The book that I want to review today is entitled "Burning Ridge: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery" written by Margaret Mizushima. This is the fourth book in this series, and I've reviewed the other three books in the series here on the blog.
Of the four books in the series, this is the book that I like the best. The action moves along very well. In this book, it didn't seem as if veterinarian Cole Walker was unnaturally in the action just to advance the relationship between him and the main character Mattie Cobb.
Robo the police dog sees a lot of action in this book. Mattie will find out a lot about her family, and she will make some new friends. The mystery part of the book is interesting because it keeps you guessing until the end about who the culprit is.
If you like police mysteries and books with police dogs, this is a book that you will really enjoy. While this book can be read on its own, readers will get more out of the book if they read all the books in the series. All of the books are good, and I think that the series is improving with each book. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Monday, December 3, 2018
Verses For the Week
Psalm 94:14 -- "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."
John 14:27 -- "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 14:27 -- "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Weekend Sermon -- Romans 16:1-16
Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be able to post this message as it has been quite a difficult week. I hope that all of you are doing well.
This week, we had a terrible blizzard where I live. I lost power for 15 hours, and it got very cold in the house. Thankfully, the power was restored. It could have been a lot worse. Everything has been going well in my job and in writing. I am thankful to the Lord for this.
This week, there was an earthquake in Alaska. Pray for those in that state. Also, please continue to pray for those who are dealing with the fires in the state of California.
I just learned before starting this sermon that former President George H.W. Bush has passed away. Please pray for his family during this difficult time.
Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world this week. Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Libya continue to need our prayers for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Nepal and Bhutan. Pray that many will hear the message that Jesus loves them.
Today, we will begin our study of Romans 16. I will have two messages on this chapter. After that, I will post holiday season messages.
The first part of Romans 16 has one major theme, but there is a major controversy in the chapter. Let's deal with this. First of all, Paul begins the chapter by commending Phoebe who is a deacon. He asks that Roman Christians provide her with whatever help she might need. Paul states that she was of benefit to many people including him.
In the church that I was brought up in as a boy, women were not allowed to have any positions of authority in the church. They were not and are not allowed to be ministers. They are not allowed to be deacons. They are not allowed to teach boys in Sunday school after the boys are 12 years old.
In my old church, this verse was interpreted as meaning that Phoebe was simply someone who helped Paul. My church denied that she had any official role as a church leader.
I believe that Phoebe was a deacon in the church in an official manner. In the book of Acts, deacons were established by the Apostles to aid in helping people in the church with their physical needs. Specifically, the deacons helped to distribute aid to widows and those who needed assistance in order to make it in life.
The Bible is clear that the first deacons had a teaching and ministering role. Stephen and Philip were both deacons who proclaimed the Word of the Lord.
Romans 16 also mentions Aquila and Priscilla. Paul calls them his co-workers in Christ Jesus. The book of Acts says that both of them taught Apollos who was a popular teacher in the church. It seems to me that they were a husband and wife ministry team.
In verse 7, Paul mentions that Junia was outstanding among the apostles. Some argue that this verse shows that there was a woman apostle.
First of all, I do not have a problem with women being ministers in the church. Women were the first ones that Jesus entrusted to proclaim the message of His resurrection. Some are going to disagree with me on this. However, I have known several women who are outstanding teachers and pastors. Many women serve the Lord in outstanding ways.
About the controversy as to whether or not Junia was a female apostle. I really don't think that this is what Paul is saying in this verse. I believe he is pointing out that Junia was considered great by the apostles for her work in the ministry.
Now, what is the main lesson of Romans 16:1-16. The main message is that there are many people who are working together to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world. Paul knew that his success in spreading the message of Jesus was due in large part to the fact that there were many people who assisted him. Paul knew that there were many committed Christians who were calling on others to be reconciled to God.
Each one of us has a part in spreading the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness to this hurting and lost world. We all must work together as members of the body of Christ to bring others to Jesus. We need to work together against injustice, and we need to work together to make this world a better place.
