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Life on Purpose for Women {Book Review}



Softcover: 224 pages 
Language: English 
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.5 inches 
ISBN-13: 978-971-789-159-0 

Daily encounters and personal quality time with the Lord through bible reading and reflection is very essential for spiritual growth. Reading of devotional books is a very good supplement to it. I've been using two different devotional books for sometime now: Revealing Jesus by Darlene Zschech in the morning, and Lift Up Your Eyes by Christopher Shaw in the evening; both are 365 day devotional books.

After receiving from CLC Philippines, I'm in doubt that this Life on Purpose Devotional could be as applicable to me as it is with Revealing Jesus and Lift Up Your Eyes, noted that it is for Women. I'm using it for weeks now, and all of my doubts were driven away. I must say that this is more elaborate, personal and intimate. Knowing that this is not for 365-day use, J.M. Farro, the author, maximized all the pages to bring out each word from personal experiences, encounters and God-given revelations.

Furthermore, these book comprises 85 inspiring devotionals wherein each of these has a ''Live Your Purpose Today'' bite-size advise from the author and a prayer to close. These features are seldom found on 365-day devotional books, making it very useful to new believers.

It is ''for women'' maybe because it was written by a female author and has the personal experiences and points of view of a woman, a mother; but minus this inscription at the cover, it is very much applicable to everybody.

In conclusion, this devo book is one of a kind. It is a 'must-have' to any christian (more specifically to women). Grab a bulk today, this makes a very good Christmas present! By the way, take advantage of the 56th Anniversary Sale of CLC Philippines, where books are available for as low as PhP56.00 (until November 30).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
J. M. Farro, gifted writer and author, reaches out to thousands of people through Jesusfreakhideout.com. Since 1996, this popular Web site has grown in scope and outreach beyond the boundaries of the Christian music industry. Their focus is album reviews, artist information, interviews, music news, and ministry through devotionals and prayer. On staff since 1998, J. M. Farro counsels thousands of men and women around the globe each year through her devotionals and prayer ministry. She and her husband, Joe, have two sons. They make their home in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. 


ABOUT THE CLC PUBLICATIONS

CLC Publications (formerly Christian Literature Crusade) is the English language publishing house for CLC Ministries International. Headquartered in Fort Washington, PA, CLC has published books for the Deeper Christian Life for over 50 years. Our focus has been to publish books by trusted authors with a clear and timeless message. Some of our better known authors from the past include Watchman Nee, Corrie ten Boom, Amy Carmichael, Andrew Murray and Roy Hession. Today we are also publishing books by well known authors like Warren Wiersbe and Michael Catt.

Many of our books are influenced by the message of the Keswick movement starting in 1875 in England and therefore some of our older authors have British origins or spoke on the Keswick stage at one time or another. While we do not limit our publishing to the theology of this movement, we are certainly excited to be able to convey the message of the Victorious Christian Life to a new generation.
As a part of CLC International, our books are sold and distributed in countries all over the world including but not limited to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India, the West Indies, and the Philippines. We are committed to being a significant part of fulfilling CLC’s international purpose of making evangelical Christian literature available to all nations so that people may come to faith and maturity in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Disclosure: A review copy of this book is provided for review by CLCPhilippines

For more info. visit: http://www.clcphilippines.com/
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102 Fascinating Bible Studies {Book Review}

Softcover: 216 pages
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
ISBN-13: 978-971-789-257-3

Recently, CLC Philippines sent me another set of books to review. I was surprised, for I'm not expecting to receive from them again. This batch of books is larger than the batches they've sent me before, so I had a little problem on choosing the first book to review. Then, I saw this book--102 Fascinating Bible Studies.

This book caught my attention, aside from its nice and attractive cover, it is really fascinating, and impressive--102 Bible topics in a book, exactly what the title describes. It's very ideal for bible study either for group or for personal use.
 
The topics are arranged alphabetically which makes it easier to use. As a life group leader of the teens in our church, I must say that this is very helpful to me. Every topic is given a short introduction by the author and has a list of scriptures/passages to support the topic and to show where each words occur in the bible--making it a bible concordance at the same time. Each bible scripture listed on the topics include questions that will motivate you and your group members to read the bible, to think, and to memorize the passages. One thing that I noticed is some of the questions are not so much connected or focused to the topic, but indeed it is a very good resource--diverse and helpful.

