You can walk the Road to Cana with Christ the Lord

In Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, we take up Anne Rice's bold attempt to continue the story of Jesus as a young man who knows who He is and what is going to happen to Him in the near future.

Jesus is a man, strong, virile and desirable.

Anne does not make him weak or un-masculine in anyway. He is a stud and those around him know it. He is a hard working and important part of a working class family and as such, has the girls giving him the eye. He is obviously marriage material.

His emotions are dealt with in a genuine manner. There is no pretense here that Jesus the man isn't a human being attracted to the opposite sex. The emotions of Jesus are dealt with honestly and you see that He was in all manners, tempted such as we. (Luke 4:15)

The sub story woven throughout brings life to Jesus the Man as we watch him die to his flesh and desires while choosing the highest good for others. The temptation during his forty days and forty nights in the desert is superb as Jesus is tempted with all the emotions that every man feels. Ms. Rice covers them all in a way that makes the reader look at his own faults and failures.

When Jesus returns to his own, there is no turning back. He is the Son of God and a man on a mission. He calls fishermen to come follow him and begins to speak as only the Son of God can. Ms. Rice's writing is captivating as she weaves the love story of Christ the Lord for His Bride, the Church against the story of the wedding at Cana. The wedding at Cana shows Jesus honoring his mother, just like all good boys do. As Mary tells those around her to obey her son and do as He asks, the turning of the water into wine, is recorded for us in a story that is satisfying as any beautiful wedding should be. The emotions of Jesus the Man make this book a treasure you won't soon forget.

CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA
By Anne Rice
ISBN: 978-1-4000-4352-1

For more book reviews see http:// kteamsusa.com

BOOK REVIEW: CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT

Don’t jump the gun.

In Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, Anne Rice creates a very real little boy who happens to be Jesus of Nazareth. Ms. Rice writes like a mommy as she explores a little boy she loves and knows was born to die for the sins of mankind.

What a different twist she brings to the ordinary! The setting of a child and family leaving Egypt to return to their people of Nazareth provides background that is interesting and fresh. Whether we are seeing Jesus deal with His feelings and knowledge of who He is and who He is going to be or looking through the eyes of Mary, his mother, Ms. Rice has taken a very “family” perspective on the whole process.

The Jewish perspective is eloquent without being trite as we see families gathering and passing down the stories of the Torah in the traditional manner. The historical perspective is intact as the people struggle with oppression brought on by the Roman invasion of the country amidst the traditional life cycles of the Jewish calendar.

As the little boy tells his story and then grows into puberty and reaches Bar Mitzvah age, you see a child learning how to reason and ask intelligent “God questions,” knowing all along, what the answers are.

The book leaves you wanting more, as it should.

The real treat is the conversion story of Anne at the end of the book. You can’t jump the gun to get to this seventeen page Author’s Note. It won’t mean nearly as much if you haven’t read this reverent and captivating take on the child Jesus.

CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT
By Anne Rice
ISBN: 0-275-41201-8

For more book reviews see http://kteamsusa.com

BOOK REVIEW: REDISCOVERING CATHOLICSM

In Rediscovering Catholicism: Journeying Toward Our Spiritual North Star, Matthew Kelly gives a compelling picture of what a Christian should be. With a clear voice, he shows how each area of society should and would inculcate a biblical worldview if those who claim to be Catholic lived what they say they believe.

Divided into readable sections, Kelly explores the need for a Savior, the relevancy of Christ today and the call for holiness that  a personal relationship with Jesus requires. His look at seven pillars of Catholic spirituality is an objective take on what makes us Catholic and how, if applied, will renew the inner life of the individual. His section on fasting and discipline is a real slap on the hand to most of us, as it should be.

Kelly makes a passionate plea for a return to virtue and calls on all who claim the Catholic faith to look to Jesus and emulate His call to evangelization. Through servant leadership, courage, and Christian character that comes from a personal and growing faith in Jesus, we as a people, will draw the sinner to Christ.

This book will challenge even the weakest to become more bold in what Christ and His Church would look like if we all hungered and thirst after righteousness.

REDISCOVERING CATHOLICISM: JOURNEYING TOWARD OUR SPIRITAUL NORTH STAR
By Matthew Kelly
ISBN: 1-929266-08-1

For more book reviews see  http://kteamsusa.com

Out From Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting

Dawn Stefanowicz has boldly and openly shared a horrific life that is becoming more and more prevalent as society and its norms continue to crumble. In her personal memoir, Out From Under, Dawn reveals the mental torment she and her two siblings were raised in by a homosexual father and a weak mother.

Bravo!

Dawn's book is more than a personal analyzation of trauma caused by bad parenting. It reveals the darker side of a father's sexual appetites and how they can destroy the psyche of everyone he touches. It is not for the faint hearted. Be warned!

