Smashing Through Death's Door

On August 12, 2010, I will be interviewing Marshall Alexander, author of Smashing Through Death's Door, a new book released by Bridge-Logos Foundation. The interview will take place on my weekly blog-radio show, "We're Talking Books."

Marshall's book is very exciting. Ray Comfort writes, "Many people have been as close to death as marshall and they have lived to tell the story, but I believe this one is different. It is different because of what happened leading up to the crash. It is different because of his amazing attitude, and more importantly, the reason for that attitude. I would love to tell you what happened, but I will leave that up to him--in the hope that this book will be more than just another life-and-death drama."

The crash to which Ray refers took place when Marshall was flying a small plane. This is how he describes the moments leading up to the crash: "You are all alone. You're in complete darkness. It is virtually silent, except for the sound of the rushing air. You have maybe ten moments and the it's over. You're just thinking about your imminent death. . . .I made the emergency call to Eugene [Oregon] tower, indicating I would be crashing in the wilderness. I asked them to tell my wife I love her. . . ."

Marshall smashed through death's door and he was forever changed. The following quotes mean a great deal to him:

• God does not change, but He does move.
• Do not limit God. All things are possible with Him. What man can't do, God can.
• The sun is always shining above the storm.
• God does not make mistakes!
• Are the things your are living for worth Christ dying for?
• It is not the circumstances of life that shape you; it is your response to the circumstances that shapes you.

As you can see, Marshall Alexander is a wise man, and I'm looking forward to chatting with him tomorrow.

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4, NKJV).

More Things Are Wrought by Prayer Than This World Dreams of. . . .

One of my favorite poems on prayer was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:

More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.
Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats that nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer both for themselves and those who call them friends?
For so the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet of God.

Your prayers are heard. Your prayers are answered.

Here is a prayer God always answers, "Yes, Lord."

I spent a portion of my last week in the U.S. Army on a retreat at a Trappist monastery near Bardstown, KY. (I was a soldier at Fort Knox at the time.)

As you may know, the Trappists are a very strict order of monks within the Roman Catholic Church. At that time (1965) they observed a vow of silence. I still remember the wonderful sense of peace and calm I experienced there.

One Trappist monk wrote these words about prayer: "There are two main pitfalls on the road to mastery of the art of prayer. If a person gets what he asks for, his humility is in danger. If he fails to get what he asks for, he is apt to lose confidence. Indeed, no matter whether prayer seems to be succeeding or failing, humility and confidence are two virtues which are absolutely essential."

The Bible says, "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, NIV).

God is waiting, dear friends.

God's Special Promises Are for You

Charles G. Finney writes, "When God has specially promised the thing, we are bound to believe we shall receive it when we pray for it. You have no right to put in an 'if,' and say, 'Lord, if it be Thy will, give the Thy Holy Spirit.' This is to insult God. To put an 'if' in God's promise when God has put none there is tantamount to charging God with being insincere. It is like saying, 'O God, if Thou art in earnest in making these promises, grant us the blessing we pray for."

God is in earnest about all His promises. His promises can never fail. What He says He will do, He will do.

The Bible is a book that is filled with divine promises. Each one is yours to believe and receive. God is the great promise-keeper, and you can be a promise-reaper.

How do we receive God's promises? It is by faith alone. Paul writes, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV).

Making Your Mark for Christ

Soon we will be at the ICRS Convention in St. Louis (June 28-30, 2012). One of the new books we will be showing in our booth (1811) is a new one by Skip Heitzig. It is entitled, God Print--Making Your Mark for Christ. A "God print" is like your fingerprint or voice print; it is your unique way of making an imprint for Christ in the world.

We must ever remember that "Only one life 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last." Pastor Skip Heitzig reminds us that the journey from fear to faith is based on what Christ has done for us.

His insightful book is based on the life of Abraham--a life that overflowed with adventure, crisis, fear, faith, and most importantly, God. Paul said that Abraham was the "father of all who believe."

Your God Print is a lasting legacy that you will leave behind after you go to Heaven. Do you want to make a lasting impression on the world? Skip shows you how to make your mark for Christ in the world.

Franklin Graham has written this about God Print: "Skip turns the spotlight on the Bible, something missing in many of our Christian books today. He hits the mark when he outlines the life of Abraham and distinctly describes the Godprint that was placed upon Abraham's heart. Skip's biblical perspective shows that while Christians battle the flesh throughout life, we can learn by looking back on past mistakes that help us grow deeper in Christ. This book will leave an imprint on your life."

Get a copy and learn how to leave your Godprint on the world!

Two New Books

Two of our new Bridge-Logos books for this summer are Infusion by Jack Redmond and Jewels From E.M. Bounds, a Pure Gold Classic. Both are outstanding books, and I'd like to take this opportunity to recommend them highly to you.

