Vic's Media Room

Book Review: “The Heart of the Story” By Randy Frazee

Randy Frazee in his new book, “The Heart of the Story” published by Zondervan gives us God’s Masterful Design to Restore His People.

From the back cover:  Discover Your Story within the Grand Epic of God’s One Story.  The Heart of the Story will help you see God’s Word in a new and inspiring light. In the Bible’s seemingly disconnected stories you’ll discover one grand, unfolding epic—God’s story from Genesis onward, and your own story contained within it.

To understand the Bible, says author and pastor Randy Frazee, you need bifocal lenses, because two perspectives are involved. The Lower Story, our story, is actually many stories of men and women interacting with God in the daily course of life. The Upper Story is God’s story, the tale of his great, overarching purpose that fits all the individual stories together like panels in one unified mural.

In 31 chapters, The Heart of the Story will open your eyes to God’s master-plan unfolding in the lives of the Bible’s characters—and in your own life. Discover the heart of God’s Upper Story, and the joy that comes as you align your story with God’s.

In the forward by Max Lucado he explains that in the context of God’s Upper Story our Lower Story moments make sense.  He uses the example of Joseph in the Egyptian prison seemingly wasting away.  From the Lower Story angle his imprisonment makes no sense.  However, when we look from the Upper Story angle we see that God protected Joseph while in prison so he could be used in the palace.  If you feel that your life is running nowhere perhaps you are looking at it from the wrong angle.  In “The Heart of the Story” Pastor Frazee takes us through the Old Testament and then the New Testament to show us God’s Upper Story so that we can have a fresh look at our Lower Story.  Guaranteed we will come away amazed and refreshed when we see our place in the grand design.  I recommend this book highly and feel that everyone should read it.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan and TheDeMossGroup.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: “Where Will You Go From Here?” by Valorie Burton

Valorie Burton in her new book, “Where Will You Go From Here?” published by Waterbrook Press keeps us Moving Forward When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned.

From the back cover:  Has the unexpected knocked you off course? You lost your job to the latest round of layoffs. A relationship you thought would last forever, didn’t. A health challenge is disrupting your life. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, but with the right attitude and skills, you can persevere through even the toughest situations—and emerge stronger and better than ever.

Resilience to Get Through Any Challenge
 
In Where Will You Go from Here? Valorie Burton helps you navigate life’s obstacles and unexpected challenges. You’ll find all the tools you need to be resilient in the face of setbacks, now and in the future, including:

·   The Five Commitments that propel every successful comeback
·   Step-by-step guidance for restructuring your life
·   Strategies to unearth the courage you need for any situation
·   In-the-heat-of-the-moment words to combat negative thinking
·   Practical exercises to become better, not bitter, as a result of adversity
 
Packed with uplifting insights and powerful principles, this personal coaching resource offers the wisdom and  encouragement you need to think differently about your circumstances and take hold of the lessons God is offering you. As you experience the “post-traumatic growth” that comes only through adversity, you’ll be equipped to unleash a stronger, more authentic you.

Ever had a bad day?  Sure all of us have had a bad day.  How about a bad week?  We all can identify with that as well.  How about a bad situation that, seemingly, will not go away?  It is how we handle the bad reversals in our lives that keep us moving forward.  We all have our plans for the future then all of a sudden, an event happens that looks like the future is destroyed along with our plans.  Valorie Burton in “Where Will You Go From Here?” wants to help us deal with this crippling situations and keep us moving forward into our future when it seems we do not have one anymore.  Ms. Burton also provides inspirational stories from an assortment of people who have faced misfortunes/hardships in their life and overcome.  These stories help to motivate us because if they could do it in their circumstances we can do it in ours as well.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from Coast To Coast Publicity.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: “Healing Is a Choice” by Stephen Arterburn

Stephen Arterburn in his new book, “Healing Is a Choice” published by Thomas Nelson provides 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and 10 Lies That Can Prevent You From Making Them.

From the back cover:  Do you want to get well?

The power to heal-physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually-is in God’s hands. But the choice to be healed is yours. Everyone, at some level, needs healing.  You may have prayed for healing many times, for many years.  Perhaps you have lived with your brokenness so long that you have become accustomed to it.  Maybe you wonder just when God is going to take all the hurt away.

He can.  But you also must choose to let the hurt go and let the healing begin.

In this special edition of “Healing Is a Choice”, author Stephen Arterburn offers a unique combination of book and workbook, outlining ten choices crucial to receiving healing.  Embracing these choices means rejecting the lies we often tell ourselves.  These are not hoops God requires you to jump through to earn your miracle:  they form, instead, the journey He desires for you.  He can–and will–walk with you.  But you must put one foot in front of the other and choose to let the hurt go and let the healing begin.

In the Gospel there is an account of Jesus going to a paralyzed man and asking him if he wants to get well.  Really, the question requires a yes or no answer.  Yet the man does not give it to Jesus.  Instead he tells him the story of the pool, what happens when the pool is stirred and someone gets in it and why he has never made it to the water.  He never answers the question do you want to get well yet, clearly, the answer is yes.  So Jesus heals him anyway.  Dr. Arterburn tells us that we need to answer the question that Jesus asked the man and we need to answer yes or no.  If we answer yes then we need to put aside our stories that we tell ourselves and others (The man at the pool had a story) and choose our healing.  It is, somewhat, similar to getting a new car when we currently have a car that we have had for ten years.  We need to bring this car to the dealership, turn over the keys to the salesman, despite that we have had it for so long, and accept the keys to our new car and drive away with it leaving the old car behind.  Dr. Arterburn gives us the ten decisions that will change our lives and the ten lies that hold us back.  We need to read this book very carefully and then apply what we have learned to our lives.  God wants us well and we need to accept His healing so that we can grow and help others.  Everyone should have this book it is that needful!

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”