Avoiding Overzealous Faith

April 7, 2013 by Leave a comment

Review of ACCIDENTAL PHARISEES by Larry Osborne

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It might come as a surprise that a mega church pastor would write a book warning Christians not be be overzealous in their faith during a time in which secular humanism is growing more dominant, but yet, the book is as relevant as it is timely.  Those that are familiar with the story of Jesus know that the ancient sect known as “Pharisees” were singled out for strong criticism by Jesus and his followers.  They had a reputation for being very legalistic in their interpretations of religious teachings.

This book warns modern day Christians of several ways they can be unwittingly trapped into becoming like the Pharisees of old. Osborne discusses pride, exclusivity, legalism, idolizing the past, the quest for uniformity, and what he terms “gift projection” in major sections of the book.

It is divided into seven parts, with three short chapters in each part.  At the end of every part, there are one or two pages of discussion questions, making this book suitable for small group study.  Osborne writes in a casual but direct style, making his points plain for the reader to pick up on.

Not content to point out deficiencies he sees in others, Osborne also confesses to several of the faults being addressed in the book.  He explains that his views on several topics have changed over the years, as he has developed his faith and relationship with Jesus.

Christians everywhere can learn lessons from this short book, which earns it 5 stars out of 5 in this review.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. 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.”

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Solid on Principles, Light on Details

March 22, 2013 by Leave a comment

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Book Review: Heaven’s Lessons

Ten Things I Learned About God When I Died

By Steve Sjogren

This book is part autobiography and part motivational. Sjogren recounts his near death experience (NDE), and uses it to draw lessons that can be applied to life. The book is brief, with an easy to follow style that makes it a quick read.

The author has divided the book into 10 chapters, with each one focused on lessons he has learned from his encounter with the afterlife. His lessons are simple, but not necessarily easy to follow. For example, “Don’t Fear Death,” “Be Thankful,” and “God is Big” are some of the chapter titles.

Steve Sjogren is a pastor, and seeks to impart spiritual truth in a direct way. Readers will come away feeling assured that there is a Higher Power, and that He is a loving God. It is an emotional appeal to humility and thankfulness even when we are under stress, fearful, or taking things for granted.

Recognizing his shortcomings, he boldly describes some mistakes he made in church leadership, and his continuing journey to learn about patience in dealing with grief and forgiveness. This is made even more remarkable given that several of these mistakes occurred after the author’s NDE.

This is a book that will leave the reader feeling energized and with warm feelings to their fellow human beings. As Sjogren says, “God loves irregular people.” It turns out, we are all “irregular people.”

The book is solid on principles, but light on details. What it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with earnest emotion. I rate it 4 stars out of 5.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Asylum: A Christian Science Fiction Review

January 21, 2013 by 1 Comment

Asylum

The Circeae Tales

by Ashley Hodges Bazer

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Chase Leighton is a starship captain embroiled in a protracted conflict between the “Ghosts” and the “Legacy.” During the course of the conflict, his wife Trista is captured by Legacy forces and he risks everything to rescue her from her plight. When he finally catches up to her, she does not recognize him, and claims that her name is Krissa.

This book can be described as Christian Science Fiction. The allegory used is familiar to those educated in the Christian faith, yet the story is good enough to stand on its own. This is part of a series now encompassing ten novels, but is new to me. Reading this is a bit like jumping into a story that has already started, missing lots of background, but things move at a fast pace and keep the reader’s interest.

The medical ethics, or lack of them, exhibited by members of the Legacy tampering with Trista’s mind is explored in length. The temptation for Chase to exact vengeance for the mistreatment of his wife is also examined.

These medical experiments illicit comparisons in the reader’s mind with Nazi experiments during World War II, or perhaps Cold War era brainwashing techniques tried by the Soviets.

