The Rescue by Nancy Rue

~Saturday Stories~

This review was written a while back, so its format is different than usual

As Josiah takes what seems to be his last breath, two strong hands bring him out of the water. So begins a warm relationship between a ten-year-old Puritan, an Indian boy, and an old woman. Even after Josiah learns that the woman, widow Faith Hooker, is an outcast because of her religious beliefs, he still stays friends with her. Then his sister becomes very ill and Josiah knows the exact person who can save her: the widow. But will his father let an outcast in his home?

Genres: historical, adventure, Puritan life. For boys 14 and under. Issues dealt with: family relationships, different Christian denominations

The Rescue is based on a Puritan’s life in 1689. God is discussed a lot. Also, the right to serve Him in more than one way is brought up constantly. The characters find themselves in between two different Christian denominations’ values and beliefs.  This is book 1 of the Christian Heritage Series: The Salem Years.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23 (NIV)

For more on Nancy Rue visit her website, Facebook page, and blogs for tweens, teens, and new adults.

Pray, pray, pray !

~Friday for Friends~

One of the greatest things you can do for your friends and enemies is PRAY for them.

1. We should pray for one another 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

"Brothers and sisters, pray for us." 1 Thessalonians 5:25 (NIV)


2. We should pray for our enemies 

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Matthew 5:44 (NIV)

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 6:27-28 (NIV)


3. We should pray for rulers 

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV)


Prayer is a powerful tool. Let's use it.

How about you? Do you pray for others? What other verses do you know on the topic?

Not just once a year

Today is Thanksgiving. 

I'm sure most of you guys knew that. Today's the day when most everyone counts their blessings and says "yep, I have a lot." Some say their thanks to God but many just to those around them. And it's good to be thankful. But the thing is...

Why just today? 

Did yesterday have less to be thankful for? Will tomorrow bring less blessings? Maybe. But probably not.

We should be thankful ALL THE TIME. We should ALWAYS remember the blessings God gives us. 

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV, emphasis mine)

 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1-3 (NIV) Read the entire psalm.


Our God is wonderful, amazing, and great!!! He deserves our thankfulness! Let's try to remember His love on this special day and also as we go throughout the year. 

God bless you all!  

The Call to Give, Part 4: Oneself

~Tuesday Thoughts~

These November Tuesdays I want to explore the theme of giving. The Dictionary of Bible Themes divides it up into four things: giving of oneself, of possessions, of talents, and of time. I'm mixing that order up and we’ll have possessions first, time second, talents third and then –oh, the climax!- the giving of oneself. The first three Tuesdays were about giving possesions, giving time, and giving talents. Now let's discuss the awesome thing called giving ourselves!

Giving of oneself sounds… awfully scary. The phrase itself makes one shudder, even if we don’t completely understand what it means.

The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines giving oneself as “the submission of the self to the will of God, in thanksgiving and service.”


Why should we give ourselves? 

Well, first because we belong to God.

"Know that the Lord is God.
  It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
  we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." Psalm 100:3 (NIV)

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

Second, because all good things are given by God.

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." 1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV)


Let’s not forget the greatest example of giving ever – Jesus Christ

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."1 John 3:16(NIV)

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NIV)


To who or to what are we supposed to give ourselves? 

1. To God

"Therefore, I urge you, rothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Romans 12:1 (NIV)

"And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us." 2 Corinthians 8:5 (NIV) (emphasis mine)

2. To one another

"And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us." 2 Corinthians 8:5 (NIV) (emphasis mine)

"You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people." 1 Corinthians 16:15a (NIV) (emphasis mine)

3. To holy living

"Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness." Romans 6:19b (NIV)

4. To the service of God

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

5. To a life of self-denial

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

"In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:33 (NIV)

6. To martyrdom

"Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." Daniel 3:28 (NIV)

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Acts 20:24 (NIV)


There are also rewards - good motivation! -  for self-giving. 

"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 (NIV). (You can find similar verses in Mark and Luke.)

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." Matthew 19:29 (NIV) (You can find similar verses in Mark and Luke.)


Along with all that we are also supposed to give thanks. 

"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
  make known among the nations what he has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NIV)

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

If you want to find more on the topic of giving oneself you can look at what The Dictionary of Bible Themes has on it. 


What about you? What ideas does this give you? In what ways are you already giving yourself or can give in the future? Please share!

On my own

~Monday Movies & Music~

“On My Own” is an AWESOME song by Ashes Remain. Here are the lyrics.

I'm loving this song right now! The music, the message – it’s great.

Seriously, we can't fight this all our own. God is there all the way through and that’s the only way we can really survive. Praise God!

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
   my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2 (NIV)

Faith in dark times

~Saturday Stories~

Not that long ago GoTeenWriters had a writing prompt contest. The first sentence was “I would need a lot of luck to make it out of this alive” and it was supposed to be not more than 100 words without that first sentence. Here’s what I got:


I would need a lot of luck to make it out of this alive. Not luck - faith. It was like a soft whisper beside me as I stepped around the numerous puddles of after-rain Berlin. I draped my cloak closer. Nearby a soldier screeched at a new group of Jews to get into the truck.  Hurrying my steps I moved to the other side of the road. “Hey you!” the soldier bellowed. My heart beat faster as I heard the hard footsteps approach. “You a Jew?!” I took a breath, whirled around and glared at him. “I’m the general’s wife, you scoundrel.”


If I were to actually write the story the woman here would really be the wife of a Nazi general. She’d also be a spy, spying on her husband and sharing the plans she heard of. I don’t know if there was a woman just like that in World War II. However, I DO know there were many great people who risked and lost their lives for protesting against the oppression. And not all of them, but probably some had a faith in God that propelled them forward. They believed in something more than the regime; they knew of a country far better than what Hitler was trying to make. And then, of course, there are countless heroes of other wars and ones in times of peace.

You see, our faith is something huge. Something grand enough to die for.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

How about you? What are you willing to give for your faith? What stories do you know of other great men and women who fought for what they believed in?

P. S. There are still people being persecuted for their faith even today (however awful and totally unrealistic that sounds). You can find out more at Open Doors.

What if I don’t WANT to forgive?

~Friday for Friends~

Sometimes hurts we receive lay way down deep and the last thing we want to do is forgive. We need to anyway. Yep, hard. But with God all things are possible.

We should forgive because God forgave us.

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25 (NIV)

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" Matthew 5:44 (NIV)

Now this last one seems especially hard. Even if you don’t have an enemy per se, it’s really easy to think of someone you’re, like, rivals with - NOT in just a boyfriend/girlfriend sense either. Like who’s a better student or who do Dad and Mom like more, who’s the better singer/artist/etc. And if we have real enemies it’s even harder. But, as I said before, all things are possible with Christ! God will help us forgive. Pray about it, will you?

How about you? Do you find forgiving hard? What other verses do you know on the topic?