Topics include: Amen, Angels, Anger/Wrath, Antichrist, Baptism, Beatitudes, Bible, Blind/Blindness, Blood, Bold/Boldness, Cheer/Encourage, Children, Church, Comfort, Ten Commandments, Confession, Conflicts/Strife, Cross of Christ, Death (Physical & Spiritual), Depression/Despair, Discernment/Understanding, Dreams/Visions, Evangelism/Witnessing, Faith, Fasting, Fellowship/Partnership, Fools, Forgiveness, Friends, Fruitful/Fruit, Glory/Glorification, God, Gospel, Government/Civic Life, Grace, Health/Healing, Heaven, Hell, Help, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, Hunger/Hungry, Husbands/Marriage, Hypocrisy, Inheritance, Jesus' Humanity, Jesus' Deity, Jesus' Death, Jesus' Resurrection, Jesus' Return, Joy, Judging/Judgment, Justify/Justification, Kingdom of God, Eternal Life, Love, Memory/Remember, Mercy, Miracles, Music/Singing, Patience, Peace, Pleasures, Poverty, Praise, Prayer/Praying, Pride, Prisons, Promises, Reconciliation, Redemption, Repentance, Rest, Rewards, Riches, Saints, Salvation, Sanctification, Satan/Devil, Senior Citizens, Sheep/Shepherds, Sin, Sleep, Spiritual Renewal, Suffering & Pain, Tears/Crying, Temptation, Time, Tithes & Offerings, Tongue/Tongues, Trials/Tribulations, Trinity, Vanity, Voices, War/Warfare, Water, Wisdom, Wives/Marriage, Work/Labor, Worship.

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Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
 -Joshua 1:8 NIV

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Preston A. Taylor is a retired pastor and missionary to Argentina. He received his BD and ThM degrees from Southwestern Baptist Seminary and his DMin from Luther Rice Seminary. For the past 25 years, he has written a weekly devotional message for newspapers in the towns where he has served as pastor. Dr. Taylor currently lives in Zapata, Texas. 

ABOUT THE CLC PUBLICATIONS
CLC Publications (formerly Christian Literature Crusade) is the English language publishing house for CLC Ministries International. Headquartered in Fort Washington, PA, CLC has published books for the Deeper Christian Life for over 50 years. Our focus has been to publish books by trusted authors with a clear and timeless message. Some of our better known authors from the past include Watchman Nee, Corrie ten Boom, Amy Carmichael, Andrew Murray and Roy Hession. Today we are also publishing books by well known authors like Warren Wiersbe and Michael Catt.

Many of our books are influenced by the message of the Keswick movement starting in 1875 in England and therefore some of our older authors have British origins or spoke on the Keswick stage at one time or another. While we do not limit our publishing to the theology of this movement, we are certainly excited to be able to convey the message of the Victorious Christian Life to a new generation.
As a part of CLC International, our books are sold and distributed in countries all over the world including but not limited to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India, the West Indies, and the Philippines. We are committed to being a significant part of fulfilling CLC’s international purpose of making evangelical Christian literature available to all nations so that people may come to faith and maturity in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Disclosure: A review copy of this book is provided for review by CLCPhilippines

For more info. visit: http://www.clcphilippines.com/

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John Schlitt's Debut Christmas Album Moves To Nov. 19

NEWS SOURCE: McCain & Co. PR
November 11, 2013
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 25, 2013) - Legendary vocalist John Schlitt has announced the name of his upcoming CD and unveiled the artwork for its CD cover. The Christmas Project, the Grammy and Dove Award winner's first recorded collection of Christmas music, will be released October 29.

"When we started working on this CD, we kept calling it The Christmas Project, because we didn't have a name for it yet," Schlitt says. "As the months went by, the name just kind of stuck. I like things that are what they say they are, and in the end, I decided that The Christmas Project was the perfect title."

The inspiration for the album cover is the life of Jesus, according to Schlitt.
"It started out as an idea I had to incorporate all the symbols of Christmas onto a wreath. As my team worked on the cover, we realized that there is one symbol that stands above all: the manger," Schlitt says. "But the manger was only the beginning, because looming ahead was the cross. Christ was born to die. We don't like to think about that at Christmastime, but His whole purpose in coming into this world was to bear our sins on the cross."

"But it didn't end there," Schlitt says. "Our Lord conquered death and the cross by rising on the third day. Without the resurrection, the cross means nothing, just as the manger means nothing without the cross. The cover really tells the whole story of Jesus--from His birth, to His death and on to victory."

Schlitt, who had never previously recorded any Christmas music, neither during his 20-year stint as the lead singer with Petra nor as a solo artist, says he felt "a very strong tug" to make this seasonal record.
The majority of the CD consists of traditional Christmas songs with one new original, all done "John Schlitt style."
Schlitt utilized the popular crowd funding platform Kickstarter to raise financial support for the new album.
For more information on Schlitt and The Christmas Project, visit johnwschlitt.com or follow him on Twitter (@johnwschlitt) or Facebook (facebook.com/johnwschlitt).

About John Schlitt:For more than three decades, John Schlitt has enjoyed a stellar musical career as a solo artist, as the lead singer for Grammy Award-winning Christian band Petra, one of the most successful Christian rock bands of all time, and as the former lead singer for popular '70s mainstream rock band Head East. He has been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame as the lead singer of Petra during the years when the band won 10 Dove Awards and four Grammy Awards. Schlitt was named the best rock singer in Christian music history by GospelMusicChannel.com. According to the website, Schlitt "remains one of the most distinctive and impactful men to ever stand behind a microphone." Schlitt was also named Male Vocalist of the Year in About.com's 2011 Readers' Poll in a category that included Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, Brandon Heath and Bebo Norman.