Despite the good story, I found the characters’ use of “Soli Deo Gloria” as an everyday phrase to be a stretch. However, this is the first Christian space opera I have ever read, and it proved to be an entertaining and fast read.  At the time of the writing of this review, the book is available on Kindle for $3.99, a substantial discount off the hardcover and paperback editions.

4 stars out of 5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. 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.”

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For Unto Us A Child Is Born…

December 25, 2011 by Leave a comment

For unto us a child is born , unto us a son is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor , The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  (Isaiah 9:6)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2011 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at First Baptist Church, Sunnyside, Washington

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Sitting Down With A New Local Pastor

November 22, 2010 by 1 Comment

This morning, I had the pleasure of being able to sit down with a new local church pastor, Cameron Garcia.  He and his family moved to Sunnyside from Bellingham in just the past few weeks.

Cameron Garcia at Guerra's Coffee Company

While snow was dusting the ground outside, we stayed warm with fresh coffee at Guerra’s Coffee Company on South 1st Street in Sunnyside.

Mr. Garcia informed me that he spent a couple of years working with Americorps using Asset Based Community Development, and sees his role in Sunnyside with a community development component.

His church, the Church of God,  was established in Sunnyside since 1949, but will be going through a “restart” under Garcia’s leadership.  As part of this process the church will likely be getting a new name, with a launch date tentatively planned around Easter.

In the meantime, the church will be using the time to discern its vision.  Mr. Garcia said the church should “love God, love your neighbor, and make disciples.”  While many churches focus on the third part, “making disciples”, Garcia said that the “love your neighbor” part is equally important.

Garcia envisions the church being outwardly focused, doing things that benefit the community, without necessarily doing them to ”make disciples”.

Garcia has a personal blog, CameronGarcia.net, and is on Twitter @camerongarcia.

He has also started a website for his church, Sunnyside Church of God, which is under construction.

I look forward to seeing how the church restart progresses, and to the positive impact it may have in our community.

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Talent Show Held At Community Center

November 12, 2010 by Leave a comment

 

Jim Slinker organizes the Talent Show, clipboard in hand.

 

The almost new, and until recently, rarely used Sunnyside Community Center played host for a Young Life talent show Thursday night.  Despite school and government closures for Veterans Day, several of our area youth turned out to enjoy music and other talents on display.

In addition to the multiple musical acts, an auction was held to raise funds for the organization. Young Life is a non-denominational ministry with a focus on youth.

Acts included music from “Paco and His People”, “Lady Rodriguez”, Christine Woods playing solo on her viola and going through Tae Kwon Do forms, dancing from Martin School of Dance, and a skit entitled “A Goober or Maybe Not”.  For the skit, Jim Slinker, who works with Young Life, changed out his clothes for a colorful portrayal of a country bumpkin at a dairy farm “tasting room”.

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For more information about the organization, visit the website of Young Life.

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Faith News Announcement in Sunnyside:

October 24, 2010 by Leave a comment

United Reformed Church To Host Worship Conference

The United Reformed Church of Sunnyside is hosting a free conference event at 7:00 PM Friday, October 29, 2010. The topic is about how the Protestant Reformation has affected Christian worship.

Rev. Matt Barker of Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Kent, Washington will be speaking, along with Rev. Shane Lems, Pastor of the host church. The conference is an annual event for the Sunnyside church, and is meant to be both informative, and to spark conversation and fellowship in the community.

Each speaker will give a lecture, with time set aside for singing. The entire conference is scheduled to last about one hour, with coffee and fellowship being shared after-wards.

Pastor Shane Lems in an interview with this blog, said that this is meant to be a community event, and everyone is welcome to attend.

United Reformed Church is located at 1750 Sheller Road. Additional information and archives of past events are available at a blog created for the conference:

yakimavalleyreformation.blogspot.com

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Editor’s note: From time to time I will post articles based upon reader suggestions, such as this one.  If you would like me to post an announcement for your church or group here, or have local news tips, please send me an Email: editor@blogsunnyside.com

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