A thread of the religious runs through this tormented family and Dawn's ability to finally see true Christianity from the false is critical to her personal understanding of the need for a Father's love.

As Dawn openly works through her needs for love and affection it is clear this book is a manual for others that may find themselves in similar situations. She does not gloss over the ugly nor make it look like easy work. Change is never easy. But she eloquently shows her love and affection for her father and sees him as he truly was. Her ability to continually forgive the many ways her father continued to cause her pain throughout his life, show a strength that can only from the determination to deal with her own shortcomings over and over again.

Dawn's marriage and ability to be completely vulnerable with her husband show that they are in this thing together. Her self analysis by journaling was a step forward in her own healing and sharing those journaling efforts with her husband, seem to help her place her situations in perspective.

For those of us who love others in alternative lifestyles, this book is a warning of the effects of gay parenting and the backlash that it can create on the social structure of a society. Dawn speaks for those who cannot. May her work not be in vain.

Children are the most vulnerable of society and a society that will not protect its own children is a sad one indeed. May we be brave enough to love, reach out to and rescue these little ones who are hidden among us.

OUT FROM UNDER:THE IMPACT OF HOMOSEXUAL PARENTING
By Dawn Stefanowicz ISBN 1-59977-011-3

For more book reviews see http://alanandloriharris.blogspot.com

The Pain of Sin

I love a lesbian.
I’ve loved her since we were girls. The feeling is mutual, I’m sure. We are as close as sisters. We grew up together. We worked together. We lived together. We fought and we dated guys together. She is one of my oldest, dearest and most precious friends.

Through the years our paths separated, almost under our noses. We weren’t concerned about God. We lived like we chose and it showed. Without a plumb line to guide us, we continued our downward spiral of what was acceptable and normal for us and those who were our friends.

Somehow, through the muddle of my mind, Jesus broke through. He reached down and began to clear the cobwebs of my mind. He began to massage my brain back to life. He began to probe my thoughts and penetrate my concepts of right and wrong, just and unjust, and to stir up something long ago lost. I became a new creation. My life changed- for the better, and that change continues to this day.

But my wonderful friend hasn’t had that renewal.
She hasn’t chosen to be renewed, but all these many years she has continued to love herself and her wants. There has been no visible work toward holy living and dying to selfish desires.

Her partners have changed. Her opinions have become more vocal and her heart has fashioned God to be someone she calls on when she has disappointments and most times, she thinks He does not care for her or take a personal interest in what she does. He doesn’t hear her. Why?

Recently we got to catch up and I was introduced to her latest partner.

I had no reaction other than, “Oh, well.”

In reflecting on my lack of shock over her choice of sin, I had to ask God why I would feel no grief about her continued lifestyle. My answer was all too evident: I have become numb to the things that break God’s heart. I have forgotten how to hate sin while continuing to love the sinner. In other ones, I continue to love her but I have grown numb to her sin.

I cannot, as a Christian, make the two one. I must separate my friend whom I love, from her sin of choice. All sin breaks God’s heart. Some sins ensnare with strangling cords because they have a Trinitarian grip on the person. They ensnare the body, soul and spirit and these sins choke the life from the individual.

I’ve had to repent.

I’ve had to ask Jesus to forgive me for not seeing my friend’s hurts and ministering to them again and again, with the love of Christ. I am not called by God to judge her but to love her. I want to look like and strive to emulate a savior worth living for because she is someone He was worth dying for.

Intercession of Mary & the Saints

The Cultural Experience of Mary and Prayers to the Saints

When I began to look at the truths of the Catholic faith, one of the first I had to deal with was the “Mary talk.” As a Protestant, Mary was only mentioned at Christmas and prayer to the saints was never even discussed. Protestants just don’t do that.

But the Jew in me that loves and relishes tradition and the generational traditions of cultures and peoples, had to recognize that these aspects of the faith are based on just that- tradition.

Truths about Mary are important to the basic gospel message but they aren’t central. Many Protestants believe wrongly that Catholics think they are and to some, this may be so. Her role in the Christian life does not compete with the role of Jesus. Anyone who confuses the role of Mary and Jesus does not have a problem with their “Mariology”; their problem is that they have never really met Jesus Christ. Those who know the life and power of Jesus will never be tempted or able to confuse Jesus’ role with that of Mary.

Mary is special, in that she alone was chosen by God to be the “ark of the new covenant” by which God entered into the world. She is considered the “New Eve” in typology because, unlike the first Eve, who said “no” to God, Mary willingly said “yes”. She is the first person who received the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Lk 1:35). Luke declares Mary highly favored by God ( Lk 1: 28-30) and she declared herself to be the servant of the Lord ( Lk 1:38). At the cross Mary was there, and artists throughout the years have depicted her holding his lifeless body, the “sword” “that pierced her heart,” as Simeon prophesied (Lk 2:35).