Since Schlitt released his fourth solo CD, The Greater Cause, in May 2012, the legendary vocalist's busy schedule has included appearances on The Mike Huckabee Show, 700 Club Interactive and the Faith & Freedom Celebration--the faith-based kick-off to the Republican National Convention, as well as extensive international touring.


For more information on Schlitt, visit johnwschlitt.com or follow him on Twitter (@johnwschlitt) or Facebook (facebook.com/johnwschlitt).
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Integrity Releases "Stand Up" From Luke Hellebronth

NEWS SOURCE: Integrity Music
November 6, 2013
Integrity Music announces the global release of Stand Up, the debut album from Luke Hellebronth, co-leader of London's Worship Central, a staff member at Holy Trinity Brompton and writer of the song "Spirit Break Out," soon to be featured in a major motion picture.
Stand Up, which is available through digital service providers including iTunes and Amazon, was produced by Hellebronth's fellow Worship Central leader and songwriter Ben Cantelon and executive produced by Tim Hughes. The project features seven studio-recorded songs and two live tracks, all written by Hellebronth with co-writers including Cantelon, Hughes, Nick Herbert and Aaron Keyes.
The album unveils the depth of Hellebronth's talent as a writer with songs that range in tone from urgency and optimism, as in the title track and "Our Generation," to plaintive and personal as with "Miracle of Grace."
… Fully embraced by prodigal love / Wrapped in compassion, I'm held in delight The life in Your laughter, joy in Your wine - "Miracle of Grace"
Also included among the nine tracks is "Spirit Break Out," a song that has quickly moved beyond the UK and Europe thanks to Worship Central's 2011 global release of a live album by that title. Kim Walker-Smith followed this, covering the song for her album Still Believe and Integrity featured it on the iWorship Now/Next collection released earlier this year. The song will reach an even larger audience next spring when it is featured in the Paramount film "Noah," starring Russell Crowe. On Stand Up, Hellebronth and Cantelon give "Spirit Break Out" a stronger, darker treatment, reminding listeners of the fine line between intercession and worship. A live video recording of the song featuring Hellebronth and the Worship Central team can be viewed at "Spirit Break Out".
The complete tracklist for Stand Up is: 1. Stand Up 2. Love Like This 3. Awesome Is He 4. Miracle Of Grace 5. Ready For You 6. Who You Say You Are 7. Spirit Break Out 8. Now Is The Time For Us (Bonus - LIVE) 9. Our Generation (Bonus - LIVE)
Luke Hellebronth serves as worship pastor at London's Holy Trinity Brompton church (creators of the "Alpha" course). He also works with Worship Central, helping train local worship leaders and equip churches around the world. His passion is to use music and lyrics to help people worship and connect with God. Additional information, including acoustic versions of his songs and accompanying chord charts, can be found at http://www.worshipcentral.org.
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Billy Graham to Give ‘Final, Most Important’ Message on His 95th Birthday

