In today's chaotic and challenging world, we all need encouragement. For the past fifteen years, my wife and I have utilized various daily devotionals for that helpful dose of inspiration to start our day. This book is written from the perspective of a not-so-perfect Christian in a manner that will speak to men and women of all ages and faiths, and provide them a simple encouraging, uplifting bit of insight for each day of the year. I believe this book will allow those who read it to gain a fresh understanding of God, His love for them, and His plan for their life. And as they begin to understand God's love, they will experience the joy and peace He offers to those who love and trust Him. The first 105 devotionals deal with Bible verses from Genesis to Revelations that speak about not being afraid. The second phase deals with verses from Matthew through Revelations that speak of God's love. And the remaining days of the year are writings on verses from Matthew through Revelations relating to joy and peace. The writing of these encouragements has blessed me beyond measure and brought me closer to the Lord than I ever thought I could be. I pray they do the same for you.

Ordinary Words is mostly a collection of song lyrics that have been tweaked so as not to repeat song 'refains'. The poems with accompanying instrumentals can be found at... http: //lkazmierczak.biz/songs

Storm Clouds Gathering ...

In contrast to these busy first few weeks of establishing back-to-school routines, as well as the uncertainty of medical tests for Kjrsten, I reflected back on the quiet respite we'd had over the past summer.

One of our favorite summer activities was to sit on the long, covered front porch of our home and watch the storms as they rolled in from the west across Clear Creek. We'd listen for the thunder and see the lightning striking at the bottom of the hill as the storm climbed upward and through the cornfield to the edge of our yard. We were relieved as it rumbled noisily over the top of our house without leaving any damage as it continued its steady march to the east.

Little did we know what kind of storm was brewing for our perfect little family.

It doesn't take the most spiritually discerning person among us to see that we stand in desperate need of revival within our land. We see churches in drastic decline, leading to moral decay and opening wide the door for the devourer to enter in and destroy our families and community. The sole purpose of this book is to see the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ rise to its full potential, call by seeking the face of God, and see this land reclaimed in the name and for the glory of Jesus Christ.

In Reclaiming the Land, Pastor Rusty Kuhn has clearly outlined God's formula for revival that God has given in II Chronicles 7:14. Reclaiming the Land unfolds the biblical principle that if you plan and promote your agenda, bestowing glory and honor upon yourself rather than Jesus, the hand of God's blessings will not fall. However, as demonstrated in this book through the principles of God's Word, if we choose to pursue God's way for His glory, His promise will be kept: "Then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

In Reclaiming the Land you will discover

the prayer that God heard;

the signs of the need of revival;

the knowledge that we are saved with a holy calling;

the need of humility for His honor;

the power of prayer;

the blessings of seeking His face;

the need of honoring his presence; and

the end result of doing things God's way.

The loss of a child is never going to be easy for any parent and questioning yourself will always be a part of the processing you have to get through. Your faith can be what holds you together with the help of your family, or you can isolate yourself and try to make it on your own. Awareness of parenting skills can assist in making right choices as you raise your children and faith can strengthen those choices.

This is a story of a man-child in God's Promised Land who grew under His protection and favor while in complete ignorance of His dominion, power, and authority. It is the biography of a young man who came of age during the Civil Rights era who rose from a working class upbringing, skirting drugs and violence to become the first African-American optometrist, O.D. (Doctor of Optometry), in the state of Delaware. This is the odyssey of one man's ascent to the upper echelons of black society only to find it was void of the true meaning he was seeking out of life. Finally, it is the tracing of the finger of God through the life of an ordinary man who found his way through salvation to his Father God, and his true purpose for being, service in the great commission, that is, to seek and to save those who are lost.

Joao de Deus Brasil's book comprises two independent but related works: Why I Believe in God and Atheism: a Self-Delusion. In Why I Believe in God, the author reveals the origins of his faith whereas in Atheism: a Self-Delusion he refutes atheists' arguments expressed by their current world leader, Richard Dawkins, in his best-seller God, a Delusion. Regarding the renowned biologist's ideas, Joao de Deus states: In his book, Richard Dawkins does not provide any theory capable of scientifically justifying his negation of God's existence. And besides, he does not put forward any evidence whatsoever, either scientific or empirical, in support of that nonexistence. Between the lines of his own words, one can clearly see his subconscious knowledge about the life of the spirit, anterior and posterior to material life. By analyzing his quotations of other wise, monistic men, without even excluding the magnificent Albert Einstein, one can clearly perceive that they themselves have this subconscious knowledge, and they reveal it as they express their thoughts. Materialism is, therefore, a delusion. The true monist does not exist, for all of us have subconscious knowledge of our spiritual existence before, during, and after our material lives. We express ourselves according to this knowledge, whoever we are: believers or skeptics, intellectuals, scientists, or illiterate peasants. In the same way, we are also aware of the existence of God, and that's why faith is revealed in children. For the same reason, among many others as we have seen, faith is revealed in all peoples and cultures, with no exception. These realities, perfectly clear for those who want to see, provide irrefutable, absolute proof that atheism, like materialism and monism, is a self-delusion.

Life is all about being successful and happy. Many of us have everything and yet find the real happiness missing. We are constantly in pursuit of that joy which has eluded us forever, thus far. When we realize our true nature and origin, it enables our progression towards attaining a happy and fearless state in life. Each one of us is a divine Soul; unborn, unchanging, immutable and eternal; an inseparable potency of that Supreme God, who dwells in us eternally. Though each one of us has the potential to experience a divine existence, being immortals, we have chosen to take birth in this mortal world; taking birth to die and dying to take birth again, in some 8.4 million bodies. There is a mismatch in what is happening to us. We are immortals, but the bodies we acquire in this world are not. We can attain the divine, eternal world of God, if we realize our imperishable relationship with God, who alone can grant us the state we all seek. With that realization, we can transcend causes and effects of this karmic world, overcoming grief and pain. We not only achieve material success, but also live a useful life, for the self, for our families and for the society.

"I really believe we can find the answers to the questions and problems of life in God's word, the Bible, and I tried to convey that to my students over the years. Studying the Bible is spiritually enlightening and personally empowering to make you a better parent, child, friend and witness for Christ. Studying the bible can also be fun. By using the outline approach, you can organize your thoughts, and increase your understanding of the truths and principals from the scriptures. Read this book for some examples of outlining, then choose a scripture and make your own outlines."