He is Risen!
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He Is Risen
Monthly Archives: March 2013
Five Minute Friday – A Broken Sinner
In the beginning God created man without sin
But with freewill and the ability to choose
On that fateful day, a choice was made
Disobedience…and sin entered the world
From then on, man’s nature was corrupted
Thereafter all were born with a sin nature
I’m a sinner, therefore I sin
I am broken, in need of a Savior
Before the foundations of the world were laid
A plan was made by Omniscient God
Genesis 3:15
A Redeemer was promised
In the fullness of time the Messiah came
Lived a sinless life and gave His life an atonement for sin
It was on the cross
God’s holiness and mercy met
Righteous God was able to dispense grace
To sinful man who is unable to save himself
How can I say that Friday was good
When the Son of God was put to death by sinful man
It was there that my sin debt was paid in full
This broken sinner was forgiven by God
Friday was not the end of the story
Sunday was coming
As Christ foretold
He arose from the grave
God gave convincing proof in the Resurrection
My sin debt…was marked paid in full
By Susan Wachtel
March 30, 2013
It’s another Saturday and I participating in Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Fridaywriting challenge. Head over to her website “Lisa Jo Baker Tales from a Gypsy Mama”. Be sure to read some of the entries from other writers. I can promise you that you will be blessed.
Damascus Countdown – Will Keep You Up At Night
It was my pleasure to read Joel Rosenberg’s newest novel Damascus Countdown. This is the third book in his current series which included The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative.
Damascus Countdown begins where The Tehran Initiative left off, with CIA NOC agent David Shirazi in Qom, Iran meeting with Javad Nouri, a personal aide to the Ayatollah and Twelfth Imam. As the CIA’s plan is executed, suddenly flying overhead are four F16 fighter jets on a mission, a preemptive strike by Israel. The war everyone feared had just begun.
This is a fast paced novel that will keep you up at night. The storyline jumps between Iran, Israel, Washington DC, New York and Syria as characters, including the hero David Shirazi, do everything they can to prevent a nuclear holocaust against Israel, the United States’ ally and the only free and democratic nation in the Middle East. The reader is taken behind the scenes with CIA operatives and their family and friends, top Iranian leaders and nuclear scientists, Israeli government officials, Mossad agents, and a genocidal Islamic messiah.
One of my favorite elements of Joel Rosenberg’s novel is that he shows the development of faith in some of the characters. As a Christian, faith impacts everything I do, so it’s interesting to see how the characters respond in their faith to the cataclysmic events they are involved in.
Joel Rosenberg is a gifted writer and he seems to get better with each passing novel. The characters are interesting, the good guys and even the despicable ones. The storyline and scenes are gripping and I didn’t want to put the book down until I finished the last page. The Christian message that salvation is found through faith in Jesus Christ alone is clearly presented, not in contrived manner, but is woven in to the experiences of his characters. Joel has a good understanding of Biblical and Islamic prophesy which are woven throughout the novel.
I highly recommend Joel Rosenberg’s novel Damascus Countdown. I do warn you, you may have some circles under your eyes, from staying up late so you can find out what happens next.
I thank Tyndale House Publishers for providing me a complimentary copy of the book to read and review. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
Five Minute Friday – I Will Remember
Lord…I will remember You
In times of trouble
I will remember You are my Refuge and Strength
In the darkness
I will remember You are my Guiding Light
When my enemies are closing in
I will remember You my strong Deliverer
When temptation overtakes me
I will remember that You have made a way of escape
When fear grips my heart
I will remember You are my God, mighty to save
When the enemy’s lies overwhelm my thoughts
I will remember and speak forth truth from Your Word
When it seems as if all have abandoned me
I will remember that You promised to never leave nor forsake me
Lord…I will remember
You are Faithful and True and there is no one like my God
By Susan Wachtel
March 23, 2013
It’s another Saturday morn and I participating in Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Fridaywriting challenge. Head over to her website “Lisa Jo Baker Tales from a Gypsy Mama”. Be sure to read some of the entries from other writers. I can promise you that you will be blessed.
The Faith I Want
I was thinking about faith today and here are some reflections on the kind of faith that I want to have:
A defiant faith
Faith that turn the world upside down
Faith that knows the battle belongs to the Lord
Faith that does not lose hope
Faith that sings hymns of praise in the darkness
Faith that praises God when the world expects me to curse Him
Faith that dares to ask the Lord to let me walk on water
Faith that trusts God to shut the mouths of lions
Faith that rejoices in all circumstances
Faith that forgives and prays for those who hurt me
Faith that does not doubt or waver when it seems like the Lord is silent
Faith that looks to the Lord when my world seems like it’s caving in
Faith that repents and runs to the Lord when I’ve sinned
Faith that truly knows…it’s all about God
Five Minute Friday – Not Home Yet
Daily I am reminded
I am not home yet
For I am a stranger
Living in a strange land
A foreigner in a land
Not my own
An ambassador waiting for the King
To call me home before the battle begins
A bride waiting
For the Bridegroom to come take me to the Father’s house
For He has gone
To prepare a place for me
He promised that where He is
There I shall be also
He will come and take me home
And all who proclaim Christ as Lord
We will soon be removed
Before the great and dreadful Day of the Lord begins
When God’s wrath will be poured out
On those who reject God with a hardened heart
Those who close their eyes
In willful blindness
On those who plug their ears
Least they hear the truth and believe
Of God’s promises I am certain
I look back and see His faithful deliverance
I see Noah and his family
Shut in the ark, the door closed by God Himself
Lot and his family were removed before judgment began
Then the Lord rained down brimstone and fire from heaven
The Lord struck down the firstborn of Egypt
But passed over the children of Israel, seeing the blood of the Lamb
I am confident that there is a generation
Who in the twinkling of an eye will be snatched away, caught up
But the dead in Christ will rise first
Together they will be reunited and taken home
Join together with the Bridegroom
At the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
By Susan Wachtel
March 9, 2013
I confess that today I wrote for longer than five minutes.
It’s another Saturday morn and I participating in Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Fridaywriting challenge. Head over to her website “Lisa Jo Baker Tales from a Gypsy Mama”. Be sure to read some of the entries from other writers. I can promise you that you will be blessed.
Susan's Blog 