Each of us has been gifted by God to help the entire body of Christ. Let us use the gifts given to us by the Lord to enrich the body of Christ and perform the Lord's work in this world.
Next week, we will finish Romans 16 and our series in the book of Romans. I plan on posting the sermon on Friday next week. I will post the verses on Monday, and I plan to post a book review of a dog book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
This week, we had a terrible blizzard where I live. I lost power for 15 hours, and it got very cold in the house. Thankfully, the power was restored. It could have been a lot worse. Everything has been going well in my job and in writing. I am thankful to the Lord for this.
This week, there was an earthquake in Alaska. Pray for those in that state. Also, please continue to pray for those who are dealing with the fires in the state of California.
I just learned before starting this sermon that former President George H.W. Bush has passed away. Please pray for his family during this difficult time.
Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world this week. Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Libya continue to need our prayers for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Nepal and Bhutan. Pray that many will hear the message that Jesus loves them.
Today, we will begin our study of Romans 16. I will have two messages on this chapter. After that, I will post holiday season messages.
The first part of Romans 16 has one major theme, but there is a major controversy in the chapter. Let's deal with this. First of all, Paul begins the chapter by commending Phoebe who is a deacon. He asks that Roman Christians provide her with whatever help she might need. Paul states that she was of benefit to many people including him.
In the church that I was brought up in as a boy, women were not allowed to have any positions of authority in the church. They were not and are not allowed to be ministers. They are not allowed to be deacons. They are not allowed to teach boys in Sunday school after the boys are 12 years old.
In my old church, this verse was interpreted as meaning that Phoebe was simply someone who helped Paul. My church denied that she had any official role as a church leader.
I believe that Phoebe was a deacon in the church in an official manner. In the book of Acts, deacons were established by the Apostles to aid in helping people in the church with their physical needs. Specifically, the deacons helped to distribute aid to widows and those who needed assistance in order to make it in life.
The Bible is clear that the first deacons had a teaching and ministering role. Stephen and Philip were both deacons who proclaimed the Word of the Lord.
Romans 16 also mentions Aquila and Priscilla. Paul calls them his co-workers in Christ Jesus. The book of Acts says that both of them taught Apollos who was a popular teacher in the church. It seems to me that they were a husband and wife ministry team.
In verse 7, Paul mentions that Junia was outstanding among the apostles. Some argue that this verse shows that there was a woman apostle.
First of all, I do not have a problem with women being ministers in the church. Women were the first ones that Jesus entrusted to proclaim the message of His resurrection. Some are going to disagree with me on this. However, I have known several women who are outstanding teachers and pastors. Many women serve the Lord in outstanding ways.
About the controversy as to whether or not Junia was a female apostle. I really don't think that this is what Paul is saying in this verse. I believe he is pointing out that Junia was considered great by the apostles for her work in the ministry.
Now, what is the main lesson of Romans 16:1-16. The main message is that there are many people who are working together to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world. Paul knew that his success in spreading the message of Jesus was due in large part to the fact that there were many people who assisted him. Paul knew that there were many committed Christians who were calling on others to be reconciled to God.
Each one of us has a part in spreading the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness to this hurting and lost world. We all must work together as members of the body of Christ to bring others to Jesus. We need to work together against injustice, and we need to work together to make this world a better place.
Each of us has been gifted by God to help the entire body of Christ. Let us use the gifts given to us by the Lord to enrich the body of Christ and perform the Lord's work in this world.
Next week, we will finish Romans 16 and our series in the book of Romans. I plan on posting the sermon on Friday next week. I will post the verses on Monday, and I plan to post a book review of a dog book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
An Update
Yesterday I posted that the Weekend Sermon would be posted on Friday this week. This morning, I was notified that my work schedule is changing. I will be working on Friday, so the Weekend Sermon will now be posted on Saturday. I don't like to keep changing, but my schedule at work is not the same from week to week, and it can change within the week. Thank you all for reading the blog each week.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Verses For the Week and an Update
I am sorry that the verses for the week are delayed. We had a terrible blizzard where I live. The library was closed until today. At my house, we were without power for many hours. I am thankful to the Lord that it wasn't any worse than it was. Thank you for your prayers in this matter.