On his 95th birthday Nov. 7, the most famous Protestant evangelist of the 20th century will give what could be his final and most important message to the world.
In the months leading up to the unprecedented event, Billy Graham has declared in an exclusive interview with WND that signs of the end of the age are “converging now for the first time since Jesus made those predictions.”
In his new book, “The Reason for My Hope: Salvation,” Graham wrote the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is “near” and the United States “can’t go on much longer in the sea of immorality without judgment coming.”
Now, in a trailer to “The Cross,” the primary program in the My Hope America with Billy Graham evangelistic outreach, Graham said that with “all my heart I want to leave you with the truth.”
“We have been going down the wrong road for a long time,” Graham told WND. “Seemingly, man has learned to live without God, preoccupied and indifferent toward him and concerned only about material security and pleasure.
“And yet mankind is also adrift morally and spiritually, confused and fearful because he does not know where he is or where he is going. He lives in a world dangerously torn by hate and violence and conflict, and yet he feels powerless to do anything about them. He also knows his own heart is driven by destructive passions and motives he cannot seem to control or change.”
Graham – who has preached to more people, 2.2 billion, than any Protestant in history and has appeared on Gallup’s list of the “Ten Most Admired Men in the World” 56 times since 1955, more than any individual on the planet – told WND that people need to repent of their sins, turn to God and “take the narrow road that Jesus talks about in the Bible.”
“The narrow road means that you forsake sin and you obey God, that you live up to the Ten Commandments and that you live up to the Sermon on the Mount desiring to please God in everything. The narrow road is hard and it is difficult; you can’t do that yourself. You need God’s help and that’s the reason we ask people to come to receive Christ because when you receive him, the Holy Spirit comes to live within to help us live the life.
“Our world is desperately seeking answers to the deepest questions of life – answers that can only be found in the Gospel. That is the reason for my hope, that there can be changed hearts and a changed society as we yield ourselves to Christ.”
In what the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association describes as the largest outreach in its six-decade history, Graham will give a powerful pre-recorded message the week of Nov. 7. The “My Hope” programs will be available for viewing online, including on YouTube. “The Cross,” the primary program in the “My Hope” series, will be broadcast on the Fox News Channel, TBN, Christian networks and local television stations in a number of cities. [More information can also be found at the websites or by calling 1-877-7MY-HOPE, or 1-877-769-4673].
More than 25,000 churches – one of every 12 in America – are participating in the outreach along with 2,300 houses of worship in Canada. Participating individuals, called “Matthews” after the disciple who invited guests to his home to introduce them to Jesus, will open up their homes to people they have been praying for. At the gatherings, they will show one of the My Hope evangelistic programs and share their own personal stories of coming to faith in Jesus.
The outreach comes as a number of major evangelists – Graham, his son Franklin Graham, Reinhard Bonnke, Greg Laurie, Luis Palau, Banning Liebscher and others – are turning their attention toward America in the hope of helping to ignite what Graham calls a “fresh spiritual awakening.”
Heartache for America
The movement began after Graham, who provided spiritual counsel to every president from Harry S. Truman to George W. Bush, released an open letter to America in the summer of 2012 titled “My Heart Aches for America.”
In the letter, Graham wondered what his late wife, Ruth, would think of a nation where “self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.”
Graham, who has appeared on the covers of Time, Newsweek, Life, U.S. News and World Report, Parade and numerous other magazines, compared America to the ancient city of Nineveh, the lone superpower of its time. When the prophet Jonah finally traveled to Nineveh and proclaimed God’s warning, the people repented and escaped judgment, Graham wrote, adding he believes the same thing could happen in America now.
Greg Laurie, the senior pastor at the 15,000-member Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., said the letter caught his attention and is certainly an “apt description” of modern-day America. Laurie, president of Harvest Crusades, said Graham “is a prophetic voice and it’s like Isaiah or Jeremiah standing up and telling the nation what they need to do.”
“I’d say, without question, that Billy Graham is the greatest evangelist who has ever lived, not just in our generation, but in any generation,” Laurie said. “No one has even come close to accomplishing what he has. Billy Graham has always been an authoritative voice. One of the best-known phrases that he uses is, ‘The Bible says,’ and I think one of the reasons for Billy Graham’s longevity is he has stood on the Word of God.”
Bill Leonard, a Wake Forest University Divinity School professor, said Graham remains “an American phenomenon, the most enduring and perhaps the most beloved preacher in American religious history.”
“Graham is a major historical figure, not merely to American evangelicals, but to American Christianity in general,” Leonard said. “Although not so well known among a young generation of evangelicals, he remains the closest thing to a national Protestant chaplain that the U.S. has ever had. There really is no one successor. Unashamedly Christian, he demonstrates a graciousness that extends to persons inside and outside the church.”
Graham, who founded Christianity Today and Decision magazines, was reared on a dairy farm in Charlotte, N.C.
Growing up during the Depression, Graham learned the value of hard work on the family farm, but he also found time to spend many hours in the hayloft reading books on a wide variety of subjects.
In 1934, the 15-year-old Graham committed his life to Christ through the ministry of traveling evangelist Mordecai Ham. He was ordained in 1939, graduated from Wheaton College in 1943 and married fellow student Ruth McCue Bell, the daughter of a missionary surgeon who spent the first 17 years of her life in China.
After college, Graham pastored the First Baptist Church in Western Springs, Ill., before joining Youth for Christ. He preached throughout the U.S. and Europe after World War II.
But the Los Angeles Crusade in 1949 vaulted Graham into international prominence. At the time, William Randolph Hearst, the publisher of the San Francisco Examiner and many other newspapers, told his editors to “puff Graham.”
Over the ensuing decades, Graham preached at crusades on every continent, from remote African villages to major cities, including a crusade at Madison Square Garden in New York City that ran nightly for 16 weeks.
Hundreds of millions of people have seen him preach at stadiums and arenas around the world, and millions have read his New York Times bestselling books and inspirational classics, including “The Jesus Generation,” “Angels: God’s Secret Agents,” “Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” “Storm Warning,” “The Secret of Happiness,” “How to be Born Again” and “Nearing Home.”
