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The book starts out telling of Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, when he “went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.” Although I would classify this as a “guys’ book” from the very beginning, it had me riveted. Great story-telling, great imagery.

What interested me most about “Day of War” is that – although fictional – it paints a seemingly realistic picture of life as a warrior in Old Testament times. I’m not a history buff or a student of wars, so this account helped me understand why David and his army faced and endured what they did – and how so much killing could occur in the name of Yahweh.

Though rough men with distant, abandoned families and haunting pasts, they shared a trust and deep-seated belief in God (most of them, anyway). When preparing for battle and in the midst of adversity, David and his men speak this prayer to Yahweh: “Cover me in the day of war.”

Most of us don’t face war and battle like the characters of this book. And – I would venture to guess – most of don’t fully appreciate the freedom that we have to comfortably live our lives peacefully in Christ, knowing that we have that choice and will not be persecuted or slaughtered because of it.

But in one way or another, we all have our own days of war. Our own struggles and conflicts. We would do well to remember David and his mighty men, and ask God to cover us in our days of war.

meet the reviewer: kristy wright

Kristy Wright is a born-and-raised Minnesotan, spending her first six years of life in St. Paul before moving to the northern metro with her family. She spent four years in Marshall attending Southwest Minnesota State University and earning a Bachelor’s degree in English/journalism with a minor in literature. Kristy moved back to the Twin Cities in 2000 and settled in Cottage Grove with her husband, Jeremy, in 2003. The Wrights have two young children, Jesse and Alex, and spend most of their time playing with the boys and being with friends and family. Kristy has a background in writing, working as a reporter for two years and in communications for 11 years. She currently works as a Vice President at a St. Paul-based credit union trade association, a position she has held since 2011.

INDESCRIBABLE

By Louie Giglio and Matt Redman

Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO (2011)

Louie Giglio is the pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta and Matt Redman is a songwriter and worship leader based in Brighton, England. In this book, they take the reader on a journey to the furthest known reaches of the universe, describing stars, galaxies, the sun, the moon, distance, light, and astronomical principles. They weave together Bible verses with scientific thought and paint a picture of a Creator who is beyond comprehension.

As I read this book, I became lost in wonder. On one hand, I was overwhelmed with how many Bible verses there are that relate to our Creator and the role of His creation in worship of Him. This book does a great job in aligning Bible verses in a way that leads one to worship God! On the other hand, I was overwhelmed with the enormity and grandeur of even the small part of creation we can now describe through scientific inquiry. As Ralph W. Sockman pointed out, “The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder!”

Giglio and Redman conclude the book by pointing out that the psalmist wrote, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). But just when be might be tempted to believe that God is too big to be concerned with someone as tiny as you or me, we read, “From heavens the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place he watches all who live on earth – He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do” (Psalm 33: 13-15).

Looking up to the heights of the cosmos increases our sense of the glory of God. At the same time, it helps us realize just how extravagant His divine love is. The same hands that flung the stars into space, also surrendered to the cruel nails of the cross to bring us salvation. Oh, such indescribable love.

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  — 2 Corinthians 9:15

THE POWER OF A PRAYING PARENT
By Stormie Omartian
Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon (1995)

Being a parent …. It is the best of jobs. It is the most difficult of jobs. It can bring the highest highs and the lowest lows. No area of your life can make you feel more like a success and no area of your life can make you feel more like a failure.

In raising children, the most important things we can do for them is to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), live as examples for them (Proverbs 20:7), and pray for them (Lamentations 2: 19) in all situations and in all aspects of life.

In this book, Stormie Omartian begins by giving great insights about how to become a praying parent and how we can release our children into God’s hands. Then, she provides useful chapters that focus on topics that we can pray about. There are 28 topics (one in a chapter), so it takes just over half a year to pray through the book. When you reach the end of the book, you can just start over again!

Each chapter ends with a written prayer that can be prayed out loud and a number of Bible verses that relate to that chapter’s topic. It is a practical, useful tool for being a praying parent. There is even a chapter that focuses on insights for how we can pray for our adult children.

