with huge arrows blinking toward the word: B-I-B-L-E... B-I-B-L-E.

This book was provided for free by Litfuse Publicity in exchange for a review.

©2012 MLMichaels

Interview with Author of Four Letter Words by Bill Giovannetti

 Bill Giovannetti serves on the faculty of A.W. Tozer Seminary and is the Senior Pastor of Neighborhood Church of Redding. Four Letter Words is his second book. He has written numerous articles and is a popular speaker. Bill hates legalism, loves grace, and teaches that God is infinitely more committed to us than we will ever be to him. He is a graduate of Trinity Seminary and earned his doctorate at Fuller Theological Seminary.

**********Note: This interview was provided by LitFuse Publishing Group and was used with permission. I did not conduct the interview with this author.*************
Purchase Four Letter Words from Amazon.com.

What's Four Letter Words about, and where did you get the title?



Four Letter Words is about defending your faith in Christ. If you've ever felt tongue-tied standing up for Jesus, this book can help.
Even though our culture claims tolerance as a virtue, that tolerance stops at Christianity's front door: witness the hostility directed toward a sincere Christ-follower like Tim Tebow. Judging by reactions to him, you'd think he just cussed out his grandma when all he did was say a word for Christ. Speaking God's truth and living your faith is quickly becoming today's profanity. Tougher days are coming; we need to get ready.
There has never been a truth-system more satisfying, consistent, logical and beautiful than Christianity. I wanted to help God's people rise up and say so.

What four letter words do you write about?



True: who says your truth has to be my truth too? Know: how do you know God is real? Pain, Evil, and Ouch: why doesn't God stop the bad stuff? Damn: how can a loving God send people to hell? Word: What makes the Bible so special? Wait: isn't it unreasonable to expect today's people to live by biblical standards of sexuality? Hope: what good has Christianity done in the world?
The book has ten chapters, discussion questions (in the book and downloadable from the website), and 208 pages.

Did you ever struggle with your faith? How did you work through that?



Even though I've been a pastor for a long time, I struggle with my faith a lot. My earliest struggles – back in high school days – centered on scientific stuff, like evolution. In the book I tell the story of how I made peace with faith in a Creator God and how I fit together science, logic, and the gospel in my own heart.
Now that I'm a bit older, my struggles come more out of pain and suffering. Why does God let people hurt? I cover those topics too.
Struggles are normal – we just can't let them overwhelm our faith or uproot our joy. It's super-important for us to know every question raised against Christianity has an answer. I try to provide some of those answers along with simple talking points for everyday conversations.

Who is this book for?



This book is for anyone who either struggles with faith or who wants to help friends who struggle with faith. I wrote to strengthen faith and equip believers to share faith. Our church has used this book with high school students, young adults, and senior citizens—it's been really well received across all age groups. Other churches are using it in small groups and youth groups.
I would love to see this book in the hands of every high school graduate and new college student: they need to be inoculated from the anti-Christian venom they're going to experience.
Toward the end, Four Letter Words invites readers to faith in Christ so it can be resource for evangelism too.
Discussion questions are included.

What's with the QR codes?



Part of my geek credentials, I suppose. As far as I know, Four Letter Words is the first QR-enabled book for the general market. QR codes are those postage-stamp sized boxes with indecipherable patterns inside – Quick Response codes. I wanted to make the book an interactive experience: just scan the codes with any smartphone and you'll go straight to relevant videos, audio .mp3's, and websites. Each chapter has a lot more resources on the website (www.fourletterwords.org) which you can reach either through the QR code or just by visiting the site. The geek-tech stuff in no way overwhelms the written word; it just supplements it. I hope readers like it. What did you think?

If I read this book, what will get out of it?



I wrote Four Letter Words with three simple goals in mind:
1. Clarity: Know what you believe.
2. Confidence: Know why you believe.
3. Courage: Know what to say when you don't know what to say.

So what do you do when you're not writing?