Jack Redmond is the Director of Youth Ministry for Christ Church in Montclair, NJ. He founded Fourth Generation Ministries and co-founded Generation Holy Youth Coalition. His book gives a fresh perspective on being infused by the power of God and bringing the infusion of His presence to the world.

Here is a quotation from his book: "God's Word is teaching us that we must grow up in our salvation. It is not only an experience, but also a growth process. As we mature in our faith, salvation becomes more real. It begins to affect every aspect of our lives. Our thinking, emotions, actions, and outlook change to become more Christ-like. We begin to view the world as Christ does. We learn to love and forgive and to walk in the authority that brings change wherever we go. But first we have to grow up. We grow faster when we are surrounded by others who are also growing and encouraging us along the way."

Jewels From E.M. Bounds was prepared by E.M. Bounds scholar Dr. Darrel King. It contains never-before-published teachings from the "prophet of prayer," such as the following:

"Faith is brought into leadership by secret prayer. Long, habitual, closeted interviews with God are the sunny seasons for the growth of faith; interviews in which God's searching eye and light discover all the hidden hindrances to faith; interviews in which God reveals himself so faith is mightily strengthened. God's true leadership does more to strengthen its faith than to do anything else. It seeks this one element of power, this secret of spiritual success, at the sacrifice of other things. It keeps its eye fixed not on place or plans, but on God. The leadership of faith has no alliance with ambition, they are eternal foes. Ambition may give leadership in the Church, has done it, does do it, but faith has no part in this leadership. Faith is debauched by its touch; God is not in the leadership of ambition."

Interviews with God! A great concept, indeed, and this is only one of the jewels from E.M Bounds.

May you be infused with God's power as you contemplate and appropriate the jewels from God's Word.

Healing for Today

Yesterday afternoon (May 20, 2010) it was my honor to interview Paul Teske, author of Healing for Today, on my blogradio broadcast "We're Talking Books."

Paul's book is very inspirational, informative, and interesting. He shares his own personal testimony of having been miraculously healed of a stroke, testimonies of other healings he has witnessed, and teaching about healing that includes the following:

• Jesus' healing ministry, then and now
• The role of faith in healing
• Imparting the gift of healing
• How to pray
• How to keep a healing

This is a new book on healing--one that opens new windows of insight into this vital topic. In the near future Paul will be interviewed on several well-known television programs, including James Robison's "Life Today" program. God is using him to bring the message of healing to people around the world, and I highly recommend his book to you.

Do We Live in an Uncivil Society?

The word "uncivil" means "not civilized; barbarous; not civil or courteous; ill-mannered." One of its synonyms is "rude."

Does the above definition describe modern-day society? It does seem as if rudeness abounds, that's for sure. There are barbaric pirates and uncivilized terrorists in our midst.

What do we do when we encounter an ill-mannered individual? Do we wonder why he or she is acting that way?

An attorney Adam Mersereau has written a newly published Bridge-Logos book entitled, Uncivil Society. The subtitle for this book is: "Government's War Against God and the Plight of the Christian Citizen."

In this very poignant and timely book Adam deals with several timely topics, including:

• The West's Rejection of Truth
• The Futile Search for a Truthless Morality
• Government and the Fall
• The Separation of Church and State
• Divine Limits on Government Authority
• New Roles for Church and State
• A New View of the Individual
• New Definitions for Life and Marriage
• The Plight of the Christian in a Hostile Society

Adam writes, "When the Christian learns to live in accordance with God's truth for the sake of the truth, and for no other reason, he reaches the greatest possible glory outside of heaven--greater than any victory this fallen world can offer. There is glory in standing for the truth, even when we see no cultural change for the better. There is glory in witnessing for Christ, even when our witness is met with contempt. The moment the Christian apprehends this truth is the moment his feet become most firmly planted on the rock. This is when he becomes able to take his stand, a living sacrifice, immovable, regardless of what hardships may come. This is when he joins with Christ in storing up the unseen spoils of the eternal victory Christ won on the Cross. This is the Christian's finest and dearest privilege: To render to God the heartfelt obedience that He rightfully asks. No government can extinguist such a flame.

"Western culture may change with every wind of false doctrine, but the Christian's calling will never change. Our joy is to stand firm on the side of truth--against lies, against sin, against Satan--come what may. We cannot undo the Fall, but we can, by God's grace, point others to Christ and His glory. This is not our final home. To the extent we cannot change it, we must learn to overcome it, and to teach others that if Christ is their Savior, they can overcome it, too.

"Then one awful and glorious day, when the trumpet sounds and Christ returns to gather His people, to separate the sheep from the goats, to establish His throne among men, and to make all things new--the government will be upon His shoulder."

What a glorious day that will be.