Books

Hi.  Heidi here.  I wanted a place where I could post some of the best books I’ve read so that you, too, could check them out.  I don’t recommend a book unless I believe it has value for the reader. My reading goes slow, because I’m busy.  But I hope these recommendations are helpful for you.

COLD NOSES AT THE PEARLY GATES – Gary Kurz

The back of the book starts out like this:  “Do all dogs and cats really go to Heaven?  YES, THEY DO!”  From that thesis this book is built.  Author Gary Kurz is a Baptist pastor who, because of his intense affection for his own pooch, has done intensive study on this subject and what he has discovered from the pages of Scripture will astound and delight you!  If you’ve ever loved and lost a pet, you’ll welcome this amazing book’s reassurance that love and loyalty are truly eternal, and that someday, you and your pets will be together again.  Francine Hornberger, co-author of So You Think You Know About Cats?, says, “For those of us who love our pets so passionately, Gary Kurz thoughtfully offers hope that death is not the end for our furry, scaled, and feathered friends.”

 

HEAVEN – Randy Alcorn

This is actually the second time I’ve read this book and enjoyed it thoroughly both times.  There are SO MANY awful things going on in the world that this is a welcome reprieve.  And, frankly, we should have our eyes set on Home.

Randy’s book helps us understand that Heaven is a real place — solid buildings, solid trees, solid gold.  He tries to answer many questions that we wrestle with when we begin to think about Heaven in a material way:

What will the great city be like?

What will our bodies be like?

Will we eat and drink on the New Earth?

Will we desire relationships with anyone except God?

Will animals, including our pets, live again?

Will heaven ever be boring?

I do take issue with the fact that Randy sometimes blurs the New Earth with the Millenial kingdom.  I, personally, see scripture as teaching that a 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on this present Earth follows the Tribulation.  After the 1,000 years comes the Great White Throne Judgment and then the creation of the New Heavens and New Earth.  But this shouldn’t detract from the focus of the book which is that our eternal life forever is a real life.  We won’t be disembodied spirits.  We’ll be glorified human beings, just like Jesus.

Don’t miss the chance to think on things that are pure, lovely and of good report by reading Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven.

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APOLLYON RISING 2012 – Tom Horn

Wow, was this book enlightening.  Truth hurts, and that is certainly true with this book, as Tom brings out the malevolent forces that actually shaped America in the days when she was founded.

Some people think that The Masons — an aggressively occult fellowship — are a dead society.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  But that’s what they’d like you to think.  The Masons, it would appear, had a destiny for this great nation from the get-go.  Tom goes into that and then ties it to a hypothesis he has come up with, basis Masonic rituals and beliefs and practices, about when their king — Osiris/Nimrod/Apollyon — is scheduled to appear according to Masonic calculations.  Is this the Antichrist of scripture?  Is Tom’s hypothesis workable?  Time will tell.

Amazingly, while reading this book, a number of other sources have substantiated much of his claims about the founding of America.  Although the puritans wanted to establish a society centered upon biblical principles that would honor Jesus Christ, the machinations of the men who founded our country in the mid-1700s had a whole different idea.

I strongly encourage you to read this book for yourself and come to your own conclusions!

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GOING ROGUE – Sarah Palin

Everyone needs a healthy dose of biography.  It broadens our understanding; gives us a taste of what others live through.  We can live, vicariously to an extent, through a biography and learn lessons without having to go through the tough spots ourselves.

This was a very good book.  Among other things, it gave me a behind-the-scenes look at the presidential campaign.  Remember — this included a behind-the-scenes look at a Republican campaign.  Not pretty.

It also gives one an overall picture of how Sarah Palin lives her life and the values she espouses.  She naturally covered the hundreds of frivolous ethics violations that were thrown at her entire administration post-election, when all she had in mind was going back to be the best governor she knew how to be.  Not only Sarah and her husband, Todd, but other members of her staff were forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in total to defend these frivolous suits.  She’s very forthright when she says, “Why would any rational citizen want to put himself through this?  You wonder why good people stay out of politics?  This is why.”

There are precious moments.  Like the few moments just before her debate with Senator Joe Biden when she pulled Piper close to her and said, “Come pray with me.”  Piper said, “Okay, Mama, what should we pray?

“I wanted to say that we should humbly seek the Lord’s strength before I explained to 44 million viewers why they should vote for John McCain.  I wanted to say that my heart’s desire was that our Lord would guide my words in a way that would be truthful and honoring to Him.

“But I said, as simply as I could, ‘Just pray we win the debate.’

“She [Piper] drew a deep breath.  ‘Mom!’ she said.  ‘That would be cheating!’”

The closing words of the book — in the acknowledgments — took my breath away:

“And I do know there is a God.  My life is in His hands.  I encourage readers to do what I did many years ago, invite Him in to take over . . . then see what He will do and how He will get you through.  Test Him on this.  You’ll see there’s no such thing as a coincidence. . .”

Going Rogue is a book worth reading.

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ANGELS AMONG US – Dr. Ron Rhodes

I had no idea that there was a major angel craze going on!  People worship angels, pray to angels, prefer angels to our Father.  It isn’t good!  Most of those who subscribe to this behavior are in the New Age movement.  So I learned something from reading this book!

But it mostly covers what the Bible has to say about angels — good and bad.  What initially attracted me to the book was, first of all, it’s positive subject and, secondly, I was able to read the first entire chapter by downloading it from Harvest House Publishers, and that first chapter gave instance after instance of how angels had actually delivered or helped people in certain situations.

In the midst of the horrific time we’re living in, where most news is bad news, there’s still plenty of good news for those who love Jesus!  One of those many pieces of good news is that God still directs angels to come to the aid of his children when He knows we need them!  Don’t believe me?  Read the book!