For more than six decades, Graham’s weekly “Hour of Decision” radio program was broadcast around the world. His syndicated newspaper column, “My Answer,” is still carried by newspapers both nationally and internationally.
Test of time
“Billy Graham has stood the test of time, and where others have come and gone and others have had scandal, he has not,” said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research in Nashville, Tenn. “He is a man that Americans and people around the world look up to. They know a man of character, and I think they are interested to know what he’s got to say at this time because, increasingly, society seems to be coming apart at the seams and somebody who has seen it for 90 years, who has been faithful for 90 years and who has preached the Gospel for decades and decades, is worth listening to.”
Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said his father, even at his advanced age, hasn’t quit working or pursuing his lifelong mission to fulfill the Great Commission – the instruction of the resurrected Christ to his disciples to spread his teachings to all the nations of the world.
“At 94, he hasn’t lost his vision,” Franklin Graham said. “At 94, he is still concerned about people being lost and separated from God and spending eternity in hell, and it’s a burden to him. I would just hope that others would see this and do likewise. We need to have that burden for the lost. And my father, even at this age, hasn’t lost that burden.”
Bonnke, an international evangelist whose ministry, Christ for all Nations, has recorded 72 million people responding to the call of salvation in Africa and elsewhere, said Graham is a “true man of God, a wonderful evangelist.”
“Billy Graham has done an outstanding job, and his family is continuing that legacy,” Bonnke said. “But we can’t rest and say, ‘It has all been done.’ We have to get busy to launch out and reach the present generation with the Gospel as well.”
Liebscher, director of Jesus Culture, an international Christian revivalist youth outreach ministry based out of Bethel Church in Redding, Calif., said he believes the nation can experience another “awakening,” and he’s greatly encouraged that the “Lord is speaking to some of these generals of the faith … because he’s really trying to stir hope in the church.”
“One of the things that happens is we lose hope and we begin to become hopeless about the state of our nation and when we become hopeless faith isn’t able to grow,” Liebscher said. “I really believe God is turning the hearts of these leaders to this nation, and it’s going ignite hope in the hearts of people that God can do this.”
Liebscher said Graham’s comparison of America to ancient Nineveh – a nation that repented and escaped God’s judgment after hearing the prophet Jonah’s warning – inspires him that “God can still break in and God can still turn a nation.”
“We read in history again and again that as nations would be in decline, moral decline, and there would be violence and sexual immorality and all this stuff, that God would break in, and he would turn a nation, he would turn the hearts of the people,” Liebscher said. “We see it biblically. We see it in history. I think God is speaking again and that hope is coming. Hope is alive.”
David Jeremiah, pastor of the 8,000-member Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., said Graham has watched the nation’s moral decline over many decades and understands the critical, existential point it is at now.
“He’s seen it as we’ve continued to slide downward away from the very principles that our country was founded upon – now at an all-time low in all the years I’ve been doing this,” said Jeremiah, author of “What in the World is Going On?: 10 Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford to Ignore.” “He’s 25 years ahead of me so he knows.”
While watching the “Defining Moments” video, Jeremiah said it struck him that national repentance is the only hope America has.
“We’ve tried everything else,” Jeremiah said. “There is no other hope. The political process isn’t going to make it happen. We’re not going to elect somebody who is going to immediately turn this thing back. We don’t seem to be able to coalesce as a group of Christians and get anything done together. The Gospel is the power that can change the lives of people, and I believe that’s what Dr. Graham believes in his heart, too.”
Best is yet to come
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, author of “The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery that holds the Secret of America’s Future,” said one of the mysteries contained in “The Harbinger” is the parallel between the fall of ancient Israel and the fall of modern America.
“In this ancient template, the nation undergoes a metamorphosis in which those who simply hold true to the ways of God, to that which the nation as a whole once held to, now find themselves increasingly at odds with the culture around them,” said Cahn, whose book has remained on the New York Times bestseller since January 2012.
“The case of Billy Graham reveals this dynamic. Graham is undoubtedly the most famous face of American and world evangelism. Thus his recent statements concerning America are all the more noteworthy. They are increasingly at odds with the direction of American culture and have increasingly taken on a prophetic tone. It is a sign of the times.”
Cahn, the senior rabbi at the nation’s largest messianic congregation, the Beth Israel Worship Center in Wayne, N.J., and a descendant of Aaron, the brother of the biblical prophet Moses, noted Graham has been known as the “pastor to presidents” and has prayed at numerous presidential inaugurations.
“But had he began his ministry today instead of years ago, holding the same views he has always held, it is likely he would have been banned from praying at the most recent inauguration. This is a sign of how much America has metamorphosed in the past half-century – a sign of how great and deep is its spiritual and moral apostasy.”
Amid this growing immorality, Graham told WND that the greatest hope of the Christian faith is the return of Jesus.
“That promise will someday become literal history, and with God’s help we’re going to be a part of that history that is yet to come,” Graham said. “Only Jesus Christ when he comes back again is going to bring it. He will defeat every enemy. Sin will be eliminated. Death will be eliminated. War will be eliminated. Crime will be eliminated. The hope of the Second Coming of Christ generates energy and sacrifice and faithfulness and diligence and zeal.”
The best is yet to be. Heaven is yet to be, along with eternal life, Graham said.
It is the hope of the Second Coming that “thrills me every day of my life,” Graham said.
“I know that he’s coming again, and I know that he’s going to set up a kingdom of which there will be no end,” Graham said. “In Titus 2 it says, ‘Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.’ Our hope centers in a person, not in circumstances, not in a political party, but in a person.”
An award-winning journalist at the Los Angeles Daily News, The Press-Enterprise and other newspapers for two decades, Troy Anderson writes for Reuters, WND, Charisma and many other media outlets. He’s also the president and editor-in-chief of the World Prophecy Network – An Online Newsmagazine and Community Spreading the Hope of Jesus in the End Times. He lives in Irvine, Calif.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/billy-graham-to-give-final-most-important-message/#kpvCKbPLdgtiwox4.99

