Translating God, by Shawn Bolz

I purchased this book through the SidRoth.org website. I have a deep desire to develop a gift of prophecy, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, to help people (including myself) through their walk with God. So, occasionally, I will pick up a book by people who write about how they hear God’s voice.

It appears Shawn Bolz was called to minister to movie stars and the like in Hollywood, California. I admire his courage – with all the trash that Hollywood puts out, this must be no easy feat. In the book he explains how you have to have courage and faith and take “huge risks” to step out and talk to people about God, sometimes with just an inkling of a vision or one word that the Lord gives you. When you step out in faith, then God gives you more words.

He stresses that loving people is the #1 condition to becoming prophetic–that your motivation must be nothing more than a strong desire to help people, and not to gain any favor or attention for yourself. He says, that as we get to know God, “you begin to absorb his affection for humanity. Your relationship with Him is the primary source and goal of revelation,” and that, “prophetic ministry is about your being a gateway to God’s thoughts, emotions, and heart for others through your connection to Him.”

He has used his gift to bring people to receive Jesus as Lord at amazing moments in time. He talks about the times when he is so bone-tired, he doesn’t feel like talking to people, but the Lord says, “Do it”, and he obeys, with amazing results.

I also got the CD package where Shawn told some stories that I don’t think were in the book. They were tremendous. I strongly recommend this package to those who wish to hear God’s voice more strongly in their lives in order to minister to others.

Miracles From Heaven, by Christy Wilson Beam

You may recognize the title, Miracles From Heaven, as a movie that came out in 2016 with actress Jennifer Garner, a true story about a young girl who developed a rare, incurable digestive disorder, and was miraculously cured when she accidentally fell into a hollow tree from a very high branch. It’s a crazy story how she was rescued, and what happened to her while she was inside at the bottom of this hollow tree.

As usual, the book was much better and more detailed than the movie, although the movie wasn’t bad. Christy talks about how her daughter saw Jesus and had an out of body experience in Heaven. It’s another book to add to your collection of books about the afterlife. When you lose someone you love, it’s nice to read these kinds of books, because it bring peace and comfort. It’s a good read.

Pagan Christianity, by Frank Viola

Wow. This book, Pagan Christianity, had my head reeling. Frank Viola has written a number of well-researched books. Basically, he is saying that we modern-day Christians have the church thing ALL WRONG.

He gives chapter after chapter of the history of how all our churching came to be, and how it’s all based on paganism that was established all around the Jews and the early church after Jesus resurrected. Over the centuries it has morphed and evolved, but our church traditions are basically pagan-based. Emperor Constantine had a lot to do with it (sort of the inventor of Roman Catholicism) but there were many others. Martin Luther lead the reformation, but he really scratched the surface of reforming.

I was thinking: you’re born at a certain time, and you come to accept things/traditions as the way they are without questioning anything (like Christmas, Easter, church in general). You’re also taught to respect your parents/grandparents so you hang onto the same traditions they pass down to you without investigating if they are GOOD traditions or the REAL thing (because hey, millions of people through the generations can’t be wrong, right?). You just live your life compartmentalizing traditions in your mind as, “that’s the way it is”. And then you read a book like this one.

For example, do you know how most traditional/denominational church buildings got their design? There is a reason behind everything and it’s based on pagan worship buildings.

He doesn’t believe in pastors, tithing, seminaries, your “Sunday best” clothing, and on and on. While there are a few things I don’t agree with, I would say 90% of what he says makes a lot of sense, IF you use the scriptures and NOT tradition as your measuring stick.

Read this book if you like truth.

Forged

Forged by Bart D. Ehrman. Dr. Ehrman is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina and has written more than 20 books. He knows the Bible better than just about anybody. We, as “laypeople”, can read the Bible over and over again and yet only have 1/2 the story, if that. This book explains that about half of the New Testament is forged, or books are falsely attributed to people who didn’t write them. This explains contradictions that you might have noticed among the letters of Paul and others.

In our modern age we have been brainwashed to believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God. This is not true. The canon was put together by people with whom you may or may not have agreed with their theology. Clearly super-smart theologians have examined the writings of the NT every direction and determined what sections and books are forged or attributed to someone, like Paul or Peter, who did not write them at all.

It’s disconcerting for sure. But I just comfort myself with knowing that neither Abraham nor Moses had a “Bible”, yet they heard God’s voice, followed His leading, lived moral lives, accomplished great things. We too should be that sensitive to the Holy Spirit and use the Bible as a “guide” and not the be-all, end-all of our faith.