I'm the husband of one incredible wife and dad to two amazing kids. My main calling is as a pastor to the Neighborhood Church of Redding, a small-town church of over 2,000 set amid the snow-capped peaks and pristine lakes of northern California. I love preaching and teaching—spreading out a rich feast of God and his grace and digging deep into God's Word. I also serve on the faculties of A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary and Simpson University. I like watching mindless action movies, reading, hanging with friends, bass fishing, woodworking, good coffee, and Chicago sports teams. Go Bears!
Italian food is my love language.

Do you have any other books around?



My earlier book helps readers get a grip on their inner mess. If you read it, you'll meet your Inner Thug, Inner Brat, Inner Legalist, and the rest of the motley crew lurking in your soul. It's called How to Keep Your Inner Mess from Trashing Your Outer World (Monarch/Kregel, 2009). I have a couple more books in the pipeline, including a fiction book on the global political scene.

What's your spiritual background? How did you get started with Jesus?



I was reared in a tiny Chicago gospel church. I was loved. I was cared for. I was taught the Bible. That church was my second family. They introduced me to Jesus. I received him when I was young and devoted my life to him. But it wasn't until young adulthood that I began to appreciate how much Jesus was devoted to me. That discovery rocked my world. I shifted from rules to relationship and from guilt to grace. I dedicated my life to encourage instead of tear down. I strive to free others from guilt, shame, and legalism, and to help people discover life and love through God's amazing grace.

How did you pick the four letter words for each chapter?



I had a great team working with me to pick the topics. The young adult leadership team from my church hung out with me for a few coffee-shop meetings. We brainstormed ideas. We asked what questions kept surfacing in their relationships with seekers and what issues kept tripping up their conversations about Christ. The topics came from them. Each chapter grew out of the real-life struggles of real people in my church. I think this is why the book has connected in some pretty deep ways with readers.

Would you say that Christians are persecuted?



Not so much in the U.S., but persecution is definitely coming. It's not that Christians are changing; it's that culture is running from God so fast that yesterday's normal is becoming today's weird. Christians will be increasingly marginalized. Tell a typical college student he needs to be celibate till marriage and he'll look at you like you're Amish. Why don't you hop in your buggy and trot along. A generation ago, our culture would have supported that value. Today, culture attacks it. It's going to get tougher to stay strong for Jesus.
We need a new breed of Christ-follower: alert to the beliefs that tick people off, and ready to fire the weapons of truth and grace with courage, compassion, humor, and love.

There are so many books on the gospel message, do we really need another one?



Thank God for a lot of excellent books out there to defend your faith. Four Letter Words stands out because it is written for the everyday Christian. You won't need advanced degrees to understand its message. I wanted to go deep, but keep it really clear. I also made sure to include "Talking Points" after each chapter. That's where I pull the chapter's themes into a handful of memorable and repeatable truths. These take-aways can help you engage your friends in solid conversations about Christ. While many other apologetics books focus on a single topic, Four Letter Words deals with common topics that often make the average Christian feel tongue-tied. Consider it your one-stop shop for equipping in apologetics.
　
FUN QUESTIONS

If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet, what would you want?



Definitely the Minister of Space Exploration. I dig science fiction and it's my secret dream to pilot an alien spacecraft through a wormhole into another dimension. I want to boldly go where no one has gone before. Plus it would be cool to see first hand how Jesus gets glorified on the far side of Jupiter and to hit a baseball on Pluto and see how far it goes. As Minister of Technology, I'd restore Pluto's status to that of planet instead of asteroid; I feel sorry for the little guy.

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?



There's this guy on the TV show Alphas named Gary Bell who can literally see the entire electromagnetic spectrum: radio waves, phone texts, television signals, digital transmissions, and the Internet. He sees it in the air around him. I want that. Is that enough to renew my geek-card?

Name one movie you consider wildly under-appreciated.