SOURCE
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The Rock Won't Move {Album Review}

ALBUM TITLE: The Rock Won’t Move
ALBUM ARTIST: Vertical Church Band
ALBUM LABEL: Provident Label Group/ Essential Worship
FAVORITE TRACKS: I’m Going Free (Jailbreak), The Rock Won’t Move,
Worthy, Worthy, Strong To Save
RATING: 5/5

My home church will be celebrating its 19th Year Anniversary on the third Sunday of November. We are holding a very powerful theme from the book of First Corinthians chapter fifteen verse fifty-eight; where Paul is urging the Corinthians to stand firm, do not be moved and always give & submit fully to the work of the Lord. This is very timely to every Christians today whose navigating through the ups and downs of life. This is also the message that is being conveyed by the latest record from the Vertical Church Band, The Rock Won’t Move.

It is my first time to write a review for VCB & their label, also my first time to listen to their songs. What’s impressive with this album is it’s flavorful and diverse in atmosphere, brought up by the collaborative works of Harvest worship leaders: Seth McConkey, Meredith Andrews, Kyle Fredricks, Jon Guerra, Andi Rozier and Tara Rios. Each song is a declaration of faith to the Lord, our ever-faithful Solid Rock.

The album opener Found In You is energetic which is common to many albums. Its instrumentation is somehow familiar to me, mixtures of New Life Worship, Hillsong and Worship Central. I love the thick participation of the people that is well consistent throughout the song up to the next track, I’m Going Free (Jailbreak). The entirety of the song is catchy and chanty, making it one of my favorite tracks in the album. I commend the enthusiasm of Kyle Fredricks in declaring the freedom found in Jesus, the reprise at the latter part is a blast.

The title track The Rock Won’t Move is elegant in its folky instrumentality; a modern remake of Edward Mote’s renown hymn Solid Rock, putting new touches to the lines “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand..” Meredith Andrew’s soul-stirring Worthy, Worthy is the ultimate worship song in the album. My heart is pounding as I listen to it. Her sustaining high-pitch soprano voice will surely give any listener chills.Songs with this theme on God’s holiness & worthiness are memorable and easy to follow because of their simplicity in lyrical contents.

Another folky track is I Will Follow You; a song of commitment, submission and total surrender. This song is not for the lukewarm Christians, and those who don’t want to step out of their comfort zones. Never sing this song if you’re not yet ready to deny yourself and to take up your cross to follow Him.

To emphasize more the theme of the album, Strong To Save exhorts the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ. The entirety is a full blast which makes it the best track in the album. Parallel in this concept is Meredith’s Strong God. I've reviewed Jon Egan’s rendition of this song from New Life Worship’s latest album of this title, and I must say they’re just the same.Call On The Name is perfect for personal devotions and soaking sessions.

As soon as you reach the last two songs of the album—Only Jesus Can and He Has Won, you’ll be delighted to listen to these two tracks over and over again. The next generation worshipers would love the rhythm, energy and enthusiasm of each of these tracks.


Overall, The Rock Won’t Move is one of the best modern worship albums I've ever encountered; an ideal album for multi-generational congregations. The songs that are captured in this record are bold declarations of faith and solid trust to our Solid Rock—the Rock won’t move, the Rock of Ages. With its dynamic and various musical styles and sounds, there is no doubt that this album could resource the church for years and generations to come.

ABOUT VCB
Vertical Church isn’t the name of a church. It is an idea. The idea that worshiping Jesus Christ is best done not when we just sing about Him or what He has done or what He will do in the future. The highest and best worship is modeled by what the angels do: sing to God about God. Vertical.
Vertical Church Band is a collection of people who play every week in places all over Chicago land as part of Harvest Bible Chapel, a place that believes singing isn’t a warm-up for the sermon; singing is a warm-up for heaven. So the faces may change. The style may evolve. But the aim will stay the same. Vertical.
ABOUT PROVIDENT LABEL GROUP/ESSENTIAL WORSHIP
Provident Label Group is a division of Sony Music Entertainment focusing primarily on Christian music in Franklin, Tennessee. The group handles its own physical distribution through its Provident-Integrity Distribution service. Provident Label Group is affiliated byForeFront RecordsSparrow Records, and Tooth & Nail RecordsEssential Worship is a community for worship leaders and teams. A place to share in conversation about songs for the church....a place to have a voice.
Disclosure: I received free review copy of the album in exchange of my honest review and opinion. 
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Casting Crowns, SCC, Natalie Grant To Headline The Story Tour