Since I am late getting the verses up this week, I am not going to post a review tomorrow as planned. I am going to post the sermon on Friday. Thank you.
Here are the verses:
Psalm 34:19 -- "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."
Proverbs 24:10 -- "If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength."
Since I am late getting the verses up this week, I am not going to post a review tomorrow as planned. I am going to post the sermon on Friday. Thank you.
Here are the verses:
Psalm 34:19 -- "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."
Proverbs 24:10 -- "If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength."
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Weekend Sermon - Romans 15:14-33
Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day holiday.
I had a good holiday. I went out to dinner with by brother. I thought that I was going to have to work on Thanksgiving Day, but I didn't have to. I got a chance to relax.
In prayer this week, let us all thank the Lord that the fires in California are being brought under control. Pray that those who are in need due to this disaster will receive the aid that they need.
Please pray for my uncle. His wife passed away this week. Also please pray for one of my aunts as her husband passed away just a little while ago.
I would like to ask for your prayers about a weather situation. Tomorrow, we are supposed to have snow and very high winds. Please pray that people are safe and that the wind does not cause any damages.
Remember to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Libya and South Sudan. Wherever you know that there is war and violence, pray for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for North Korea and Pakistan. Pray that people will hear the message of the love of Jesus. Pray for those who are Christians in these countries that they will be safe.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been in a series of messages on the last few chapter of the book of Romans. Last week, we focused our attention on the first part of Romans 15. Today, I would like to finish up that chapter.
In the final section of Romans 15, Paul writes about how the Lord allowed him to take the message of the Gospel to the gentiles. Paul was a faithful missionary who spread the message of the love of Jesus throughout the Roman world. Paul said that he had fully preached the Gospel so that people had an opportunity to hear the good news about what Jesus has done.
Paul was faithful to his calling. He was willing to share the message about what Jesus had done for him in spite of the fact that he was beaten and imprisoned. He was often rejected and ridiculed. In spite of opposition, Paul continued to spread the Word of the Lord.
While Paul was writing the letter to the Romans, he was hoping to have the chance to take the message of the Lord to the region of Spain. Paul wanted to go to places where others had not already preached the message of the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.
This passage of Scripture has important lessons for us today. First of all, this passage shows us the we need to be those who are committed to sharing the love and salvation of Jesus with others. We may not be missionaries who travel around as Paul and his companions did. However, we all know people within our circle of influence who have not put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. Those people are our mission field. We have a duty to the Lord to tell others that He loves them.
During this holiday season, many of us will have the chance to visit with family members and friends that we don't see at other times of the year. This is our opportunity to share with them the life changing message of Jesus.
Throughout the year, look for opportunities to share the message of Jesus with others. Always be sensitive to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit directing you to reach out to others who do not know Christ.
Paul mentions in this passage that he didn't want to build on another person's foundation. Paul wanted to preach Christ where the people had not had the opportunity to hear the good news. There are many people in this world today who have not heard the message of the Gospel. There are many nations that have very few Christians.
The prayer focus countries that I ask prayer for each week here on the blog are nations where there aren't that many Christians. I want people all over the world to have the chance to hear about how much Jesus loves them.
In order to see that the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached around the world, we must all do our part. We must share the message with those that the Lord brings within our acquaintance. We need to keep praying for those who serve in proclaiming the Gospel around the world. If you have the means to do so, let us give to those who are working diligently to spread the love of Jesus in a hurting world.
All of us who believe in Jesus have an obligation to obey the Great Commission. Let us be like Paul and go into the world to make a difference for Jesus Christ.