That's easy: Tremors. Yes, the one with Kevin Bacon fighting giant worms that eat people. Creepy comedic genius. My wife loves it so much she rolls her eyes and leaves the room every time I turn it on.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/tF3L3M

Direct from the Author (signed copies) http://maxgrace.1freecart.com

Website: http://www.fourletterwords.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BillGiovannetti

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/billgiovannetti

Blog: http://www.maxgrace.com

A Crown for You

Though the weight has been plenty, significant, and true.
The only thing I can say is count it joy for you,
The smile through the heart ache that is easier to bear.
When Christ takes my hand and shows that He cares.

And the joy repeating on my face in the midst of whispers and talk,
isn't going to distract me from this race or this walk.
See I've got a prize to win, if I make it to the end;
the winner's circle may be close, just around the bend.


And standing before my Savior, he'll say, "A Crown for You."
And I won't be thinking about the things people say or do.
If you have noticed and if you've been observant,
I long to hear the words "well done good and faithful servant."


©2012 MLMichaels

We are pressed, but not crushed!

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." II Corinthians 4: 8-9

Lately the world has been coming at me from all sides. Comments and suggestions, gossip, untruths, struggles and difficulties that seem beyond my earthly mind to comprehend. But yet in the midst of the pressure my heart is at peace. My God through Jesus Christ has provided me with his word that through Him I am not crushed though I feel pressed.

I am strangely perplexed by what I see and feel around me, but I haven't seen despair. I can smile with great joy!

Deep within my heart the Lord is upholding me ... making it feel like I am pressing back outward from the pressure, but not losing my character or my hope.

I don't believe I have ever truly felt persecution, because I don't know what it is like to be kicked out of my home, beaten or punched for my faith, or murdered for what I believe.  There are many Christians all over the world who face these kinds of struggles daily.

Lastly, we are not destroyed. God has our souls locked in His hands and we depend on Him only!

God Bless you if you are going through trials.

©2012 MLMichaels

The Best is Yet to Come

Little white wedding dress all of size two. She stood looking at herself in the glass mirror. She wiggled in the plumage of material surrounding her body. A big white snow ball is what she thought. Fingering the diamond on her finger she looked up to meet her father's eyes and smiled.
"Daddy, what do you think?"
Turning toward him he smiled and put out his arms to hug what he could of his daughter under the pile of white dress.
"He won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."
Looking back at him.
"Do you think this is going to work. I mean this marriage. We've been fighting for days, Dave and I."
"Hmm..."
"Huh? What do you mean hmm..."
"Its not going to be all roses and sunshine. But with a little work and a lot of forgiveness it could work."
"That's not very encouraging you know."
"It's better than what I was told."
"What did Grandpa tell you?"
"Grandpa didn't; grandma did."
They both smiled in a knowing glare.
"I think grandpa lost his hearing on purpose."
"I think grandma talks because she thinks no one is listening."
He sat down on one of the chairs and put his elbows on his knees.
"When all the romantic notions begin fade you grow into something more than just married people. You are a couple... No longer are you two people, but one. People even start to recognize you as one person."
"But what if it doesn't work out."
"That's what is interesting about this generation. You guys are going into it with the notion that it will fail. We went into marriage with the notion that it would succeed. Maybe that's the difference."
"Did your marriage succeed."
"I don't know. I am not done yet."
"Success is not if your marriage is perfect or even if you stayed together. Lots of people do that and really don't love each other."
"Love will require you to sacrifice your wants for his wants. And he will have to do the same. This is not a one way street."
"Do you love mom."
"Everyday."
"Don't be afraid of what could happen that you never fully commit to your relationship."
"Would you have married mom if you knew what would happen?"
"I can't image a day without her. It hasn't been easy. But I love her more everyday. I just trust that she knows too."
The door peaked open and light slowly filled the room.
"Cassie? I think their ready for you."
"Alright."
"Just remember what I said and you will be alright. The best is yet to come."

Standing outside the two doors that lead to her future she took a deep breath and stepped forward.

©2012 MLMichaels