Mary’s prophetic prayer of praise, Luke 1:46-55 (the Magnificat), glorifies God and brings to light the mission of Jesus to bring the Good News to the poor and downcast. She prophecies over herself that, “all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48). This prophecy is fulfilled through all Christians who call Mary the “Blessed Virgin”.

Catholics look to Mary as our mother in the faith, but they do not “pray to Mary” as they pray to God. Worship belongs to God alone. Catholics do ask Mary to pray for us and believe that her intercession can call forth God’s grace because of her special relationship with Jesus.

God provides and accomplishes everything that man needs, but he also asks us to have a share in his work. Jesus is our high priest ( Heb. 8:1), but he calls us a “priestly people” and invites us to share in his priesthood ( I Pet 2:9). He encourages us to bring our intentions to him (I Tim 2:1-6) and to pray for others.

Ultimately, Mary is honored because God has honored her by choosing her to be the mother of Jesus. She is the example of the perfect disciple and shows us as human beings, how we are to relate to God through Jesus. She always points us to her son, Jesus.

Along this same line, prayer to the saints is a misunderstood. Catholics use the term “saint” to refer to people of outstanding holiness. In the New Testament, the word is used in a broader term, Paul calls all his fellow believers “saints” ( Rom 12:13, 16:15, I Cor 16:1,15; 2 Cor1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; 4:21-22, Philemon 5). The Apostles’ Creed also states, “I believe in the communion of saints.”

This phrase, “the communion of saints” refers to that bond of unity among all those, living and dead, who are, or have been committed followers of Jesus Christ. We know that those who have died in Christ are still saints and are only physically dead. Their spirit is still alive. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living ( Mk 12:26-27; Lk 20:34-38; Mk 5:39; Mt 9:24; Lk 8:52). Jesus even demonstrated this principle of those saints being alive in Christ when Moses and Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mk 9:4). The story of the “good thief” also illustrates this point (Lk 23:43).

One of Satan’s chief strategies is to defeat the Church is to cause division. One divisive tactic that has been successful has been the strategy of dividing and isolating the Body of Christ from one another- those on earth and those in the heavenly. Hebrews 11 calls us to remember those who have gone before and Hebrews 12:1 states, “WE have so great a cloud of witnesses…” These men and women of God, who have gone on before are there, encouraging us to holiness and discipleship.

The Catholic church takes this a step further through the process of “canonization“, a way the Church discerns the life that someone has lived on earth. The custom of honoring the lives of holy people with the title of “saint” dates back to the first centuries of Christianity and comes from the apostles and martyrs who sacrificed their lives instead of abandoning their faith in Jesus ( Rev 6:9-11, 7:13-15).

Jesus is the ultimate model of holiness, but there are many role models that the average person can look to for an example to follow. Since we believe that this great cloud of witnesses is available to us, we choose to ask for their intercession and prayers to the Father on our behalf. What an army of witnesses!

Many of us ask one another to “pray for me”. As Catholics, we not only ask those “saints” on earth to pray for us but those in the heavenlies, who are already united with the Lord. This can be abused and become a form of worship, as St. Augustine warned but it doesn’t have to be.

When we ask the saints in heaven or Mary to intercede and pray for us, it cannot detract from the unique mediation of Jesus, anymore than asking someone on earth to pray for us would. Worship is due only to God. All Christian prayer, whether asking that of a saint, through a written prayer or a heartfelt plea, is directed to the Father through Jesus Christ, who is the “one mediator between God and men” (I Tim 2:5).

Book Review for Left To Tell

Left To Tell is a personal story of survival in the midst of the Rwandan holocaust. Immaculee Ilibagiza shares her nightmare of terror with the reader in a way that shows this killing frenzy could happen to people within any nation.

The prejudice between the Hutu and Tutsi people groups show that skin color isn’t the only way man judges man. The spirit of death and murder walked hand in hand with hate as neighbor turned against neighbor and found a reason to machete and bludgeon one another to death. The stench of rotting bodies and blood ran throughout the villages as Immaculee realized the death of her loved ones even as she hid with seven other women for three months in a bathroom four feet long and three feet wide.


Insanity could have engulfed her at any moment if she had not chosen to take every thought captive and keep her mind occupied by prayer and thoughts of survival. When the chance to escape came after three months, her sheer determination caused all eight women to press through to safety.

Her story of forgiveness is just as riveting. The miracles God provided for her encouraged and kept her faith alive. Far from being overwhelmed by man’s inhumanity to man, Immaculee’s ordeal uplifts and inspires because of her ability to forgive and continue forgiving those who perpetrated the crimes against her.


Immaculee is a woman that has suffered and lost much but her willingness to bring her story of hope and healing one heart at a time is a story of love worth reading. You won’t be disappointed.


LEFT TO TELL
By Immaculee Ilibagiza
ISBN: 1-4019-0897-7

For more book reviews see http://kteamsusa.com