He Is Risen

He is Risen!

Wishing all of you a blessed and Happy Resurrection Day!

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 Friday writing 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 Friday writing 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.