Next week, I will be posting the sermon on Friday as I have to work on Saturday this week. We will begin studying Romans 16. On Monday, I will post the verses weather permitting. On Wednesday, I will be posting a book review. May God bless you all. Amen.
I had a good holiday. I went out to dinner with by brother. I thought that I was going to have to work on Thanksgiving Day, but I didn't have to. I got a chance to relax.
In prayer this week, let us all thank the Lord that the fires in California are being brought under control. Pray that those who are in need due to this disaster will receive the aid that they need.
Please pray for my uncle. His wife passed away this week. Also please pray for one of my aunts as her husband passed away just a little while ago.
I would like to ask for your prayers about a weather situation. Tomorrow, we are supposed to have snow and very high winds. Please pray that people are safe and that the wind does not cause any damages.
Remember to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Libya and South Sudan. Wherever you know that there is war and violence, pray for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for North Korea and Pakistan. Pray that people will hear the message of the love of Jesus. Pray for those who are Christians in these countries that they will be safe.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been in a series of messages on the last few chapter of the book of Romans. Last week, we focused our attention on the first part of Romans 15. Today, I would like to finish up that chapter.
In the final section of Romans 15, Paul writes about how the Lord allowed him to take the message of the Gospel to the gentiles. Paul was a faithful missionary who spread the message of the love of Jesus throughout the Roman world. Paul said that he had fully preached the Gospel so that people had an opportunity to hear the good news about what Jesus has done.
Paul was faithful to his calling. He was willing to share the message about what Jesus had done for him in spite of the fact that he was beaten and imprisoned. He was often rejected and ridiculed. In spite of opposition, Paul continued to spread the Word of the Lord.
While Paul was writing the letter to the Romans, he was hoping to have the chance to take the message of the Lord to the region of Spain. Paul wanted to go to places where others had not already preached the message of the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.
This passage of Scripture has important lessons for us today. First of all, this passage shows us the we need to be those who are committed to sharing the love and salvation of Jesus with others. We may not be missionaries who travel around as Paul and his companions did. However, we all know people within our circle of influence who have not put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. Those people are our mission field. We have a duty to the Lord to tell others that He loves them.
During this holiday season, many of us will have the chance to visit with family members and friends that we don't see at other times of the year. This is our opportunity to share with them the life changing message of Jesus.
Throughout the year, look for opportunities to share the message of Jesus with others. Always be sensitive to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit directing you to reach out to others who do not know Christ.
Paul mentions in this passage that he didn't want to build on another person's foundation. Paul wanted to preach Christ where the people had not had the opportunity to hear the good news. There are many people in this world today who have not heard the message of the Gospel. There are many nations that have very few Christians.
The prayer focus countries that I ask prayer for each week here on the blog are nations where there aren't that many Christians. I want people all over the world to have the chance to hear about how much Jesus loves them.
In order to see that the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached around the world, we must all do our part. We must share the message with those that the Lord brings within our acquaintance. We need to keep praying for those who serve in proclaiming the Gospel around the world. If you have the means to do so, let us give to those who are working diligently to spread the love of Jesus in a hurting world.
All of us who believe in Jesus have an obligation to obey the Great Commission. Let us be like Paul and go into the world to make a difference for Jesus Christ.
Next week, I will be posting the sermon on Friday as I have to work on Saturday this week. We will begin studying Romans 16. On Monday, I will post the verses weather permitting. On Wednesday, I will be posting a book review. May God bless you all. Amen.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Verses For the Week
First of all, I want to wish everyone of my readers in the United States a Happy Thanksgiving. Remember, there will not be a review this week on Wednesday. The sermon will be posted on Saturday.
Here are the verses.
Psalm 9:1 -- "I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."
I Chronicles 16:34 -- "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever."
I Thessalonians 5:18 -- "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Here are the verses.
Psalm 9:1 -- "I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."
I Chronicles 16:34 -- "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever."
I Thessalonians 5:18 -- "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
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