This is a practical book for helping us to do something that is extraordinary.

“Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5: 17

In Daniel 5, it seems some time has passed.  Nebuchadnezzar is replaced by Belshazzar as king, and it seems that he has to be reminded of Daniel and the power of God within him.  I didn’t locate a timeline estimate to see how long Belshazzar remained as king, but it seems he sealed his fate with using the articles of the temple in his celebration.  Jesus speaks something along these lines in the New Testament, John 3:18 “..but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  Jesus reveals many times in the gospel of John how important it is to understand Jesus is the Messiah.  In this part of the message, it’s revealed what the consequence of rejecting Him will be.  Belshazzar clearly was mocking the power of God and paid with his life.  It’s not always this obvious in life, but it will be on judgment day.  We have our assurance in knowledge and the mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Get involved by:

• Donating new, unwrapped items to help AlleyKids/Teens fill boxes on November 20 (see suggestions below) – items can be donated in the lobby or sent along with your AlleyKid/Teen
• Packing a box as a family—grab a brochure from the lobby, use enclosed labels, & drop off in the lobby between now and November 20
• Praying for the children who will receive our boxes
• Come serve with us at the processing center on Tuesday 12/6 from 6-10p.  Click here to sign-up.

Gift Box Ideas:

• TOYS
  small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky®, etc.
• SCHOOL SUPPLIES
  pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
• HYGIENE ITEMS
  toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.
• OTHER
  Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries)
• DO NOT INCLUDE:
  Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans

Mark your calendars: AlleyKids/Teens Operation Christmas Child box-packing event is November 20 during the education hour!

Watch this video below to hear more about OCC!

We are bringing back our weekly community meals starting Wednesday 11/9 @ our Cottage Grove site and on Sunday 11/13 @ our Midway site.

To locate our 2 locations, please click here

We are calling this ministry Poimaino which is a Greek word for feeding, nourishing & tending to.

We need a lot of manpower to make these dinners happen. If you are able to help out with setup, serving, cleanup, etc then we want to hear from you! Fill out the quick form below to let us know and we’ll get in touch with you right away!

What:

Coat drive outreach event at theAlley Midway – partnering with the community, we will be giving out the coats to kids and their families in the community who need one

How Long:

Drive goes through Sunday November 13th

What To Donate:

Slightly Used or New Coats for kids or adults – people of all ages.

Where to Drop Off:

During Sunday worship at Alley Cottage Grove or Alley Midway

At theAlley-Midway we want to Live Love and Follow Jesus and bless those in our community who are less fortunate. Many of the families as well as the kids in the Midway area won’t have warm clothes to bundle up in when they’re playing outside or walking to and from school this winter. Some kids have never, ever had a new coat simply because their families can’t afford it.

GET YOUR COAT ON 2011 is a way for us at theAlley to Live Love and Follow Jesus as we help those in need in the Midway area.

Our goal is to giveaway 200 coats this November.

For more information contact Dave or Leslee Hugare at 952-426-8436 or complete the form below.

[contact-form-7]

At the end of Acts 15, Paul is setting out on his second trip to the churches he and Barnabas visited earlier.  In this message to the Galatians, Paul has heard that they are following some other Gospel than the one he preached.  He goes on to convince them that the Gospel he taught to them was not his – but it was God’s.  He gives them a background of the years and years of study and the validation from the Apostles.  Paul is a man to be believed when he speaks of the salvation of Jesus Christ.  Paul set out to bring the gospel of Jesus to the Gentiles while Peter stayed near Jerusalem to teach the Jews.  This too brought a conflict between Peter and Paul – not so much about the teaching as much as the behavior in public.  When it comes to the teaching – I have to quote what Paul says in Chapter 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  If we can set this phrase before us as we go out into the world every day – we might live a little differently – we might become a stronger witness. We will grow closer to Jesus.