NEWS SOURCE: Southside Entertainment
November 1, 2013
NASHVILLE, TN — November 4, 2013 – Following multiple sell-out performances in front of nearly 120,000 people during the 2011 and 2012 holiday seasons, THE STORY TOUR, presented by World Vision, will return for the third consecutive year to arenas nationwide this Christmas, giving fans in 14 cities a chance to experience the Bible through a live multi-media experience like no other. This year’s all-star line-up once again brings together top names in Christian music, including Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant, Matthew West, Nichole Nordeman, Selah and Rawsrvnt, along with special guest author/speaker Randy Frazee and musical director Bernie Herms. The exceptional cast will also be joined by a full orchestra and children’s choir as they perform holiday favorites and selections from (Music Inspired By) THE STORY, each song telling a first-person account of a specific biblical character.

Casting Crowns’ lead singer Mark Hall, who was a part of the 2012 tour, will be joined onstage this year by other members of the award-winning band for this one-of-a kind concert experience. “When a family comes to THE STORY concert and they see, person by person, how God has moved through history, they begin to see how the Bible fits together,” says Hall. “God is working all things together for good. That is the message: that Jesus is the way to God and that He is writing our story.”

“It is so exciting to be a part of an event that helps bring the Bible to life,” adds Grant. “Watching the audience grasp these biblical truths in new ways is especially rewarding. And I believe these are some of the greatest songs ever written, so it is an honor to sing them every night.”

Throughout the evening, the artists will perform the Dove Award-winning Special Event Album of the Year (Music Inspired By) THE STORY in its entirety, taking the audience on an extraordinary journey from Genesis to Revelation. In addition, artists will perform some favorite Christmas classics, making this a memorable, must-see event for the 2013 holiday season. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.TheStoryCD.com/tour.

Released in late 2011, (Music Inspired By) THE STORY is an unparalleled project from some of the best-known artists in Christian music. Based on a collaboration with authors Randy Frazee (The Heart of the Story) and Max Lucado (God’s Story, Your Story) as well as Zondervan’s Bible The Story, the songs on THE STORY album take timeless biblical truths and provide a completely new context into how God’s narrative of love and redemption intersects with our own history of brokenness and failures resulting in a new, epic story of hope and rescue. The 2-CD set features 18 original songs written by multiple Dove Award winners Nichole Nordeman and Bernie Herms. The project is produced by Herms and Brown Bannister and features a stellar line-up of artists across all major labels, who combined have sold over 75 million albums.

This year, THE STORY TOUR is once again partnering with Christian humanitarian organization World Vision (www.worldvision.org). World Vision provides assistance to approximately 100 million people in nearly 100 countries by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

THE STORY TOUR – 2013 
11/29/13 Nashville, TN | Bridgestone Arena
11/30/13 Atlanta, GA | Philips Arena
12/02/13 Tulsa, OK | SpiritBank Event Center
12/03/13 Loveland, CO | Budweiser Events Center
12/05/13 St. Charles, MO | Family Arena
12/06/13 Grand Prairie, TX | Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
12/07/13 Cypress, TX | Berry Center
12/08/13 Jonesboro, AR | Convocation Center
12/09/13 Columbus, OH | Schottenstein Center
12/10/13 Fairfax, VA | Patriot Center - George Mason Univ.
12/12/13 Norfolk, VA | Scope Arena
12/13/13 Pittsburgh, PA | Petersen Events Center
12/14/13 Trenton, NJ | Sun National Bank Center
12/15/13 Hershey, PA | Giant Center

About Casting Crowns
Prolific CCM band Casting Crowns has achieved major sales milestones including one RIAA 2x multi-Platinum album, three RIAA Platinum albums, two RIAA Platinum DVDs, six RIAA Gold albums, four Gold DVDs and four RIAA Gold certified digital singles. The band currently holds the position as Billboard’s top-selling act in Christian music since 2007. The group has also been honored with two American Music Awards (out of six total nominations), a GRAMMY Award for its 2005 album, Lifesong, and has received six GRAMMY nominations including three received on Dec. 5, 2012. The band has garnered 17 GMA Dove Awards and two 2012 Billboard Music Awards from six total Billboard Music Award nominations. Casting Crowns’ seven band members all remain active in student ministry in the Atlanta area and tour according to their local church commitments. Serving his 18th year in youth ministry, lead singer/songwriter Mark Hall maintains his role as the student pastor at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in Atlanta.

About Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman has sold over ten million records, including two RIAA certified platinum albums and eight RIAA certified gold albums. Along with his five GRAMMY awards and 16 nominations, Chapman has won an American Music Award, has recorded 47 No. 1 U.S. radio hits and been awarded 57 Dove Awards, more than any other artist to date. Since his recording career began in 1987, Chapman has recorded 17 projects with Sparrow Records. He has performed at the White House and has appeared on multiple national programs via CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, CMT, FOX News, the Hallmark Channel and E!, including “Good Morning America,” “Larry King Live,” “Fox & Friends,” “Huckabee,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and more. Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, created Show Hope after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China in 2001. The ministry’s goal is to raise awareness about orphan care as well as to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption. Now celebrating its 10th year of service, Show Hope has provided adoption grants to more than 4,000 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Visit www.ShowHope.org.

About Natalie Grant
As a GRAMMY nominee, multiple GMA Female Vocalist of the Year award-winner and the top-selling Adult Contemporary female solo artist in 2005, 2006 and 2008, Natalie Grant is among a select number of artists to have achieved a formidable foothold at mainstream media and radio and has proven to be a triple-threat success as powerhouse vocalist, heart-gripping songwriter and charismatic performer in concert. With the advent of her 2005 breakthrough album, Awaken, being certified gold by RIAA, her chain of success led to GMA Female Vocalist of the Year Awards for four consecutive years (2006-2009) with a return 5th win in 2012. She recently released her eighth studio recording, Hurricane, which debuted at #1 on the Christian album charts in October.

About Matthew West
An ASCAP Christian Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year winner and lauded by The New York Times as “a vivid and compelling songwriter with impressive approaches to the familiar,” four-time GRAMMY® nominee Matthew West’s discography includes acclaimed releases: Happy (2003), History (2005), Something to Say (2008), The Story of Your Life (2010) and Into The Light (2012). His 2010 studio album, The Story of Your Life, was inspired by 10,000 stories from every state in the U.S. and 20 countries. The album garnered attention from CNN Online, Fox News, Billboard, Country Weekly, American Songwriter and more. A multiple ASCAP “Song of the Year” winner, West has had five No. 1 radio hits, including his latest record-breaking single, “Hello My Name Is.” West’s fifth studio album, Into The Light, was released last fall and was nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Album for the 55th Annual GRAMMY® Awards.

About Nichole Nordeman
Nichole Nordeman is a recording artist and songwriter for Sparrow/EMI CMG with numerous No. 1 and Top Ten singles to her credit, along with cumulative CD sales of over 1 million. A two-time Gospel Music Association winner for Female Vocalist of the Year, she has won a total of nine Dove Awards, including one recently as the lyricist on the best-selling album, (Music Inspired By) THE STORY. Nichole lives with her family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Connect with her at www.nicholenordeman.com and @nicholenordeman on Twitter.

About Selah
Over 2.75-million-album-selling and 7-time-Dove-Award winning trio Selah, has an evolving sound that is indebted to each member’s eclectic tastes. Pianist/vocalist Allan Hall bleeds country and bluegrass; vocalist Todd Smith breathes classic rock and yesteryear’s CCM, and vocalist Amy Perry marches to the beat of pop and urban gospel. Selah’s mission is to use the gifts that God has given them to encourage the people that listen to their music and attend their concerts, “If we can remind them that God is real, and He is here, and He will take care of them, we’re doing what He wants us to do.”

About Rawsrvnt
Eddy “Rawsrvnt” Puyol is a Grammy-recognized, American recording artist and speaker with Cuban roots and the entire world on his mind. From reality television to professional sports, he has been given platforms on some of today’s largest entertainment outlets to preach, uplift, and touch hearts across the globe with the redemptive nature of God’s love.

About Randy Frazee
Randy Frazee became the senior minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio in 2008 where he teaches and leads in partnership with pastor and author Max Lucado. Prior to Oak Hills Church, Frazee served as teaching pastor at Willow Creek and as senior pastor at Pantego Bible Church in Fort Worth, Texas for 15 years. He is the author of The Connecting Church, Making Room for Life, The Christian Life Profile Assessment and Renovation of the Heart Student Edition. Frazee lives in the San Antonio area with his wife Rozanne, their four children and granddaughter.

About Bernie Herms
Producer…Composer…Songwriter…GRAMMY nominee. These are just a few words to describe GMA’s 2009 Producer of the Year and ASCAP’s 2007 Songwriter of the Year, Bernie Herms. His success in each of these areas has led to work with well-known artists such as Brad Paisley, Jackie Evancho, The Tenors, The Military Wives, Casting Crowns, Natalie Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, Ruben Studdard and Cody Karey. In 2010, his work gained eight nominations at the 2010 GMA Dove Awards, more than any other nominee, including nods for Producer of the Year and Song of the Year. The 2011 Dove Awards granted nominations in the categories of Producer of the Year and Pop Contemporary Album of the Year. The 2012 Dove Awards came with a nomination and a win for Herms in the Inspirational Album of the Year category for the highly respected album, THE STORY. Herms penned the multi-week No. 1 Casting Crowns hits “Praise You In This Storm” and “East to West” and “Until the Whole World Hears.” Herms recently signed a production and publishing deal with the renowned producer David Foster and Universal Music Publishing.
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