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LIVING AS IF HEAVEN MATTERS: PREPARING NOW FOR ETERNITY – David Shibley

Do you think about the day when you will forever be in the presence of Jesus?  Do you long for that day?  Do you believe that that longing affects your day-to-day activities and decisions in the here-and-now?  THAT is the point of this book.

Living as if Heaven Matters is VERY uplifting and edifying and challenging.  For instance, David says, “The Christian holds his desire for another world with his stewardship in this world in tandem.”  At least, that’s what we’re supposed to do.  Are we doing it?

And he says, “A Christianity without eternity is a Christianity with the life ripped out.”  Think about that statement.  If you call yourself a Christian, but you never think about, dream about, live in light of or long for Home, what IS life all about anyway?

Let me leave you one more tasty morsel and, simultaneously encourage you to get your hands on this book:  “Your fellowship with Jesus today is a literal ‘foretaste of glory divine’ . . . if you view things with an eternal lens, today’s discouraging snapshot yields to a beautiful love story culminating with Jesus as the great kinsman-redeemer and His church as His bride.  Trusting that Jesus will one day reign over the earth and that we will reign with him, our lives can be flooded with joy, peace, and faith . . . No trial is too difficult if you really know that, when all is said and done, you will see God and He will see you.  This is a theology of hope.”

GET IT!  Don’t delay.

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GRAVE INFLUENCE: 21 RADICALS AND THEIR WORLDVIEWS THAT RULE AMERICA FROM THE GRAVE – Brannon Howse

It is impossible to recommend this book too highly.  Now that I’ve read it, when I see a news story I find myself saying, “Yeah, I know what you’re up to!”

If you’ve ever wondered what is wrong with our world — really — but you can’t put your finger on it, you need to read this book.  It covers every question about every twisted thought process going on behind the rise of the New World Order.

Why is our judicial system so screwed up?  It’s called “legal positivism.”  Legal positivism is simply moral relativism — the belief that there is no such thing as absolutes — applied to law.  Frightful idea, but it’s being applied to legal cases every day.

What HAS happened with our entire educational system?  The globalists are after the minds of our children, that’s what has happened.  Brannon explains it.

What’s up with our entire political system?  Why can’t I tell a Democrat from a Republican?  What in the world is a “compassionate conservative?”  It’s called, “The Third Way.”  Brannon defines it.

I’m telling you, you OWE IT TO YOURSELF to read this book!  TODAY!  It explains it all!

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DISARMING THE POWERS OF DARKNESS – Eric Barger & David Benoit

Until we reach Heaven we are on the battlefield.  It’s good to get a sense of the power we have in Christ to battle the enemy.  Eric Barger and David Benoit cover so many necessary things like the armor of God, the power we have to resist the enemy and how to do that, the importance of prayer and praise in the battle, and so much more!

And then, there’s the whole question of whether or not we’re prepared, spiritually, for anything the enemy might throw at us.  The authors say, “God has a marvelous way of positioning us in the right place and at the right time to effectively deal with issues in our lives.  The key to this is our willingness to do what He has directed, when He directs.  But perhaps more important is being able to hear what He is directing us to do in the first place, which is dependent on the choice we make to fellowship with Him daily.“

Being prepared for battle is predicated on the foundation of our on-going relationship with our Father EVERY DAY!  There’s so much more to tell you.  Just read the book!

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AMERICA AT THE TIPPING POINT – Gary Frazier

This new book by Gary Frazier provides an overview of America.  It begins by giving an inspiring portrait of our forefathers as dedicated Christians who attempted to create checks and balances in America’s constitutional framework to help her avoid the pitfalls of men who would crave power.

Then Gary shows how American leaders — beginning with our juidicary — began to usurp that power by incrementally decimating our constitution through something they created called “judicial review.”  From the introduction of this philosophical change of attitude on the part of the judiciary branch of government America has spiraled downward morally in every respect.

At the end, Gary encourages Christian Americans to hope in eternity, but to “occupy” until Jesus comes by making a positive difference in America’s governmental processes.  He says, stay involved.  He even gives practical ways to do so!

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2012 THE BIBLE AND THE END OF THE WORLD – Mark Hitchcock

The movie is out.  And you can believe it will make an impact on many in our society.  Because it isn’t just a movie.  Many really believe the end of the world is foretold by the Mayans.  The earth will explode an a panoply of fire and earthquakes.  Are you ready to engage in this conversation and share the Hope of the world?

In this short but powerful book, Mark Hitchcock spends some time explaining how this whole 2012 phenomena has arisen.  Good to have the background which many seeing the movie won’t have.

Then Mark compares the beliefs of Doomsday-sayers to what the Scriptures teach about the end of the world.  Trust me, it’s an entirely different scenario.  Have you heard the saying?  “I’ve read the end of the book — and we win!”

I would absolutely encourage you to get your hands on this book so when the flurry of conversations begin about it, you are prepared.  You’ll  know where the Mayan/New Age idea comes from and be able to refute it with the Word of God.

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EN ROUTE TO GLOBAL OCCUPATION – Gary Kah

With so much going on in my life, reading non-fiction books is something I make time for.  So much information, so little time.

One of the books I’m presently reading is by Gary Kah, a former high-ranking government liason who discovered a web of groups under the radar that are working in tandem toward a one-world government.  Although the book was written a number of years ago, reading it reminds you of front-page headlines!

Gary shows that there is an ominous cooperation between the globalists — who are promoting the one-world government (shades of Revelation 13 and Daniel 11), and the burgeoning New Age groups, who are promoting a new religion (shades of Revelation 17).

Gary says, “If our countryment do not begin to resist this global government, sovereign nations will cease to exist and a single global economic system [shades of Revelation 18] will be established.”